Miniature Rules
LiaoFan's Little Lexicon
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Aerospace Fighter: A trans-atmospheric (and therefore, not conventional) aircraft; these are for more valuable than conventional fighters because the people who build them say so. These aircraft have the unusual distinction of being sent to die in waves against dropships that haven't landed yet.
Age of War: An age, long past, defined by the constant state of war between all factions in known space. Differentiated from day-to-day life in the Inner Sphere by the edict of some long-dead historians, and not much else.
Agro-Mech: The Battletech equivalent to strapping a tank turret to a backhoe, this allowed the Great Houses (and Liao, the Greatest House,) to swell the size of their military numbers, if not their effectiveness.
Alliance: (1)In Inner Sphere politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third. -Kojak (2)The State's innoculation against the power of foreign business interests. Often preceeded by war and diplomacy (and war, and diplomacy, and war), it is less honest than either of its predecessors. Alliance is presented as friendship by the unthinking sort who mistake the sale of arms for an invitation to Thanksgiving Dinner.
Allard-Liao, Kai: A Davion hero of Capellan ancestry. Good with a Gauss rifle, bad with international politics.
Ancestral Holdings: Classically, refers to worlds held during antiquity. Modern usage has changed the term to mean different things to different people; for example, Davions use the term to refer to the first hundred planets they'd landed on, while Capellans use the term to refer to the last hundred worlds the Davions have landed on.
Andurien Revolt: Proof that Sun Tzu was much more favored by the Gods than his grandfather, the very steps Max Liao took to denude the Free Worlds of effective military cohesion left them unable to wage effective war against the FedCom some years later. Still, it must have looked good on paper.
Anti-Battlemech Infantry: Not content to watse lives at a reasonable rate, some great ass lost to antiquity (see also: Noble) decided to throw waves of the cheapest, most expendible units they had command over at a Battlemech, in the hopes that someone's gold-filled molar would get lodged in a leg actuator, or something. Fortunately, these lives were not lost in vain, because now, waves of expendibles can be trained specifically for the purpose of losing their lives against the most powerful engine of destruction to ever walk on two (or sometimes four) legs.
Ares Conventions: A fine example of the kind of subterfuge that is used before Total (or proper) War. These were thought up by a Capellan, who quickly swindled the rest of the Great Houses into limiting their military options, then abandoned the idea as folly.
Armoured Personnel Carrier: A mobile box that may use hover, wheeled or tracked motive systems. They serve as a spartan form of group transportation in peacetime and a self-propelled communal coffin in war. -chanman
Assassination: The expendient and time-tested method of dispatching an opponent through subterfuge and the use of third parties to execute the act (and its target). While there is a large variation in the Oopsies-Whoopsies level, it would take an extraordinarily unsubtle assassin and an exceptionally clean war to be easier on third parties than even the messiest assassination. -chanman
Autocannon, Class 2: A weapon whose inspiration was shooting spitballs through a straw from the back of the classroom at the geek in the front row. -snowridr
B
Batchall, The: A Clan combat convention whereby invading Clan military units prove their superiority by targetting your artillery for you.
Battle Armor: An attempt by modern militaries to limit the cost of omnimech repair by placement of this added ablative armor.
BattleMech: (1)The ultimate expression of ground based weapontry, to never be exceeded upon. See also: Tank, Machine Gun, Plate Mail, Chain Mail, Leather Armor, Spear, Rock -DougGlendower (2)The latest and greatest thing in ground combat, they come in two types: too slow, and too fragile. There are technological devices to add to a Battlemech which are said to improve the battlefield life of a Battlemech. They are nothing compared to the devices that shorten said Battlemech's life.
Beagle Active Probe: An advanced suite of electronic sensors that flood the vicinity with energy emissions in order to spot hidden enemy units. By using one, scout units usually receive enough warning to scream 50% longer than before prior to giving off their traditional 'enemy ambush detected' signal of a large fireball and resulting plume of smoke. -chanman (2) Installed on many Capellan designs, this makes a mech slightly less likely to get ambushed. Some may point out that being on the winning side also makes mechs less likely to be ambushed, but since Capellans don't have much experience of that, they settle for the Active Probe.
Black Dragon: One of the Traditional (which is to say, seditious) members of the Draconis Combine hierarchy. The Black Dragons are against some or all of Theodore Kurita's reforms, such as letting your daughter gestate the spawn of the lord of an opposing Great House. Since opposing Lord Kurita is a death sentence, all of the Black Dragons should be dead. However, killing them only seems to spawn more. This has led to the speculation that the Black Dragons replicate by mitosis. (If true, it would explain why seppuku doesn't achieve the required effect.)
Bloodname: The Clan replacement for the surname, it is only given to the most worthy of their number. Those who may be deemed worthy are thrown into an enormous blender on frappe'. Those who are lucky enough to survive are given to a Legacy, and their genetic material are used to breed more malcontents. Those who are not lucky enough to survive are thrown into a strainer, and fed to the kiddies.
Bushido: (1)The Kuritan way of getting a large group of mechwarriors in light mechs to charge a Lyran defensive line, see also; Combat Stimulants, Honour. -Swords Of Fire (2)The name of the collected battlefield conventions of the Draconis Combine, which are heavily steeped in Honor (largely because the Combine would never give anything tangible to their military personnel). Laws of Bushido include when and how killing yourself is considered acceptable. It has yet to be seen what punishment breaking the laws concerning suicide can bring, especially since the alternative is continued life in the Draconis Combine.
C
Calvary: The last place the Cavalry failed, arriving too late to stop an infantryman from stabbing someone of some import. Niether the day was saved, nor were benefits from a life insurance policy paid. -DougGlendower (2) An experience or occasion of extreme suffering, often brought on by Cavalry attacks. -Col. Chang
Cannon: The tool most often called into service when debating the following statement.
Canon: The Laws concerning your mythology, be it fantastic, scientific, or practical. Interestingly enough, the most violent disagreement about canon is which group the differing canons fall into.
Canopian Pleasure Circus: The Battletech verison of the fantastically hedonistic place/race that caters to every sexual fantasy; these exist in most game universes where the vast majority of players/fans are males, many of whom wouldn't know how to talk to a girl, much less what to do with one. - Charlie Tango
Capellan: (1)A person suffering under the delusional belief they're important. See: Andurien March, Canon Fodder, Dupe. -BlackAce (2) An individual said to want little more than the betterment of Humanity as a whole. From this, certain value statements can be gleaned; the many are preferable to the few, for example. Since the majority of people outside the Confederation believe that the Confederation should be incorporated completely into some other House, its continued existance has proved to be something of a stumbling block to enlightenment that has killed many Capellan philosophers.
Capellan Confederation Public Notification: A public release of information, generally regarded as safe, for consumption by the average Citizen. Since nothing is quite as lethal in the Confederation as unsanctioned truth, this ingredient is not generally used in the preperation of Public Notifications. Instead, a bureaucratic substitute in added in its place, in order to keep the required shape and firmness.
Capellan Cuisine: A catch-all term for gruel. Capellans are the undisputed masters of gruel, as evidenced by the seemingly unlimited variations of this basic foodstuff in use across the Confederation. Notable examples include: Faux Gruel, Soylent Gruel (now with 25% more dissident!), True Gruel (made with 30% real gruel!), Toxic Gruel (extremely lethal to those not native to the Confederation, but only moderately lethal to native Capellans. The fallback test of choice for novice MASK agents looking for Davion spies.). Many suspect the defection of the Northwind Highlanders is related to the Ministry of Gruel's ruling that oatmeal thick enough to stop a bullet is a solid food and therefore a controlled substance. -chanman
Capellan March: A third of a Tyranny. The Capellan March has seen fit to be the pawns of House Hasek. While this humble lexicographer struggled to say something more hurtful than this, it was first, unnecessary, and second, impossible.
Capellan-Supremacy War: A war, predating the Capellan Confederation, whereby it was supposed that one could determine which Capellan was the better Capellan by having all the Capellans murder each other. The involvement of the Free Worlds' League tainted this contest, however, and so the format was abandoned, much to the chagrin of the other Great Houses (or, rather, their proto-state progenitors).
Capital: A word meaning different things to different people. To the Davions, it is a weapons classification, this being the classification for the largest weapons, and thereby, the linchpin of their social order. To the Lyrans, it refers to fiscal wealth, and therefore, it is a powerful underpinning to their social order (they are said to have as many words for wealth as an Eskimo has for snow). To the Capellans, the most correct definition has been used (as per usual); it is the basis of the government, and therefore, the basis of all Capellan enlightenment.
Catgirl: The hallmark of the ability to suspend disbelief. Some people are better able to accept the illogical and absurd (hence, the Matrix series); these people breed Catgirls by their mere lack of reasoning acuity. Others refuse to suspend disbelief except in a very few cases. They are the bane of Catgirls everywhere, as their logic acts like cyanide does to humans. The topic of whether Catgirls are sexy is silly because a) they don't really exist, and b) they totally are.
Cavalry: A group of mounted riders who are armed and trained to fight on the backs of their animals. Possessing a keen sense of timing, they are well known for "saving the day" and "providing affordable life insurance" -DougGlendower (2) Heavily-armed, fast units designed for strike attacks rather than extended battle. -Col.Chang
Cavalry Tactics: The use of lesser numbers to combat greater numbers by making the lesser numbers very mobile. In theory, this means that the lesser units have more procurement tied to them, making them better equipped, and the action means they're better trained. In fact, it means that every unit lost is felt that much more keenly. This is, of course, ignoring the dubious quality of using fewer units to defend against greater numbers.
Chancellor: The Head of the Great House of Liao. Known, without reason, for their mental instability, this head of a Great House is in no way better than the heads of the Great Houses surrounding them, save one; their origin.
Chaos March, the: A microcosm of the Inner Sphere, in that everyone seems content to blow each other to smithereens, the Chaos March was created when House Steiner decided not to spend money on worlds they would eventually lose to the Capellan Juggernaut. Unfortunately for House Davion, they took all the dropships and jumpships when they went, thereby hamstringing any attempt to brutally pacify or hold the region (in the Davion order of preferrence, naturally). Unfortunately for House Liao, most of their free units were free in the greater sense, having been ushered from the mortal coil by Davion military adventurism. They were, therefore, in no shape to suggest a ham sandwich, let alone a shift in loyalty. Unfortunately for House Marik, establishing control would have meant doing something, which most of Parliment found absolutely terrifying. Most unfortunately, however, the Word of Blake started to use the worlds of the Chaos March as a jumping-off point for the Jihad, which eventually led to sluggin matches between the Word and Everyone Else. The sum total of all of this was that even those who would have been called, in Capellan parlance, 'misguided', began to wonder why everything would blow up every time the flag changed; this lead to the flags in the Chaos March being etched into foot-thick ferrocrete, so as to survive the next round of nukes.
Chesterton: A textbook example of the term Ancestral Holdings, Capellans have been aborting plans to retake this world, long considered an ancestral holding, even though it was never a part of the Capellan Confederation. This is a misunderstanding caused by Davion combat effectiveness, which hasn't been apperent in some fifty or so years, which has led Capellan planners to become confused about who actually took the world.
Chesterton, the History of: Currently under revision. (See also: RetCon.) (2) A world that was important to us for about five minutes, then virtually forgotten among all the others. For reasons obscure the Capellan Confederation has used it to justify almost every offensive into the FedSuns. -greendragon
Christifori, Archer: One of those military commanders who came to prominence as the Federated Commonwealth foundered, and friend of Victor Steiner-Davion, himself a reason for the collapse of said union, Christifori was the founder of Archer's Avengers. One of the few successes of the Clan Front, Christifori managed to counter-punch the Jade Falcon advance, even taking the occasional world back from the Falcons (although, with the FedCom Civil War ongoing at the time, who, exactly, he was talking the worlds for was likely something of a sticking point).
Citizen: A duly recognised member of a State, in good standing. One who is free to use the tools of the State in advancing the station of both themselves and their families. Most States, in return, consider the average Citizen to be a Tool, as well. Some states confer the status of Citizen on their people at birth, which shows that there's no possible way to avoid being a Tool if you are born under certain particular banners.
Clan Blood Spirit: one of many clans of Kerensky, named for the spirit de corp's of the clans (see: Bad Joke, Irony). this particular clan is marked by the fact that it thinks its frequently being excluded by other clans, as such they actively exclude themselves from clan society to wait till the time is right for their return (see: Stupidity, Fool, Word of Blake, Exodus) and when other clans stage trials against them, they usually claim that such clan is being unclan-like (see: Coward, Excuse). -Sarafan (2) Known for hewing closer to the mad ravings of the mediocre son of General Kerensky than any other Clan, they habitually isolate themselves. Having no diplomatic ties to protect them, they are harvested as needed by other Clans. Having no social ties to enlighten them, they see no reason for diplomatic ties.
Clan Coyote: The faction responsible for the distribution of Omni-technology to the varied factions of the Inner Sphere.
