Difference between revisions of "Eridani Federation"

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===The Reinstated===
===The Reinstated===
While the concept of social mobility is a largely foreign one to Eridanian society, it is not entirely absent. Some Eridanians who have lost their citizenship and the privilege of being a Suit or who were born into the status of a Dreg, have actively sought out ways to gain a better status in society once again, or for many, for the first time. Becoming “'''Reinstated''',” is a long and arduous process that many fail at despite their hardest efforts. Going from a Dreg to a Suit requires a corporate sponsor and extensive background checks along with sensitization programs aimed at stripping any reinstatement candidate of any Dreg-like behaviors, customs, and speech patterns. Even if a Dreg completes these programs, many of which are paid for out of pocket, their reinstatement is still not assured. The only way for a Dreg to become reinstated as part of the Suit class is to obtain employment with one of the megacorporations which govern the ECF and advance beyond a low-level position.
While the concept of social mobility is a largely foreign one to Eridanian society, it is not entirely absent. Some Eridanians who have lost their citizenship and the privilege of being a Suit or who were born into the status of a Dreg, have actively sought out ways to gain a better status in society once again, or for many, for the first time. Becoming “'''Reinstated''',” is a long and arduous process that many fail at despite their hardest efforts. Going from a Dreg to a Suit requires a corporate sponsor and extensive background checks along with sensitization programs aimed at stripping any reinstatement candidate of any Dreg-like behaviors, names, customs, and speech patterns. Even if a Dreg completes these programs, many of which are paid for out of pocket, their reinstatement is still not assured. The only way for a Dreg to become reinstated as part of the Suit class is to obtain employment with one of the megacorporations which govern the ECF and advance beyond a low-level position.


Reinstateds are their own class within Eridani, but also have intrinsic links to both Suits and Dregs. Many Dregs see Reinstateds as traitors to the Dreg communities where they came from or resided after their first falls from grace. On the other hand, Suits often see Reinstateds as not genuine Suits or as people who live up to the standards of what Suit life requires. They see them as better than Dregs but certainly not their equals. Some suits however see Reinstateds as paragons of the hard work and cutthroat attitude needed to survive in Eridani’s society and actively welcome them into their social circles and business partnerships.
Reinstateds are their own class within Eridani, but also have intrinsic links to both Suits and Dregs. Many Dregs see Reinstateds as traitors to the Dreg communities where they came from or resided after their first falls from grace. On the other hand, Suits often see Reinstateds as not genuine Suits or as people who live up to the standards of what Suit life requires. They see them as better than Dregs but certainly not their equals. Some suits however see Reinstateds as paragons of the hard work and cutthroat attitude needed to survive in Eridani’s society and actively welcome them into their social circles and business partnerships.

Revision as of 18:54, 1 August 2022

Eridanian
H. Sapiens/Human
Corp410x320.png
Home System: Epsilon Eridani
Homeworld: Eridani I, II, III, IV, V
Language(s): Sol Common/Tradeband/Freespeak
Political Entitie(s): Eridani Corporate Federation/Sol Alliance
The logo of the Eridani Corporate Federation. It's motto is "For the Prosperity of all Eridanians"

The Sovereign Solarian Nation of the Corporate Federation of Eridani, often referred to as the Eridani Corporate Federation or simply Eridani, is a decentralized corporatocracy set in the Epsilon Eridani system. While nominally part of the greater Sol Alliance as a whole, the Federation’s corporate government enjoys an unprecedented level of autonomy compared to other Solarian member states; very few of the Federation government’s policies align with those of the greater Solarian nation. Renowned and reviled across the Spur for the efficacy of its expansive private military concerns and controversial treatment of its own citizenry, the Eridani Federation has become something of a pariah state in galactic affairs. Its three inhabited worlds boast some of the highest population density anywhere in the Spur, with tens of billions of inhabitants calling the Federation their home.

