The Third Imperium and Civilian Uses for Nuclear Bombs

[Jeff M. Hopper]

Nuclear bombs are very useful for civilian applications, asteroid moving and continental scale excavation projects to name just two. With the use of Nuclear Damper technology, the fallout and contamination can be held in check as well from these "civilian nukes".

So, how does the Third Imperium regulate these? Are they even regulated? Could the regulation of "civilian nukes" be a job for nobles, an Order of Knighthood responsible for these?

What say you?

 

[Whipsnade]

Jeff,

Dampers will 'check' fallout and contamination in two ways:

- They'll 'freeze' the decay of those isotopes that release radiation or
- They' 'speed up' that decay and 'force' the isotopes through their decay paths to a more stable element.

If 'freezing' is employed, the radiation doesn't go away. It's merely held in abeyance(sic) by a damper 'dam' of sorts. Lose power to the damper and radiation will begin just like it should have.

If 'speeding up' is employed, you really don't want anyone to be around during that period. Just how long that period will be is open to conjecture.

Who 'holds' civilian nukes? Anyone who can make them I'd guess. Use them for canal digging - wiht suitable precautions and warnings - and the Imperium won't care. Use them carelesly and the Imperium might just take them away. As with anything in the OTU, it all depends on the specific situation.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[jatay3]

Bill Cameron
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Marquis
CID # 877

Icon 1 posted January 20, 2006 08:52 PMJanuary 20, 2006 08:52 PM Profile for Bill Cameron Send New Private Message Edit/Delete Post Reply With Quote Jeff,

Dampers will 'check' fallout and contamination in two ways:

- They'll 'freeze' the decay of those isotopes that release radiation or
- They' 'speed up' that decay and 'force' the isotopes through their decay paths to a more stable element.

If 'freezing' is employed, the radiation doesn't go away. It's merely held in abeyance(sic) by a damper 'dam' of sorts. Lose power to the damper and radiation will begin just like it should have.

If 'speeding up' is employed, you really don't want anyone to be around during that period. Just how long that period will be is open to conjecture.

Who 'holds' civilian nukes? Anyone who can make them I'd guess. Use them for canal digging - wiht suitable precautions and warnings - and the Imperium won't care. Use them carelesly and the Imperium might just take them away. As with anything in the OTU, it all depends on the specific situation.

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I would imagine that the Imperium would demand they apply for permission,go through lots of paperwork, and have an Imperial inspector present

 

[Whipsnade]

Originally posted by jatay3:
I would imagine that the Imperium would demand they apply for permission,go through lots of paperwork, and have an Imperial inspector present.

Jatay3,

I still think it depends on the situation. The Imperium doesn't have a "Nukes only for the Imperium" policy, it has "Only the Imperium can use nukes in war" policy instead. And that policy is winked at regularly.

So, it depends on the situation. Glisten needs to move a planetoid so it use a nuke. I don't think it would need to apply for permission, fill out paperwork, host an inspector, and otherwise kowtow to the Imperium. As a hi-pop, hi-tech, subsector capital, and ducal seat Glisten IS the Imperium. Why should Glisten go through the motions of asking itself?

Now Marastan is another situation entirely. Balkanized, poor, and low tech, a nation there would likely have to import the kind of high-yield 'clean' nuke one uses for civil engineering. The Imperium would be very interested in that case. Marastan would have to jump through all the hoops you mentioned and maybe many more.

So, as with many thing in the Real World, the answer depends on who you are.


Have fun,
Bill

 

[RainOfSteel]

In Canon:

My best guess is that INI groups attached to the office of the noble assigned to the planet (or to an office in the Starport) does the nuclear regulatory/watchdog thing.

Perhaps the office of the noble works on it, as well. After all, it's got to be embarrassing to be the focus of that kind of attention from your superior nobles above you and from the IN.

It's only a guess, but I'm willing to be that reports for all major nuclear incidents cross the Emperor's desk at some point (even if it's one or two years later).

Lower TL member worlds could request Imperial aid when faced with nuclear terrorism. (I bet a densitometer could locate the fissionable material that are the core of fission bombs and the triggers for fusion bombs pretty easily.)

I can't recall a specific reference that defines this role, so it may be open-season.


IMTU:

I3 (Imperial Interstallar Intelligence), ISS (Imperial Secret Service), and INI work on this subject. This is done via the attaches from these three groups in the noble office on the world (lower pop worlds, 0-4, may well not have much of a presence from any of the above three groups).