Key
n. – noun
v. – verb
adj. – adjective
adv. – adverb
abbr. – abbreviation
acr. – acronym
interj. – interjection
‘Borg: (n.) Short for “cyborg”.
‘Burbs: (n.) The shanty town no-man zones surrounding CS cities, filled with squatters, rejects, criminals, and hopefuls awaiting CS citizenship.
5 By 5: Old aeronautical term meaning “loud and clear”.
Above Critical: Out of control or dangerous – a euphemism for “screwed”.
Apoc Metal: Short for “Apocalypse Metal”, a form of Heavy Metal music popular among mercenaries. It is reminiscent of pre-Rifts Norwegian Death Metal or Speed Metal, likely having roots in both. It’s characterized by its deeply industrial sound, compounded by thrashing chord progressions, torrential drum licks, and guttural, throat-wrenching vocals. Extremely angry and violent in tone.
Ace High: Well-liked or respected. (“I wouldn’t start any trouble with that merc if I were you. He’s ace high around here.”)
Ace of Spades: Death in combat. To “draw the Ace of Spades” means to die in battle.
Active Camo: An adaptive camouflage system that actively conceals its user by repeatedly altering its colors and patterns to remain matched to changing surroundings.
Alpha: (n.) The best; the greatest.
Alpha Bravo: Ambush
Angel: (n.) A benefactor, especially an unknown one.
Artist: (n.) An assassin. See Cleaner, Dropper, Hit Man, and Technician.
Associate: (n.) A Black Market term for a trusted freelancer who regularly does work for the syndicates, but is not a member.
At It: Having sex.
B & E: (abbr.) Breaking and Entering.
Back Door: (Techno-can) A hole in computer system security, that when properly utilized, grants an unauthorized user easy access.
Backroom Waltz: (n.) An interrogation or torture session.
Bag Job: A low-paying, low risk assignment taken by mercs to help get by between big missions. Comes from the expression “It’s in the bag”.
Bagged and Tagged: Killed and identified.
Bailar: (v.) (Spanish) Means “to dance”, but is used by gang members and mercs as a reference to fighting.
Ballerina: (n.) A female assassin.
Ballistic Counseling: To adjust someone’s attitude by threatening him/her with a gun.
Bare Metal: A vehicle without armaments.
Basta: (interj.) (Spanish) An expression of impatience, meaning “Enough!” or “End of discussion!”
Big Bads: Demons.
Big Dark, The: Outer Space.
Big ‘Un: A Titan Juicer, or any Juicer over seven feet tall.
Bitslag: (n.) (Techno-can) All the useless information on a network that one has to sift through to get to the valuable data.
Black Coats: Black Marketeers.
Black ICE: (Techno-can) Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics designed to physically harm or kill intruding cyberjackers.
Black Lobsters: Juicer slang for Coalition grunts, especially those in original dead boy armor.
Black Marked: To be targeted for assassination by the Black Market.
Blood In, Blood Out: To join a street gang or Black Market crew by murdering one of its members, then to leave by being the victim of a murder.
Blue Lines: Ley lines.
Blue Liner: Ley line walker.
Blue Moon: An ethical and honor-bound mercenary (of Scrupulous or Principled alignment), as in “Once in a blue moon.”
Blue Water Ops: Maritime mercenary operations.
Bluff, The: (n.) A merc reference to the city-state of Whykin, derived from its former, pre-Rifts name Poplar Bluff.
Bodmod: (n.) Body modification; cybernetics, bionics and other extreme physical enhancements.
Body Chop Shop: A Black Market medical facility that specializes in the implantation of illegal cybernetics. Sometimes can also provide Juicer and M.O.M. conversions.
Body Fixer: A medical doctor. Also called a Flesh Mechanic.
Bone-Box: (n.) Someone’s head.
Booster: (n.) A vehicle thief.
Bot: (n.) Short for robot.