As Epsilon Eridani was originally settled by colonists of West and Central African descent, human characters born in the Eridani Corporate Federation must have names and appearances consistent with the indigenous peoples of these regions, as any human moving to the ECF would assimilate into the dominant cultures and ethnic groups of the Federation. Eridani dregs have developed cultures of abstract or unconventional names, however, and this is tolerated. Only native Eridanians may select the Eridanian accents – employing the suit slang is how a non-native worker might look to integrate, not the accent tag in-game. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.

History

Originally colonised in 2095 by settlers from the West African Union (UAO), the near-Sol system of Epsilon Eridani stood out as a prime location for early extrasolar settlement. The UAO secured the foundation of the Eridani Federation in 2095 when it secured the sole rights to colonize the Epsilon Eridani system. Most Eridanian Suits are descended from the West African settlers of the UAO’s colonial program, and the Federation maintains warm relations with the UAO to this very day. Modern Eridanian Tradeband is descended from French and some indigenous languages found in West Africa. The UAO has longstanding ties with Hephaestus Industries, which contributed greatly to its colonization effort of Eridani -- the first planet in Epsilon Eridani. Presently, the UAO maintains a very close economic relationship with the Eridani Corporate Federation, though politically they have drifted apart over cultural differences, with many citizens in the UAO decrying the ECF’s treatment of the Dreg Underclass and the eradication of any West African culture that may have once existed in the ECF.

Government

Eridani’s government is largely represented by the Board of Five - five representatives from various megacorporations. Each seat in the Board is tied to a sector, which the chairman’s corporation has full control over. Presently, however, all of the five sectors only include one planet. The positions in the Board are simply purchased, but they also stay extremely consistent because it takes a 4 to 1 majority to dismiss a member, opening the position up for sale - the current arrangement of seats hasn’t changed since the 23rd century. Sector Alpha is considered the most valuable, and its seat is the most expensive, and sector Epsilon is the least valuable of the five.

Sector α (Eridani I) - Hephaestus Industries
Sector β (Eridani II) - Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals
Sector γ (Eridani III) - Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals
Sector δ (Eridani IV) - Einstein Engines
Sector ε (Eridani V) - Einstein Engines

Eridani is by far the most autonomous nation within the Sol Alliance and was exempt from the bevy of anti-megacorporation legislation and actions passed in the wake of the Sol Collapse of 2462.

Population and Planets

With tens of billions of inhabitants strewn across five inhabited worlds, the most striking thing about an Eridanian citizen’s daily life is how little variation there is. Eridani’s five worlds are all but indistinguishable from one another at ground level; a citizen could be plucked from one of their smog-choked cityscapes and dropped into another without noticing much more than a change in the local gravity. Extensive and heavy-handed terraforming has rendered each of Eridani’s planets monotone but perfectly habitable, imposing upon their biospheres a carefully curated environment free from undue weather patterns of extreme temperatures. These "office worlds" are perhaps what Eridani is most famous for aside from the subcultures of its people.

While almost entirely indistinguishable to the average city-dwelling Eridanian, the various worlds of Eridani do have some things that stand out about them.

Eridani I - Due to its status as the capital planet of Eridani, it is referred to by the Dregs of the system as “The Big Show.” By far this planet is the most populated of the five and serves as a microchasm of all of Eridani by itself.
Eridani II - Home to the ECF's largest cargo port, it is called "The Longshore" by Eridani's Dregs.
Eridani III - Houses more corporate research facilities than any other planet in Eridani. Research here fills a diverse set of fields, from robotics to biomedicine. For this reason, it is called "The Lab" by many Dregs.
Eridani IV - The location of many of the ECF's private military company training and prison facilites. This has earned it the Dreg moniker of "The Cell."
Eridani V - Formerly the location of the largest mining operation in the Eridani Corporate Federation, now long defunct. The Dreg name for the planet however is still "The Pit."

Eridani I as seen from Orbit.

The sheer scale of urban development that has come after Eridani's colonization, however, has had a profound effect on the terraforming project’s success. After two centuries of runaway construction and the unregulated exploitation of Eridani’s natural resources, the atmosphere of each respective world is heavy with smog, which clings close to ground level in a soupy mass of various colours. Across the surfaces of each world, skyscrapers rise out of the thick fog into the inky blackness of the sky above, their collossal air-conditioned interiors providing a breathable atmosphere to their citizenry. The pollution of Eridani’s worlds has eclipsed even that of New Hai Phong, and outdoor work is now pursued exclusively by robotic workers or those without any other option.

