Brad Murray recently published an article from the ancient internet era regarding the job of the imperium in Traveller.
Essentially: to get planets up to TL10, so they can actively participate in interstellar trade.
Assuming that for a moment. You are a native of a barbarous (maybe TL7) system. Call it Krill. Your world uses solar energy and fuel cell. Your local system is ripe for exploitation. Your spaceships go from planet to planet.
You are an out of work former military person. Maybe army, Marines, space navy, scouts, or even merchant. Everything you've known has regarded the Krill system. The scouts investigate Krill, the navy governs the local system.
Someone had shown up, proclaiming himself the Earl of Krill. He has a spaceship with technological supremacy, a small contingent of Marines, and had proclaimed the goal of uplifting your world from barbarism to the technology of the Empire. He has proclaimed that all Krill is under his protection.
What do you do?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
:D That's why I love this reading. The adventures write themselves.
ReplyDeleteMy reaction would probably be similar to Dennis's, from The Holy Grail. I'd question the legitimacy of his claims and start going on about the Krill's system of government and our legal mechanisms for democratic succession of power. (Or not, if Krill isn't democratic.)
ReplyDeleteBrad Murray Ayup. And now I'm going to do a little MCing, leaning pretty heavily on pbta. Probably no dice rolls. Feel free to take whatever roll you want!
ReplyDelete[ Like, legit: If you have some awesome idea and want to explode it in our faces? Cool. If you want to ignore us? That's fine, too. ]
Isaac Kuo To whom do you complain?
ReplyDeleteAnd, sure: Let's assume Krill has a unified world government with reasonable democracy and acceptable levels of corruption. For the sake of keeping it off the table, let's assume minimal obvious ism's from both the Imperial representatives and the Krill government. Feel free to make things up within that scope, barring that I might be like "uh.... what?", or that Brad might come back with something cool.
I find both unlikely. To whom do you Complain?
"Your Earlship, yerhonor, protection sounds great. And we're all on-board about learning these new technologies. Is there anything else what comes along with? Might be one of those miscommunications, but 'round here 'Earl' is also a term for somebody who claims authority over people. Do we, maybe, need to pick you a more accurate word? Or is that one accurate?"
ReplyDeleteWilliam Nichols As per Dennis in The Holy Grail, I complain directly to the interloper himself. I mean, sure, it's probably going to get me "repressed", but that's the price I pay for being able to say, "Come see the violence inherent in the system! Help, help, I'm being repressed!"
ReplyDeleteNo but seriously, as an ex-military person without a job, I've probably already seen a lot of shit and I've got nothing better to do than stir some shit up.
And also seriously, where else is better to find out what the deal is with this "Earl"? Best way to get a measure of him is to just cruise up with a spacecraft and see how he reacts. Just look at The Holy Grail. The only time you ever see what King Arthur's really all about is when he deals with someone who questions his authority. And sure, he seems respectful to towering giants who could trivially overpower him. But how does he treat just some regular folks?
If I have no access to a spacecraft, though (as I'm out of work), then my options to be able to do anything that matters at all are limited. I guess I'd try to get with former military buddies to try and drum up interest in a caper to go and check out this "Earl". (Which is basically a way to somehow get access to a spacecraft.)
This makes me wonder what the Imperial strategy would be for a new world--generally we're talking about worlds that have been under Imperial guidance for some time already. And it's also clear from the text that worlds can reject the stewardship as long as they don't mess with other aspects of the Project.
ReplyDeleteSo what would the Imperium's strategy be as they enter the compact? It seems unlikely that it would be "Here's a new leader, knuckle under or else" since that rarely works.
A strategy that historically works is to take advantage of violent competition between local factions. Cozy up to a leader sufficiently violent and powerful enough to take over - with some help. You want a puppet ruler sufficiently mediocre to be dependent on you but adequately strong enough to do the dirty work with your assistance.
ReplyDeleteA technologically advanced warship with a small contingent of Marines could do that sort of conquistador work.
But this naturally involves being friendly with folks sufficiently powerful to be useful to you. Some rando 'nam vet bums would be "little people" to someone trying to orchestrate a puppet ruler takeover. Unless maybe hiring on some disposable local thugs fits in with those plans.
Either way, the nature of the Imperial's strategy and way of thinking would become clear soon enough.
Isaac Kuo, Tony Lower-Basch Shall we say you two knew each other in the service, and get a ship together to go speak to the Early? Such that, you can bring what is essentially the same question to the Earl?
ReplyDeleteSure! We’re freelance diplomats!
ReplyDeleteAssuming that 1) The Earl announces this broad spectrum as opposed to just the government, so everyone actually knows and 2) the government does't instantly go to war and start conscripting all us out of work vets my task list would look like...
ReplyDelete1. Seeing what information was being distributed about what the larger universe is.
-Specific items of interest include "what does protection mean?", "is the Imperium full of space Nazis?", "Can I be transferred into a robo-body?"
2. Go looking for work. A jump like this is probably going to open up all sorts of work opportunities, and being out of work I need that.
