A device which creates an "inertial sump," diverting the inertial forces associated with acceleration into a starship's impeller wedge or a naturally occurring gravity wave, thus negating the g-force the ship's crew would otherwise experience. Smaller vessels enjoy a higher compensator efficiency for a given strength of wedge or gravity wave and thus can achieve higher accelerations than larger vessels.
InSec
Internal Security. The secret police and espionage service of the PRH under the Legislaturalists. Charged with security functions and suppression of dissent.
LAC
Light Attack Craft. A sublight warship type, incapable of entering hyper, which masses between 40,000 and 60,000 tons. Until recently, considered an obsolete and ineffective warship good for little but customs duty and light patrol work. Advances in technology have changed that view of it.
Laser clusters
Last ditch, close range anti-missile point defense systems.
Liberal Party
A Manticoran political party typified by a belief in isolationism and the need for social intervention and the use of the power of the state to "level" economic and political inequities within the Star Kingdom.
Legislaturalists
The hereditary ruling class of the PRH. The descendants of the politicians who created the Dolist System more than two hundred years before the beginning of the current war.
Manties
Slang term for citizens of and (especially) military personnel/forces of the Star Kingdom of Manticore.
MDM
Multi-drive missile. A new Manticoran weapon development which enormously enhances the range of missile combat by providing additional drive endurance.
NavInt
Shortened version of Naval Intelligence. The naval intelligence agency of the Republic of Haven.
New Men
A Manticoran political party headed by Sheridan Wallace. Small and opportunistic.
Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI)
The RMN's naval intelligence service, directed by the Second Space Lord.
Peeps
Slang term for citizens and (especially) military personnel of the Peoples' Republic of Haven.
Penaids
Electronic systems carried by missiles to assist them in penetrating their targets' active and passive defenses.
Pinnace
A general purpose military small craft capable of lifting approximately 100 personnel. Equipped with its own impeller wedge, capable of high acceleration, and normally armed. May be configured for ground support.
Powered Armor
Battle armor combining a vac suit with protection proof against most man-portable projectile weapons, very powerful exoskeletal "muscles," sophisticated on-board sensors, and maneuvering thrusters for use in vacuum.
Progressive Party
A Manticoran political party typified by what it considers a pragmatic acceptance of real politik. It is somewhat more socially liberal than the Centrists but has traditionally considered a war against Haven as unwinnable and believed that the Star Kingdom's interests would be best served by cutting some sort of "deal" with the PRH.
Protector
Title of ruler of Grayson. Equivalent to "emperor." The current protector is Benjamin Mayhew.
PubIn
Office of Public Information. Propaganda arm of the PRH under both the Legislaturalists and the Committee of Public Safety.
PRH
Peoples' Republic of Haven. The name applied to the Republic of Haven during the period when it was controlled by the Legislaturalists and/or the Committee of Public Safety. It was the PRH which began the current war by attacking the Star Kingdom of Manticore and the Manticoran Alliance.
Republic of Erewhon
Government of the Erewhon System. A single-system unit which controls the Erewhon Wormhole Junction connecting the Solarian League and the Phoenix Wormhole Junction. A member of the Manticoran Alliance since before the start of the current war.
Republic of Haven
The largest human interstellar political unit after the Solarian League itself. Until recently it was known as the Peoples' Republic of Haven, ruled by an hereditary governing class known as the Legislaturalists until they were overthrown by Rob S. Pierre. Thereafter controlled by Pierre through the Committee of Public Safety until it, too, was overthrown in turn and the original constitution of the Republic was reinstated.
RHN
Republic of Haven Navy. Navy of the Republic of Haven as reorganized by Thomas Theisman.
RMAIA
Royal Manticoran Astrography Investigation Agency. Agency created by High Ridge Government to explore the Manticoran Wormhole Junction searching for additional termini.
RMN
Royal Manticoran Navy.
RMMC
Royal Manticoran Marine Corps
SD
Superdreadnought. The largest and most powerful hyper-capable warship. Average tonnage is from 6,000,0008,500,000 tons.
Shuttles
Small craft employed by starships for personnel and cargo movement from ship to ship or ship to surface. Cargo shuttles are configured primarily as freight haulers, with limited personnel capacity. Assault shuttles are heavily armed and armored and typically are capable of lifting at least a full company of ground troops.
Sidewalls
Protective barriers of gravitic stress projected to either side of a warship to protect its flanks from hostile fire. Not as difficult to penetrate as an impeller wedge, but still a very powerful defense.
Silesian Confederacy
A large, chaotic political entity lying between the Star Kingdom of Manticore and the Andermani Empire. Its central government is both weak and extremely corrupt and the region is plagued by pirates. Despite this, the Confederacy is a large and very important foreign market for the Star Kingdom.
Sillies
Slang term for Silesian citizens and/or military personnel.
Solarian League
Largest, wealthiest star nation of the explored galaxy, with decentralized government managed by extremely powerful bureaucracies.
Sollies
Slang term for citizens or military personnel of the Solarian League.
StateSec
Also "SS." Office of State Security. The successor to Internal Security under the Committee of Public Safety. Even more powerful than InSec. Headed by Oscar Saint-Just, originally second-in-command of InSec, who betrayed the Legislaturalists to aid Rob Pierre in overthrowing them.
Star Kingdom of Manticore
A small, wealthy star nation consisting of two star systems: the Manticore System and the Basilisk System.
Treecats
The native sentient species of the planet Sphinx. Six-limbed, telempathic arboreal predators which average between 1.5 and 2 meters in length (including prehensile tail). A small percentage of them bond with "adopted" humans in a near symbiotic relationship. Although incapable of speech, treecats have recently learned to communicate with humans using sign language.