The Eridanian skyscraper, therefore, has become more than just a workplace for the Federation’s citizenry. Formally known as ‘habitation units’, they incorporate residential floors and areas alongside office complexes and call centers, ensuring that the Eridanian citizen has no theoretical need to ever leave their building of birth. The habitation units themselves are further organised into megacorporate ‘cities’, generally held and owned in their entirety by one specific corporate subsidiary. Work is generally just one elevator ride away from an employee’s living and leisure space, which maximises productivity for the corporation at the top of the chain. The Federation’s focus on so-called corporate ‘non-jobs’ has drawn increasing criticism over the past decades, but as the population continues to sprawl across the grey, drab surfaces of each Eridanian world, the crushing weight of office bureaucracy continues to expand. At the base of these city-structures are often cities in themselves, living and breathing communities cobbled together out of maintenance shafts and tunnels created or inherited by Eridani's dreg population. These areas are notoriously hazardous, with sources of danger being both their ramshackle environments and the less savory inhabitants of Eridani's lawless undercities.

Society

Each individual planet is practically under the free reign of its respective corporation. Unbound by law, megacorps can conduct any business - no matter how unethical, as they have to respond to nobody. This has a dramatic effect on an average Eridanian’s life - and not solely negative. Many research facilities are set up here, in the heart of corporate activity. Upcoming products are tested and enjoyed here first, and some of them don’t even leave Eridanian borders. Many Eridanians relish in this luxury and exclusivity.

Going up the corporate ladder, however, other difficulties start to arise in the life of a typical Eridanian. Corporations having absolute control over its citizens means that there is absolutely no privacy - everything that one does is collected as data, and then processed by advertisers, HR managers and law enforcement. Even a slightly odd Extranet search may earn one quite an unpleasant talk at work, which may often end in an employee’s dismissal. Because of this, most Eridanian citizens avoid even slightly falling out of the norm, being lawful as well as visually and verbally inoffensive - though transgressions are increasingly overlooked the wealthier or the more well-connected one is.

Work is also extremely easy to find, and often it pays somewhat better than average, even when working for the same corporation, in other governments. This, however, is often compensated by absurd working hours.

Of course, there are people who also choose to go to the surface also simply out of spite towards the large corporations. They usually become the leaders of various criminal communities found all across the Federation. These communities often form settlements underground, or if they are especially lucky, in abandoned buildings or manufacturing plants. Some are welcoming to newcomers while others are fiercely territorial and even violent. A sense of rebelliousness is a common ideal in these settlements within the Eridanian undercity, with many choosing or being convinced to express it with outrageous appearances, extreme body modifications, and even criminal activity. This life, however, is not fit for everyone - and those who aspire to better things often leave their communities or Eridani itself via smuggling operations or try to reintegrate back into Eridanian corporate society by trying to find megacorporation work or even going as far as to attempt to return to the corporate class culturally.

Eridanian Citizens

Known as Suits to the rest of the Spur, the life of a model Eridanian citizen is simple and regulated. Work takes place seven days a week for upwards of twelve hours a day, with an employee’s income carefully balanced against their expenditure to ensure little to no upward mobility. Prices in Eridani are controlled on an individual level, and everything is paid for in the great Solarian credit. An employee’s consumption of every resource is monitored by the state’s vast surveillance apparatus; the food they eat, the fluids they drink, and the air they breathe are all accounted for and deducted accordingly from their pay. The elevator one rides to work each day comes with a charge, and so does the electricity they use at their workstation. Jobs are frequently mind-numbing and unimaginative; data entry, call centre work, and other rote tasks are emblematic of the Eridanian ‘career path’. Unsatisfactory performance leads to penalties imposed, automatically or otherwise, by an employee’s superiors – in extreme cases, a worker’s contract may even be terminated outright, resulting in expulsion from the habitation unit onto the smog-choked concrete outside.