I don't really care if we have a space earl, unless the space earl is also a space nazi. If they /are/ space nazis then i guess I need to add "make contact with people I knew from my service days and see if there is any sort of resistance forming" and "make use of some of that prepper knowledge I've gained from all the time i spend watching their holovids on the krilltube".
Matt Johnson Awesome! Wanna be a third member of Tony and Isaac's little group?
ReplyDeleteMatt Johnson: I love the idea that people on Krill would call their entertainment media the krilltube. It is meshes well with the understanding of alien cultures I have gained by watching my earthling-television.
ReplyDeleteThe Earl's ship doesn't seem extravagant. The ship is large by your standards; perhaps as many as 10,000 tons. [ a Free Trader is ~200t ]. The Earl's ship is in orbit above one of the largest cities of Krill.
ReplyDelete_You send a message saying you are going to board, and receive a return message stating this is acceptable. When you dock, three marines meet up with you. Their eyes do _not roll back when you ask to speak to the Earl, but they make it clear they are ready to escort you to the Earl.
The inside of the ship seem utilitarian; the walls are matte gray with occasionally pictures of obvious dignitaries, sometimes with horses, crowns, or weaponry. Some of the pictures move; a video technology you haven't seen used like this. The hallways are just a few feet wide; the lift has buttons.
The marines don't seem the sort to talk at length, and bring you to a small conference room. A woman in her apparent 40s sits at a table.
"I am the Earl of Krill", she says in a tone that brooks little disagreement, "and I hear you have issues with my authority.
"I have the intention and mandate to modernize this world. To bring you into the galactic fold, which you have forgotten. To even get here means you are resourceful; you got to orbit.
"I could use you."
What do you do?
[ That's all meant as flavor setting to be talking to the Early. If I went too far anywhere, lemme know! ]
ReplyDeleteTony Lower-Basch I was specifically picturing it as sort of a YouTube analog.
ReplyDeleteTony rubs at his head. “It’s awfully exciting. I’d love to, but... it depends.” He sighs. “I couldn’t do it if it sets me against my own people.”
ReplyDeleteShe looks confused for a moment, her brow furrowed, "How would progress be against the proletariat?"
ReplyDelete"Of itself, it wouldn't," Tony agrees. "But you've got enough power that our voices might mean very little to you. Unwise as we are, I've fought for the right for everyone to be a part of charting our future. Will we still be a part of that?"
ReplyDeleteShe purses her lips, "Could be.... I'm not opposed to local concern. My remit is straightforward: turn this rock into an industrial base for the Empire. The quicker we do that, the sooner Bebe and I get back to civilization."
ReplyDeleteTony nods, satisfied. "Then I'm your man." He turns to his comrade. "Isaac?"
ReplyDelete[ I'm a fictional collaborator in the utter subjugation of my own species! I don't feel great about that. ]
[ Also: I looked through TL 15 warships. This was meant to be the Burke-class Destroyer-Leader. Which is listed as 10kt with a crew of 123. Meanwhile, on earth: The Burke-class destroyer has a fully loaded displacement of ~9,600 tons, with a crew of ~250.
ReplyDeleteWhen the US fought Somali pirates, we sent _one Burke-class destroyer. The Burke-class has armor, guns, torpedoes, and helicopters. The crew has training and specialization, enough supplies for months or years, and is backed by an Empire that brooks no interference with oil.
_The pirates were a couple of guys with rafts and AK47s, trying to get some US money so they could eat.
This is something similar, with similar tech differences and a kinder overlord. ]
[sorry, catching up here]
ReplyDelete[Before actually arriving I'd have preferred to have had some interaction with the fellow buddies to establish characters and motivations a bit. In particular, I'm more cynical and perhaps disingenuous. It feels like the others are earnestly looking for opportunities, but I'm just pissed at the cosmos in general so I'm biased to just stir up trouble. I mean, some folks react to unemployment by blaming themselves and lowering themselves to grasp at any opportunity to get out. Others react to unemployment by blaming others and saying "eff it".]
[something like this:]
[to mates] Damn, looks like where in the belly of a whale. You know what whales eat, right?
[or whatever, anyway catching up]
[to Earl] Where'd you get this "mandate"? I didn't vote for you. Who did?
As for this talk of modernizing and turning this "rock" into an industrial base - I've been on the other side of this conversation. Or more accurately, the side of [motions at the "escorts"] the muscle. Didn't do me any good [eyes the "escorts"]. The locals got it worse.
I'm just sayin. We're not fools.
[ Cool. It sounds like we don't need to rewind, but I am completely happy to do flashback scenes, too. ]
ReplyDeleteShe looks puzzled, "Voting?". A flunkie briefly whispers in her ear, her eyes widen.
"Oh. Collectivism, expecting your citizens to decide on a ruler. That's how you practice "local concern'? How interesting."
"No, I was not elected. Someone had to go, and I got the straw. Be that as it may, how you govern yourselves is not my concern so long as my timeline is met."
She looks mildly frustrated, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to know what to wear this far from the capital?"
/sub
ReplyDelete