Loralynn Kennakris 2: The Morning Which Breaks

by Owen R. O'Neill

  The relationship of the Supreme Staff to the Ministry Of War is also unique. Unlike the general staffs of other militaries, the Supreme Staff exerts almost complete control over Halith’s military complex, including the definition of requirements and the allocation of resources, which in other societies are the province of either a civilian bureaucracy or the chief executive authority.

  The Halith Ministry Of War, however, is has only a minimal staff and, what is more, the Supreme Staff holds a near monopoly on information relating to military matters. The Ministry therefore lacks the resources to conduct its own independent analyses, and would have to rely on the Supreme Staff for the data to do them, if it tried.

  In addition, while the War Minister does have a seat on the Council of Ministers, so does the Grand Marshal, who acts as Chief of the Supreme Staff, and typically about half of the hereditary lords on the Council are also high-ranking military officers. Thus, the War Minister would have an extremely difficult time charting a course for the military that its senior officers did not endorse. At times, internal divisions within the military can be (and have been) exploited by a politically adroit War Minister, but examples of this are few and far between.

  The Supreme Staff’s insulation from oversight even applies, though to a lesser degree, to the ruling Proconsuls. Friction between the proconsuls and the Supreme Staff has historically been rare, but when it does occur, the proconsuls can wield their power of appointment and, most especially, the power of the purse, to bring a recalcitrant staff to heel.

  While Halith society greatly fears a proconsul developing imperial ambitions, it equally detests the idea of a military dictatorship, and this exerts a countervailing force against either party (the proconsuls or the Supreme Staff) attempting to completely monopolize power.

  The Supreme Staff is structured as follows:

  1. General Affairs Bureau

  1.1. Administration Department

  1.2. Mobilization Department (Conscription and slave labor, called ‘guest’ labor. Includes an office that provides women to military units for sexual purposes.)

  1.3. Training Department

  2. Operations Bureau

  2.1. Plans & Operations Department

  2.2. Logistics Department

  2.3. IT Department

  3. Intelligence & Security Bureau

  3.1. Intelligence & Counterintelligence

  3.2. Security

  3.3. Vega Group (Field interrogation and similar units. Also known as Group V. Previously under Department Seven.)

  4. Military Research Bureau

  4.1. Military History Department

  4.2. Strategy and Tactics Department

  5. Imperial Staff College

  6. Astrographic Survey Department

  7. Department Seven (Special forces)

  7.1. Xylon Group (Counterterrorism and protection of strategic facilities. Also known as Group X.)

  7.2. Zeta Group (Covert operations involving infiltration, assassination and sabotage. Also known as Group Z. Compare SSO. Not to be confused with the popular social-networking service.)

  8. Military Security

  8.1. Penal Colonies

  8.2. POW Facilities

  8.3. Military Police & Security forces

  Note: Vega, Xylon, and Zeta are the Halith codewords for the letters ‘V’, ‘X’, and ‘Z’.

  Sutlers:

  Sutlers were originally civilian merchants who followed armies to supply them with food and other necessities. During the Second Colonization period, it evolved a general term for itinerant merchants who visited outlying settlements, selling luxuries and hard-to-get wares. During this period, sutlers developed an unsavory reputation for sharp dealing. During the Formation Wars and their aftermath, many sutlers began to contract with the Slave Federations to provide logistical support. This practice was so widespread that sutler became a generic term for anyone who acts as a supply agent for slavers. (Compare lixae and victualers.)

  Synalogue, the:

  A Nedaeman advisory council concerned with legal analysis, especially ‘textual analysis’ and ‘origination theory’ that are intended to recover original intent. The opinions derived are considered authoritative, but Nedaeman courts are not bound to rule by to them. The Scholiast is chosen from among their number.

  T

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  TAO:

  Tactical Action Officer. The officer posted in CIC responsible for overall control of a ship’s weapons and sensors while in combat; may also be responsible for maneuvering the ship, if the captain cannot act (or if the captain so directs). In the CEF, s/he reports directly to the captain when in action, and otherwise to the executive officer.

  In the CEF, the TAO controls the ship’s sensors and weapons, while the captain maneuvers the ship and directs the overall engagement. The TAO executes the captain’s attack plan and takes responsibility for defensive measures (including EW, counter-missile fire, etc). The captain and TAO work closely together in combat and are in constant communication; the ship’s combat efficiency heavily depends on the captain’s relationship with the TAO.

  The TAO can assume full authority to fight the ship if directed to do so, or if the captain is incapacitated. In this case, the TAO has authority equal to the captain’s and it applies as long as the ship is under Condition 1 (Condition 2, if the captain cannot act).

  The Halith navy does not have a TAO in the same sense. The Halith analog is the Weapons Control Officer (WCO) which is a more junior position. The WCO reports to the captain in CIC and is responsible only for directing the ship's weapons and corresponding sensors; the WCO never issues maneuver orders and never assumes full authority for fighting the ship. The WCO also does not control the EW assets. EW on a Halith major combatant is the province of the Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO), who also reports to the captain in CIC.