Augmentation is encouraged at every level of society, and even the most body-purist of Eridanian citizens can sometimes be found with an ocular overlay laid behind one or both eyeballs. Due to a lack of regulatory control, advertisements are often invasive and incessant – the fee to opt-out is generally so prohibitive that buying the product outright would cost less, and a user’s augmentations are often used as a vehicle to deliver adware directly into an employee’s field of view or hearing. Augmentations are frequently discounted, offered as grants, or subsidized by the employing corporation (although the cost is always recouped down the line), as each new piece of metal or silicon installed in a worker is another part of them open to more state control. The private military sector is one of the heaviest investors in augmentation technology – free from undue regulation and ethical constraints, the Eridanian model of war as a business has led to the Federation leading the Spur in the field of combat augmentation.

Eridanian Non-Citizens

Aside from the Federation’s official citizenry, however, a sizable minority population of billions of non-citizens live outside the confines of the crushing corporate system. Referred to as Dregs by the Spur at large, the term has been co-opted by many as a badge of honor rather than a pejorative. Whether an individual was born outside the great Eridanian skyscrapers or sent there following the loss of their job, Dreg society is the polar opposite of their Suit counterpart. Without corporate control or any form of governance from the Eridanian state itself, the Dregs largely inhabit their own sprawling, slum-like conurbations all across the surface of Eridani’s terrestrial worlds. Categorizing their form of governance is impossible, as the disposition and inclinations of one Dreg community can be strikingly different from those of its neighbors. Anarchist communes, miniature despotisms, and even some functional democracies have spread themselves from Eridani I to Eridani V, and the Dreg world now consists of an immeasurable number of unrecognized micro-states, all of which are mostly ignored by the central Eridanian authorities. The attitude of each of these micro-states can vary considerably, as can the attitude of each corporate ‘city’ towards their officially unrecognized neighbors. Some Dreg and corporate communities are known to engage in limited cooperation, however uneasy; some others, however, are engaged in all-out bloody warfare to undermine or eradicate the other. Naturally as corporates fight one another, so have Dregs been known to.

The life of the ‘average’ Dreg, therefore, contrasts sharply with that of their Suit counterpart. The air is thick with smog, technology is often backwards and archaic, and independent observers estimate life expectancy to be somewhere in the low forties. Even so, living outside the hellish Eridanian corporate system comes with its own invaluable upsides – Dregs enjoy personal liberty the likes of which very few Suits will ever see, and passage off-world is (ironically) much easier to secure for many Dregs to acquire than a Suit under constant, crushing surveillance. What little remains of the colonists’ native African culture is kept alive in Dreg communities across Eridani, and although much of it has diverged significantly from what the Africans originally brought to the system, it often forms a important aspect of life in Dreg society, as well as acting as a symbol of defiance against the oppressive, corporate non-culture the authorities look to enforce. Some dregs have sought to economically become people once again though have still kept their Dreg culture and have landed jobs with megacorporations and regained their citizenship, though almost all of these positions are low-level or hazardous.

Non-citizen Dregs cannot be employed on the Horizon due to the SCC refusing to employ them, however characters who are culturally Dregs or from Dreg communities who also hold Eridani Citizenship are employed by the SCC. This means that all canon player-made Eridani Dreg characters played on the Horizon who do not possess a citizenship of another country or faction are Eridanian Citizens.

The Reinstated

While the concept of social mobility is a largely foreign one to Eridanian society, it is not entirely absent. Some Eridanians who have lost their citizenship and the privilege of being a Suit or who were born into the status of a Dreg, have actively sought out ways to gain a better status in society once again, or for many, for the first time. Becoming “Reinstated,” is a long and arduous process that many fail at despite their hardest efforts. Going from a Dreg to a Suit requires a corporate sponsor and extensive background checks along with sensitization programs aimed at stripping any reinstatement candidate of any Dreg-like behaviors, names, customs, and speech patterns. Even if a Dreg completes these programs, many of which are paid for out of pocket, their reinstatement is still not assured. The only way for a Dreg to become reinstated as part of the Suit class is to obtain employment with one of the megacorporations which govern the ECF and advance beyond a low-level position.