Clan Fire Mandrill: The Clan that puts truth to the lie of Kerensky's bastard offspring being unified at any time, for any reason at all, this Clan is best known for its internal divisiveness. Their touman is split along lines of functionality, as other units are, but then it is split a second time. Kindraa (or, Kindred Associations) divide the clan's loyalties to the point where their "superior training methods" and "genetic superiority" are negated almost in entirety. It has been said that "No one loses ground like the Fire Mandrill," which both insults and inflames those of us who really know how to lose territory (see also, Capellan Confederation, the Free Rasalhague Republic, Smoke Jaguar, the Star League Defense Force). In the end, Fire Mandrill might be considered the best clan by citizens of the Inner Sphere; their petty squabbling so weakens them that we might never even come across them.
Clan Ghost Bear: Neglecting the absurdity of freebirths, like any clan would, the Ghost Bear embraces 'family,' an odd concept at odds with the social order of their inspirational leader, the half-mad Nicholas Kerensky. Betraying the Crusader mindset, which is at least honest about their intent, Clan Ghost Bear has decided to "protect" the people of the Inner Sphere by moving all military hardware and personnel to worlds that were nominally either the Ancestral Holdings of the Draconis Combine, or those of the Free Rashalhague Republic (but, I repeat myself).
Clan Nova Cat: Grand conspirators, these; Having been granted a 'support' role in the Draconis Combine Zombie Stomp (see: Clan Invasion), they turned on their brothers in arms and their entire society because voices in their Khan's head told them to. Joining the Second Star League, They effectively destroyed Clan Smoke(d) Jaguar when the entire Inner Sphere followed Sun Tzu Liao's invasion order. In an odd show of common sense, the rest of the Clans called the Nova Cats traitors and anathema, and beat the hell out of them. Then, the Second Star League disappeared in a puff of smoke. It is a testiment to their singular lack of reason that they have decided to "look for a new vision," rather than killing those addlepated twits who fed them to the enemy in the first place.
Clan Snow Raven: A genetically engineered race of machivellian warriors dedicated to the conquest of the universe through superior technology - probably due to the fact they are not tall enough to ride any of the really good rides at amusement parks. -GreenDragon (2) Making the best of a bad situation, this Clan has made a name for themselves for deception and skullduggery in a society where breaking line of sight is seen as being deceptive. One wonders if they've progressed past the point where pointing behind one's target and asking, "Why, whatever in the world could THAT be?" is seen as Machiavellian scheming. This humble Lexicographer is led to wonder how one could 'specialize' in skullduggery when no one is watching for it. However, this Clan specializes in the use of Aerospace, which would make sense; it is easy to break a mech's line of sight if one is going Mach 3.
Clan Star Adder: (1)A Home Clan, thus mostly irrelevent to the plot line of Battletech. Clan Star Adder is noteable for being the largest of the home clans, of course this is like winning at the special olympics. Given the loss of communications with the home worlds and the lack of the Star Adders in the Inner Sphere cira 3130. the star adders days are likely numbered -BrianDavion (2)One of the Home, or ignored, Clans, Star Adder is noted for their professionalism and forward thinking. They absorbed Burrock, and resisted Clan Blood Spirit (which should almost go unmentioned, since is it Blood Spirit). They are also noted for two things: the first being their early elimination from the Trails that would determine which Clans got destroyed by their Inner Sphere counterparts, and the second being their call for Clan Unity in the face of a possible counter-invasion. Since Clan leadership is not able to spell unity, however, their calls will fall on deaf ears. One could certainly admire their wisdom, if one were unaware that they were a Clan.
Clan Wolf: Either of two different factions, both claiming the same name, and claiming the other to be heretics. One set of Clan lunatics went on a rampage, swallowing the Free Rasalhague Republic whole, while taking worlds from the Lyrans. Then, they pulled a heel-change, working for the enemy (in this case, House Steiner), while simultaneously squatting on their captured Lyran worlds. It is very telling that these are supposed to be the "good guys".
Clansmen: Heirs to Kerensky's Legacy, which was known for abandoning the innocent to the depredations of Holocaustic War, followed by the wholesale destruction of individuality, a cornerstone of thier hallowed Star Leauge, the attempted reformation of hte Star League in the same manner it was destroyed -SiegeDavion
Clantech: (1)(Normally refering to weapons of war) Manufacturing that is lighter, faster, and more expensive as well as unduplicatable for the next 100 years. Possesion of clantech causes envy in others who see it. Owners however do not feel guity. -snowridr (2)Proof that even a broken clock is right twice a day, Clan technology is superior to its Inner Sphere counterpart in every way save one: its point of origin. It is smaller, lighter, takes up less space, and, on occasion, does more damage. It is generally seen as part of the reason for a few years of detente in the IS, which led to the destruction of a Clan.
Combined-Arms Warfare: A strategic and tactical underpinning recently embraced by the Capellan Confederation, this style of combat is the logical conclusion of the tactical brilliance of the Fourth Succession War, namely, strapping guns on whatever the hell could be found, and using it in war. Your Humble Lexicographer is amazed by the fact that this tactical doctrine has begun to find adherants outside of the Confederation, where they have enough mechs to go around.
ComGuards: A case study of karmic retribution, ComStar's military arm finally reaped the whirlwind of countless years of scientific retrogression by any means necessary when they decided to stop murdering everyone in the Inner Sphere who could count past five. This common-sense decision cause a schism which left only sheep and inept plebians in their ranks. These formed the ComGuards, who spent the entire Jihad proving that they were many things, most of them bad, but were no match for the Word of Blake Militia.
Commonwealth: A term bathed in deception, most noted for it's complete distance from truth. Traditionally, the term means that the nobles will work towards the betterment of all, Making the wealth of the Nation common to all citizens. This is, however, rarely the case;since the mere presence of the Nobility would suggest that they are less committed to the cause than they could be.
Comstar Exploration Service: The brilliant concept of allowing the supposedly most neutral and technologically advanced faction in the Inner Sphere to take responsibility for exploring and charting strange new worlds and going where no man has gone before. In practice, this has resulted in the Explorer Corps finding and hiding all sorts of Periphery-side goodies. The fact that they are also the recognized authority in charge of issuing navigational charts might just have a little bit to do with Comstar's ability to hide all sorts of neat toys under the noses of various houses. After all, there couldn't POSSIBLY be anything interesting in those thousands of systems listed as being worthless dead worlds from the 1st SW, right? No hidden shipyards here, move along. -chanman
Concorde of Kapyten: The temporary fusing of three less-than-capable states into a partially unified whole, so as to resist the aggression of a larger, more aggressive neighbor (see also: The Free Worlds' League, the Capellan Confederation, The Lyran Commonwealth). The Free Worlds joined because they felt they had to do something (which was quite unusual for them). The Capellan Confederation joined because being a rump state beats being someone else's March any day, while the Kuritans joined so as to stop getting the HPG notifications (from the CC and FWL) in their War Room while the DCMS was trying to stamp out a single mercinary group.
Confederation: A system by which several smaller states unite behind a single idea, that idea of being ruthlessly dominated and controlled by the single most charismatic and megalomanical of the represenative states leaders. This ensures that all the represenative states are treated with the most equal of all governments. -DougGlendower
Contract: The chains used to hold the 'free.' Contracts are used to enforce codes of conduct, establish rules of engagement, and generally restrict actions that would otherwise be in the contracted party’s best interests. Of course, contracts are only binding as long as both parties want them to be, as the Northwind Highlanders have ably shown us.
Conventional Aircraft: Conventional airborne vehicle. In wartime, these vehicles are often strapped with missiles and bombs; they can also become one in the case of an inattentive pilot.
Conventional War: The type of war directly preceeding Guerilla (or Proper) warfare. Conventional war is fought by governments, who equip their military with mass-produced equipment, arms, and munitions, so that both governments can continue to employ those who aren't getting slaughtered. Great pains are taken to avoid combat in the cities and other 'civil' places (unless either or both see a tactical advantage in doing so).
Corvettes: A type of warship that lends itself to the idea that warship battles aren't nearly expensive enough.
Counter-insurgency: (1)A catch-all term for half-hearted use of force to quell discontent, often by newly acquired populace. NB: It is widely regarded that incidents up to and including Turtle Bay may be regarded as Counter-insurgency actions -chanman (2)A term coined by non-Capellan, or lesser, factions, to disguise the use of large-bore autocannons and other impliments of war against those civilian populations who disagree with the elite ruling classes. Capellans, of course, distinguish themselves by not speaking of such things at all. Ever.
Cyborg: The result of using modern technology to remove all barriers to human potential. Often, the test subject is insane and difficult to kill, which are strikes one and two against the new Humanity, respectively.
D
D20: (Death Rite) Class VII Cruiser, A Klingon warship introduced in FASA's Klingon Ship Recognition Manual. -chanman(2) Lost to antiquity, the system of probability analysis and tactical simulation known as D20 was characterised by the mechanic known as THAC0, until it wasn't. It was mainly a battlefield tactical simulation until it wasn't, and was, and wasn't (sometimes at the same time). This led to a slight onset of schizophrenia among the adherants of the D20 system, in regards to what they were actually in support of.
Dancing Joker: the killer of numerous important individuals in the inner sphere, his abilities are noted for getting more and more ludercrisly advanced with every apperance -BrianDavion
Davion: (1)Best described as Jingoistic US meets The British Empire, the Davions are the strongest, most advanced sucessor state. House Davion uses it's military might to free other planets from their evil opressors and bring to them a much better form of government, their own of course. House Davion has an intresting dicotomy in that many accuse House Davion of being too perfect and never losing, despite not having won a war since 3029. Despite 90% of their 3025 variants being flashbulbs, House Davion is noted for a love of autocanons. -BrianDavion(2)The House that totally rules the Federated Suns. In gaining ascendancy, House Davion subjugated the other noble Houses and removed representitive government from about a quarter of their worlds. House Davion is directly responsible for the Outback, an underdeveloped and undermanaged area which would be responsible for their ascendancy over all other Great Houses, if only it were managed correctly. Having stolen government representation from their people, they turn the might of their Democratic armies against the Tyrannies on either side.
Davion Genetic Hegemony: The final success of House Davion's campaigns of conquest, wherein victory is achieved by assuring that the Y-chromosomal Adam of every noble house in the Inner Sphere is in fact Hanse Davion. At present it appears resistance may indeed be futile. One way or another, Davion gets in you. -Liam's Ghost (2) The misguided attempt to breed dissenting House Lineages true to House Davion. While in effect, this would make House Davion the de facto ruler of known space, House Davion's less-than-stellar track record with other alliances doesn't ensure that the tainted House Scions won't still gun them down when they aren't prepared for it (See Also: Sun-Tzu Liao (alleged)). (3) A secret tool that has helped unnamed authors write books favoring states other than the Federated Suns. Since these realms are considered to still have tainted blood, they still proceed to be punished -Minemech
Davion, Hanse: A Battletech character noted for his extreme briliance and his flawless planning, even though he did make the occasional mistake in general he is considered to be unbeatable with a tendancy to win all the time. His enemies are noted for a marked decrease in reasoning abilities when opposing him. In Addition to his strategic accunum he is also a political guru, secureing an important alliance with a forgien power by marrying the daughter of said powers rule, His Fans praise him to the world, but his critics tend to dismiss him as a walking plot device. -Brian Davion
Davion Naval Tactics: A close relation to the "Even if we lose, you don't win!" school of Capellan armed conflict, this school of combat philosophy realizes that anything, even the hyperdrive, is a deadly weapon, once you are willing to kill a respectable percentage of the Inner Sphere population that has any experience helming, piloting, or manning a Warship. See also, Ramming Speed. (2) The crowning moment of glory for the Maskivorka after the humiliations of the 4th Succession War must surely be Operation Galley, where Davion naval doctrines were re-written so that ramming and suicidal jump manuevers became the preferred method for dispatching opposing capital ships. This lent FSN capital ship actions a decidedly old-skool Kuritan flavour, and has destroyed far more FSN ships than the Capellan navy or any number of Death Commando saboteurs could ever hope to. -chanman
Davion Public Notification: Glorious exhortations for the citizens of the Suns to support their boys in their efforts to spread joy and cheer to the Sphere. Usually contains a reminder that it is the selfless duty of Fed Sunners to bring the light and benefits of Davion citizenship to those who could be future Davion Citizens. That would be everyone not yet a citizen of the Suns. Broadcasts usually contain stories on foreign citizens being rescued from a life of non-Davionhood by the dashing Davions (Melissa Steiner-Davion did not once leave the front page between her marriage and her untimely death). As a result, the Federated Suns populace can tell when their latest campaign of liberation is stalling when the news slows to a trickle due to a lack of new liberations. -chanman
Day Job: Short version: That which sucks, but pays for that which does not. Long version: Unpleasant labour grudgingly provided in exchange for material and/or monetary compensation which is then expended on goods and services in attempts to render non-working hours pleasant enough to offset the the sufferings inflicted by the day job. The three laws of thermodynamics, as usual, apply: 1) You can't win 2) You can't break even 3) You can't get out of the game -chanman
Death Commandos: The Capellan elite. An army of the best, of the best, of the best, of, arguably, the worst. The fear that these elite mechwarriors/saboteuers cause stops their enemies from engaging them on the ground; in fact, many of their enemies would rather microwave the decending DC dropships in low orbit. Their ability to gain almost any mech leads some to question why they aren't devoted to piracy for the Confederation.
