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Patron Zero

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Admittedly not as versed in canon Traveller rules and rulings as many others here at this board, so such admitted I ask the following;

Has the Scout Service ever contracted any 'indigenous personnel' to act as advisers or guides in circumstances other than planetside exploration or cultural contact ?

Simply said, has there ever been a crew member aboard a Scout vessel on active/non-detached duty-missions, that was 'contracted' for their expertise or special talents but having no other 'legal' affiliation or sworn fealty to the Imperium.

If yes, how would said individual be placed in the 'chain' of command regarding shipboard hierarchy or be service 'ranked' ? As well as that party's status should vessel be captured by opposing forces, is he/she/it granted POW status under assumed-implied articles of war.
 
Not canon but ... I played in a game where my character was a rogue (i.e. mobster) who had conned his way on to a detached Sulie as a cultural expert; the crew was hired to update survey data and he used his streetwise and other skills to gather information not on the travel brochure.
 
Let me elaborate a little more; he started as a passenger willing to pay top dollar for passage on the Sulie. It wasn't until he proved his worth to the captain did he hire on, even though he was basically given passage instead of pay.
 
Patron Zero said:
Has the Scout Service ever contracted any 'indigenous personnel' to act as advisers or guides in circumstances other than planetside exploration or cultural contact ?

Simply said, has there ever been a crew member aboard a Scout vessel on active/non-detached duty-missions, that was 'contracted' for their expertise or special talents but having no other 'legal' affiliation or sworn fealty to the Imperium.
Click to expand...
I don't know of canonical references, but I'd say yes.

Patron Zero said:
If yes, how would said individual be placed in the 'chain' of command regarding shipboard hierarchy or be service 'ranked' ? As well as that party's status should vessel be captured by opposing forces, is he/she/it granted POW status under assumed-implied articles of war.
Click to expand...
I think they'd be outside of the chain of command. And how well they'd be treated would depend on circumstances. The organization I work for is similar to the Scout Service. I had a short stint on a survey ship, and due to crowding, I was treated just like one of the crew. Some of the other people I've worked with have had different experiences, getting to dine with and/or use officer's quarters, etc.
 
spinwardpirate said:
I think they'd be outside of the chain of command. And how well they'd be treated would depend on circumstances.
Click to expand...


Best I could term such would be 'indian scouts' but was avoiding any confusion regarding 'red' indians of the American continent and the navtives of the Indian subcontinent a world's turn away.

That said, historically Indian scouts employed by the U.S. Cavalry were treated with different degrees of tolerance and regard, much depended on how individual commanders viewed such as unwelcome but necessary 'tools' at their disposal or as treasured assets recognized as individuals with much needed skills.

A handy screen reference I can make would be the Pilgrims sect from the movie Wing Commander, uncertain if there is a parallel in the source material PC games of the same name.
 
Another comparison are the Alaska Native Scouts of the Alaska Army National Guard.

Unlike the Indian Scouts of 50 years earlier, they were sent through basic, with orders to pass them no matter how poor the performance, save only if they committed crimes.

They routinely are waived on drug tests, seldom wear the uniform, even less often wear it even approximately close to correctly, and are promoted "by schedule" rather than normal modes.

On the other hand, a pltoon wiped out an OpFor Regiment during a MILES-gear excercise.... The regiment had no Idea they were there until they popped up from underneath the regiment. Literally. (I've seen the commander's brief on it. popped upfrom under the hardpack, and gunned down the entire regiment from inside the regiment's perimeter.)
 
A bit, but not quite. the AKArNG's NSP "officially" is a small battalion of line recon. No distinctive uniform, no special insignia. But also, no desire to force them into the mold implied by their assigned ranks.

One of the guys I met was on his way to a sniper school for some added training. The day he shipped, he was put up in a hotel (where I was also quartered), bought a case of vodka, an oz of weed, some LSD, and 2 hookers for the evening. I next saw him 3 months later... as he came into town en route home. He repeated the performance... and again, invited me to share all of the same.

He lives by his rifle; he hunts with his M16. He had his M16 with him in the hotel. With the M203. He uses his food stamps to buy ammo (which is legal for rural alaskans), so he can hunt with his M16.

