SCIENCE & TECH
AX-85 pulse rifle. An energy weapon in use by Star Force personnel in the early twenty-fifth century. Alex Cortez was mistakenly sent sixteen AX-85 pulse rifles on solar day 78653. (“Home Front” [SU]).
AX-92 pulse rifle. An energy weapon commonly used by Star Force personnel in the early twenty-fifth century. Alex Cortez tended to favor the rifle and went so far as to name his Bianca. (“Safe Harbor” [SU]). On solar day 78641, Cortez requisitioned sixteen new AX-92 rifles from the quartermaster on Earth. Several days later, Cortez was mistakenly sent a shipment of AX-85 rifles. (“Home Front” [SU]).
axion. A subatomic particle that reacted weakly to interactions with normal matter. As a result, they were useful as a means to reduce a starship’s shield capacity and employed in the weaponry of many alien species. In July 2406, the crew of the OAS Starlight was able to use a low-yield stream of axion particles to defeat the sensor-blocking technology employed by the Revaki and the Erytians. (“Safe Harbor” [SU], “In the Valley of the Shadow of Death” [SU]).
chrovadium. A type of mineral found in some asteroids that could distort sensor readings. On solar day 78636, an Adraxian scout ship mistook a pair of asteroids in the Gamma Aquilae System for an Erytian mothership due to the asteroids’ high concentrations of chrovadium. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
class-three probe. An automated sensor device used to gather information aboard Star Force vessels. While a class-three probe was equipped with a fairly standard suite of instruments, it possessed the unique ability to enter and exit hyperspace. The OAS Starlight launched a class-three probe on solar day 78632 in order to better investigate a disturbance in hyperspace near the Tarqaron System. The probe was later destroyed when the disturbance erupted into a quantum phase transition. (“Moments of Transition” [SU]). Days later, the Starlight dispatched a class-three probe to investigate the interior of the phase transition. While the probe was quickly destroyed, it was nonetheless able to provide nine zettabytes of information. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
control crystal. A solid-state information storage device used by the Erytians. During their war with the Erytians, the Revaki managed to acquire a number of control crystals at great cost and were able to use some of the technology on the crystal to shield their vessels from sensors and generate looping corridors. (“Safe Harbor” [SU]). In July 2406, Dra’kor Molok used a control crystal to install an Erytian operating system aboard the Shuttlecraft Valkyrie, which in turn enabled the craft to venture into the Erytian Universe. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
d-star hexaquark. In particle physics, a d-star hexaquark was an elementary particle and fundamental constituent of dark matter. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
dark energy. A repulsive force that, over large scales, counteracted both gravity and dark matter and was responsible for the ever-increasing expansion of the universe. It was theorized that, in the far future, dark energy would completely overcome gravity and dark matter and rip the universe apart, all the way down to the atomic scale. Such a process was ongoing in the Erytian Universe. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
dark matter. A pervasive field of d-star hexaquarks that did not absorb, reflect, or emit light. While the effects of dark matter were not noticeable on small scales, on very large scales dark matter was responsible for holding together giant structures such as galaxies and galaxy clusters. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
Great Machine. A highly advanced bio-neural computer that was created by the Gokadi to control the Eqra. Users of the machine could pass directives to any Eqra unit across the galaxy in real-time. Overseer Xa’yen briefly gained control of the machine in late-2406 with hopes of raising an Eqra army—but was soon defeated and Za’lon used the machine to destroy the Eqra. The machine itself was destroyed shortly thereafter when the Gokadi homeworld was obliterated. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
GV-57 plasma pistol. A standard-issue weapon aboard Star Force vessels in the early twenty-fifth century. Za’lon carried such a gun when she visited Titania in August 2406. (“Home Front” [SU]).
hadron torpedo. A tactical quantum weapon deployed aboard Orion Alliance Starships in the early twenty-fifth century. (“Safe Harbor” [SU]).
Higgs boson. A particle that gave mass to other elementary particles, such as protons and quarks, through a pervasive web of energy known as the Higgs field. (“Safe Harbor” [SU]).