Deep Periphery: A group of worlds, under varied flags, that assume that the trade of a million tyrants a million miles from home for one tyrant a mere mile from home to be a deeply satisfying one. These populations are often very proud of their distance from Terra, nominal home of the SLDF. Of course, had they managed to keep their HPG access, some of them might have heard that the SLDF had left some time ago. Whether or not they would be prouder still is a subject of some conjecture.
Defeat: The opposite of victory; the state of absolute freedom from the chains of command, the social necessity of light footfalls as they apply to politics, and, possibly, life. The most honest opportunity to rethink one’s critical positions.
Defection: (1)End result of realizing that you are on the wrong team, and wish to trade sides. See: Treason, opportunist, untrustworthy -chanman (2)The natural state while acting in Treasonous manner, defection is the hard way to find out that the grass is always greener on the other side of the demarcation zone.
Deployment: The Great Houses best plan for population control. See also: Riot Supression.
Diplomacy: A stalling tactic used to buy time while new armies are assembled and transport is arranged. See also: Lying.
Dishonor: A military's use of random opportunities as they arise, especially if they are used before the OpFor has time to deal with them.
Dispossession: The sorry state of having survived one’s favorite steed. In times past, these methods of conveyance were difficult to procure due to their innate usefulness. In modern times, they are difficult to obtain in spite of their lack thereof.
Doctrine: A set of strategems taught to and ignored by military leaders. Created by combining the incorrect conclusions drawn from centuries of warfare with the mangled recollections of the bitter experiences inflicted on millions of fighting men and women, then spun by senior leaders to support personal pet theories before being mis-transcribed by faceless legions of bored clerks so that when things go to Hell in handbasket, your troops on the ground have decisive, contradictory, and incomprehensible plans to fall back on and their leaders have grounds on which to later berate them for failing to properly apply standing orders resulting in battlefield disaster. -chanman
Draconis Combine: (1)A Great House beholden to the ideals of ancient bushido and samuari cultures, unless given an excuse to modernize, whereby the proverbial headless chicken faces down a blind snake, and the result called 'progress'. See also: ComStar/Word of Blake -GhostBear (2)A dream given form. It's goal, to prevent another war by creating a place that could serve as a shining example of true paradise to non Draconians everywhere. Of all the Successor States, it was the only one that was loyal to both Star Leagues. It can be a dangerous place, but it's the last best hope for peace in the Inner Sphere. See: Babylon 5 -deathfrombeyond (3)A dream given form (it has yet to be determined if said dream is beneficial to the respective dreamer). One of five Successor States, it reacted to the weakening of the Star League Defence Force by declaring war on Everyone Else. Fortunately for them, everyone else was already to busy throttling each other to notice. This state combines the easy-going camraderie of the Japanese Tea Ceremony with the bureaucratic efficiency of the local Department of Motor Vehicles. It is said that five pillars hold the DC social order together: the Rice pillar, made of rolled up rice paper, signifies the DCMS's ability to make noise. The styrofoam pillar is a symbol of the DC's social flexibility. The other three pillars are whatever the hell the Coordinator says they are.
Draconis Combine Public Notification: Distributed by the Voice of the Dragon, these information broadcasts contain nothing but unvarnished truth, and consist entirely of the public execution of unrepentent traitors, criminals, and conspirators, or the public seppuku of repentent traitors, criminals, and conspirators. -chanman (2) A series of essays sponsored by the Voice of the Dragon educating the rest of the Inner Sphere on the influence of Combine civics, statecraft, and political thought. Unexpectedly, these essays struck a raw nerve when their claims were substantiated by sources unaffiliated with the Draconis Combine and may serve to put the Battle back into BattleTech. -deathfrombeyond
Draconis March: One third of a Tyranny, this is the part of House Davion least concerned with checking the activities of the Great House of Liao, which is to say, this is the best part of an abysmal whole. Occasionally, this March is involved with internacine, total (or Proper) warfare with the Draconis Combine. Occasionally, they take planets from their hated enemy without the permission of whatever villain is holding their chain. Occasionally, their leadership gives the planets back, making the loss of mechs and pilots laughable.
Dragoon: A soldier who combines dash and steadiness in so equal measure that he makes his advances on foot and his retreats on horseback. -Kojak
Dropship: What served as a Warship when Warship technologies were conveniently forgotten. What served as a transport for Battlemechs when Battlemechs could no longer fly. Essentially, the Dropship was the true workhorse of the Inner Sphere military; A flying, heavily armored turret that could carry Battlemechs, the Dropship was a fantastic addition to any battlefield. Unfortunately, they were far too expensive to commit to any battlefield.
Duchy of Oriente: The League of Free Worlds' shining example of what people can do if they know how to depend on someone else for their military well-being, Oriente is a progressive, liberal, and democratic series of worlds that used to be a part of the Capellan Confederation. They make their mark on their Great House by being foremost in the arts, and the design of military engines of war. Oh, they also make their mark on their Great House by surviving it; currently, their splinter-nation is allied with the Confederation.
E
Edge Points: A portion of the character's statistics that applies any time the Wachowski brothers are involved in filming the subject. -Col.Chiang
Eisensturm: The victim of a vicious cycle where the designers added more armour, requiring them to increase the size of the engine, which required larger guns to maintain an appropriate level of weapons, which forced them to once again add more armour consummerate with its now greater firepower. By the time the cycle was brought to a halt, fighter pilots in every neighbouring faction had long since run screaming the other way. -chanman
Elite Unit: The last ten percent of any fighting force to die.
Exodus: (1)The art of physically relocating the resident idiot of every planet in the Inner Sphere. -BlackAce (2) In early Hedgemony history, the self-precipitated removal of educated individuals to new colonies, where they were certain to be respected for their abilities, knowledge, and ability. At the end of the First Star League, the evacuation of those dullards who were able to commit battlefield atrocities by simply being in Aleksandr Kerensky's cult of personality, to parts unknown. The initial stages of the Exodus are thought to be a failure by this lexiconographer, due to the fact that the remnants of the Star League Defense Force killed all right-thinking people almost the moment that they'd found a few inhabitable planets. Clan historians (such as there are) likely disagree, since the entire Clan social organization would collapse if they'd had but a few right-thinking individuals.
F
Faction-Specific Battlemech: A mech that doesn't see widespread acceptance or placement in military forces outside of a single faction. Faction-specific mechs come in two types: Useless, and Capellan. Useless faction-specific mechs are not usually sold outside of their specific faction for obvious reasons, and Capellan faction-specific mechs aren't sold outside of the Confederation because no one can pronounce them accurately enough to place an order.
Factional Pride: A reprehensible, and occasionally uncontrollable, delusion which leads one to call one's allied murderers Freedom Fighters, and one's own marauding hordes a justified Military Strike.
Failed State: Any nation that does not share your nation's priorities; as an example, the Capellan Confederation would rather provide for the average citizen's health and welfare than their security, whereas the Federated Suns would rather do exactly the opposite. In the end, the question is quickly reduced to, "How would you rather die," to which, the only good reply is, "I don't."
FASCAM: A minefield that is deployable (and deplorable) very quickly on the battlefield. The FASCAM can be set in front of an advancing force in order to funnel enemy movement, or behind it in order to hinder a retreat. The Capellan Confederation are well known for the former, but have had precious little experience with the latter.
Federated Commonwealth Civil War: Ostensibly Caused by the inability of many military units to decide which Steiner-Davion sucked the least, and the arguement coming to blows, it was in actuality history's largest football riot as Tharkad United lost to Real New Avalon over a bungled call by a Terran referee. -chanman
Ferro-Lamellor Armor: The latest, greatest method of keeping 'mechs around marginally longer than before.
Fiat: (1)The sum of your House's success. See also: Favoritism. (2)Acronym for **** It And Type. The usual response given by editors when writer complain that the fans will never believe a particularly odd or egregious plot element or character. -icchan (3) Something too real to be accepted in fiction. -Minemech
Field Artillery: The thinking-man's military unit, this unit engages the enemy while he's still in bed, asleep.
Fifth Succession War: a period of warfare which begins when the SLDF's descendants return to the Inner Sphere, and ends when the former worlds of the Terran Hegemony reunite as a sovereign nation. These events are not directly related. -skiltao
Fighting Spirit: The inspiration to continue the fight, past any sane consideration of retreat, often in the face of superior technology, numbers, or tactical capacity, this turns your average army into Martyrs. It may also be correctly defined as the preference of being shot in the chest, rather than in the back.
Firebee: One of the examples of a Lostech chassis, the Firebee was retired due to attrition and lack of production, in short, more were lost than were built. One is left to wonder what could have possibly caused this technological dead-end. Of course, entire planets were being sterilized at the time, so there you go.
First Lord: A paltry title that people are willing to die by the planetfull for, most literally on Kentares. See also: Usuper.
First Succession War: Generally regarded as the end of the Star League, this was when the Star League Defense Force ceased their widespread destruction of civillian populations, and the Great Houses started.
First War of Davion Aggression,The: (1)An alternate name for the only sucession war the Draconis Combine DIDN'T start -BrianDavion (2)Known to many as the Fourth Succession War, this series of conflicts would cause the birth of the Federated Commonwealth, the complete trumping of House Marik (again), and the reduction of the Capellan Confederation to half of its size (again). This led to the previously mentioned alliance of Everyone Else of Note. Also of note was the seeming disappearance of the entire DCMS, which would have likely changed the situation, and all Federalist-leaning Marik representation in Parliment, which would have demanded immediate action against House Steiner's salient into Marik Space.
Floating Critical: A game mechanic that allows for the people throwing rocks at a Main Battle Tank to triumph, and not in the standard Capellan understanding of the word. The rule that accommodates the unthinkable, allowing for successful heroic last stands.
Free Capella: One of the most effective double-agent ploys in the history of the Inner Sphere, Free Capella was a shell revolutionary group in House Liao that was established by the Maskirovka for the dual purpose of revealing and expelling those Citizens in the military which who were cursed with an especially questionable loyalty to their superiors. To this end, a disposable member of House Liao was established at the nominal head, and a military was established. All was revealed when Tormano Liao, the nominal head of Free Capella lay on his death bed. He tried to do the right thing, and send his men home to their families, only to find that they'd found new homes and families. At last call they had been duped by the Word of Blake, just like everyone else.
Free Rasalhague Republic Public Notification: These come in two flavours: 1) Denouncement of the barbaric foreign oppressors seeking to deprive the noble peoples of the FRR of their liberty. 2) Welcoming their new overlords and their strange, warlike ways. -chanman
Free Worlds League Military: A large force often derided for its apparent problems in acquiring adequate armour, or for trading firepower for mobility. See also: Wraith, Albatross, Quickdraw -Swords of Fire
Free Worlds League Navy: Often derided for having the same problems as their ground arm, but the problems are several magnitudes larger. See also: Word of Blake Navy -Swords of Fire
Free Worlds League Public Notification: A reminder that parliament is blocking a plethora of bills that might actually stabilize the League. This takes place in the crawl at the bottom of the the tri-vids of what people are actually watching. Public notifications also tend to have a lot of commercials and reminders of how pathetic their neighbors are; many of these are in ads. -minemech (2) A front for the Irian Corporate Cabal; a conclusion easily reached through first order deduction when one realizes that no government entity in the Free Worlds League is remotely capable of coherence, whether in message or performance. The few true non-Cabal transmissions can be identified by infighting between onscreen and off-screen staff, and clumsily visible attempts at internal sabotage. More than a few such broadcasts have been cut short by SAFE agents stopping the video feed, although in some cases, they clumsily destroy the lens of the camera and leave the microphone recording subsequent arguements and fratricidal firefights between agents. -chanman
Freedom: (1)Classically, this term refers to the state of being free to act in one’s best interests, free from impingement by authorities or slave-holders (but I repeat myself). Modern usage has corrupted the term to mean different things to different people; a Lyran claiming to be free means that his planet has yet to be incorporated by a Clan, while a Davion usually means that if he loses his farm, his family will starve. Interestingly, a Kuritan usually knows better than to claim to be free, since this would indicate a desire to be free of the murderous fist of House Kurita. This is a dishonor that only suicide can remedy (which the ISP is only too happy to facilitate). (2)That sensation of an icy tentacle worming its way through your nether regions as you watch your DropShip lift off-planet without you, leaving you free to follow any path in (a likely very soon abrogated) life that you see fit. -icchan (3)Chaos with better lighting.
