In My Traveller Universe

BEC

Hans Azzamiin — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:39:52 GMT

BEC is the main supplier of belters equipment in the Marches. While the cooperative operates stores in most major mining centers, those are not open to the general public. Only co-operative members have access to the high-quality but fair-priced mining equipment and supplies provided by BEC. The membership comes with voting right for the Board of Directors managing the co-op.

THS - The Hans Space (working name)

Hans Azzamiin — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:08:00 GMT

Some raw idea, in bulk:

European Federal Agencies:
- European Defence Forces (EDF, 'The Forces')
  - The Ground Forces are made up of loose specialized units, ranging from platoon to bataillon size depending on arm and grouped together in Bases for administrative, training and support purposes but deployed in reinforced brigade sized mission tailored Task Forces
    - The infantry is of two types:
      - Baselines humans acting as Light Armored Infantry and suitable for most types of non conventional missions (including security, counter insurgency, asymmetric warfare, peace-enforcement/keeping, police actions, disaster relief...)
      - Combat Drones acting as Heavy Drop Infantry and suitable for assault and other conventional missions
  - The Navy operates a fleet made of:
    - Small Multi-Missions Patrol Corvettes
    - Small and highly automated submarines
    - Power Projection and Command Ships capable of supporting a brigade sized Task Forces and equipped with a Modular Task Force C³I Center, a field hospital, a landing dock and a flight deck and hangar adapted to Trans Atmospheric Shuttles and Air Combat Drones
  - The Aerospace Force operates:
    - Trans Atmospheric Shuttles
    - Air Combat Drones (fighter and bombers, and pretty much any aircraft but transports were rendered obsolete by those intelligent cruise missiles capable of strikes, interceptions, recon...)
  - The Deep Space Forces orerates:
    - Space Control Crafts: fast combat patrol craft equipped with Space Combat Drones
    - Space Power Projection Crafts: big craft similar in role to the naval Projection and Command Ships and designed to support Space-to-Surface combat
  - The Special Forces:
    - Squad sized teams made of pretty much whatever is needed for the mission at hand
    - Special Force Capable company sized units (similar in training, equipment and doctrine to the US Rangers) made of genetically engineered, purpose bred and highly trained troops.
- European Intelligence Service (EIS): foreign intelligence
- European Security Service (ESS): domestic intelligence
- European Federal Police (EFP): specialized police and investigation missions that cover more than one region in Europe
Weapons:
- FN-GMWS: the Gauss Modular Weapons System is made by Fabrique Nationale for the European Defense Forces; those coilguns accelerates 4mm calibre armor piercing ammunitions; three types of Coils-Barrel Modules as well as other modules allow for different variants of the weapon:
  - GIDW: Gauss Individul Defense Weapon; using the CQC (Close Quarters Combat) Coils-Barrel Module together with a Butt Cap (instead of the regular Ajustable Buttstock), this compact weapon is specificaly designed for vehicle crews and support troops but many found their ways into the hands of the European Defense Special Forces;
  - GICW: the Individual Combat Weapon is the service rifle of the EDF Infantry; the regular size Coils-Barrel Module together with the Advanced Multi-Function Sight and the Ajustable Buttstock make for a precise anti-personnel battlefield weapon while the under barrel 20 mm Smart Missile Launcher gives the firepower needed against vehicles, drones and structures alike;
  - GIPW: the Heavy Duty/Long Range Coils-Barrel Module transforms the GMWS into the Individual Precision Weapon equipping the EDF Sharpshooters from the squad to the battalion level;
  - GSSW: the Squad Support Weapon comes with the Intergral Folding Bipod Handguard, the High Capacity Drum Magazine and the Heavy Duty/Long Range Coils-Barrel Module and equips every EDF Infantry Fireteam.
- FN-GISW: the Individual Side Weapon is the service pistol of the EDF and its ammunition is fully compatible with the GMWS.
- FN-GVDW: the Gauss Vehicle Defense Weapon is a heavy machine gun firing the ubiquious 4mm Armor Piercing Round.

European Defense Force Officers Ranks

Hans Azzamiin — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:59:44 GMT

Officers Ranks for the European Defense Forces of a little defined and entierly hypothetic campaign set in the Solar System and inspired by Traveller, Transhuman Space, Jovian Chronicles and Solsys, the Solar System Encyclopedia (a French indie hard-science game)...

Tube Transportation System

Hans Azzamiin — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:05:00 GMT

A high tech alternative to the underground shamelessly inspired by Future Armada Argos III and Invictus.

Also know as Tube or T², this mass transportation system, manufactured by Ling Standard Product, is something of an hybrid between an underground and a lift.

The system is composed of spherical GravLev capsules moving in a 10' wide tube. Each capsule is voice controlled and can accommodate 11 sitting passengers (and about that much more standing ones during rush hours). The tube itself is equipped with automatic switching devices allowing every single capsule to reach every single stop of the network. Traffic is managed by a dedicated computer system handling the routing of capsules, call priorities, and restrictions (certain parts of the network may be made off-limits to some).

