			    TRAVELLER Digest 470

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Re: TRAVELLER digest 469 by toad@ugcs.caltech.edu (Benjamin Lane)
  2) Re: Jump Flashes by Charles Collin <charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>
  3) Regency Sourcebook Errata by "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpgate.read.tasc.com>
  4) Re: TRAVELLER digest 468 by Joni M Virolainen <jonimv@evitech.fi>
  5) PAW etc. by "Frances A. McLaughlin" <wwnfam@pipeline.com>
  6) Re: Jump Flashes by aswfh@orion.alaska.edu (William F. Hostman)
  7) Re: TRAVELLER digest 469 by shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
  8) Re: Armistice class Diplomatic Vessel by "David J. Golden" <goldendj@whip.com>
  9) Re: 2 - 4 - 6 - 8 - Muder Maim and Mutilate... by Rob_Prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Rob Prior)
 10) Re: PAW etc. by merrick@Rt66.com (Merrick Burkhardt)
 11) RE: Regency Sourcebook Errata  by That Computer Guy <darkstar@UDel.Edu>
 12) Bill White by Sanders Jerry P <sandjp0@clem.mscd.edu>
 13) Re: TRAVELLER digest 469 by A.S.Lilly@bnr.co.uk (Andy Lilly)
 14) Memo on Lewis by lewis@chara.gsu.edu

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

Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 13:07:47 -0800 (PST)
From: toad@ugcs.caltech.edu (Benjamin Lane)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 469
Message-ID: <199510312107.NAA23120@off.ugcs.caltech.edu>

Re; Ted7's comment on jump flashes:

You know, at this point there is almost no reason to prefer one 
kind of jump flash over the other - at least as far as physics 
is concered.
However, from a gaming point of view there are a few things one 
would prefer/not prefer. For instance: that one not immediately 
be detected upon entry into a system - at least as long as one 
has a good ship, or is taking precautions.
But your comment about "entry directions" doesn't sit right.
after all, if you are "entering realspace" from jump-space, why 
would there be a "preferred direction"?  A doubt that a 
jump emergence would be like what you see in B5, i.e. a door in 
the flat 2D background on space. If it were, what would an observer
on the other side see? No, a picture where the ship entry radiates
isotropically is much easier to justify. 

also, why wouldn't jump signature depend on energy puped into the 
jump field? If you always got out the same amount of energy every 
time you opened a jump entry hole, you are violating conservation of 
energy -since the amount of energy necessary to open a "hole" 
depends on ship size and jump number...
If this violation were allowed, I have just figured out a new 
kind of power plant. (a small field generator that opens a hole 
into j-space and taps the energy there.) 

finally, there is a reference to jump signature depending on ship type
in an old MT Journal description of the Fiery class close escort...

cheers,
/ben
  

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

Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 16:15:14 -0500 (EST)
From: Charles Collin <charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>
To: Trav Mailing List <traveller@MPGN.COM>,
Subject: Re: Jump Flashes
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951031161234.19064A-100000@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca>

Hi there.  Someone said jump flashes are non-canonical.  But aren't they 
mentioned in the Starship Owner's Manual (I'm not sure I got that title 
right)?  I think they mention how the lanthanum grid on the exterior of the 
ship 
glows bright blue while preparing for jump.  I think they also mention 
that it will be there when the ship exits, at least for a fraction of a 
second.  Could someone with that product check it out?

	<0>    "Beware he who sees everything but perceives nothing."   <0>
	<0> Charles Collin (charles@hebb.psych.mcgill.ca), 		<0>
	<0> Psychology Department, McGill University.  			<0> 
	<0> 1205 Dr. Penfield, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 1B1.  	<0>



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

Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 16:50:03 -0500
From: "Harold D. Hale" <hdhale@smtpgate.read.tasc.com>
To: hiwg-list@fwe.com, traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Regency Sourcebook Errata
Message-ID: <s0965365.099@smtpgate.read.tasc.com>

Greetings all,

Here's the latest and greatest Regency Sourcebook errata updated as of
4:45 pm Eastern Standard Time in the US (yes, this is Official GDW stuff):

page 35 - Government code `X` (Droyne Hierarchy) was inadvertently
left off the list.

