MISCELLANEOUS
Adventure Society. A children’s cartoon popular in the early twenty-fifth century. Though Alex Cortez considered it a filthy peasant’s show, Ryan Galloway enjoyed it immensely. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
Algenib steak. An ultra-premium cut of meat, fresh from the fields of the planet Algenib. Much to Roger Thompson’s dismay, his mother purchased several of the steaks in August 2406, despite the fact she was on a fixed income. (“Home Front” [SU]).
Black Hole. A dive bar on Alpha Centauri that Alex Cortez once frequented. It shared its name with 740 other bars across the galaxy. (“Safe Harbor” [SU]).
Black Sun. A tactical shooter video game in which players assumed the role of space marines during an alien invasion of the galaxy. The game was poorly reviewed due to its bad level design, poor controls, dumb story, glitchy 3D filters, and frequent crashes when played in the virtual world. Despite the infamy, Aidan McKenzie and Tyler Finch frequently played the game during their days at the Star Force Academy, and continued to do so when they were posted aboard the OAS Starlight in 2406. (“Safe Harbor” [SU]), “In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU], “Home Front” [SU]).
Byzerian cocoa. A confection from the planet Byzell VI. Like all Byzerian food, the cocoa was toxic to most forms of alien life, and therefore illegal in the Orion Alliance. Humans, however, were immune to the toxins and no restrictions were placed on Byzerian food in the Solar System. Eager to study the cocoa, Doctor Shibata had a Yubidian apothecary smuggle a sample to Titania in August 2406. The sample ultimately drew unwanted attention from the Mandroth Raiders and the Vale Corporation. (“Home Front” [SU]). After a few weeks of study, Shibata was able to determine the cocoa had some minor restorative properties, but was mostly notable for its high levels of caffeine. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
Castor Wilds. A hockey team on the planet Castor V in the early twenty-fifth century. Despite their poor record, Zachary Hunter was still a devoted fan. The Castor Wilds played—and lost to—the Sedna Blades on solar day 78634. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]). The loss was part of a stretch of bad luck that had endured for nearly forty years. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
Chevy Cygnus LKT. A hovercar popular on Earth in the 2370s. Roger Thompson owned a Chevy Cygnus, though it had fallen into a state of disrepair by the year 2406. The vehicle’s impeller failed while Thompson was en route to a dispensary in Alpena that August; it crashed into the woods and later exploded. (“Home Front” [SU]).
Cinna-whirls. A breakfast cereal favored by human children in the early twenty-fifth century. According to Alex Cortez, Cinna-whirls were factually better than Fruity Puffs. (“Moments of Transition” [SU]).
Eternal Paradox. An eclectic band that was popular in the early twenty-fifth century. Many considered their newer material too mellow, but older albums such as Historia Crux and Paradigm Shift were often hailed as brilliant. Zachary Hunter was a fan of Eternal Paradox. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
Fire Emblem Champions. A tactical role-playing video game. Aidan McKenzie had been playing the game on his widget in July 2406. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
Frostfire Ale. A weak alcoholic beverage favored by Aidan McKenzie. He served a bottle of Frostfire Ale to Za’lon in October 2406; she found it revolting. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
Fruity Puffs. A breakfast cereal favored by human children in the early twenty-fifth century. Colored in a rainbow of pleasing hues and artificially flavored with dozens of non-nutritive additives, it was still a favorite of Aidan McKenzie in 2406. (“Moments of Transition” [SU]).
Galaxia Frontier XII. An expansive role-playing video game. It had a wide variety of environments, including the Midrian Highlands, the Haverdon River, the Dercana Bazaar, and the Kevazi Coast. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU], “Home Front” [SU]). Aidan McKenzie was playing through the game in July 2406, and had progressed to the Dracorex boss fight. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]). In August 2406, Blake Miller had one of his associates hack into McKenzie’s game, prompting a powerful God-Beast known as Cerynia to appear in the Midrian Highlands and force Aidan into a Game Over—only to prove to Aidan that not everything was his fault. (“Home Front” [SU).
Galaxia Frontier XV. A highly anticipated, long-in-development role-playing video game that was first announced in 2396 after weeks of rampant speculation. Ten years later, the game had yet to see the light of day, and suffered yet another delay in July 2406. (“Safe Harbor” [SU]).
