Rare Earths and Interstellar High Tech

[whulorigan]

. . . one wonders if there isn't some Traveller equivalent for stable heavy elements used in whatever application.

Yes. See my post #76 above:
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showpost.php?p=533298&postcount=76

This BTW, is how the Californium Rounds mentioned in the Ironmongery section of CT:Book 4 - Mercenary are stored long-term: Damper Boxes.

 

[kilemall]

Anyway, apparently the Ent-D maintains it's structure by way of an "integrity field", otherwise it's shape would deform (according to the book, which I've since gotten rid of). On that loose note, one wonders if there isn't some Traveller equivalent for stable heavy elements used in whatever application.

Iridium alloy is my go-to for any high heat/high pressure application.

I figure it is all over starship engineering plant, in lasers railguns and other high heat weapon systems, possibly useful for an anti-xray laser reflec, starship reflec hull if you go there, and very key for Maker parts.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium#Applications

Masters of Orion had those armor tech upgrades-

1. Titanium
2. Duralloy
3. Zortium
4. Andrium
5. Tritanium
6. Adamantium
7. Neutronium

Some of those are very comic book, but a few are potentially useful and are candidate names for our superheavy artificial elements.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Wow, fascinating. I see that on Enoki's Imaginary Periodic table is Vizorium.

Used in the Lore structure of hyperdrives in the Dirty-Pair verse. I highly reccomend "Project Eden", both as entertainment and possible Traveller inspiration.

To get slightly back on topic, one wonders, or one contemplates, that different fabrication companies (possibly owned by nobles) compete violently with one another, and attempt to steal industrial secrets. And possibly knocking off or muscling out mining operations, or even individual prospectors.

I better write another adventure seed ... or two ... or three.

SIT REP; a coalition of independent prospectors have noted a high degree of fatalities in System X, where Ling Standard has recently set up shop, and made estate purchases of claims belonging to the deceased. The Coalition suspects foul play, and asks a party of trained guns to look into the matter.

Are the adventurers interested?

 

[kilemall]

Wow, fascinating. I see that on Enoki's Imaginary Periodic table is Vizorium.

Used in the Lore structure of hyperdrives in the Dirty-Pair verse. I highly reccomend "Project Eden", both as entertainment and possible Traveller inspiration.

Hmm, I was about to post a youtube on one of their episodes- minus the young things in their thongs, the prison assault scenario could be a really good one for Traveller.

 

[BlackBat242]

In MTU the preferred substance for higher technology working is PFM, or Pure F....ing Magic. "That's right it runs on PFM..."

And electronics, in the words of one USN electronics instructor, works via MS (magic smoke). If the MS escapes from a component, that component quits working. :rofl:

 

[kilemall]

Got to thinking about the manufactured elements bit in this thread, and how it could apply as a precise instrument that the Imperium could harness-

Currency.

Think about it- one of the problems of any commodity-based currency is that a major strike or new ore processing technique could depress the market, or too little of the currency is available for expansion.

Or limited quantities or increased prices of the component metals makes debasement practically required.

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

But if a specific polity MAKES it, they can make precisely X amount of the currency to go around to match the actual needs of the economy, and assuming the technique is either safeguarded or too expensive, it won't be counterfeited.

It also occurs to me that a very precise half-life could serve as a sort of 'stamp' on when a bar of currency was 'minted'.

So what should our currency properties be?

• It should be readily recognizable by look, weight and feel.
• It should have slight radioactivity for the 'stamp' but no worse
• It should be highly stable, durable and portable
• It should have minimal use in industry
• It should only be able to be made near the top of the TL of the polity and a state secret as long as possible
• It should be easily tested for purity and against 'shaving'
• It should be stabilized at a specific price per gram- I would suggest 50 Cr per gram.

So 1 kg of coin/bar is 50,000 Cr. The average person could carry 350,000 Cr. A US nickel is 5 grams so the 250 Cr piece would weigh about the same.


A 1% alloy would be .5 Cr per gram for the smaller denominations. The 1 Cr coin comes in at about 2 grams, a bit lighter then a US dime or penny.

 

[GypsyComet]

Hmm, I was about to post a youtube on one of their episodes- minus the young things in their thongs, the prison assault scenario could be a really good one for Traveller.

