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Jumpstart Caches

Arsulon

SOC-12
What would a typical Jumpstart cache contain? The Regency Sourcebook gives us a rough idea of what they're for and provides suggestions as to how they might be activated, but that still leaves a lot to the imagination. One wonders what made Strephon think these things would even be neccessary: did he know more about the effects of the Empress Wave than he let on? Here's a good one for MJD: where are the caches located in Diaspora? Does the 4I avail themselves of their goodies or do some of them fall into RC or Guild hands?
 
My suggestion is *any* emperor should have had these and periodically update them. Why? Does it not occur to folks this is the *3rd Imperium* suggesting that the other two had fallen, ergo the 3rd may not last forever? Also, the first Long Night was a very good argument for preparations for another one.
 
Well, I don't have Arrival Vengeance, but if "Jumpstart" is any title, it sounds like a cache of material set aside to aid a recovery from a "big collapse".

Such caches should contain stable hard-copy descriptions of key information, histories, laws, geographies, and general instructions on how to use the Jumpstart cache. All in many languages. As for technical info meant to revitalize industry, etc.: Non-volitile long-lived electronic storage methods would be needed, alnog with user-friendly devices to view their contents, containing a record of the stages of technological advance, and with Imperial worlds running the gamut of TL-0 to TL-16, techniques and knowledge from across the range are available everywhere in the Imperium, and so it would be only a matter of commissioning a project to assemble it. A variety of scientific equipment and measuring devices, from across the tech range (a meaningful slice, TL-1 measuring gear is useless for good science). Engineering equipment, tools, etc., from across a good tech range. Refined hyrdrocarbons and the means to process them further. Other raw resources, zuchai crystals, lanthanum bars, usable refined chemicals and elements in quantity. A small collection of starships. TL-12 or 13 Couriers, and Maybe a Jump-6 Courier or two; plus two or three freighters. A collection of TL-15 weapons, battledress, FGMP-15s, Guass Rifles, tanks, etc.

It's difficult to decide whether to include advanced weaponry. Mabye recovering groups need hardware to defend themselves, but maybe they'll use it to conquer and kill, too. Who knows?

In the end, put what you want in them, but don't include anything you won't give the PCs in your game.
 
A jumpstart cache would logically contain everything a post collaspe society would need to regain the stars. It should hold computers, printed books, fusion reactors, advanced small arms, contra-grav tech, air rafts, even fully fuctional starships. Also, the computers wouldn't just contain tech knowledge, but also the history and culture of the Third Imperium as well as have the ability to teach those that found the cache what everything in it was and how to build and use it.

Slightly off topic, the first STAR TREK novel written by William Shatner (ASHES OF EDEN) dealt with just such a subject. One of the plot points of the novel was a colony planet populated with a race of Klingon/Romulan hybrids created in case the Federation or some other power wiped out both races. On this planet is found a vast cache of technology designed to survive any attack short of the total destruction of the planet itself. Everything they would need to regain the stars was found at this site, including starships. Most important was teaching computers to educate about everything in the cache. Also it had cutural and history files so this new race would know their heritage and history and why they existed in the first place.

This novel presents a very good example of what a Jumpstart cache would have and what it could do to help those who found it. The second TNE novel (TO DREAM OF CHAOS) also dealt with a Jumpstart cache and presented some intreasting ideas about how such a site would be defended and what might happen if Virus corrupted it.
 
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