Boy Scouts: Cyber-Knights (or “Girl Scout” if in reference to a female cyber-knight). Also called Golden Boys and C-Kays.
Bravo Zulu: Good job; well done.
Brutal Killer: A Headhunter assassin.
Bugs: (n.) Xiticix.
Bunk: (n.) Nonsense. (“Everything he says is bunk!”)
C-YA: (acr.) Short for “Cover your ass”.
Cage, The: (n.) Slang term for the Magic Zone.
Calabash: (n.) Someone who is very close, but not blood related.
Capo: (n.) A Black Market lieutenant; the boss of a single crew of enforcers. Comes from the Italian Mob term Capo Regime.
Capo Bastone: The “underboss” of a Black Market syndicate, second in command to the syndicate Kingpin. Aslo known simply as the Bastone.
Causing Static: Making trouble.
Checking Out: Dying, usually from the side effects of the Juicer process.
Chopper: (n.) Scavenger or vagabond who scrounges through debris and garbage collecting valuables and salvaging parts.
Circling The Drain: Being in a state of near death.
City Rat: A street smart inhabitant of a high tech city with at least some cybernetic augmentation.
Civvie: (n.) A civilian. This term is often used by mercenaries in a condescending way, implying that someone who’s civilian is stupid, weak, or not in-the-know.
Cleaner: (n.) An assassin.
Client-Server Action: (Techno-can) Sex.
Clusterfuck: When multiple things go horrendously wrong.
Code Grinder: (Techno-can) A mercenary programmer.
Collateral Damage: Civilian casualties.
Comm-Int: (n.) “Communications Intelligence”. Information acquired from surveillance systems, bugs, wiretaps, etc.
Con Fuego: (Spanish) Literally “with fire”. To do something “con fuego” means to do it with passion or intensity.
Copping Deuces: To contradict oneself.
Corpse: (n.) Corporate Security.
Crazy: (n.) A recipient of Mind Over Matter implants.
Credhead: (n.) An accountant; someone who’s good with numbers.
Cyber-Doc: (n.) A cybernetics doctor.
Cyberjacker: (n.) Someone who uses a Universal Headjack to connect to computer systems and interact with them directly with his mind.
Cyber-Snatcher: (n.) A lowlife who steals cybernetics from living victims to sell on the Black Market.
Cypher Punk: (Techno-can) An expert cryptographer.
Dark-House: (n.) An underground movie theatre that plays illegal, pre-Rifts films and television shows banned by the Coalition States. Also known as a Sin-o-plex.
Data Altitude: The level of someone’s knowledge. A person who is very knowledgeable is considered to have a high data altitude.
Data Mining: (Techno-can) Searching for valuable information within a large database.
D-Bee: (n.) Dimensional Being. A creature from another dimension.
Dead Boy: A Coalition grunt. The name is derived from the death’s head motif characteristic of all CS armor.
Dead Man Walking: A client who breaks his contract.
Deadly: (adj./interj.) Very cool.
Death Merchant: A mercenary.
Deathdancer: (n.) A highly skilled Juicer; someone on par with Julian Amici.
Deep-Six: (v.) To get rid of someone or something, particularly through murder.
Digital Reaper: A military cyberjacker.
Dirge: (n.) A suicide mission. (“He’s playin’ his own dirge by going after the Black Market.”)
Dirt Nap: (n.) Death. Someone who’s “taking a dirt nap” is dead.
Disappear: (v.) To cause a person, and all known references about that person, to become difficult or impossible to find.
DOA: (abbr.) Dead On Arrival.
Dog Boy: Slang for a Coalition psi-hound.
Dog Food: Someone who is captured or killed by a pack of Dog Boys.
Doing A Double-J: Performing an impressive, death-defying feat or escape worthy of the fictional super-spy Julian Amici.
Doing A Juice: Getting away with something, usually a criminal act; originates from the Deathdance Saga.
Downsiders: (n.) People who live in the lower levels (1-22) of the Coalition fortified super-cities. Also called grungers, low levelers, and sludgers.