Freedom Fighter: Usually, an ex-non-combatant, trained to fight the enemy’s new-found state of freedom. It is noted that Freedom Fighters rarely win wars, but their opponents (nominally, the free) often lose them.
G
GenCon SoCal: A mythical time and place, not unlike Camelot; a shining example of what could have been. An attempt to make the non-political existence of California even better; it was doomed to fail, as California couldn't be made better without a more conservative government.
Golf: An extinct game by the Dark Age, caused when Thomas Marik confiscated all titanium golf clubs to be melted down and used for WarShip production. -snowridr
Grand Duchy of Furillo: A small, postage-stamp sized plot of space, which is the one sole reason House Kurita is not twice its size.
Great Lee Turkey Shoot, The: A(nother) noted debacle for the CCAF, the Great Lee Turkey Shoot told the story of someone who once thought that there were no appreciable differences between attacking House Marik, and attacking House Davion. In short, the same force won in Marik space, and lost horribly in Davion space. It took several years for the Capellan forces in question to recover from painting the planet Lee red, but it took Davions a lot longer to recover, since, on the way out, Capellan infantry accidentally set fire to a second-grade library, which stored all the books in that sector of Davion Space.
Greater Humanity: Not to be confused with Lesser Humanity (see also: House Davion, The Clans), the Greater Humanity are people who care for others first, putting others needs ahead of their own, without thought of profit of convenience. They are caring, compassionate, noble, educated, and wholly unproven to exist.
Guardian ECM suite: An insidious device for counteracting various other electronics, mostly by overwhelming their bandwidth with pornography and advertisements for performance enhancing drugs -chanman
Guardian Fighter: A supposedly combat-capable aircraft that is not particularly good at either guarding anything (least of all, the pilot's life) or fighting anything capable of token resistance. Guardians are known to have fallen to dedicated flocks of avian Martyrs in the shape of migrating waterfowl. However, it was determined by the Confederation's publicity arm that naming the aircraft "Explody Manned, Expendable Delivery Systems" was both too long, costing too much ink, and undermined morale, causing pilots to die in their barracks of despair instead of gloriously in collisions with Davion mechs. -chanman
H
Hasek, George: The latest in a line of seditious (which is to say, Davion) Capellan March lords, Mr. Hasek was at cigars and brandy when the Jihad started. The Blakists had taken steps to insure that he'd send his forces into the Capellan Confederation, and continue hostilities in the region. They needn't have bothered; he'd have acted in the same way for any reason big or small. When George Hasek couldn't raise New Avalon to confirm orders to attack the Confederation, he figured that was confirmation enough; same as when he never got the orders to stop (which were, thereafter, delivered at the end of a Capellan spearhead).
Hatchet / Sword (Mech scale): Equipment, or evidence, that proves the crappiness of both your states Mechwarrior training programs, and the quality of your pilots, that they actually have to walk up and hit the target physically to destroy it instead of standing back and firing weaponry like an intelligent being. -Swords of Fire
Heat Curve: How much waste heat is generated by repeated firings of Mech-scale weaponry. Older mechs were built to be very heat efficient, and thereby massively undergunned, or appropriately armed, and thereby massively underpiloted.
Hegira: A Clan battlefield convention that states that an honorable surrender may be accepted, allowing the defeated units to leave the field of battle unmolested. Most often used when a Clan warrior's trial is repeatedly interrupted by his mom's constant hounding to take his sister to the stupid mall.
Heavy Gauss Rifle: (1)A way of magnetically propelling 250 kilogram chunks of nickel-iron to high velocities, then watching them slow down due to air friction (or some form of parachute). Also useful as a way of deployment light battle armour, manei domini or anything under 250kg wrapped in tinfoil. -Swords of Fire (2)Almost the exact opposite of the Light Gauss Rifle (which is to say, almost useful), the Heavy Gauss Rifle is the untimate expression of Lyran societal decay. The Steiners have decided that they must have a Gauss for all seasons, as it were, even if the thing is the size of a yacht. Incidentally, the new combined-arms plan is to have their mechs run so slowly that PBIs at a brisk jog can keep up with them.
Heroic Sacrifice: The role of any military unit spent against the enemy in order to slow their advance, blunt their edge, or destroy their will. Ideally, the fate of any military unit you do not like. (2) The act of putting one's life in the line of fire and failing to escape unscathed for no discernable reason than to appear on the evening news and recieve post-humous accolades. Also known as 'suicide by competent opposition', 'death *and* glory', or 'clanner fairy tale'. -chanman
Hetzer H-WAG: The Capellan answer to towed artillery, the Hetzer Wheeled Assault Gun was imagined to serve in cities with the Urbanmech, but not for long. Instead of armor, it has speed. Instead of speed, it has ammo. Instead of ammo, it got a bigger gun. (See also, Design by Committee)
History: the way events came to pass as written by the victor of wars. -BlackPanzer
Honor: The intentional lessening of destructive capability used with the understanding that the enemy OpFor will doubtlessly do the same. Popular among Kuritans, Clan leadership, and Generals who are recovering from blunt-force trauma to the cranium.
Hot-Loading: The practice of loading pre-primed LRM ordinance into LRM launchers in order to sidestep the Inner Sphere LRM launcher's minimum range. The Inner Sphere's substitution for battlefield preperation and reconnaisance.
Hot Pocket: (n.) A cardboard-esque covering wrapped around a molten core often hot enough to melt 'mech armor. Designed as a snack, common with Star League mechwarriors. Sometimes used as an alternate to standard plasma cannon ammunition (see Plasma Cannon). -Col.Chiang
House Loyalist: Any man with a psychosomatic blindness, rendering him unable to see his House's glaring human rights violations, military ineptitude, or, (in extreme cases) destruction. Any man who cares more for his House than his home.
HPG Network: The silken cord that Comstar throttle us with while we sleep. Currently, the quickest, most secure form of communications, the maintainance of the HPG net is suprisingly cheap (until you think about what the Inner Sphere lost while Comstar was keeping it up).
Humor: The cruelest cut. Humor is the most effective conveyance of truth, the use of which not only forces every witness to evaluate the 'humorous statement' with less than usual bias, but also forces, through civility and propriety, the target of such a statement to chuckle, as if either bemused by the wit of the speaker, or too stupid to understand that they are the target. The result of brevity, which this humble Lexicographer would be sorely pressed to define.
I
IMPAACT: One of the few phrases uttered with equal passion from both gifting and receiving ends of substantial amounts of firepower, specifically in the form of Close Air Support, Carpet Bombing, Carpet Nuking, Artillery Barrages, and Orbital Bombardement. Words usually spoken with glee by the senders from tens to thousands of kilometers away in response to the appearance of a truly magnificent series of explosions. Words usually accompanied by involuntary bowel and bladder movements on receiving end, usually followed by subsequent injury, mutilation, dismemberment, vapourization, and/or comically messy deaths. See also: Last Words, Brown Pants, Red Shirt, There Is No Overkill, MIANIRR (Missing In Action, No Identifiable Remains Recovered) -chanman (2) A loose confederation of mercinary entities that are so jealous of Wolf's Dragoons, they band together to emulate them, IMPAACT has, nonetheless, had a distinct role in shaping the Inner Sphere; to wit, they serve as the sacrificial lamb in engagements with their backers in the Word of Blake Militia, drawing their enemies into the (often nuclear) fire.
Imperialism: The governmental equivilent of beating someone over the head, stealing their wallet, then handing them $2 for a coffee, Imperialism makes the following statement manifest: "I know the plight of the enemy far better than they do. Therefore, i will end their misery (one way or the other).
IndustrialMech: This machine is the half-hearted attempt by the Great Houses to beat their swords into less effective swords. While these retired military units are somewhat effective at their aftermarket jobs, they are still able to mount heavy weaponry. They are technically still able to effect military action, but are the equivilent to arming an infantry squad with rifles, but not allowing them any ammunition, deploying them, effectively, with clubs.
Initiative Roll: A game mechanic that allows the 'winner' to choose the terrain that will most likely allow them to survive the coming fusillade. The source of nearly three-fourths of the swearing at any Classic Battletech table.
Insurection: An unsuccessful revolution. Disaffection's failure to substitute misrule for bad
government. -KojakInsurgent: One who is loyal to a dying cause (strikes one and two, respectively).
Insurgency: A disorganized mob, often heavily armed, who have become so inconsolable about recent events that they are looking for a swift death. They expect the local standing military and police forces to assist them with this; if the forces afforementioned fail to grant them that one wish, they may decide to change the color of the local flag (in order to break them of their depression).
Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield: An old Soviet strategem that originally meant a close analysis of all fighting fronts, detailed dossiers on the political stability of opposing nations, more detailed dossiers on the commanders of opposing forces, and a careful review of combat capabilities and force levels designed to provide a warplan for STAVKA that had fewer holes and handwaving than the plot of Battlefield Earth. Now currently used in the 31st century as the act of picking a mapsheet yourself rather than leaving it on [SURPRISE] -icchan
ISF: Internal Security Farce. The Draconis Combine's internal security apparatus, good at mass purges that leave all important Black Dragon agents safer than before. Formed under the assumption that it's easier to keep track of all the traitors if you put them all in one place. Unfortunately, this line of reasoning discounts the side effects of that one place being your secret police. -chanman (2) The Draconis Combine's murder-machine. Tasked most recently with the elimination of the Black Dragon traitors, it has been concluded that they will probably fail, since they haven't yet been stacked eight-deep in the nearest tea garden.
J
Jack of All Trades: Someone who is competent at many varied tasks. This often translates into a widely useless pool of trivial knowledge which can not be called upon to save one's life. Also used to define "Multi-Role" military units, which can not be counted upon to excel at anything.
Jaffray, Loren: Once a standing Death Commando, Jaffray was sent to destroy the Northwind Highlanders. Of course, being Capellan, he failed. However, he managed to convince the Highlanders to turn their backs on the FedCom, which was enough of a service to the Confederation to secure for him a banishment to the Highlanders instead of the usual punishment (death). It goes without saying how much effort getting the Highlanders to turn on someone takes.
K
Kathil Uhlans: Formed from the tattered remains of two other units, and held together by the tactical acumen of a training cadre that had never seen combat, this unit is distinguished as one of the better units in the Federated Commonwealth. It is known to be a Hasek-Davion’s personal unit, which leads one to wonder why it was ever allowed to exist.
Khar-tune: A title granted to certain storied military persona, once seen as a high honor, now something of an embarrassment. The basis of bestowing this honor is lost to the ages (ages 6-15, typically).
Korvin Doctrine, The: First voiced by Alana Korvin DeVall, this was a philosophical belief that a single Greater Humanity would lead to better conditions for all than a series of splintered, lesser civilizations. To this end, a strong central government must be constantly supported by a social order willing to suborn themselves under it's aegis. Often espoused by Capellans, leaving many to wonder what they could possibly know about a greater humanity.
Kurita: The House of Kurita is at once, the most and least successful of the Great Houses. Having almost completely conquered House Davion, and lost them the entirety of those gains, they have nonetheless continued to expand on both borders. It is unclear whether this is due to their capability, or the inadequacy of their enemies.
L
Lady Steiner: A title, granted by those in the know, who understand how much of an oxymoron it is.
Laserboat: A mech that is armed entirely with coherent light. Lasers have no flashpoint, so they are more stable in the case of excess heat collection (but less stable, this humble lexicographer thinks, in the case of a parboiled pilot).
Last Stand: The least false term of the battlefield lexicon, this is the moment when traitors become heroes post-mortem. Much like the White Hat, units of questionable political orthodoxy and/or loyalty are transformed into the paragons of virtue, simply by virtue of the State's unwillingness to support them in the face of overwhelming odds.
Laurel's Legion: Raised in 3014 by a disaffected member of the Northwind Highlanders, this unit is known to be an assemblage of female military strength. Anyone who is snickering right now has never scorned a female, so the idea of an entire battalion of pissed-off ladies in Battlemechs doesn't phase them. This humble Lexicographer is terrified by the concept, even if some are not entirely shaken by their alliance or combat effectiveness.
LB-(#)X: A series of auto-cannons derived from the design team at Lubalin Balistics in an attempt to play "Duck Hunt" durring thier lunch break -Siege Davion
Lexicographer: A truly unique individual, and one who, at the time of press, seems much better than he actually is. Often credited as being a great wit, or slandered as a scurrilous propagandist, the Lexicographer is, in fact, neither better or worse than the company of people he (nominally) serves. This serves to make him almost universally abysmal. Academics will disagree on the value of his work, though, since he is often not paid for his services, the Free Market seems to have settled this arguement for good and all (see also: Day Job). At the end of the day, the only real skill the Lexicographer can boast is an illusionary banishing of his not-very-slight ignorance.
