Damper. An independent world in Quadrant 1. Member of the Seven Worlds Defence Alliance. The Colonial Parliament is made up of representatives elected from the various regional councils. No political parties as such, each regional council has its own, mainly local, concerns. Tends to be inward-looking and the colony is working hard to develop its economy further. In 3207 the First Speaker is Thaddeus Pennachio.

DC RobotWars. A spectator sport involving giant combat robots operating under direct control. These are huge, often 5 or 6 metres high and armed with all manner of outlandish weapons - chainsaws, maces, drills etc. The only thing they are not allowed are projectile or energy weapons - so the spectacle of these giant robots battering each other is often highly dramatic. The DC Operators also become very well known, as there is considerable skill in operating one of these fighting behemoths. Major robotics corporations and engineering corporations sponsor the various RobotWar Clans and ensure that the technical specifications are always high - it has been argued that these competitions are really more about inter-corporation rivalry than sport.

Deadrock, Red Ken (Lord Mayor of Red Rock, Q7)
Lord Mayors have been traditional posts on Red Rock since before it was taken over by the Venerian Republic. The Venerian Governor of Red Rock, Boney Tlair is known to be unhappy with Red Ken's famously individualistic style. Mayor Deadrock became famous when he was kidnapped by space pirates and rescued by marines from of the ESS Agamemnon (events later used as the basis for a popular tri-V movie - Captain Braveheart and the Raiders of Rock).
Many think that Ken Deadrock's principled stance on stamping out piracy is what has put him in conflict with the planetary Governor - whom he accuses of being "…soft on piracy, soft on the causes of piracy". There was some scandal when it was alleged that that there had been much (unsuccessful) political chicanery on behalf of he Governor's office to prevent Red Ken from standing at the last mayoral election.

Deception Craft. A specialised ship capable of mimicking the energy signature of another class, both by the size and spectrum of the main thruster burn, and other emissions etc.

Democracy And Freedom Today Movement (DAFT):   An illegal 'natural's rights' terrorist group which has been responsible for seemingly random acts of terror and mayhem throughout human space for many years. The group itself is often very splintered - local factions forming and reforming. It is estimated that more DAFT supporters have been killed in internecine conflict than by security forces. DAFT manifestos can alter from quadrant to quadrant, from planet to planet, even from city to city. Views vary between the moderate Social Options For Today's Youth faction, the militant Asteel faction, or the rabid but inefficient 'Real DAFT' faction, not to mention ERATIC. More factions keep appearing all the time.

Destroyer:  A type of  small, lightly armed warship.  Mainly used for patrolling and supporting merchant ships, fighting pirates - that sort of thing.

Dink. Martian colony in Q8. An unusual system with a large star and only two planets - a colony world called Marble (2.1 AU)and a huge gas giant called Ryleth (5.3 AU). Much of the protoplanetary material in this system remains in a belt of semi-molten granular matter in very close orbit around the star. It's M25 limit is 25 AU.

Direct Control. (DC) A control system built into every Starship Marine's combat armour that allows the marine to take control of one of the unit's combat robots - operating it as if they were 'seeing' through its sensors. This requires concentration, so usually the marine concerns has to stop what they are dooing - but it is very useful for scouting highy hazardous situations. DC is also used by Damace Control parties on warships to manage maintenance robots operating in very hazardous situations (i.e. during a reator leak). There is also a popular spectator sport involving direct control (See DC Robotwars, above)

Directed Energy Weapon.  A generic term for all energy weapons, including HELL, PAD and SCA types.

Dolha. Earther colonial capital in Quadrant 7. system map. planet map

Don Fighting. A 'sport' practiced on a number of the more remote parts of frontier colonial planets. A number of indiginous creatures, usually large and heavily armoured 'megadons' are herded into a large pit or amphitheatre and encourage to fight each other. The spectators then bet on the result. (See also Raptor Racing)

Draconian 'Empire':  The Draconian colony is a single breakaway world, inhabited by an astonishingly arrogant culture. The bulk of the population use cyborg technology to an unprecedented degree - where the rest of the universe prefer techniques of human genetic engineering to achieve near perfect humanity, the Draconians believe that only in partnership with machines can humanity reach its peak.  It is currently in a state of civil war, focussed in their capital city, City One.

Drang, Senior Colonel Diana :  Director of the Earther Starship Marine Academy, IO Station.

Duke.A very poor, but improving, independent colony world in Quadrant Zero. Duke is fiercely independent and a founder member of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds.