‘3/10’
Slang for “3 Shifts a Cycle, 10 Cycles per DekaCycle. Equivalent to contemporary phrase ’24/7′.
Acceptance
In the Dominion, parents of a child have the option whether to Accept the child into their House. A child who is not Accepted by either parent will be raised by the state and given a new House name.
Adopted Spouse
A person’s spouse, who has also been adopted into their House.
Advocate
In a technical legal sense an Advocate represents a party in an adjudication of a matter under the Codex of Laws (ie equivalent to a contemporary Barrister, but also includes people who represent others at an Administrative Tribunal – that is in Regulatory as well as Criminal matters, or in adversarial matters between Mers). However the term has general utility in casual discourse to contemporary Lawyer or Solicitor, and meaning anyone involved in the practice of law in the legal system who is neither a Prosecutor nor an Inquisitor, though technically such people are ‘Lawyers’ or ‘Legal Advisors’ once they have an AHE or higher qualification without being qualified as an Advocate.
Aerostat
Common planetary transport vehicle that uses gravitic technology to neutralise most of the the vehicle’s weight.
Banded Mer
An informal term for someone with a coloured band around their tag – Legion, Vizierate, Senior Bureaucrat, member of the Overlord’s Household.
Basi
A popular drink in the Dominion, particularly among G and H classes, Basi is wine made by fermenting sugar cane juice.
(The) Benevolence
The Dominion’s welfare system. Derived from the Codex legal concept of the Overlord’s Benevolence where the Overlord has the power to direct the resources of the Dominion.
(The) Black Palace
The Black Palace is the seat of government of the Dominion – the place on Zargonia from where the Overlord rules.
Bikeday
A Cycle celebrating an anniversary of the date one’s birth, or the celebratory event itself.
Black-shirt
Informal term for a member of the Legion’s Operations class. Sometimes used to refer generically to to all Legionnaires.
Bluevening
Greeting/farewell used during Blue Shift.
‘Chak Face’
Equivalent to the contemporary phrase ‘poker face’.
Codex
The Dominion’s Constitution, sometimes used to refer to the entire legal system.
Downport
A surface facility for spaceships to take off and land. An interface for travel between a planet’s surface and orbit. Downports are usually constructed many kilometers from major population centres, but often have significant facilities on site.
Enclaver
- Member of the political/religious movement established on Jensen.
- The language spoken by Enclavers.
Enclaver Diaspora
Mass migration of Enclavers off Jensen after the end of the Enclaver Hiatus.
Enclaver Hiatus
Period of time during which Jensen was an independent world governed by the Enclaver movement.
Enclaver Reintegration, The Reintegration
Following the Enclaver Hiatus, the events and period of time when Jensen was reintegrated into the Dominion as a Colony World.
Enclave World
Following the precedent set by Jensen during the Enclaver Hiatus, term for an independent world inside the Dominion Sphere. Though the situation is not identical, the term is now used for Felline as it is not a Colony World but home to a sentient race.
Furry
Pejorative term for a Felline.
Galleygoss
Slang term for gossip, scuttlebutt or rumour specific to spacers and space crew. Can be pejorative when used by people who do not go to space but affectionate when used by those that do.
Gold-painted
Slang term for someone who likes to assume or abuse authority they may not have. Somewhat equivalent to the contemporary term ‘putting on airs’. Refer 6-131.
Greenings
Greeting/farewell used during Green Shift.
Highport
An orbital facility used for docking spaceships; an interface for travel between a planet’s surface and orbit. Usually a space station but may be constructed on or in a moon or moonlet.
House Name
The Dominion equivalent of the contemporary family name or surname. Dominion House Naming Rules are a complex and culturally important topic overseen by the Nomination Bureau.
‘Hunting with Karl’
The phrase ‘Hunting with Karl’ has entered the vernacular as meaning ‘to put one’s fate in the hands of someone who would profit from one’s misfortune’, although as the phrase is potentially seditious it is not used in any sort of formal or polite company. The phrase refers to the death of Overlord Kane II, who died while hunting with his brother Karl, who became Overlord after accidentally shooting his brother Kane in the head.
Hybridyne
High speed planetary air vehicle that uses gravitic technology combined with aerodynamics. Usually faster than an aerostat in atmospheric flight. Passengers will usually be in zero-gravity for takeoff and landing, but that can vary with local conditions.
Job
A period of time on the Dominion Clock lasting 10 Tasks (2.5 contemporary hours).
Jump, Hyperspace Jump
- FTL Travel through Hyperspace
- Initiation of same
LastCycle
Equivalent to the contemporary word ‘yesterday’.
