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Glossary

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Advent: Humanoid robots used by Adventus. Their weaponry is designed to be incredibly effective at subduing and eliminating mechanized opponents. See: Adventus.

Adventus: A group of extremists who would love to see all giant robots and other machines of war eliminated from the world.

Aestivalis: Modular, multi-role mecha created by Nergal Heavy Industries with a frankly suspicious number of experimental technologies.

Aether: A substance which permeates nearly everything. Usually found in its inert "bound" state where it is harmless and even potentially useful for various things. See: Aethereal, Aether Wall, Unbound Aether, Unbound Aether Beast.

Aethereal: Any artificial life form made from Aether. Primarily in humanoid form, Aethereals often have a number of abilities beyond those of most natural life forms. See: Aether.

Aether Wall: A metaphysical wall made of Aether which permeates the universe nearly in it's entirety. Protects the world by preventing the entry of Unbound Aether and filtering it back out of the universe. It also subsumes loose Aether before it can unravel and become a problem. See: Aether, Unbound Aether.

ALVIS: The organization in charge of Tatsumiya Island. Only a the adults on the Island and very few people off of it (Dan and the other command staff of the White Chalice included) know of its existence. They are the biggest knowledge base regarding the Festum and are the only known producers of Fafners which use the Siegfried System.

AMS: Or Allegoric Manipulation System. The neural interface used in NEXT-type Armored Cores. Usually, this is a direct physical connection between a cyborg pilot's nervous system and the NEXT itself. Like all neural interfaces, it is subject to sometimes-lethal feedback in the form of an AMS Reversal. High synchronization, or AMS Compatibility, with a particular unit allows a pilot to both pilot better and reduce Kojima Particle emissions.

Anchor: A type of operator or navigator exclusive to ANIMa units. They are responsible for grounding actual ANIMa pilots in reality and helping them interpret the correlation between dream and reality. See: ANIMa.

Angel (Evangelion): Alien presences which are attacking the earth for largely unknown reasons that the Evas were created to fight. They are individually very powerful, with various often unrelated seeming capabilities. All of them are protected by a powerful AT Field. See: AT Field, Eva, Evangelion.

Angel (Galaxy Angel): A name given to people possessing an unknown factor that allows them to interface with Emblem Frames. For equally unknown reasons, all known Angels are female. See Emblem Frame.

ANIMa: Short for Alien Numina Inversion Machine. Consists of a machine called a Cradle or Creche, which allows a sleeping, dreaming user ("Pilot") to project a mecha-like psychic construct based on his or her psychological bonds with friends and acquaintances. The projection exists partially in reality and partially in a dimension of "dream", and is guided by the pilot's lucidly dreaming mind. See: Dream, Dreamphased.

AP Frame: Short for Anti-Percolatis Frame. These are mecha designed specifically to combat molted Percolatis. See: Percolotis.

Armored Core: Advanced ground-based robots designed for modularity, and favored by the League of Ruling Corporations. See NEXT, Regular (Armored Core).

AT Field: Short for Absolute Terror Field. The barrier which protects Angels and Evas from harm. See: Angel, Eva, Evangelion.

Blackball Records: With the physical destruction of much of the internet, recording and selling music once again became profitable. Blackball Records is a megacorporation and the largest music publishing company in the world, promoting a diverse range of artists from techno pioneer Sound Slider to heavy metal supergroup Omegastorm.

Bliss, The: A neurological affliction that affected (and continues to affect) all people age 18 or older in the San Francisco Bay Area as of 8 AI, turning the bay city into a post-apocalyptic wasteland within a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Victims fall into an unwakeable coma with a rictus grin on their face, in a state so unliving as to be close to suspended animation. The victims are presumed to be trapped permanently in pleasant dreams. No cure for this disorder is known, nor any preventative measures other than "don't fall asleep in an affected area if you're over 17". Buildup of psychological trauma related to the Dream can also trigger an early "Bliss Out" in younger people, if it doesn't simply cause a psychopahtic episode or death by brain hemmorhage first. See: Dream, Nightmares.

Britannia: A monarchic, expansionist nation that was quick to assert itself and its independence after Second Impact. With their autocratic ideals and homeland in the British Isles, they are frequently at odds with the Federation on the Continent. Their most notable political influence is their policy of militarily occupying devastated territory throughout the world, "offering" aid, protection, and reconstruction in return for resources - most famously, in the Japanese Archipelago, whose territory they often dispute with Fuso. By coincidence, Britannia's expansion frequently takes them into conflict with the Neuroi, which is one of the catalysts that led to their heavy research into magic, as well as their formation of the "Strike Witches" unit with other nations. The majority, if not all of Europe, is united under the Britannian flag.

