We met for the first time on Qechra, the world of forges. One morning at sunrise, standing on the Bridge of Chalcedony crossing the endless outpouring of Qechra’s ocean into one of its cooling gorges – where the spray of the falling water meets the steam boiling up from the
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Extensively (albeit not completely) averted in the Empire, inasmuch as in its genuinely free market, without (a) an extensive regulatory state to buy and then use for yourself or against the competition, (b) legislators and other politicians who feel comfortable immunizing you from consequences, or (c) a
Cool Starship: Basically, see Cool Chair, only slightly less prevalent due to starships being more expensive. And, in fairness, most starships are functional things. But there are a lot of custom jobs floating around there. But of particular note, probably, are the Celerissima-class yachts, the smallest and least practical lighthuggers
happy board: A term used in starships to describe a system status board indicating all systems operating correctly. While status lights use the same blue-crimson or blue-amber-crimson encoding as other bistate or tristate indicators, studies have shown that most sophonts respond quickly and accurately to emotional inputs, and process these
The flat robot hummed unheard as it ran along the rails of the sub-highway service plenum, gliding smoothly to a stop at the location of the damaged slab. The plenum was clear; no need to move fragments out of the way before doing the replacement. Clunk. The pneumatic prop-ram extruded
Colonists wanted to settle on Tilain (Innia Rise). Currently unimproved T-class world, carbon dioxide atmosphere, mean surface temperature 270K. Partial ecopoesis in progress to mixed D-protein-lipid-D-carbohydrate ecology. Independent/non-politan colonial corporation; not a freesoil world. Prospective colonists or colony groups expected to purchase a minimum of one share in the
Cool People Rebel Against Authority: Played straight and inverted. The former because, yes, being who they are and therefore ideologically predisposed that way, tyrants and slavers and democracies and other forms of unjustified authority make great villains in Imperial adventure series. The latter because, being such a freewheeling culture with
Cool Gate: The stargates, giant miles-wide holes in space through which can be seen the distorted stars at the other end of the wormhole, embedded in a pair of arms wrapped around it containing a whole pile of support machinery, a power reactor, and a little bit of space traffic
adjustment: just about any op that doesn’t fit into any more specific category. Anything from spiking planetary water supplies to curing a pet’s sniffles. black house: a safe house or other facility so far out-system you can’t find your primary without a gravigraph. cauterize: to clean up
Coolest Club Ever: The best known (and with, therefore, the largest Wannabe Line in the Empire) is the Aleph, on Baranithil Station; the most popular would be the Polythalience, on the Conclave Drift; the most exclusive would be the Floating Meme – wherever it turns up next; and the most infamous
Cool Chair: It’s a civilization built by and for technophiliacs with distinct mad science inclinations. The non-cool chairs are in a distinct minority. Including, yes, hovering chairs, mecha chairs, heavily armed hovering and mecha chairs, chairs that can control the surrounding environment if not in fact the starship they’
If I ever again have to figure out how to program a cornucopia to produce pre-damaged goods, at least I won’t be starting from scratch. I ventured outside Sanctuary today in pursuit of what records there were of the landing points of the refugee shipments that might have included