page 45 - The subsector data listing for Wisconsin (Mithril) shows the
Stellar Data as `F4D`.  This should instead read `F4V`.

page 49 - Mille Falcs has a starport of `A` in 1202.  The subsector data
is correct, but the map (which shows a starport of `B`) is not.

page 51 - Trin in 1202 has a naval base per the subsector data and
the subsector description.  The map erroneously lists it as having a scout
base instead.

page 64 - References made to the 193rd Fleet should instead refer to
the 303rd.

page 64 (again) - Lucifer has a starport of `B` in 1202.  Another case
where the map is wrong but the subsector data is right.

page 86 - On the Damage Tables, areas 8-9, under Internal Explosion,
the text should read `1 - 6 : TS, 7 - 20 : Hold` not `17-20 Hold`.

page 90 - Under the description of the Cuspid-type Gunboat, the
range listed in hexes for the 300,000 km radio is `2`.  This should be
`10` instead.

page 92 - The last area was inadvertently left off the Damage Tables.
That line of text should have a line for Area 20, with nothing for surface
hits and `Eng` for the Internal Explosion portion of the table.

If you have any additional entries, please pass them along and I'll see
that GDW gets them as soon as possible.

Regards,

Harold



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

Date: Wed, 1 Nov 1995 00:19:28 +0200 (EET)
From: Joni M Virolainen <jonimv@evitech.fi>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 468
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9511010005.A8636-0100000@evitech.evitech.fi>

I admit that I have been too busy to read all those RICE papers. But 
fortunately I have more time now (at least for a while). I just found 
that tech and law had more than just one code. What they stand for?

Thanks for help,

"I'll be bag"
-Arnie the Alligator

Joni Virolainen
jonimv@evitech.fi



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

Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 18:07:01 -0500
From: "Frances A. McLaughlin" <wwnfam@pipeline.com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: PAW etc.
Message-ID: <199510312307.SAA17140@pipe3.nyc.pipeline.com>

I had no doubt that you could get the numbers to work out... too bad 
they don't match the stated design.  I wonder what the mass difference 
is between the two.  Also, what is the stated length of the ship(s) it 
is mounted on.  Does either the 14m or 15.35m design fit as L or .8*L? 
 
If you are designing plug in weapons, just do them.  The ship designer 
will pick the size that fits.  If you want them to be standard to the 
MIL, then they'd have to fit the volume (and presumably length) 
requirements of the module.  Mass wouldn't be important for you as the 
plug-in designer... but it would be smart to look at the mass of the 
MIL and make sure that with your module the total mass would be within 
15*hull_displacement so the craft wouldn't suffer from carrying it 
(although it might be worth the trade if the weapon was nasty enough). 
 
I'd be interested if anyone thinks a PAW with a damage value (or PV, or 
whatever it is :-) of 70 (max) could ever "rapidly inflict killing 
damage" (my paraphrase, probably not a direct quote) on a small 
starship.  Even most traders would have armor of 40 or so.  That means 
the PAW is as good as a laser only within 5 hexes (and much worse when 
you consider the excess damage will never be able to repenetrate the 
armor), and will only warm the hull at greater ranges.  Military ships 
are gonna be armor 60 (62, frequently for some reason), so it'll be lame 
even at under 5 hexes.  It's bad when the coaxial fusion gun with a 
1.something km short range is a much better weapon than your primary gun 
:-) 
 
I bet that a real varmit gun (a .22 or SKS) would do more damage by 
orders of magnitude than that PAW at BL type closing velocities. 
 
They should have made them open frame designs at whatever tonnage would 
allow a length of 25m (for a damage of 125).  They could get the volume 
down by having a short range if needed, but at least it would penetrate 
hulls with enough energy left over to do criticals to a small military 
ship.  Then they could use the illustration on the MT Fighting Ships for 
a picture of what it looks like (hmmm). 
 
Were the PAWs craft in question at TL15?  Maybe I'll try to make useful 
versions with said 25ish meter PAW. 
 
