First Contact: Exploration of a new sector…

[Rigel Stardin]

I’m in the process of developing a story plot based on exploring an undeveloped area of the galaxy. Many of the civilizations have just discovered FTL and there is no centralized authority to governing contact of alien races. The opportunity for such contacts going bad is very likely since there isn’t a standardized rule for contact. There are hostile races as well who have no qualms about invading a lower tech culture and taking it over.

So I was writing the opening scene it dawn on me, how would the Imperium approach such a mission into an unknown sector where little or nothing is known about the cultures and civilizations?

I’m also looking at the technology gap as well. If most of the civilizations in the region have Jump-1 and associated technology how would a tech level 15 culture approach contact knowing if their ship fell into the hands of a hostile race it could be reversed engineered and used against them?

The Plot hook here is that it is a small crew and ship doing a quite extended exploration of the area. So the risk is high the ship and its technology could be taken away from them by a determined race. Nor will they be able to call for help from Imperium if things go south. It makes for an excellent adventure scenario…

 

[far-trader]

To solve the risk management I think one of the larger Scout exploration mother ships would be the way to go. It has high jump and long duration capability needed to get out to the true frontiers, and carries Type S Scout/Couriers. The mother ship and all it's advanced tech stays out of harms way while the more expendable low tech Type S goes in for close analysis and potential first contact.

That also gives you your small crew, and provides some backup and a safe base of operations.

 

[far-trader]

...something like the 200Kton ship Murph did here (7th post):

http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=25940

 

[Rigel Stardin]

Even if I were to go that route Far trader, there is still the issue of first contact. Since this isn't Star Trek and there is no way I would ever want their ideas in one of my stories/games. I would like to here how it would be done in a Traveller setting in an enviroment where nothing is certain. How would the Imperium handle it?

 

[LiminalMask]

You might consider what Ursula K. LeGuin described in her book, The Left Hand of Darkness. It's about an ambassador for a multi-system government sent to make contact with a new world, establish diplomatic relations, learn the culture, all in preparation for possibly inviting them to join the government.

The government sends a ship crewed with a dozen or so. On arrival, the ambassador arrives on the planet via small craft, while the main vessel (with its superior technology) remains in a distant orbit around the local star, well out of reach of the natives. The crew remains in cryosleep, while the ambassador does his thing. If the ambassador decides it's safe enough he sends a signal to the main ship, which automatically awakens the crew, who then fly the ship to the planet and pick up the ambassador, help with diplomacy, show off all the fancy tech as inducement to trade, etc.

Of course, the Ambassador has an Ansible (LeGuin's device that allows instant communication no matter how distant) which wouldn't work in Traveller, but the rest of it might work. The Scout Service would probably be the first contact specialists, spending many years doing covert and/or careful study to determine if contact is economically worthwhile, safe, etc. There'd be some initial contact, and then they'd send a Noble/diplomat with staff for formal relations.

This is assuming the target world is still basically stuck in its own system and there are no other jump-capable sophonts already trading with them. If trade is already underway, I'm sure the Imperium would jump in much faster. If the local natives have developed Jump drive, then they probably are already meeting the neighbors and have their eyes opened to interstellar commerce.

 

[Icosahedron]

I'd be even more cagey. The Impies are not fools. The first rule in any contact is self-preservation. There is no way that exploration of a new region thought to contain credible hostiles will be performed by a single ship. There will be backup and backup for the backup.
I agree the ambassador is likely to be sent down in a small craft, but I doubt if even that would be left there, It would taxi the delegation down and then return to the mother ship (which would remain in contact with both the delegation and the 'gramdmother' ship.

Contact with pre-industrial natives could be a different matter, but even then it would not be a good idea to scare them with screaming jets or ominous flying bricks. Park in the sea over the horizon and come ashore in water craft.

Having said all that, reverse engineering is hardly an overnight process. It could take decades or centuries even to figure out how the things work, let alone create the manufacturing infrastructure from scratch to replicate them.

A TL 9-10 world that captures a TL15 ship and slaughters or imprisons its crew has just committed an act of war, and, unless the TL15 culture hogties itself with bureaucratic 'rules of engagement', that TL 9-10 world has also just committed suicide.

 

[Whipsnade]

The M:0 sourcebook for T4 gives a nice overview of contact procedures. Please note, I wrote "contact" instead of the Trek-derived "First Contact" because of the situation the OP asked about.

The Imperium in the OP's question is going to be contacting societies which already have jump drive and which have already encountered other sophonts. They already know their world is round, they already have the scientific method, they've already industrialized, and they've already have traveled to other worlds.