Liao: (1)Described from as the Weakest of the Great Houses. House Liao depends on a flexable defense system that proved dureing the 4th sucession war to be hopelessly inadaquite against a over whelming military assault. House Liao has long had to rely on trickery and trechery to get it's way. Despite the international nature of all sucessor states, despite the long held statement that nastionalism simply doesn't exist and despite the fact that House Liao is far from a bastion of freedom. House Liao has beniffited greatetly from a nationalist movement in their former terriroties rebellion against the evil opression of House Davion and wishing to return to the Evil Opression of House Liao. House Liao's underdog status makes it popular with many fans, whose favorite activity seems to be whining when the underdog predictably loses in a military confrontation. The National Meal is Babies. -Brian Davion(2)The ruling House of the Capellan Confederation, which is to say that they were able to breed out any competing noble Houses to gain ascendancy. They are noted for their lunacy, even though other Houses have had far more lunatics. Indeed, it may be the Capellan people who are all crazy; they put up with the Liaos.
Liao, Aliesha: The founding member of the new Capellan "Compassionate Conservative" movement, she is seen by outside forces as a preferrable replacement for Sun Tzu, since he is successful. It should be noted that outside forces would rather see a stalk of celery running the Confederation, since Sun Tzu is successful; critics of this plan have pointed out that previous Chancellors have resembled stalks of celery before. The Compassionate Conservative movement is tolerated, even though its tenets are just short of seditious, and include creating a new tax to pay for bullets used to dispatch critics of House Liao. This would replace the standing order of having the family pay for the bullet.
Liao, Franco: The owner of a small, neglected, dirt-poor, water-scarce, world in what would eventually become the Capellan Confederation, whenever he got around to running it. Served the Capellan Confderation in the same way that his descendant, Sun Tzu Liao served the Second Star League; he totally ruled.
Liao, Kali: Sun Tzu's sister. A dedicated partisan on Confederation soil, she is a murderous barbarian under a militant faction (but I repeat myself). She was told, after dispersing cannisters of nerve toxin on civillian populations during the Xin Sheng Conflict, that she was insane. She seemed okay with it. He followers, the Thugee, seem all-too-happy to keep a running total of her casualties, which, due to her ties to the Word of Blake, should keep them busy. It is often wondered aloud why Sun Tzu didn't murder his sister after her capture; Sun Tzu was overheard to say, "I have to plan out everyone else's Royal Family's demise. Let someone else kill her."
Liao, Romano: The savior of the Capellan people, Romano had more of her instability readily apperent to the Capellans than other less familiar saviors. She stands as proof that the Capellans have been doing so much with so little that they are now able to do anything with nothing at all. She held the Confederation together against all odds, slapping down a salient from the Free Worlds and the Magistracies of Canopus while the CCAF consisted of approximately fifteen guys with light pistols. She is noted for being so involved with clearing the Confederation of hidden enemies that she did so personally with her own sword (or her pen, which was mightier).
Liao, Sun-Tzu: See "Davion, Hanse" -Brian Davion
Liao, Tormano: The only man who, blessed with the Liao surname, was unable to take proper advantage of Steiner liquidity. As a Liao, he was a failure. Unfortunately, he was also a failure as a Steiner. And so, doubly a failure, he dispelled his military (Free Capella), and died.
LIC: The Lyran Intelligence Corps: While they do perform intelligence-gathering operations, the naming is largely to deflect attention away from the group's many covert, and probably unethical and illegal, but officially sanctioned terrorist activities. Hides cold blooded mass murderers in plain sight by disguising them as nerdy analysts and smooth talking diplomatic staff. -chanman
Light Autocannon: An innovation allowing a military unit to flatten useless light ammunition against heavy armor from further away than ever before.
Lite Autocannon: The lighter, shorter-ranged version of already light autocannon, lite autocannon promise the same light damage with lower weight and lower range! The fact that the modest weight savings requires the sacrifice of the one redeeming quality of small-calibre autocannon, however, is easier to stomach than the fact that it took centuries for dirtbag militia units in the Outback to take a hacksaw to their issued weapons.
Literati: A seemingly harmless online word game that is actually a cunning Maskivorka ploy to identify subconcious dissent. Available for free on local government networks, the MASK algorithms identify the speed and frequency with which players utilize treasonous vocabulary. Only the odd round contains such subversive language, but each player is carefully monitored for the speed and frequency with which they use subversive words. Use of subversive words when not actually a valid answer raises additional red flags. Citizens of the highest order of mental discipline are unable to bring themselves to acknowledge the existance of these concepts, and therefore are mentally incapable of even submitting such answers. -chanman
Lithium-Fusion Batteries: A new technology that allows jumpships to jump twice without recharging, thereby allowing you to get bogged down twice as far behind enemy lines.
Logistics: The military practice of planning a military escapade to such a degree that there are body bags enough for all the participants. This is a widely dismissed art; its deterioration is largely attributed to the exchange of non-conventional weapons to such a degree by every faction in the Inner Sphere (save one), that every faction in the Inner Sphere forgot how to make nukes. This was considered a favorable conclusion by exactly one faction.
Lootbag Commando: A mythological creature, as exemplfied best by it's designation as a "LIGHT LYRAN 'MECH" which no examples can be found in reality. It has gained a reputation for deception (lying), cunning (cheating), and outright theft (stealing). This reputation has been debunked by reputable sources once one determines that it's opponents is Everyone Else, making such success not overwhelmingly unbelievable. - DougGlendower
Lorix Order, The: First developed by a convalescing CCAF officer, this states that War is good, since it bloods the crew, as it were. Also, dead defenders can be used as fertilizer, to better benefit those who were lost to the Confederation (something of a consolation prize to those lost Citizens). Not to mention, once a Mechwarrior attains "really Good" status, he's a valuable asset to the military, and shouldn't be killed by the avearge Citizen, even if he's dating your sixteen-year-old daughter. Also, the people need to recognise that the Military is comprised largely of 'pretty cool guys,' and said military needs to understand that they can't be dicks to those people who provide the taxes that feed them and maintain their gear and weaponry. (see also: common sense)
Loyalty: The attribute that does the most grievous damage to the true individual, loyalty is at once responsible for epic subterfuge (since most people never admit that they are only loyal to themselves), and the removal of the one thing that makes them dangerous: their unpredictable nature. Loyalty leads to waste, since people end up fighting for a cause long after it has been lost; reckless behavior, since people with take greater risks against long odds so long as their cause is threatened, and, worst of all, loyalty leads to long-winded descriptions of the great tasks taken in the name of the cause if loyalty pays off.
Lyran Alliance: A nation dedicated to the idea of commerce, to the point where naval Gauss rifles are mounted on planetside turrets for the express purpose of overseas package delivery even faster and more destructively than UPS could hope to imagine. -icchan
Lyran Commonwealth: An administrative entity operated by an incalculable multitude of political parasites, logically active but fortuitously efficient. -Kojak
Lyran Public Notification: Mightily spun announcements by behemoth media entities masquerading as independent news outlets, these broadcasts can be identified by their buzzword saturation and lack of any real content apart from excessively photogenic news personnel in flattering and/or very revealing outfits as the situation warrants. Some argue that the attractive staff are the content. In Donegal News Network surveys, seven out of ten viewers of the three most watched news programs did not notice when the staff took to speaking Klingon for April Fool's Day 3028, although critics claim that photos of the teenaged Melissa Steiner-Davion caught in a string bikini on her honeymoon skewed results. Foreign researchers have determined that the only actual information ever encountered in a Lyran broadcast are sporting event scores and stock quotes. See also: Tabloid, Gossip, Fluff, Celebs, Soft Porn -chanman
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MacCarron's Armored Cavalry: A former Merc unit turned Capellan House unit, despite at their height having 6 regiments, a mech factory, a tendency to trip over lostech caches.. the MAC seems to be immune to Calls Of Munchkinism. this Immunity is of course the real reason for the MAC/Wolf Dragoon's feud. -BrianDavion (2) A Capellan unit known for their ability to excel on the battlefield, the MAC is a sterling example of what can happen when a Capellan military unit is freed from their restrictive supply line, and political orthodoxy (see: House Davion). The MAC was recently allowed to join the House Units of the CCAF; a distinction lost on those outside of the Confederation, since Liao was their contract holder since time began, but not lost to the orthodoxy of the Confederation, who were wary of the Northwind Highlanders.
Machine Gun (Mech): A half (or quarter) ton upgrade for a man portable support weapon to give it the combat dynamics of genuine musketry. See: Would this fly further if I dropped it?, Ammo Explosion -Von Jankmon
Mad Cat/Timber Wolf: One of the better known mechs to use Clan Technology, named by the Clans/Inner Sphere. Used to abuse Houses Kurita/Steiner/Magnussen. Named for the resemblances to outdated technology, the rifle, following this example, would have been called the slingshot.
Magic Warehouse: A magical place, set aside to store older variants of mechs as your House's military replaces them with Newtech. Magically, they stay there, mothballed, until such time as your House's military needs them. The, after being serviced by technicians, they are magically restored to service in your House's military. Great Houses that don't have Magic Warehouses often lack in other magical traits; foremost on the list is foresight and contingency planning.
Magistracy of Canopus: (1)An unethical nation whose sole purpose seems to be forming loose relationships with everyone in the neighbourhood, then winding up with a strong connection to the one person who is their polar opposite in moral matters. -Swords of Fire (2)A Peripheral, or easily ignored, faction, the Magistracies are notable for largely eshewing the collection of biotoxins, nuclear warheads, and other unusual or non-conventional weapons in favor of the one truly dangerous variable in Battletech: women in control.
Manei Domini: A phrase whose meaning has been lost to the ages, these elite shock-troops of the Word of Blake's Blessed (or Blasted, depending on prevailing political sensibilities) Militia are known to be as able, or more, than any other Inner Sphere military unit. Relying on ultra-modern technology, capable training, effective indoctrination, and commonsense logistic capability, also devistating, population-breaking force multipliers such as nukes and biological attacks, the Word of Blake use this part of their Militia as a sort of hand of God. They are able to show the Great Houses what they could have aspired to, had they ever been allowed to pull their act together, which is, oddly, the best arguement for ComStar's intervention into Inner Sphere technological gains.
Marian Hegemony: Possibly the most forward-thinking Periphery nation, the Hegemony has built itself upon a single deposit of Germanium. While its organization of a national military was not seen as particularly futuristic, following the form and function of the military of ancient Rome, its organization of ancient Rome's first Aerospace units showed the ability to progress in a bold new way. The use of war orphans to settle new worlds and the milking of Comstar for bribes to justify their presence are both reprehensible, and almost enough to qualify it as a Great House.
Marik: By trying to hold onto representitive government, House Marik has hamstrung their own military. However, by forcing their enemies to use Parliment, they have maintained their position. They have, in the past, managed to force 2/3rds of the Representatives to agree to a ham sandwich. This made all the HPG NewsBursts.
Marik, Ewan: A luminary of House Marik, Ewan was known to have an agile mind, and a wit sharper than the broadswords that currently adorn his nation's navy. He is considered to be something of a visionary by those in the know; after all, it took quite a while for the rest of the Inner Sphere to understand how much of a tool Kerensky actually was.
Marik, Joshua: The lever that tore the Federated Suns moral high ground apart came in the form of a young man with a terminal illness. His eventual passing, unfortunately, presented the normally gentle, kind and giving despots of the FedSuns with a problem; namely, with a corpse on hand instead of an heir-apperent, the factories of the Free Worlds might have chosen to use their surplus building reasonably capable new mechs, instead of the garbage they would eventually settle on. In order to settle the situation in their favor, they chose a page out of the Capellan Handbook (liberated when they first started taking Liao worlds (See Also: When Christ Walked the Earth)), building a brand new Joshua in order to fool his nominal father.
Martyr: A man so tied to a lost cause that he'd be willing to lose his life to extend it's own by a scant bit of time. When successful, he's lionized as a Hero of the People. When not, he's lauded as a Fool, and granted immortality in bar room humor. Either way, his ability to appreciate his new condition is severely hampered by his lack of life.
Maskirovka: In Russian parlance, Maskirovka was the attempt to intentionally spread misinformation and show false movement. In modern Capellan parlance, it refers to an organization which collects misinformation and signs of false movement, and speeds them straight to the Capellan Chancellor. Recently, they allowed A Davion double agent to establish a wing of the Maskirovka to deal with the Davion menace; leaving this humble lexicographer to wonder what the Maskirovka had been doing to that point.
Maximillian Liao: Proof that 'going batshit crazy' is a justifiable reason for ritual patri- / matricide. See also: Romano Liao, Katherine Steiner-Davion, Takashi Kurita -GhostBear
Mechanized Infantry: Individuals who are crazy enough to engage in anti-mech combat after their only augmentation drops them off and leaves at flank speed.
Mechwarrior Politician: A power-mad individual, not to be trusted with any postion of authority, especially since he is crazy enough to believe that past experience riding around in a giant war machine qualifies him(and all of his descendants) for a nation-level administrative job.