 
-Merrick 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
Hi, 
 
With the Rshort being rounded to 1, it does make sense (unfortunately,
physics is magick to me) from a procedural point of view.  I've got to give
Merrick credit here as well, as he initially brought up the rounding issue
to me. 
 
Merrick, from looking through the published ships, most are only armored to
Gmax x 10, so most traders are only armored to 10 or 20 (28 in some cases).
 If you consider the proportion of surviving merchant vessels to military
vessels as being high (which would make sense to me), vampire fleets are
going to consist of a lot armed merchant types and a few core naval types
(Note that I would modify the encounter procedure given in _Vampire Fleets_
, specifically the ship types, to apply only to a naval encounter result.
and that each ship encountered (if more than 1) should be rolled on the
initial encounter (merchant, civilian, naval, scout, non-starship) table). 
Following this chain of assumptions, a PA design should be effective
against the "screen".  Note also that virtually all non-military ships seem
to have St rather than Fb computers, and even several of the Hiver and RCES
ships only have one Fb and two St aboard. 
 
Having seemingly conquered the PA design problem (although it still doesn't
come out to the published stats), I figured I would try to reverse-engineer
the Fang-type SDB and then see what I could do with it.  Guess what?  I
couldn't do it.  There seem to be a number of quirks which don't follow the
published design sequences.  As a result, I'm posting the published stats
for the Fang to see if anyone else can reproduce it, either using the 14m
PA or the (seemingly correct) 15.35 m tube. 
 
Help!!! 
 
I reproduce here the details for the Fang 
The following is quoted from the _Regency Source Book_, copyright 1995,
Game Designer's Workshop, p. 90 
 
Fang SDB 
 
General Data 
Displacement: 50 tons  Hull Armor:  60 
Length:23 Meters   Volume:  700 m^3 
Price:  MCr 73.65   Target Size:  VS 
Configuration: Box/Cylinder SL Tech Level:  15 
Mass (Loaded/Empty):  743.62/729.59 
 
Engineering Data 
Power Plant:  372 MW Fusion Power Plant (186 MW/hit), 1 year duration
(1.6965 MW power surplus) 
Jump Performance:  0 
G-rating:  6 (25 MW/G), Contra-Grav lifters (5 MW) 
G-Turns: 64, 3.125 m^3 each 
Maint:  13 
 
Electronics 
Computer: 2xTL-15 Model Fb (1.1 MW ea.) 
Commo:  2 x 30,000 km radio (1 hex, 1MW ea.), 1 x 300,000 km radio (10
hexes, 10 MW), 3 x 1000 AU maser (inf, .6 MW ea.) 
Avionics:  TL-10+ Avionics 
Sensors:  Passive EMS fixed array 120,000 km (4 hex, .1 MW), Active EMS
300,000 (10 hex, 15 MW) 
ECM/ECCM:  EM Masking (0.42 MW) 
Controls:  Flight deck with 3 x normal workstations plus one other
workstation 
 
Armament:  2 x TL-15 14m 196 Mj Particle Accelerator (Loc:
6/8/12/14,7/9/13/15;  Arcs: 1;  109 MW [Powered to -3 Diff Mods] ea.;  1
Crew ea.) 
 
Short  Med  Long  Ext 
5:70  10:41  20:21  40:10 
 
Fire Control Systems:  1xTL-15 300,000km Dual-Purpose beam/Msl MFD (6 Diff
Mods;  Msl 10 hexes;  10 hexes, 1.71 MW; 1 Crew) 
 
Accomodations 
Life Support:  Extended (.14 MW), Grav Compensators(6 G;  3.5 MW) 
Crew:  6 (1xCommand/Pilot, 1xElectronics, 1xEngineering, 1xMFD gunner,  
2 x PA gunners)  
Crew Accomodations:  2xSmall Stateroom (.0005 MW each) 
Cargo: None 
Air Locks: 3 
 
