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Ship's Log

Library Entries

This is the repository for the array of knowledge the Travellers acquire.

Contents
1st Entry - Bilstein Yards
2nd Entry - Kaldi Research
3rd Entry - Mordor Industries
4th Entry - Doctors Without Borders
5th Entry - Code of Ledriasda
6th Entry - Cpl Zmiish
7th Entry - Abyss Rift
8th Entry - Pleasurestar
9th Entry - Flame Sculptures
10th Entry - Sindalian Naval Forces
11th Entry - Letters of Marque
12th Entry - Robot Laws
13th Entry - Ling Standard Products, Inc
14th Entry - Imperial Navy Bases - TR
15th Entry - Cortez-class Salvage Ship
16th Entry - TBA

Many many links to come

Library Entries

These are the entries that the Travellers have made to share with each other. This is a place to cross reference links on a particular topic to the several other pages that the information might be on.


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Corporations - Domain of Deneb

Excerpt: Behind the Claw, GURPS Traveller, SJG, 1998.

Bilstein Yards

Based at Glisten/Glisten, Bilstein Yards specializes in the construction of yachts for wealthy customers, and also custom one-off jobs such as the Pavabidian flying palace. The high standard of workmanship does not come cheap, so Bilstein does not construct military vessels. They are rumored to have access to military weaponry, though.

Potential Link to: Amanda Parsons (Homeworld of)


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Corporations - Domain of Deneb

Excerpt: Behind the Claw, GURPS Traveller, SJG, 1998.

Kaldi Research

Kaldi is a private corporation with two main branches. The bulk of Kaldi's assets are employed in fixed installations that undertake research on contract for corporate bodies and planetary governments. A much smaller proportion of Kaldi's effort is placed into the operation of a number of laboratory ships that travel throughout the Marches and beyond, either hiring out their services to whomever needs a general research team or engaging in ongoing studies.

Potential Link to: Athena Solis (Research Contracts?)


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Corporations - Domain of Deneb

Excerpt: Behind the Claw, GURPS Traveller, SJG, 1998.

Mordor Industries

Based on Wurzburg/Glisten, Mun.lor constructs custom weapons and devices for the private market Blade weapons are a specialty, but firearms made to individual specification are the staple product of this small but highly regarded firm. Many Imperial nobles have bought or have been presented with weapons or devices from Mordor.

Potential Link to: Sir Lieutenant Gopal Sultana (Endorsement Contract?)


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Organizations - Third Imperium

Source: Wiki Link

Doctors Without Borders (DWB)

Doctors Without Borders (DWB) is an intergalactic medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in 971 at Capital (Core 2118)
Today, DWB provides aid in nearly 600 systems to sophonts whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, natural disasters, malnutrition, epidemics and natural disasters. DWB provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need. DWB reserves the right to speak out to bring attention to neglected crises, to challenge inadequacies or abuse of the aid system, and to advocate for improved medical treatments and protocols.

Link to: Mikhel Dromah (Registered with DWB, holds credentials as Field Trauma Doctor: willing to work in Combat Zones)

Donations to the Real Médecins Sans Frontières: DrivthruRPG - Pay What You Want


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Religions - Third Imperium

Source: Wiki Link

Code of Ledriasda

Technically the Code of Ledriasda is not a religion, but a code of ethics and morals. It is rumored to have been developed on Ishag/Liasdi (Zarushagar 1323) around -6000 by the wanderer/philosopher Ledriasda. Adherents to the Code believe that all humans (later extended to all sophonts) have a moral obligation to preserve intelligent life. This not only means that killing is immoral, but that the strong should help the weak, the more fortunate should help the less fortunate, etc.
The Code helped shape Darmine history, making the Darmine a generally peaceful race with the desire to be builders, not destroyers. Even those individuals who are not strict adherents to the Code follow its general tenets.
The Code was an integral part of Darmine history prior to the arrival of the Vilani, but since that time, the number of practitioners has dropped off. (Under pressure, the Darmine were forced to conform to Vilani tradition. Many believed that cultural concessions were responsible).
Integral to the Code is the Law of Just Cause (for Self Defense). Ledriasda made provision for the use of force in defending oneself and others, but only after negotiation and concession were exhausted or dismissed as viable options.

