Library Data and Rumors.

First off let me welcome our visitors and Followers (old and new) from Terra and elsewhere.

So, not the post on religion in the Permatic Imperium mentioned earlier, but I do have entries to the Library Database for I, K and P. In addition you will find thirteen Rumors in the standard Traveller D66 matrix format. Someday I figure I should have a full D66 Matrix and not just these current entries. As usual please feel free to comment and contribute.

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LIBRARY DATA I - IISS PROTOCOLS: The Imperial Scouts are said to have Protocols, but no Regulations. This is not entirely  true, they do mostly fall on Protocols but there is a Book of Regulations for the Service. it is specifically covers a variety of  subjects. 

One them is the Command and Control by the Imperial Navy of the Scout Service during times of War or Emergency (as Decreed by the Emperor or by Declaration of the Moot, by the Orders of the Minster of War, or First Lord of the Admiralty). During such times the Scouts are bound by the Rules and Regulations of the Imperial Navy and Lawful Orders of the senior Navy (or Marine in special circumstances) officer. It should be noted though the Admiralty Court has a strong tradition of being lenient towards the precedence of the Protocols to the point that several judgements have been decided in favor of the Scout and Scout Service Protocols.

An example of the Protocols can be seen in the twenty ton Drop Tank conversions used by some Type-SF crews to expand the space available while on missions. 

The Protocols call for the single use of a Drop Tank as consistent with standard manufacturer's safety instructions. In order for Drop Tanks to be safely and properly utilized a Starship must be equipped with Jump Bubble technology and as long as they remain firmly locked to the hull, Drop Tanks generally won't cause a Misjump. Knowing this numerous crew keep the tanks on during a Jump and have them rigged out with living spaces, galleys, recreation areas, specialized laboratories, or other custom uses at a private shipyard. A few Drop Tanks have been converted into Lifeboats or even crude twenty ton launches by their crews. 

In the Imperial Navy this would be a punishable offense and probably end the career of the poor junior officer who had thought it would be a good idea. In the Scout the local Administrator would shake her head and tell the crew to get that fixed one these days, maybe lay out some company studies suggesting that it might be a cause of Misjumps, but the Protocols don't allow Admin to punish the crew for having done something non-spec to their issued ship unless it causes actual damage or other mishap of some sort.

Also it is a bit of a traditional Scout competition to see what the most outrageous, most useful, most livable, etc. ideas crews can come up with every couple of years or so. The best Pod overall wins, free perils while in station in, a pool of currencies and oddities from across the stars, plus bragging rights for the Term. In addition other traditional honors, rights and responsibilities are given the winner of a particular category. 

LIBRARY DATA K - KNIGHTS: There are some general characteristics of the Orders of Knighthood in the Permatic Imperium. Each comes with a specific duty to be performed by the Knights of that Order, in exchange they are granted certain favors by the Crown for their Service to the Imperium and His Majesty. The Orders usually have unique Histories, Armorials, Mottoes, Traditions Rules and Rituals. Listed here are two of the most prestigious Orders a Knight in the Imperium might belong to there are others.

The Order of the Empire. 

• Ranks:  Grand Commander (GCE), Knight Commander (KCE), and Knight of the Empire (KE).
• History: This Order claims its decent from the Volcker Imperium, though it can only be accurately dated by most psychohistorians to somewhere during the Third or Solar Imperium. 
• Membership: It is open to all Citizens and in some cases a Knighthood is granted to a Subject elevating them to the proper social standing befitting a Citizen and Knight.

The Order of Maltese.  

•  Ranks: Grand Master (GM), Grand Commander (GCM),  and Knight of Maltese (KM).
• Motto: Defenders of the Borders.
• History: This Order can be dated back at least the Fifth Empire. It should be noted however, that Order of Maltese claims decent from the Order of the Knights of Malta and Rhodes. 
• Membership: This Order is open to all Members of the Imperial Services which includes including the Imperial Army, Navy, StarMarine Corps, and Scouts. Some Functionaries and Nobles may be granted application to the Order if a they are a Reserve or Retired member of the services. If approved the applicant is granted the Rank of Squire and assigned to a Knight for training.

LIBRARY DATA P -PARTHIAN REMNANTS: The Capital of the last remaining remnants of the Sixth Spinward Imperium is composed of an Imperial Court  where each member of the Court is resident on a personal asteroid and they communicate mostly by encrypted TL-G CommPlus. They claim when queried on standard comms that they are busy debating the "Affairs of the Imperium" and can not be bothered to take petitions now. Then they demand the subject leave the system or face dire consequences. As no other world has the kind of power these battle class asteroid-ships might be able to unleash (well beyond the range of most of the worlds they rule), the petitioner generally leaves. The current Parthian Emperor is the old Subsector Duke who elevated herself when it was apparent the Spinward Imperium was falling apart. Her actual tittle is Archduke Arsacid, Regent of Fonest she will confess if questioned on her authority to act in the "Name of the Imperium".

