Ganymede Plunder Page 4

  Esper Slang for those considered abhorrent creations of the Empire. Esper is a term taken from Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP, hence ESPer). Espers can read minds, and often control them. Espers were created through genetic manipulation.

  Fab see Fabricator.

  Fabricator Similar in concept but not scale to our 3D printers, fabricators (or ‘fabs,’ for short) are capable of printing components out complex materials. Part forge, high quality fabs can manufacture materials to high levels of precision. They are the preferred method of component construction. Military vessels of sufficient size often carry fabs for repair and outright construction of everything from hull metal to dropships. The Guild has the best fabricators available, high precision devices some say can print to the demanding levels required by AI mind crystal.

  Faster than Light Travel (FTL) There are two discovered forms of FTL; Endless Drives (using theoretical physicist Miguel Alcubierre’s concepts), and Guild Bridges (Einstein-Rosen Bridges).

  Fergelic, Dominic Dominic is Emperor in Waiting, son of Emperor Prirene III.

  Free Trader A starship that operates under legal Guild charter for commerce or transport.

  FTL see Faster than Light Travel.

  G Slang for gravity or gravities. A unit of measurement based on Earth’s 1 standard gravity.

  Grav see Artificial Gravity.

  Guild Bridge The Guild maintain a set of Einstein-Rosen bridges throughout human space. These allow instantaneous travel without violating the concept of space time, as they create wormholes through space. Einstein-Rosen Bridges require endpoints (the Guild Bridge) which are operated on a strict schedule between star systems. They are used for transferring everything from whole starships right down to small messenger probes.

  Guild The Guild is the dominant technology provider in the Empire. They have a rigid code of conduct that governs all members awarded and maintaining a Shingle. The primary source of Guild revenue is via the Bridges (see: Guild Bridge) they maintain for safe, instant FTL. Many merchant vessels prefer the use of Guild Bridges over the use of Endless Drives due to safety concerns. The Guild is best known for their Engineers who breathe life into starships, but they also provide Shingles for other practices such as medicine.

  Hard Black Slang for outer space, especially as it relates to the vast expanse of vacuum between solar systems.

  Heads Up Display Any display type that overlays instrumentation across a user’s field of view, removing the need to check auxiliary readouts. The most common types utilize augmented reality to highlight items of interest in the user’s field of view. Normally they are projected light onto visors within helmets or on starship windscreens, but holo designs are not uncommon.

  Heavy Lifter A freight starship capable of atmospheric drops. They derive their name from “lifting heavy” loads from crusts into orbit. They can be used to ferry items to orbiting craft such as freighters or destroyers that are not atmosphere-capable. They can also be used for direct runs to other systems, although their small cargo bay (as compared to freighters) makes them less efficient. Captains using them for this purpose would prefer the term, “boutique.”

  Holo Slang for items such as shows and movies displayed on holo stages.

  Holo Stage A 3D projection stage. These are common across the known universe as they provide a more natural method of content consumption than older 2D display styles. 2D displays are still prevalent especially in HUDs.

  HUD See Heads Up Display.

  Hypo Slang for a jet injector, a type of medical injecting syringe that uses high pressure instead of a hypodermic needle.

  KG Kilogram.

  Kilo Abbreviation for kilogram.

  Kinetic A type of weapon that fires physical rounds. Many PDCs use kinetic rounds as opposed to lasers, masers, or particle beams, due to their efficacy against most types of object.

  Klick Slang for kilometer.

  Laser A type of directed energy weapon using coherent light. Ship-mounted lasers tend to be used for carving through ablative shielding or surgical strikes against critical systems. Hand-held laser weapons are designed to superheat the liquid inside humans into steam very quickly, causing an explosion of the remaining tissue.

  LIDAR Acronym for LIght Detection And Ranging. LIDAR uses coherent light to make digital 3D representations of objects.

  Luna Latin name for the Moon.

  Maser A type of directed energy weapon using microwave radiation. Ship-mounted masers are most effective at disrupting enemy comm arrays and personnel in equal measure. They are out of favor as hand-held weapons due to a longer time to death as compared to blasters.

  Navy The Empire space fleet. The Navy patrol human space to protect against threats like pirates.

  Nuke A thermonuclear weapon of mass destruction. Very old but reliable technology, used in configurable payloads for ship-to-ship combat, city assaults, and the destruction of entire worlds (ref: crustbuster).

  Organics Slang for organic life, but most typically referring to intelligent life. Humans are ‘organics.’

  Particle Beam A type of directed energy weapon that fires particles with minuscule mass.

  Plasma Cannon see Blaster.

  Point Defense Cannon (PDC) PDCs are installed on almost every starship to protect hulls from impacts from things like meteoroids. They are also useful defense against torpedoes, although generally ineffective against railguns due to the high velocity of railgun rounds. PDCs can be kinetic or directed energy weapons.