He smelled of seal oil, booze, weed, and sex, and was carrying a loaded .223 military rifle with grenade launcher... He was a Sgt (E5) first time, and after the school, picked up enough points to put on his SSgt...

And I assure you, he's a crack shot. Dist. Expert M16, Dist. Expert M203, Dist. Expert M1911, Dist. Expert M1. His greens lacked color (only an ArCom, and the NDSM), but his metal was F*ing impressive. More than 5 Dist. Expert awards, CIB, and a coupe others I don't recall.
 
Sounds like a tough hombre to be sure. Doesn't sound quite like a member of the Scout Service, or someone who would be hired by the Scout Service, wouldn't you agree?
 
Actually, sounds like a spec-ops troop who might just be seconded to the scout service, to me...

And courtesy of the Scout Brew article in TD, scouts IMTU tend to be a bit, shall we say, partyish....
 
Patron Zero said:
Simply said, has there ever been a crew member aboard a Scout vessel on active/non-detached duty-missions, that was 'contracted' for their expertise or special talents but having no other 'legal' affiliation or sworn fealty to the Imperium.

If yes, how would said individual be placed in the 'chain' of command regarding shipboard hierarchy or be service 'ranked' ? As well as that party's status should vessel be captured by opposing forces, is he/she/it granted POW status under assumed-implied articles of war.
Click to expand...
About the first question (has there ever been someone on board who wasn't 'official'?), I'm certain there has been, but the circumstances would probably vary from case to case. There might be "local guides", who actually are performing a service of some kind; there might also be an unofficial "camp follower" or "captain's doxy", too.

As to what status they'd have? Scouts seem to be pretty concerned with how skilled you are and whether you're pulling your weight. If you're brought aboard because you have valuable information about political relations between major political entities and you've pulled the crew's butts out of some tight places, they'll treat you with a lot more respect than if you're just some cute tart the captain brought aboard because he gets (ahem) "lonely" in jumpspace and there aren't any compatible humans on board.

I'm unaware of any canon that establishes the presence or absence of something akin to the Geneva Conventions between various polities in the TU, although it seems to be a useful enough thing that I'd be very surprised if there wasn't *some* sort of agreement between all significant polities, though the details may vary in different circumstances. There will also be cultural and racial differences; Vargr (for example) are much less likely to worry about the formalities of a situation, and will understand how an individual could latch on in a very subordinate role to a group that he might not have a long-term attachment to. There will probably be some investigation, with Truth Drug featuring prominently. If the situation looks incriminating, it might not go well for the hapless hanger-on; however, if he can make a plausible case that he was "just along for the ride", he might get treated more leniently.

That is, if the people who capture the ship are willing to observe the formalities with respect to the crew, and not just shrug and deny all knowledge of the vessel or its fate. "Scout ship far behind our lines? No, we never saw it, sorry."
 
I think a division must be made between civilians hired by the Service versus civilians hired by a detached scout personally.

If someone is on the Service payroll, they are essentially like the Rangers or Scouts describe above where a government agency is sponsoring them. They become government employees with all the rights and privileges afforded them.

If the detached duty scout has hired them, unless they were already government employees, they remain civilian contractors without any special rights or privileges outside that scout's ship. They essentially ride on the detached scouts coat tails.
 
aramis said:
Another comparison are the Alaska Native Scouts of the Alaska Army National Guard.

Unlike the Indian Scouts of 50 years earlier, they were sent through basic, with orders to pass them no matter how poor the performance, save only if they committed crimes.

They routinely are waived on drug tests, seldom wear the uniform, even less often wear it even approximately close to correctly, and are promoted "by schedule" rather than normal modes.

On the other hand, a pltoon wiped out an OpFor Regiment during a MILES-gear excercise.... The regiment had no Idea they were there until they popped up from underneath the regiment. Literally. (I've seen the commander's brief on it. popped upfrom under the hardpack, and gunned down the entire regiment from inside the regiment's perimeter.)
Click to expand...

That is fricking awesome.

They're fremen!
 
Captain Midnight said:
I'm unaware of any canon that establishes the presence or absence of something akin to the Geneva Conventions between various polities in the TU, although it seems to be a useful enough thing that I'd be very surprised if there wasn't *some* sort of agreement between all significant polities, though the details may vary in different circumstances.
Click to expand...

The Imperial Rules of War seem to cover the same ground.
 
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