On BattleDress and Fusion Rifles.

Since I am in the process of messing about with the Traveller5 rules right now, I have been creating my own ATU.


I was just now perusing the TL charts to see what sort of technologies there are and how those might effect my ATU. I have already started dealing with the interesting angles of an Imperium dominated right now by a tightly knit conglomeration of Anagathic taking Nobility (and possibly Psionic as well) combined with the Artificial Persons in the form of the Sentient AIs and Androids. Robots are not limited by puny organic restraints, so it can make for some interesting interactions if played right by the robots. I imagined one striding off a starship twice the height and such of normal humans. Yes, my Empire might just be playing gods and monsters amongst the lesser barbarian worlds, slowly bring them up into the Imperium's fold as good and true Citizens and Subjects of the Seventh Great and Honorable Imperium of Man.





Then I got to Weapons and there it is plain as day, TL-17 average weapon, the Fusion Rifle. That is right, where as in the OTU Fusion Rifles are usually given to elite TL-15, BattleDress equipped troops, at TL-17 they just give them and one assumes the BattleDress to effectively use it to the standard trooper in Imperial Service. Not chemical or otherwise slug throwers, not LASERs, not Accelerator Rifles, nor Gauss Rifles, not even the mighty PGMP-14, nope every goddamned one of the basic line of the Imperial Military Forces are going to be coming to your world with BattleDress-17 toting Fusion Rifle-17s. Charming thought, yes?


So, now, when you are giving this kind of power to a bunch of troopers you have to get down to loyalty. Several of Mankind's attempts to conquer the stars ended because of the ruling polities' higher tech level got away from its control. So I figure that the Imperium is going to explain it right up front.


"Greetings Recruits!


This is the one and only time we will be going through this, so pay very close attention.


You are being armed and armored in the most sophisticated technology the Imperium has to offer to a line trooper.


This technology is for Citizens and Subjects in the Service of the Imperial Military Forces only!


It will not be examined nor will you allow it to be examined by unauthorized personnel. It will not be explained or demonstrated by you to unauthorized personnel. Nor will you otherwise explain or demonstrate its basic principles of function, maintenance, or employment to unauthorized personnel. In addition any other data regarding this technology you are about to be issued will not be distributed to unauthorized personnel by you.


Unauthorized personnel means anyone outside your chain of command. All non-Citizens and all non-Subjects of the Imperium are unauthorized personnel. Most Citizens and Subjects of the Imperium are also unauthorized personnel. Anyone lacking security permissions are unauthorized personnel. Play it safe and assume everyone not in BD and packing a FGMP is not cleared to be messing with your gear and you should politely keep them from gaining any intelligence on your kit.


If you violate any of the previously stated conditions, you will be placed under arrest and appear before a Courts Martial.


This technology is the key to the Imperium's stability and ability to project power. Think about it, which is more important to the Imperium, you or the secrets of the technology you posses and are employing? Thus the Imperium reserves the right and obligation to see that the technology does not fall it the wrong hands. This may include actions that may result in your death, such as detonation of arms and armor in jeopardy of falling into enemy hands, mindlocking the information you will be given regarding this technology to prevent it being given up due to torture or mind reading and other actions as may required for the safety and continuation of the Imperium.


Note the Imperium will take these drastic measures as a last resort and will first make every effort to retrieve you, but know this, if it can not save you, the secrets of the Imperium will be kept at all costs."


Yeah, my Imperium is harsh, but hey, the Citizens and Subjects want transparency, they get it. Like it or not. Plus they get this speech before, not after they take The Oath of Service, so if they bust out later and try and sell the secrets of Imperial Technologies (see Article 4, Section V, Definitions. ImpMinStd. Ed 5th.), well then "...they must not have been paying attention which is why they probably busted out of the Service in the first place and are now appearing before this Board, because they were not paying attention. Too bad. Well, will the Defendant please rise for Sentencing...".


Comments?