  Other navies usually follow one or the other of these models, although navies that lack large combatants may not have a TAO-type billet at all, simply relying on the captain, aided by the exec, and the fire-control and sensor officers.

  Task Force,

  Naval:

  A naval force formed from part of a fleet to perform a specific mission or task, often detached. A task force can itself be divided into task groups, as necessary. The CEF Navy identifies a task force with the prefix TF and the fleet number with a decimal point, followed by the task force number: e.g. TF 7.3, for the Task Force 3 of Seventh Fleet.

  The purpose behind task forces is to be able to divide fleets temporarily and form units as needed to increase operational flexibility without requiring a fleet to be formally reorganized. Task forces can be assembled using ships from different divisions and squadrons, and placed under an available CO, then simply dissolved once the task is completed.

  The term task force has been adopted by many civil organizations to describe group established to pursue a specific activity.

  Task Group,

  Naval:

  A subdivision of a task force, identified the prefix TG and the fleet number with a decimal point, followed by the task force number, and then task group number after a second decimal point: e.g. TG 7.3.1 for the Task Group 1, Task Force 3, Seventh Fleet.

  In principle, this practice can be extended to task units, and even task elements, which are individual ships. The CEF Navy, however, rarely uses the term task unit, preferring to call these squadrons, and never task element, as it is deeply offensive to assign a mere number to any warship.

  Tau Verde:

  A Halith colony system in Auriga that controls the Novaya Zemlya Transit from the Halith side. It is home to the Imperial Fleet’s Janin Station and is the most heavily fortified system in existence.

  TBD:

  To Be Determined.

  TDY:

  Temporary duty. TDY can be an elastic term. Some military personnel have spent almost their entire career on TDY (usually through administrative boondoggling, as there are often perqs to being on TDY.) />
  When commissioned officers are detached from their regular unit for temporary assignment elsewhere, this usually called being seconded.

  TEARs:

  Tech ELINT Analytic Registry. The comprehensive database of all electronic signals and related intelligence maintained by ONI. Like the SAARs database, a redacted version is shared via ARGONET.

  Terebellum Empire:

  A minor star civilization bordering the New UK and Cygnus. The rump of a much larger empire that existed before the Formation Wars.

  The Terebellum Empire is aligned with the New UK and generally favorable to the League, though there has been past friction. Miranda is a former colony.

  Tesseract:

  An application used in hyper-navigation to plot gravitational structures called manifolds, which are the foundation of hyperlight travel.

  Terra, Terran:

  Can mean specifically Earth, or colloquially anything connected with Sol. Earth is the dominant power in the League, with the largest and most advanced economy and a military that rivals the CEF in combat capability, though not in size. It exerts de facto control over Mars and Venus, giving it what many see as undue influence in the Grand Senate. Earth, in turn, is dominated by the PACRIM and North America, which while not the same as the old USA, is still often referred to as ‘the States’.

  Terra and Terran have both specific legal and colloquial meanings. Legally, they refer to Earth and its residents. Colloquially, most people outside Sol refer to anything connected with the system as Terra or Terran, since Earth dominates Sol (as indeed it does the League). Belters, who represent the only society within Sol that is in any sense comparable with Earth, are the only people who tend to object, and those who are diplomatically minded avoid calling them Terrans.

  Further, the citizens of Earth almost universally refer to themselves as Terrans off-planet, but they rarely refer to Earth itself as Terra, which leads to confusion. (While on Earth, they call themselves by name of the locale in which they reside, so there are still Americans, Japanese, Germans, Paharis, Zulus, North Africans, Australians, etc.) Thus, in the colonies, many people distinguish between Terra (the planets of Sol), and Old Terra, meaning Earth. This has led to the general use of the term Terran Space to describe the region controlled by Sol as opposed to the older, more legal term Solar Space or simply Sol Space.

  Terra suffered less from the Formation Wars than other interstellar societies, and rebuilt faster afterwards; this is the basis of its dominant position. Halith is in a somewhat similar case.

  Theme:

  The basic political unit on Nedaema; plural is themoi.

  Think-Linking:

  The use of neural implants or neural induction devices to communicate with or control a device. Can be dangerous if done improperly or excessively, leading to violent dementia.

  Tier-1 Colony:

  A colony that holds its charter directly from a Homeworld and has repaid its settlement loans. Tier-1 colonies have voting rights and representation in the Grand Senate, and are entitled to issue charters for their own settlements. Some Tier-1 colonies rival the Homeworlds in economic and political clout, lacking only the veto power held by the Homeworlds. Also called top-tier, first tier, or first-gen (generation) colonies.

  Tier-2 Colony:

  A colony chartered by a Tier-1 Colony. These colonies are eligible to apply for voting rights and representation in the Grand Senate once they have repaid their settlement loans, but they require sponsorship by their founding colony and have a period of probation, typically 30 to 50 years. Relatively few Tier-2 colonies have met these requirements. Also called second-tier colonies but second-gen is the most common term. (Two-gen is also heard in colloquial speech.)

  Traditions, Naval:

  Navies are, by their nature, steeped in tradition. Many of these may seem bizarre, nonsensical, or obscure to outsiders, but they form the backbone of the system by which hundreds and even thousands of people can live, work, and fight together effectively under extraordinarily challenging conditions.

  Naval traditions would fill a vast literature and any such discussion is quite out of scope for this document. Many are archaic, going back to the ancient days of sail, and involve strange terms and stilted forms of address. Both the Terran Navy and the CEF Navy make something of a fetish of resurrecting and adopting these ancient practices. The use of bells, ‘passing the word’, and official phases such as: “Neither you nor any of you shall fail in your duty as you will answer the contrary at your peril” are all examples of this.

  Messes and their organization are ‘hallowed traditions,’ as are the rules that govern behavior in gunrooms and wardrooms. The rules of behavior for base clubs have similar status. But perhaps the naval tradition that distinguishes naval personnel most strongly from civilians (observed most strongly in the CEF), concerns the attitudes towards nudity and personal privacy.

  The CEF, in particular, has a fully integrated force that makes no concessions whatever distinctions between men and women in regards to privacy. A ‘casual’ attitude towards nudity is encouraged and to a degree, enforced. Locker rooms, exercise and shower facilities are all communal, as are berthing spaces for all but senior officers. Getting in and out of EVA suits (or flight suits, in the SRF) involves frequent communal nudity, and indeed nudity (and lack of privacy) has been a fact of shipboard life since the early days of space flight.

  However, this tradition also serves another function. The CEF, more than other services, must successfully integrate men, women, Homeworlders and colonials, whose cultural habits are often wide apart. Indulging these habits most often leads to cliquishness and inhibits the formation of new primary group bonds that are required to weld a disparate group of individuals into an effective military (especially naval) unit. While the use of ceremony, ritual and tradition (which includes uniforms and modes of address), all play an important role in this process, none are nearly as effective in breaking down social and cultural barriers as communal nudity.

  It is these attitudes, inculcated at the CEF Academy (where they, along with the abrupt amputation of their on-line or ‘virtual’ existence, account for most of the attrition among new cadets) and maintained throughout life that, more than anything else, set mariners apart from civilians.

  Trifid Frontier Force:

  A CEF force established to patrol the Outworlds, particularly to combat slavers and depredations by Tyrsenian pirates. In practice, their operations are limited to the Inner and Outer Trifid, and the Inner Trifid Boundary Zone. Nicknamed the ‘Tuffs’. The CO’s post (COMTUF) is a rear admiral’s billet.

  Trifid Region:

  The most remote region yet explored. Named for the Trifid Nebula. See the Outworlds. TRICOM is the responsible CEF command; a vice admiral’s billet.

  Troubles, The:

  A period of widespread upheaval and social collapse the occurred on Terra in the latter half of the 21st Century (AD Reckoning) and lasted between 100 and 200 years. (Historians disagree on the duration based on disparate views on what counts as a ‘revival’ and because the records of the period are sparse and often contradictory.) The causes of the Troubles were many and of longstanding, but nanotech hysteria, the micromanufacturing revolution, increasing food pressure, and VRSN are most commonly cited.

  However, the Troubles did see the beginning the First Colonization Period, and were the primary force behind it. See also the Belt Civilization.

  T-Synth:

  A smaller and less capable version of an omnisynth fitted on SRF fighters and other small craft to help flight officers maintain tactical awareness.

  Tycho Prime:

  The largest complex on Luna, and the largest moon base anywhere, located in the Tycho region. It houses Lunar 1, Terran Home Fleet Headquarters, Tycho Control, and a large number of other League government offices and annexes, as well as extensive residence and support facilities.

  Tyrsenians:

  The Tyrsenian Alliance. A small remnant of one of th
e oldest Slave Federations. Loosely organized and consisting of the planets of Lemnos, Tiryns, and Abydos in the Hydra. Known for slave trading and practicing piracy.

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  Uncle:

  Unclassified. From the abbreviation, UNCL. Also the call-sign alphabet codeword for the letter U. (Based on the ancient radio alphabet.)

  UWB:

  Ultra-Wideband. The term ‘ultra-wideband’ has been in use ever since the earliest days of RF technology. In its original ancient meaning, it referred to RF devices having an emitted signal bandwidth exceeding 500 MHz, reflecting the extremely primitive technology of the era. In current usage, it refers to devices with a ‘flat’ frequency response (3-dB variation or less) from acoustic RF to hard x-rays.

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  Vaccines, Proactive:

  Nanotechnology enhanced vaccines that adapt to mutating viruses. Pioneered by Dr. Victor Osorio. The forerunner of immunocytes.

  Vectura Networks:

  Specialized logistical networks used by the lixae (licensed contractors who provide the Halith military with slaves) to transport, feed and house slaves.