In these cases, Imperial contact teams needn't disguise themselves as "traders fro a distant land". All the Imperials need do is protect their technology from being looked at too closely and remain reticent on the location, size, and distance of the Imperium itself.

This most definitely isn't a case of overawing the "locals".

 

[Icosahedron]

This most definitely isn't a case of overawing the "locals".

OTOH, that might be exactly what it is.
If you want to give an incentive for these pocket empires to join the Imperium, there's nothing like half a million dTons of Imperial Dreadnaught to imprint the message "You can't beat us, so why not join us...?"

 

[BlackBat242]

But that might just trigger a "flight or fight" reflex, and they attack you anyway, believing that you are there to enslave or destroy them.

There should be extensive cultural observation via stealthed unmanned probes long before any overt approach is made.

 

[Whipsnade]

OTOH, that might be exactly what it is.

There's a bit of a difference between "Magic flying gods kill with lightning, so we must worship them..." and "They've far better technology than we do so it would be wise to at least remain neutral..."

 

[Carlobrand]

I’m in the process of developing a story plot based on exploring an undeveloped area of the galaxy. Many of the civilizations have just discovered FTL and there is no centralized authority to governing contact of alien races. The opportunity for such contacts going bad is very likely since there isn’t a standardized rule for contact. There are hostile races as well who have no qualms about invading a lower tech culture and taking it over.

So I was writing the opening scene it dawn on me, how would the Imperium approach such a mission into an unknown sector where little or nothing is known about the cultures and civilizations?

I’m also looking at the technology gap as well. If most of the civilizations in the region have Jump-1 and associated technology how would a tech level 15 culture approach contact knowing if their ship fell into the hands of a hostile race it could be reversed engineered and used against them?

The Plot hook here is that it is a small crew and ship doing a quite extended exploration of the area. So the risk is high the ship and its technology could be taken away from them by a determined race. Nor will they be able to call for help from Imperium if things go south. It makes for an excellent adventure scenario…

Approach circumspectly. What is their tech level? A planet's radio signature can be detected from the next system over, that'll give you a broad idea of tech. Then you move to the outer system, observe some more. Are they in space? In orbit around their own world? Does the atmosphere suggest a fossile fuel tech? Does the lack of night-time illumination suggest a pre-industrial tech? Can you decipher the radio communications - if any - to learn about the culture and try to figure out the language?. Learn everything you can from a distance before deciding whether to move closer.

If it's safe to move closer without detection, you move closer. If they're at the tech level where they might detect you if you move closer - pick you up on a telescope or something - you decide whether or not to make contact. Don't take chances and end up making them suspicious.

If contacting a space-faring civilization, you make contact in space - in the smallest craft possible and if possible of the same tech as the planet, with your support clearly visible a safe distance off, and with extreme sensitivity to the possibility of disease being transmitted in either direction; all that meddling by the ancients means the odds of you running into a disease that likes people is higher than it might otherwise have been. You say as little as possible, show them as little as possible, learn as much as possible. Save the awe-inspiring for the later contacts, once you've got a good feel for the culture and can guess how they're likely to react to it.

And, as Ico points out, if you're actually going to make contact, have backup - enough backup to give a credible fight of it if they prove hostile. Don't go in rattling sabers or firing the first shot, but do be prepared to teach them exactly what the price of aggression will be. Nip problems in the bud.

If contacting a non-space civilization that has radio, you make contact by radio. You don't go down until you've learned as much as you can about the environment you're about to expose yourself to and the culture you're about to shake hands with. And, again, give away as little as possible while learning as much as possible.

If contacting a primitive civilization, you don't have much choice. Take your back-up with you, well-armed and well-armored. Move in circumspectly and see how they react. Start in the hinterlands, find the small people who know how the culture works and can introduce you up the ladder to the next level, then move up that ladder slowly and cautiously. Be prepared to evacuate at the drop of a hat, if necessary with extreme force; they should learn that THEY need to be more careful next time. This ain't Star Trek.

A TL 9-10 world that captures a TL15 ship and slaughters or imprisons its crew has just committed an act of war, and, unless the TL15 culture hogties itself with bureaucratic 'rules of engagement', that TL 9-10 world has also just committed suicide.