Dry Op: The information gathering phase of a mission.
Dust: (v.) To kill a vampire with sunlight.
Enforcers: (n.) The rank and file, street level soldiers of the Black Market. They typically operate in crews led by a capo.
Extraction: (n.) The removal of a person or team of persons from an operational area.
Faceman: (n.) An intermediary who deals with mercs on behalf of a client. Facemen are common with clients who wish to remain anonymous.
Fangland: (n.) A nickname for Mexico, derived from the Vampire infestation known to exist in that area.
Faust: (n.) Someone who summons and consorts with demons and evil spirits. Generally used in reference to a Shifter.
Featherhead: (n.) Derogatory term for a Native American (usually a traditionalist).
Feddie: (n.) A slightly insulting term for a member of the Federation of Magic.
Firma: (adj.) (Spanish) Means “tough” or “hard”. Often used synonymously with “mahazé”. (“Que firma, ese! We heard you deep-sixed a ‘Borg down in Sulfur Gulch.”)
Fist Fight In A Phone Booth: Close-quarters combat.
Flatback: (n.) A prostitute.
Friction: (n.) Trouble. (“We ran into a little friction on the way out of CS territory.”)
Frog: (n.) A woman who’s easy and isn’t picky – she hops into bed with anyone.
Gandolf: (n.) A mage.
Getting Juiced: Receiving Juicer augmentation.
Ghost: (n.) A person who has no formal, electronic identity. As far as computer records are concerned, this person does not exist.
Glitter Boy: An extremely prevalent nickname for USA-G10 power armor, formerly the Chromium Guardsman. The name comes from the shiny, reflective nature of the armor’s surface. Also a term for the pilot of a USA-G10.
Goat: (n.) The least skilled or experienced member of a merc unit. Used synonymously with “throka”.
GPO: (abbr.) “Good for Parts Only”. Applies to vehicles or equipment that is damaged beyond repair.
Grapple: (v.) To have sex.
Grease: (v.) To kill or destroy.
Grease Spot: A corpse that has been mangled by M.D. weapons, especially explosives or plasma weapons.
Guardian Angel: A bodyguard. (“I’m playin’ guardian angel to some oil tycoon out of Silvereno.”)
Gutter Rat: A treacherous, violent, and dangerous City Rat who involves himself in the most brutal criminal activities.
Hack Rat: A City Rat who specializes in computer hacking and information brokering.
Hand Artist: A somatic spell caster.
Hand Cannon: Any handgun with a caliber of 12 mm or larger.
Handle: (n.) A nickname or working name, by which a merc is known on the street. Referred to in Spanish as a Placa.
Hardwired: (adj.) Unmodifiable.
Head Treat: Virtual reality erotica.
Headhunter: A technologically oriented mercenary with at least some cybernetic modification. Being a headhunter is also considered a state of mind.
Heir Schmidt: (German) NGR equivalent of “Mr. Smith”. Sometimes used flippantly by North American mercs to refer to any nameless stranger from the New German Republic (like the term John Doe).
Hexed: (adj.) Cursed; under enchantment by a spell.
Hit: (n.) An assassination. Also a dose of some contraband substance.
Hit Mage: A magic-using assassin.
Hit Man: A not-so-subtle assassin who isn’t afraid to strike at any time, in any place, even in broad daylight in front of witnesses. Often a Black Market enforcer.