Notes 
 The Fang-type is the true SDB development of the initial Cuspid concept
seen above, although it is only the size of a heavy fighter.  Its
long-endurance and habitability allow it to perform most traditional SDB
missions, and its high-G performance allows it to handle with the best of
the fighters in Charted Space. 
 Small-to-moderate-sized particle accelerators like those fitted to the
Cuspid and Fang (they are only large in comparison to these small vessels)
are known in naval circles as "varmint guns."  They are able to rapidly
inflict killing damage on small starships, and their EMP side-effects make
short work of non-Fb computers.  Contrary to popular entertainment
programs, fighters are able to take on full-size warships only under the
most unusual of circumstances.  Fang SDBs are able to quickly strip away
the "nuisance vessels" in a vampire force, allowing the large fleet units
to quickly dispose of the major units. 
 The Fangs' dual purpose (missile/beam) MFDs allow them to trade their PA
pods for the missile pods seen on the inspection launch.  Performance with
these pods falls to 4Gs with 64 G-turns (3.125cubic meters each), and crew
complement falls to four. 
 Fuel scoops allow the skimming of 280 m^3/hr, or 43 minutes for full fuel
load. 
 
 
Will Nourse

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


Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 16:51:39 -0800
From: aswfh@orion.alaska.edu (William F. Hostman)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Jump Flashes
Message-ID: <v01530502acbc73a07572@[137.229.100.68]>

Ted7: This I have reposted here for you (in)convinience, as I posted it to
XBoat today as well. Remember that Digest Group products ARE cannonical
souces if they were for Mega Traveller, as they WROTE MT for GDW. (See
TD21). Starship Operator's Manual was such a product, and was approved by
GDW. The section on Jump drives is cannonical, as are all the subsections.
Sorry to shatter your imperium.

>Reply-To: xboat@MPGN.COM
>
>Hi there.  Someone said jump flashes are non-canonical.  But aren't they
>mentioned in the Starship Owner's Manual (I'm not sure I got that title
>right)?  I think they mention how the lanthanum grid on the exterior of the
>ship
>glows bright blue while preparing for jump.  I think they also mention
>that it will be there when the ship exits, at least for a fraction of a
>second.  Could someone with that product check it out?

Charles: I am looking right at page 14 of _Starship Operator's Manual_:
Here is the cannonical quote:
>"Observing Jumpspace Transition: To an Outside observer, the entry of a ship
>into jumpspace is a most spectacular sight. It begins when the jump grid is
>first warmed up during the preparation for the jump. The lanthanum traces in
>the hull slowly build up to a faint blue-white glow which forms a crisscross
>pattern across the surface of the ship.
>       "When the captain orders the ship into jumpspace, the increased energy
>flow causes the pattern to suddenly become so bright it is almost painfull to
>look at with the naked eye. A blue "energy haze" forms around the ship as the
>weave of the targeted jumpspace level is disturbed. Finally, too fast for the
>eye to follow, the ship seems to collapse into a line along its central axis
>and quickly shrinks into a brilliant point of light before it vanishes
>completely."
>        [...]
>       "Dropping out of jumpspace is simply the reverse of the above. [...]
>       "To those looking at a starship returning to normal space, a blue haze
>begins to form. For an instant, a point of brilliant blue white light forms at
>its center which stretches out to become a line and then bursts into the three
>dimensional grid pattern made by the lanthanum hull web. The haze fades out
>slowly behind the ship, while the grid quickly loses its charge and returns
>to normal."

-Wil

William F. Hostman

EMail:          ASWFH@Orion.Alaska.EDU
HomePage:       http://orion.alaska.edu/~aswfh/index.html



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

Date: Tue, 31 Oct 95 14:43:54 PST
From: shadow@krypton.rain.com (Leonard Erickson)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 469
Message-ID: <VByuDD3w165w@krypton.rain.com>

mitch@intersys.com (Mitch Schwartz) writes:

> Actually, you forgot the most important comment from the xboat discussion:
> EXIT FLASHES ARE NON-CANONICAL.  They are artifacts from Jerry Pournelle's
> or CJ Cherryh's SF universes (JP:Mote in God's Eye, etc; CJC: Merchanter's Lu
> the Chanur series, etc; I recommend both highly!).