No. There is no profit in destroying a world for the act of a few. In the first place, if you were sufficiently circumspect, you're either still in space and can either rescue or incinerate your contact boat, or there've already been several contacts and at worst they have only a TL 9-10 boat and its occupants. You have that backup you were talking about - use it. Signal the world that they have a certain time to return boat and crew or see their orbital infrastructure slagged and ground installations nuked from orbit. If they attack, judge whether your TL difference is sufficient to deal with the threat; if you've been cagey about revealing tech, it should come as a rather big shock for them to see their ships destroyed at will while they can barely hit you, and that's the point when you ask if they'd really like to push the issue and see the rest of the fleet come to extract vengeance. Then you use their misbehavior as leverage to negotiate more favorable deals. Worst case, you withdraw after giving them a bloody nose and then return with a properly sized fleet and a demand for the government to either surrender and face punishment or see death rained on their world from orbit.

Always better if you can do these things without wrecking the potential market.

 

[Ran Targas]

^ Yeah, what he said ...

I've pondered on occasion just how good 3I astronomy would be and how much of a system could be imaged from well outside it. Could Imperial astronomers resolve details at a distance of a few parsecs? Currently we are detecting planets at hundreds of light years and we've really just started. Extrapolating a lot, I suspect astronomers would have already mapped ystems of interest and the IISS survey mission would be a lot of confirming what is already strongly speculated and perhaps adding a few details.

This would hold true for intelligent life also. Atmospheric gases and energy output could all be evaluated from considerable distance without requiring the dispatch of a survey team.

Sort of takes all the fun out of it though ...

 

[CosmicGamer]

if possible of the same tech as the planet

If you are just there to talk (take me to your leader) the group that makes contact may not need to bring any technology at all. Any technology required, like landing craft, can be of a lower tech level than your average.

On the other hand, unless you have some "do not interfere with their natural evolution" philosophy, (in which case, why are you even making contact?) who cares if they get their hands on your average tech that is publicly available to anybody who has the trading capacity to buy it? As long as this planet has anything of value, traders will come and the technology is going to get in their hands.

Question? Why are you making contact?
Uplifting societies that are barbaric makes you feel special?
A backwards society will be easier to subvert into doing your bidding?
Opening new markets of trade?
"Power" The more systems I control and subjects I rule, the more powerful I must be.
Fear. Need to know what their capabilities are. Do they pose a threat?

There are probably many more reasons and the reason for contact would influence how contact is made.

 

[Whipsnade]

I'll point out again that the OP posited a situation in which the peoples of the region already have FTL travel.

 

[Gray Pennell]

I think a lot of the decisions might be made from the contactie. Before I go much further I still hate having TL as the only social guide line. So I am going to try by government type. Note all but government types 6 and 7 assume the government type covers the whole world. So a company government assumes a universal company governing the world. There maybe politics that the contacter could play but for the most part it will be with the world government not a local government without 7.

0=This is far game there isnt no one around to stop you.
1=If the contacter can offer something the company doesn't have or if the contactie sees a market than things can go smoothly if not than there might be trade restrictions.
2=You are going to get bogged down in red tape as the contactie people try and pass laws and regulations dealing with you. Say hi and move on.
3=Being an oligarchy expect a lot of politics as you find the group/person most accepting of you.
4=lets face it the same as 2 lots of time trying to sort things out. Though I think they will be accepting.
5= If you can offer the feudal lord something they can use your in like flit especially if you swear umm loyalty.
6=You will have to go find the pocket empire capital if the world is loyal or you can offer to over throw the the captive government.
7= Many local options to deal with. This is tons of politics as you find the group most likely to deal with you.
8=They will have plans to deal with you just bring your documents
9=You will spend a great amount of time dealing with the wrong people till you find out the lady on the 3 floor of the Agency for import export control has the keys to the world
A=You cut a deal with the big boss your in for life till the next person cuts a better deal
B=Again cut a deal and you win and probably dont have to worry about another deal unless it comes from out of the system
C=Give the group something they want and its ok if not they will pass
D=if your not of the one true faith your out if you are your in. Being of one true faith can be a lot harder than you suspect. if you lie you might be all the way out!

A lot of time poor results will not result in violence just isolationist behavior. A group of vistors might also be imprisoned. Now you could show up with a battle wagon group but they may have enough ground defense or even space weapons to take you on. They dont have to conquer you just keep you out.

 

[Carlobrand]

I'll point out again that the OP posited a situation in which the peoples of the region already have FTL travel.

Whups, you're right.

Same general rules apply: be circumspect, learn as much as you can before actually making contact. A bit harder since a space-faring civilization's going to have decent sensors and will be watching their space, if for no other reason than traffic control. Still, if you're patient enough, a stay in the local Kuiper-belt-equivalent should give you some information. An important task will be to try to figure out the extent of that particular society - how many stars they inhabit, and how densely - and to try to scout out their neighbors.