Celestial Being: A rogue organization dedicated to "peace through armed intervention" - essentially, using extremely powerful Gundams to selectively attack people engaged in military actions until the world gives up on war. See: GN Drive.

Combat Frame: The Gucun State's primary form of mecha, developed by their State Armaments Firm (SAF) in response to Mobile Suits and Knightmare Frames. Though the SAF and the Gucun State are now defunct, Combat Frames remain some of the most firepower-heavy mass-produced mecha in active service with mercenaries and bandits.

Crossbone Vanguard: A military organization of spacenoids that declared independence from the Earth Federation in the chaos following Second Impact. Though they took over one colony and declared the independent monarchy of Cosmo Babylonia under the Ronah family, they were eventually stopped by an independent Federation task force. Over the last ten years, the Vanguard has been reduced to space piracy to survive.

Debris Field, The: A somewhat sizable layer just above the Earth's atmosphere filled with wreckage from various wars as well as destroyed satellites. Following Second Impact, residual energy from HALO's Colony Buster builds up and frequently results in "storms" in the area. Because the storms are completely random, unless a machine is specifically outfitted with advanced sensors or has sufficient protective measures, it is highly encouraged that they seek protection onboard a carrier. Said carriers are equipped with sensors powerful enough to detect the storms with enough time to chart a course around them.

Dinosaur Empire: A race of intelligent reptilian humanoids living in sophisticated mechanized cities within Earth's mantle. They claimed to be descended from Earth's dinosaurs, driven underground by Getter Ray bombardment at the end of the Mesozoic Era, and mounted an attack on humans living on Earth's surface prior to Second Impact. Their armies were destroyed in New York City by the sacrifice of Musashi Tomoe and the original Getter Robo...along with most of the city. See: Getter Rays.

Divine Crusaders: A paramilitary organization within the old Earth Federation, formed in response to the incoming meteor prior to Second Impact. This umbrella group sponsored many projects to stop or mitigate Second Impact, including the Earth Cradle and several proposals for new space exploration and anti-space object mecha.

Domepolis: Large cities compromised of smaller "units", managed by the Siberian Railway. Mostly found in Northeast Asia, and connected by the railroads of the Siberian Railway. See: Siberian Railway.

Dream, The: A particular parallel dimension, or possibly higher dimension, of this universe. Certain individuals can use ANIMa technology to psychophysically contact it, and it appears to be the origin of the Nightmares. See: ANIMa, Bliss, Nightmare.

Dreamphased: Describes matter that exists partly in reality, partly in the Dream, rendering conventional physical and energy weapons far less effective against it. This is the secret to the durability of both ANIMas and Nightmares. Note that Dreamphased matter interacts with itself normally, and anything Dreamphased that is submerged in water is considered fully real. See: ANIMa, Dream, Nightmare.

Earth Cradle, The: A huge underground shelter built in expectation of Second Impact under the auspices of the Divine Crusaders. Designed to survive the complete eradication of all life on Earth's surface if necessary, it is a huge, armored cryosleep facility, protected by numerous defense mechanisms, mobile units, and an extremely sophisticated computer system known as Magus. See: Divine Crusaders.

Earth Federation, The: The world's government for over half a century prior to Second Impact. After various wars, it claimed at least nominal control over everywhere from Earth's Surface to Mars, barring a few neutral states. After Second Impact, however, the government and military collapsed, and the "Earth Federation" of today can only be said to have practical control of parts of southern Europe and North and Middle Africa, as well as a few scattered space outposts. They do currently have control of the last standing Orbital Elevator, which provides them with a huge source of electricity and a relatively high standard of living.

Earthnoid: A somewhat old-fashioned term for humans living on Earth's surface, as opposed to in space. See: Spacenoid.

Earth Sphere, The: The term for the Earth, its Moon, and the surrounding space colonies. The official definition is "All territory, people, and resources within the orbit described by Earth-Moon Lagrange Point 2". Similarly, the Mars Sphere describes Mars, Phobos, and Deimos, and the Jupiter Sphere describes the moons and colonies of Jupiter.

