| Air Gap |
A cybersecurity measure where critical systems are physically isolated from networks to prevent remote hacking. |
| Anti-Spalling Padding |
Protective interior padding that absorbs kinetic energy from impacts, reducing the risk of deadly spalling inside a ship |
| Apoapsis & Periapsis |
The highest and lowest points in an orbit around a celestial body. |
| Armour-Piercing Rounds |
Projectiles designed to penetrate protective armor by reducing its effectiveness. |
| Atmosphere Scrubbers |
Devices that remove CO₂ and other contaminants from a ship's air supply. |
| Atmospheric Skimming |
A technique used to collect gases from planetary atmospheres for fuel or breathing air. |
| Automated Repair Drones |
Small robotic units capable of performing maintenance and emergency repairs on a ship’s hull. |
| Autonomous Docking System |
AI-guided docking technology that allows ships to connect without human intervention. |
| Baffle Plates |
Protective barriers inside a reactor or weapon system to manage energy flow. |
| Biologic Networks |
A type of computing infrastructure that can repair itself after damage, used in military and high-end research applications. |
| Black Drop-Site |
A hidden, isolated data storage partition often used for illicit or highly confidential information. |
| Breaching Pods |
Boarding craft used to forcibly penetrate enemy hulls and deploy soldiers. |
| Circularizing Orbit |
A maneuver to adjust a ship's orbit from elliptical to circular. |
| Cold Gas Thrusters |
Small maneuvering thrusters that use compressed gas for silent, low-energy propulsion. |
| Countermeasures |
Electronic or physical systems designed to disrupt targeting and hacking attempts. |
| Cryptographic Challenge |
A security feature that requires multiple keys, passwords, or biometric data to unlock a high-security system. |
| Cybernetic Interface |
A direct neural link between a user and a digital system, often used for piloting or hacking. |
| Cycling Chamber |
An airlock mechanism designed to transition between pressurized and vacuum environments. |
| Cycling Chamber |
An airlock mechanism that transitions between pressurized and vacuum environments. |
| Dark Burn |
A high-risk maneuver where a ship shuts down most systems to evade detection. |
| Data Security Protocols |
Measures such as encryption and biometric authentication used to protect sensitive data. |
| Decompression Protocols |
Safety measures enacted when a ship suffers hull breaches to prevent total pressure loss. |
| Deep Packet Injection |
A hacking method embedding false data packets within legitimate transmissions to manipulate network behaviour. |
| Delta-V |
The change in velocity needed to perform space maneuvers, determining fuel efficiency. |
| Delta-V (Δv) |
The measure of a ship’s available velocity change, critical for manoeuvring in space. |
| Deterioration |
The inevitable wear and tear that occurs on ships over time, requiring regular maintenance. |
| Distributed Attack |
A hacking strategy that uses multiple remote access points to overload a system's defenses. |
| Distributed Computing |
The use of multiple devices or systems to perform large-scale calculations. |
| Docking Clamps |
Mechanical arms that secure a ship in place during maintenance or refueling. |
| Drone Teakettling |
A method where drones use micro-thrusters to maneuver in microgravity. |
| Drones |
Semi-autonomous flying, rolling, or walking machines used for surveillance, repair, or combat. |
| Drop-Site Network |
A covert, decentralized file-sharing system used to exchange data without direct communication. |
| Electromagnetic Catapult |
A launch system used for deploying small craft or cargo without using chemical propellants. |
| Electronic Warfare |
The use of hacking and digital attacks to disable enemy ship systems, intercept transmissions, or manipulate targeting computers. |
| Emergency Batteries |
Backup power systems that keep life support and essential functions running in case of reactor failure. |
| Emergency Burn |
A rapid, high-thrust manoeuvre to evade danger, often at the cost of crew safety due to extreme G-forces. |
| Encryption & Decryption |
The process of scrambling and unscrambling data to ensure secure communications. |
| Encryption & Decryption Systems |
Digital tools used to protect and unlock secure data transmissions. |
| Epstein Drive |
A highly efficient fusion propulsion system that enables continuous acceleration over long distances. |