Galaxia Idols. A spinoff of the popular Galaxia Frontier video game series. A large update to the game in August 2406 introduced a brand-new idol. (“Home Front” [SU]). Aidan McKenzie forgot to login to Galaxia Idols on solar day 78639 (July 2406). (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
Hurricane Elijah. A long-lived tropical cyclone in Earth’s North Atlantic Ocean; it was located southwest of the coast of Portugal in July 2406. Though it posed no threat to land, Earth’s meteorologists were closely monitoring the system. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]). The system wandered the Atlantic for several weeks, and by mid-August, Elijah had been downgraded to a minimal tropical storm. (“Home Front” [SU]).
Ironclad Oblivion. A heavy metal band who released an album called Toxic in July 2406. Aidan McKenzie was a longtime fan; Zachary Hunter was definitely not. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
jocoulai broth. A non-nutritive liquid that was commonly used in Astorian cooking. It was a key ingredient of quavaso. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
kavayo root. A garnish typically served alongside Astorian food—though it did little to make Blake Miller’s quavaso more appetizing in October 2406. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
Mosaic Golden Lager. A brand of beer popular on Earth in the early twenty-fifth century. It was among Zachary Hunter’s favorites. (“Home Front” [SU]).
Mosaic Light. A brand of Mosaic beer popular in the Orion Alliance in the early twenty-fifth century. Blake Miller ordered one from the Starlight’s bar in October 2406. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
Nuclear Deception. A heavy metal band in the early twenty-fifth century. Aidan McKenzie considered them far superior to Ironclad Oblivion. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
Omicron. A pharmaceutical company that did business in the Orion Alliance in the early twenty-fifth century. The Vale Corporation’s exploratory initiatives often provided Omicron with potential leads for the development of new drugs. (“Home Front” [SU]).
ormakmos chips. A type of salty snack favored by many in the Corathi Empire. In August 2406, Za’lon brought a package of ormakmos chips with her to the Starlight’s service junction on deck fifteen. (“Home Front” [SU]). While serving aboard the Kel-ti’yar in October 2406, Ruvek often snacked on ormakmos chips in the mess hall. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
Pegasus Couture. A high-end clothing brand that was popular on Earth in the early twenty-fifth century. Based in Korea, the brand was created by Ryan Galloway’s mother and, by the year 2406, was worth billions of credits. Despite this (and much to Ryan Galloway’s chagrin), Alex Cortez insisted clothes were cheaply made and ugly. (“Home Front” [SU]).
Phantom Loop. A television show that was popular on Earth in the twenty-second century. Za’lon familiarized herself with the show during her free time in August 2406. (“Home Front” [SU]).
Planet Hunters. A television show popular in the early twenty-fifth century. It featured affluent couples as they searched the galaxy for an ideal planet to purchase and develop into a dreamy paradise. Alex Cortez had a love/hate relationship with the show. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
quavaso. A wholly underwhelming Astorian dish that looked like vomit and tasted about the same. Made with rehydrated seaweed dressed in a light jocoulai broth, it was commonly garnished with kavayo root. Much to his chagrin, Blake Miller made quavaso part of his new diet in late 2406. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
Sedna Blades. A hockey team in the early twenty-fifth century. Their winning record improved on solar day 78634 (July 2406) when they defeated the Castor Wilds. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
shak-tar-ee. A popular Astorian game. Za’lon taught herself how to play the game during her free time in 2406. (“Home Front” [SU]).
t’kala tea. An exquisite herbal beverage that was popular among the Kotuun. While it was possible to synthesize the drink without too much difficulty, fresh tea was generally considered superior. It was, however, very difficult to acquire and had to be imported from the colony on Kel-untu V. Xa’yen managed to acquire some t’kala tea in 2406 and hoped to use it to curry Za’lon’s favor. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
Uematsu’s. A Japanese restaurant on Earth. Kumi Shibata visited Uematsu’s in August 2406; though the service was excellent, she found the beef in the sukiyaki a little chewy. (“Home Front” [SU]).
University of Krindor. A school where Doctor Martinez studied medicine. Though Martinez finished third in her class, Kumi Shibata remained wholly unimpressed. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
Wizards’ Academy. A fantasy program popular in the early twenty-fifth century. Courtney Mitchell considered it a guilty pleasure. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
ZeroSaga V. A video game popular in the early twenty-fifth century. It received a substantial update in August 2406, though Aidan McKenzie was unimpressed. (“Home Front” [SU]).
zircon bites. A delectable and colorful treat made out of the mineral zircon. While quite popular among the Nashirans, other races were less than enthusiastic about them. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).