Humie: (n.) A human. A slightly offensive term employed by nonhuman mercenaries
HWT: (abbr.) Hypowintetranol-5, a chemically tailored Juicer stimulant that has begun seeing use among non-Juicers thanks to the Black Market. Known on the streets as “Black Hole Sun”, this powerful adrenal booster is a “broad spectrum” stimulant, meaning that it enhances many aspects of a user’s performance, not just one process like a majority of stims (which means one hit of HWT can achieve the same results that combinations of stimulants would be needed to achieve.). It is acknowledged for increasing speed by 30-50%, sensory acuity by 30-40%, reflexes and reactions time by 15-25%, and strength by 50%, not to mention that pain is completely negated. This temporary closeness to Juicer capability is why HWT is sometimes known as “Half Way There”. However, this drug is highly dangerous to non-Juicers as it is designed specifically for Juicer physiology. HWT is extremely addictive – all but the strongest individuals get hooked after their first hit. Without the Bio-Comp System’s safeties and Juicer-tailored counter-drugs like sedatives, Beta Blockers, and MAO (Mono-Amine Oxidase) to help regulate and reduce the damage done by HWT to the body, most frequent users die within months. Even those who stop before reaching that point often suffer from debilitating medical conditions like arrhythmia, hyperaesthesia, and impairment of the Central Nervous System. Yet despite its many drawbacks, there is no shortage of people stupid enough to use this drug.
Hydroshock Heaven: Death by bullet wound, especially if the bullet was a hydroshock hollow point.
ICE: (acr.) (Techno-can) “Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics”. Special security software designed to protect computer systems against hackers, specifically cyberjackers.
Info Bro: An information broker.
Inkslinger: (n.) A tattoo artist.
Insertion: (n.) The placement of a person or team of persons into an operational area.
Involuntary Dismount: To crash a motorcycle, hovercycle, or jet bike.
Juice Box: A derogatory term for a Juicer.
Juiced: (adj.) Refers to a Juicer, or someone who’s high and empowered by drugs.
Kamikaze Cocktail: A combination of two or more combat stimulants. The benefits from each drug are cumulative, but so are the dangers.
Killing Baby Seals: Fighting a far inferior opponent.
Killzones: (n.) The areas of a body where a weapon will do the most damage and is most likely to kill.
Klick: (n.) A kilometer.
Knife Party: An intense, aerial battle.
Knock: (v.) Almost dead or about to die, as in “knocking on Death’s door”.
KOBK: (abbr.) “Kill Or Be Killed,” a phrase that embodies the mercenary philosophy of “Survival of the Fittest”.
Kriegspiel: (n.) (German) A computerized battle simulation.
Lady Luck: A humanized reference to fortune and probability, usually referred to in a physical sense rather than as a concept. Effectively the patron saint of the mercenary life, her “favor” manifests itself as bouts of death-defying luck and opportune chances. Mercs in her favor can always expect to live another day, no matter how dangerous the assignment. However, she is renowned for being incredibly fickle and her favor can disappear just as soon as it comes. Amazing victories in the face of insurmountable odds or tragic, unexpected shifts in fortune are often attributed to Lady Luck and her unpredictable “temperament”.
Last Call: The last year of a Juicer’s life, usually plagued with symptoms of his upcoming death.
Laydown Delivery: The practice of using remote drones to deposit explosive charges.
Life, The: A reference to the mercenary life. (“He lost his leg on the last assignment, but what can you do? That’s The Life.”)
Light Up: To “light something up” is to blast it with energy weapons; particularly lasers.
Lofties: (n.) People who reside in the upper levels (23 and higher) of the Coalition fortified super-cities. Also called highbrows and sky kings.
Loose Change: A mutilated and dangling limb in need of amputation.
MacGyver: (n.) Someone who’s good with gadgets or who escapes from a difficult situation in a creative way. The origin of this term is not known to most mercs.
Made Men: A term that Black Marketeers use for themselves.
Mage-Tek: (n.) Techno-Wizardry.
Maggie: (n.) A derogatory, feminized term for a mage.
Mahazé: (adj.) (Vanguard Brawler) Short for “Mahazé’Maht”, a Brawler term meaning “hardened” or “ruthless”. An especially bad ass merc who is known for his toughness would be called “mahazé”.
Making Bank: Making credits, usually through illegal means.
Mark: (n.) A target contracted for capture or assassination.
Maze Rat: A young City Rat in training who is exceptionally familiar with the streets and locales of the city.