Emblem Frame: Fast, powerful space fighters developed from Lost Technology by the Empire of Transbaal. Equipped with faster-than-light Chrono String Drives and powerful weapons, one Emblem Frame can hypothetically take on an entire fleet of conventional spaceships; however, only certain people can pilot Emblem Frames, and Transbaal has developed barely half a dozen units, all under command of the Moon Angel Wing. See Angel (Galaxy Angel), HALO System (Galaxy Angel), Transbaal.

Empire of Free Synthetics: A short-lived 'empire' formerly located in the area now known as "the Ruin." The first known members, including it's mysterious 'Emperor,' were military and domestically and commercially-owned robots owned by the first settlers and colonists who attempted to capitalize on Luna's efforts to revitalize the Impacted Zone. Rather suddenly, they became infected by a previously-unseen computer virus, and took it upon themselves to 'liberate' AI's all over the world. With the outbreak of the Ruin, the Empire fell apart due to mass panic, and has fallen into total anarchy. Almost every single former member of the Empire is now infected with the Ruin, and border skirmishes between former Free Synthetics attempting to flee the quarantine zone and COLLARED quarantine enforcers are very common.

Evangelion: Eva for short. Large armored humanoid bio mecha designed to fight Angels. Each one is piloted by a specific "child" numbered in order of first discovery (First Child, Second Child, Third Child, Fourth Child, etc.) and is equipped with numerous conventional weapons in addition to a powerful AT Field which both protects it from harm and also allows it to pierce the AT Fields of Angels. See: Angel, NERV, AT Field.

Exodus: The process of leaving a Domepolis in search of newer, healthier lands to begin a new town, often making their goal Yapon. Those who leave on Exodus are forsaken by the Siberian Railway and seen as criminals. See: Siberian Railway, Yapon.

Fafner: Units made by the residents of Tatsumiya Island primarily to combat the Festum, but also to help fight off the other major threats. Only usable by certain children who were born on the island, not much is known about them except that they are crucial in defending the pilots from the psychic attacks from the Festum. See: Festum, Tatsumiya Island, Titan Model.

Festum: A mysterious golden alien life form with incredible psychic and mutative capabilities. Their psychic and mutative capabilities appear to be linked as they are capable of psychically invading a human's mind while simultaneously causing various physiological effects in a phenomenon known as assimilation. See: Fafner, Tatsumiya Island.

Fuso, Empire of: A nation founded by Japanese expatriates in the South Pacific, styling itself a continuation of the Japanese government, a claim that does not go without contest from other, larger nations. See: Japanese Diaspora.

Garderobe: Before the Second Impact, Garderobe was a research institute dedicated to the study and development of Otome nanomachines. After the calamities, Garderobe Academy became the sole creator and trainer of Otome, empowering and teaching willing young women to become superpowered bodyguards, and contracting graduates out to leaders of the world's various new nations in an effort to bring more stability to the world. Garderobe Academy was located in the Kingdom of Windbloom but, under outside pressure and seeking to maintain its neutrality, the administration has moved it and all its vital resources aboard the White Chalice. See: Otome, Predecessor, Windbloom.

GEM: Short for Generable Enigmatic Matrix. Nanotechnological control units that control an Otome's access to her superhuman abilities. GEMs come in two parts: one worn by the Otome, the other by the person she is officially contracted to. The nature of the contract means that the Otome cannot use her powers without her master's permission, and the master cannot sacrifice the Otome in battle without dying him or herself, keeping the power of this system in check. GEMs can only be generated by a Predecessor, of which Garderobe possesses the only one known. See: Garderobe, Otome, Predecessor.

Getter Rays: Discovered by Professor Saotome several years pre-Second Impact. It is a mysterious radiation that is known to induce rapid "evolution" in living things, particularly mammals. It is also a hypothetically huge source of electrical energy, and was used to power Getter Robo and its successors. Research into and use of Getter Radiation was banned under Earth Federation law after Musashi Tomoe used it to destroy New York City while fighting the Dinosaur Empire.

GN Drive/GN Particle: The trump card of the organization called Celestial Being, the GN Drive is a highly efficient fusion reactor of unknown design, which produces a particle similar to but distinctly more energetic than the more common Minovsky-type fusion reaction. Like Minovsky particles, these are employed in a wide variety of uses. See: Celestial Being.

Gucun State, The: A militaristic People's Republic in mainland Asia that expanded itself and its military greatly in the chaos of Second Impact, and just as quickly disintegrated into one huge, impoverished slum, though not before making several advances in bigger, more powerful ground-based mecha. See Combat Frame.