Today about half of all Darmine, still the largest practicing group, hold Ledriasda to be of some importance. Many in fact seek employment in fields where they can directly help people.

Note: This Code has spread across the Vilani sphere of influence as a footnote in some histories, so has a smattering of proponents across the Third Imperium. There are not many followers outside of the Darmine population, but some Imperial citizens know of it, if only vaguely.

Link-> Darmine (Minor Human Race)


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Notable Persons - Third Imperium

Star Marine Eneri "Stormy" Zmiish, SEH
1071st Imperial Marine Regiment

Eneri Zmiish was an insubordinate marine and hellraiser who didn’t believe in taking orders. As a result of his carefree attitude, he was promoted to the rank of Corporal and then demoted back to Marine nine times!

However, in combat, he was absolutely fearless. Some labeled him reckless. In his citation for the Starburst of Extreme Heroism, he held a bridgehead position unassisted against three armored fighting vehicles and 30 attackers, with a gauss rifle and a ballistic anti-armor weapon. He rendered inoperable two of the armored vehicles and drove off the counter-attack, carried a wounded marine to the medic station, and returned to his fighting position alone to maintain the bridgehead. He held that position for the rest of the day, allowing time for reinforcements to take over and fortify the position.

Zmiish’s heroism earned him an audience with Her Grace The Lady Delphine Adorania Muudashir, 15th Duchess of Mora, KSC, who personally awarded him the SEH at the Palace at Mora. He was the lowest ranked Marine to be awarded the SEH during the Fourth Frontier War. In fitting fashion, he refused to bow, as is customary, and simply saluted the Duchess. The night before he received the award, he was placed in cells at the Mora Marine base, with a couple of his favorite beverages, in order to “keep him out of trouble”.

Zmiish might have been a garrison commander’s worst nightmare, but in a fight, with everything on the line, there was no other man you would want beside you.

This entry is a reference in support of Imperial Military communications about Mikhel Dromah.
Also: Appendix III Stat Dec – GSgt G Surma


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Anomaly - Third Imperium

Abyss Rift

The Abyss Rift is an area of space within the Lanth Subsector with a curious anomaly.

It has been the site of several notable ship disappearances over the last half millennium and has built up a substantial amount of lore associated with them.

Further Reading: Lost Treasure Ships of the Abyss Rift

Source1: Wiki Link
Source2: Lost Treasure Ships of the Abyss Rift by Michael R. Mkesh in Challenge 44.
Location: Lanth Subsector


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Corporations - Third Imperium

Excerpt: 101 Cargos, 2nd Ed, Traveller T4, BITS, 1997.

Link-> Traveller Wiki - Pleasurestar

Pleasurestar

They are suppliers of exclusive designer products to the more discerning and eclectic clientele.


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Objects - Darrian Confederation

Flame Sculptures

Excerpt: Darrians - The Secret of the Star Trigger, Traveller Alien Module 8, GDW, 1987.

One type of unusual art from Darrian has been able to establish a widespread reputation: the flame sculptures of Rimb.
Flame sculpture is an old art form on Darrian, originating in the heady, high-tech years before the Maghiz. Technicians work­ing with gravity generators applied their forces to gas flames and were able to shape and mold them into required forms. The first applications were to cutting torch heads. Soon, the flames were being moulded to form letters, company names, and logos. Artisans learned to create images, busts, sculpted landscapes, and other three-dimensional forms from flame, in the process finding that there was an appreciation and a market for this type of artwork.
The Maghiz stopped development of the art form as recovery took higher priority. A few examples were produced between -921 and -200. and they are considered the rarest of Darrian flame sculptures.
Flame sculpture takes several forms:

  1. The simplest (and considered the purest) is the static image. A single flame generator produces a flame that is moulded into a specific form by a variety of interacting grav and magnetic modules. Typical simple sculptures are busts or animal figures.
  2. More complex flame sculptures add a variety of features. Some use chemically-enhanced flames to add color to images.
  3. Others use computer manipulations to add motion to animal figures. Still others have a repertoire of several images which can be called upon demand.