| Espionage Software |
Advanced hacking tools used to infiltrate and manipulate networked systems. |
| Expert Pilot Assist |
AI-driven assistance that helps pilots make precise maneuvers in high-G combat. |
| Expert System |
A specialized AI that automates complex tasks like decryption, medical diagnostics, or targeting assistance. |
| Fabricators |
Advanced 3D printers used to manufacture components, tools, and even food. |
| Faulty System Flaw |
A mechanical issue that causes occasional malfunctions, often requiring emergency repairs. |
| Feed |
A stream of information, entertainment, or news broadcasted over the system’s network. |
| Feed Manager |
Software that curates and prioritizes incoming information from public and private networks. |
| Fusion Reactor |
The core power system for ships, providing energy for propulsion, life support, and weapons. |
| Gel Software |
A type of organic computing software that can regrow damaged code or reroute around compromised segments. |
| Gravity Tether |
A system used to simulate gravity by connecting rotating habitats. |
| Grid Fins |
Aerodynamic control surfaces used for fine maneuvering during atmospheric re-entry. |
| Hack the System |
A manoeuvre where a hacker shuts down a ship’s key system, such as engines or weapons. |
| Hand Terminal |
A personal computing device used for communications, data storage, and software operations. |
| Hardened Circuitry |
Electronics shielded against EMPs, radiation, and high-G forces. |
| Heat Sink |
A thermal management system that stores excess heat until it can be safely radiated away. |
| Herculina Station Security |
A specific case where security protocols and countermeasures are in place to track digital intrusions. |
| Hohmann Transfer |
A basic method to move between orbital bodies using minimal fuel. |
| HUD (Heads-Up Display) |
A visual interface integrated into helmets or visors displaying operational and tactical data. |
| Hull Ablation |
The process of a heat shield burning away to dissipate energy during atmospheric entry. |
| Hull Plating |
The armored outer layer of a ship, designed to protect against micrometeoroids and weapon impacts. |
| Identity Masking |
A digital cloaking method that alters metadata and voice signatures to obscure a user's identity. |
| Inertial Compensators |
Technology that reduces the effects of high-G maneuvers on ship crews. |
| Intrusion Countermeasures (ICE) |
Digital security protocols designed to detect, track, and repel hacking attempts. |
| Jamming Field |
An electronic countermeasure used to disrupt enemy communications and targeting. |
| Jury-Rigging |
Temporary, often improvised repairs made with available materials to keep a system operational. |
| Kessler Syndrome |
A cascading chain reaction where orbital debris creates more debris, making certain orbits unusable. |
| Laser-Induced Plasma Channel (LIPC) |
A technology that uses a laser to create a conductive path for electrical discharges, often used in weapons. |
| Legitimate Salvage |
The legal process of claiming abandoned or derelict ships for profit. |
| Life Support Systems |
The network of oxygen recyclers, water purifiers, and temperature regulators keeping a ship habitable. |
| Low-Viz Paint |
A specialized ship coating designed to reduce visibility on sensors and to the naked eye. |
| Magnetic Containment |
The system that holds fusion plasma within a reactor, preventing catastrophic failure. |
| Maintenance Intervals |
The scheduled checks and repairs required to keep a ship functioning at peak performance. |
| Maneuvering Thrusters |
Small auxiliary thrusters used for fine-tuned movement, docking, and attitude control. |
| Memory Wafer |
A portable data storage device used for transferring sensitive information without network exposure. |
| Microgravity Adaptation |
Physical and technological adjustments to help humans function in low-gravity environments. |
| Microgravity Welding |
A specialized process for repairing ship hulls and structures in zero-G environments. |
| Narrowcast |
A targeted data transmission only accessible to a specific audience, often used for private communications. |
| Network Bridge |
A relay system connecting local, isolated networks to larger data systems, a common vulnerability in hacking. |
| Neural Overclocking |
A temporary boost to cognitive function using stimulants or implants. |
| Neutrino Detector |
