			    TRAVELLER Digest 423

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Sorry, Christopher by Hans Rancke-Madsen <rancke@diku.dk>
  2) Zhodani conundrum by Hans Rancke-Madsen <rancke@diku.dk>
  3) RICE Paper:  HRD/Vincennes, Part 1 of 2 by Christopher_Griffen@dmcwave.com (Christopher Griffen)
  4) RICE Paper:  HRD/Vincennes, Part 2 of 2 by Christopher_Griffen@dmcwave.com (Christopher Griffen)
  5) Fleet time again (TRAVELLER digest 422) by Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
  6) Long postings by "Brendan O'Donovan" <Brendan@odonovan.demon.co.uk>
  7) Virus is a short term threat? by "Brendan O'Donovan" <Brendan@odonovan.demon.co.uk>
  8) An ice catapult... by Svend.Andersen@vuw.ac.nz
  9) Re: An ice catapult... by Bill Currie <BILLC@teleng1.tait.co.nz>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 16:39:51 +0100 (METDST)
From: Hans Rancke-Madsen <rancke@diku.dk>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Sorry, Christopher
Message-ID: <199509201439.QAA20037@embla.diku.dk>

I really hate to do this to you, Christopher, but only two days ago I
found some more information on the subject. I was going to write to you 
about it, but you beat me to it.

>It wasn't until after the Fourth Frontier War that Mertactor finally 
>accepted overtures made by the Imperial Government to apply for membership.

The _Spinward Marches Campaign_ contains maps showing the political
boundaries (but not settled/not settled areas) of the marches before
and after the first four frontier wars. Mertactor is plainly marked as
outside the Imperium in 589 and in the Imperium (isolated from the rest
of the Imperium, marked by a circle) in 604.

One of these days I may sit down and summarize all the information contained
in those maps and the map in the "History of the Spinward Marches" article.


      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     rancke@diku.dk
------------
        "The referee should determine the nature of subsequent
         events based on the individual situation."
                                _76 Patrons_, p. 8

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 16:52:59 +0100 (METDST)
From: Hans Rancke-Madsen <rancke@diku.dk>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Zhodani conundrum
Message-ID: <199509201453.QAA21605@embla.diku.dk>

Mitchell K Schwartz writes:
>>But even more important, why would the Zhodani even strive to
>>     _incorporate_ the Regency as a client state or otherwise?
> 
>SURVIVAL!!!!!!!!
>A quick view of the Regency shows them as aggressive culturally.
>They have this deep desire to rebuild the Imperium - without some
>of the underlying flaws that lead to its demise.
> 
>While I think they could easily enough win a war with the Regency
>(especially in the 1140s or 50s long before a Regency policy of
>technologic upgrade can take hold, they can flood the Regency's few
>High Tech ships and centers with TL14 craft.  

There's a deep mystery about the Zhodani that has puzzled me for years,
and it has a direct bearing on this subject:

The Zhodani expanded out from Zhodane for a long time until they, roughly
-1000 stopped at their present size "in order to assimilate the various
non-zhodani societies". They've been assimilating for over _2000 years_,
and they still haven't resumed expansion - in ANY direction. OK, there's 
been the Core expeditions, but surely that couldn't absorb the excess
wealth and energy of 10 sectors? So why haven't they resumed expansion?

I don't know just what is wrong, but I suspect that the Zhodani have 
massive internal troubles of some kind. Or perhaps they have a religious
or philosophical objection to expanding further. But whatever it is, they
haven't invaded the Regency, not because the Regency isn't a potential
threat, but because of whatever keeps them from resuming their expansion.

As another piece of the puzzle, they've fought every frontier war with
much less forces than they could potentially muster. So few forces that
their defeat has been pretty much assured every time. Why? Because it
was part of a devious plan, as we've been told, or because they _couldn't
spare those forces from elsewhere_?


      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     rancke@diku.dk
------------
        "A  subsector  official  pompously states that the
        subsector  armed  forces  have  four Kinunir class
        ships in service,  each with enough troop strength
        to put down any military operations that threathen
        the peace of the Imperium."

                        ---Adventure 1, The Kinunir

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 09:13:06 -0700
From: Christopher_Griffen@dmcwave.com (Christopher Griffen)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RICE Paper:  HRD/Vincennes, Part 1 of 2
Message-ID: <0603db80@MailXFER.DMCWAVE.COM>

     Yet another in my Vincennes Cluster of RICE papers.  Before I'm done, 
     I intend to outline each and every world within six parsecs of 
     Vincennes.  Next up:  Kubishush, world of ammonia-breathing septapods.
     
     Incidentally, if anyone who's reading these things missed my Porozlo 
     or Northammon papers during the TML Maghiz last week, let me know and 
     I'll repost them or direct you to the appropriate TML number.
     