Megamek: (1)A simulated way of showing just how crappy most Marik designed Mechs are. Also a good way of advertising LB-10-X autocannons and Gauss Rifles -Swords of Fire (2)A popular combat simulator which is used to settle, for once and for all, who has the greatest love of rebooting.
Mercenaries: Heavily Armed Men and Women who are willing to shoot their own mothers for the right amount of cash. See Davion, Marik, Liao, Steiner. -Auren
Military Academy: Any academic institution that serves to primarily indoctrinate rather than educate.
MIM: The intelligence arm of the Magistracies of Canopus. Noted for the willingness to go nose-to-nose with the Blakist threat, and nose-to-something-entirely-different with damn near anyone else.
Monarch: A person engaged in reigning. Formerly the monarch ruled, as the derivation of the word attests, and as many subjects have had occasion to learn. In the Capellan Confederation and the Draconis Combine the monarch has still a considerable influence in public affairs and in the disposition of the human head, but in the Free Worlds League political administration is mostly entrusted to his ministers, he being somewhat preoccupied with reflections relating to the status of his own head. -Kojak
MRMs: For when you really want to get rid of something, but aren't really concerned about how quickly it goes away. -Swords of Fire, ed. by LF.
Munchkin: A player who, after creating his character, decides that he so detests the system of character creation that he attempts to avoid any future encounter with character creation at all costs.
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Nagging Feeling, A: A subtle, outward expression of lunacy, caused by the hand of God moving a situation hither and thither right before your eyes. It most often expresses itself as a feeling of dread at the situation one is facing, as if Bad Things are just waiting to happen.
NAIS: Either of two distinct scientific communities, one in Davion space for now, the other in Kurita. The Davion branch, known for advances in triple strength myomer [thanks for that, by the way! ed] and interstellar communications, has been constantly assisted in their efficiency by the recurring collapses in House Davion's economic structure (such as it is) The Kuritan assembly has been greatly assisted in their continued existence by their uncharacteristic willingness to not slit themselves open every time an experiment fails.
NARC/iNARC: The 31st century equivilent of tying fresh steaks to your opponent before releasing the hounds. -chanman
Nationalism: The Capellan Confederation's arguement that -our- Iron Fist has a softer Velvet Glove.
Night Gyr: Clan Jade Falcons equivalent to a Laser Lightshow, complete with working lasers. -Swords of Fire
Niops Association: A faction made up of a Star League research facility (is there any other kind?), supposedly self-sufficient and stuffed to the gills with geeks, with a leavening of Succession War-era Capellan refugees. Given the almost guaranteed presence of some brilliant and egotistical mad scientists, a whole segment of society that can be classified as expendable mooks, and no overwatching authority, the fact that Niops has neither conquered known space, destroyed the universe, or killed themselves off through ill-advised experiments is considered by many to be a bona fide miracle. Niopsians like to remind visitors though, that there's always tomorrow night. -chanman
Noble: Having to do with the continued benefit of the most oppressive segment of society (who have already benefitted to the detriment of all others). To serve a noble is to force-feed a tapeworm. As an adjective, it is the most horrendous of slurs; meaning that the person expects to be respected without merit simply for the accident of their birth (see also: Trueborn).
Non-Aggression: A state of lessened aggression. Different Houses view this differently. Davion: A short pause between wars, while we refit and reload, and reforget why we don't wanna fight these guys. Kurita: A short pause between wars, while we catch our breath. After all, screaming during the whole charge really takes it out of you. Steiner: A short pause between wars, while we reestablish supply of brandy and cigars to our commanders, without which, all would be lost. Marik: A short pause between wars, while we figure out which of our countrymen to shoot at next. Liao: A short pause between wars, during which we will try to scrape together enough units to fight the next one (all the while, building new factories and designing new mechs and Warships).
Non-Mechwarrior Politician: (1)A power-mad individual, not to be trusted with any postion of authority. (2)Any member of the civil order that has never piloted a Battlemech. Tradition holds that they haven't yet proved themselves worthy of office, due to their lack of combat experience and technological know-how. The truth of the matter is that they haven't yet learned to conduct themselves around several potential enemies, arrayed both in front of and behind said politico, all of whom are arrayed with weaponry capable of leveling cities. The tradition holds that this serves as a primer for Inner Sphere politics, which is borne out by how long the tradition has held.
Northwind Highlanders: A small mercenary army with their own landhold, which has somehow managed to survive contract-abuse which hamstrung BOTH the Capellan Confederationand their enemies, the Federated Suns. It remains to be seen if they will contract with the Blakists, although they are likely running out of factions to betray.
O
Omni Tech: A cunning ploy by mech, tank, and fighter manufacturers to raise their profit margins, 'omni' machines cost an extra 10% for the added flexibility. Reading the fine print reveals that in almost all cases, the end user license agreement stipulates that: "Weapons, sensors, mounting pods, and modular armour panels not included. Some assembly required. Failure to use approved contractors to assemble components will void manufacturer's warrantee. Actual product may not be as shown." -chanman
Omniss, The: An influential group in the Outworlds Alliance, the Omniss has an aversion to advanced technology that doesn't have wings and carry heavy weaponry. The biggest bane against the growth of the Outworlds, the Omniss has not allowed for the development of heavy mining equipment or groundbreaking machines, since they have not been developed with fast-moving, trans-atmospheric engines.
Operation Illigitamus Carbarendum: Unknown. The heavily redacted transcripts seem to point to some sort of joint operation between undercover elements of the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery and functional elements inside the Capellan Confederation's Tactical Resources Management Bureau after the Fourth Succession War. Whether or not this includes technological exchange, tactical comparison, or members of the standing Confederation's government (such as it was) seeking a sympathetic ear/quick extraction is left, sadly, to the imagination of the reader. It goes without saying that these elements may have never obtained the permission to act in the name of their respective governments, making it all the more odd, if, indeed, it even happened.
OpFor: The Opposing Force. Also known as "Those
Outback, The: An area of space that serves as a testimonial of the Davions love of their brother, and their brother's love of their sisters (and livestock).
Outworlds Alliance: The logical union of an agrarian, luddite society, dedicated to peace, with the most technologically advanced and dangerous of weapons. -GreenDragon
P
Paranoia: Manifestation and borderline overapplication of finely honed self-preservation skills. An important character trait, and an essential to continued survival anywhere in the Inner Sphere, but more important in some situations than others. In the Confederation, paranoia is not merely a way of life, but the proper result of the diligence expected from each and every citizen in their efforts to shield the state from enemies foreign or internal. -chanman
Parliment: The only place in the Inner Sphere were right-thinking people who are genuinely try to better humanity can be routinely shouted down by mobs who, themselves, couldn't agree on a ham sandwich. This is the seat of Power for the Free Worlds League, such as it is. Parliment is a symbol of the attempt to curb mankind's most intelligent, progressive impulses through liberal application of halitosis.
Peace: A temporary intermission between periods of open conflict when autocannon are traded for stilettos and headshots for backstabs. When warriors take their weary rest whilst spies, assassins, and saboteurs earn their pay. -chanman (2) A wholly necessary state of being, which allows short periods for the weapons to cool and avoid warping. (3) A wholly unnecessary state of being, achieved only because both sides forgot to bring spares -chanman
Periphery: The uncultured, uncivilized, underdeveloped peoples farthest from Terra, beyond the edges of the Great Houses. Were involved in some wars in ye olde days involving the Star League. Many denizens profess that one day, "The Edge will Rise Again!", bucking everything known to bakers throughout history. -chanman
Phantom Combat: A state of mind, whereby, a mechwarrior can, by embracing his own inevitable demise, become essentially invisible to his enemies. Usually mastered by the DCMS, it was rumored that several divisions of "Phantom Units" would be pressing on the FedCom's Kuritan border; it was later found out that the units simply weren't there.
Physics: Search term not found. Please check your spelling and try again. -ColBosch
Piracy: Commerce without its folly-swaddles, just as God made it. -Kojak
Pirate: A person who is able to find opportunities in the actions of others, and who is able to profit by exploiting said opportunities. Generally involves stealing the property of other people, including but not limited to: Women, Money, Battlemechs, Self Respect. -Swords Of Fire (2) Any man, woman, or child who takes his disdain for Federal taxation into his own hands. Noted for being very proactive, pirates are often able to make very cutthroat business deals, as their means of obtaining goods to sell leave little room for negotiation. (2) The scum of the universe, a marauding vagabond, pillaging and raping with rampant disdane for civil convention. May be distinguished from the forces of your neighbouring states by their cowardly preference for continued survival, sensible refusal to publish their identity, and vicious willingness to cut their losses. This group is noted mostly for lacking Martyrs and Fighting Spirit as previously defined. -chanman
Plasma Rifle: Wedding the flamer with the Particle Projector Cannon, this new weapon seeks to use the oldest scourge ever to face a mechwarrior; that being heat. One of the newer weapons to grace the battlefield, the Plasma Rifle requires new tactical understanding. Or, Warships, which pretty much undo weapons advancements on this scale, anyway.
Po: A Capellan Main Battle Tank, noted for its lack of bells and whistles. It stands as a not-entirely-overlooked sign of the times in which it was created; it filled the material rosters of the CCAF when the Capellans were in danger of not having enough military units to actually warrant a ground skirmish.
PONTI: Persons of No Tactical Importance. The moniker of the vehicular accompaniment of the 2nd Oriente Hussars, however, the term has also been used at various times to describe Davion Constitutional Lawyers, Defenders of the virtue of Kuritan princesses, and the entirety of House Marik.
PPC: Abbreviation for Particle Projector Cannon, or, if you ask a Capellan bartender, for Pulse of the People of Capella. It's either a powerful man-portable force for the dispersion of your enemies, or something you load onto a 'mech.
Profit: A term used to describe the potential or actual monetary benefit of the sale of products, goods, or services. A term used in antiquity thusly: "For what does a man profit, if he gains the world and loses his soul?" (This statement causes a Capellan to wonder, "Profit?", a Steiner to wonder, "Soul?", and a Marik to wonder, "Gain a world?")
Project: Phoenix: The attempt to retread old Inner Sphere 'mech designs by addressing the occasional fault, completely changing very little, while changing certain very little things completely. The new 'mechs apparently sold, more because they were still 'mechs than the quality of the retreads.
ProtoMech: A Clan-issued mini-mech, this was an attempt to give non-assigned or unattached military personell a chance to die on the battlefield, thereby granting them Honor, shortening their lives, and lessening their draw on the civillian sector of their Clan (such as it is). The Clans' decisive push to kill all of their civillians is not so strange when viewed in terms of the alternative (continued life in a Clan non-military sector), and is likely pushed into being by the combined will of the Clan working class.
Q
Quadmech: A battlemech which has, as its primary distinction, the absence of arms. In place of the arms, the mech has another pair of legs, which is every bit as intelligent as it sounds. One of the special abilities the quad mech has is the ability to lie prone, making itself nominally harder to hit; clever observers have pointed out that this ability can be copied by a standard mech's pilot, simply by failing his piloting check.
R
Raid: Total warfare for those with short attention spans. (See also: The Third Succession War.) (2) A military endeavour spun as no-risk by the advocate. Should enemy opposition exist, the attackers may depart after inflicting some minor property damage, claiming that they have hurt the enemy and escaped. Should enemy opposition be woefully absent, the attackers may claim to have taken possession of the planet, wherupon they may be subject to raids by the former owners. This is usually known as a reprisal. In some instances, enemy opposition materializes and prevents the erstwhile raiders from departing. This is where the attacker's home media propaganda organ recieves its daily dose of Heroic Sacrifice for the evening news. -chanman
Raven: The Capellans Confederations prefered means of amalgamating and packaging advanced military electronics technologies for external distribution. Ravens are lightly armoured compact electronics goody bags that grew legs and are capable of moving towards enemy technological dissemination centres at speeds of up to 97kph. Presumably this is part of a Maskirovka ploy to discourage espionage within bounds of the Capellan Confederation by making Capellan secrets remotely available to anyone capable of overcoming 4.5 tons of mech armour. -vonjankmon (2) One of the few times that bureaucratic inertia ever led to anything promising, the Raven was an old design from the time of the third Succession Wars, when a new electronic warfare unit might prove useful. At that time, most House units had descended the technological ladder so far that they used colored flags and smoke signals to coordinate mass movements (see also: House Kurita), so the idea of an 'advanced' electronics suite differed from common usage somewhat. Nonetheless, the unit was unveiled in 3050, allowing the Capellan Confederation to spend more on scout mechs than they had ever done before. Some see this as a great thing.
Raven Alliance: The logical union of an agrarian, luddite society, dedicated to peace, with a genetically engineered race of machivellian warriors dedicated to the conquest of the universe through superior technology. -GreenDragon
RCT: The Regimantal Combat Team. The RCT was based on the premise that putting all of your eggs in one basket makes them harder to break.
