Why have a trans-rift route?

[GLΩAMING]

A cursory look at the jump route tool in Travellermap reveals that travel for a J-6 courier from Regina to Capital would be fastest through Corridor sector (26 jumps).
If one enables "Allow anomalies/calibration points", it makes the route faster (25 jumps) by rerouting through some anomalies in the Corridor section of the GR.
In comparison, a J-6 courier going from Regina to Capital through the GR Islands route would take 31 jumps.
10 jumps from Regina -> Tonnurad, 21 from Tonnurad -> Capital.

This makes me wonder about the viability of the Imperial governmental/military trans-rift couriers described to be in existence in several published works. Why bother?

You could make the argument that these couriers are to alert sectors such as Gushmege and Verge to important events such as the 5th Frontier War. However, these sectors have limited and outdated naval forces and couldn't provide much, if any, support. Therefore I fail to see the need for a high priority, secretive Imperial information route crossing the Rift.

For the final cherry on the cake, the Islands subsectors are engaged in a multipolar cold war. Do you really want to send your emergency call for naval support through a region filled with highly militarised and paranoid states?
If someone could explain it all to me, I'd love it!

 

[Spinward Flow]

Why bother?

There's an old saying among engineers, when it comes to the topic of redundancy.

"You can have ZERO or TWO."



If the idea of a redundant communications path through the Rift in the event that Corridor sector "falls" or is otherwise "severed" due to an invasion is incomprehensible to you, I would recommend that you re-examine your assumptions.

 

[GLΩAMING]

I guess my main gripe is how the trans-route rift is used in canon as a kind of semi-secret route that really only the Imperial government makes effective use of, to alert the core sectors of security issues behind the claw before civilian traffic through Corridor spreads the news.

I can't recall the exact materials, but my understanding was that the trans-rift route was the primary route for Important Secret Government Things. This, obviously, makes no sense what with it taking weeks longer.

 

[TamsinP]

Q. Why might you want to avoid Corridor in the event of another Frontier War, and use the Great Rift route instead?

Short A. The Vargr.

Long A. In all of the previous Frontier Wars, various Vargr groups have been part of the Outworlds Coalition. Mostly their activity was confined to the coreward subsectors of the Spinward Marches, with some minor raids into Deneb. There is good reason to believe that future Frontier Wars may see more Vargr groups involved with deeper raids into Deneb, Corridor and maybe even Vland. That puts communication routes through Corridor at risk so it makes sense to also, or alternatively, send fast couriers across the Rift.

 

[TamsinP]

There is another consideration, which is that while Regina would be sending couriers to Capital in the event of another Frontier War, it is not the sector capital.
The (unofficial?) sector capital of Spinward Marches is Mora. At J6, the Mora-Capital route is 24 jumps/142 parsecs normally, but 23 jumps/126 parsecs using the Rift route.

 

[kilemall]

If I were sector duke, I’d want all Imperial territories to be informed so they can take precautions and prepare to manage opportunistic opponents before the antagonists are aware of new conditions.

The 3I wouldn’t be looking for reserves but to make sure the area doesn’t become a drain diverting resources from the main front.

 

[Commander Truestar]

We I the Sector Duke(Instead of Duchess Delphine, or later, Duchess Elana) I would light all the fires and:
1) Let everyone know
2) Get my message there the fastest way
3) Use all the insurance I had.

So, I'd light off the J-4 X-boat network, the classified Government-only J-6 route AND the J-6 route trans-rift route.

I'm not gonna worry about finances when I'm worried about getting the word out and stopping people from being surprised to death....

 

[spank]

I took me a while to remember where this was,
In Megatraveller the Corridor route was blocked, due to the Corridor fleet being withdrawn to the Core. This allowed the Vargar to press down and close the corridor. It's name is somewhat telling, the "Corridor" it's a narrow passage between the Rift and Vargar Extents, so it make sense for the Imperium to maintain a backdoor thru the rift.

 

[GLΩAMING]

Thanks all! These responses have been genuinely informative and helpful. Can't believe I didn't think of some of this stuff, it seems simple when it's told to me now.

 

[whartung]

Can't believe I didn't think of some of this stuff, it seems simple when it's told to me now.

"Those who don't know geography are doomed to repeat it." -- 6th grade teacher

 

[aramis]

I guess my main gripe is how the trans-route rift is used in canon as a kind of semi-secret route that really only the Imperial government makes effective use of, to alert the core sectors of security issues behind the claw before civilian traffic through Corridor spreads the news.

I can't recall the exact materials, but my understanding was that the trans-rift route was the primary route for Important Secret Government Things. This, obviously, makes no sense what with it taking weeks longer.

A couple things...
① the imperial courier routes are non-optimized for distance through corridor. The're faster than the XB's. but it's extremely likely they avoid C ports, Amber zones, and Red zones
② the courier route to capital, except during the Regency, runs from Mora, not Regina.

Punching in the data on
Mora→Capital is 24j6 via corridor, 23j6 via the Islands.

But Travellermap doesn't have an easy way to block amber as well as red, nor to block C/D/E/X ports.

 

[Commander Truestar]

I guess my main gripe is how the trans-route rift is used in canon as a kind of semi-secret route that really only the Imperial government makes effective use of, to alert the core sectors of security issues behind the claw before civilian traffic through Corridor spreads the news.

I can't recall the exact materials, but my understanding was that the trans-rift route was the primary route for Important Secret Government Things. This, obviously, makes no sense what with it taking weeks longer.

