At some unspecified point in the past, most Terran countries with a standing military banded together to create a unified veteran’s affairs known simply as the Terran Veteran’s Affairs (TVA). This was a highly publicized event that praised itself for putting veterans first and prioritizing their care over political boundaries or agendas, but in actuality just created a big mess.
The TVA is an enormous organization that is officially headquartered in numerous locations (each headquarters is firm that their building is the genuine headquarters). Due to the amount of people involved at top levels, it sometimes takes years to enact basic policy changes, so there is a lot of “well, we’ve always done it that way”/“if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” involved when it comes to inefficient or outdated processes.
The TVA’s focus on paperwork and regulation is well-known/joked about, but still creates lots of problems. Constantly trying fresh new programs and kitschy ideas to reach out to veterans.
Note: not an inherently evil organization, just disastrous. There are some ill-intentioned people involved, especially at the higher levels, but there’s a lot of good people in the system that really are trying to help.
Currently TVA divides its registered veterans into different “teams,” which are named (ostentatiously) after Greek Titans (Hyperion, Themis, Cronus, etc.). Your team determines where you are eligible to receive care from, what restrictions your pharmacy card has (such as whether you can be prescribed narcotic pain killers), and other critical levels of service.
A mathematical formula is used to determine eligibility for a team, and no one is quite sure all of the factors that go into it, but it takes into account things like your service record, whether you were wounded in combat, your disability rating, any psych evaluations you’ve had, radiation exposure, etc.
Themis is the “bottom” team, with Hyperion middling and Phoebe at the top.
Most Terran militaries send their servicemembers to the “Wardens,” which are two separate stations (Vanguard and Aeris) in near-Earth orbit. The Wardens offer some basic in-processing, training, and out-processing. Aeris is notoriously badly-maintained, and referred to in Take a Number, Get in Line as a “geosynchronous bucket of bolts.”
At some point in military training, most servicemembers receive a digital wristwatch. Receipt of this was initially a standard process, and still is, but has become something of an unofficial ceremony called “earning your watch.” It is common for platoons to gift new members a watch as an acceptance ritual. (Probably also to take someone’s watch away and make them earn it back/until they’ve earned it back as a hazing ritual?)
Wearing wristwatches is uncommon in other parts of the galaxy, and wearing one can be an easy sign or giveaway someone is a servicemember or veteran.
Blue Falcon
Slang term meaning “buddy fucker,” used to describe someone who has behaved selfishly/ignorantly and made things worse for their teammates. (i.e. “The Blue Falcon flies again” after a teammate’s mistake ends you with cleaning duty.) Typically used light-heartedly.
Boot
New recruit - interchangeable with terms like cherry/newbie/etc. “Boot drop” denotes receiving an influx of new people from training. (i.e. “When did you guys get a radio operator?” “He came on the last boot drop, I think.”)
Butterbar
Derisive nickname for a brand new Second Lieutenant (the first rank of lieutenant - a brand new officer with a single gold bar for rank, hence the comparison to a bar of butter).
Cover
The softshell hat worn with a servicemember’s regular utilities - your non-helmet hat.
Drop Wings
The physical award given to Terran servicemembers who are drop certified, and can combat egress space-faring vessels in all (including no) atmospheres. It is worn on the uniform and resembles a pair of bird wings. Must be regularly re-certified.
Legs
Servicemembers who aren’t or cannot be drop certified.
Louis/Looey
Derisive nickname for a Lieutenant.
Moto/motivated
To be “motivated” is to excessively and cheerfully follow the rules - you’re loud, you’re obedient, you’re excited to be here. May be used affectionately or derisively, depending on the context.
MRE
Meal ready-to-eat, sometimes called “Mister E.” May adjust this concept to consider the fabricated bio-printer meal systems.
POG
Pronounced to rhyme with “rogue,” stands for Personnel Other than Grunt. Either derisive or affection nickname for servicemembers in non-combat jobs.
Pogey bait
“Civilian” snacks for the field - anything not served in MRE, field rations, or otherwise issued by the military for consumption. Usually candy, salty snacks, etc.
Ricky Recon
Derisive term for someone who is acting unnecessarily tactical. (i.e. “Look at Ricky Recon over here with the dog tag silencers.”)
Rock jockey
Derisive term for Belter servicemembers.
Slicksleeve/smoothsleeve
Someone who has not been promoted yet (no rank on their sleeve).
Top
Affectionate nickname for someone in a top enlisted position - traditionally a Master Sergeant but may also be a lower ranking enlisted person that leads a platoon or group where the members might refer to them as “Top.”
QRF
Quick Reaction Force - teams who work on rotating shifts staying in a state of full readiness so they can quickly respond to various tactical situations - you’re “on call,” basically.