Well, I can make a good argument for *one* thing that *is detectable at
a distance, and *must* accompany every jump entry and exit. A "gravity
pulse". The was X amount of mass there, now it's gone. That means you
get a gravity wave radiating away.

Heck, we could detect this *now*. Only problem is, I'm not real sure at
what *range* we could detect it. It would be subject to the inverse
square law, it'd propogate at light speed, and it would be a distinct
signal. 

> Why would an entry flash be detectable to a huge distance?  I'll admit that
> if they exist, they would be quite different from a natural phenomenon, but w
> would they have a high signal strength?

Gravity waves aren't all that strong. On the other hand, this *is* the
sort of thing that would stand out. One important factor to consider is
how *fast* the ship appears/disappears. (ie time from 100% of mass
present until 0%). It *won't* be instantaneous.

> >1.  Jump exit sigs are the same regardless of jump number. (yes? no?)
> 
> Yes.  The effect at the exit system is a ship breaking back into normal space
> Why would it be any different based on jump number?

Agreed. The gravity pulse (and any secondary effects from it) would be
solely based on the appearance/disappearance of the mass.

> >2.  Jump exit sigs change with displacement of ship (bigger ship, bigger
> flash).
> 
> Why?  The flash is a point source of the instant of shift in the fabric of
> the universe as the vessel passes through.

For the gravity pulse, the reason should be obvious. Because more mass
is appearing/disappearing.

> More important is that the flash is only detectable in the direction of the
> breakout. 

Definitely *not* true for a gravity pulse, and unlikely for anything
else. You aren't thinking four-dimensionally. The vector of the ship is
not connected at all with the "direction" it re-enters the universe
from. That direction is at right angles to the X, Y, *and* Z co-ordinates.

Think of pickking up a spinning top from a table (by a non-spinning
handle). You won't be able to place it back on the table from a
"direction" that will change the direction of spin. Likewise, the
velocity and momentum of a ship are the same when it returns from jump.
It's just at a different location. 

But the "flash" (the flexing of the table top when the top is lifted,
and the "thud" when it is dropped) will radiate in "all" directions. I
put "all" in quotes, because they'll only radiate in 3 dimensions...

Leonard Erickson	           leonard@qiclab.scn.rain.com
(aka Shadow)			    shadow@krypton.rain.com (preferred)
FIDO:   1:105/51	  Leonard.Erickson@f51.n105.z1.fidonet.org 


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

Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 18:34:13 -0700
From: "David J. Golden" <goldendj@whip.com>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: Armistice class Diplomatic Vessel
Message-ID: <199511010134.AB02117@ns-1.csn.net>

I just started converting this to HTML to post it on my Web Page, and I
found something I don't understand:


At 04:04 AM 10/11/95 -0400, you wrote:
>Okay here's my try at a diplomatic vessel, it's slightly completely over 
>budget, but does have some features which might justify part of the price.
>WARNING: this is one of the most hideously overgunned designs ever, but I felt 
>like fitting it with a 'secret weapon'.

/* snip */

>SYSTEM DAMAGE: JD 4H, MD 2H, PP 3H, FP 2H, PEMS210ant 2h, EMM 1H, EMMR 7h, 
                                            ^^^^^^^ This doesn't seem right
-- could you send me a corrected damage listing? Thanks!

 ___________________________________________________________________
  Dave Golden                              PGP Public Key available
  goldendj@whip.com        http://www2.csn.net/~goldendj/index.html

 "He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his
  enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty, he establishes
  a precedent that will reach to himself" -- Thomas Paine


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

Date: 31 Oct 1995 20:17:23 GMT
From: Rob_Prior@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca (Rob Prior)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: 2 - 4 - 6 - 8 - Muder Maim and Mutilate...
Message-ID: <269672349.37180436@nynet.nybe.north-york.on.ca>

What was the address of the ftp site again?

My mailer tends to crap out when messages get over 32k, which the TML has
been doing a lot of lately.  (Also why I get irritated when people quote a
lot: it usually means I lose the last part of the digest.)

