Zhodani Civilian Relations and the Core Expeditions

[Gadrin]

Marc Miller    -- from the Zhodani Core Expedition FAQ

I've puzzled over that. The "Fleet" is a word describing an expedition. As
such, they are major undertakings. But there is a constant flow of ships
(couriers, updates, replacements, orders) between the fleet and home.
[COLOR=#ff0000]I envision an officer beginning his career with a year of
travel toward the core, then a decade of cold sleep, then 20 years of
service, then more cold sleep, and finally mustering out 40-50 years later,
having served only on a ship travelling to the core and back.[/COLOR]

Core RouteFAQ

Well as you can imagine that's quite a bit of time. What if the guy's married
? Do proles enjoy the same length of duty on the Expedition ? (probably).
What if that guy's married too ? (or is female and has a husband elsewhere).

Sounds like some sort of adjustment needs to be made to keep their marriage
together, such as -- could Zhodani military place the wife in cold sleep too
? Obviously kids and so forth complicate matters even further.

BTW -- I use GURPS Traveller where cold sleep isn't as dangerous, just like
the frozen watch on ships.

So you get drafted/orders to join the Core Expedition and your family gets
wrenched apart for 50 years ? Probably not. I think it might be feasible for
wives (or loved ones) to maybe be put in cold sleep such that when the
military service is over the guy doesn't come back to someone quite his
senior.

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[far-trader]

Why not have families aboard and sharing both the waking and lowberth times?

 

[Gadrin]

Yeah right, all those "family" ships :smirk:

Sure a fair amount will be "frozen liners" taking scads and scads of
troops to their destinations, but what about families who are in
the middle of things ? (sons & daughters going to school on other
worlds, etc, etc). Although leaving your house for 50 years with
another couple (assuming they own houses) might be different for
the Zho society.

I imagine some military will be femmes as well as males and they
could be "all military families" (even some without kids).

Sounds like quite a logistical nightmare...but probably once guidelines
are in place, probably can be implemented.

I don't see families coming along for the ride, but I'd have to review
the article to see what the economic repercussions are for the military
or government. Even with just 2, it's twice the food...

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[Gadrin]

Anyway the reason behind this was I was developing a murder-mystery for
Zhodani PCs.

A Tavrchedl officer running down a soldier poisoned on the Core Expedition,
and they determined it was in a care-box from home.

And the Tavrchedl officer has to track the package all the way back to the
source, since it's possible anyone who transported the package (mail from
home) could have done it.

Yes I know this would be quite a rare occurence.

Anyhow they finally determine that no one on any of the myriad ships it
travelled on tampered with it, or had any animosity for the victim, and
realize it's his wife... (she found out he had cheated on her after he left).

And by the time they track her down, she's passed on...and got away with
murder in the Consulate (also a rare occurence).

More than the ironic ending, it's basically the Zhodani version of
Exit Visa using the Core Expedition as a backdrop and having the Tavrchedle team
bounce from bureacratic stops to military stops in an effort to investigate
the murder. Which I feel would be a good way to introduce players to the
Expedition environment.

Maybe I'll write it up as a short story for Freelance Traveller.

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[BeRKA]

Very nice adventure idea! I like it a lot.

 

[Darkhstarr]

Very interesting plot thread.

Anyway the reason behind this was I was developing a murder-mystery for
Zhodani PCs.

A Tavrchedl officer running down a soldier poisoned on the Core Expedition,
and they determined it was in a care-box from home.

And the Tavrchedl officer has to track the package all the way back to the
source, since it's possible anyone who transported the package (mail from
home) could have done it.

Yes I know this would be quite a rare occurence.

Anyhow they finally determine that no one on any of the myriad ships it
travelled on tampered with it, or had any animosity for the victim, and
realize it's his wife... (she found out he had cheated on her after he left).

And by the time they track her down, she's passed on...and got away with
murder in the Consulate (also a rare occurence).

More than the ironic ending, it's basically the Zhodani version of
Exit Visa using the Core Expedition as a backdrop and having the Tavrchedle team
bounce from bureacratic stops to military stops in an effort to investigate
the murder. Which I feel would be a good way to introduce players to the
Expedition environment.

Maybe I'll write it up as a short story for Freelance Traveller.

>