ADYTA  Apaxan spacecraft, fabricated with an advanced form of nanotechology, and metamorphic to a limited number of geometries for specific functions; often resembling simple geometric forms, such as squat cylinders or truncated cones, and appearing black, midnight blue, or deep indigo.  Their surfaces are also covered by glyphs that can't been seen with the unaided human eye that tell other apaxan about the occupants of the adyta and any other information they wish to share.

AREELA  Artificial muscle tissue grown on genetic farms typically for food, but also for hospitals.

AUDIO ARRAY  A nanotech assembly that functions to capture or emit sound.

BULKER  Any interplanetary, or interstellar carrier that transports cargo in massive quantities.  All bulkers are designed to use containers as opposed to storing bulk cargo in designated holds, a method impractical for space transportation systems.  There are a number of specialized containers for any conceivable cargo.

CALISENNIAL ERA (P.E. 1825 - 2156)  Pavona  An epoch in which Calisenne rose to prominence and forged a commonwealth of a majority of states.  This period is noted for its swift rise in innovation and invention, and technological advancements (some which have not been reattained), and interstellar exploration and colonization.  By 2026, the Calisenne Commonwealth suffered steady decline as opposing factions sought power and member states seceded.  2156 marked the end of the Commonwealth when Calisenne itself was sundered into three separate states. 

CAMION  A military truck used to transport goods common to Mercator, typically reused military surplus.

CHARIOT  Any type of military ground vehicle that is armed by at least one manned weapon system.  harrier chariot is a smaller version for two persons, usually the driver and the gunner, with room for light logistics and ammunition or power cells.

CIVIL WORLD  A world administrated by one or more government systems sanctioned by the Federal Architecture, and that share similar levels of social and technological advancement.  See also Uncivil World.

CODUS  A neurologically altered human male that serves as a liaison to an apaxan conglomerate.  The Codera is the liaison corps in its entirety.  All Codera are known to be old men (with the exception of Codus Iman) with favoring features.

CODUS IMAN or EMANUEL  The initial Codus that played an integral part in organizing the Exodus.  His actions, as well as his name, lead to his deification by some portions of the surviving refugees, as some considered him to be the Messiah, the Christ, or the Mahdi. 

COURIER  A high-speed, off-road military vehicle common to Mercator, typically reused military surplus.

CURRENT ERA, THE  Is said to have started on the ratification of the Federal Architecture on 2389/083, which united all the Pavonan states and the colony worlds of the Expanse under a single government.  The current year is 2536.

DUST  An advanced form of nanotech that often takes the form of smoke or thin layers but can also assume liquid or solid lattice states. Serves a variety of functions, from cyberphrenal interfaces to weapons.

EXODUS, THE   The retreat from an environmentally destroyed Earth executed by the Apaxan alien species.  The Earth was impacted by a weaponized asteroid under the control of the Jautoc alien species.   The Exodus had the effect of separating belligerent cultures from one another as humanity was spread across time and space to new homes.

FEDERAL ARCHITECTURE, THE  Centralized government of the Greater Pavonan Expanse, whose Articles devise the branches of government and vest the government with its powers and rights, and the rights of those governed.

GREATER PAVONAN EXPANSE, THE  A hegemony of 58 civil worlds (32 solar systems)  governed from the planet Pavona, spanning at its widest 1,165 light-years across, residing in the Scutum-Centaurus Arm.

HOOP ENGINE also hoops, or hooper  An engine of old design that uses released loops of twisted spacetime to impart thrust by accelerating exhaust to high relativistic speeds.  The loops, or hoops, quickly collapse into an evaporating singularity that draws thrust exhaust.  These engines are typically unfavorable due to the production of gamma radiation, and fell out of use when wormhole drives made the need for high acceleration obsolete.

INFONET  from Information Network.  A cybernetic array linking nexuses and networks for information sharing.  Typically a wireless system.

INHABITANCY, THE refers to the total human and posthuman civilizations scattered throughout the galaxy.  Used more often to mean those civilizations known, but generally encompasses all of humanity.

JAUTOC EVENT, THE  The attack on the Earth by the Jautoc species in which a weaponized asteroid was sent through a wormhole and impacts the surface causing grave ecological and environmental damage.

LIFTER  A low level air vehicle propelled by high temperature superconductive magnetic system.  Requires a Magnetic Transportation System to operate.  Generally retains the form of a car.

MAGGER  See Volopter

MAGNETIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM  A transportation system common to most civil worlds that uses superconductive magnetism along established travel corridors for similar equipped vehicle propulsion or levitation.

MECHOID  A form of complex microbotic organism recognized for its metamorphic structure; an advanced form of robotics whose plasticity affords greater utilization, especially in fields such as maintenance, and medical care.  Some rigid structure robots have mechoid components such as faces and hands.

