 September 19, 2009 - 8:25pm | While surfing the net today, I found myself reading about the letter of last resort. In short: Britain has four Vanguard-class SSBNs. Each Prime Minister, upon taking office, has to write, in longhand(and in quadruplicate)a letter detailling what the skippers of those subs are to do in case Armageddon takes out Britain and kills the PM and his designated(and known only to him)alternate thermonuclear shot caller, each of the four letters then being placed in a sealed envelope, delivered to each of the four skippers, who then places the unopened letter in a double-walled safe set into the control room of his boat. Each time a new government takes power, the previous PM's letter is destroyed, unopened, and the incoming PM has to hand-write a new set of letters. Now, my question to all of you: Do you think the Council of Worlds/Spacefleet Admiral/Star Law Captain-General would employ a similar strategy with the Spacefleet/Star Law vessels? If so, who writes the letter? The Council acting collectively(the body is transcribed by the Council clerk and the Councillors sign each copy by hand), the President of the Council, the Spacefleet commander or what? Also, just what would be the precise instructions included in this letter of last resort? "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
 September 20, 2009 - 6:42am | if the council of worlds was writing it collectively it would never get finished- things done by commitees over a certain size never work out. But if it ever did get finished it be availble on the net befor it was transcribed by the clerk- 3 can keep a secret if 2 of them are dead-Benjamin Franklin. with nuclear armed torps being a common weapon in the KH rules I dont see a need to have tight control on a nuclear arsenal. this could work better for the say a system government like Truane's Star or Dramune where such a letter will instruct the orbital bombardment of the other inhabited planet. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 20, 2009 - 8:18am | Yeah, that sounds about right. "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
 September 24, 2009 - 2:30pm | Not only that, but what would the Council of Worlds target for their doomsday arsenals? The nuclear missile scenario fails because they would have nothing to strike back against (vague ideas of Sathar homeworlds notwithstanding). But it could provide a governing clause to surviving spacefleet captains to maintain the chain of command, attempt to protect or preserve one world, and rescue as many survivors as possible in the event of a complete collapse and irreversable defeat against an adversary, or biological contagion. Where would the Federation's Beta site be? |
September 24, 2009 - 5:07pm | Hmmm, good question, Sam. "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
 September 24, 2009 - 6:32pm | Where would the Federation's Beta site be? Perhaps; World that has the fewest jump points. World that is in the core of the Frontier, to get as many survivors to said world. |
 September 24, 2009 - 7:26pm | Where would the Federation's Beta site be? It would have to meet certain criteria to be a valid Beta Site. Namely:
The location could pass from PM to PM in the Letter. After a PM leaves office, his mind would have to be chemically and hypnotically wiped of the knowledge. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of
the strong. * Attributed to Mahatma Gandhi |
September 24, 2009 - 7:50pm | That is interesting. After the first generation, the planet would develop with the original colonists just staying put and building up. Sort of like Sanctuary in Heinlein's Starship Troopers. Another option along this train of thought that would allow potentially more Frontier survivors, but would leave the Beta system known would be to pick one system that meets the above criteria, save that it is NOT a secret, fortify the heck out of it, perhaps even allow only spacefleet or spacefleet-chartered vessels have the exact jump routes. The Frontier would know its out there, but not exactly where. But this option also places Emergency sites in each system. Survival shelters or vaults (Fallout) scattered on each world and/or on each system's populated moons/asteroids) where the population can retreat to. Spacefleet and surviving civilian ships would have to rescue the survivors as they can and return to the secure system. Borrowing an idea from the Aliens RPG, the systems one jump out from the secure system could also be defended with forces designated to prevent hostile fleets from using that system as a jump point. They may have come too late to defend whatever was there in the first place, but they can try to deny the enemy's use of the it. |
September 24, 2009 - 9:08pm | What if the Beta site remained unvisited for years? The colonist became a society independent and did not want the UPF or anyone else to bother them. (Perhaps they didn't believe the threats) |
September 24, 2009 - 9:25pm | what if the Beta sight was just bunkers of equipment? care taker robots and stuff I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 24, 2009 - 10:07pm | +1 Managed by Robot brains. They go crazy and suddenly there is a robot war! "As you near the ventilation shaft exit, swishy water noises are getting louder. Several maintenance robots are wildly swinging wet mops at each-other. It's not apparent who is the victor."  |
September 25, 2009 - 1:21am | Or, maybe the Beta site's colonists were all military to begin with...and its current commander pulls a Colonel Kurtz at precisely the wrong time. "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
September 26, 2009 - 10:16am | Or, maybe the Beta site's colonists were all military to begin with...and its current commander pulls a Colonel Kurtz at precisely the wrong time. Apocolypse Now? the novel "Heart of Darkness" is the original story of a 1800ish expedition sent by the Belgium? gov. to go get a company man up the Congo river that is setting himself up as a chief/king the novel may be a better inspiration for that meshing with the Frontier feel of the setting. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 26, 2009 - 5:20pm | Or, maybe the Beta site's colonists were all military to begin with...and its current commander pulls a Colonel Kurtz at precisely the wrong time. Apocolypse Now? the novel "Heart of Darkness" is the original story of a 1800ish expedition sent by the Belgium? gov. to go get a company man up the Congo river that is setting himself up as a chief/king the novel may be a better inspiration for that meshing with the Frontier feel of the setting. Yeah, Apocolypse Now, Francis Ford Crappola's surreal rendition of Conrad's novel and the Vietnam War; IMO, it succeeds somewhat in echoing Conrad's sentiments concerning colonialism in a valid retelling for the modern era. But, yes, I think the original(though not his best work, Lord Jim takes that honor)does make better source material for the Frontier. "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
September 26, 2009 - 6:39pm | Not that Apocolypse Now isn't a classic with lines like "God I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" I loved Col. Killgore! and that name! Killgore! He was the best part of the movie. But that aside movies are great for visual simulation and inspiration but a book will give you the ideas to hang flesh on the stimuli I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
September 27, 2009 - 4:30pm | Not that Apocolypse Now isn't a classic with lines like "God I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" I loved Col. Killgore! and that name! Killgore! He was the best part of the movie. But that aside movies are great for visual simulation and inspiration but a book will give you the ideas to hang flesh on the stimuli Agreed. "You're everything that's base in humanity," Cochrane continued. "Drawing up strict, senseless rules for the sole reason of putting you at the top and excluding anyone you say doesn't belong or fit in, for no other reason than just because you say so." —Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stephens, Federation |