Main arteries of the network are made a bundle of three tubes allowing two-way circulation together with maintenance, emergency traffic and backup.

In communities where T² is installed, large private buildings often replace traditional lifts with a branch to the system, allowing commuters to take the tube nearly literally from their apartments to their offices.

Cargo capsules do exist and are used in communities with less or no other transportation system.

Designers also made provisions for the system to be used as escape capsules in large space stations or starships, the capsules being equiped with emmergency supllies and launch tubes being connected to the network. However, this later option has encountered little succes due to its higher price.

Galactic Station Omega 138

Hans Azzamiin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:24:00 GMT

Some ideas for a Final Frontier incarnation of Deep Space Nine or Babylon V

Omega 138 is a former fish processing plant orbiting Haligonia (a cold ocean planet home to a race of warlike sharkmen)
The sector is as the specialists say, in their technical lingo, in the middle of nowhere
Due to recent borders variations, Haligonia suddenly became the intersection of the UWA, Ralthahix Confederation and Telk Principle borders.
Well aware of the newfound strategic value of the planet, the Galactic Rangers stroke a deal with the Haligonians to make the old factory a diplomatic outpost.
In the pilot of this Omega 138 spin-off of Final Frontier our heroes arrive of the station, still under renovation and stinking rotten fish, to assume its command together with their colleagues of the Haligonian Maritime Gendarmery (as part of the deal, the leadership of the station is to be shared between the UWA and Haligonia)
A few hours later, the Ralthahix and Telk diplomatic missions arrive
While all those people are settling, the sensors of the station pick up a forming continuic resoning protonic singularity that, after 90 minutes of action, mystery and diplomacy, will turn out to be a gateway to the Zero Continuum...

Galactic Messengers

Hans Azzamiin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:06:16 GMT

This service, similar but independent from the Rangers, handles rapid distribution of sensitive information or packages trough the UWA...

A.E.S. Jacques Chirac

Hans Azzamiin — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:26:00 GMT

Crest of the A.E.S. Jacques Chirac, named after the French politician, man of peace, ambassador of the anti-apartheid movement, defender of the poor; he mysteriously disapeared in South Africa at the end of his last mandate.

A.E.S. Tintin

Hans Azzamiin — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 21:39:00 GMT

Crest of the A.E.S (Appareil d'Exploration Spatiale, i.e. Space Exploration Craft) Tintin, named after the famous Belgian fictional adventurer and journalist; this is a fairly recent craft as only the vanishing of planet Earth, and subsequently of the Moulinsart lobby, allowed the A.M.U (Alliance des Mondes Unis, i.e. United Worlds Alliance) to name a craft after the comic hero without ruining itself with royalties.

Galactic Rangers

Hans Azzamiin — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:08:00 GMT

This is non-Traveller material!

Final Frontier (French) is a French indie game set in a parodic version of Star Trek... The players are the (intrepid) men, women and assorted aliens of a Galactic Explorer. The "Character Classes" are Captain, Pilot, Security Officer, Engineering Officer, Science Officer, Medical Officer and Academy Cadet. They were colored pyjamas : green for the "line branch" (captain & pilot), red for the security personnel, blue for the medical & science guys and yellow for engineers.

Here are two takes at their rank: a pretty kitsch "TOS" one and, a "TNS" for you ex-Vampire players who can't wear anything but black!

Lines, i.e. "branches":
- "Line"
- Security
- Science & medical
- Engineering
Rows, i.e. ranks:
- Ranger Recruit
- Ranger
- Chief Ranger
- Chief of Staff (kind of a Final Frontier version of a Master-at-Arms/Coxswain/Chief Boatswain's Mate; only one on board; always part of the "line" branch)
- Cadet ("branch" based on his academic major)
- Ensign (i.e. NPC officer)
- Lieutenant (i.e. PC officer)
- Executive Officer (only one at board; PC; wears two hats: XO and either pilot, physician, security officer, science officer or engineer; "branch" based on that second hat)
- Captain
- Admiral

Zhodani Rank Cylinders

Hans Azzamiin — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:59:00 GMT

A comment of CDR Franssen (going more or less along those lines: "maybe the Zhos don't wear ranks at all, like prior 1955 PLA; officers recognizing themselves by wearing a pen sticking out their pocket") made me think of rank cylinders worn by IN officers in Star Wars.

What about the Zhodani wearing some kind of personal 'psy transponder' broadcasting their rank to any psy around (i.e. every officer)?

They would be using a technology called psy-tags (inspired by the psy-switches described in GT:AR1). Psy-tags would be a basic psychotronic component broadcasting a single psy "word" (be it an actual short sentense, an image or even a smell or an emotion) to any psy a few meters away, regardless of the exact nature of his powers. This component has a variety of use ranging from noble only warning signs, precious objects nametags and rank cylinder...

The fact that only officers can read them make some sort of other rank device, readable by proles, needed... Wich makes me wonder: are those cylinder of any use at all?