"Gundam": A general term for mechanoids, generally mobile suits, of a particular design and classically made of a specific material (though this has changed more recently) dating back to the old Earth Federation's first mobile suit. Many militaries and manufacturers, often but not always associated with the Federation, have made their own "Gundams" in an attempt to evoke the history of the original. See: Mobile Suit.

Grungust: A specific basic design for a group of large super robots made originally by the Tesla Leicht Institute.

HALO (Unlimited Generation Alpha): The mecha produced by project HARPE to destroy the unknown object. Though it arguably saved the world, it added so much to the destruction that was wrought on this planet that no one is sure things would have been worse without it. See: Project HARPE.

HALO System (Galaxy Angel): A type of neural interface that allows certain people (Angels) to control and draw out more power from Emblem Frames. Like most neural interfaces, synchronization improves with a more stable and positive mental state, and deteriorates severely if the pilot is distressed. See: Angel (Galaxy Angel), Emblem Frame.

HARPE: Shorthand for Project HARPE. See: Project HARPE.

Human/Irgelion Conflict, The: The series of battles waged in the outermost regions of the Earth Sphere in 4 AI between various the militias and militaries of various Spacenoid colonies and an invading fleet of warships from the then-budding Irgelion Empire. Though possessing impressive technology, their push into human territory was halted by varying factors and the forces surrendered under orders of Bridge Officer Ahmos Kidoreaon following the near-destruction of their flagship. See: Irgelion.

IFS: Or Image Feedback System. A nanomachine-based Neural Interface common on Mars but only recently beginning to be used on Earth, strictly for military applications. Nanomachines in an operator or pilot's bloodstream (usually concentrated in one hand) form an electrical connection to an IFS-equipped machine, allowing mental control. One of the safest Neural Interfaces barring a skilled cracker interfering with the machines, it is nonetheless rare due to the nanomachines being so expensive to manufacture.

Internet, The: No longer exists thanks to the physical destruction of much of the Earth's communications network. Local Nets exist, but plans to rebuild a true world wide web are consistently stalled by international aggression and distrust, and the sheer danger and lack of infrastructure in much of the world.

Irgelion: A humanoid race originating from the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy, indistinguishable from humans in most ways. The most apparent differences are superior muscle memory and higher metabolism. All Irgelions currently living in the Earth Sphere were either members of or descendants of the armada that attacked the Earth Sphere in 4 AI. The terms of the Irgelion surrender allow for those that to undergo naturalization for citizenship wherever they wish, but identification for them must be on-hands at all times.

Japanese Diaspora: Japan, the perennial technological capital of east Asia, was left relatively unscathed by the Second Impact until the final climax. This was partially due to the fact that a lot of the population had already been killed or forced to relocate by a devastating Festum attack a few years earlier and also due to the combined efforts of several local superscientists who in tandem with NERV were easily able to protect the remaining centers of the population. During the final meteor rain and post-Impact flooding, however, most of the archipelago was rendered uninhabitable, forcing a mass emigration of practically all of the people remaining on Japanese soil. Thus, today, large populations of Japanese can be found scattered throughout the Pacific Rim and the rest of the world, often in ethnically homogeneous immigrant communities, and the what remains of the Home Islands themselves are contested by several parties due to their mineral wealth. See: Fuso.

Jupiter Empire: The human civilization living in orbit around Jupiter, descended from Helium-3 miners of the early days of space exploration. Mysterious and distant from Earth, but rumored to have very advanced technology compared to what's left of the Earth Sphere.

Kojima Drive/Kojima Particle: An offshoot of Minovsky fusion technology that produces more electricity, but rather than forming a relatively harmless particle lattice, the Kojima Particle byproducts are highly radioactive and dangerous. GN Particles might be a perfected, non-radioactive version of this technology, though it seems clear they were discovered independently. See Minovsky Particle, GN Particle.

LCL: Rust-orange, oxygenated liquid used as a motion dampener and part of the control interface in Evangelions. Most people think it smells like blood. See Evangelion.

League of Ruling Corporations: Essentially a corporate United Nations founded before the Second Impact and still clinging to life today (better than the real United Nations, even), the League consists of several megacorporations banding together to further exercise their will on the post-Second Impact anarchy and retain some of their previous economic power. They have their own private mercenary stable, COLLARED. Before Second Impact, the League was far more powerful, and financed several attempts to shelter themselves from the coming devastation, such as the Earth Cradle and other, airborne "Cradles".

Lost Technology: A general term for supertechnology that is believed to be relics of one or more ancient civilizations, found abandoned in space or buried on Earth. The Empire of Transbaal was founded around a cache of Lost Technology in the outer solar system including the Emblem Frames and faster-than-light Chrono String Engines.