  Power Armor Armor that is motor-assisted, often used for deployments on high-G worlds. Configuration often includes vehicle weapon mounts, allowing a higher degree of flexibility for infantry deployment.

  Prirene Dynasty The Prirene Dynasty has stretched back over two hundred years. It holds the ruling seat of the Empire.

  RADAR Acronym for RAdio Detection And Ranging. RADAR uses radio waves to determine the range, angle, and velocity of objects.

  Radiation Sickness A constant hazard of space. Many crews take daily medication to ward off radiation sickness. It’s as much a part of shipboard life as making sure your O2 is topped up. This means that a mild dose of radiation is unlikely to kill you if treated in time, but massive doses are still dangerous.

  Railgun A kinetic weapon that fires high velocity rounds by way of a pair of conductive rails. They are often mounted on larger ships and make a dramatic statement when fired against enemy vessels.

  Reactor Starships use fusion reactors. The most common design is the ICF (Internal Confinement Fusion) style of reactor. These have a variety of safety functions that make them suitable for spacefaring needs, including containment fields in case of malfunction. Larger starships can eject faulty reactors into the hard black.

  Rig Slang for maintenance equipment commonly worn by Guild Engineers about starships. These double as space suits for zero atmosphere maintenance on the exterior of a starship’s hull. The design incorporates a visor with configurable HUD for instrumentation and telemetry, and a set of programmable servitor arms for complex manipulation of equipment.

  Shingle A guild badge of practice, allowing the holder to a) claim they are Guild certified and b) ply their trade as a Guild craftsperson. They are notoriously hard to get, requiring years of study and excellence in your field.

  Ship Suit Slang for spacesuit. Generally denotes a space suit for a specific ship carrying crew logograms and/or color themes.

  Sol Latin name for the Sun. Often used to describe Earth’s solar system (e.g., “The Sol system”).

  Space Suit Clothing worn to keep humans alive in the hard black. They provide protection against vacuum, temperature extremes, and radiation. Military models are often fitted with armor to protect against blasters, lasers, masers, and kinetic rounds. They often provide additional protection against high-G maneuvers.

  Spacer Slang for those who crew on a starship, civilian or military.

  Terra Latin name for Earth.

  Tonne Metric ton, equivalent to 1,000 kilogra
ms.

  EXCERPT: DRAGON'S BARGAIN

  Undercut

  Grace’s sword felt as heavy as her sins. She followed Cam, an assassin at his back, waiting to strike.

  Cam walked the halls of Starfire Station, unconcerned. He didn’t know where she was. Cam couldn’t feel the blade’s readiness to separate all the messy parts that made up a man. He also couldn’t feel the presence of his pursuers.

  They were Grace’s prey.

  There were three in total, not even a proper handful. They wore no livery, but Grace knew the cant of their step. The way they strode the metal decking said, I’m used to starships riding the hard black. Empire agents, sent to take her friend away. They reeked of hunt/savage/kill. It made her skin crawl.

  We had a deal, Max. Grace gritted her teeth, suppressing a snarl. The whole point of not killing Max Conyers was so he wouldn’t kill Cam Redwood. It was a mistake Grace could remedy if she managed to get Cam out of this alive. And herself, because these didn’t walk like Marines. They moved like spies, glancing at all the shadowy places a girl might hide, all without seeming to look at anything at all. Fingers never far from the hilts of blades or butts of blasters. Too-casual, too-nondescript clothes, giving them a faceless appearance like the teeming thousands of spacers onboard. They would be skilled at the art of killing.

  Cam slipped into a turbo lift. The car would take him a klick or more to the top decks of the station. Few merchants went up there. It was where the Guild outpost was, tired Engineers waiting to repair the merchantliners passing through. Grace hadn’t been there yet.

  It doesn’t feel right to spill blood where the best and brightest fix the things that keep us all alive. Engineers were the lifeblood of the Empire. Their Guild kept the Bridges working, Endless drives running, and made sure hulls kept O2 inside a starship. Grace wouldn’t bare her blade in their company. I might need them on day.

  The elevator Cam took had glass walls, viewing the magnificent open central core of Starfire. The station was a massive cylinder in space, the interior hollow, with walkways spanning the width like a hundred silver threads. Grace watched him enter, then sprinted past the elevator. A quick jump over a railing set her atop the elevator. She landed light and easy on the balls of her feet, making no sound. The elevator rose smoothly, evidence that while Starfire might be old the station’s Engineers kept things working right.

  The car rose, the air whipping Grace’s hair around her face. Cam’s followers were left far below as the elevator lapped up the meters, racing to the station’s highest point. Grace allowed herself a grin at the speed of movement. It felt like she rode the wind itself as she balanced atop the elevator, sword in one hand, freedom in the other.

  All too soon the car came to a stop. Another would be along soon enough to deliver Cam’s pursuers to the Guild’s level. Grace waited for Cam to disembark, her friend still unaware of where she was. As the elevator began its long trip down the two-klick length of Starfire, she hopped off, landing on a concourse that smelled of grease, ozone, and burnt metal. A few surprised folk saw her from within the elevator, its glass walls hiding nothing. Grace gave a cheery wave as the car descended from view.