     At any rate, here's HRD:
     
     
     RICE Paper #DB-1623:  HRD System
     
     HRD (Vincennes:  Deneb/1623)
     A401754-F  N  Na Va Ic   110 RE M5 III
     G=0.49, Day=37:11:26.6, Year = 88y 308d 13:00:17.19 Atmo=0.00, No 
     Weather Control
     Temp= +70.97 (5/lat +15 to -35) (season +9 to -15.0, 15 deg lat) Daily 
     temp range 295.82 (+20.64 to -275.18)
     Ores, Radioactives, Compounds; None; None; Recordings, Software, 
     Documents
     Radical/Enterprising, Competitive/Neutral, Discordant/Xenophilic 
     Legal:  4-79545     Tech:  FD-FFFEF-FFFH-FF-G 
     
     [NOTE:  DGP's articles on Deneb Sector and Vincennes System, featured 
     in MegaTraveller Journal #3, were used as resources for this RICE 
     paper.  I would like to acknowledge the authors of the DGP articles, 
     James Holden, Mike Makesh, Nancy Parker and Charles P. Kalina.  This 
     RICE paper is intended to build upon the information they have 
     provided.]
     
     HRD is the primary brain trust of Deneb Sector.  For centuries, the 
     free-spending research facilities and progressively structured 
     corporate environment of the planet have attracted some of the 
     greatest minds of the Regency.  HRD's path to fame was a difficult 
     one, however.  The system has weathered centuries of controversy and 
     scandal, but has amazingly maintained a reputation as a premier 
     private research facility.
     
     HRD system, labeled 975-003 by the IISS during the Grand Survey, was 
     initially overlooked during the colonial wave that passed through 
     Deneb and Spinward Marches sectors.  Radiation emanating from the 
     system's smoldering giant star, YG-437, causes an extreme daily 
     temperature fluctuation that makes long-term habitation on the world 
     difficult to manage.  In 222, the Imperial Navy, having greater 
     environmental technology at their disposal than most colonial 
     ventures, established an industrial mining facility on the planet.  
     For decades, the navy exploited the planet's natural resources, 
     including substantial industrial-grade radioactives for exportation to 
     pre-stellar worlds.  Continued industrial efforts on 975-003 were 
     abandoned after the Starn Beltstrike of 259.
     
     In the wake of several controversial audits of Imperial Navy frontier 
     expenditures, Admiralty decided it was in their best interests to 
     convert rather than scrap the expensive facility on 975-003.  
     975-003's mining sites and factories were converted into R&D 
     facilities and the planet was renamed Laboratory in 274.  For over 
     three centuries the Laboratory facility was issued tens of thousands 
     of patents for innovative military technology.  The facility became a 
     nexus for top-notch military engineers.
     
     The Imperial Navy continued to funnel public funds into Laboratory 
     until the media again reared its ugly head.  Several well-placed 
     informants exposed the Imperial Navy Research Facility at Laboratory 
     for misuse of public funds in 622.  Fourteen research divisions on 
     Laboratory were found guilty of plagiarizing the published work of 
     several Imperial Research Stations.  It was discovered that decades 
     earlier, several of Laboratory's most clandestine facilities had been 
     mothballed immediately after construction, their advanced computer and 
     research equipment never even removed from the cargo modules.  The 
     confidentiality of the facilities protected them from scrutiny until a 
     daring journalist, Hallah Dariso, performed a reconnaissance of the 
     naval research center from a nearby mountain range.  What she saw was 
     a pristine facility with nary a sign of life on its campus.  Dariso 
     sold the story to the TNS and the rest is history.  In the worst 
     embarassment yet, it was rumored that the majority of funds allocated 
     to Laboratory were being used to line the pockets of several regional 
     nobles.  The "Laboratory Scandal" rocked the Imperial Navy to its 
     foundations and once again, they were forced to cut their political 
     losses, this time under order of the Iridium Throne.
     
     Several megacorporations announced their interest in purchasing the 
     facilities for private use in 626.  The controversial Humbolt family 
     of Vincennes established themselves as the executor of a deal that 
     would establish a permanent multi-corporation research facility on 
     Laboratory.  Discarding the "Laboratory" nom-du-plume, the planet 
     became the Humbolt Research Directorate (HRD).  The Humbolt family 
     aggressively recruited megacorporate participants in this 
     unprecedented project.  Eager to get their hands on the technology of 
     the little-used naval research facility, megacorporate liaison teams 
     flocked to HRD.
     