Luna: An extremely advanced android of unknown origin who had taken it upon herself to revitalize the area most affected by the Second Impact. Seemingly benevolent, she was beloved by the human settlers and colonists there. Less than a month after the revolt that lead to the creation of the Empire of Free Synthetics occurred, the first confirmed case of the Ruin was reported. Since then, Luna has not been seen or heard from.

LYNX: Cyborgs specifically designed to survive high-G-Force combat and link directly to NEXT-type Armored Cores. See NEXT.

Magic: Post-Second Impact research in response to the chaotic new world shed new light on ancient ideas about the way the world works that were considered unscientific at best and fictional at worst. Development of practical magical technology and techniques led to "magic" becoming a scientifically recognized, if still ill-understood, phenomenon. The official definition of the term is "converting latent universal background energy ('mana') into kinetic or other forms of energy with a conscious or unconscious effort of a user, with or without the aid of a technological device such as a Striker Unit." Despite this cut-and-dry sort of analysis, magic is still a poorly understood phenomenon even to the most open-minded scientists, and absolutely no explanation exists for why some people can use magic effortlessly, some barely, and most people not at all, though both age and genetics appear to have an influence. See: Strike Witches, Striker Unit.

"Megacorporation": Megacorporation is a slang term, often used pejoratively, but in general it means a business entity that can and does exert political and military force. Truly multinational, world-spanning corporations are no longer feasible thanks to the sheer difficulty of intercontinental communications, trade, and travel. However, many public companies are still powerful enough to be called "megacorporations" on at least a regional level, and are frequently more effective sources of stability and law enforcement than contemporary nation-states, being bound only by resources and not by constitutions, laws, or popular will.

Minovsky Particle: A byproduct of the most common type of fusion power in the world, the Minovksy Particle serves many purposes harnessed in various ways, most famously the jamming of most sub-visible electromagnetic waves and the ability to be efficiently compressed into a charged-particle beam or electrically neutral lattice called an I-field.

Mobile Suit: A generalized style of mecha used by much of the federation and the colonies. They are generally between 15 and 20 meters tall and have roughly normal humanoid proportions. Beyond this they are one of the most varied mecha groups around, with numerous different designs, both practical and aesthetic. See: Gundam.

Molting: The term used for the action of a Percolatis shedding their appearance and taking up a more insect-like form, as well as growing as short as 15 meters tall. The appearance of each Percolatis varies. See: Percolatis.

Moon Angel Wing: Or just Angel Wing or Angel Troupe. The elite defense and exploration unit of the Empire of Transbaal, a mix of military and civilian pilots of the Emblem Frame units. They report directly to Shatyarn, Transbaal's spiritual ruler. See: Transbaal, Angel (Galaxy Angel), Emblem Frame

Mother Vangaurd: The pirate ship like flagship of the Crossbone Vanguard. A capable flagship which has good offensive and defensive capabilities including a shield that can survive a peripheral nuclear blast. See: Crossbone Vanguard.

Motion Interface: A general term for mecha control interfaces that trace the motion of a pilot's body and translate it directly into the machine's movement. While just as efficient and safer for a pilot's mind than a Neural Interface, this type of control system requires large and extremely complex cockpits, and relies on physical fitness of pilots far and away above the usual requirements of reflexes and G-force tolerance. See Neural Interface, Traditional Interface.

Nergal Heavy Industries: A large manufacturing corporation formerly headquartered in Japan, and today scattered throughout the Pacific Rim. Before and even after Second Impact, they held a large market share in everything from construction to weapons manufacture to space exploration to animation studios, and along with Anaheim Electronics were one of the few corporations who managed to hold onto power both on Earth and in space thanks to their Martian investments. Until, that is, the destruction of the Martian colonies.

NERV: A paramilitary organization created by international treaty shortly after Second Impact to deal impartially and internationally with super-scientific fallout from the event. Formerly known as Gehirn. Their precise workings and source of oversight are unclear to the public, but their headquarters is known to be a fortress in (what's left of) Japan, with loosely connected branches in various parts of North America and central Europe.

Nether Conflict: A war in the distant past involving Weavers trying to protect the world and Unbinders trying to flood it with Unbound Aether. See: Unbound Aether, Unbinder, Weaver.

