B.TXT

      Baronet: A special form of baron awarded by an Archduke. Baronets rank

below barons in seniority and precedence.



      Basho, Matsuo: Pre-spaceflight Terran playwright familiar throughout

Terra's "Eastern" culture.



      Battle dress: A somewhat bulky, man-sized cross between a spacesuit and

plate armor. Some built-in equipment increases its bulk. For example, a life

support/power unit is integrated into the suit back. No weapons are integral,

but a visible computer socket/link is placed on the chest front at the right

and left shoulders where a rifle would normally be placed.



      Battle rider: Non-jump-capable capital ship intended to stand in the

line of battle in space combat and carried by a battle tender. A battle-rider

is a non-jump-capable capital ship generally carried on a large (up to one

million tons) fleet tender. Such a tender carries a complete Battle Squadron

of six to eight vessels.

      It is generally held that in any meeting of a battleship and a battle

rider of equal tonnage, the battle rider will triumph. The battle rider

concept involves a large jump-capable tender carrying many (two to ten)

heavily armed and armored battle riders. By dispensing with jump drives and

tanks on each of the riders, each becomes ton for ton more heavily armed and

armored.  The concept does not allow for the possibility of superior force: no

matter how good a rider is, if it meets a superior adversary, it is placed in

a position of winning or dying. Retreat is nearly impossible without losses.



      Battleship: Jump capable ship intended to stand in the line of battle in

space combat. Armament and protection are appropriate to this mission. They

generally have little better primary armament than cruisers. Their extensive

secondary batteries render them virtually immune to missiles and small craft

attack, while their bulk provides a tremendous ability to absorb damage and

keep fighting. The battleship concept involves large, well-armed and well-

armored starships of massive tonnage capable of meeting almost any adversary.

In a battle against a superior force, moreover, the battleship can flee using

its own jump drives. (See Battle Rider.)



      Battle tender: Interstellar transport intended to carry battle riders

into combat. Integral to the battle rider concept, the battle tender is little

more than a large dispersed structure with jump drives, fuel tanks, and basic

controls. It transports a squadron of battle riders ready for immediate launch

upon entry into a system. While the riders press the attack, the tender stays

in reserve for protection. (See also Battle Rider, Fleet Tender.)



      Behind the claw: A slang term used by inhabitants of the Spinward

Marches, Deneb, and Trojan Reach sectors to refer to these areas. The term

derives from a supposed resemblance between a claw and the Great Rift, as seen

on maps of the Imperium. This region's inhabitants feel a certain pride in

this designation, and use it to imply that they share a camaraderie and common

interest. The term was once used as the title of a popular news magazine with

a circulation area encompassing the three sectors named above. The term is

rarely used by inhabitants of other areas of the Imperium.



      Bionics: 1) Mechanical body parts that are individually custom-designed.

A bionic generally has greater functionality than the original body part.

   2) A science concerned with applying data about the functioning of

biological systems to solve engineering problems.



      Black Globe (screen weapon): Black globes typify the incomprehensible

artifacts of the Ancients. Each is a small cube measuring 300 cm. on a side.

Two minor discolorations on the otherwise shiny metallic finish are the on/off

switches. When activated, it projects a force field that absorbs all forms of

energy (including light, hence the characteristic black color of the field) in

a sphere around the device.

      The device actually absorbs and re-channels energy: applying energy

expands the sphere. A ship's energy capacitors give a measure of control over

the device. Fields large enough to encompass typical larger fighting craft,

however, proved inherently unstable. When the capacitors become overloaded,

the ship explodes.

      Still, it is an effective defensive mechanism. The Imperial Navy adopted

it for some select fighting ships. Although crude duplicates have been

produced, scientists are still a long way from understanding how they work.



      Black globe generators: project a barrier which absorbs all energy,

shunting it to on-board capacitors. The barrier prevents all transit across

it, and a ship with its black globe on cannot maneuver, fire its weapons, or

communicate. In addition, the field may overload, causing the storage

capacitors to fail, and the destruction of the ship.

      "Not available commercially. They are recovered artifacts installed on a

makeshift basis, or experimental versions installed on tech level 15 Imperial

warships."



      Blotches: Minor race native to Acrid/Borderland (Trojan Reach ?). [Third

Imperium 8]



      Boat: Any defensive non-starship. In general, the term is reserved for

craft produced for local defense considerations. While non-interstellar in

nature, they are heavily armed and armored. (See System Defense Boat.)

      Also, any small craft used for interplanetary travel.



      Bonded Superdense Armor: Armor that has had its electron structure

collapsed, and had a small power input into the armor's electronic bonds,

increasing its strength even more.



      Bradaeva: Name given to fictional ship. Rumors exist that the Imperial

Navy recovered an entire Ancient starship, floating derelict in space between

two solar systems in Massilia. A investigative committee of the Imperial Moot

determined there was no truth to the rumors.



      Brinn: Xenophobic minor race confined to Divad (Corridor 2238).



      Brundle, Seth: Early experimenter in teleportation technology. He relied

on a study of shape, given the problems of measuring the location of quantum

particles. His methods of mathematical modelling are still in advance of

practical current technology. Died as a result of a mysterious accident.



      Brzk: Archduke of Antares, now leader of the League of Antares. He

traces his ancestry through many generations of Imperial citizenship. He is

powerful, and committed to justice in treatment of intelligent species.

                  Brzk is champion of Human-Vargr partnership.



      Bulk carrier: Merchant transport. Typically 10,000 to 20,000 tons

displacement. They are usually designed for a specific run, as it is almost

impossible to profitably run ships this large without connections and an

established route.



      Butehude, Dietrich: Famous Rule of Man composer. Several ciaconas and

fugues.



      Bwaps: (Also called Newts) Minor race ntive to Marhaban/Lentuli (Empty

Quarter 0426).