In this case, the appropriate contact point is likely to be deep space, far from their settlements, where your contact group won't be viewed as a threat and where you'll have ample time to see them coming and decide whether to stick around or leave. If you show up and signal a "howdy", and they send out a major force in response, you probably don't want to make contact.

I'd consider a reasonable contact force to be a light cruiser with a few destroyer escorts and scouts to stand picket. TL 9-10 world's not going to build anything bigger than size K (10,000-19,999 dTons) - at least not under High Guard - so that's a plenty strong force without making them feel threatened or giving away that you've got 200 kilotonners back home. Strong enough to make them think before they take chances, not strong enough to make them afraid of you. Emphasis on decent jump range, and make short jumps - always have a reserve so you can jump out if it turns out the place is full of paranoids.

...A lot of time poor results will not result in violence just isolationist behavior. A group of vistors might also be imprisoned. Now you could show up with a battle wagon group but they may have enough ground defense or even space weapons to take you on. They dont have to conquer you just keep you out.

No they don't, but you don't have to conquer them either. You only need to show there's a stiff price for antisocial behavior. Your initial contact is in deep space: if they send too much force in response then you're jumping out and writing the place off; they're obviously too paranoid or too aggressive, doesn't matter which from your point of view. If their responding force is more tempered but they still try that hostage trick, you cripple the force - hoping you don't inadvertently kill your own, but they know the job is dangerous - and point out to the survivors that returning the hostages alive would assure the surviving crews live until their rescue craft get there.

After you've had a few contacts, there should be some working ground rules: diplomatic immunity, a goodwill exchange of representatives, that sort of thing. If, after all of that, they try to pull that game during a surface contact, then you likely know a lot more about their probable strengths and disposition and can use that to your advantage. They can hunker down, but their secondary colonies and any settlements in other systems are hostage to their behavior, as is any civilian traffic in your reach, and they should be told that in no uncertain terms. No matter how well armed they are, a sufficient difference in tech levels will mean asymmetric damage, so a quick battle might be worthwhile even if you expect to have to withdraw, especially if you can get them to divide forces trying to protect multiple targets. Leave them weighing the cost of their prize and wondering whether they might have bitten off more than they can chew - and their representatives are now your prisoners.

After you've rescued your people - or have imposed sufficient price for them if the world proves intransigent - you leave, write the world off, and go scout the neighbors. If these people have that much force, odds are good there's a reason for it, and odds are also good that they've made enemies who might welcome a potential ally.

Playing paladin when you're up against the village militia's straightforward. Things get harder if you meet someone who's actually a match for you - if, say, you find an actual empire of significant tech and size. There, you should proceed with extreme caution.

 

[Whipsnade]

Same general rules apply: be circumspect, learn as much as you can before actually making contact. A bit harder since a space-faring civilization's going to have decent sensors and will be watching their space, if for no other reason than traffic control. (big snip of generally good ideas)

You pretty much covered it except for one aspect: You aren't going to initiate first contact inside the target's home system.

Think about it for a second... You're going to show up where they live with all sorts of advanced technologies they can only dream about. They can jump one parsec and you can jump six. They can build ships up to a certain size, you can build vastly larger ones. Your computers are better and faster. Your weapons are presumably far superior. Your power plants, gravitics, sensors, medicines, cocktail umbrellas, whoopee cushions, and everything else you can name are better than their versions.

And you know where they live while they have no f*cking idea of where you're from.

Yeah, they're going to be really happy to see you, right?

Here's what the Imperium is going to do and this is how Rigel Stardin is going to model it...

The Imperium is going to learn about this inhabited sector via the people already trading, raiding, moving about in it. The whispers, hints, barroom tales, and purchased information is going to let the Imperium identify the most likely targets within the region. Those targets are going to be "shirtsleeve" worlds on which people can live without much technology.

Stellar positions can be mapped from back in the Imperium. Stars with the best chance of hosting a "shirtsleeve" world will be identified and run past the "whispers" the Imperium has been gathering. Long range, deep space, scouts will then be dispatched to check out likely systems from a parsec away or more. CT's Zhodani AM had rules for everyday ships detecting gas giants at parsec-plus distances, scouts are going to do better and, IIRC, MT had rules for it.

Once the host systems are pinpointed, the Imperium's diplomats are going to let the natives come to them.

Rigel is going to take his sector map and put a penny on every "shirtsleeve" world. Those are the possible homes for all his native cultures/civilizations. He's then going to mark out the jump1 routes which connect all those worlds.