     HRD had become an overnight media giant.  Broadcasting agencies from 
     throughout the sector shone the spotlight on HRD.  The 
     megacorporations longed for the opportunity to thumb their noses at 
     the aloof Imperial Research Stations and looked at HRD as their chance 
     to do exactly that.  The Humbolts cashed in on the hysteria by 
     charging exhorbitant amounts for real estate lots and research 
     facility privileges.  The abashed megacorporations had no choice but 
     to relent to the greed of the Humbolts.  The media buildup of HRD had 
     become so pervasive in the public consciousness that any 
     megacorporation not involved in the project became a market pariah.  
     General Products became a victim of this unprecedented case of mass 
     hysteria when they announced their refusal of the Humbolts' terms.  
     Regional General Products stock dropped eight points overnight.  
     Trading on GP stock was temporarily halted to avert a sectorwide 
     calamity.  The regional collapse of General Products sent a shockwave 
     through the local industrial sector.  Megacorporations grudgingly 
     accepted the Humbolts' financial terms to avert similar disasters.
     
     In 628, the Humbolts became the focus of an Imperial inquisition 
     involving, among other things, the alleged large-scale abuse of the 
     native sophonts of Perez system. Humbolt industrial interests were 
     extracting a valuable hallucinogen from the sophonts using an 
     excruciatingly painful process.  The Humbolt family was expelled from 
     the region and stripped of the rights to Vincennes and HRD systems.  
     The megacorporations quickly snapped up HRD lots at auction.  Less 
     than two years after the HRD project was born, the Humbolts' only 
     legacy was the planet's name.
     
     In the following century, the corporations and megacorporations that 
     established HRD research facilities began to see large returns on 
     their investments.  For many years, ideas developed at HRD were 
     transmuted into marketable products throughout the Regency.  By 700, 
     however, the well began to run dry.  If not for the return of the 
     Imperial Navy and the conversion of much of HRD's resources to 
     military contracting, the grand dream of the Humbolts may have died a 
     quick death.
     
     By the mid-700s, the Imperial Navy had reestablished a presence on HRD 
     at the planet's class-A orbital starport.  The navy brought in much 
     needed capital to the megacorporate research concerns onplanet.  Naval 
     contracts were liberally handed out to the think tanks and 
     technological research facilities.  By 800, the navy commanded over 90 
     percent of HRD's resources.  This arrangement remained the status quo 
     until the early 1100s.  In 1103, a consortium of neighboring system 
     governments contracted HRD's research facilities to create 
     cost-effective public works programs.  Included were programs 
     specifically designed to enhance environmental and transportation 
     technology.  At the present date, the HRD public works programs 
     command approximately 20 percent of corporate resources.
     
     In 968, the Imperial Navy built the HRD Technical Academy and the 
     Imperial Naval Academy at HRD, adjacent to the world's capital city, 
     Control.  A large contingent of the Imperial 258th Fleet was 
     dispatched to HRD for the opening ceremonies and to establish a 
     permanent high guard for the strategically important work being done 
     on the planet.  The Regency Navy continues to maintain both 
     educational facilities at the present date.  Though both schools are 
     highly reputable, they are in need of renovation and the navy is 
     currently drumming up public support for an Academy Refit Program.
     
     In stiff competition with the two HRD military schools is the civilian 
     HRD Polytechnic University, located at Innovation, the planet's 
     second-largest city.  Renowned for the technical expertise of its 
     faculty, HRDPU instructs students in the design of all forms of 
     technology, both military and civilian.  The recent addition of a 
     humanities department has broadened the spectrum of HRD's research 
     resources to political and social issues as well.  Students at HRDPU 
     look down their noses at the rigid spacers of the military academies.
     
     HRD is governed by the Megacorporate Research Council (MRC).  The MRC 
     consists of Corporate Councils recruited from the five most prolific 
     corporations on the planet.  Every 5 years, an independent audit is 
     performed to determine which corporations are most fit to run the MRC. 
     The formula that determines which corporations shall rule is a 
     complex one in which net income, research expenditures and patent 
     generation are factors.  Currently, the ruling corporations are Ling 
     Standard Products, GSbaG, Makhidkarun, SuSAG and Sternmental Horizons. 
     The fifth slot, run by Sternmental, was recently held by Instellarms 
     until the other four ruling megacorporations ousted the weapons 
     manufacturer as punishment for desecrating a portion of HRD's southern 
     hemisphere with an illegal meson weapon testing program.  Several such 
     ousters have occurred over the planet's history.  Most economists and 
     sociologists attribute this phenomenon to the extremely competitive 
     nature of HRD society.  Political adversity is commonplace on HRD.  
     The system's natives laud this feature of their governmental structure 
     for its cleansing effect.  Megacorporations involved in underhanded or 
     illegal projects or business are usually ferreted out and exposed by 
     their competitors.  HRD's highly skilled "information junkies" and 
     espionage agencies are constantly turning stones to expose corporate 
     dirty dealings.
     