MERCATOR  Third planet in the Ghamdu Candosi System.  An uncivil world noted by its persistent rainfall and lack of central authority.  Not a member world of the Greater Pavonan Expanse.  Discovered in P.E. 2320.

MERCATOR,  Hershanien Vannon (P.E. 2303/287 – 2323/192)  Interstellar explorer;  Surveyed twelve solar systems for human habitation.  Died in the Ghamdu Candosi System of a long term illness and was secretly entombed on the planet that took his name.

MICROBOT  A specific form of nanotech used for computation.  See also Network.

MINDSET or MINDSHARE  Any devise worn on the head that reads and manipulates encephalic waves and fields for the transmission of information and/or control of interfaced systems.  There are many types, including caps, the most popular being a simple thin band that hugs the back of the head and extends to the temples.

NANOTECH  Technology based upon the utilization of individual microscopic machines for a myriad of purposes.  Nanotech is often cellular organized to create a variety of programmable structures.

NETWORK  A microbotic array assembled for information processing.  Some are complex enough to be imbued with virtual intelligence.

NEXUS  A small network used primarily for infonet usage.

NONTELLERIC CLASS WORLD  Habitational  A world inhospitable to most forms of multicellular life requiring enclosed habitats for survival. 

OPTIC ARRAY  A nanotech assembly that functions to capture or display video.

OPTOPHONIC ARRAY  A nanotech assembly that functions as a camera supplying video and audio capture.

OVERTHROW WAR, THE  (P.E. 2474/315 - 2477/048)  A war of attrition between two opposing factions in and about Cratertown, Mercator that left the city-state in anarchy whose refugees formed other settlements around the planet.  The conflict left the settlements with surplus military hardware, and dangers in orbit.  The man known only as Raum entered the system just after the war and took advantage of the collapsed social organization and established his rule over Cratertown.

PAVONAN CHRONOLOGICAL STANDARD  A system of time keeping centered around the planet Pavona in which one hour equals 63.6 seconds, one day is 26 hours (27.57 Earth hours), one year is 497 (432.5 E) days, with 41 day months (with 5 of 42 days), and 7 day weeks.  Calendrical keeping is either by month/day/year, day/month/year, or year/day of year.

ROLLER  A ground vehicle propelled by high temperature superconductive magnetic system.  Requires a Magnetic Transportation System to operate.

STRAICH  Colloquial portmanteau combining "strange" and "H" to represent strange-H, or strange hydrogen, a hydrogen atom comprised of strange quarks for its added inertial mass; a shortened form of metastable metallic strange-hydrogen, a common propellant of spacecraft used for its greater energy potential.

SUBTELLURIC CLASS WORLD  Habitational  A type of planet tolerable for human inhabitation, notable for breathable atmosphere and moderate temperature scales.  Mercator falls under this classification.

TELLURIC CLASS WORLD  1 Habitational  A type of planet most suitable for human inhabitation, notable for a large percentage of water, breathable atmosphere, moderate temperature scales, consistent climates, and a compatible biosphere or conditions to introduce a biosphere.  Telluric planets are rare, with only two existing in the Expanse: Pavona and Cenestra.  Others are scattered throughout the galaxy.  2 Planetological  A planet comprised mostly of silicon, oxygen, and iron, and not necessarily habitable.

TRIKE  A open two wheeled vehicle with a covered, single wheeled side car, or coach, that seats two people used as public transportation for hire, common specifically to Cratertown, Mercator.

TRONUM  Prime form of electronic currency in the Greater Pavonan Expanse.

UNCIVIL WORLD  A world populated by settlers with little or no basic government systems and usually degraded social and technological levels.  These worlds usually have very harsh environments but are sought for the freedoms and rights afforded by a lack of a government.

VISUAL FIELD  That which a person sees that is augmented by a weave or similar implant, or mindshare device into which information is projected.

VOLOPTER  An aircraft whose main means of lift is generated from a high temperature superconductive magnetic system.  Generally retains the form of an aircraft.

WAVECAST  Another term for Infonet. Sometimes shortened to wave or cast. Wavecaster, wavecasting, wavecasted

WEAVE  An advanced form of nanotech implant system.  Weaves have a striking commonality with biology. Information for creating a weave is transplanted during conception via nanotech zygotes, thus in most cases people are born with nascent weaves that must also learn as it integrates with the body. Weaves exist down to the cellular level and are considered symbiotic.  Weaves are meant to augment, not replace biological systems though they have the capacity to do so.  The human machines are considered to be an ancient clade that allowed this to happen until they shed all that was biological.

WIRVE  From “wire” and “nerve”, a microbotic tendril that conducts the functions of both.