The Parthian Remnants do not maintain a separate Army. That role is filled by Naval Infantry maintained shipboard (most commonly in Frozen Watch and thawed as needed) and on Bases (some in Frozen Watch, the rest pulling duty). They are used as ship board security, boarding parties, customs and Imperial law enforcement and the very occasional planetary assaults*. These units are known as the Stellar Infantry. Another group of troops that takes up the role normally filled by the Imperial Army of old are the various Household units kept by the Lords of Parthia They often keep them on board their planetoid ships which then support them in battle with both with ortillery, Fire Control, C4I and smallcraft. Mercenaries may be hired in the Remnants, but are mostly used on a single world in small regional campaigns. Often these conflicts are between corporations  and occasionally one world versus another. They are never allowed to be used in any campaign spanning multiple worlds at once. To do so has been declared to be "an Act of Insurrection and will be dealt with accordingly". The Lords of Parthia like to keep a Merc company operating on a single world at time feeling that if one should gather the resources to span multiple worlds at time it will eventually grow large enough to challenge their own troops.

* The Parthians tend more toward ortillery and less toward drop troops. If they are using SI Drop Troopers on your world then some in Court likes your world or someone on it.

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RUMOR 11: From an Institute Patron or INI File-X-I604. Abonai Belt (FS 0624) A0006B9-E. This belt is ruled by a Non-Charismatic Dictatorship backed with high interstellar level technologies. The ruler uses this high tech level and high law level "to maintain public order". Often "Safety" is touted as the reason for the draconian measures, which is a very serious thing when most of you live in the only habitable location…IN SPACE. Space being brutally unforgiving and killing quickly most residents comply.  If asked about the extreme security measures of the Dictator when they could move to another location, such as planetoid, the average citizen will state "Well, it is Class A though, so it's not like your slumming it with the Belters. Here you have nice things." And they will then go on and on about the conveniences of the port and the nice things they believe they would have to give up if they left.

Imperial Navy Intelligence is quietly looking for Travellers to check out a system known only by its Hex designation 0724 and named "Colony A". If the Travellers take on the task they will be briefed with the information above. Then they will be briefed with the following: Colony A is actually a penal camp used by the ruler of Abonai Belt in attempts to crack an Old Empires Navy Depot. However the extreme technology difference is frustrating their attacks on its defenses. Every one in the Belt has heard the rumors that being sent there is a death sentence. No one actually knows what kills the prisoners and no one is to keen to find out except for maybe the rebels. Rumors abound but not one sophont in the Belt seems actually knows what goes on there nor they can prove what they espouse.

As a side Adventure, the Travellers can help the rebels get the irrevocable proof of the dictator's lies and brutality. More importantly, proof of what actually is going on there that is killing prisoners at increasing rates. Helping the rebels would gain the characters much favor in Court. The downfall of the dictator would allow the Imperium a excuse to install a Governor-General. In addition it could possibly result a Traveller News Service story about the participants. 

Or the Travellers could set the rebels up by claiming to help and then turning them over to the secret police, who will most assuredly reward the characters handsomely for alerting them to the rebel cell and its intentions. The dictator understands what the success of the rebels' mission would do to their rule. It isn't like they are all that popular to begin with. Proof that they are spending people's loved ones to die trying to crack an Old Empires vault is not going to go down well. The Traveller's can expect a warm welcome in this port for some time.  

RUMOR 12:  From a Scholar or Entertainer. The Imperial Department of Pyschohistory is pushing two memes in entertainment and other media. On the low tech worlds, tales of wonder of the interstellar societies and a desire for the products they have is cultivated. Air/Rafts, starships, and robot companions are all featured prominently as do friendly Imperial characters who help the protagonists attain interstellar luxuries. This usually as a reward by virtue of completing some adventurous task for their new off-world connection. Worlds that have the technology base to flourish in sphere of interstellar economics and politics are given regular doses of the hero who strikes it rich on the frontiers of the Imperium with the locals in role of helpful sidekicks.