     MRC councils are not always drawn exclusively from the 
     megacorporations.  In the planet's history, several sectorwide and 
     even a few subsectorwide corporations have held office for varying 
     terms.  Liiri-based arms manufacturer, Tactical Solutions et cie, is 
     perhaps the most notable sectorwide corporation to hold office on HRD 
     for an extended period of time.  The sheer economic might of the 
     megacorporations usually wins out, however, giving them hegemony over 
     HRD's government.
     
     The executive and legislative tool of the MRC is the Corporate 
     Committee.  Each of the five ruling megacorporations establishes a 
     seven-person Corporate Committee to vote and write laws for the MRC.  
     Committee membership is a full-time job and few committee members 
     perform any other function for their corporation other than civic 
     duties.  An independent agency, The Office of the Exchequer, oversees 
     the activities of the MRC and manages the use of public funds.  HRD is 
     remarkably free of violent crime, so law enforcement requirements are 
     minimal.  Regency Marines perform most law-enforcement duties.  The 
     Regency Navy performs judicial duties in cases of violent crime.  
     Corporate criminal cases and lawsuits are adjudicated in the Corporate 
     Court, an independent judicial agency comprised of professional judges 
     and attorneys.
     
     No other system in the Regency is better trained or equipped to 
     bombard, derail or dismember an opponent with information than HRD.  
     In fact, HRD has it down to a science.  In 998, Dr. Gerhard Terili 
     founded The Guaran Institute as a department of HRDPU.  Named for the 
     homeworld of the hivers, the most prolific manipulators in charted 
     space, the institute employs professors who teach the fine art of 
     using information and media as a weapon.  Several primer courses 
     feature discourses on hiver manipulative techniques as well.  The 
     Guaran Institute has come under fire recently for the inclusion in its 
     curriculum of a course titled "Genocide 101."  The course's syllabus 
     includes the written works of several historical advocates of genocide 
     and professes to its students the tenets of a successful genocidal 
     program.  The First Regent himself has expressed displeasure with "the 
     questionable ethics of teaching the Regency's youth the building 
     blocks of mass murder."
     
     The importance of HRD to the Regency is paramount.  Unprecedented 
     discoveries have been made on HRD in the areas of antimatter power 
     generation, manipulators (or tractor/repulsors, as they're sometimes 
     called), subspace communications, meson technology, materials 
     technology, matter teleportation, terraforming and black globe 
     studies.  A large portion of the cutting-edge technology in the 
     Regency was spawned at least in part in the laboratories of HRD.
     
     HRD fosters a unique open-door policy to all members and client states 
     of the Regency and maintains an aggressive naturalization program to 
     recruit scientific talent from the Daryen Confederation, the Vargr 
     Extents and more recently, the Zhodani Consulate.  Due to the large 
     number of military contracts held by HRD corporations, Regency 
     citizenship is required before employment can be offered.  Regency 
     Naval prejudice generally prevents non-Regency personnel from working 
     on the most crucial classified projects.
     
     A detailed background check is mandatory for employment on HRD.  
     Because of the ubiquitousness of corporate espionage, hiring decisions 
     are made very carefully.  A GSbaG spy manages to steal LSP's prototype 
     plan for a new jump drive.  An Instellarms agent steals and patents 
     Tactical Solutions' latest fusion rifle design before it hits the 
     market.  These are nightmare scenarios for HRD corporations.  
     Corporate research facilities on HRD maintain the most stringent 
     security available in the Regency.  Though the world isn't 
     interdicted, most corporate facilities effectively are.  It isn't 
     unusual for a corporation to employ armed security to protect their 
     research facilities or mercenary units to guard top-secret prototypes 
     enroute to manufacturing centers elsewhere in the Regency.  DNA 
     scanners are standard equipment at all entrances of most corporate 
     facilities.
     
     The Jumpspace Institute, which maintains a research facility on HRD, 
     is actively working to break the Jump-6 Barrier.  While nearly all of 
     the Institute's findings are classified and secured by Regency Naval 
     Intelligence (RNI), it is known to the general public that HRD's 
     Jumpspace Institute is pro-Jump^2 (or Jump Squared).  Jump Squared 
     advocates believe that the most probable method of breaking the Jump-6 
     Barrier is to find a way to perform a jump while already in jump 
     space.  Chief opponents of the Jump Squared faction are the 
     Misjumpers.  Misjumpers believe that in order to break the Jump-6 
     Barrier, scientists must find a way to harness the chaotic effects of 
     misjumps.  One of the main proponents of the Misjumper faction are the 
     Jumpspace Institute scientists at Research Station Zeta on Pashus 
     (Zeng:  Deneb/1432).  Neither side has developed conclusive results, 
     but the debate rages on.
     
