[GZG] Re: Re: Hello List and some ruminations on FTL

Hi All,

Thanks for the very useful and thought provoking replies. I've added some
thoughts and comments below:

> From: Frits Kuijlman <frits@kuijlman.net>

Thanks for the link, Frits. I like the background work you've done on the VRC.
It makes sense that the VRC would be looking for
habital/terraforming
worlds as they need the population base, particularly if they're concerned
about a possible cataclasym on Earth.

Given that the Tuffleyverse is currently in it's 3rd major war (and that of
some considerable duration), I would expect that other powers would also be
thinking seriously about major settlement programmes. There are two major
problems with mass resettlement that I can think of. 1) how to shift the
population (number of hulls) and 2) what to do with them when they first
arrive on the new world.

Peter Hamilton is a writer who has most recently, to my knowledge, considered
this second problem in 'The Reality Dysfunction'. An expanding
human colonization programme dumps city-bred newbies on a frontier world
where they're expected to do physical labour (the horror!) and work for their
food. Of course things go horribly wrong (well, who wants to read a story
where they live happily ever after in some bucolic Garden of Eden? Boring!:)),
though for other reasons. I seem to recall Jerry Pournelle's Falkenburg (sp?)
saga started in a similar fashion with all the poor people being shipped off
Earth so the nice people could have some elbow room
:).

For a serious look at how interstellar colonies might be established, read
Duncan Lunan's 'Man and the Stars'.

A thought on VRC space (Fritsspace?:)), you mention that VRC also has mining
operations in (some?) neighboring systems and I notice that there are several
stars fairly close to your 'jump' link. I would suggest that there is little
hindering (except perhaps cost) VRC putting stations, similar to
those in CJ Cherryh's Union/Alliance stories, into likely systems as
bases for mining operations. The advantages are that the stations can either
be
built modular with material FTLed in, or boosted in at sub-light speeds
(VRC
is supposed to plan far ahead - send in the exploritory miners to survey
the
system for the mining/processing plant that will arrive in 5 to 10 years
at
sub-light.  When the station arrives, the best lodes will already be
surveyed and the 300 mass station will fire up and begin producing a return
almost before it's drives are cold).

> From a game point of view, there could be both FT and SG scenarios

Regards

> David Billinghurst wrote:

Argh, you actually read the rest of the background:-)

It has been some time since I did work on the background, but I intentionally
kept most of the things like mining operations vague so they would not get in
the way of any scenarios I might come up with.

Concerning costs. The VRC is taking a long term approach, but using
sub-light ships might be a bit too long term. My idea is to use slow
ftl cargo ships and tugs to get stuff into place.

The main cost cutting is done on the security front. Aside from the
really important planets/stations nothing is defended. There are just a
few patrol fleets that visit now and then. If something has happened there are
always stealth buoys from which usefull info can be read so the VRC knows who
to get even with.

This policy might need to be changed though. Getting even with pirates
or other companies/powers/etc. might be possible, but getting even
with the Kra'vak might be a bit more tricky.