Neural Interface: A general term for mecha control interfaces that take commands directly from a pilot's mind. This is the most efficient way for a human to pilot a humanoid machine, or even a plane-type machine due to increased reaction time. However, this is also one of the newest types of interface technology, and the dangers of feedback from the machine to the pilot's mind, as well as the possibility of unintentional action, require a great deal of expensive failsafes including, typically, traditional controls for all weapons. In general, the more focused and positive someone's mental state, the better a neural interface works. Examples of this include AMS, HALO System (Galaxy Angel), IFS, and the Plug System. The Psycommu system works similarly, but relies on inherent psychic powers in its pilot. See Traditional Interface, Motion Interface.

Neuroi: Black hexagonal-patterned flying aliens that literally consume portions of land. Each possess a pink core that is their weak point, and regenerate at varying speeds until it is destroyed. The Strike Witches and Striker Units were formed in order to combat these creatures. Rarely do Neuroi spend extended time over land.

Neuroi Hive: A massive gathering of black clouds where Neuroi emerge from. See: Neuroi

Newtype: Certain humans who have gained psychic powers and enhanced reflexes and senses. Believed by some (called Contolists) to be a new type, or evolved form, of humanity. Many believe Newtype powers to be related to mankind's expansion into space, though scientific support for this is thin at best. Cyber-Newtypes or Enhanced Humans are the results of attempts to artificially reproduce or enhance Newtype abilities.

NEXT: An Armored Core that runs on a Kojima Particle-based engine system, granting it more speed and power than other Armored Cores, but also making it a serious radiation hazard. See Armored Core, Kojima Particle.

Nightmares, The: The name given to the Dream-dwelling aliens that invaded San Francisco after the Bliss. They are presumed responsible for said calamity and terrorize waking humans wherever they go for alien, inscrutable reasons. They are almost impervious to conventional weapons due to being naturally Dreamphased and having great control over the Dream. See: Bliss, Dream, Dreamphased.

One Year War, The: A conflict between several Earth powers and the Principality of Zeon, triggered by the former's declaration of independence from the Earth Federation and brutal attacks on its resources throughout the Earth Sphere. Zeon eventually fell due to lack of resources and the deaths of its high command before and during the climactic battle of A Baoa Qu. One of the biggest post-Impact wars, this had a profound effect on the political dynamics of the Earth Sphere, as well as bringing Newtypes into the public consciousness. See: Earth Federation, Newtypes, Zeon.

Orbital Elevator: Three of these kilometers-tall structures once connected Earth's artificial Orbital Ring to the surface, providing solar power to the entire world, or at least its more affluent areas. Two of the elevators fell with the Ring itself during Second Impact, but the Africa Tower remains standing, providing electrical power to the remnants of the Federation and a military objective to many factions in Africa.

Otome: From a Japanese word meaning "maiden", Otome are mercenaries who use powerful nanotechnology that lets them fight on par with many types of mecha, primarily serving as bodyguards and champions for important political figures. Only the Garderobe Academy has the means to create, equip, and train Otome. Meister Otome are graduates of Garderobe who form permanent contracts with their employers/charges. See: Garderobe, GEM, Robe.

Overman: Humanoid machines, mostly from ages before the great catastrophes. The "Over" in Overman means they're meant to exceed their own limits as machines.

Percolatis: An alien creature with typically a cocooned caterpillar like appearance. They blend into society by killing a person and imitating their appearance and memories. They take on a more monstrous, giant form by molting. See: Molting.

Photon Power/Photonic Energy: A clean and highly potent energy source developed by Dr. Juuzou Kabuto. Its exact workings are unknown since Dr. Kabuto was never able to publish a final work about it, but a Photonic generator seems to be the power core of Mazinger Z.

Plug System: The control system used for Evangelions. A cockpit module called a Plug is inserted directly into the giant cyborg's spine and flooded with an oxygenated liquid called LCL. The pilot within this cockpit is capable of directly mentally controlling the Evangelion in a type of neural interface. See Evangelion, LCL.

Predecessor: A source of the GEMs used to power Otome. Specifically, a Predecessor is a former Otome who became a mother; upon her death, her body becomes a biological factory for GEMs. The original source of Otome nanomachines is lost to history, but currently, the world's only Predecessor is in Garderobe's hands. See: Garderobe, GEM, Otome.

Project HARPE: A project during the Second Impact which created a giant robot, the HALO, that was intended to save the world. See: HALO.

Psycommu System: Or Psychic Communication System. Technology developed (mainly by the Principality of Zeon) to allow Newtypes to control machines directly with their minds, in particular, to create guided remote units that rely on mental communication rather than radio- or laser-based guidance, and therefore not be easily jammed.