Darrian flame sculptures are broadly categorized as Early (dating from before the Maghiz, and all considered simple in form) Maghiz (simple in form, notable primarily for their rarity) and Modern (tending toward complexity).
Darrian flame sculpture, because of its high-tech novelty, has a minor reputation in art circles within the Spinward Marches. Examples are on display in museums as far away as Capital.

Note: Flame sculptures require careful environmental balancing, if used in a confined space. Sometimes, they require being isolated within a protective envelope. If exotic colors are present, some of the off-gassing can be toxic, and require evacuation systems to external air or filtering. Most Flame sculptures are not portable, as there needs to be a supply of fuel. Some flame sculptures have been known to be moveable, but have to incorporate hydrocarbon fuel cartridges with integral power cells.
There are miniature "souvenier" versions of some of the most prominent sculptures, but these are 3D Holographs, not actual 'flame sculptures':

  1. Mertactor/District 268: In the city of Seacheard, visitors will be astonished by the beauty of the Darrian flame sculpture exhibit at the Seacheard Museum of Art.
  2. Imperial Museum of Art and Culture: The museum has a sculpture from pre-Maghiz, pre-Third Imperium diplomatic relations, as well as artifacts from other worlds gifted to the museum since the Maghiz (Year -924).
  3. Flame Art in the Outrim Void - Link: Flame Art 1

Link-> N/A


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Organizations - Sindalian Empire

Link-> Sindalian Empire - Naval Forces

Naval Forces

Prior to the collapse the fleet consisted of:

Capital Ships (Large):

Fighting Ships (Medium):

Fighting Ships (Small):

Paramilitary Forces

Any surviving ships of the Sindalian Navy would be at least over 2000-ish years old (Empire collapsed in -1146).
Did Drinax actually build any ships in its 2000 years of existence (-1440 to 885)?
*Note: Drinax was/is TL14, not TL15.


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Organizations - Interstellar Law

Link-> N/A

Naval Law - Letters of Marque

Government Commission

Written and fact-checked by:
The Editors of Encyclopaediopolis, Reference (Core 0140)

Several conventions on space warfare in respect to merchant vessels in space were adopted late in the Third Frontier War (979 – 986), by the Imperium and by the Aslan Hierate, the Solomani Confederation, Members of the Two Thousand Worlds, and the Zhodani Consulate over the intervening years. One Convention setting up an interstellar prize court to hear appeals from belligerent prize courts was never ratified. The rules adopted were as follows:

  1. A merchant ship converted into a warship cannot have the rights and duties appertaining to vessels having that status unless it is placed under the direct authority, immediate control, and responsibility of the power the flag of which it flies.
  2. Merchant ships converted into warships must bear the external marks which distinguish the warships of their nationality.
  3. The commander must be in the service of the state and duly commissioned by the proper authorities. The commander’s name must figure on the list of the officers of the fighting fleet.
  4. The crew must be subject to military discipline.
  5. Every merchant ship converted into a warship is bound to observe in its operations the laws and customs of war.
  6. A belligerent who converts a merchant ship into a warship must, as soon as possible, announce such conversion in the list of its warships.

It has since become part of interstellar law that armed merchant ships must be listed as warships, though there have been various interpretations of the word “armed.”

The ambiguous status of the privateer has ceased to exist, and Letters of Marque are no longer issued, as belligerent governments now assume full responsibility for all converted ships engaged in military operations. The right to arm merchant vessels in self-defense was generally admitted in the First (589 – 604) and Second (615-620) Frontier Wars and the Solomani Rim War (990-1002).

Note: The above paragraph specifically states "self-defence", and therefore precludes attacking other vessels.


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Organizations - Third Imperium Laws

Link-> Shudusham Concords

Robots in the Imperium

Most worlds declare that owners are responsible for the actions of their robots, even if the owner did not directly order the action.

