The other J-5 route across the Great Rift

[tjoneslo]

I was playing with the trade route generator again, and discovered there is a second J-5 route across the great rift from Aslan space to Imperial space.

Start from any one of:

• Jijiga / Naakhulige (Verge 3132)
• Ksandi / Naakhulige (Verge 2931)
• Creagh / Khulikhu (Verge 2730)

Make the J-5 jump to:

Bessmertorikh / Naakhulige (Verge 2735)

From there you can follow the J-3 route:

1. Tulu / Naakhulige (Verge 2637)
2. Ariis / Imkhuruuka (Verge 2439)
3. Aorlkaakh / Fye'iyra (Ealiyasiyw 2101)
4. Khtektouh / Fye'iyra (Ealiyasiyw 1802)

or you can follow the J-4 route:

1. Kiakuyan / Imkhuruuka (Verge 2434)
2. Otrar / Imkhuruuka (Verge 2137)
3. Taxia / Imkhuruuka (Verge 1839)
4. Khtektouh / Fye'iyra (Ealiyasiyw 1802)

The reason the trade routes go through the first route is Ariis is a high population, high technology world, and allowing the trade generator to accept J-5 (as inefficient as it is), means Ariis wants (and gets) access to the High technology worlds in Verge and Illelish.

The other route however, consists only of low population worlds. There isn't 10,000 people in the whole collection. Probably just mining outposts.

I find it difficult to believe that if the Aslan are willing to outfit a huge numbers (thousands to millions) of Ihatei to take the J-5 route across the Riftspan reaches and into the Trojan Reaches, that there wouldn't be a percentage which would think that the shorter route into the core of the Imperium would offer better a opportunity.

Now the Peace of Ftahalr prevents invasion. But the dividing line between a small band of landless looking for a better life and a invasion is something for the diplomats to argue over.

 

[MikeinBallard]

I would think that normal movement of goods would follow the established route, but any business not wanting to attract attention would follow the non-standard route. That could be smugglers up to a rather pushy, large ihatei fleet.

 

[AndreaV]

I had a look at the alternate route and Aris is tech 15 with 10 billion population, a tempting trade destination in it's own right. However this route runs from the heart of Aslan space into the heart of Imperial space, hardly promising grounds for Ihatei, but VERY tempting for merchants.

 

[GypsyComet]

A good chunk of Verge is on or close to the Vilani Main, so it is also a part of Imperial space that has been under continuous settlement for going on ten thousand years. Even the tertiary settlement candidates probably have old ruins at this point.

At J5, probably not a viable route during the Long Night for the early space-faring Aslan, but for those looking to strike back at Dulinor many years later, it makes a handy back door.