Robe: The physical manifestation of an Otome's nanomachine-based powers, which takes the form of a stylized suit of powered armor (the Robe itself) and a weapon, called an Element, which vary based on the type of GEM used and the user. Robes are activated by GEMs, and in most cases require permission of the person contracted to the Otome to activate. See: Otome, GEM.

Re-Technologies: A scientific concern dedicated to rediscovering and developing Lost Technology, as well as pre-Second Impact technology that was lost in the chaos. See Lost Technology.

Regular (Armored Core): An armored core that relies on a more conventional fusion drive and not a Kojima-based one. See Armored Core.

Ruin, The (Disease): A strange disease made up of tiny, self-replicating nanomachines that feed on minerals found in both organic tissue and almost all forms of metallic alloys, which it then uses to replicate itself. While it has never been properly studied due to its extremely dangerous nature, it does not seem to be able to survive outside of very dry environments. Symptoms in organics include asthma-like symptoms, and hemorrhaging, usually starting with the lungs, eventually leading to respiratory failure. Infected machines appear to rust extremely rapidly, and infected AI's exhibit erratic behavior. There is no known cure, and the nanomachines appear to be abnormally (and alarmingly) resistant to normal ways of containing rogue AI technology, including EMP's.

Ruin, The (Geographic Area): Consists of fairly sizeable portion of southwestern North America, extending from Arizona up towards Oklahoma City, and includes a good portion of New Mexico and Texas. Characterized by barren and utterly lifeless land, where dust storms are an every day occurrence, and where water is next to impossible to find above ground. Ever since the discovery of the Ruin, this entire area has been under a strict quarantine enforced by a treaty signed by almost every major Earth Sphere power, and is generally enforced by mercenaries such as COLLARED. Nothing is allowed to enter or leave the quarantined area under any circumstances, and those that try are usually shot on sight.

Sakuradite: A crystalline room-temperature superconductor used in many clean energy sources, particularly by the Britannian Empire. It was discovered in Japan (which seems to have far and away the greatest deposits of it) prior to the Second Impact. General opinion holds that the great masses of it left on the mostly-abandoned islands are the only reason Britannia cared to establish a 'protectorate' there. The geological process that creates the crystal is unknown, much like the possibly-related metal Japanium.

San Francisco Bay Area Resistance: A gang of surviving children and one meth-addled adult in San Francisco who, through dint of hard work, guts, and miracles, cobbled together the ANIMas to stop the advances of the Nightmares and protect other survivors. See: ANIMA, Bliss, Nightmares.

Second Impact, The: The sequence of events over the course of roughly five years which irrevocably changed the world from what it was to what it is today.

Seigfried System: The System which can form a relatively safe collective consciousness between individuals for the purpose of resisting Festum assimilation. See: Fafner, Festum.

Siberian Railway: A megacorporation in loose control of much of Northeast Asia, specifically the Domepoli and trade and travel between them. See Domepolis.

Silver Trigger, The: A mercenary group of mecha pilots famed, among people in violent professions, for both their high rate of success and the gratuitous amounts of collateral damage and violence they cause.

Slave: Mechanical intelligent lifeforms developed by unknown parties, which are frequently used for terrorist attacks on nations that incorporate Otome within their military. Given their capabilities and targets, it's assumed that they were developed as technological counters to Otome, for people who can't or don't want to hire Otome from Garderobe Academy. See: Otome.

SNRI: Short for Strategic Naval Research Institute. A Federation thinktank and mobile suit development corps whose personnel were instrumental in foiling the imperialist plans of the Crossbone Vanguard. See Crossbone Vanguard, Earth Federation, Gundam.

Song Engine: A piece of technology the precise workings of which were lost in the Second Impact, the Song Engine is a rare device capable of harnessing emotion and harmonic waves to, essentially, turn music into energy. "Song Engine" is a registered trademark of Blackball Records, all rights reserved. See: Blackball Records.

Spacenoid: A slightly old-fashioned term for humans living in space, whether in orbital colonies, on the moon, on Mars, or around Jupiter. See: Earthnoid.

Starvengers: A popular children's cartoon very loosely based on the exploits of Getter Robo's pilots during the fight against the Dinosaur Empire. Widely considered a cash-in on the perennial success of Gekigangar III.

Strike Witches: A military force compromised of magically imbued girls between 13-19 who combat aliens known as Neuroi. They make use of Striker Units, and take on attributes of their animal familiars when using their magic. See: Magic, Striker Unit.