The Concords have no legal force in the Third Imperium, but they have served as a model for many high-tech worlds' documents governing the manufacture and use of robots.
Original Articles

The Concords contain seven articles:

Later Amendments

Forty-three amendments have been added over the active life of the Concords, dealing with technological changes, minor logic enhancements, and additional enforcement procedures. The 37th amendment is well-known; it states that no pseudo-biological robot may attempt to pass itself off as a living being.

The Shudusham Concords have proven to be effective. An entire interstellar industry grew out of the need for sensory devices to aid in enforcement of the Concords on the original twelve member worlds and later signatories. The Concords lost their legal force when Cleon declared himself emperor of the Third Imperium in Year 0.

Many worlds still use parts of the pre-lmperial Shudusham Concords as a model for their own laws to keep abuses with robots in check. Most worlds declare that owners are responsible for the actions of their robots, even if the owner did not directly order the action. For example, if an owner orders a robot to protect a home, and in so doing the robot kills someone approaching the home, the owner can be charged with manslaughter.

Depending on the System and legal restrictions, the following may apply:

Firmware inhibitor: This is a computer program that cannot be modified by the robot. The only way to reprogram the firmware inhibitor is by physically replacing the memory stick that it occupies.

Inhibitors do not affect the way a robot thinks – this is the domain of the ego programs. Instead they make certain actions impossible by blocking forbidden commands. However, if circumstances beyond the robot’s control cause it to break one of its inhibitions, it will not be damaged in any way. For example, if a robot slips and falls on a person, crushing him to death, it would not trigger the inhibitor.

A robot given the order to never remove its inhibitor can contemplate it, even becoming an obsession, but it could never attempt to remove it itself or even voice this desire.

The most common inhibitions, known as The Three Laws of Robotics are displayed here with some examples of how they can be abused:

  1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
    Note: Definitions of ‘human being’ vary, with the default being ‘any member of the civilisation’s dominant species and allied alien species’. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, assume this is the case.
The second part of this Law causes intelligent robots to become overly protective and very bossy. Practically any action can theoretically cause injury – unhealthy food, smoking, carrying heavy loads, speaking to strangers, hearing bad news... The more advanced the robot, the more potentially harmful scenarios it can imagine – and try to prevent.
  1. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
    Note: This law comes with a double hierarchy of orders based on the relevance and urgency of the command, with the latter always taking precedence. For example, a robot working in a factory has its supervisor as the highest priority commander. However, a woman hysterically screaming ‘save my child!’ would temporarily receive higher priority due to the urgency of her command.
  2. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
    Note: This has the same problem as the second half of the First Law. A sufficiently advanced intellect can see mortal danger in just about any activity, leading to extreme indecisiveness and cowardice on the robot’s part.

Military Inhibitions (Used in place of the above 'Laws', as killing of sophonts will be necessary in armed conflict):

  1. A robot must obey any orders given to it by its commanding officer as long as the officer is in a physical and mental condition which does not prevent him from commanding.
    Note: A combat robot takes commands only from a single person, which it must be able to identify via appearance, genetic code, voice and so forth. This law comes with a numbered list of people to obey in case the current commander is killed or disabled.
  2. A robot may not injure a member of its fighting unit or, through inaction, allow a member to come to harm as long as such protection does not conflict with the First Law.
    Note: The fighting unit is usually defined as the robot’s immediate unit. In rarer cases it includes the entire army.

Law-Enforcement Inhibitions (These 'Laws' allow the use of reasonable force, up to killing of law-breaking sophonts, to prevent injury to law-abiding citizens and victims):

  1. A robot must prevent any illegal action while causing the least injury required for preventing the offender from continuing his illegal activity.
    Note: A robot must be uploaded with the latest criminal codex of the locale it protects. The law can be self-updating. This means that the robot will adjust its definition of ‘illegal activity’ based on the jurisdiction it now occupies (provided it is within its database).
  2. A robot must obey any command given by higher ranking officers, except where such commands would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot may not injure a sophont or, through inaction, allow a sophont to come to harm, as long as this does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
    Note: The First Law allows for injury to a law-breaker, using reasonable force. Therefore, this Law can be subverted, or ignored, if the law-breaker can't be subdued without fatal damage.

