How to signal Quarantine

[gregcaires]

Sometimes ships need to signal "stay away" rather than "come help me."

Ships fly a Yellow flag to signal quarantine.

So what would the TU equivalent be? Is there an established signal equivalent to GK?

 

[Rigel Stardin]

Painting a large yellow square on the airlocks of the ship.
Transponder signal transmitting a quarantine signal.
Flashing Strobe lights???

 

[jcrocker]

Considering the Third Imperium is over a thousand years old in the classic era, and there were two others before it, I assume it's come up.

There should be a setting on the transponder that can be changed - 101 is normal operations, 9734 is emergency, 40404 is quarantine/stay away, whatever the latest Imperial Flight Regulations state.

I don't think it's been in any of the published adventures, but if (from Marc's book Agent of the Imperium) the Emperor is okay with slagging entire planets to get rid of public health problems, there should be a way to warn others to not approach your ship.

Until of course the power runs out, and it's been drifting for a couple centuries and players wanting salvage didn't notice the magnetic warning sign on the airlock exterior, but that's another matter.

 

[Condottiere]

Special Order 937

"Priority one
Insure return of organism for analysis.
All other considerations secondary.
Crew expendable."
—MOTHER's order directives[src]

Special Order 937 was a classified retrieval order given by Weyland-Yutani to Science Officer Ash aboard the USCSS Nostromo. The order's main priority was to preserve the Xenomorph specimen that was encountered by the Nostromo in the Zeta II Reticuli system and bring it back alive for analysis. All other priorities are considered secondary and all of the Nostromo's crew members are deemed expendable.

History
In 2122, the Nostromo's onboard computer, "MOTHER" intercepted a distress beacon originating from the planetoid LV-426 within close proximity to the ship. The crew members are awakened prematurely from their hypersleep, the crew responded to the beacon and took the Nostromo to the planetoid. Executive Officer Kane was impregnated by a parasitic life form discovered within an ancient derelict space craft found on the planet's surface.

Kane was taken back to the Nostromo for medical treatment, only to die moments later when the creature that was impregnated within him grew and bursts violently out of his chest while being witnessed by the entire crew. The surviving crew members soon discovered the truth and discovered that Ash was a synthetic. The crew destroyed Ash and planned to escape, but the creature soon hunted down the remaining crew, leaving Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley and her cat Jonesy as the remaining survivors. Ripley managed to escape the Nostromo using the shuttlecraft Narcissus and succeeded in killing the creature.

 

[gregcaires]

Agreed the 3I would have an established procedure but there is nothing in OTU Canon. I can work with yellow blinking running lights and airlock hatched that have all manner of changeable signage. Anyone know the Vilani word for Quarantine?

 

[ShapeShifter]

International Code of Signals:

DPMH..."Vessel indicated is in quarantine"

A transponder would be emitting this series of pulses throughout the system:

_.. ._ _. _ _ ....

This entire codebook is a treasure-trove for those who want to use something real-world.

 

[Commander Truestar]

In the document "AAB PROCEEDINGS" -31August,1998:
(The newsletter of the History of the Imperium Working Group(HIWG).)

In the section: "Dammira World Notes"
I found:

"Minoko,theCapital
Population:100,000.
Most buildings are simple stone or brick.
On arrival: A party of four lower-class people will surround the party, while a fifth motions
them to follow him. The four hold what look like old Vilani quarantine markers. "

This document is available on-line, but it does not suggest where the writer(s) found data on the objects referred to as "old Vilani quarantine markers"

 

[jcrocker]

International Code of Signals:


This entire codebook is a treasure-trove for those who want to use something real-world.

Wow, I just found a copy of it in wikipedia, I'll paste the link, you're right, it is gold:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Code_of_Signals

I've got to try using this in my next game. "All right, players, here's a copy of the major signals, the ship you're approaching is signalling code 'AD'. What do you do?"

 

[Commander Truestar]

Wow, I just found a copy of it in wikipedia, I'll paste the link, you're right, it is gold:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Code_of_Signals

I've got to try using this in my next game. "All right, players, here's a copy of the major signals, the ship you're approaching is signalling code 'AD'. What do you do?"

I would have thought you'd use Code "Lima" from that page:
----In harbour: "The ship is quarantined."
----At sea: "You should stop your vessel instantly."

Perhaps, coupled with Code Juliet:
----"I am on fire and have dangerous cargo on board: keep well clear of me."
or
----"I am leaking dangerous cargo."

 

[jcrocker]

You're right, 'AD' is not the code for quarantine - the bright shiney-ness of 'radiation leak' distracted me. Mea culpa.

 

[willtron3030]

If the PCs don't understand an alien/archaic warning signal the first time, the survivors will certainly recognize it the second time.

And they will store future finds in the form of a treasure map in the ship's secure storage or astrogation logs. You know, in case hackers or boarders need some interesting conversation topics to distract them...

 

[Commander Truestar]

You're right, 'AD' is not the code for quarantine - the bright shiney-ness of 'radiation leak' distracted me. Mea culpa.

Overheard at the Admiralty Inquest hearing....
"And their last words, as recorded by the flight recording system were, and I quote...
"oooh, shiny!"
This closes the entry of evidence n this case."

LOL

 

[BlackBat242]

From the 1882 edition of The international code of signals for the use of all nations American Edition, by United States Navy BUREAU OF NAVIGATION. ( https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_NfwsAAAAYAAJ/mode/2up ):
DKL = Crew ill
DLK = Passenger or passengers ill with infectious complaint

DSO Quarantine. In Quarantine.
DSH Quarantine officers.
DSJ Are you in quarantine?
DSK Do you come from any port putting you in quarantine?
DSL Have you a clean bill of health?
DSM What quarantine shall I get?
DSN Have you had any communication with infected vessels?
DSP Am (or, is) in quarantine (number of days to be indicated.)
DSQ Out of quarantine.
DSR Quarantine at (place indicated) is ___ days for vessels from ___ (place indicated).
DST Pratique*.
DSV Broke the quarantine laws; breaking quarantine laws.
DSW Clean bill of health from ___.
DTB Ships from ___ did not get pratique* at ___ when I left.
DTC You will get quarantine.
DTF When I am out of quarantine.


* pra·tique /praˈtēk/ - noun historical
permission granted to a ship to have dealings with a port, given after quarantine or on showing a clean bill of health.

 

[gregcaires]

Thanks for all the input.

I'm going with "Signal ZA (Zulu Alpha)" by voice in Anglic and Vilani along with morse code tones: --** *- (Zulu Alpha)

In Vilani, Zigi means "go away" and Asag means "sickness".

When activated ship running lights blink yellow --** *- (Zulu Alpha)

On external airlock hatches a yellow light similarly blinks and an automatic placard shows the yellow square with ZA inside.

 

[BRover]

 

[Redcap]

I'm reminded of a Star Trek Next Gen episode where they have a quarantined ship; there's an automatic broadcast declaring it as such. See clip: https://youtu.be/l4IcY341-_Y?t=192

I wonder if, in addition to a transponder code and warning beacon lights, an auto broadcast on a dedicated warning frequency/channel might also be made along similar lines?

 

[Straybow]

Usually once a vessel is placed in quarantine, the whining can be heard far enough away that radio signals or flags are unnecessary.