Galactic Culture

**Government References**

* **Article 19:** an statute in the Republic Constitution that allows the Legion to assume control of the government for up to six months in the event of an emergency. [TU, loc 247] House of Reason delegates can be tried in court and the Senate can be dissolved while individual worlds elect new senators in their place.
* **Carnivale:** a Nether Ops unit led by an individual known as X. The old office on Utopion was located beneath a fishmonger shop and took 45 minutes for X to arrive by speeder. The new location is in the sub-levels beneath the Imperial Palace. Entry into the office has several security levels. The first level is when an on-duty guard inserts a special key into the security station. The next step is biometric as X (or another visitor) enters numbers on a keypad and the sensory screen identifies the biometrics of their fingers. The door beeps at each level of engagement. [RET, p 380]
* **Champion Clause:** see Article Nineteen.
* **Constitution:** the source of Republic law; the founding legal document of the Galactic Republic. The Constitution governs the operation of the House of Reason and the Senate as well as the Legion.
* **Dark Ops:** A secret covert operations bureau in the Republic.

* **Fairness in Combat Statute:** A law governing the types and methods of combat devices that can be legally used in declared and undeclared war zones.“Republic ordnance always leaves behind a trace signature. Part of the fairness in combat statues to better prosecute war criminals. We can trace a misfired mortar back to the bot that popped it off.”[KT, loc 1236.]
* **Grand Council:** A House of Reason committee with the highest authority.
* **Hero of Psydon:** the Legion’s highest honor.
* **House of Reason:** One of the houses of government on Utopion, the capital world of the Galactic Republic. The audience chamber is less of a chamber and more of a long hallway with fifty columns on both sides, each rising from the floor and seeming to disappear into the night sky, thanks to a holographic painting overlaid on the ceiling The hall was built in honor of the one hundredth planet to joint the Republic. The symbolism means that each planet had its own commemorative column and together they upheld the galaxy itself. [TU, p 319]
* **House of Reason Security Council:** cf. Senate Council. Members include Orrin Kaar, Aletha A’lill’n, and Valon Uprecht. [PR, p 101]
* **Legion crest:** a uniform emblem signifying legion membership and course certification.
* **Legion NCO Development School:** Republic Military academy for enlisted troops, where the best NCOs get better.
* **Legion OCS:** Officer Candidate School. The part of the Academy where promising legion NCOs are trained for officer rank. All trainees are referred to by the school staff as "candidates."
* **Mandarin:** an ancient term that refers to the bureaucrats who truly control a society.
* **Marshal:** An obsolete Terran law enforcement rank from before the Savage Wars.
* **Nether Ops:** a super-secret covert operations group in the Republic.

* **Republic Mandate Order:** a federal ordnance that can be applied to planet-wide law enforcement. Order 239.0910 locks down all local communication networks. Republic Mandate 20.0020567F makes acting as a bounty hunter illegal. Republic Ordnance N.779.631-2 concerns resisting a lawful representative of government.
* **Republic Strategic Command:** The central clearing office for legion matters on Utopion. The facility includes a training ground and a brig. Exo spent three weeks in the brig while awaiting court martial before Commander Keller ordered his release to Captain Owens.
* **Robotics Conduct Law:** galactic ordinances that came about near the end of the Savage Wars, dictating appropriate and unlawful uses of AI design..
* **Senate Council:** The Republic Senate’s highest status committee, a private club of politicians.
* **Sharlay Conventions:** treaty established by the House of Reason that regulates the treatment of political prisoners within the Republic. They dictate that prisoners of conscience (who by definition are not enemy combatants) are to be treated with kindness and respect due all species in the galaxy. They are to be afforded good food, clean water, a bed, safety, and access to counsel and the holo-webs without constraint or overwatch. Section 590.003.03 grants prisoners these rights. [TU, p356]
* **Space Scouts:** a Republic paramilitary youth organization.
* **Unity House**: government facility on Utopion. The Unity is composed of the House of Reason and the Senate [Needs verification] A massive and very ornate tower complex that hovers over Utopion Prime. [TU, loc 238]
* **University of Utopion:** Major academic center of the Republic.

**Corporations**

* **Bronze Guild:** a society of particularly violent bounty hunters.
* **Nasseen:** a company known for its light freighters.
* **One Republic News:** the primary news agency in the galactic Republic.
* **Republic Robotics:** publically traded megacorporation that provides sanitation robots to municipal governments all over the galaxy. [TU, p 335]
* **RepubNet:** The interstellar communications network used for newscasts and journal articles.
* **Republic Work & Labor Bureau:** A government office concerned with creating and enforcing public safety standards.
* **Permafortress, Inc:** a Republic company specializing in the manufacture, sale, and distribution of high security locks. Cantrell Saan used the Protector 89E, which is manufactured on the planet Ellepses, and goes for about 549 republic credits.

* **Tellarian Spinward Trading Company:** a large interstellar trading combine from the early days of the Republic.

* **Trident Corp:** a high technology company where Garret worked before turning to Lao Pak’s employment. “On its info-site, the company identified itself as a ’multifaceted holding company specializing in the acquisition of small to mid-sized companies with an emphasis…’ Et cetera. Left out was Trident’s employment of a coder through the dark market to undertake a reprogramming job that was indisputably illegal, according to the Robotics Conduct laws that had come about near the end of the Savage Wars. But these dark market brokers had set up on Corsica, instead of a place like Tannespa or Ackabar, which meant that the appearance of respectability was crucial to their success.”[GO, loc 1748] The company’s main office is located on level 3500 of Republic Towers on Corsica’s capital city. Garret Glover’s old contact there is Aldo Kimer. Kimer’s receptionist and bodyguard is Sentrella, a martial artist with the Sisters of the Lotus.

**Cultural Events**

* **Festival of Callus:** a semi-religious event on Tarkedes, known for its extreme drinking events.
* **Great Exploration:** The migration of starships from Earth across the galaxy in a massive wave of colonization.
* **Unity Day:** A Republic-wide celebration of the end of the Savage Wars

**Languages**

* **Deshka:** The Zhee word for “young children.”[KT, p219.]
* **Hajeh!:** Zhee word for “holy smiting.”
* **Jabbari:** a regional langage. The Viridian Cyclops controls were labelled in Jabbari.
* **Maktow:** a language that uses pictographs (“digital pictoglyphs”).
* **Mechanica:** A lingua franca used by machine intelligences throughout the galaxy. [ME, p 261]

**Food**

* **Beezel eggs:** a delicacy enjoyed on Utopian.
* **Chamblisies:** a light, frothy, and bubbly alcoholic beverage.
* **Faldoran Scotch:** the good stuff. Ellek Owens is a fan. [ME, p369]
* **Larupa:** a fruit found on Taijing. It’s covered in two-inch spikes, is very sweet, and has green and white pulp. Ingesting the seeds causes hallucinations in most humanoids.  [RET, p 80]

* **Luteclaw:** a delicacy enjoyed on Utopian. Best served chilled.
* **Ruhrak:** fermented drink of the Zhee.
* **Slash:** local ice cream on Marat. [SW, p 117]