I just love glossaries, especially science fiction ones. This one is from one of my favorite new authors, C.J. Carella and his Warp Marine book series. Be sure to check him out on Amazon.


GLOSSARY
AFC: After First Contact. The new US calendar has Year Zero beginning on the day the Risshah bombed the Earth, killing some four billion people.

Blaster: Slang magnetically-propelled slug-throwers that usually fire plasma-explosive bullets. Also see Infantry Weapon Mk 3.

Biosphere Classes: The four known forms of life in the galaxy, which appear to descend from four primordial biology groupings that somehow spread throughout known space. Class One. Two and Three Biospheres are carbon-based but each has a distinct biochemical makeup that make them incompatible with each other. Class Four entities are silicon-based and can only survive under environments other classes find uninhabitable.

Bloomie: Thermal-pulse weapon of mass destruction, which generates a distinctive force field-contained 'blooming onion' shape that persists for several hours. Designed to minimize damage to the ecosystem, it generates heat without producing radiation or other effects, and the force fields radiate most of the heat beyond the planet's atmosphere after reducing everything within the area of effect to molten slag.

Bubblehead: slang for Navy spacers, from the shape of the 'astronaut' helmets issued during the early years after First Contact.

Dabrah: Pal, friend. Short for `dudebro!

Domass: Stupid, idiot. Contraction of the words 'dumb' and 'ass.'

ET: Extraterrestrial, common vernacular for aliens.

Eet, Eets: Slang version of ET; both terms are used interchangeably.

Full Goldie/Goldilocks Planet: A world with conditions nearly identical to Earth's (95% or higher on all major categories, including oxygen/nitrogen mix, gravity, and average temperatures).

Gacks: Slang and derogatory term for the Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Galactic Imperium: The largest known Starfarer polity, and the only one comprising several member species of roughly equal power.

Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (GACS): A federation comprising China, India, Russia and an assortment of Asian countries and former Soviet Republics. Other than the United Stars, it's the only human polity with a presence beyond the Solar System. Commonly referred to as the Pan-Asians or the Gacks.

Hrauwah: Starfaring species and early US ally. Pseudo-canines with arboreal adaptations, the Hrauwah are social obligate carnivores vaguely resembling a cross between a dog and raccoon. Also see Puppies.

Imp(s): Short for 'implant,' a catchall term for the numerous bionic systems most humans use for communications, first-aid, protection and entertainment. Imp services include: full biomedical monitors, virtual reality displays, mapping and location apps, targeting and sensory arrays, among many others.

Infantry Weapon, Mark Three (IW-3): The standard issue personal arm of the Marine Corps, a dual-barreled grenade launcher and assault rifle, firing 4mm explosive plasma rounds and 15mm airmobile ordnance grenades.

Iwo: Slang for standard-issue Infantry Weapons.

Kirosha: A continent-spanning kingdom on the planet Jasper-Five; the same term is also used to refer to the inhabitants of the kingdom and its capital city.

Lampreys: Slang term for the Lhan Arkh species.

Lhan Arkh/Lhan Arkh Congress: Class One Starfarer species, commonly known as the Lampreys due to their funnel-shaped, tooth-ringed mouths. The Lhan Arkh Congress, a sort of communist oligarchy, is one of the largest polities in the known galaxy.

Obligatory Service Term: A four-year military conscription system all US citizens must participate in. Eligibility starts at age sixteen; one must be enrolled before age twenty. Failure to comply is punishable by a four-year prison term and loss of citizenship status. In addition to basic military training, OST conscripts receive basic education equivalent to the last two years of high school and/or vocational training.

Nasstah/Nasstah Union: Class One Starfarer species, bearing some morphological and cultural similarities to the Rishtah (a.k.a. Snakes). Their largest polity, the Nasstah Union is openly hostile towards America and humanity in general. Commonly known as the Vipers.

Ovals: Slang term for the Vehelian species.

Puppies: Common term for the Hrauwah species, due to their resemblance to short-haired humanoid canines.

Rat: A derisive term for corporate employees, bureaucrats and city dwellers of all stripes, originating from a popular song from the First Century AFC.

Remfie: Civilian, especially those with little understanding or appreciation of the military. Less-commonly, military personnel operating far behind the lines who show same. Origin: REMF, Rear Echelon Motherfucker.

Risshah/Risshah Nest Collective: A Class One species brought into Starfarer society as a client of the Lhan Arkh Congress. The Nest Collective was largely destroyed in war with the USA, although a few million members survive under Lhan Arkh patronage.

Snakes: Derogatory term for the Risshah.

Textic/Textic-American English: Written form of modern English, notable for the use of shortened words, anagrams and other minimalist techniques to maximize meaning with the minimum number of letters, numbers and characters possible. The spoken version can be found mostly among the lower classes in human cities or enclaves.

United Stars of America: A nation comprising the former United States, Canada and portions of Mexico on Earth, as well as several dozen star systems around the galaxy.

Vehelians/O-Vehel Commonwealth: Class Two Starfarer species that has a mostly commercial relationship with the USA. Also known as the Ovals.

Vipers: Slang term for the Nasstah species.

Warp Rating: A living being's ability to endure entering warp space, ranging from 1 (can only endure warp travel while sedated or unconscious) to 4 (can enter warp in a sealed suit and survive). Less than ten percent of most Starfarer species can survive warp travel
. Humans, for reasons not yet understood, are an extraordinary exception, with fifty percent of their population rated at level 1 or higher.

Wyrms: Slang term for members of the Wyrashat species.