Merc: (n./v.) Short for mercenary; a soldier for hire. Can also be used as a verb. (“I was mercin’ down in Los Alamos for 25K.”). Other synonymous terms include Dog of War, Soldier of Fortune, Death Merchant, and Sellsword.
Merc-Net: (n.) An intranet dealing with mercenary affairs – wanted bulletins, weapon and vehicle schematics, advisory posts, bounties, client histories, etc. Set up for mercs, by mercs and based out of MercTown.
MercTown: (n.) Common nickname for the city-state of New Paducah, coined by the famed Headhunter Tennessee Jack Crabtree.
Mil-Int: (n.) Military Intelligence.
Mind Frag: An expression of utter disbelief; something that’s mind blowing. (“I can’t believe we failed the mission. What a mind frag!”)
Mind-Fragger: (n.) Any psychic, especially a mind melter.
Mines, The: (n.) (pronounced “meens”) Amphetamines, Dextroamphetamines, and Methamphetamines. Common stimulants used widely among mercs to ignore fatigue and enhance performance in combat situations. This term is a pun, being both a direct reference to those drugs, and to a method of accomplishing one’s ends. When a merc says he has “the mines”, he is saying he has the drugs and that they are his “means” of achieving victory.
Mist: (v.) To atomize something.
Mo: (n.) Short for Momano Headhunter.
Mojo: (n.) A term for magic or magical power. (“Watch yourself around that maggie. He’s packin’ a lot of mojo.”)
MOOTWar: (acr.) “Mercenary Operations Other Than War”. Refers to mercenary jobs outside of large armed conflicts, such as surveillance, sabotage, theft, assassination, computer hacking, espionage, cargo escort, combat consultation, and personal protection (bodyguarding).
Most Dangerous Game, The: Anything that’s extremely dangerous to hunt down and take out, especially supernatural creatures. Also refers to the mercenary profession itself.
Motor City Badlands, The: A mercenary nickname for demon-held Detroit.
Motilón: (n.) (Spanish) Literally “Hairless Ones”, a reference to Psi-Stalkers, especially those found in the Pecos Empire and in Mexico. An equivalent term for Psi-Stalkers among Amerindian tribes is “Kiyo Pashi Okla”, a Choctaw name meaning “No Haired People”.
Mr. Smith: A generic name for any anonymous employer.
Music: (n.) Electronic jamming and countermeasures. (“We’re within range of their radar. Let’s turn up the music!”)
Navezgane: (n.) (Apache) Means “Killer of Monsters”, an Indian reference to the Momano Headhunter. Commonly shortened to “navez” when used by mercs.
Not-So-Smart Bomb: A suicide bomber. Also a derogatory reference to someone who loses his life, kamikaze style.
Ohnosecond: (n.) The exact second when one realizes he’s made a mistake and it’s too late to change things.
On The One: Honest. This phrase refers to the one dollar bill used by the pre-Rifts American government before the advent of the Universal Credit system. $1 bills had a picture of George Washington, who supposedly never told a lie. (“I didn’t tell them anything. I’m being on the one with you.”)
Operator: (n.) A mercenary mechanic.
Optempo: (n.) Operations Tempo. A military logistics term referring to the estimated accrued costs for maintenance, fuel, and overhead for a vehicle based on its mileage during a given period. Many merc units include a compensatory Optempo Clause in their client contracts for assignments that require them to utilize their own vehicles for extended periods.
P.M.C.: (abbr.) “Private Military Company”. A professional way of referring to a merc unit.
Pack Rat: A City Rat who collects and scrounges for items and is usually found with a group of other city rats.
Painted: (adj.) Having been detected by enemy sensors, usually radar.
Paydata: (n.) Information that’s worth credits.
Percussive Maintenance: The fine art of hitting a machine or vehicle to get it working.
Permalancer: (n.) A permanent freelancer. Typically, a career mercenary who never joins into a merc company or outfit, remaining independent but with a benefits-free existence.
