Antigua:
An old and rich League Homeworld located in the Fomalhaut zone, along with Phaedra. Antigua is a Latinate settlement, officially monolingual and the second richest single planet outside Sol; it is the only Homeworld without colonies. The economy is based primarily on finance, handcrafted luxury goods (including many sought-after wines and liquors), food exports, and sexual tourism. It maintains strong ties with Terra and often forms a voting bloc with it in the Grand Senate.
The original settlers were mainly from the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Ares, and have retained their culture. Noted for their wealth, their relaxed hedonistic lifestyle and carnival outlook, Antigua nonetheless supplies many personnel to the CEF, especially marines.
AP:
Armor-piercing; as applied to munitions.
APS:
Anti-personnel; as applied to munitions.
Archon:
The head of the Nedaeman government, chosen by the Nedaeman Senate.
Area Defense:
A defense network that extends over a large volume, covering a fleet or establishing a wide perimeter around an installation. Achieved using networked sensors and long-range weapons (usually missiles), mounted on a number of ships or other platforms.
ARGONET:
A network used by the League government to share intelligence products among its various organizations and services. It is actually a proper name (a play on Argonaut), and not an acronym, although some tried to render it as one by combining the terms analysis, research and government, without much success. It is maintained by DIO.
Asylum:
Asylum is a secondary but important transit node in Cygnus. It forms a stellar triad with Miranda and Epona. Combined, these systems control major routes between the League, the Karelian Republic, and the Kepler Junction.
Asylum was named by an Amalekite splinter group from Rephidim, who thought it could provide a sanctuary free from all worldly temptation. Unfortunately for them, the system proved uninhabitable, and the colony died out within twenty years.
AU:
Astronomical Unit. The mean Earth-Sol distance. ~149.6 million kilometers.
B
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Ballast, in:
An sailing term for an unladen ship (one carrying no cargo). Still in rare use.
Bannermans:
The Bannerman Confederacy. A remnant of one of the Slave Federations that formed in the late stages of the Formation Wars. Based in the Praesepe Cluster and frequently allied with Halith. A major participant in the slave trade.
Battalion:
A military ground forces or marine unit that ordinarily consists of three to six companies (though in some cases as few as two, or as many as eight). An infantry battalion will have more companies. An armored cavalry battalion will have fewer. Special purpose battalions also exist, and their organization varies accordingly. A battalion is commanded by either a lieutenant colonel or a colonel.
Bearing:
The horizontal angle between an observer and an object, measured from a reference line; elevation being the vertical angle with respect to a reference plane. In current naval usage bearing refers to this pair of angles; what was once called azimuth and elevation, or AZ-EL. Civil mariners prefer AZ-EL (pronounced Azel).
Bells:
An ancient method of marking time during a watch. Each bell, in Terran usage, is 30 minutes, or 8 bells per watch. Thus 1030 is ‘5 bells of the forenoon watch’ and ‘eight bells of the forenoon watch’ is noon (although this would never be said, noon being the official term, as is midnight).
Belt, the:
The second permanently established successful settlement after Mars, the Belt is distributed throughout Sol’s asteroid system and major moons. Highly decentralized, it is the richest Homeworld after Terra, and controls enormous resources, both locally and through its colonies. Known for being extremely proud and radically independent. Belters are thought to have played a major role in Terra’s revival from The Troubles. Often at odds with the Meridies.
Billet:
A post or position of employment, together with its tasks and responsibilities, that is occupied by a member of the military (other agencies also use the term).
In the military particularly, confusion can arise because of billets that sound like ranks, such as commodore, flag lieutenant, Captain of the Fleet, and brigadier. (There are related billets for NCOs, some quite senior.) All these billets confer temporary authority, usually in excess of the holder’s substantive rank, which adds to the potential confusion. However, such authority only lasts while the person occupies the billet and is constrained by the nature of the billet, unlike the authority conferred by their substantive rank, which is permanent and general.
Confusingly, a billet can also refer to temporary quarters or an official order to provide temporary accommodations for a member of the armed forces.
Black Army:
A terrorist group formed by Nestor Mankho. Destroyed by Nedaema after LH-1.
BMC:
Battle Management Computer. An IT system that collates, processes and displays tactical data. Largely replaced by omnisynths in the CEF.
BOQ:
Bachelor Officers’ Quarters. Despite the name, more often used as temporary lodging for visiting officers than as base housing for unmarried ones.
Bosun:
A senior warrant officer, responsible for ship maintenance and damage control, assisted by bosun’s mates. (On carriers, battleships and dreadnoughts, bosuns report to a commissioned officer who runs the department, while frigates have a senior bosun’s mate in this billet who is typically a master chief petty officer.)
Bot:
A slang term for most anything that does something, be it a device or software.
