What is … a Salt Lancer?

At long last we come back to asking an English language question in our ongoing “What is …?” series, after having dwelled mainly on German ideas for the last few installments.

The answers, this time, take a decidedly modernish and future bent, with a paltry two fantasy interpretations strewn in inbetween.

Astoundingly, there was also quite some bias towards abbreviations in the output.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at whatever a salt lancer might be.

A salt lancer is:

Science Fiction (blut_und_glas)
The Systemic Augmentations Limitation Treaty (SALT) was the result of series of multilateral talks between the solar powers on the issue of controlling human enhancement.Generally the treaty was hailed as a triumph of diplomacy over mutual distrust and an important first step towards greater understanding between the blocks. More cynical views however immediately pointed to the tremendous strain the treaty lifted from the economies of the signatory powers and the increase in stability for regimes no longer having to content with rapidly expanding (both in quantity and quality) augmented populations as the primary drivers behind the agreement.

The quick premiere of the Lancer class augmentation, following in the footsteps of initial treaty ratification, is seen as validation of those views.

Lancer augmentations conform to the maximum allowed specifications for hard-wired full-body enhancement according to the treaty. In some areas Lancer even surpassed the prior augmentation schemes SALT was meant to limit, mainly due to the combination and concentration of multiple enhancements in a single system. As such the SALT Lancers – personnel enhanced with Lancer augmentations – and their equivalents in the other blocks were both the direct product of the limitation talks and proof of their ultimate hypocrisy.

Modern (yennico)
Salt lancer is the short name for the Salt Lake City Mitsubishi Colt Lancer owners club.

Cyberpunk 2020 (yennico)
Salt lancer is the term which is used for a white knight in a hostile takeover scenario, in which the white knight at first appeared as white but later is not so white. It was named after Salvatore Lancier who was the white knight for Acuna Industries which he acquired for the rival company EBM.

Fantasy (blut_und_glas)
The salt lancers are an order of knights who use weapons made of alchemical salts and shields and armours covered in the same stuff.

Cyberpunk 2020 (yennico)
Salt lancer is a killer program written by a famous netrunner. Salt is short for, Strategic Analysis and Logical Termination. The icon of the program in the matrix is a white lancer.

Modern (yennico)
SALT is the military abbreviation for Strike Amphibious Light (Cavalry) Team and salt lancer is the name of a military special team mounted underwater on jetskis or maiales (manned torpedos). Sometimes the team is used on land mounted on motorcycles. Some of these motorcycles have a side car with a mounted (heavy) weapon.

Fantasy (blut_und_glas)
The statue of a knight, made out of salt. Legend claims that the statue once was an evil man, cursed by the gods and transformed to salt for his crimes. Others say however, that he was a man of great virtue and compassion, and that it were his own tears, overflowing, which turned him into a statue.

The truth, as always, lies in between. Stricken with terrible grief from the horrors his companions had committed, the gods took pity upon the warrior, and made it so that his tears would harden into an armoured shell, to protect him from the evils of the world.

Cyberpunk 2020/Blue Planet (yennico)
Salt is the abbreviation for Serine Alanine Ligand Therapy (or Technology). A Salt Lancer is a genetically modified version of the Lancer virus. This modified virus can attack, replace or smuggle the ligand into body cells. The Salt Lancer can be used as biological weapon.

Science Fiction (yennico)
The Strategic Attack Laser Tank version of the military multi-purpose chassis model: “Lancer” is called SALT Lancer.

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