Loralynn Kennakris 2: The Morning Which Breaks (71 page)

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

To Be Determined.

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
.

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
.

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.

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

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.

The basic political unit on
Nedaema
; plural is
themoi.

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
.

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.

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.)

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.

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
.

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
.

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
.

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

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.

The Tyrsenian Alliance. A small remnant of one of the 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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Unclassified. From the abbreviation, UNCL. Also the
call-sign alphabe
t codeword for the letter U. (Based on the ancient radio alphabet.)