Brevet Rank:
A temporary promotion; sometimes casually called a battlefield promotion. Generally speaking, brevet ranks may be given by any senior officer to a subordinate, though there are limits on the number of steps and the highest rank that can be conferred, which differ between militaries.
In the CEF, for example, brevet promotion cannot be more than two steps above the substantive rank (and rarely that), or higher that two steps below the officer conferring the rank, (So a Navy captain can promote as high as lt. commander.) Flag rank and general officer rank are never brevetted. (A brigadier may be appointed as a billet, but never as a brevet, in the case it is a substantive rank.)
Brevet ranks are given for any number of reasons beyond necessity in combat. A billet may require a certain rank and a brevet promotion may be given allow a more junior officer to hold it. A brevet promotion may be given for conspicuous gallantry or other superb conduct, in the hopes it will be confirmed and made permanent. Brevet promotions are sometimes even made for diplomatic purposes, to make an officer more acceptable to a class-conscious society.
Brigade:
A large tactical military formation, commanded by a brigadier. In most ground forces, it is composed of four to six battalions, with supporting elements. Three or more ground-forces brigades constitute a division.
Some militaries, such as the ground forces of the New UK and the Hesperia, whose military structure is based on regiments, do not consider a brigade to be a permanent formation. They use the term when battalions of different regiments are brigaded together for some reason. The combined unit is then commanded by a brigadier, which is a billet, not a substantive rank.
Another exception is the CEF Marine Corps, which is also based on regiments, made up of two or three battalions. However, a single-battalion regiment, of which several exist in the CEF Marines, is called a brigade.
Note: The 101st Marine Special Operations Brigade is one example of a single-battalion regiment. This unit is also exceptional in that its CO is not a brigadier but, by tradition, a lieutenant general.
Brigadier:
The lowest general officer rank, just above colonel, having the same seniority as a commodore in
the navy, and in command of a brigade.
Like commodores, a brigadier is considered a billet in some militaries, not a substantive rank. The CEF Marine Corps does consider brigadier to be a substantive rank, and it is never referred to as brigadier general, although this is common in other militaries.
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C-12:
The League designation for a common high-efficiency military-grade explosive, very stable until primed. Available in several variants for different applications: munitions, demolition, mines, etc. Used by all militaries with slightly different formulations and names (e.g. Halith name: K-pex; Bannerman name: K-phor).
C4ISR:
Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance. The totality of information functions and methods used to support effective employment of forces in warfare.
Caelius Protogenos:
Considered the largest enterprise in which no government is a shareholder. The company is unusual among its peers in that it is not a conglomerate. The enterprise is dedicated entirely to terraforming and settlement. Jackson Holder is the CEO. His family founded the company and retains an 11% stake in it, which Holder personally controls. (Compare the Huron Family.)
Call-Sign Alphabet
Codenames assigned to each letter of the alphabet, as used in unit call-signs. Its origin is in the ancient radio alphabet (sometimes phonetic alphabet), which was developed to aid voice communications over an unclear channel, and also because certain letter names, such as B and P, are difficult to distinguish. Different organizations have used different versions of this alphabet since the early days of wireless communications, based on such factors as interoperability with various regional dialects. The current alphabet is use by the League is: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Gamma, Hammer, Indigo, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Ocean, Paris, Cue-ball (Q), Roger, Sierra, Tango, Uncle, Victor, Whisky, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.
The other call-sign alphabets in use are similar.
Canteen:
A base club for the lower enlisted ranks. Officers set foot in the canteen only in the line of duty. The rules for NCOs vary by service. In some militaries, the canteens are separated to give rates and specialists their own.
Canteen is also a general term for a facility serving snacks and drinks to all personnel, especially on major installations where there are a large number of civilians as well as military personnel.
CAP:
Combat Area Patrol. The defensive deployment of fighters to cover an area, fleet element, or installation.
Capperbar:
The misappropriation of naval stores. A favorite pastime of bosuns, pursers, and NCO mess stewards, or anyone else whose job it is to handle stores.
Captain of the Fleet:
A CEF Navy staff billet. The Captain of the Fleet acts as chief of staff to a fleet commander, managing the admiral’s staff, as well as overseeing most of the administrative work. In this sense, the Captain of the Fleet is somewhat analogous to the exec of a CEF warship. A good relationship between the fleet commander and the Captain of the Fleet is vital for its smooth functioning.
CAT:
Covert Action Team. A League military special-operations unit. Formed from CEF marines, although Navy or SRF officers sometimes lead them. All CAT members hold at least the rank of PFC.
Operationally, a CAT is a section-sized unit. Administratively, it is a platoon-sized unit, as each CAT contains three sections, one of which is either deployed or ready for deployment, while the other two form a ‘bench’ that are undergoing additional training or acting in support of the deployed unit.