RUMOR 13: From a Citizen or Merchant. If Spice exists in this universe <>, its existence either as psychotropic spice Melenge or as a precursor to psionic pharmaceuticals actually makes Herbert a sort of prophet to some Psionics and other groups aware of "His Prophetic Holy Texts". They are considered sort of flaky at best. The usual reaction of everyone pretty much is they are a bunch fanarking nutters. The worst of these lot are are the Freemen recreationist groups that dot the extents of the Old Empires and can be found on desert worlds, wearing Stillsuits (actually really expensive, high TL HazMat Suits), speaking  what is believed to Freeman language and keeping the culture alive by riding around on bio-mechanical sandworms and "searching for Spice and carrying out Maud-Dibs' Jihad against the evil Baron and his Machine Servants".

RUMOR 14: From a Merchant or Spacer. The Imperial Navy got some of its earliest reliable Anti-Matter Power Plant Arrays from Telestar Astronics. Telestar Astronics is a MegaCorp dating from the Fifth Empire and has survived by virtue of having several Factories around the Permatic Imperium. It is believed they did business with what is now being referred to as the Parthian Imperium in Imperial Documents (circa ≈ 10,000 CE). Wether other Telestar Factories or the Headquarters are still functioning beyond the edge of the Permatic Imperium is unknown. It is possible that the current Sector Headquarters may have lost some data and methods of manufacture of Fifth Empire Drives which are rumored to be capable of doing decade parsec long Hops or even multi-century parsec long Leaps. However, the neither datapoint can be confirmed at this time. 

What is known is that during the bicentennial year since of the founding of the Permatic Imperium, the ganged AMPP-2 plants were being relegated to Naval Auxiliary units and very select Limited Imperial Charter Companies. The specification of the plant replacing them is at this time classified and not for publication. Rumor on the other hand is that newer and more powerful single AM Power Plants are being installed on Ships of the Line. The Admiralty refuses official to comment on speculations, however sources have confirmed that the new plants are superior to those in the newly detached vessels.

RUMOR 15:  From General Encounters. Ardth, Bown, Croxy and Denhea Subsectors are ripe for exploration and exploitation by some Traveller or Limited Imperial Chartered (LIC) company. Who knows what lies coreward of the Imperium. The situation in Eomphip, Hoten, Motroun, and Pezer is very much the same."

RUMOR 16:  From a Merchant or Functionary. On the edge of the Ingen Subsector there are worlds it said that the Imperial Ministries of Commerce and Colonization are looking for Chartered Companies to exploit these fringe worlds."

RUMOR 21: From Scout or Merchant. Rumor says the are untapped markets in the sections of Fonest and Golg Subsectors waiting for Imperial trade and commerce.

RUMOR 22: From a Noble or Scout. The Emperor has vowed to take all of the Kylin and Locces Subsectors back under Imperial control. While most are technically within the borders of the Imperium, some of these worlds have been roughly surveyed for physical characteristics, but not the sociological information. His Majesty would like you to go on an expedition to learn more about these frontier worlds. 

RUMOR 23: From Agent or Scout. His Majesty's Secret Service has reported that the Confederation that lies just beyond (and within if some reports are true) the Imperial borders in the Orses Subsector may be taking worlds that the Imperium considers under its banner. The Confederation has been trading with worlds on the borders of the two states but little is actually known about this pocket empire.

RUMOR 24: From a Soldier or StarMarine. The world of [SECRET] is in rebellion and the Ministry of War needs mercenary troops to take up some of the slack till heavy reinforcements arrive. The fighting may be furious but the bonus for successful completion is sweet.

RUMOR 25: From a Rouge or Agent. N102 is a world at Sector Hex FS 0932, which puts it outside the Imperial Domains yet is claimed and under the protection of the Imperium. It is a personal fief of a powerful noble at Court and they have had the map drawn to show Imperial protection. There is some question on the legal status of the world as it lies outside the Red Line and a Patron is said to be willing pay handsomely to get some trid of the Noble's mansion. 

RUMOR 26: From a Craftsman or Scholar. World E701 is marked as a known small airless, waterless world while the rest of the Subsector is unknown. Many rumors abound about why it is listed and what may be found there. Secret Relics of the Old Empires, Imperial Research Station, another survivor of the Interregnum? Some one may know but they aren't telling.

RUMOR 31: From a Spacer or Functionary. The Imperial Navy is said to be looking for Privateer Crews to serve as commerce raiders in an ongoing border skirmish with a group of allied systems coreward of the Imperium.

So there it is, what I think is my longest post ever. I have plenty of room to expand into, folks can get an idea of the sandbox that play is taking place in and for people to contribute their two Crowns Imperial (Cr), more commonly known as Credits Imperial or CrImps. So far it looks the players are expressing an interest in Rumor 31.


Well, it has been and long and productive day, time for bed.


Laterness,
Craig.