  Get to work.

  The concourse was large, all manner of mechanical repair or manufacture possible here. Hull welders vied for space next to Guild fabricators, their massive material printers bursting with light and energy as ship parts were minted wholesale. White and yellow sparks flared and danced from a cutter’s doorway as a tough-looking woman in an Engineer’s rig shouted at a man who looked like he couldn’t care less. The discharge of a capacitor blew a window to pieces two hundred meters along, causing swearing and cursing but also good-natured ribbing.

  Grace stared, wide-eyed. She’d never seen the magic of starships before. This was where they bottled nuclear fury and powered mighty ships through the long night. For the barest fraction of time she wished to be one of them, to lend her hands and heart to making the universe better.

  The weight of her sword reminded her that could never happen. Three Empire men hunt your friend. You can’t make drive cores, but you can keep him safe.

  The span of Starfire’s end cap was a mighty piece of metal. Vines grew along the support struts. The peace of Earth foliage vied with Engineering marvels. It was pretty enough, the gnarled branches of the vines showing life’s desire even out here among the stray dust and radiation of the hard black.

  It would make a good hiding place.

  Grace clambered up a conduit, reached a spar, and hoisted herself into the foliage. Hydroponic equipment snaked among the vines. She placed her feet carefully, using the leaves as cover.

  Thirty seconds after Grace hid herself from casual eyes, the elevator returned. It disgorged a load of passengers including the three Empire agents. They gave a quick look around, then padded in the direction Cam had gone. Interesting. How do they know where he’s going?

  Grace followed from above, keeping her steps noiseless, taking care to not disturb the leaves she moved through. The three men spread out, one hugging a wall, the other closer to the central core’s railing, and the third taking point.

  The man near the wall passed a recycling chute. It was off the concourse proper in a garbage collection area. The agent no doubt figured it a good place for Cam to hide, but Grace thought it an excellent place to take care of him without anyone noticing. Grace darted forward, dropping from the branches. Her steel stayed hidden, the long hard length of her scabbard rapping against the man’s skull. He dropped without making a noise.

  Grace grabbed him, stuffing him into the recycling chute. It was a long ride down to Starfire’s material reclamation bays. The automated systems there, well used to the antics of errant children riding what was effectively a two-klick slide, would put the man aside and call authorities.

  One down. She’d lost sight of the one on point, but the man by the railing looked too interested in an airlock ahead. Grace padded through the concourse, ducking around an automated loader. She slid through a clump of Engineers. The signature four-armed rigs they wore gave enough stray visual noise to hide Grace in plain sight.

  The agent she hunted opened the airlock, nosing inside. Grace approached, tapping him on the shoulder. The man whirled, a blaster clearing its holster. She knocked his wrist with her scabbard, kicked him in the groin, then brought her elbow up in a savage blow to the man’s jaw.

  He slumped into the airlock like a thrown pillow. Grace palmed the airlock controls, setting the unit to maintenance mode. It meant no one would open it from the inside without station authority, but also meant the outside was secure. Two down.

  The third was still out of sight. Grace glimpsed Cam far ahead. She ran in pursuit. It was almost her undoing as the third agent lunged at her from a nook, the blue arcing tip of a shock rod almost hitting Grace in the face.

  She blocked the shock rod with her scabbarded sword, old wood clacking against new ceramic and plastic. The man lunged again, the shock rod’s tick-tick-tick hungering for Grace’s skin. She turned her body aside, capturing his arm and the rod, then twisted. The man’s elbow popped, his eyes bulging as he screamed. She took the shock rod from him, pressing the tip to his chest. He convulsed as volts coursed through him, then dropped to the deck, shirt smoking.

  And that’s three.

  Grace calmed her breathing. Cam was fine. She opened her comm. “Hey.” Grace saw Cam jerk to a halt ahead, looking around.

  She watched as he looked about, didn’t find her, sighed dramatically, and opened his own comm. “Grace? I thought we agreed you’d let me take care of a little business.”

  “That’s right. I had some of my own to take care of too.” She nudged the unconscious agent at her feet.

  “Well, stay away. I’m meeting a contact.” Cam’s eyes roamed, trying to find her.

  Grace hunkered against a wall. “What kind of contact?”

  “The black-market kind. They hide up here among the Engineers. We’ll sell the data yo
u stole, make our fortune, and retire.”

  Grace saw a man approach Cam. She knew him from the way he walked and the way he swaggered. His sallow face and gaunt frame were familiar to Grace. “I think it’s more likely you’ll get kidnapped by the Empire again.”

  “How so?”

  “Because the man you’re meeting is Leslie Casque.” Grace closed her comm, heading toward Cam and Leslie. This was about to get ugly.

  Treat yourself to Dragon’s Bargain today!

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