CATs do operate under the fireteam concept, but are more flexible in this regard than other Marine units. CATs are extremely tight-knit, often serving together for years, and form teams fluidly to meet most any circumstances.
This stability explains a peculiarity of CATs: the tendency of the members to refuse promotion. One highly decorated member of CAT 5, Corporal Vasquez has been termed the ‘permanent corporal’ as she has held that rank for almost the entirety of her long career, despite many opportunities and numerous ‘battlefield’ promotions.
Due to the wide variety of missions CATs undertake there is no ‘standard’ organization. However, some generalities can be described.
CATs most often consist of 12 members, exclusive of commissioned officers. All CATs have a leader (Cat Leader), who is a Sergeant Major or a Color Sergeant, and team second (Cat Second) who serves as second in command for the CAT, and is often a Master Sergeant or Staff Sergeant, these being equivalent technical ranks to Color Sergeant and Gunnery Sergeant. The reason for this is that the CAT Second traditionally acts as the EW, sensors, and comms expert for the CAT, and thus usually comes from the tech side.
Next, a CAT will always have a shuttle pilot/engineer and a shuttle co-pilot/ gunner who mans the shuttle’s weapons and operates its sensors and EW suite. The shuttle pilot is often a WO, sometimes a Master Sergeant, but does not deploy in the field with the team and does not take precedence over the CAT Leader. The shuttle co-pilot/gunner is usually a Staff Sergeant (rarely a Master Sergeant).
The other 8 members of the CAT are most often organized into 2 fireteams, designated Charlie and Alpha. Fireteam Alpha is the action team, which carries out the objective, while Fireteam Charlie is the cover team that provides Fireteam Alpha with the support necessary to achieve the objective.
While ranks are not as significant in CATs as in the CEF as a whole (experience and reputation count most in CATs), Fireteam Charlie will usually be led by a sergeant, likely a Gunnery Sergeant. He or she will be seconded by a Gunner, typically a corporal or lance corporal, who is armed with a SAW. The third member is most often the team Designated Sniper (DS), who may be a PFC, lance corporal or corporal (sergeants are rare but not unheard of). The final member is a Sniper/Scout, who assists either the DS or the Gunner, according to circumstances. (Most often he or she will assist the DS while the Cat Leader works with the Gunner.) One team member will also be qualified as a medic.
The Fireteam Alpha will be configured according to the objective. How senior the Fireteam Alpha leader is cannot be generalized. This is because the Cat Leader may accompany Fireteam Alpha much of the time, allowing the Fireteam Alpha leader to be relatively more junior, so as to get vital experience under the Cat Leader’s tutelage. Further, the specific expertise required by the mission does not necessarily reside in the most senior members. Thus, a more junior member may be appointed Fireteam Alpha leader, while more senior members act in supporting roles, bringing their experience to bear on other aspects of the mission.
Therefore, roles within the Fireteam Alpha, including leadership roles, are assigned based on skill set and experience more than rank and seniority. The tight-knit nature of the CAT allows for this with a minimum of friction.
A few of the missions undertaken CATs are extraction (cooperative and uncooperative targets or packages), tech exploit (including data retrieval or insertion), ‘active’ measures (i.e. sabotage and related activities), and covert reconnaissance.
These might involve forming extraction teams (expert in close-quarters combat and subdual/pacification techniques), demolition teams, tech teams, sniper teams and scout teams, and involve personnel qualified as medics and small-craft pilots. (In general, a CAT will have at least one member who is a qualified small-craft pilot who deploys with the team. This is in addition to the shuttle pilot/engineer and co-pilot/gunner, who remain with their shuttle at all times.)
In addition to the 12 enlisted members, a CAT will generally be accompanied by two commissioned officers, only one to which—the Ops Planner, who is typically a fairly junior marine officer—is officially assigned to the CAT for an extended period (usually not in excess of a year). The OTC, who is not officially part of the CAT, will be a more senior officer and might be from any of the service branches, although a Marine captain or major would be most comm
on. Lieutenant colonels have been known to lead CATs on rare occasions. A senior lieutenant or lieutenant commander from the Navy or the SRF is not unheard of.
As a rule, these officers deploy with the CAT, but not with Fireteam Alpha. They remain with Fireteam Charlie and oversee the operation, while assisting the CAT Second.
The requirement for the OTC is that they have a successful history working with CATs (often as a former ops planner) and they have particular experience and/or expertise relating to the mission. There is a small cadre of very experienced officers who are frequently assigned to be OTCs, and form a sort of unofficial “CAT Club.”
Unlike most Marine units, CATs rarely vary their armament based on the mission. The basic weapon used by all CATs is the MI-6 assault rifle, a heavier and more capable version of the standard Marine assault rifle. CATs also carry their own personal weapons, with which they are given fairly wide latitude.
Loralynn Kennakris 2: The Morning Which Breaks Page 58