Higgs field. A web of energy that pervaded the entire universe. Via the Higgs boson, the field was able to provide mass to elementary particles. On solar day 78632, an unusual bubble in hyperspace was able to interact with the Higgs field in a way that altered the value of the Higgs boson, prompting a quantum phase transition to erupt. (“Moments of Transition” [SU], “Safe Harbor” [SU]).
hyperdrive. A hyperdrive (or hyperspace engine) was an engine in use aboard Orion Alliance starships that enabled a vessel to travel at speeds greater than the speed of light while in hyperspace. The drive was powered by trikesium fuel rods, and, under optimal conditions, a vessel could travel at a speed of one light-year per hour almost indefinitely. Higher speeds were easily attainable, but power requirements meant that such speeds could only be maintained for a short time. The OAS Starlight's maximum rated velocity was ten light-years per hour for two hours... though it was possible to go even faster in short bursts. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
hypernet. An expansive system of interconnected computer networks that used the hypercell network to carry a vast array of information and resources across the Orion Alliance. (“Moments of Transition” [SU]).
hyperspace. A layer of the space-time continuum with physical properties drastically different from normal space. As a result, any starship equipped with a hyperdrive was able to use an impeller to enter and exit hyperspace and achieve faster than light travel. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
hyperspace conduit. An “interstellar expressway” that allowed starships to travel several hundred light-years in the span of a few hours. Hyperspace conduits had fixed entry and exit points, making them useful for traversing great distances, but less than ideal for exploration. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
hyperspace engine. See hyperdrive.
hyperspace relay network. A vast web of satellites positioned in fixed locations inside of hyperspace. The network allowed for communication and the exchange of information over vast distances, and also served as navigational beacons within hyperspace. In July 2406, a quantum phase transition destroyed the network in and around the Tarqaron System, making communication impossible in the region. (“Moments of Transition” [SU]).
hyperspace relay station. Part of the hyperspace relay network, relay stations were small, generally unmanned installations located in normal space intended to send and receive messages to and from the hyperspace network. In September 2406, a relay station monitored by the Nashirans in the Zeta Tauri System was mistakenly believed to have malfunctioned; the malfunction turned out to be a computer virus aboard the OAS Majestic. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
IFF frequency. The identify friend or foe frequency was a special communication channel that transmitted codecs between starships to indicate whether or not the vessel was friendly. In July 2406, the OAS Starlight encountered a derelict Revaki vessel near the Tarqaron System that was not transmitting anything on the IFF frequency. (“Moments of Transition” [SU]). The ICS Andrinel transmitted an IFF tag to the Starlight in October 2406. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
impeller. A piece of equipment aboard Orion Alliance starships designed to push vessels into and out of hyperspace. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
inlet actuator. Part of the air filtration system aboard Orion Alliance starships. Commander Mitchell considered doing some maintenance on the inlet actuators while she was looking for busy work in October 2406. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
ion battery. A standard energy weapon deployed aboard Orion Alliance starships. It was considered a particle weapon and could fire charged ion beams at a target. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
ion drive. A powerful engine in use aboard Orion Alliance starships for travel at sublight speeds. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
jen’talak. A type of Corathi longsword. Captain Hunter and Cerebrate Xi’yor both fought using a jen’talak when they clashed on Kel Shivaat on solar day 78389 (November 2405). Protector Na’kan brought a jen’talak to the Gokadi homeworld in late 2406. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
laminar flow coil. Technology in use aboard Orion Alliance starships designed to keep the flow of energy efficient throughout the ship. (“Safe Harbor” [SU]).
magnabyte. A unit of digital information (similar to a megabyte or a gigabyte). It represented a very, very large amount of storage. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
monazite. An uncommon mineral composed of many rare earth elements, including thorium. It was mined by the Gokadi several thousand years ago and used to create thorium-220 for the Eqra. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
Oathbreaker. A high-end plasma pistol available in the early twenty-fifth century. Though it was not standard-issue, many within the Star Force chose to wield the weapon, including Doctor Kumi Shibata. (“Home Front” [SU]). Shibata wielded Oathbreaker when the Eqra boarded the Starlight in October 2406. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
plasma torpedo. A low-yield tactical weapon deployed by the Revaki. (“Safe Harbor” [SU]).