Reinstateds are their own class within Eridani, but also have intrinsic links to both Suits and Dregs. Many Dregs see Reinstateds as traitors to the Dreg communities where they came from or resided after their first falls from grace. On the other hand, Suits often see Reinstateds as not genuine Suits or as people who live up to the standards of what Suit life requires. They see them as better than Dregs but certainly not their equals. Some suits however see Reinstateds as paragons of the hard work and cutthroat attitude needed to survive in Eridani’s society and actively welcome them into their social circles and business partnerships.

Partially because of their past-lives as Dregs, many Reinstateds are employed by private investigative firms or security companies specializing in policing dregs or working with them in the numerous Eridanian undercities. Other Reinstateds have found themselves working as Engineers or Mechanics due to the lives of many dregs involving technology or machinery of some sort courtesy of the entirely urbanised wasteland where Dregs live and from where Reinstateds have left. Becoming reinstated does not just mean that a dreg finds a job with a megacorporation, it is returning to the fold to be a part of the corporate or "Suit" society of Eridani.

Synthetics

Due to both the costs of living and the lack of any laws governing the self-purchase of synthetics, the majority of legal IPCs in circulation are property. Within the upper echelons of Eridani society, synthetics are recognized as property with the ideas of synthetic rights being found mostly in the lower levels of the megacities. Due to this, free-thinking and non-subservient IPCs tend to stand out within the cities.

Synthetics are used by the companies to cater to a wide set of needs such as customer service, logistics, and even traffic. These IPCs are often used as a showcase for the latest products, with Shell and Bishop receptionists and Mobility Frame traffic officers being the most visible additions to the labor force.

IPC personnel are commonplace in Eridani with high-end leisure and entertainment establishments, including the famous Asmara, being known to operate IPC employees. Informally, synthetics are viewed as a contest with corporations participating in an unspoken competition to surpass the other in terms of the beauty and service that their IPCs can provide. Critics often proclaim that the quality and innovation of an Eridani-made IPC is surpassed only by that of their Venusian counterparts.

Synthetics exist in the lower levels of Eridani as well. They are often used by and against dregs, performing tasks that would be harmful for a human on the polluted surface of the planet. Owing to these capabilities, IPCs still constitute as luxury goods in the lower levels, often being smuggled for sale to Dreg communities or to be sold as parts. Synthetics that manage to acquire their freedom commonly find themselves joining gangs to protect themselves from repossession or disassembly, or forming gangs of their own, the most notable types being the Scrappers.

Augmentation

Suit Augments

Cybernetic modification is an integral part of Eridani’s cultural ideal. Simple tracheal augments are usually the first and the mildest step into augmentation, as they are needed for a lot of people to simply survive with Eridani’s thoroughly polluted air. Having other bionic enhancements are considered a symbol of wealth and prestige. Most electronics in the Federation is specifically designed to interact with augmented eyes - but they are also very functional on their own. A typical Eridanian eye implant can completely replace, or even surpass, a typical hand terminal in functionality - being used to browse the Extranet, communicate on chat relays, and more. As is typical for Eridanian technology, it is also swarmed with ads and is proven to constantly send data about the user’s activity to advertisers, making them somewhat unpopular outside the Federation.

Dreg Augments

Dreg societies take the Eridanian fascination with augmentation technology to an extreme. While a typical Corporate may have no more than an augmented respiratory system, bionic eyes and a few neural implants, a Dreg may maim themselves to replace their flesh with superior, more durable metal - often at the expense of looking presentable. Sleek eye augmentations are removed from former workers by barely qualified surgeons to be replaced with crude prosthetics that do not aim to imitate the human form, but to simply provide functionality - often being, for example, completely filled with one color, or having colored scleras. The more brave may opt into removing their limbs for a metal replacement, which is often made “in the house”, and is of fairly low quality.

