GLOSSARY

Adhocracy: A non-bureaucratic networked organization. A form common in law firms, consulting companies, and research universities, as well as some planetary governments. These organizations and institutions must continually readjust to a changing array of projects, each requiring somewhat different combinations of skills and resources. These organizations depend on many rapidly shifting project teams and much lateral communication among these relatively autonomous, entrepreneurial groups.

Admiral Shenshak's Rebellion: A naval revolt that broke out in 10,934 in Omega Cluster and rapidly spread throughout the chain of command in a half dozen Clusters; instigated by former war hero Admiral Kalimar Shenshak of Jalalabad. The only sizable modern naval rebellion, Admiral Shenshak enjoyed wide-spread support among military personnel across the Pact and was only put down by strenuous efforts of the Kona Tatsu and Fleet Admiral Michael MacGhenny, cousin to former High Secretary Devin MacDonald.

Ascension Wars: A brutal time for humanity, the Ascension Wars(4,441 to 4,677AD) were a series of conflicts between rival sectors of the former Terran League, with the worst fighting taking place in the late 4,600s. After a series of corrupt administrations, the Human League fell apart after High Admiral Underhill assassinated the President of the League at the Melbourne II Conference, sparking a nearly endless series of wars. To gain a better understanding about the conflicts that led up to the formation of the Pact of Humanity, the principal combatants must be examined. The eventually successful Triple Alliance(Hokkaido, Honshu, and Bethesda Sectors) allied with Terra Sector late in the conflict, thereby solidifying the support of most civilians within the old Human League and assuring their eventual victory. The office of the High Secretaryship came from the Triple Alliance government structure, which was at the time an absolute dictatorship. The brutal and expansionistic Grand Union(Urbanos, Krasnodar, Oldhams, and Brandenburg Sector) was led by the “New Duma” faction, a neo-fascist group whose goal of occupying Terra and establishing a League-wide fascist state only led to the homeworld of Mankind being repeatedly bombarded from space. The Grand Union's eventual collapse was caused by an uprising by its citizenry over the brutal bombardments of human occupied planets, and the overwhelming force of Admiral Asa Niichi's Grand Fleet. The third power during the Ascension Wars was the militaristic United Hindu Collective, in which the infamous Bushi Federation was a part of. The UHC supported High Admiral Ivan Krosskove and fielded three "Rebel Fleets", the last of which was annihilated in the Dakota System.

   Several important events took place during the Ascension Wars, including the famous Downport Raid by the Second Rebel Fleet against Terra Sector. This battle crushed Terra's largest combat fleet, forcing the Sector to nominally ally with the Triple Alliance against the two other major power blocks. The battle also killed Terra Sector's most successful military commander, Admiral Henry Whitehorse, the man who engineered the longest defense of Terra ever recorded(he held the post for 61 years). Upon his death, and the bombardment of Terra by UHC warships, Admiral de Moya took over Terra Sector's defenses, ultimately routing the much larger UHC forces. Other important battles include the Third Urbanos Raid by the Triple Alliance, in which the planets Urbanos' entire space building capability was knocked out, forcing the Grand Union to finally sue for peace in 4,674 AD. The Third Urbanos Raid pitted the seasoned Admiral Iso Fukai and Admiral Aleksandr Kunz against the Urbanos System defenders, headed by Admiral Michelle Mosko, the only high female officer to fight in that conflict.

   The last phase of the conflict, the subjugation of the UHC and the eradication of the Bushi Federation, took several more years, culminating in the Battle of the Dakota System. In this battle, the UHC's Third Rebel Fleet unwittingly stumbled into range of Admiral Niichi's Grand Fleet(pro-Secretary faction) and was annihilated to the last warship. Niichi carried through and bombed Chaparral, the former sector capital, flat.

Atlanton Earth, Destruction of : One of the most beautiful planets within the Pact and a large omega world as well, nearly 150 billion people perished on Atlanton Earth when it came under attack by Dionii forces 109 years ago. This catastrophe resulted in the dismissal of High Secretary Clinton and his wife, that power-mad woman who later ran for a Senate seat herself. Clintons’ hatred towards the Pact Navy and squirreling naval funds away in secret bank accounts caused the disaster, and the subsequent fall of the government.

 

Automorphs: "Living as art", a submovement of  "transhuman" thinking. A art where self-transformation, usually using bioengineering and other genetic manipulation techniques, and living itself is the medium. Since Pact society is extremely heterogeneous, some Automorphs go to extreme measures to stand out in society, including almost alien-looking appearances. Unfortunately, within the last decade Automorphs have become quite violent in expressing themselves.