Wyrashat Empire: A Starfarer polity dominated by the Class One species of the same name.

Warp Marines Glossary

AFC: After First Contact. The new US calendar has Year Zero beginning on the day the Risshah bombed the Earth, killing some four billion people.

Blaster: Slang magnetically-propelled slug-throwers that usually fire plasma-explosive bullets. Also see Infantry Weapon Mk 3.

Biosphere Classes: The four known forms of life in the galaxy, which appear to descend from four primordial biology groupings that somehow spread throughout known space. Class One. Two and Three Biospheres are carbon-based but each has a distinct biochemical makeup that make them incompatible with each other. Class Four entities are silicon-based and can only survive under environments other classes find uninhabitable.

Bloomie: Thermal-pulse weapon of mass destruction, which generates a distinctive force field-contained 'blooming onion' shape that persists for several hours. Designed to minimize damage to the ecosystem, it generates heat without producing radiation or other effects, and the force fields radiate most of the heat beyond the planet's atmosphere after reducing everything within the area of effect to molten slag.

Bubblehead: slang for Navy spacers, from the shape of the 'astronaut' helmets issued during the early years after First Contact.

Dabrah: Pal, friend. Short for `dudebro!

Domass: Stupid, idiot. Contraction of the words 'dumb' and 'ass.'

ET: Extraterrestrial, common vernacular for aliens.

Eet, Eets: Slang version of ET; both terms are used interchangeably.

Full Goldie/Goldilocks Planet: A world with conditions nearly identical to Earth's (95% or higher on all major categories, including oxygen/nitrogen mix, gravity, and average temperatures).

Gacks: Slang and derogatory term for the Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Galactic Imperium: The largest known Starfarer polity, and the only one comprising several member species of roughly equal power.

Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (GACS): A federation comprising China, India, Russia and an assortment of Asian countries and former Soviet Republics. Other than the United Stars, it's the only human polity with a presence beyond the Solar System. Commonly referred to as the Pan-Asians or the Gacks.

Hrauwah: Starfaring species and early US ally. Pseudo-canines with arboreal adaptations, the Hrauwah are social obligate carnivores vaguely resembling a cross between a dog and raccoon. Also see Puppies.

Imp(s): Short for 'implant,' a catchall term for the numerous bionic systems most humans use for communications, first-aid, protection and entertainment. Imp services include: full biomedical monitors, virtual reality displays, mapping and location apps, targeting and sensory arrays, among many others.

Infantry Weapon, Mark Three (IW-3): The standard issue personal arm of the Marine Corps, a dual-barreled grenade launcher and assault rifle, firing 4mm explosive plasma rounds and 15mm airmobile ordnance grenades.

Iwo: Slang for standard-issue Infantry Weapons.

Kirosha: A continent-spanning kingdom on the planet Jasper-Five; the same term is also used to refer to the inhabitants of the kingdom and its capital city.

Lampreys: Slang term for the Lhan Arkh species.

Lhan Arkh/Lhan Arkh Congress: Class One Starfarer species, commonly known as the Lampreys due to their funnel-shaped, tooth-ringed mouths. The Lhan Arkh Congress, a sort of communist oligarchy, is one of the largest polities in the known galaxy.

Obligatory Service Term: A four-year military conscription system all US citizens must participate in. Eligibility starts at age sixteen; one must be enrolled before age twenty. Failure to comply is punishable by a four-year prison term and loss of citizenship status. In addition to basic military training, OST conscripts receive basic education equivalent to the last two years of high school and/or vocational training.

Nasstah/Nasstah Union: Class One Starfarer species, bearing some morphological and cultural similarities to the Rishtah (a.k.a. Snakes). Their largest polity, the Nasstah Union is openly hostile towards America and humanity in general. Commonly known as the Vipers.

Ovals: Slang term for the Vehelian species.

Puppies: Common term for the Hrauwah species, due to their resemblance to short-haired humanoid canines.

Rat: A derisive term for corporate employees, bureaucrats and city dwellers of all stripes, originating from a popular song from the First Century AFC.

Remfie: Civilian, especially those with little understanding or appreciation of the military. Less-commonly, military personnel operating far behind the lines who show same. Origin: REMF, Rear Echelon Motherfucker.

Risshah/Risshah Nest Collective: A Class One species brought into Starfarer society as a client of the Lhan Arkh Congress. The Nest Collective was largely destroyed in war with the USA, although a few million members survive under Lhan Arkh patronage.

Snakes: Derogatory term for the Risshah.

Textic/Textic-American English: Written form of modern English, notable for the use of shortened words, anagrams and other minimalist techniques to maximize meaning with the minimum number of letters, numbers and characters possible. The spoken version can be found mostly among the lower classes in human cities or enclaves.

United Stars of America: A nation comprising the former United States, Canada and portions of Mexico on Earth, as well as several dozen star systems around the galaxy.

Vehelians/O-Vehel Commonwealth: Class Two Starfarer species that has a mostly commercial relationship with the USA.

Vipers: Slang term for the Nasstah species.

Warp Rating: A living being's ability to endure entering warp space, ranging from 1 - can only endure warp travel while sedated or unconscious, to 4 - can enter warp in a sealed suit and survive. Less than ten percent of most Starfarer species (the average is closer to five percent) are warp-rated. Humans, for reasons not yet understood, are an extraordinary exception, with fifty percent of their population rated at level 1 or higher.

Wyrms: Slang term for members of the Wyrashat species.

Wyrashat Empire: A Starfarer polity dominated by the Class One species of the same name.

*From the novel "Decisively Engaged" by the author C.J. Carella