A highly advanced sensor capable of detecting energy emissions from ships or alien technology. |
| Orbital Maneuvering Burn |
A controlled thrust used to change a ship's trajectory. |
| Overloaded Reactor |
A critical failure scenario where a ship’s fusion reactor generates too much heat and risks explosion. |
| Partition |
A section of computer memory used for organizing and securing data, often used in ship and station networks. |
| Plasma Conduits |
Channels that transfer energy from a fusion reactor to various ship systems. |
| Plasma Containment |
Magnetic fields used to control high-energy plasma in ship reactors and weapons. |
| Point Defense Cannons (PDCs) |
Automated rapid-fire weapons designed to intercept incoming missiles and torpedoes. |
| Privacy Baffle |
A device attached to a computer terminal to prevent unauthorized users from seeing displayed information. |
| Prograde & Retrograde |
The two basic directions a ship can burn—prograde is with the orbit, retrograde is against it. |
| Quantum Entanglement Comms |
A theoretical method of faster-than-light communication. |
| Radiation Hardening |
The reinforcement of ship and station components to withstand cosmic radiation. |
| Radiation Shielding |
Protective material layers designed to absorb or deflect cosmic radiation and reactor emissions. |
| Rail Gun |
A weapon using electromagnetic acceleration to fire projectiles at extremely high velocities. |
| Rapid Reload Systems |
A modification allowing faster reloading of torpedoes and railgun rounds. |
| Reaction Mass |
The expendable material ejected by a ship’s drive to generate thrust. |
| Reactor Scram |
An emergency shutdown of a ship's fusion core to prevent overload or explosion. |
| Redundant Hull (Double/Triple Hull) |
A structural feature that provides multiple layers of protection against damage. |
| Redundant Systems |
Backup systems that ensure continued operation in case of failure. |
| Resupply Costs |
The financial burden of maintaining a ship, including repairs, fuel, and spare parts. |
| Sabotage Algorithms |
Custom software used by hackers to disrupt, delay, or damage enemy digital infrastructure. |
| Salvage Operations |
The recovery and repair of derelict or damaged ships, a common practice in the Belt. |
| Secure Data Capsule |
A physically isolated storage device used for highly sensitive information transfer. |
| Sensor Scrambling |
A defensive system designed to reduce an enemy’s ability to detect or target a ship. |
| Slipstream Hack |
A technique used to bypass security protocols by injecting false network traffic. |
| Smart Material |
Advanced materials that can change properties, such as self-repairing polymers. |
| Solar Sail |
A propulsion system using photon pressure from the sun instead of conventional thrusters. |
| Spalling |
The fragmentation of a material due to high-velocity impacts, creating dangerous debris. |
| Spin Gravity |
Artificial gravity generated by rotating sections of a ship or station. |
| Stealth Coating |
A radar-absorbing material used on ships to reduce visibility on sensors. |
| Structural Integrity Field |
A system that reinforces a ship’s frame, preventing warping or stress fractures during high acceleration. |
| Teakettling |
Flying a ship in thrusters alone. |
| Terminal |
A stationary or portable computer interface used on ships and stations, often with advanced security protocols. |
| Tether Anchor |
A magnetic or physical anchor point used in EVA operations. |
| Thrust-to-Mass Ratio |
A measure of a ship's acceleration potential based on its engine power and weight. |
| Thruster Pack |
A small, personal propulsion system for manoeuvring in zero-G environments. |
| Tightbeam Transmission |
A highly focused laser communication requiring precise aim and knowledge of the recipient’s position. |
| Torpedo Decoys |
Countermeasures designed to confuse enemy missile guidance systems. |
| Tracer Rounds |
Ammunition that leaves a visible trail, aiding in targeting and aiming adjustments. |
| Tranquilizer Weapon |
A projectile system delivering chemical doses to incapacitate targets. |
| Turnabout is Fair Play |
A hacking technique for hijacking enemy torpedoes and redirecting or disabling them mid-flight. |
| Vibration Dampeners |
Shock absorption systems that prevent delicate ship components from being damaged by mechanical stress. |
| Zero-G Welding |
A specialized process for making structural repairs in microgravity environments. |