Regulator Hovertank: Surprisingly, an effective hover sniper, and mobile backbone for a Capellan skirmish line. Unsurprisingly, often found in the hands of the Davion horde.Republic of the Sphere: A kinder, gentler Successor State, stretched like a funeral shroud over the bones of the old Terran Hegemony. This new, peaceful society was born of war, apparently beating the Blakists into submission, but quickly took to peace, savaging any nation that considered the folly of handing over Ancestral worlds tantamount to lunacy. Eventually, seeing what their peace had wrought, they saw to it that the Great Houses abandoned war in its entirety, so that they could never resist again. Any similarity to a Tyranny is completely coincidental.
Retcon: Corrective history. Academic and historical study that strips all of the fallacies from the past, and exposes the truth of things to the harsh light of the peoples of the Inner Sphere. Often used as the ultimate argument of logic, except when the peoples involved ignore the newest findings (see also: Chesterton, history of, and Laws of Succession, Davion).
Retreat: A speedy, occasionally organized removal of forces from the field of battle, directly preceding an orbital bombardment or nuclear detonation.
Rim Worlds Republic: A collection of highly industrialized worlds, once in antiquity noted for rising up in strength to gut the hated Terran Hedgemony and abort the miscarriage that would go on to become the Clans. Was later absorbed by the Lyrans, and judging by the last war-time leader of that august State, taught them everything they knew about looking like the Good Guy while being dispicably evil.
Ristar: A Clan bastardization of the language they claim to adore, Ristar literally means 'rising star'. In context, it is used like 'good man,' or 'nice guy!' Strangely, they have no term that translates to either of the aforementioned terms.
ROM: an allegedly obscure but actually very well known (c.f. NSA) branch of ComStar dedicated to keeping the SW Great Houses at approximately 1980s levels of technology while using The Future from 1980s technologies themselves. The name was used because TPTB thought it sounded good and as a joke (I assume) and they assumed that everyone would be using Mac's in the future and so not have heard of Read Only Memory... in the same way we all use BetaMax and other superior technologies (no really) -doctormonkey (2) The most universally despised (or, effective) part of ComStar, ROM was directly responsible for countless murders and acts of sabotage. They seperated themselves from ComStar during the schism, calling themselves the Word of Blake, and becoming a whole new organization. Then the Jihad kicked off, and ROM became responsible for countless murders and acts of sabotage.
Rotary Autocannon: Another of the dubious Davion technological "improvements". When coupled with an ammo-dependant Battlemech design, it limits the length of Davion engagements by up to one-sixth the time. This has caused some concern in the Davion rank-and-file, who wonder what they will do to defeat the Capellans and Kuritans in one sixth the time.
Rotary Autocannon, class 2: Considered the physical embodiment of Federated Suns military doctrine. That is to say it is oversized, logistically wasteful, prone to breakdown and cyclically repeating of the same mistakes. -Von Jankmon
Rugged: Hard to kill. Not, however, hard to hit, which is why this term is placed on certain mechs that have been battered into unrecognizable heaps, only to have them shamble home.
Rules Lawyer: 1.) The first "friendly fire" casualties in any shooting war. 2.) Any person to whom the letter of the rules is more important than the spirit of fun engendered by the game. -Col.Chiang (3) An individual who is chained to the very letter of the law, as it applies to fictional laws, but is prone to speeding and refuses to read the instructions that come with his home electrical equipment.
S
SAFE: The intelligence arm of the Free Worlds, SAFE embodies all of their greatest strengths; bureaucratic inefficiency, inertial inability to act, and complete inability to do much of anything. But, I'm sure, of all the intelligence arms of all the factions, they build things much faster and with far greater efficiency than other intelligence agencies.
Saint Ives: See: Capellan Confederation.
Sarna Mandate, The: A founding notion of the Sarna Supremacy (the name so nice, Capellans proved it wrong twice), this is the belief that those who are fit to rule should be able to do so, while those who are not fit to rule are also not fit to decide the fate of others. This leaves those best able to benefit from brutality and methodical destabilization of the social order free to undertake such actions, until they are murdered by the populous at large, which is how the people remove their support (and retroactively prove that the peoson thus deposed was never fit to be an Elite in the first place).
Secession: A state of affairs whereby the governor of a section of conquered territory forgets history, and is thereby doomed to repeat it.
Second Succession War: Humanity's way of showing that it doesn't learn from its own mistakes very quickly, see also; Third Succession War, Fourth Succession War. -Swords of Fire
Servitor: The man who has the most to gain by serving the Greater Humanity; whereby Citizens have only more Servitors to gain, Servitors can gain freedom (such as it is, in the Capellan Confederation). Servitors are said to be gained by the Capellan Confederation’s numerous victories during the Succession Wars. Capellan apologists are quick to point out the massive cover-ups that have taken place; no sign of appreciable Capellan military progress appears in any histories outside the Confederation.
Shadow Lances: The Capellan units don't show on standard military rosters. They are said to be composed of 'stealth' units, which are hard to find. Critics of this standing military theory point out how effective the Confederation was in the Fourth Succession War, which was the last time it was hard to find Capellan units.
Shrewd Planning: My House's most recent success. See also: Tactical Brilliance, Cheating.
Sig: Short for signature, a sig is a personal mark. The more annoying it is, the easier it is to notice, and the less it will be tolerated. Such things constitute a very fine line.
Sir 'Mechs-a-Lot: Creator of the unofficial Lyran Alliance national anthem, "I like big 'Mechs and I can not lie/You other Houses can't deny" No other known lyrics to the song exist, having been purged by Loki for seditious statements. Loki would like to remind its citizens that, due to their endo-steel construction, Lyran Battlemechs are not fat - just big boned.
Social General - A Lyran, usually of noble birth, who has managed to learn to a practically perfect degree, that politics is the battlefield before the battlefield. However, he succeeds to a practically perfect degree at niether. Usually known as "bootlicker" or "common drunkard (wealthy)" in less civilized societies. -DougGlendower
SRM-carrier: Despite pretenses to the contrary, these 'armoured' 'fighting' 'vehicles' are merely self-deploying command-activated submunition mines that also provides complete cremation and ash scattering services for their essentially suicide-bomber crews. -chanman (2) One of the few ways to tell that the OpFor hates you more than he loves life. If you find one of these, flee; you may be able to destroy it at range, but this tinfoil-wrapped incendiary device likely has 'bodyguard' units. Often used to alert friendly units in a theater of action; when detonated, it allows friendly units to note the relative position of the enemy.
Star League: A surprisingly organised coalition of opportunists, thugs, and taxmen that managed to unite most of humanity under their oppressive thumb through a combination of bribery, lies, and apocalyptic conquest. The optimist views this era as the pinnacle of human civilisation, and the pessimist fears that this is true. -Weirdo
Star League Cache: The Star League, unlike anyone ever since, produced realistic amounts of war material. Since this violated the binding contract that they signed with TPTB, excess production was buried on worlds from Sian to Strana Mechty. Caches often carry the slogan "Anything worth having is worth burying for our great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren to find! Star League Cache searching is a popular and rewarding past time that denizens have enjoyed for centuries. Clansman have a similar affection for the closely related Brian Caches. See: Treasure Hunt, Lostech, Arms Stash, Squirrel, Buried Treasure, Helm Memory Core -chanman
Star League-in-Exile: Metaphorically speaking, the party so long that it is no longer fun, but all the popular kids are there, so nobody wanted to be seen leaving first. This continued to the point that when the party itself left, many of the partygoers went with it, following the ancient tradition of leaving the residents and neighbors to deal with the mess. Practically speaking, an early example of hyphen abuse. See: Clan Wolf-in-Exile, Primus-in-Exile, Davion-on-a-Stick. -weirdo
Stealth Armor: (1)A new Capellan technology that hides gigantic war machines in plain sight merely by generating lots of heat. Used so that instead of being defeated by Davion front-line forces, Capellan mechs have the opportunity to be defeated by Davion rear-echelon forces. -chanman (2)A bold new step in shouting, "Not in the face! Not in the face!" This armor makes it difficult to target a battlemech at ranges past spitball. This leads into the enemy charging, and engaging in physical combat. The Capellan answer to the Targeting Computer.
Steiner : The rulers of House Steiner have become so effective at managing business affairs and political intrigue that they have delayed trying to get any of their worlds back from the Clan juggernaut, pending a cost/benefit analysis. This political intrigue has served them against domestic disputes, but is poorly used against Outsider influences; the DCMS (for example) responds to cotillion invitations by dropping regiments on-planet
Steiner-Davion: A theroretical blending of the military traditions of the Federated Suns with the financial acumen of the Lyran Commonwealth. In practice, more a blend of Lyran military effectiveness, and Davion financial acumen. Less a mix of peanut-butter and chocolate, and more a mix of caramel and deep-dish pan pizza.
Steiner-Davion, Melissa: A victim of House Davion's first Popular Vote, she was quickly and easily deposed, thus saving millions of lives and costing her realm only very slightly. Victor Steiner -Davion could have learned a thing or two.
Steiner-Davion, Katherine: Known also, or alternatively, as Katrina II, Katherine Steiner-Davion was a proper politician, which is to say that she ignored political treaties that were no longer in her realm's favor, and single-handedly managed to unite Houses Davion and Steiner under a single throne. Claims that this titanic feat had been accomplished before is like saying that because one has managed to read a contract, one has successfully written one. Correct manipulation of the people was utilized to unify two disparate people of the Inner Sphere; had Victor Steiner-Davion but done his part and died when he was supposed to, she may have become First Lord; as it was, that august mantle fell to its rightful place in House Liao.
Stone, Devlin: During the Blakists finest hour, it became apperent that they would not achieve their objectives through military means, and sought to achieve them through policy. To this end, the double agent Stone was employed; destroying the tattered remains of the Blakist military machine, he achieved instant credibility and acclaim. Such was his success that he obtained the greatest part of the old Terran Hedgemony simply by asking for it. Notable exceptions were not very notable (see: Capellan Confederation, Capellan Crusades). (See: Deus ex Mecha -Brian Davion)
Strategy: (1)The theory and application of deploying, supplying, and coordinating troops across a large front. See also: Davion Military Disasters, Kuritan Military Diasters, Liao Military Disasters, Lyran Military Disasters, Marik Military Disasters. -ColBosch (2)The first, least disposable, and most oundational aspect of a military campaign, this is the underlying plan and objectives behind any military (and, in the case of the Capellan Confederation, many civillian) strikes. It is said that the best way to destroy a military campaign is to destroy the enemy's strategy; This is simple in the case that the novel is about your faction primarily, and simply impossible otherwise.
Sung, Aris: A example of a un-capellan Capellan Mechwarrior. That is he accomplish his missions successfully and care about the lives of civilians that are caught in the battlefield. Knowing TPTB, he is likely blown away in the Jilad or executed as a traitor by the Capellan State to provide positive contrasts for the neighboring states. -ArchmageXin (2) Notable for being one of the New (or, occasionally successful) Capellans, he distinguished himself during the Capellan Reconquista of the St. Ives Compact. Last seen alive during the Jihad. There are those who say that the quickest way to kill a Capellan is to believe in him; there seems to be some corroboration in fact.
T
Tactics: The theory and application of correct use of military force to engage and defeat an enemy. See also: Cheating, Munchkin, "These dice are loaded". -ColBosch
Tamar: A loud, stubborn, and devisive part of the Lyran Commonwealth, noted for constantly arguing against the tyrranical Steiner fist. Freedom from Steiner tyrrany was eventually granted by emmasarries of Clan Wolf. See also: the Isle of Skye.
Target Acquisition Gear: Lasers too weak to do any actual damage, but trigger a Pavlovian response in certain munitions. -chanman (2) An ingenious device that allows a Mech to become an artillery spotter. This removes the battlefield role from that of a covert ops team, who are less likely to designate a target without being noticed than some thirty-five ton walking tank. Most often shortens the active lifespan of a scout mech (from brief to indeterminable) by asking them to charge a dangerous military objective.
Target Drone: A fast-moving, thinly armored device which has the sole purpose of being shot. Differs from the Light Mech by being able to move while unmanned, whereas when the light mech loses its pilot, it tends to stop.
Targeting Accuracy: The ability (or lack thereof) to consistently hit what one fires at. At current ranges, those who have a decent record of accuracy are either A) liars, or B) prone to knife-fighting.
Taurian Concordat: Another easily ignored Periphery state, the Taurian
Concordat is known for their love of liberty, their high level of education,
their stockpiling of Nuclear warheads, and their fanatical willingness to decend
into military exchange with a military several times the size of their entire
State. It should be noted that they are not all insane, only their leadership.
This is not the entry for the Capellan Confederation.
Terrorist: A non-allied Freedom Fighter.
Tetatae: (1)Tastes like Chicken, see also; Delicacies of Tharkad (2)A birdlike semi-sentient species. Its placement on the Lyran seat of government lends itself to 'chicken' jokes, which are inaccurate, as the Lyrans are not chickens (chickens at least have the redeeming factor of going after blood when it is found).