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

Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 19:09:59 -0700 (MST)
From: merrick@Rt66.com (Merrick Burkhardt)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: PAW etc.
Message-ID: <9511010210.AA08067@Rt66.com>


Regarding the Fang SBD:

I'm not exactly sure what problems you found, but I bet the Box/Cylinder
SL configuration has a lot to do with it...   Unless you know how much
is Box and how much is Cylinder you'll have trouble.  It's actually
pretty clever.  The arcs of fire are the same even for the two hull
forms.  I was planning on doing the Gormandoacy DD from High Passage #5,
but couldn't figure on the config.  I guess it'll be Wedge/Sphere or
Box/Sphere.  I'd use the worse of the arcs of fire when in doubt (from
the taking damage perspective).

I had asked about the gs before, and my quick glance at wargames west
was wrong.  It meets the 15*disp requirement.

-Merrick

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

Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 21:46:36 -0500
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@UDel.Edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: RE: Regency Sourcebook Errata 
Message-ID: <199511010246.VAA24227@chopin.udel.edu>

In Reply to Your Message of Tue, 31 Oct 1995 16: 48:21 EST
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 21:46:36 -0500
From: That Computer Guy <darkstar@chopin.udel.edu>

: Greetings all,
: 
: Here's the latest and greatest Regency Sourcebook errata updated as of
: 4:45 pm Eastern Standard Time in the US (yes, this is Official GDW stuff):

[rest deleted]

Just a few quick questions.  First, where did you get this?  If from
GDW, is there anyway I can find out what other errata is out there and
how to get that too?  Finally, is all of this stuff online anywhere? 

Thanks in advance...

       --Jerry

8) Jerry Alexandratos                %  "Nothing inhabits my    (8 
8) darkstar@strauss.udel.edu         %   thoughts, and oblivion (8
8) darkstar@canary.pearson.udel.edu  %   drives my desires."    (8

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

Date: Tue, 31 Oct 1995 19:54:08 -0700 (MST)
From: Sanders Jerry P <sandjp0@clem.mscd.edu>
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Bill White
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.951031195206.18124B-100000@clem.mscd.edu>

Hello  =)

I am looking to get in touch with Bill White regarding the Homestead 
article. If anyone has his current e-mail address please send it to me.

Hey to Joe, and Cmdr Lilly!

Thanks!
Paul Sanders
sandjp0@clem.mscd.edu

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

Date: Wed, 01 Nov 1995 11:16:45 +0000
From: A.S.Lilly@bnr.co.uk (Andy Lilly)
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Re: TRAVELLER digest 469
Message-ID: <199511011022.FAA27284@Mithril.MPGN.COM>

Quick comment on Mitch Schwartz's message on Entry flash (Jump exit):

>Actually, you forgot the most important comment from the xboat discussion:
>EXIT FLASHES ARE NON-CANONICAL.

Yep.

>They are artifacts from Jerry Pournelle's or CJ Cherryh's SF universes
>(JP:Mote in God's Eye, etc; CJC: Merchanter's Luck,
>the Chanur series, etc; I recommend both highly!).

Most definitely, particularly Cherryh's stuff.

>>1.  Jump exit sigs are the same regardless of jump number. (yes? no?)
>Yes.  The effect at the exit system is a ship breaking back into normal space.
>Why would it be any different based on jump number?

Because canonical text (I'll try to work out which) describes jump 1 to 6 as
relying upon breaking through to a different dimension (n+1 to n+6 - I don't
think this was as simple as x,y,z,time,Jump1,etc. I have a feeling n >> 4).
Since breaking out of jump from Jump 1 is from a different dimension to Jump
2, etc. then there _might_ be some excuse for having different jump exit sigs.

The following assumes you want to have jump exit 'flashes':

>>2.  Jump exit sigs change with displacement of ship (bigger ship, bigger
>flash).
>Why?  The flash is a point source of the instant of shift in the fabric of
>the universe as the vessel passes through.

Personally I don't figure a 'gateway', 'through' which the ship appears, but
rather to the observer a near instantaneous 'fading in' of the ship as the
jump field is dispersed. Therefore the flash ought to correspond to the size
of the vessel since it comes from the interaction of the dying jump field
around the ship.

>More important is that the flash is only detectable in the direction of the
>breakout. 

