Lexicon

  Sophont Species

  Synaxians: Another interstellar species, known for being insular and mistrustful of outsiders. Their people have non-aggression pacts with all of their neighbors under the conditions of being left alone. Long range scanners show patrols inside their borders made up of heavily armed and armored ships, however. A sign they don’t trust their neighbors to hold by their agreements.

  Giobhioni: Vague references to these alien people have been found in ruins on many habitable worlds where previous intelligent life has disappeared. Scholars, having fragments of the writing system found in these ruins, have been pronouncing the name as Giovioni.

  Very little is known about what the Giobhioni might have looked like, excepting the mention of frightening maws of unending teeth. Just enough writings and glyphs are common in the various sites that a small database of terminology was compiled for use by archeologists that might find themselves in similar ruins.

  Benastians: An alien species allied with the Terran Commonwealth.

  One of the first alien races humanity made contact with in its first years of interstellar exploration. Their appearance is remarkably similar to ours. However, they are much taller, averaging 2.25 meters, have mottled blue skin and are completely hairless.

  They are known for being extremely hedonistic, and care has been taken, after several early incidents, to make sure diplomatic missions are made up of only unattached or polyamorous individuals.

  Ktonshi: the alien race that was the source of the Plague. Originating from beyond the galactic rim. Appearing like some sort of giant arachnid, but with a head resembling an overlong cupie doll with 10 prominent red-black eyes. For some reason nobody has been able to determine, they have decided that no other sophant species deserves to exist, only them.

  Reglarians:

  Ocivna: an ally race of the giobhioni, adept arms developers in the field of missiles and guidance systems.

  Giobhioni Terminology

  Tantaja Tubes: the Giobhioni name for access ways throughout ships and stations enabling repair and maintenance or systems

  Tritostya: (giobhioni) When giobhioni get extremely excited, the can become uncontrollably boisterous. One might liken this behavior to the phenomenon known as “zoomies” in Terran pets. Running around between various workstations or recreation areas, bouncing off walls, even swinging off lighting fixtures. Much training, especially in the military, goes into teaching young giobhioni to control these behaviors, delaying them for a more appropriate time.

  Strixta: The foul puss excreted by an insect native to the giobhioni homeworld

  Gsaltro: the name for a branch of Giobhioni computer engineers that specialize in Artificial Consciousness theory.

  Ataksi: a primate from a Giobhioni world, often used as test subjects for their cybernetic implants due to their similarity in adaptive response. Not incredibly bright, but docile. Researchers take every precaution before Ataksi testing to work out possible issues through computer models to minimize unnecessary test subject deaths.

  Graptak: an isopod native to one of the earliest Giobhioni colony worlds which has been cultivated as a delicacy for hundreds of years. Most notably, it is dried and powdered, and used to brew a hot beverage. It has a mildly pungent aroma, and an earthy, vegetal taste that is surprisingly enjoyable to those who are not bothered by it being made from bugs.

  Niktcha: the traditional brewing vessel giobhioni use for when graptak is to be shared with a group. It is considered extremely bad manners to serve graptak to a gathering in individual cups. At one point it came with the superstition that to accept an individual cup from someone else was to risk poisoning, and so to serve someone else in such a way would be a grave insult. It didn’t just say you had little respect for them, but hinted that you might be trying to kill them.

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  Pingkon: a common additive to the graptak beverage. Consisting of a milky green liquid, it is derived from a specific kind of rock moss blended with water and fermented. It adds a smooth, sweet flavor to the beverage.

  Ungtal: a common additive to the graptak beverage. A powdered substance obtained from a resinous conifer tree, when ungtal is dissolved in liquid and then ingested, it imparts a powerful spiciness that is known amongst giobhioni to stir the blood. For this reason it is usually only added to beverages such as graptak before activities such as sparring or trysting.

  A note to humans, however, is that Ungtal imparts a very strong aftertaste not at all unlike turpentine from low quality sources, or mere boiled pine needles from ungtal of high quality. Caution is advised in sampling this substance if you have any form of heart condition.

  Gremensha: Giobhioni word to describe a humanoid race.

  Be’tsar: a rank/honorific in the giobhioni military used for a pilot/helmsman who has demonstrated skill of a remarkable level. Much like the terran honorific of “Ace”, however, it is generally used in place of the service person’s actual rank.

  Tzaki: a giobhioni trained in medical sciences. A Doctor.

  Grontnaks: a rodent from the giobhioni homeworld known for its cunning. Considered vermin of the most annoying kind, they are extremely hard to get rid of, once they are present. Some have gone so far as to adopt a philosophy much like the old earth saying “nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure”. A common expression in Giobhioni culture is that of “Chasing grontnaks”, which refers to a futile endeavor as they usually manage to outmatch the cunning of even the most gifted Giobhioni.

  They are so cunning, in fact, that there was a short-lived scientific movement to uplift them, and use them as tactical advisors for defense. The movement was abandoned when the first wave of grontnaks to be uplifted promptly escaped their enclosures in the lab and infested the facility. Any efforts to communicate or recapture the grontnaks failed, and the facility was sealed off completely, and remains so today. There has been the rare suggestion of annihilating the facility, but ethical debate always argues it down. Few wish to be party to genocide if any of the grontnaks had been successfully uplifted before things went sideways.

  Sepaq: and naval/space fleet affirmative response. Giobhioni equivalent of “aye”

  Ayatsana: a lightweight, kimono-like garment meant as casual wear. Traditionally , ayatsana were often embroidered with designs that reflected either the wearer’s occupation, family line, or other such associations of importance in the wearer’s life.

  Waatko: a legal, recreational drug used by the giobhioni, administered through the ear canal, it’s known for its calming and minor euphoric effects. It is non-medically addictive, though can be psychologically habit forming when used to self medicate for undiagnosed mental illness. In general, these psychological addictions aren’t seen often, especially since the Giobhioni Republic instituted universal mental healthcare in Cycle 4973 of the recorded era (1465 BCE).

  Other Terminology

  kilokrat - a benastian unit of time, developed as an interstellar timekeeping unit based on the oscillation unit of an extremely stable exotic element essential in the fueling of the Hyperspace Tunnel drive. Much like the terran “atomic clock” which utilizes the oscillation of cesium-133 to define a second, Benastians used the rate of Khrinorium to define the Krat, which converts to being approximately 1.87 seconds. A kilokrat, a division from base 10 much like metric or the International System, is therefore, 1000 Krats.

  Pintasta: A foul smelling excretion of an alien bird similar known as the Ctotla, similar to guano. Known to have a potent hallucinogenic effect on many sentient species, and is extremely addictive and debilitating in humans.

  It is one of the most outlawed substances in the Terran commonwealth.

  Pintasta sucker: Considered one of the most egregious insults within known space. This is not just due to the fact it is insinuating the person is addicted to consuming what is essentially bird shit, but because of a habit of some far gone addicts - that of hunting the wild birds ingesting the guano directly from the source.

  Bentyaxa: A Benastian liquor that is extremely strong, containing a minute concentration of an enzyme that acts as a mild hallucinogen to humans. While it causes no lasting harm other than the usual effects of alcohol on the human body, the hallucinogenic kick provided by this beverage should only be experienced in the presence of responsible, trustworthy companions.

  Vathrowa: A Benastian term vaguely meaning ‘lover of my beloved’, but has the context of a paramour that is not a simple dalliance.