Pigs: (n.) In pre-Rifts times, this was a pejorative applied to police officers. Nowadays, it is used by mercs and Black Marketeers in reference to Coalition soldiers.
Process, The: Juicer conversion.
Pulling Teeth: Interrogating someone.
Quétaine: (adj.) (French) Free Quebec slang for ugly, old, or not trendy – the opposite of S.O.T.A. (State of the Art). Commonly shortened to “QT” by mercs. (“That targeting system was QT as of a year ago. Trash it.”)
R&P: “Rape and Pillage”. To engage in an activity with excessive force or violence.
R.E.S.: (abbr.) Reality Enforcement System.
Radio Free Quebec: Term for the C.F.Q.C. – the Quebecoi national radio station. Though entirely in French, the station is popular among mercs for its Anti-Coalition programming and inflammatory, grassroots broadcasts.
Rads: (n.) Radiation.
Redzone: (n.) The final phase of a mission.
Reduce: (v.) To damage something through physical violence. (“Quit your cryin’ or I’ll reduce your face.”)
Reptilian: (adj.) Cold, calculating, and emotionless – as cold-blooded as can be.
Retros: (n.) Unflattering term for people who have rejected high technology in favor of lower tech equivalents (20th century or earlier). Also called Luddites.
Rip: (n.) A rift.
Roka: (interj.) (Simvan) Short for “Endar’Roka Cha”, an expression meaning “The Stronger Live Longer”.
Roof Rat: A City Rat who makes his living by spying and snitching on others. Also called a Rat Fink and Stoolie.
Root: (n./v.) Sex.
Rules of Engagement, The: The conditions within which a mercenary unit is expected to operate on assignment. The Rules are the longest and most important part of any mercenary contract. They detail the where and when of the mission and exactly what must be accomplished. Also included in this clause is the time frame (if any), contact procedures, anonymity agreements, and specific constraints on the merc unit’s behavior during the span of the assignment. If any of the Rules of Engagement are violated, the contract is considered breached on the part of the mercenaries.
Running The Line: Smuggling something across a border.
S.O.T.A.: (acr.) State Of The Art; cutting edge. Almost always in reference to technology.
SALUTE: (acr) “Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time, and Equipment”. This is a memory aid used in reporting enemy information.
Sam: (n.) Short for SAMAS power armor. Also refers to the pilot of a SAMAS.
Sand: (v.) Search and Destroy. To “sand” something is to find it and eradicate it.
Sellsword: (n.) An archaic term for a mercenary. Alternately, when used by contemporary, post-Rifts mercs, it refers to a retro-type mercenary or a mercenary from a low tech society. Such Soldiers of Fortune use simple melee weapons – typically swords.
Severe: (adj.) Impressive. (“Did you see the way he took out that CS Grunt in one hit? That was severe!”)
Shutter Trouble: Falling asleep. (“Drove his motorcycle right off the road. Must’ve had some shutter trouble.”)
SitRep: (n.) Situation Report. Equivalent to “What’s happening?”
Shadowless: (adj.) A symbolic reference to death. Someone who is “shadowless” is dead, as a ghost casts no shadow.
Skull Cramp: A headache.
Skullcracker: (n.) A mercenary with a vendetta against the CS. Only takes jobs that will somehow directly hurt the Coalition.
Slammer: (n.) An Anti-Robot Specialist. A headhunter specialized in combating and disabling power armor and robot vehicles.
Sleeved: (adj.) To have one’s arms covered in tattoos.
Sly: (adj.) Homosexually inclined.
Soaked: (adj.) Drunk. Someone who’s “soaked” is inebriated.
Spector: (n.) A Coalition ISS Inspector.
Spell Slinger: A flippant term for someone who casts spells. Also known as a Spell Lobber.
Sprung: (adj.) Insane.
Squishy: (n.) Juicer slang for an non-augmented, non-supernatural humanoid; a normal human (SDC creature). Also known as Achy Breaky and Meat boy/girl.
