Nature of the frontier

[kafka47]

Foreven, I think is perfect for the frontier that Daryen is after. But, there is lots of room for expansion into new frontiers. It is just that one has to remember the macro events that impact upon such exploration endevours.

In MT, there is the Rebellion to add a twist to any exploration. Could have a Star Trek : Voyager twist - whilst following a Dulinor Scout vessel, a ship from Stephon's navy falls into an Anomaly.

In GT, there is a certain boredom on the behalf of the nobility who do not want to expand the Imperium and wish for a status quo. However, Norris has to face the pressure from his own Scouts who are pushing beyond Foreven and even secreting hitching a ride from the Zhodani to explore the Coreward sectors in a remarkable thawing of Zhodani-Imperial relations (hinted at in various GT supplements).

In TNE there is the Virus & Empress Wave to contend with. Afterall, of Chartered Space has forever been altered. All Library Data save the physical characteristics (and even that with the effects of the Black War and Virus) one cannot count on a Standard Atmosphere staying Standard after the effect of "planetbuster thermonuclear weapons" being used over major population and military targets.

 

[phil644441]

"Captain, we are approaching Lacta Fructose. I remind you that, though we have never visited this system before, our Imperium contact has assured us that we will find Octranium here."

"Thanks, Comms. Just check the library data - we don't want any surprises, do we?"

"Certainly Captain - hmmmm - mid-low tech., good comms, good facilities although not frequented this far out from the core.....shouldn't have any trouble, Captain."

"Excellent - hail them as soon as we get in comms range, please - and wake me when they're on..."

...

"Captain to the bridge please..."

...

"What is it, Number One?"

"Something strange, Captain. Not only do they not respond to the hail, but their system data does not seem to conform to our library data..."

"That's not possible, Number One - something must be malfunctioning somewhere..."

"ALERT - INCOMING FIRE!"

....

This scenario is repeated in various non-core sectors of the Imperium over a few months. An emergency meeting of the Scouts High Command is convened.

...

"What do you mean - much of our library data is inaccurate - how can that be?"

"It seems that an insidious computer virus of unknown origin infected some Imperial starship computers about two years ago. I say insidious because it was clever enough to only affect library data for non-frequented worlds. It spread with comms between Imperial ships over the past two years so that every computer in the Imperium has been infected - by what means, we have no idea. But the upshot is - any world which is not frequented very often has had its library entries totally corrupted. The virus - intelligent as it is - has achieved a total destruction of around 60% of our galactic information base!"

"But - unless we can find an uncorrupted database SOMEWHERE in the galaxy, that means that library data for nearly two-thirds of known space is unreliable at best - false at worst! We will have to re-survey over half the galaxy!"

... THE QUEST FOR UNCORRUPT DATA.....

or a whole set of new frontiers.....

Worlds that have had no Imperial connection for centuries?

Worlds (systems?) that were secretly quarantined - for who knows what reason?

And canon applies to the rest of the galaxy....

AK