Source: Traveller Book 9: Robot ©2010 Mongoose Publishing.


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Megacorporations - Third Imperium

Traveller Wiki

Ling Standard Products, Inc

LSP currently engages in a wide spectrum of activities including (but by no means limited to) manufacture of electronic equipment of all sorts, ground and air vehicles, starships and starship armaments systems, drive systems, power systems, computer systems and software, small arms, and a variety of other items (including robots of all types). Concerned to a small degree with banking, insurance, and other activities, LSP maintains mining and manufacturing facilities throughout the Imperium and beyond.

LSP is still primarily a general manufacturer, though its starships and vehicles are the most noticeable of its massive product line. It maintains its headquarters at Lunion, and regional headquarters at Tobia and Dekha. It has shipyards at Rhylanor, as well as Lunion and Strouden (both the largest private yards in the Marches), Pallique and Mora, Ffudn and Glisten, Edenelt, Tobia, Seleen, Starn (largest private yard in the Regency), Isurkun, Dekha (Plant 12) and HRD/Vincennes, Qevar and Pikha.

LSP's major shipyards at Lunion and Strouden are the most important yards in the Marches in terms of output. They handle commercial and military contracts on a large scale, as well as building standard designs and one-off vessels for private customers. Standards of workmanship are very high.

Ling-Standard Products has a major facility within the Trin System, on a cold rockball world called Ling Standard Products Spinward. Originally planned as the regional HQ for LSP, to replace the facilities at Mora, it instead became an R&D and manufacturing site.

Link to: Jeet Pringtip (Several Interactions)


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Organizations - Third Imperium

Traveller Wiki

Imperial Navy Bases - Trojan Reach Sector

Pax Rulin Subsector:

201st Fleet, with subtle direction from the Count of Gazulin, organizes joint operations and training for all Sector Fleets. Security for trans-border trade is an economic priority (No Marine Regiment is listed on the Imperial Order of Battle).

Host Port Systems:

Gazulin Subsector:

202nd Fleet (Attached: 6854th Imperial Marine Regiment)

Host Port Systems:

Sindal Subsector:

203rd Fleet (No Marine Regiment is listed on the Imperial Order of Battle).

Host Port Systems:

Tobia Subsector:

The 204th Fleet (Attached: 6982nd Imperial Marine Regiment)

Host Port Systems:

Occasionally 203rd Fleet's Cruiser Squadrons assist from the Sindal Subsector.

Binary Subsector:

Unnumbered Fleet (No Marine Regiment is listed on the Imperial Order of Battle).

Host Port Systems:


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Jump Ships - Third Imperium

Traveller Wiki

Cortez class Salvage Ship

The Cortez class Salvage Ship is a TL–10 specialized Salvage Ship.

Designed originally for use by shipping corporations to recover stranded merchant vessels, the Cortez-class has since found its way into government and private use. The Imperial Navy purchased an undisclosed number to recover some of its lighter non-combat ships, the Scout Service operates several as part of its repair fleet, and many others have been put to use at Class A and Class B starports as recovery vessels.

The ships of the Cortez class have the capability to repair most disabled ships, and can carry any ship up to 800 tons in displacement and still maintain Jump-1.

Use as a Mobile Spacedock is possible with no modifications, running just the Power Plant for life support for repair and maintenance crews.

For Military use, although not the designed purpose of the ship, it can be used as a carrier. A few had been pressed into service as assault shuttle tenders in the last Frontier War.

Category: ACS
Size: 800 Tons
Hull Configuration: Close Structure Hull
Streamlining: Unstreamlined Hull
Tech Level: TL–10
Computer: Model/2
Jump: J-2
Maneuver: 1 G
Fuel Treatment: Purifier

Link to: Cortez class Salvage Ship


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TBA