Condottiere
SOC-14 5K
A collection of private contractors under loose control of some coordinating authority.
A collection of private contractors under loose control of some coordinating authority.
I went another way with the scouts IMTU re: private vs. public entity.
I made them THE service of the Terran Confederation, and the real firepower rests with national space navies that band together.
This allows the TC to do things like interstellar biome rangers, space coast guard and exploration for eventual colonial assignment, while not being strong enough to override any single nation militarily- just the way the member nations like it.
The too expensive and too dangerous parts of exploratory scouting are shared by all, so no nation gets on the hook for disastrous losses- or tie up an entire exploratory arm by getting all nation-state travel lane uppity.
I apologize for bumping this but considering the Yakuza and sōkaiya, do you think they would also have a presence through some of the Japanese corporations and such?Finally, the Yakuza, or "Yaks" remain the most significant on-world organized crime element in The Fringe. First arriving on Chara and Circe with early colonists, the Yakuza brought Japanese organized crime traditions into the new worlds. Tradition, respect, and courtesy are *very* important to Yak groups - they may plan to kill you, but they'll hold the door, make sure you're comfortable and do it with every bit of politeness possible. For reasons law enforcement, the press, and the public can only wonder at, the Yakuza in the Fringe scrupulously *avoid* any sort of drug smuggling or sales - although all other sorts of crime are on the table. On the other hand, the further one gets from Earth, the more like it is for Yakuza groups to admit and promote non-Japanese members within the organization. Yakuza groups also have managed to obtain far more political influence within these systems than the other two structures, which has helped maintain their position. A power struggle is taking place between Merodai Wirade on Circe, and Adam Ishikawa on Chara, which may fear will spill onto other worlds. Yakuza groups within The Fringe primarily contest each other for power on-world, and attempt to maintain a delicate truce with both Trading Syndicate and Tong forces in space.
I apologize for bumping this but considering the Yakuza and sōkaiya, do you think they would also have a presence through some of the Japanese corporations and such?
What is life like on Earth, compared to the colonies, even those in the core of charted space?No need to apologize to me at least - I like knowing someone is reading my ideas.
Much as on Earth, particularly during the post-WW2 period, the Yakuza and Japanese corporations are VERY much intertwined in the Fringe. Whether it's sararimen unwinding at the appropriate hostess bar during a corporate getaway, protection payments to ensure that your cargo gets offloaded first in the port, or a shell business one of the families uses to launder money and move products with less attention, it's all present.
As noted in the initial description though, Yakuza in the Fringe are primarily on-world focused, while the Tongs operate off-world and on stations. This means that certain areas are either going to be potential friction zones, or opportunities for meeting/bargaining between the groups.
Finally - a good sci-fi treatment of some of these elements (and that can port very well into the Fringe or similar settings) can be found in Zaibatsu and Hostile.
Hope this helps with where my mind views it.
With how bad street crime is, and how overstretched the police are, I'm surprised citizens aren't allowed at least stun guns or something.
Also, considering how overcrowded Earth is, wouldn't the UEA really push to be shipping people offworld or building lots of orbital colonies around Earth's Lagrange points ala Mobile Suit Gundam?
With how bad street crime is, and how overstretched the police are, I'm surprised citizens aren't allowed at least stun guns or something.
Also, considering how overcrowded Earth is, wouldn't the UEA really push to be shipping people offworld or building lots of orbital colonies around Earth's Lagrange points ala Mobile Suit Gundam?
Would dragooning tens of thousands people into going to off-world colonies do anything substantial relieve the population pressure of billions of humans?
It seems a if a new megacity or an expansion to one would be cheaper than lots of new orbital colonies. But I don't know how much things cost.
It seems more like an economic problem. Big surplus of unskilled labor. There aren't enough living wage jobs to support all these people and they are scraping by on the dole.
Housing in the megacities seems to be subsidized. So poverty is contained there. The people running things don't want a bunch of proles roaming their farms and parkland, stealing machine parts and cooking endangered species on campfires and things like that.
I kind of agree about stun-guns. But the rich may simply live apart from the poor.
And they may even have the police as effective bodyguards.
Gated estates with robot security?
EDIT
It might be worth it to send criminals and political agitators off-world, if that can be done cheaply enough.
Low berth?
Yeah but considering police forces are so overstretched, that there are barely any patrols for most of these street muggings and crimes, the people cannot rely upon the government. It has failed.Regarding crime - Combat Medic hit on part of the issue/outlook. Money buys protection... much like on modern-day Earth, but taken to a more obvious extreme.
For the wealthy? There are bodyguards. Private police services. Even permits, with the appropriate palms greased.
The poor? Crime and violence are just part of living life - you deal with it same as anything else.
The middle class? Property crime is an automated report, and if you're really lucky insurance might help cover the loss. Many people will carry a throw-away credit chip, or cheap wallet, to toss at a mugger. Smart people avoid the dark alleys and secluded bars, dumb ones learn the hard way.
(And - for those thinking I'm taking this too dystopian. Consider much of New York City in the 1980's, or modern-day London, or Paris and Rome. Street crime is a near-universal human condition.)
As for weapons, the UEA has gone the route that the modern UN and many other organizations postulate as the "solution" - banning weapons in order to protect the populace, and teaching people to rely on the government for their protection. I leave it to the reader to make your own internal political arguments regarding this.
Yeah but considering police forces are so overstretched, that there are barely any patrols for most of these street muggings and crimes, the people cannot rely upon the government. It has failed.
In fact, it has failed bad enough that people can't even trust the police to be there to effectively maintain the streets to deter crime.
I mean I guess most "police" people will see would be automated drones or something? Because if they're having a manpower issue, could they build a large number of semi-AI drones or something to patrol the streets in place of humans?
As for most poor people, are their lives comfortable at least? I mean how subsidized are they, to at least give them a means to get back on their feet?
Well couldn't they ship them off to the Fringe to start their own businesses or get new land somewhere?
For the crime, this is the exact point - this is reflecting similar issues in some Earth locations right now, extrapolated to the future. It's amazing what people will get used to as part of the every day...
For most of the poor there is little to no opportunity for advancement. Welfare and support systems will provide just enough calorie intake to meet bare nutrition needs, even if it's not the most palatable. Education meets the standards to ensure literacy is near universal. Housing isn't going to fall apart in the next storm, but concrete and alloy are far from the most comfortable accomodations. What work there is tends to be service industries or mindless drone labor - enough to fill a few hours of the day, but not anything to get rich by. The UEA government relies on the "bread and circuses" model of keeping the populace happy, what with ration packs and digital entertainment. For the past century it has worked...
Regarding unemployment and such on Earth among the poor, you might find this article interesting: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/07/world-without-work/395294/For the crime, this is the exact point - this is reflecting similar issues in some Earth locations right now, extrapolated to the future. It's amazing what people will get used to as part of the every day...
For most of the poor there is little to no opportunity for advancement. Welfare and support systems will provide just enough calorie intake to meet bare nutrition needs, even if it's not the most palatable. Education meets the standards to ensure literacy is near universal. Housing isn't going to fall apart in the next storm, but concrete and alloy are far from the most comfortable accomodations. What work there is tends to be service industries or mindless drone labor - enough to fill a few hours of the day, but not anything to get rich by. The UEA government relies on the "bread and circuses" model of keeping the populace happy, what with ration packs and digital entertainment. For the past century it has worked...