Tweedledum-2 and Tweedledee-3 have both invented jump drive in the last decade or so and are now eagerly or cautiously or haphazardly or whatever-ly exploring their local neighborhoods. With jump1 drives, they're going to mostly stick to jump1 routes and only make deep space jumps when necessary. Sooner or later ships from both worlds will meet and exchange greetings, information, goods, and/or weapons fire. Whatever happens, both worlds now know the other exists in that direction. Whether a trade route or a patrolled border develops it doesn't matter. The Imperium is going to select a relatively worthless system along that route or border, set up shop, patiently wait for traders and/or warships to pass by, and wave hello.

First Contact has now been made.

It's been made in a place which the Imperium can easily control. It's been made in a place where the locals aren't going to feel too threatened. It's been made out among the stars where the locals have already met other "aliens" and not in the locals' home systems which they might be a little bit anxious about "aliens" visiting.

With their technological edge, the Imperium can easily set up a B5, Meetpoint, trade/diplomatic entrepot in the system while controlling the amount of "contact" occurring at any given moment. The "First Contact" system will also act as a base for the small scouts Rigel's OP spoke about. Those scouts will be buzzing around the local neighborhood watching what Tweeldedum-2 and Tweedledee-3 are up to. They'll also be wroking up information for the next contact mission deeper into the sector.

What the Imperium will not do, that is what the bureaucrats and agencies of the Imperium will not do, is send off Scouting Sam with his best pals Ginger, Wimpy, and Gilligan aboard the good ship Rocinante to blithely flit about the sector landing whenever and wherever they like to contact whoever and whatever they like while getting their asses shot off and ship stolen.

There will be idiots, both individual and corporate, in the Imperium who will try to do just that, but anyone with two neurons to rub together will not.

 

[Gray Pennell]

Thats an interesting idea Whipsnade. Maybe the Imperial merchants and scouts would actually put out rumors along the Jump 1 routes. Something like go to Alpha Beta 1 if you want a good deal on a product. Alpha Beta 1 would become a trading posting from which the diplomatics would operator out of.

Embassies might be set up on it as the planet becomes more important. They might even do something like Imp Navy Fleet day where the contactie sees the big ships but in a peaceful mostly transparent way. Or the world might turn into an "Indian Trading Posting" where smugglers and unofficial reps come and steal, murder and wreck havoc who knows.

 

[Carlobrand]

...What the Imperium will not do, that is what the bureaucrats and agencies of the Imperium will not do, is send off Scouting Sam with his best pals Ginger, Wimpy, and Gilligan aboard the good ship Rocinante to blithely flit about the sector landing whenever and wherever they like to contact whoever and whatever they like while getting their asses shot off and ship stolen.

There will be idiots, both individual and corporate, in the Imperium who will try to do just that, but anyone with two neurons to rub together will not.

Heh heh ... "Gilligan", good one.

Excellent analysis, good strategic thinking.

 

[Rigel Stardin]

Whipsnade, I like your strategdy. It's a good 80/20 rule. What I mean by that is, it will work most of the time with the least amount danger to all parties. Now here comes the only snag I see in this plan.

Your trading post is basically a local bar. Everyone from the neighborhood comes there to buy your goods, have a good time, meet and make friends, and alot of money is exhanging hands. AT some point, some jerk (or jerks) with a large caliber hand gun is going to enter your place of business and rob it. They pop open the safe, and discover some small gadget or digital media belong to the Imperium.

You could call the cops (Imperial Marines and a Naval squadon) but, this will make natives suspicious or you can cut these robbers in (Bribe them to keep their mouths shut.) or just close up shop and leave. Any of these scenarios will put all your trading posts/scout base network in danger. And those little peices of high tech are still in the hands of the bad guy. I'm not talking about Jump drive (even thou it's a possiblity) but those personal items like a normal person might have (Tablets, Personal computers, laser pistol and so on).

If our Robbers have the technology to reverse engineer these devices they might be able to reach the Imperium level of tech in a few short decades and become a major pain in the butt in the Quadrant. Of course this could provide the means for the Imperium to establish a toe hold in the sector or quadrant by offering protection to their partners in trade. Or it could back fire and now you have a quadrant wanting to beat the living snot out of the Imperium for lying to them.

Real world scenarios where incidents like this have happen: Falklands, Custer's last stand, and Iran or Iraq saber rattling. One war over a dispute over Territory, the native population winning a battle because they had some high tech weapons which outclassed the military they were up against and saber rattling giving an excuse for another nation to invade because they are a threat to region.

Depending on the value the Imperium places on this region the response will vary but if the resources and political climate is right. Such a system may lead to a war or a zone of conquest, the Imperium may not wish to get involved with. Look what happen with the Solmani Rim...