(The) Insurgence
The Insurgence were a terrorist/resistance organisation formed after the Enclaver Hiatus by Enclavers who opposed The Reintegration. The official position is that The Insurgence were crushed by the Legion shortly after their establishment. However, the term lives on as a general label for any terrorist group, though its use is officially discouraged, if not actively prohibited. Seditious rumours persist that The Insurgence survives to the present.
Light, Lights
A measure of interstellar distance. One ‘light’ is approximately equal to 10¹⁵ m. Example: It’s 21.2 lights from here to Captree.
Lizard, Lizards!
Slang term for sneaky, underhanded, disreputable or evil. May be used as an exclamation of surprise or distaste. Refers to the Dominion’s uneasy position with regard to the reptilian Naki.
MaPaCoA
An acronym for both the Dominion’s largest computer – the Massive Parallel Computing Array (MaPaCoA) and the facility near Dataton on Zargonia built to house it.
Mediary
The Dominion doesn’t have a concept of a legal entity much beyond a natural person or a basic partnership (for which individuals are still liable). In particular, PubNet message accounts are limited to natural persons. So, an organisation’s online presence is mediated through a licensed Mediary, whose NetMessage account is the online face of the organisation.
Mer
General pronoun used for civilian member of the Dominion.
Mer ID, Dominion ID, Dominion Mer ID
Every Dominion Mer – and visitor – to the Dominion is issued with an ID. This ID is used for all official interactions.
Moment
A period of time on the Dominion Clock lasting 90 seconds.
Money Card
A form of electronic currency used by the Dominion. Money cards are authorised to a specific person using inbuilt security features and contain a variable amount of Money, usually with an upper limit.
Naki’s Balls!
Exclamation of surprise or astonishment. Refers to the Dominion’s uneasy position with regard to the reptilian Naki.
NextCycle
Equivalent to the contemporary word ‘tomorrow’.
Nominate, Nominates, Nominate Faction
The faction loyal to House Marron during the Uprising of the True Bloods; ultimately victorious.
Octant
An administrative region of the Dominion, there are eight Octants each touching the Zargonia system, and a ninth (Octant Zero) including Zargonia itself.
Ought-Name, Ought-House
A person’s House Name as it would be if the naming rules were applied. Usually used to contrast a difference between those rules and some special circumstance. For example, a child who is not Accepted by the parent from whom they would usually inherit their name will have a different actual House Name to their Ought-Name.
Pisso
Slang, slightly derogatory term for a Legion Public Safety Officer.
Prunes
Slang term for members of the Vizierate. Originated within the Legion but occasionally heard in other contexts.
Public Safety Officer
The Legion Public Safety Officers are responsible for routine policing.
Reddening
Greeting/farewell used during Red Shift.
Resi Section, Resi Area
Restricted Area accessible only to senior members of Dominion or other authorised persons.
Secretariat
Each Octant is ruled by a Secretariat comprising the leaders of the Bureaus of each of the Octants, plus a representative from the Vizierate, the Legion and the Overlord’s Household.
The term is sometimes used to include the ‘Under Secretariat’, which provides support to the Secretariat.
Ser
Slightly anachronistic personal pronoun for senior members of the Dominion, usually used collectively (Sers) when addressing a high-ranking group.
Shift
A period of time on the Dominion Clock lasting 3 Jobs + 2 ‘break’ Tasks (= 8 contemporary hours).
Task
A period of time on the Dominion Clock lasting 10 Moments (= 15 contemporary minutes).
Travel Pod
A common form of transport in the Dominion, roughly its equivalent of light rail. Most pods are capsule-shaped and run by an internal electric motor driving wheels along tracks spaced around the pod’s diameter. Inside is typically passenger seating and luggage space. Size of pods may vary from location to location with capacity for as few as six or as many as 50 people. A control pillar by each door allows destinations to be entered. Pods usually operate over a network of tracks between stations with a central control system optimising their network route for each journey for the best overall performance. Pods are often built with view windows, though many Travel Pod networks are entirely subterranean.
ThisCycle
Equivalent to the contemporary word ‘today’.
True Bloods
The faction that believed Overlord Sark Marron was ineligible to be Overlord during the uprising of the True Bloods. Generally considered traitors and the losing side, though they actually achieved their aims of removing Sark from power and installed an Overlord whose lineage was not in question. In current times, to call someone a True Blood can be a vile insult or an honour, depending on location and context.
A Money card that hasn’t had its security features authorised to a person. These are not illegal but can’t be used for transactions in that state, that is, until they are ‘Authorised’. Exchange of unauthorised Money cards is sometimes used as a form of payment for ‘black market’ services.
Widget
A portable data storage device, ubiquitous through the Dominion. Similar to a contemporary thumb drive. Widgets may be fitted with a variety of security options.
Zero Baby
A person born on the 000-numbered cycle of the kiloCycle. eg: 201.000. Some consider such births auspicious or lucky.