Crossing Rifts - Way Stations

[Solar Winds]

I'm sure this has been covered previously but I'm wondering if they have been any discussions/posts about ways for crossing empty space.

Specifically, is it technologically feasible within canon to create 'way stations' that could bridge empty space and allow single jump starships to cross them? Rather like present day petrol stations I envisage these stations being regularly serviced by 'star tankers' carrying refined fuel, and perhaps being manned by the scout service.

 

[jawillroy]

I'm sure this has been covered previously but I'm wondering if they have been any discussions/posts about ways for crossing empty space.

Specifically, is it technologically feasible within canon to create 'way stations' that could bridge empty space and allow single jump starships to cross them? Rather like present day petrol stations I envisage these stations being regularly serviced by 'star tankers' carrying refined fuel, and perhaps being manned by the scout service.

While I can't quote chapter and verse, there are plenty of assertions about such locations in CT canon. Last place I think I remember reading about one was in Leviathan.* There's no reason why they can't happen - there just needs to be sufficient reason to make shipping all that L-Hyd into the deep dark worthwhile. That's an awful lot of ship tonnage given over to tankering... hence IMTU, the deep space (empty hex) way stations are generally secret posts run either by navies or LARGE corporate merchant fleets.

There's plenty of "worlds" IMTU that aren't much more than this, despite their having stars and worlds (I've been using the "lost" rule that says that if a world has insufficiently high tech in relation to the atmosphere, you kick population/gov/tech/law to 0.)

*Although since Leviathan included Jump torpedoes, one might take that with a grain of salt.

 

[HG_B]

In the MGT Reft? Sector supplement this is covered with an example I believe.

 

[FreeTrav]

I seem to recall that such "way stations" were canonical in Traveller: The New Era, in the form of "calibration points", and used not only for crossing rifts, but for creating shortcuts for the military and Imperial government where sufficiently inconvenient gaps existed.

 

[Seriayne]

I've put a little effort into that theme for my current campaign:

Example of an 'empty hex' rift base using a deep space iceberg.
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Gallery/index.php?n=971
Exterior view
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Gallery/index.php?n=970

TL11 Military Vessel designed specifically for scouting for such bodies:
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Gallery/index.php?n=949

Same thing but from a commercial/budget standpoint:
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Gallery/index.php?n=993


Also, MGT has a BUNCH of deep space stations, some constantly refueled from both sides of the Great Rift by tanker fleets, in their supplement for Reft Sector. Goes into a bit of the culture of living on such lonely, remote islands in the vastness of a rift. A bunch of these probably died horribly of starvation/asphyxiation in the TNE timeline.

 

[Spinward Scout]

This thread reminded me of something a while back we talked about.

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=14555

It might help with what you are working on.

 

[Solar Winds]

Wow, I'm already loving this forum!

Some great responses there, thanks to all.

IMTU I'll be using geographical isolation to help explain why one area of a disintegrating Imperium has escaped the decline experienced elsewhere. Way stations are important routes back to what was once 'civilisation', and will be used in the rimward direction for exploration/research purposes.

I hope to post more complete rationale of the campaign setting elsewhere, but thanks again.

 

[shield]

Try Flynn's stellar reaches fanzine, it has an example of the deep space way-station used by the 3I over in the Empty quarter (with T20 stats)

Cheers
Richard