polariton radiation. An uncommon type of waste energy that was produced as a byproduct of a cloaking device. In September 2406, the Starlight was able to track the ICS Kel-ti’yar across Corathi space due to a polariton radiation leak. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
prism. A dark matter generator created by the Erytians to protect their universe from the destructive effects of dark energy. The Erytians were thought to have created billions of prisms, using almost every natural resource in their universe in the process. When that proved insufficient, the Erytians started harvesting energy from quantum phase transitions. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
quantum phase transition. A type of spatial anomaly that could develop when a bubble in the fabric of space interacted with the Higgs field. The interaction could potentially alter the value of the Higgs boson, causing the bubble to expand outward at the speed of light. Anything in the path of the bubble would suffer complete erasure from the universe, and be replaced with a new space-time that adhered to the physics dictated by the new value of the Higgs boson. The bubble would propagate outward indefinitely, and over the span of many billions of years, erase the entire universe. On solar day 78632 (July 2406), a quantum phase transition erupted within the Tarqaron System and began to spread across the universe. (“Moments of Transition” [SU]).
quantum energy teleportation. Quantum energy teleportation—or just quantum teleportation—was a process in which an object was transmitted from one location to another, using a matter-energy conversion to transform an object into energy and then transmit the energy to a new location, where it was reconstituted as matter. (“Moments of Transition” [SU]).
radion. A type of subatomic particle that could access alternate dimensions when Kaluza field equations were used to create a five-dimensional geodesic field with hypertransitional vector potential. On solar day 78636, the crew of the Valkyrie used a radion beam to access the Erytian Universe. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
rhodium. A rare silvery-white metallic element. On solar day 78636, Alex Cortez found a hunk of rhodium in the abandoned Erytian Outpost to be a suitable souvenir for Doctor Shibata. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
thorium-220. A weakly radioactive element that could be extracted from the mineral monazite. It was used by the Gokadi to power the Eqra and Eqra starships. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
Trisha. A virtual intelligence installed aboard the OAS Starlight in 2406. A combination of human and Azdahr technology, Trisha was vastly more advanced than typical artificial intelligence of the day, and its creators, therefore, refused to classify it as such. Trisha was capable of actual thought processes and had programming that allowed it to learn and adapt. (“Moments of Transition” [SU]), “In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
synthesizer. A nanomachine that used matter-energy conversion to create artificial and biological constructs such as food, medicine, or clothing. (“Safe Harbor” [SU]). While artificial constructs were indistinguishable from the real thing, food was generally considered a fair approximation. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
vertium. The radioactive byproduct of a hyperdrive’s vortex coils. Star Force guidelines suggested the vertium be shunted from the system once every two years, though Roger Thompson insisted it was necessary to do so on a daily basis. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
virtual world. Also known as the metaverse, the virtual world was a computer-based simulated environment in which users could directly participate via a neural link. Users could play video games, attend virtual concerts, or just meet up with friends who were otherwise light-years apart. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
vortex coil. A technology that allowed larger starships access to deeper layers of hyperspace, in turn granting a significant speed boost. Extended use of vortex coils would generate vertium as a byproduct. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).
widget. A multi-purpose mobile computing device. Widgets were able to gather and analyze sensor data, provide person-to-person communication, take pictures, play video games, and any number of other things. Nearly every person in the Orion Planetary Alliance had access to a widget, and all Star Force officers were regularly issued the latest models to better serve them in the field. (“Moments of Transition” [SU]). The XJ7 model was considered top of the line as of July 2406. (“Destinies of Flame and Sorrow” [SU]).
Yatha IX Relay. A massive gateway in the Tartarus Veil, used by the Gokadi to travel to and from their homeworld in the Dymika Segment to various parts of the galaxy. (“The Sword of Damocles” [SU]).
zettabyte. A unit of digital information (similar to a megabyte or a gigabyte). One zettabyte was equivalent to one trillion gigabytes. On solar day 78636, the OAS Starlight accumulated nearly nine zettabytes of information from the interior of the Tarqaron Expanse. (“In the Shadow of the Valley of Death” [SU]).