     After the closure of Regency borders to protect the Spinward States 
     from Virus, customs laws became extremely harsh on HRD.  No 
     unauthorized exportation of HRD technology is permitted.  The danger 
     of AI robotics or ships' computers falling into the hands of Virus 
     invokes the image of Trin being bombarded and infested by suicider 
     Virus strains.  Importation is also highly regulated. The effects of a 
     Viral contamination of HRD computers would be devastating to the 
     planet's highly technological society.  As a result, imported parts 
     and components are meticulously inspected for Viral infection.
     
     Customs enforcement is an extremely difficult job on HRD.  Highly 
     trained naval and marine personnel are required to manage the flow of 
     technological equipment on and off planet.  HRD corporations are 
     frequently caught attempting to ship unauthorized prototypes offplanet 
     to their manufacturing centers elsewhere in the Regency.  Most 
     manufacturing corporations avert customs laws by designing their 
     technology on HRD and exporting the design via computer media.  
     Occasionally, however, corporations find the need to locally 
     manufacture a prototype for testing purposes and quickly export it to 
     their remote factories.  Corporations caught in the act usually claim 
     that time is of essence in the dog-eat-dog world of advanced 
     technology and that the rigid customs laws of HRD make it nigh 
     impossible to compete with offworld corporations, many of whom face 
     less stringent regulations.  Their cases are heard in court, but 
     corporations caught in the act of illegal exportation are usually 
     punished with stiff fines and imprisonment for personnel involved in 
     the attempted offworld smuggling.  HRD mastery of information flow 
     usually protects corporate executives from incarceration.
     
     The navy has reserved two squadrons of SDBs solely for the purpose of 
     enforcing exportation laws.  These SDB squadrons form the core of the 
     Mobile Unit SDBs for Customs Law Enforcement (MUSCLE).  MUSCLE SDBs 
     have proven extremely effective at limiting corporate attempts to 
     skirt exportation laws.  Just recently, an LSP blockade runner was 
     forcibly grounded on the farside of HRD by two of MUSCLE's SDBs.  A 
     shootout between mercenaries on the runner and the marine boarding 
     party followed.  Usually, smuggling attempts do not escalate to this 
     level, but open violence does occasionally occur.  Such events are 
     played up in the local news by naval publicity personnel, with the 
     intention of discouraging future smuggling attempts.  Such propaganda 
     usually falls upon deaf ears, however.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 09:14:18 -0700
From: Christopher_Griffen@dmcwave.com (Christopher Griffen)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RICE Paper:  HRD/Vincennes, Part 2 of 2
Message-ID: <0603df80@MailXFER.DMCWAVE.COM>

     [Continued from part 1]
     
     HRD's two major cities, Control and Innovation, are surprisingly 
     lively cities.  Linked to one another by an extensive maglev rail 
     system, the two cities lie approximately 450 km from each other.  Both 
     cities feature domed starport and startown facilities aboveground and 
     expansive business and residential subterranean sections.  While most 
     expect that a planet dedicated to intellectual pursuits would be a 
     stuffy, sedated environment, just the opposite is true on HRD.
     
     Control, the location of the downside naval base, is more or less 
     bifurcated into the corporate sector and military sector.  The 
     corporate sector houses and employs individuals working exclusively 
     for corporate military contractors.  Social and entertainment 
     facilities in Control's corporate sector tend to be of the more 
     mundane variety.  Families typically enjoy a night out at one of the 
     city's plethora of restaurants, followed by a holofilm viewing or 
     gambling in the casino district.
     
     The military sector features a somewhat dilapidated housing section 
     and a score of bars and discos.  Among marines and naval enlisted men, 
     the Citadel tends to be the most popular watering hole.  This 
     expansive nightclub features a full slate of raunchy entertainment and 
     some of the strongest ale to be found in the trailing portion of the 
     Regency.  Brawls are not uncommon at the Citadel.  While the bouncers 
     at the bar are rather effective at quashing such affairs for the most 
     part, a fullscale bar fight nearly wrecked the joint recently when a 
     marine NCO insulted a naval SEALS (Sea-Air-Land-Space) special ops 
     officer.  At the other end of the spectrum is the staid HRD Naval 
     Officers' Club, a posh bi-level establishment located in the surface 
     dome of Control.  Naval officers enjoy the refined environment of the 
     club and descend to "The Catacomb" for gambling and less reserved 
     entertainment.
     
     In sharp contrast with the somewhat blighted military residential and 
     commercial districts, the adjacent naval and marine training centers 
     and barracks are well-funded and equipped operations.  Currently 
     administered by Commodore Willa Velakusian, the dirtside naval base is 
     a meticulously maintained facility.  Also maintained at the dirtside 
     base are 18 batteries of meson dampers and 12 deep-site particle 
     accelerators to be used for offensive or defensive fire.  Because of 
     the concentrated population of HRD, the navy deemed it wise to provide 
     ample defense capabilities for the naval base and adjacent city.
     