One thing to remember is that everyone has star charts.
"Not everyone" knows where operations have been optimized to maintain communications.

each route would have been essentially secret when it was established because the authorities creating the routes wouldn't want them raided, or attacked. So, they would only have told those commands which needed to know. Yes, eventually pilots flying the new routes would blab...and word would get out.
And, once that started, the "chat-network" would grow and the routes would become more publicly known.

It's just like transiting valuable items from place to place.
Everyone would know they are being moved...but you don't tell anyone the "Route" unless they have a need to know.
So, the route is secret.
But, you as the game master, have a need to know, so you are told...

How many of the in-universe population have been told this exists?

It's the same thing as the 1105-era super secret layer of J-6 x-boats and couriers....

 

[whartung]

One thing to remember is that everyone has star charts.

It was my understanding the Rift route used secret deep space fuel caches.

 

[Commander Truestar]

It was my understanding the Rift route used secret deep space fuel caches.

You may be correct.
I was responding in the context of the OP, and didn't look up the details.....that's on me

 

[Nathan Brazil]

I took me a while to remember where this was,
In Megatraveller the Corridor route was blocked, due to the Corridor fleet being withdrawn to the Core.

The data for known sectors in Rebellion Era are up in travellermap.com. In MegaTraveller Alien Vol. 1: Vilani & Vargr (Digest Group Publications) , By 1120, The Domain of Deneb had been cut off from the rest of the Imperium due to those Vargr incursions. The retreat of Corridor Fleet caused the Vilani to look out for themselves as well which is why the trailng part of Corridor creates the new Vilani Empire and not Imperial Red.
Subsectors A-D of Corridor https://travellermap.com/?p=-46.774!68.258!5.5&milieu=M1120

 

[aramis]

One thing to remember is that everyone has star charts.
"Not everyone" knows where operations have been optimized to maintain communications.

each route would have been essentially secret when it was established because the authorities creating the routes wouldn't want them raided, or attacked. So, they would only have told those commands which needed to know. Yes, eventually pilots flying the new routes would blab...and word would get out.
And, once that started, the "chat-network" would grow and the routes would become more publicly known.
[snip]
It's the same thing as the 1105-era super secret layer of J-6 x-boats and couriers....

The TI and TJ duality.
The only way it works is if the J6 couriers look alike, but the refuelling isn't at the public taps for either.

Given the lag in the 3I, very few people will have the data to figure out which is where, but INI, ISIS (Imperial Scout Intelligence Service), and a few megacorps will be able to do so. Hell, most Megacorps likely have J6 nets. I strongly suspect there's automated data sifting looking exactly for this kind of traffic, since TANSIS.

 

[aramis]

One other thought: The Trans-Rift route has much less observation. Finding the Calibration Points requires monitoring the exits from some very, Very, VERY minor systems.

 

[spank]

The TI and TJ duality.
The only way it works is if the J6 couriers look alike, but the refuelling isn't at the public taps for either.

Given the lag in the 3I, very few people will have the data to figure out which is where, but INI, ISIS (Imperial Scout Intelligence Service), and a few megacorps will be able to do so. Hell, most Megacorps likely have J6 nets. I strongly suspect there's automated data sifting looking exactly for this kind of traffic, since TANSIS.

Beyond that, there are likely additional, more secret Jump points.
For example by placing two additional jump points this crossing can be trimmed 2 jumps.
There may also be less obvious places Jump points could be positioned, for instance in a more populous sector where the jump points didn't allow a full J6 jump.

 

[Commander Truestar]

If they shifted Boulderfield Station (in the Two Worlds subsector) one parsec spinward, they could create a route from

4 jumps from Mora to Pikhah/Zeng, then:

Pikhah/Zeng -> Catacomb/Kamlar -> Asharam/New Heavens -> Esi-Obe/Two Worlds -> Tristira/Ashishinipar -> Eesonwiy/Taapvala ->
Mestitela/Taapvala

13 more jumps to Capital

That's 23 jumps total...Sounds good to me

 

[spank]

If they shifted Boulderfield Station (in the Two Worlds subsector) one parsec spinward, they could create a route from

4 jumps from Mora to Pikhah/Zeng, then:

Pikhah/Zeng -> Catacomb/Kamlar -> Asharam/New Heavens -> Esi-Obe/Two Worlds -> Tristira/Ashishinipar -> Eesonwiy/Taapvala ->
Mestitela/Taapvala

13 more jumps to Capital

That's 23 jumps total...Sounds good to me

You could get that down to 17 Jumps,
You could place 5 jump points across the Rift, which could be serviced from nearby worlds.
You're not going to be shipping 100,000 dTons of beets from Deneb to Capital,
most likely it will be info, so the ship will be fairly small.
Maintaining 50,000 tons of hydrogen at these point would be fairly simple, 3 of them are J-1 from suitable worlds.
The one on the Deneb end is J-3 so you could jump out and back with a tender, and still easily leave 5-10,000 tons per jump.
The only Jump point that would be somewhat difficult to service would be Boulderfield,
Which would require it's own service point at 0534 two worlds.
This station could be serviced from both Irhirdu and Esi-obe, both of which have gas giant available for skimming.
Then the station would in turn service Boulderfield. Not super efficent, but not terrible either.
6 jumps gets you across the Rift, and then it's 65 Parsecs to Capital, 11 more jumps.