The Gemini Divergence (89 page)

Burya –
Russian word for storm, used to name many military and space
objects.

CE –
Civil Engineers, Air Force equivalent of City or Highway
workers, similar to Navy SeaBees.

CO –
Commanding Officer

Ceres –
Once named one of the Solar System’s planets, now ranked as a
minor planet along with Pluto. It orbits the Sun from within the
Asteroid Belt and is believed to be entirely made of
water.

Colonia Dignidad –
Compound in Parral Chile suspected to harbor
fugitive Nazis.

Conus –
American Military term for Continental United States, a.k.a.
the lower 48

Cruithne –
Object sometimes called Earth’s second moon, is
actually orbiting the sun and passes by the Earth every November.
It appears to make a kidney bean, or horseshoe shaped orbit in the
sky.

DEW –
Directed Energy Weapon.

DIA –
Defense Intelligence Agency

DO –
Air Force abbreviation for Director of Operations, the
officer that appoints flight crews and specific air craft for
assigned missions.

DSO –
Defense Systems Operator, electronic counter
measures.

Eiche –
German for Oak.

Elephant Cage –
Air Force nick name for directional microwave
transmitters, (nick named for appearance), supposedly for
atmospheric research, rumored or suspected of being directed energy
weapons and predecessors to HAARP.

Entstehung –
German for emergence, origin, genesis, or
birth

EVA –
Extra Vehicular Activity

Exocorona –
fictional technology for this story, designed to
burn off excess energy by converting it into heat and
light.

Fallschirmjaeger –
German for paratrooper

Feldkochswagen –
German for chow wagon, literally – field cooks
wagon.

Feldwebel –
German for Sergeant.

Six Turning and Four
Burning –
Air Force Euphemism for all
engines good. Believed to have come from B-36 which had six
propeller engines and four jet assisted take off
engines.

FAC –
Air Force acronym for Forward Air Controller which is a
person trained and equipped with the ability to talk to military
aircraft from the ground; used extensively to call in air strikes
during conflicts.

FOD –
Aerospace term for “Foreign Object Damage”, FOD walker, is
someone whose duty it is to walk around aircraft facilities and
pick up small garbage and debris that can be sucked into jet
engines accidentally.

Follow me vehicle –
Air Force vehicle to guide aircraft around
unfamiliar air bases once on the ground; usually with large sign or
placard on back with words ‘Follow Me’.

Fröhliche Weihnacht
–
German for Merry Christmas

Front Ender –
Air Force euphemism for cockpit crew such as
Pilot, Co-Pilot., Navigator, Bombardier, Engineer, Radar Operators,
Electronic Weapons Officers and Special Equipment
Operators.

FSC –
Flight Security Commander

Fubar –
U.S. Military term, basically meaning kaput. Acronym for
F#&*ed up beyond
a
ll
r
ecourse,
a
ny
r
ecognition,
a
ll
r
epair,
a
rmy
r
egulation,
a
lmighty
r
etribution, etc.

Funkmeister –
German title for radio technician

Geheim –
German for secret

GRB –
Gamma Ray Burst

Heit –
German for unit

Hessian
–
Old American derogatory slang term for
Germans, predating Kraut.

Hot Bird –
Air Force euphemism for a nuclear armed
aircraft.

IFF –
Identify Friend or Foe, used to identify aircraft to air
traffic controllers and military aircraft.

Ilyushin –
Russian aircraft manufacturer and maker of the
Sturmovik.

Jasta –
German for fighter squadron. Similar to Schwadron.

Ja wohl –
German for “yes well”, used in same circumstance
as British phrase “Very Well Sir” or “Very Good Sir.”

Jerrys –
British slang term for Germans.

Jerry Can –
5 gallon can, used by most militaries.
Rectangular in shape with a beveled top and offset star pattern on
sides. Called Jerry cans because they were first used by Germans,
then copied by others.

Jetzt –
German for “Now!” pronounced (yetz).

JPL –
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a NASA facility and one of the
U.S. national laboratories

Kofferraum –
German for car trunk or boot

Kugelblitzen –
one of the German euphemisms for flying saucer,
literally translates to ball lightning or lightning ball

Landsnecht –
pauper, or peasant, literally “land
servant”

Lawrence-Livermore –
One of the United States National
Laboratories.