Eridani Federation Life

Food

Soy products absolutely dominate Eridanian space - from cheap vendor snacks to high-class dishes alike. It is often bombarded with flavorings, giving Eridanian food a unique feel. It often has very strong salty and umami flavors, while the soy itself is cooked in a variety of ways to create all sorts of different textures. LiquiRations are sometimes called the Eridanian national dish.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the food here is hazardous or low-quality, however. On the contrary, many Eridanians quickly accustom and begin to even take pride in this type of cuisine, calling it “the food of the future”. Many native Eridanians are also meat intolerant due to a mostly plant products-based diet, although this doesn’t spread to all of them.

Language

The official languages of the Federation are Sol Common and Tradeband. A few dregs Dregs hold onto Freespeak as a piece of cultural identity, though many regard it as a dying language in the ECF. Regardless of what languages they speak though, Eridani's inhabitants are well-known the Spur-over for their unique and distinctive slang expressions, examples of which can be found below.

Corporate Slang

Esteemed colleague - A friend or superior.

Colleague - Neutral term or an insult if the person is a friend or superior.

Blue sky thinking - A very good idea.

Dreg - A member of the lower social classes. Also used as an insult to anyone who is not a Dreg.

Stopgap - Derogatory expression used to refer to a Reinstated."

No can do - Polite form of "no".

That's a big N O - Neutral or negative form of "no".

Do lunch - To meet up or hang out.

Eight thirty res at Asmara - A humorous way of saying good bye/ the impossible, based on the extremely exclusive Asmara restaurant on Eridani I. E.g. "Gotta go, I have an eight thirty res at Asmara" or "uh huh, and I've got an eight thirty res at Asmara."

Call me - Dismissive form of "bye".

I'll call you - Friendly form of "bye".

You got it - Said in response to "Call me" or "I'll call you."

Pierced and Dyed - A dreg. Could be someone who lost everything/became poor. (“What happened to Mr. Holloway?” “Made a bad investment; now he’s pierced and dyed.”)

Ink under his/her/their suit - Associates with dregs more closely than is socially acceptable. It implies that under their nice clothes, their body is tattooed. Insult.

That is a shame - Don’t really care. “Oh, the dregs are going hungry? That is a shame.”

Out of my scope - Not my problem or, dismissively, “I can’t/won't help you.”

I would sign that - I’d bet on it/it’s a sure thing.

Blue dye thinking - A very bad idea. A play on “Blue sky thinking,” but “Blue dye” refers to dregs.

I’ll pen you in - Good/Positive response to “Let’s do lunch.”

I’ll have to check my schedule - Negative response to “Let’s do lunch.”

Read the fine print - Be careful/Stay safe.

Sign blindly - Dangerous or stupid. As in signing a contract without reading it.

Contract Expiry- A polite euphemism for death, as in "Unfortunately, colleague, the dreg's contract seems to have expired." "Fired" is also used, but is more crass and impolite.

Partner - Good friend/Significant other. From “Business partner.”

A good investment - A general compliment. Referring to someone as 'a good investment' can imply friendship, camaraderie, or even love. E.g. "You're a good investment."

To be across something - To understand something. "I'm across it" means "I understand."

(As) Per my last - A rude or arrogant way to indicate something was already said or proposed, often used for emphasis or out of frustration.

Bought a tie but shipped heels/Bought heels but shipped a tie - A way to describe a transgender person. Female to male and male to female respectively. Not used in a derogatory context.

Not worth a single credit - Not worth my time.

Clip-on - Fake or inauthentic. (From a clip-on tie). Usually refers to a person.

To have poor posture - To be outside the social norm

Proactive - Kind/thoughtful.

To engage with someone - To talk to/speak with some one.

To get the memo about something - To hear and/or understand something

To draft something - To write something

To push something forward - To act on a plan (i.e. "Let's push forward this deal" - "Let's get on with it.")

Tongue-pierced - Rude/Insulting. As in “He’s tongue-pierced” (He’s rude) or “Is your tongue pierced?” (Indicating that someone just said something rude, insulting, or like a dreg).

Thank you for your input - A dismissive expression used in response to information a speaker found useless or unproductive to a conversation. Akin to the standard expression, "Nobody asked."

I trust you understand - Intimidating / threatening version of "Listen to me". This can also be used in the sense of a warning.

Deal - Multipurpose expression for a "thing."