Threadjack: The act of diverting a forum thread from its original topic and into a new and full-fledged new discussion. Is the result of off-topic posts leading into an actual discussion of little or no relevence to the original post. The most notable example of such an act must surely be First Prince Hanse Davion's threadjack of the Royal Wedding to announce the launching of a new Succession War. The original discussion on the sexual histories and orientation of the bride and groom swiftly changed subjects to the dinnerware and never looked back. -chanman
Thrush: An exmple of sequenced design philosophy. One design bureau makes round target drones for aerospace fighters, another decided to give them engines for a better challenge, the third gave them low powered lasers for simulated return fire. The fourth said "lets up-powered the lasers and add a pilot". Odd considering as it is still a round target drone. Its is indicative that the plural of Thrush in English is Thrush indicating that you are expected to see lots of them, and the collective noun for Thrush is a salvage. In Chinese the character ideograms for Thrush use the same symbol for the past and current tense. This betrays the common expectation that a Thrush was/is a Thrush and soon was/isnt. See: Suicide mission -vonjankmon (2)The primary aerospace unit built around the concept that the best way to avoid autocannon fire, missiles, and yes, possibly laser fire, is to outpace it. It goes without saying that armor would be a detriment to this design philosophy; to that end, all of it was removed, and replaced with Saran Wrap. In order to make the pilots feel more secure, they are wrapped in the same, which leads most people to doubt the Thrush pilots' sanity; one can clearly see their or they're nuts.
Tikonov: A world on the Confederation/Federated Suns border, Tikonov has gained independance from both sides over and over again. Each time has led them to be worse off than before. Recently, their independance lasted all of three weeks before their free elections were rigged by the Federated Suns. The Xin Sheng phenomenon has caused less problem for this particular world. Likely the distance from the CC's border has helped insulate it from the dictates of the Celestial throne, but what can save it from New Avalon?
Toaster: A household appliance, typically powered by electricity, widely used to rapidly harden and burn perfectly good bread. Also an object of warship among certain groups. See: Word of Blake, Breakfast -chanman
TPTB: Shorthand for The Powers That Be, these are the men behind the scenes who advance the story of the Inner Sphere (and less, the Clans). These people are to be given all of the support and prestige that they deserve. How much they deserve, however, is forever in debate.
Trade: The mutually beneficial commercial activity by which two parties specialize their competencies and exchange the surplus, thus both coming out ahead. At this point, the Capellans realize they have no surplus, the Combine declines to benefit other parties, the Commonwealth misplaces their competencies, the League Parties enter a deadlock from which no survivors emerge, and the Federated Suns struggles to understand a use of the word 'exchange' that does not involve fire, Regimental Combat Teams, or invasion fleets. -chanman
Treason: (1)The act of betraying your current masters, proving to your future masters that you were trusted once, and have no wish to be ever trusted again. See: Northwind Highlanders -chanman (2)The first, most important act of a thinking man, this is an outward expression of the disdain one has for the enemy's marauding armies, turned against one's own government, which is, this being the Inner Sphere, probably just as bad. Of course, this takes a great level of self-assurance, since you are effectively choosing your bastards over theirs.
Trial of Position: A charming Clan custom, whereby the old are led to devour the young, or be devoured by them, thereby avoiding anyone with the experience to wonder why the hell people still follow Nick Kerensky living long enough to ask.
Trinity Alliance: A tripod where, at any one time, one of the legs are broken. In the beginning, it was House Liao, which had just been cut in half (again). The other two states were able to wring concessions from House Liao in return for their support; what House Liao could give them is a matter of speculation. Shortly thereafter, House Liao used the troops of the Trinity members to reassimilate the errant breakaway states of the Xin Sheng province. When the Taurian Concordat started a war with the Federated Suns, however, they recieved little support, and ended up embroiled in a civil war. In the end, however, the Magistracies of Canopus were the most recent broken leg, having married into House Liao.
U
Unfinished Book: A Davion not-so-secret society that has established links to every known religion in the entirety of House Davion, thereby centering all known hucksters, flim-flam artists, and xenophobes under one tent for the convenience of the incoming bombardment. That the Federated Suns allows for their continued existance, as well as their slow, but steady and continued intergration into their military ranks and leadership is clear-cut evidence of their social ineptitude.
UrbanMech: (1)Factual proof that the science of war can indeed produce a walking trashcan with a BFG taped to the side and call it 'sufficient defendable force'. See also: Target Drone; Taurian Defense Force; Lyran Ego; Hussar; Blitzkrieg; Hetzer WAG -GhostBear (2)A mech known for its prominence in the CCAF, it is used to defend cities. When detonated by enemy fire, it reports the enemy's position.
Usurper: A person so concerned with the state of life for the downtrodden of a State that they are willing to take the problem on completely. Often times, a Hero, loved by the people, who is not afraind to be hated by those same people in turn. Someone who is willing to be corrupted by absolute power in order to save his friends and compatriots from that same unenviable fate.
V
Vehicle Critical Hit Chart: The chart that proves all conventional vehicles in the Inner Sphere, Periphery, and Clan homeworlds are produced by the Ford Motor Company, scaling up or down their ancient Pinto design as needed. -Col.Chiang
Venerable: Popular; Ancient. Something that was very effective before, and somehow avoided being 'improved' into oblivion.
Victory: (1)A method of continuing to benefit the nability of your Nation (see also: parasite). Victory, as it pertains to warfare, means that one has helped the opposition to see the benefits of diplomacy (such as they are). This is a very noble thing, and may allow the personages involved to wear small pieces of semi-precious metal on their chest (assuming they still have one). (2)The state of a party who's sufferings are comparatively less compared to their opponent(s). -BlackPanzer
Vindicator: A hallmark Capellan design, notable for its ability to excel in different battlefield conditions despite often being used as a stopgap in a defensive line or a makeshift reinforcement in Capellan military actions. Able to trade shots at range, and perform admirably while closing or retreating, the Vindicator is a superior mech. Enemies of the Confederation are left to wonder why it is a Capellan design.
VTOL: A conventional aircraft, notable for it's lack of need for a landing strip for take off or landing. These units, loaded with different equipment for differing missions, don't need a landing strip for take off, because they are able to lift straight into the sky, and never need one for landing, as it is standard procedure to scatter bits of the unit over 200 meters.
W
War: The means by which honourable gentlemen settle their disputes by engaging in violent combat upon the field of battle with varying (and fast-diminishing) consideration for others who happen to be present on the field as well, leading to what may be termed 'collateral damage' to property and persons not nominally party to the dispute. Collateral Damage is sometimes referred to with the euphemism - 'Oopsies-Whoopsies'. -chanman
War of 3039: Commonly known as the Second War of Davion Aggression, this was Hanse Davion's attempt to create a fait accompli against his long-standing enemies (and sometimes friends) in the Draconis Combine. To this end, he had a Lyran salient attempt to draw Kuritan reinforcements to their frontier, so that they'd be unable to reinforce the Davion frontier when his troops tried to push through. He failed to realize that any Kuritan unable to push back a Lyran salient without reinforcements deserved to die anyway (probably of shame).
War of Andurien Secession: The Free Worlds’ version of the Capellan March seceded from the rest of the Free Worlds, allied with a Periphery nation, waged war on a Great House, and ended up shocked that it lost. It also lost its bid for liberty, which is almost certainly a blessing in disguise. Most importantly, a bomb blast crippled Thomas Marik and killed his father, giving Comstar the cover story they needed to install the Master, as well as (fake)Thomas Marik.
Warmech: The next step in the progression of military hardware, the Warmech is designed to turn the tide of a war, just as the Battlemech was designed to turn the tide of a battle. Bristling with game-fracturing weaponry, and developed for real-world ranges, the Warmechs were built from Handwavium, and were, therefore, excessively SaySoActive. Apart from the logical constrants these machines were tied to, they also had to ROCK OUT LOUD, which was even more technically restrictive. Their only known weakness was to Funk, which shattered their will to be.
Warmonger: A surgeon who, lacking skill with a scalpel, opts to use a fireman's axe. Literally, the term means, "Bringer of War," but the term no longer applies to Lyran or Leaguer warlords (such as they are), since the prefer the other guy to deliver.
Wars of Davion Aggression: A term used by unfortunate and misinformed peoples labouring under the tyrannical yoke of despotic neighbouring regimes to refer to the ethically, morally, and legally justified proactive defensive military actions waged to defend peace-loving citizens of the Federated Suns from predation by their militaristic and belligerent neighbours, while liberating the oppressed subjects of nearby states from their cruel and capricious rulers and bringing them under the fair rule of the First Prince.**This message is endorsed by the MIIO, AFFS, and Office of the First Prince -chanman (2) A label placed on the eras of Davion expansion into the sovereign realms that border the Federated Suns, barring, of course, their own Periphery March, which has been given the kind of anonymity that House Davion's neighbors wish for. The reasons for this constant expansion are many; most interesting is the idea that the AFFS is now the single largest financial organization in the Federated Suns. This, coupled with veterans' preference for government-backed loans and securities may have created the perfect rationale for military engagement; after all, a simple soldier can't possibly pay the loan back without combat pay.
Warship Command, Federated Suns Navy: This distinguished command's jurisdiction includes all the space-going warships in Federated Suns service. Famous (or infamous) for winning against itself every single time. -chanman
Warships: A long-lost, recently rediscovered military technology that successfully weds almost non-existant armor with questionable tactical necessity and a price tag that would bankrupt small groups of influential worlds.
Wedding Gift: Something of inconsequential value that a groom must give to the bride at his wedding. See Capellan Confederation. -Albatross
White Hat: Any commander (esp. a Davion commander) who has been dead for so long that it is forgotten that in life, he was as immoral as he is moral in death. The Ultimate manifestation of Doublethink (or so I've been told by the National News Concern, who is only there to tell the truth). The platitude of being too good to be true, wrapped in skin, and, more necessarily, in ego. See also: Morgan Kell, Hanse Davion, Aleshia Liao.
Wolfnet: A race of genetically enhanced super-spies whose detachable senses can witness anything and everything, reporting their findings in textbooks stamped 'Top Secret' and disseminated to everyone with a modicum of literacy (exception: Davion Outback, Taurian Concordat, SAFE). See also: Fiat -GhostBear (2) A device designed by wildlife researchers consisting of a strong woven mesh which can be used to safely capture canids alive for further study, probing, tagging, and possible later release. -chanman (3) A Clan intelligence-gathering agency. It should be noted that this is the most effective Clan intelligence arm in existence. It should also be noted that Clan military operations are prefaced by the announcement of their objective, landing area, and a complete listing of the military force involved. This makes WolfNET somewhat akin to being the biggest four-year-old in the sandbox.
Word of Blake Militia: The best there is at what they do, namely, murdering scientists and civillians, the Blakist military arm proved that having access to tactical manuals, instant communication, Warships, and copious numbers of force multipliers make even a complete lack of training time and experience manageable. It should be noted that they were very successful during the Jihad; when the Great Houses were fighting the Fifth Succession War, they were fighting the First. Eventually, they forged the Republic of the Sphere, completing their attempt to rebuild the Terran hedgemony, and left the Great Houses largely disarmed.
X
Xin Sheng: (1)The sudden complete and utter failure of a mind to recall incidents of abuse and tyrany by the goverment or perform indipendant thought. See: Capellan, Goldfish. -BlackAce (2) A state of governmental affairs similar to the refreshing feeling of cool wind on an exposed brain, just after the axe has split the skull, and immediately before the pain registers. (3)Literally 'New Birth', this highly successful propaganda programme stems from AFFC comments that invading the Confederation was like 'taking candy from a baby'. After decades of being told by invaders that it was like 'taking a pension cheque from a terminally illl invalid, the backhanded compliment propelled the citizens of the Capellan Confederation to new heights of futile zeal, likened to the endless bawling of an irate newborn. -Chanman (4)With the new influx of combat-capable troops provided by the Trinity Alliance, the Confederation began a twenty-year-long (and counting) campaign of military conquest. The turnaround was nothing short of miraculous, leaving tattered enemy units fleeing before the Capellan Confederation Armed Forces' Vanguard. The Jihad led to the end of the military campaign, which came very close to making the Confederation a viable state again, but not the social campaign, with its likely abuse towards anyone who doesn't have folds of skin in the corner of their eyes.
Y
Z
Zahnzong de Guang: Capellan freedom fighters, these men are the most loyal and noble of citizens. When primend with promises of conventional support, these citizens act as a typical Capellan would. They fail.
Zellbrigen: (1)The method by which a Clan Warrior shows his true tactical worth by prohibiting 'dishonorable' battlefield practices like breaking Line of Sight. (2)An easily exploitable loophole in Clan Honour by which the Inner Sphere can gain massive advantages, see also: Cheating -Swords of Fire