LCC –
Launch Control Center

Lebensgefährten –
Domestic partner, “Life traveler”

Lebensraum –
Elbow room, habitat, or territory

LEM –
Lunar Excursion Module

LEO –
NASA acronym for
“
Low Earth Orbit.”

LF –
Launch Facility

Lunar Unit –
Fictional unit of measurement for this book,
similar to astronomical unit, which is the distance from the Sun to
the Earth, a lunar unit is the approximate distance from the Earth
to the Moon.

Machinenwerk –
German for factory or machine shop

Meet the Holy Ghost
–
German idiom meaning go to your death.
Similar to the English use of a visit from the grim
reaper.

Mogul –
Army Air Corp program to hang listening devices onto weather
balloons to monitor Russian nuclear testing in the 40s.

Moskva –
Russian for Moscow, also Moskba.

MT –
Maintenance Technician

Mutungsgerät –
German for ‘presumption
falls’ most likely used to mean targetable or guided.

Nachtrichtendienst –
German for ‘Night Intelligence
Service’.

NAS –
Naval Air Station

NEO –
NASA acronym for
,
“
Near Earth Object.”

Nemtskii –
Russian term for Germans

Nemetskii Soldat–
Russian term for German soldier

Nerva –
U.S. atomic propulsion program started by President
Kennedy

NICAP –
National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena was a
not for profit UFO investigative group roughly equivalent to MUFON.
Active from 1956 to 1980 when disbanded and all files sold to
Center for UFO Studies.

NMC –
Non Mission Capable, or No-Go, non serviceable

North Base –
Restricted area within Edwards AFB where the most
secret aircraft testing takes place.

NRO –
National Reconnaissance Office. Top Secret until sometime in
the 90s; was the civilian control over spy satellites.

NTBT –
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Oberst –
German for
Colonel

Oberstleutnant –
German for
Lieutenant
Colonel

OIC –
Officer In Charge

OL –
Operating Location

Puddle Jumper –
Slang for ultra small commercial aircraft,
usually used to connect less traveled routes.

Quallen blitzen–
German for “jellyfish lightning” not a real term,
but used for fiction purposes as a means to describe sprites, which
were not discovered until we entered space, and were not actually
named until the 80’s

RF –
Radio Frequency

Rill –
creek, wash, or stream that empties into a larger tributary.
Dry valleys on the moon or other celestial bodies.

RTG –
Radio Thermal Generator

SAM –
Surface to Air Missile

SAT –
Security Alert Team

Schwarm –
Luftwaffe term for flight or group of
aircraft

Schmelzengewehr –
Melt Gun

SP –
Security Police, Air Force Security

Spinne –
German for spider

Strahlenkanone –
German for beam or radiance canon. Ray gun or
laser canon.

Sturmovik –
Russian ground attack aircraft, nicknamed “flying
tank” by Germans that had to endure attacks by them because they
were nearly impervious to small arms fire from the
ground.

TDY –
Temporary Duty

TFW –
Tactical Fighter Wing, U.S. Air Force

UnterOffizieren –
German for NCO or non commissioned officer, used
most often in German Army to refer to Corporals.

Untertasse –
German for ‘saucer’

USAEDS –
United States Atomic Energy Detection
System

USO –
Unidentified Submersible Object

Verstehen Sie –
German for ‘do you understand’.

Vril –
A magical power or an all powerful fluid mentioned in
19
^th
century science fiction. Many Nazis actually believed that it
existed. For the purpose of this novel it is a very powerful
fuel.

Wing-Walker –
Air force term for ground crew that guide
aircraft into hangers or berthing slots, so named because the
usually consist of one person in front guiding the steering who can
see the pilot as well as persons positioned at the extremity of
each wing, to ensure that the wing does not collide with any other
object.

Wolfsschanze
– German for Wolf’s Lair,
Hitler’s military headquarters in Prussian Poland.

Wullenweber
– Allied code name for
secret elephant cage research after war.

XO –
Executive Officer