In plain writing/Plainly written - Simply put/Bluntly put

Foreign Merger - Interspecies relationship.

Subpar/Not optimal - Very bad/dire.

Ledger - Situation.

Black Ledger - Good/Great situation.

Red Ledger - Terrible situation.

Merger - Committed romantic relationship.

Temp work - Romantic fling.

Check your quarterlies - Be careful (About what you are doing.)

What are your quarterlies? - How have you been?.

Bank run - Sudden bad situation.

Hostile takeover - Murder.

To act like an intern - to act unprofessionally or in an unbecoming manner.

With Kindest Regards/Best Regards - "Fuck you." Can also be used as an expression of endearment between close friends/business partners or couples.

“I need to hang up.” - "I have to leave unexpectedly/attend to something urgently."

“I need to take a call” - I have to go for a moment.

“I’ll call you back,” - We’ll speak again later.

To move the needle - To work hard.

"Unseen collaboration," - Used to express getting less credit than deserved.

Dissolution or Liquidation - Bad breakup.

Reinstatement - The process of a Dreg re-entering Eridanian society.

To default - To go wrong. "It might default" - "It's risky/dangerous."

Sky High - High quality.

"A quarterly report’s worth of X” - A lot of something.

Portfolio - Reputation.

Examples:

"It's blue dye thinking, but I'll push it forward regardless. I trust you understand that it's out of my scope if this deal leaves you pierced and dyed." ("I think this is a bad idea, but I'll do it anyway. For the record, I won't help you out any further if this ruins you.")

"Plainly written, foreign mergers are simply poor posture. I'm not across why anyone would sign so blindly." ("To be frank with you, I think interspecies relationships are disgusting. I don't understand why anyone would involve themselves in one.")

"Did you get the memo? Aida's going to end up dyed after that deal -- I'd sign that." ("Did you hear? Aida's going to go broke after that deal she made -- I'd bet on it.")

"Is your tongue pierced? As per our last conversation, gossip isn't worth a single credit to me. If anyone has ink under their suit, it's the one engaging with me in poor posture." ("Excuse me? Like I told you before, I don't care about workplace gossip. If anyone's acting like an idiot, it's you.")

Dreg Slang

Boss - A highly insulting term for a superior or coworker.

Suit - A neutral or positive term for a superior.

Extra - A hacker.

Heavy - Serious or dangerous.

Plus - Good.

Rats - Food. Derived from "Rations".

Soy - Food. Eridanian cuisine is primarily made up of soy-based produce.

To chew the rats: To eat.

The office - Prison.

In my turf - Up in my business/In my face.

Pad - Place.

Boy/Girl - Male/female friend or associate.

Man/Woman - Male/female partner or romantic interest.

No phone - A derogatory response to a suit slang bye e.g. "I'll call you" "No phone boss."

Chief - A neutral or positive term for a superior.

To sign the dots - To be imprisoned/enslaved. Comes from the idea of signing a contract.

Tie and slacks/Leisure suit - Half-dressed in a suit i.e. a dreg that either associates with corps, or maybe a dreg who has a corp parent. Also used as a derogatory term refer to Reinstateds Either way, it’s a big dreg insult.

Sets lunch - A play off of the suit slang “let’s do lunch.” Basically someone who associates with suits (“Yeah, he's the type to set lunch.”)

Suit Smile/Suit promise - A lie.

Knabo/Knabino/Knab - A guy or gal.

Talpo/Talp - A shady person or a criminal.

Kroko/Krok - An outsider or non-Dreg.

Bov/Bovino - A very good friend or tight-knit pal. Can be considered rude or insulting when used with a person the speaker isn't good friends with.

Amo/Amino - Boyfriend/Girlfriend or significant other

To Verb/To Spit - To say, speak, or tell.

To gab (with someone) - To chat (with someone).

To Audit something - To hear or understand something.

To vide something - To see something.

To Scrib/Scribe - To write.

To tool - To fix (mechanically or technically) or conduct maintenance.

To map something - To understand or recall something.

Arctic/Slick/Ice - Cool, great.

Riccy - Rich, often used in a pejorative or derogatory sense.