For the reason given above I would assume the 'flash' can be seen from any
direction since it is 'emitted' from the entire jump field, i.e. every side
of the ship.

Just my Cr0.03 (Inflation of under 4%? Where do these bl**dy politicians buy
_their_ food?)

Andy


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

Date: Wed, 01 Nov 95 12:55:06 -0500
From: lewis@chara.gsu.edu
To: traveller@MPGN.COM
Subject: Memo on Lewis
Message-ID: <9511011755.AA01645@chara.gsu.edu>

 

ULTRA SECRET 
From:Cmmdr Wafoua Syoisuis : 49th Squadron 214th Fleet Lewis Quarantine 253-1199
To: Vice Admiral Goron Amdon :  Chief of Naval Intelligence 214th Fleet

	My congratulations on your recent promotion, I look forward to
working with you again.  I have been asked by your predecessor to bring
you up to date on the situation on Lewis.  We have recently created and
released a RICE Paper for public dissemination.  This paper creates a
cover story that Lewis has become infected with a dangerous symbtiote,
of human creation.  For those 
suspicious individuals in the press and other organizations we have
created false evidence that the base on Lewis was researching
biological warfare agents, in violation of Emperor Martin III's edict. 
There is nothing concrete, just enough to suggest.  Hopefully this way
suspicious individuals will be diverted from the truth.  
	The actual story is not that much different than the official
story.  In 945 a research base was established on Lewis, not to study
biological improvements, but the geneering of psionic individuals.  
The base took several years to get established, in its early years it
did not make much progress.  It made a few minor improvements to psi
drugs and psionic shielding,  but nothing major.   During the Fourth
Frontier War, dozens on noble Zhodani were captured and shipped to
Lewis.  These individuals provided a large group of psions who shared a
common gene pool.   These specimens showed the researchers new
approaches to their problem.  In 1088 the Beta Epsilon batch of test
subjects was conceived.  By 1102 an above average number of specimens
showed psionic awareness.  The Beta Zeta and Beta Eta batches also
showed increased numbers of psions with increased strengths and variety
of psionic abilities.  The Beta 
Theta batch had to be destroyed, due to an unforeseen mutation.  The
Beta Iota batch was decanted in 1130, by 1139 the group was showing
unheard of levels of psionic abilities.  Seventy five percent were
psioniclly  active, with psionic strengths of five to ten, with three
cases of strengths of 18.  The Beta Kappa and Beta Lambda batches were
rushed into production.  During the summer of 1148 the Beta Iota
individuals, turned 18.  In the next year they started to show 
signs of mental instabilities. 
	The researchers carefully watched the Beta Kappa and Beta
Lambda groups. Both groups showed immense psionic strengths, and not
just in the common psionic abilities, but in many different Arcane
abilities.  unfortunately they also developed mental instabilities,
even earlier than in the Beta Iota group.  These include megalomania,
paranoia, schizophrenia, autism, mental retardation, multiple
personality disorder and obsessive compulsive behavior.  Production 
of the Beta Mu and Beta Nu batches were immediately halted, while a
solution was sought.  
	The researchers only had 6 months, before the Betas created
their own solution.  Led by a Beta Iota named Alexandra, they revolted.
 Most of the researchers were killed, the remaining were captured and
held as hostage.  Some of the Betas wanted to trade the hostages for a
ship in which they would roam the galaxy.  Alexandra put a halt to this
talk by incinerating the group's 
chief spokesman.  She then declared herself Emperor of the Known
Universe, and ordered a halt to contact with the "...mind deaf
Imperials."  She ordered that the Beta Mu, and Beta Nu batches be put
into production, and she ordered the creation of a Beta Xi group, which
consisted entirely of clones of herself.  Alexandra suffered from
megalomania and paranoia, aparticularly dangerous 
combination in a leader, especially when the leader  is a telepathic pyrotechnic. 
	The Commodore of  the orbiting squadron was on planet during
the revolt and was executed by Emperor Alexandra personally.  There was
quite a debate among the surviving Naval captains on how to react to
the revolt.  Some wanted to act with massive force and crush the
planet.  Others wanted to mount a rescue attempt, and then crush the
planet.  A few wanted to negotiate a settlement.  Finally a rescue
attempt was decided on.  The attempt was a dismal failure.  Two
companies of assault marines landed on the planet.  Though equipped with battle 
dress with integral psionic shielding, the marines were butchered by
the psions. Psionic shielding only slows down a strength 15 psion, and
it does nothing against telekinetic wielded plasma guns. 
	Upon hearing of the defeat, Subsector Command issued orders
calling for a temporary quarantine of the planet.  After several months
