Fractured Luck
Bad luck caused by the Reach itself. Rifts, storms, busted routes.
“Engines died mid-jump. Fractured luck.”
Stay Flying
A farewell, blessing, or survival mantra.
“Pay your tab. Stay flying.”
Void-Tired
Exhausted beyond normal fatigue; bone-deep tired.
“I’m void-tired. Wake me when we dock.”
Star-Dry
Out of resources: fuel, water, ammo, or cash.
“We’re star-dry till Scraphaven.”
Driftwise
Smart in a frontier sense; experienced without being fancy.
“That pilot’s driftwise—listen to her.”
Bad Horizon
Trouble coming soon.
“Storm warnings and cartel traffic? Bad horizon.”
Cold Quiet
When something goes too silent—often before violence or disaster.
“Comms just dropped. Cold quiet.”
Held Together
A ship or plan that technically works.
“Reactor’s held together. Don’t sneeze near it.”
Ghost Burn
A jump or maneuver that shouldn’t have worked but did.
“That was a ghost burn—buy the engineer a drink.”
Dead Lane
A route nobody sane uses anymore.
“Only smugglers run that dead lane.”
Hull-Cheap
Poorly built or dangerously patched.
“That skiff’s hull-cheap. Don’t lean.”
Air-Broke
Low oxygen or failing life support.
“Seal it now—we’re air-broke!”
Dock-Rotten
Someone who’s been planetside or station-bound too long.
“You’re thinking like a dock-rotten accountant.”
Spur-Broke
Completely out of money.
“I’d sell my boots—I’m spur-broke.”
Heavy Pay / Light Pay
Worth the risk or not.
“Redline job, but heavy pay.”
Clean Spurs
Legitimate money.
“I don’t ask questions if the Spurs are clean.”
Black Weight
Debt, obligation, or cartel leverage.
“You don’t want black weight hanging over you.”
Paid in Smoke
Got nothing despite the risk.
“All that for smoke.”
Good Name
Reputation that opens doors.
“He’s got a good name in Scraphaven.”
Marked
Known troublemaker—or someone being watched.
“Careful. That pilot’s marked.”
Long Road
Someone with a hard past.
“She’s got a long road behind her.”
Quiet Dangerous
The worst kind of threat.
“He doesn’t brag. Quiet dangerous.”
Frontier Honest
Brutally truthful, not polite.
“Frontier honest? You’re gonna hate the answer.”
Badge-Tense
A place where Marshals are nearby or expected.
“Keep it civil—this bar’s badge-tense.”
Marshal Close
Being watched or investigated.
“Lay low. Marshal close.”
Dust Justice
Local, improvised law.
“No court here. Dust justice.”
Clear Shot
Legal or morally justified violence.
“They drew first. Clear shot.”
Thin Space
An area prone to anomalies.
“HUD’s glitching—space is thin here.”
Rift-Sick
Disoriented after exposure to anomalies.
“Give him water. He’s rift-sick.”
Echoed
Something came back wrong—or changed.
“That ship returned echoed.”
The Reach Listening
Uneasy feeling of being watched by reality itself.
“Keep your voice down. Feels like the Reach is listening.”
Still Warm
Recently destroyed; salvageable but dangerous.
“Frame’s still warm—move fast.”
Walking Scrap
A mech barely operational.
“That thing’s walking scrap.”
Redline Hungry
A machine pushed too hard, craving another run.
“Reactor’s redline hungry.”
Patch Faith
Trust in a repair you hope works.
“Running on patch faith now.”
“To the next horizon.”
Hopeful farewell.
“May your jumps stay straight.”
Good luck blessing.
“No debts carried.”
A respectful goodbye.
“See you breathing.”
Dark humor. Means stay alive.