“Keep your vectors clean.”
– Stay out of trouble. Don’t attract system attention.
“Running hot.”
– Overclocked, stressed, emotional, or pushing limits (physically or mentally).
“Cold path.”
– A route or plan with minimal oversight or risk.
“Found a cold path through the sector.”
“Burned a lane.”
– You made noise. Sensors tripped, Authority alerted.
“That’s legacy junk.”
– Outdated systems, old doctrine, or irrelevant rules.
“System-blind.”
– Someone ignorant of how Novera really works.
Insulting, but common.
“Eyes up.”
– Heads up. Danger incoming.
Waybreaker
– Standard term. Often said with respect or caution.
“Path-cutter.”
– Compliment. A Waybreaker who creates solutions others didn’t see.
“Permissionless.”
– Acting without authorization. Can be praise or accusation.
“She went permissionless and saved the block.”
“Too far Unbound.”
– Someone whose choices are becoming unstable or extreme.
Maverick (slang, not official)
– A Waybreaker who’s gone too far.
Used when someone’s evolution, methods, or ideology are seen as dangerous—even by other Waybreakers.
“They didn’t break the path. They burned the map.”
“Careful. That one’s gone Maverick.”
This term is street-born, controversial, and often rejected by the people it’s applied to.
“Blue-lit.”
– Under active surveillance.
“Locked clean.”
– A district or individual fully compliant with Citadel systems.
“Gold silence.”
– No alerts, no flags, perfect system calm.
Often sounds ominous.
“Interpretation drop.”
– When Authority doctrine suddenly changes.
“Directive drift.”
– A Steward or unit whose decisions are diverging from expected behavior.
“Belt-bred.”
– Someone raised outside Citadel cities. Neutral to proud.
“Patchwork living.”
– Making do with mixed tech, favors, and improvisation.
“Ghost power.”
– Energy, systems, or infrastructure no one officially maintains—but still works.
“Pay the noise tax.”
– The cost (bribes, favors, repairs) of attracting attention.
“Vertical’s live.”
– The fight’s gone aerial or multi-level.
“Clip the anchor.”
– Remove a stabilizing enemy or system.
“Hard reset.”
– Total shutdown, destruction, or forced retreat.
“Borrowed momentum.”
– Using enemy force or environment against them.
“The system isn’t wrong. It’s unfinished.”
– Common Open Belt saying.
“Order doesn’t ask permission.”
– Authority-aligned proverb.
“Meaning isn’t installed.”
– Waybreaker belief; identity is chosen.
“Everything still runs—for now.”
– A very Noveran way of saying “be careful.”
“Compliance husk.”
– Someone who obeys without thinking.
“Directive puppet.”
– Authority agent who won’t question orders.
“Noise-chaser.”
– Reckless Waybreaker who causes chaos without purpose.
“Ghost-cored.”
– Someone hollowed out by system reliance or trauma.
NPCs may change tone depending on who they’re speaking to:
Authority avoids slang in official spaces.
Open Belt communities lean hard into it.
Waybreakers reclaim insults as titles.