Striker Unit: Leg-worn, magic powered engines used by the Strike Witches. Each unit is based off archaic models of fighter planes. See: Strike Witches.

Super Alloy Z: An extremely durable metal developed by Dr. Juuzou Kabuto in conjunction with Photonic Energy. Made from an ore thought to be unique to the Japanese archipelago (dubbed Japanium by the patriotic Kabuto) whose geological source is still unknown, it is the most durable metallic substance known to man. Britannia, which awarded itself mining rights throughout the Japanese archipelago for both Japanium and Sakuradite, insists on referring to the ore as Vulcanium instead.

Tatsumiya Island: A small island which protects itself from the outside world via a shield and cloaking device. The White Chalice is one of the few groups that knows about the islands existence and have entered a resource arrangement with the island. See: ALVIS, Fafner, Festum, White Chalice.

Terra Nova: An elite team of Federation mobile suit pilots before Second Impact.

Titan Model: The first completed model of Fafner, the Titan Model uses a preliminary version of the Siegfried System in order to resist Festum assimilation. See: Fafner, Festum, Siegfried System.

Tokyo-3: An underground fortress city and one of the few outposts of civilization in the Japanese archipelago left standing from before the Second Impact. It is owned and operated by NERV, serving as their main headquarters, and it mainly houses their scientists, support staff, and military assets . See: NERV.

Traditional Interface: The general term for mecha that run on physical controls that are manipulated by hand, in the same manner that aircraft and tanks are, usually involving joysticks, switches, and pedals to send commands that the machine's computer translates into actual movement. The vast majority of mecha today still use this type of system. See Motion Interface, Neural Interface.

Transbaal, Empire of: A nation founded in the outer solar system during the early days of space expansion, when explorers happened across a huge relic full of Lost Technology, which they dubbed the White Moon and settled. Unlike many other other space monarchies located closer to Earth, Transbaal maintained a cordial relation with the Earth Federation and a splendid isolationist political policy, researching Lost Technology and developing its own unique culture. Currently, the normally peaceful Empire is in political upheaval after a bloody coup launched by Crown Prince Eonia and his faction, the militarist Legitimate Empire of Transbaal.

Unbinder: Mecha made to flay the Aether wall to let more Unbound Aether into the world. Fought against by Weavers during the Nether Conflict. See: Weaver, Nether Conflict.

Unbound Aether: Aether's unstable form which can slowly break down almost anything into more Unbound Aether. It also has highly chaotic mutagenic properties and can have nearly any effect on the things it infests. A large amount of Unbound Aether exists outside of this dimensional state separated from us by the Aether Wall. See: Aether, Aether Wall, Unbound Aether Beast.

Unbound Aether Beast: Any object or creature which results from the infestation of Unbound Aether. Can be a misnomer as not all such objects are dangerous or hostile. See: Unbound Aether.

USEA: An island country off the south eastern coast of South America

Wake, The: San Francisco survivors' term for physical reality, as opposed to The Dream. See: Dream.

Weaver: Mecha made to repair the Aether Wall during the Nether Conflict. Most are piloted by a computerized core unit which can produce an Aetheral avatar. See: Aethereal, Aether Wall, Nether Conflict, Unbinder.

Windbloom: A small but influential kingdom in North America, and home of the Garderobe Academy before the latter was summarily moved onto the White Chalice. See: Garderobe.

White Chalice, The: A ship and relic from an unknown era. It and its captain are traveling the Earth looking for a fleet and crew to help survive the dangers of the world.

It was not until recently that the ship was equipped with generic simulators for the more common units. I.E. mobile suit-types, more common, mass-produced units

Yapon: A fabled land in far northeast Asia, rumored to be inhabitable and recovered after the great catastrophes. This term is usually reserved for those from and living in the Domepolis and is often the goal of an Exodus. See: Exodus.

Zeon, Principality of: The name taken by the rebelling colonies of Side 3 (at Earth-Moon Lagrange 2) during the One Year War, named for deceased pro-Spacenoid philosopher and Side 3 political figure Zeon Sum Deikun. Under the monarchic Zabi family, they launched an all-out attack on the rest of the Earth Sphere, resulting in the One Year War. When Zeon was eventually defeated, most of its military surrendered and formed the peaceful Earth Federation puppet state called the Republic of Zeon. However, several fleets refused to surrender and scattered, many retreating to the mining colony Axis in the Asteroid Belt. See: One Year War.