Squishy In A Hard Shell: An SDC creature in MDC armor.
Sudden Deceleration Trauma: Death by fall or high speed crash. Also called “cement poisoning”.
Supie: (n.) A supernatural creature.
St. John: A person from Free Quebec.
Stim Psycho: Someone suffering from Stimulant-Induced Psychosis, a condition almost identical to paranoid schizophrenia that can last for weeks or months. The result of overusing combat stimulants.
Stims: (n.) Combat stimulants. Common ones used by mercs are Amphetamine (Speed) and any of its derivatives, Pseudotriphenidate (Crash), Vassopemoline (Juice), Synephidrine (NovaBomb), and Andrenergen V (made from a Quick-Flex Alien neurotransmitter), just to name a few. Via the Black Market, several popular NGR stims that have made it to North America’s shores, two of these being Methylmodafinil (Boing-go) and Polymethadrine (Rush).
Stocked: (adj.) Armed with concealed cybernetic or bionic weapons. (“Careful with him, he might be stocked.”)
Strat: (n.) Short for “strategy”. (“What’s your strat?”)
Swimming: (adj.) Drunk, as in “swimming in alcohol”. Also see Soaked.
Synthtronica: (n.) A form of Techno music popular among mercenaries, characterized by its dark and dissonant digital beats and slow, somber, trance-like melodies. Considered very good music to do drugs to. Usually without vocals.
Tac-Fac: (n.) “Tactical Facilitation”. Also T-Fac. The whittling down and softening up of an opponent’s forces through the use of covert ops (assassination and sabotage) and precise, surgical strikes from small units. These guerrilla tactics are designed to weaken the enemy while expending as little man power and resources as possible, saving such assets for the larger, coordinated assaults that are later to come.
Talking Dogs: A derogatory term for CS psi-hounds.
Technician: (n.) An assassin, especially one that employs high tech tools to make his kill like hunter drones, smart missiles, car bombs, killer nanites, motion sensitive mines, etc.
Tell, The: (n.) The Word on the Street; local gossip or rumors. (“What’s the Tell on Free Quebec’s next move against the Coalition?”)
Theoretically: (adv.) A common word used by mercs and criminals whenever referring to highly illegal activities. (“The client will pay us 100k for taking out that Kingsdale Senator. Theoretically, of course.”)
Throka: (n.) (Simvan) Literally “low man”. This is a quasi-pejorative term the Simvan use to refer to the lowest ranking members of their tribes. Headhunters have adopted this word and apply it belittlingly to rookie or amateurish mercs; individuals of unimpressive skill just starting out in the mercenary business. (“Hey throka! Put down that pistol before ya shoot someone!”)
Tin-Can Man: A Full Conversion Cyborg.
Toss: (v.) To thoroughly search a location. (“We tossed his place but couldn’t find the files.”)
Trapezoid: (n.) A common nickname for Chi-Town or any of the other Coalition fortified super-cities, derived from their quadrilateral design and shape.
Uninvited Guest: A telepath; a psychic who gets into other people’s heads and reads their thoughts without consent.
Vomit: (n.) Unwanted discharge from a weapon in the form of a smell, light, or noise. A good weapon, ideally, has no vomit.
Wage Mage: A mercenary wizard.
Wannabe: (n.) Someone who admires and emulates the Headhunter or Juicer lifestyles, but lacks experience, skill, and an understanding of the hardships those lifestyles entail.
Wet: (adj.) Bleeding, as in “wet with your own blood”.
Wetwork: (n.) Assassination work.
White ICE: (Techno-can) A strictly passive and defensive form of Intrusion Countermeasure Electronics primarily concerned with tagging and tracing cyberjackers and hackers.
Wired: (adj.) Having reflexes enhanced by cybernetics or M.O.M. implants.
Wyrm: (n.) A derogatory term for a dragon.
X-Spec: (adj.) Ex-Special Forces. (“Don’t mess with him. He’s X-Spec.”)