     Other than marine law enforcement officers, one would be hard-pressed 
     to find naval or marine personnel just about anywhere in Innovation.  
     While many corporations that contract to the military also do business 
     in Innovation, those who live in the city tend to avoid personal 
     contact with the military.  Innovation is home to scores of sidewalk 
     cafes, in which all manner of discussion and debate occurs on any 
     subject from the validity of Moroyanga's research findings to the 
     advantages of the more pluralistic Regency over the old Imperium.  
     After enjoying a cup of Vincennezi Espresso, the conversation is 
     usually carried to one of hundreds of small bars, taverns or 
     nightclubs along the subterranean streets of the city.  For more 
     family-oriented entertainment, people generally cling to the numerous 
     malls and holotheatres on the periphery of the northeastern 
     residential districts.
     
     While 95 percent of HRD's population lives and works in Control or 
     Innovation, the remaining inhabitants occupy the planetary outback.  
     Devoid of atmosphere, HRD presents a harsh environment in which to 
     live remotely from other sentient life.  Corporate researchers at 
     HRD's polar ice caps, faultline research facilities, geological survey 
     divisions and low orbital zero-G pharmaceutical facilities generally 
     use imported Vincennezi communications technology to maintain contact 
     with their families in the cities.  The extreme daily temperature 
     fluctuation on HRD makes going outside a dangerous proposition.  
     Thickly padded and radiation-shielded vaccsuits are worn when it is 
     absolutely necessary to venture into the outdoors.
     
     HRD is an extremely important system to the Regency and therefore 
     requires special attention.  The Regency Navy maintains a considerable 
     portion of the 258th Fleet in the system, mostly in point defense of 
     the system mainworld itself.  HRD's unique history and governmental 
     structure have fostered a climate in which intellectual freedom can 
     flourish.  Though the world of HRD itself is essentially a hostile 
     airless rock, the society contained within is home to some of the 
     greatest minds of the age.  When Regency governments look for 
     innovation, critical evaluation or conventional wisdom, they look to 
     HRD.
     
     HRD System Details
     
     Orbit      Name    UPP     Remarks
     Primary    YG-437  M5 III
     0-3        Within sphere of star
     4  Scorch  Y430000-0       Va
     8     Ash     Y100000-0       Va
     35    Ember   Y100000-0       Va
     5  Shade   YS00000-0       Va
     6  Nazgul  Y450000-0       
     35    Beege   Y300000-0       Va
     7          Planetoid Belt  G000312-F       As Nv.  Majority owned by 
     Sternmental Horizons.
     8          Fuel Depot      H300463-F       Nv Va
     6     JV-224  Y200000-0       Va
     8     JV-076  YS00000-0       Va
     15    JV-075  YS00000-0       Va
     9          HRD     A401754-F  N    Na Va Ic 10         Sleet   
     G905267-E       Va
     11         Graul Orin      Y100000-0       Va
     7     KY-073  YS00000-0       Va
     9     KY-052  YS00000-0       Va
     12         Outcast G977162-E       
     13         Untouchable     YS00000-0       Va
     
     NOTE:  The IISS satellite naming convention used during the Grand 
     Survey in HRD system was to apply the surveyor's initials, followed by 
     the G rating of the world without its decimal point.  Thus, JV-224 was 
     named by a scout with the initials "JV," and the world's gravity was 
     recorded at 0.224 Gs.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 13:10:22 -0400 (EDT)
From: Alvin Plummer <alvin.plummer@sheridanc.on.ca>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Cc: xboat@MPGN.COM
Subject: Fleet time again (TRAVELLER digest 422)
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.950920122450.4813G-100000@hubble.sheridanc.on.ca>

toad@ugcs.caltech.edu (Benjamin Lane)
> 
> HI all,
> 
> Something related to this worries me - tha fact that detonation lasers 
> are available on the civilian market for use in self-defence of starships.

Nice question.  I always wondered why the Imperium - who's fundamental 
goal was "to control the space between the stars" - never could get rid 
of all those pirates, even pre-Rebellion.

It may be because the Spinward Marches was such a wild frontier sector... 
but still, those are nukes on those civvie ships! (Even if the ship 
mounts just lasers, it's still capable of zapping a tank...)

[Ways to control starship nukes]
> a) licencing and extremely strict government control

The above seems unlikely to work in the free-willing Imperium, but has a 
better chance in the Regency.  The rest seems O.K. (but then again, I'm 
seriously ignorant in this stuff...)

> b) limited yield of available devices. Perhaps below 30-odd kiloton, which 
> makes it difficult to use as a thermonuclear trigger.
> c) limited shelf-life. either use an isotope that decays, or an explosive 
> that does so. 
> d) Put nuclear dampers around all cities, starports, etc.

> 
> final food for thought - the Imperium self-destrcted rapidly due primarily
> to the large numbers of military forces in the core regions  ( CORE, Illelish)
> What were all these ships and divisions doing there? 