Fek/Knob - Alternative, less-offensive variations of "Fuck."

To Debt - To work (a job).

No debts - No worries/No problem.

Bonny/Bones - Good.

Dolly - Kind/Nice/Sweet.

Creaky/Rusty - Dangerous. Can be used in the past tense to describe misfortune.

Pure/Straight/Right - Very. “Pure dangerous,” “Straight riccy,” “Right dolly,” etc.

Milk - General multipurpose replacement for "thing." Akin to the Suit word "Deal."

To cark (it) - To die. Not used when referring to murders.

To be creased - To be murdered.

To crease someone - To murder someone.

Arbo – A Dionae.

Serp/Serpo – An Unathi.

Rano – A Skrell

Borgo – An IPC or stationbound cyborg/android/robot.

Cino – A Vaurca.

Badge/Blue – A member of corporate security or other law enforcement.

Patcher – A doctor.

Wrencher – An engineer.

Mixer – A bartender.

Hopper – A Head of Personnel.

To bleed someone - To hurt someone/Make them pay.

Sniffs/Sniffers - Sniffs/Sniffers - Brown-nosers. Dregs who suck up or listen to suits/authority. Also for cops who are putting their noses in your business.

Band - Gang. Bando/Bandino would be a gang member.

Banded - Married/Life partners. Best friends, marriages, etc. Not a coincidence it uses the same root for gangs.

Idio/Drongo - Idiot.

Half-eared/Half-eyed - Hard of hearing/seeing. Mostly said out of frustration. “What the fek are you, half-eared?”

Just hands - Said of a person who can only communicate in sign language because they are either deaf or mute. Might be called No-eared or No-tongued, to mean Deaf or Mute, respectively.

Fair shake - Fair enough.

Pointed/Pointy - Horny. Mostly as a joke, to tell people to relax. “Don’t get all pointy”

Affirmed - Got it. Confirmed. “Did you set the engine?” “Affirmed, boss.”

Tick/Shake - Second or minute. Like “Hold on a tick” Or “Back in a hot shake.”

Biz - General multipurpose word that can be used to refer to almost anything. Akin to the typical slang usage of the word “Shit.” "Bad biz, I mapped that biz."

Callsign - Name.

Clacker/Starfish - Asshole. “Crank the rod from yer clacker” = Get the stick out of your ass.

Not(Ain’t) my prints - Not my fault. As in, my fingerprints aren’t on that.

Running your trail - Got your back/following you/I’m with you.

Dry as a suit’s wife - Boring, dull, lacking substance. It implies that suits barely have sex or are unfaithful to their romantic partners and have mistresses/paramours, though both meanings are widely accepted by most Dregs.

To Ice something - To vandalize or destroy something.

Wrong (shoes/boots) - A transgender person. “Born in the wrong shoes” meaning born in the wrong body. Not a derogatory term.

Night wishes - Dreams.

To spill honesties: To be earnest or truthful

Examples:

“You vide that rano mixer? Knab’s pure iced.” (Have you seen that skrell bartender? Guy’s real awesome.)

“Affirmed; right dolly, mixes plus brews.” (Yeah. Real sweet, and makes good drinks).

“Fekkin’ knob me sideways, that arbo boss is a pure badge sniffer. Ain’t even my prints that the biz got rusted.” (Fuckin’… fuck me sideways, that Dionae moron sucks up to the cops. It’s not even my fault that the shit went bad.)

“All bonny, amino; you ain’t signin’ the dots. Maybe rusty biz, but I’m runnin’ your trails, no debts.” (All good, love. You’re not going to prison. Maybe it’s uncertain(dangerous) shit, but I have your back, no worries.)

“Verbed with patcher Gonzales’ ma last debt; kickin’ pure bonny at my own ma fekkin’ off. Krok’s drier than a suit’s amino; spit riccy the max shake. Def sets lunch, though probbo suit-smilin’ about her biz.” (I talked with doctor Gonzales’ mom last shift; Makes me really glad that my own mom left. She’s dry as a suit’s wife; talked rich the whole time. She mixes with suits, though she’s probably lying about her business.”)