While my group had a tendency for several years to be present when local governments fell, it was rarely our fault. There is a lot more causality with the Lovely Angels, to the point that their agency probably assigns them demolition jobs on purpose but under the pretense of another objective.

 

[Enoki]

Got to thinking about the manufactured elements bit in this thread, and how it could apply as a precise instrument that the Imperium could harness-

Currency.

Think about it- one of the problems of any commodity-based currency is that a major strike or new ore processing technique could depress the market, or too little of the currency is available for expansion.

Or limited quantities or increased prices of the component metals makes debasement practically required.

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

But if a specific polity MAKES it, they can make precisely X amount of the currency to go around to match the actual needs of the economy, and assuming the technique is either safeguarded or too expensive, it won't be counterfeited.

It also occurs to me that a very precise half-life could serve as a sort of 'stamp' on when a bar of currency was 'minted'.

So what should our currency properties be?

• It should be readily recognizable by look, weight and feel.
• It should have slight radioactivity for the 'stamp' but no worse
• It should be highly stable, durable and portable
• It should have minimal use in industry
• It should only be able to be made near the top of the TL of the polity and a state secret as long as possible
• It should be easily tested for purity and against 'shaving'
• It should be stabilized at a specific price per gram- I would suggest 50 Cr per gram.

So 1 kg of coin/bar is 50,000 Cr. The average person could carry 350,000 Cr. A US nickel is 5 grams so the 250 Cr piece would weigh about the same.


A 1% alloy would be .5 Cr per gram for the smaller denominations. The 1 Cr coin comes in at about 2 grams, a bit lighter then a US dime or penny.

I already did that for MTU. The element Oganessium (126 - 321) is used, being a stable ultra-heavy element formed from and only near neutron stars and very rare. Being a long lived radioactive element a tiny amount in a metal bar can be detected, checked for its decay history versus the bar's date of manufacture, and is nearly impossible to duplicate.

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=34757&highlight=sliver

You'd need no more than a microgram to make this work. Each bar is worth about 5,000 Cr, give or take. Transportable, durable, unforgeable.

Yes, you probably could reproduce it in some advanced super-duper collider or something but it would cost so much as to make the effort not worth doing. But, it's also the stuff of legend and something worth prospecting on your own for. Find a few grams and you're set for life.

 

[kilemall]

I already did that for MTU. The element Oganessium (126 - 321) is used, being a stable ultra-heavy element formed from and only near neutron stars and very rare. Being a long lived radioactive element a tiny amount in a metal bar can be detected, checked for its decay history versus the bar's date of manufacture, and is nearly impossible to duplicate.

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=34757&highlight=sliver

You'd need no more than a microgram to make this work. Each bar is worth about 5,000 Cr, give or take. Transportable, durable, unforgeable.

Yes, you probably could reproduce it in some advanced super-duper collider or something but it would cost so much as to make the effort not worth doing. But, it's also the stuff of legend and something worth prospecting on your own for. Find a few grams and you're set for life.

Ah yes, indeed you did do that thread and I was all over it. May have been rattling around in back of my brain.

I still think one-key cryptochecks would be preferable, but most any polity being trade-oriented you would have to have some form of hard currency just to grease the wheels.

Plus cryptochecks probably require a minimal amount of computing power that may not be available on lower tech worlds, and the lower tech the computers the more hackable the system becomes.

Besides, there is just something magical about hauling glorious booty.

While eminently sensible, still cannot help but feel your version still has the same natural mineral problem, a new extraction process could flood the market, or even if it isn't the government is affected by the number of extractors in the field, for positive or negative supply effects.

Hmm, running just some quick numbers, I'm finding I can only haul 1.68 million credits per ton with my figures, assuming a density like steel. Even with double that density that's still in the 3 mil range. Need more value per gram per cubic meter.

 

[robject]

To get slightly back on topic, one wonders, or one contemplates, that different fabrication companies (possibly owned by nobles) compete violently with one another, and attempt to steal industrial secrets. And possibly knocking off or muscling out mining operations, or even individual prospectors.

And that is a core requirement for this sort of stuff. It has to pull double duty and generate adventure opportunities.