Well, not all those ships were originally there: a lot of Lucan's ships 
came from the massive fleets in Corridor Sector.  

The Core Sector fleets were, however, massively built up, for reasons 
I'll get to later...

> They are pretty useless as border defence - it takes too long to get 
> from Core to Solomani Rim or the Marches. And you don't use Tigresses as 
> pirate suppressors. Why have large sector fleets in the interior?

OK. Now, the main reason why Core Sector's fleets were so huge was to 
defend the Emperor from "friendly" Imperial naval fleets from the border 
regions. Remember, there was a 20-year Civil War between 600 and 620, 
which featured massive fleets ripping in from the borderlands to sieze 
the Irridium Throne.  

(That war was started by a large fleet led by Plankwell coming in from 
the Marches (and assassinating the Emperess Josephine), and the war 
ended by another large fleet - Arabellatra's, this time - coming in from 
the Marches, and zapping the last Emperor of the Flag in a major naval 
action. NOTE: some feel that Arabellatra was actually the last Flag 
Emperor...)

[Ironic side note: and the Imperium - if it is to live again - will be 
build largely by yet ANOTHER massive number of fleet's, streaming in from 
the boonies....  Also, have you ever noticed how the Spinward Marches 
figured so largely in Imperial history?  The emperor's never even formed 
a Domain of Deneb till 1116 because they fear their rebellious tendency's...]

Now, remembering that the ruling won't-even-try-to-spell-it dynasty came 
to power by raw naval might, they are certain to keep a large amount of 
ships in their home territory, so some new power-hungry Admiral from 
the boonies will think twice before sending their fleet's Coreward.

If you look closely at Fleet locations, you'd find that the major ships 
and bases are NOT largely set up close to the Imperial Borders, but 
largely spread out throughout the Imperium, with Corridor Sector and Core 
(And Solomani Rim? I don't have  the Rebellion Sourcebook with me...) 
having a good bit more than their fair share of naval power.
  
I suspect that the Corridor and Solomani fleet's are for external defense, 
the Core fleet is the "Practorian Guard", but the other fleet's are either 
A) composed of smaler vessels, for largely anti-pirate duties or B) big 
and bad, to intimidate the local Imperials into towing the party line - 
and put down the occasional subsector- or sector-wide rebellion. 
Because of how well-equipped even less-important part's of the Imperium 
was for the Rebellion, I strongly support reason "B".

Note that Margaret, Brks, and Dulinor (Dukes and Archdukes of low-threat 
zones of the Imperium) were quite capable of holding off the Core fleets, 
despite the fact that they had no military right to that level of 
weaponry, if you are expecting _external_ threats.

(Even Strephon's Fraction - who controlled a mindlesly domesticated part of 
the Imperium - was able to hold off Lucan until he attracted too much 
attention. This is the equivelant of New Zealand maintaining 3 divisions of 
heavy armour and 2 aircraft carrier fleets, "just in case".)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alvin Plummer

     "My brain will be five days dead before I ever trust a Centauri."
          - Garibaldi, "Midnight on the Firing Line", _Babylon 5_

Reply to: alvin.plummer@SHERIDANC.ON.CA
------------------------------------------------------------------------------



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Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 14:12:49 GMT
From: "Brendan O'Donovan" <Brendan@odonovan.demon.co.uk>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Long postings
Message-ID: <91@odonovan.demon.co.uk>

About 'Dark Century':
I split my adventure up, so I could post it, but I realised when I got it back 
that the digest sticks it back together again. This overloaded my mail program 
and I wondered if this was a problem for other people. I only just realised this 
as, before the gremlins got at the mailing list, I got message mail, not digest 
mail. My problems are purely in software, but are there many people on TML who 
have a message size limit on their mailbox?

Given that part 2 of 2 didn't even appear, I wonder if it would be better to 
send it through at about 1000 words per day. Any suggestions?

-- 
Brendan 


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Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 14:04:01 GMT
From: "Brendan O'Donovan" <Brendan@odonovan.demon.co.uk>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Virus is a short term threat?
Message-ID: <90@odonovan.demon.co.uk>

:From Digest 421:
>>3)  The threat of virus still exists.  Why not keep the Regency in its
>>     present state as a buffer zone?

>Let's see....
>1) Virus is a short term (<100 year) threat.  The vessels will wear out
>   until their numbers are too small to be millitarily threatening;
>   electronics s>     themselves with the Regency.

>By who?  Other than the Virus (and that decreases year by year as Vampires
>die out from wear), there are no threats nearby.  Anyway, if the Regency 
>is a client state (as opposed to absorbed into the Consulate), that can be 
>used to limit Consulate involvement.