of debate, it was ordered that the quarantine be made permanent, and
the planet kept under constant surveillance.  It was thought that the
undesirable mental traits would be winnowed from the gene pool, by
natural selection.   Even if this did not happen, the Navy would be
able to study to see the long term biological effects of psionics. 
	The quarantine is maintened by the 49th Squadron of the 214th
Regency Fleet.  The planet is monitored by a series of orbiting
satellites.  Yearly, missions to the planet are mounted, These are
crewed solely by remotely controlled robots.  Each robot has a self
destruct mechanism, in case a psion with machine empathy manages to
take control of the robot.  These missions trade needed resources for
information that can not be gathered from orbit.  Some complexes await
the missions with anticipation, others try to destroy the missions, for
what ever goals they might have.  Occasionally the missions capture a
psion and bring back the specimen for in depth analysis.
	Since the revolt, life has not been good for the inhabitants of
Lewis.  It is standard procedure for experimental geneered individuals
to be sterilized at birth. This way the gene pool is strictly
controlled by the scientists in charge.  Early Betas such as
individuals from the Beta Beta and Beta Gamma batches, were used as lab
assistants at the research base.  These individuals 
were able to create new batches of Betas, which were fully fertile.  
The other major problem for the Betas was food.  Most food for the
research was grown on planet, but it required a great deal of foreign
assistance.  After several lean years, the Betas were able to create a
stable food supply.   Though it is precarious and does not make for a
varied diet.   
	The society of the psions is quite chaotic, as fits a mentally
unstable population.  The population consists of approximately 12,000
individuals.  These are gathered into 12 major groups of about 800
psions each, and 25 minor groups of varying size.  Each group does not
possess enough food, manufacturing, medical and technological resources
to be self sufficient.  Most groups trade to get access to the
necessary resources.  A few, especially of the smaller bands, 
resort to raiding, and banditry.  Local manufacturing is at TL 8, with
large amounts of high tech equipment still on planet.  The structure of
each of these bands is quite varied, some are democratic, some are
ruled by self proclaimed Queens, Dalis, Gods, and Lord Emperors, others
are simply ruled by the strongest.  The clones of Emperor Alexandra
have created a complex inhabited solely by clones of the original
Alexandra, who is kept alive in low berth.  It is considered one of the
more insane complexes.  Due to the sheer number of sociopaths, violent
crime is epidemic, most groups have incorporated this into their
society, through ritual challenges,  registered assassins and blood duels.  
	
System Details:
Primary F8V
 Orbit 	Name	UPP	Satelite Orbit	          Satelite UPP
    1         	LGG
  			         8		   x-670000-0
			        10		   x-600000-0
			        12		   x-200000-0
            	                35                 x-800000-0          
                                   
                                40                 x-S00000-0          
                                    
                                                                       
                                  
     2  	SGG                                                    
                                        
                       	         1	           x-R00000-0          
                                                        
                                20                 x-S00000-0          
                                   
                                45                 x-S00000-0          
                                    
                                50                 x-S00000-0          
                                    
                                                                       
                                  
     3          SGG
                                 1                 x-R00000-0
                                 4                 x-100000-0          
                            
                                 8                 x-320000-0          
                                
                                30                 x-400000-0       
                                      
                                                                       
                                  
     4  Lewis	X-427360-8
			       1		   x-R00000-0
                               7		   x-S00000-0	
                               9                   G-202255-F       
The Navy has built a small repair facility, to help maintain the quarantine.

Reference : The Regency Source book:Keepers of the Flame.
 

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

End of TRAVELLER Digest 470
***************************