Virus is a short term threat?? The material presented largely depicts vampires 
as worn out old hulks, staggering from one star to another, but Promise has/had 
a starport and can/could maintain ships. Promise does appear ragged, and with 
the infighting and lack of rebuilding I doubt Promise could last 100 years by 
itself. But this is only the tip of the iceberg, the former Imperium was large 
enough that other examples must exist where virus society has evolved more 
successfully, where Virus is actively rebuilding, where virus recognises the 
usefulness of humans and co-operates with them. This doesn't have to be a 
peacemaker strain infested utopia though, as the Virus/human society could have 
an extremely agressive attitude. If any virus like this developed, then its 
starports would not only be able to maintain the Vampires, but also to build new 
ships. Far from dying out, Virus/Human cultures would have major benefits - 
-Massive integration of AI into culture, assisting humans by providing easier 
interfacing, and logical progression of research, while at the same time the 
virus benefits from the creativity of humans.
-Cheap computers. As a Virus can etch its own circuitry into silicon, making a 
mainframe becomes a matter of a Virus spending a hour or two producing it - 
Imagine a manufacturing plant where the output grow exponentially. Designs would 
be very easily produced by Virus. Starship computers would cost little more than 
the price of the silicon wafers they're printed on.
Virus does have a lot of surviveability. If the Regency blunders into old 
Imperial space and starts a genocidal battle against Virus, then much closer 
unity between Virus systems would develop. If Virus united against a specific 
enemy, instead of just all wandering around with their own agenda, if they got 
their act together on ship maintenance and building, then they would pose a 
major threat to the Regency.

-- 
Brendan 

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Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 10:40:24 +0000
From: Svend.Andersen@vuw.ac.nz
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: An ice catapult...
Message-ID: <Pine.VMS.3.91-vms-b4.950921101835.19154A-100000@matai.vuw.ac.nz>

  Someone, for a non-canon game, wanted an *efficient* way to supply a 
moon colony with ice from a planetary surface, the planet being mainly 
unihabited.  Rather than having ships pootle up and down (as he's decided 
to forgo using contra-grav, this is kinda expensive ;), I suggested using 
some kind of magnetic accelorator...

  He knows that he wants the planet itself to be fairly Mars-like 
(similar gravity, atmosospheric pressure, etc.), so the ice will need to 
have sort of ablative heat-sheild around it, or something...

  I tried fiddling with the rules given in FFS for cannon design, but 
there are some things I'm not entirely clear on...

	o A 80cm *diameter* bore seems to be able to shoot about 20 tonnes
	 of water... the bore is calculated assuming metal, I guess - so
	 how do I change to water?

	o What *length* of barrel are we looking at here?

	o How much water per colonist is needed?

	o How fast *does* the ice need to go to achieve escape velocity, 
	 and how hot would it get? (even a vague approximation would be nice :)

  At the moment I'm using TL12 as a working TL...

  As a very off-the-back-of-an-envelope calculation, if you've got an 
auto-loader, you should get a shot off every 4 1/2 hours... as a matter 
of interest (just in case things take a turn for the worse, heh heh heh 
>:) how much damage could a 20 tonne boulder of ice do to an instalation?

  Hope somone finds the problem interesting enough to investigate! :)

---
Svend "I'm just a biochemist, don't ask *me*!" Andersen

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Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 15:27:35 +1100
From: Bill Currie <BILLC@teleng1.tait.co.nz>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: An ice catapult...
Message-ID: <4CC2EA42CC@teleng1.tait.co.nz>

Svend.Andersen@vuw.ac.nz asked:
[nice stuff snipped]

>   As a very off-the-back-of-an-envelope calculation, if you've got an 
> auto-loader, you should get a shot off every 4 1/2 hours... as a matter 
> of interest (just in case things take a turn for the worse, heh heh heh 
> >:) how much damage could a 20 tonne boulder of ice do to an instalation?

Heaps... the energy of the impact would be related to the escape
velocity of the moon in question and the mass of the bolder ie:

E=(1/2)mv^2

or in terms of the moon

E=Kr(R^2)m

where
E=energy in Joules
K=4*10^14 (G=6.67*10^-11 times earts mass=5.98*10^24)
r=density in Earth densities
R=radius in earth radii (world size/8)
m=mass of iceberg in kg (.001 tonnes)

assumeing a size 2 moon (.25 earth radii) with a density of 1 and 
your 20 tonne ice cube you would get appox 5*10^18J (5*10^12MJ).

I don't know the converstion to mega tonnes but I think one foulup 
would ruin anyone's day.

As to your other questions, check GDW's World Tamers Handbook
(Guild? can't remember), it might say.

Bill

+--------------+-----------------------------------+
|Bill Currie   | "Watch that first step..."        |
|Christchurch  | Jump trooper motto.               |
|New Zealand   |                                   |
+--------------+-----------------------------------+

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End of TRAVELLER Digest 423
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