Triumphal Wonder

[Antony]

From my Banners Sector campaign I put together a plot hook for later use by my PCs, which I thought I would share with you.

The Triumphal Wonder

1. In 4005 AD the heavy cruiser Triumphal Wonder was the flagship of admiral Canning Xiang, commander of the coalition forces which stopped the expansion of the Woal Warliyir into the Grange (Hope) subsector at the battle of the Banners. When decommissioned in 4042 AD the Triumphal Wonder was preserved and despite everything that happened in the Nakajima system the vessel survived as a memorial to the admiral and the battle which gave its name to the sector.
2. When virus struck around 5649 AD the Triumphal Wonder was still in its preserved state. With the destruction of virtually all shipping the Triumphal Wonder was brought out of its museum, to be moved to a place of greater safety. She was loaded into a bulk carrier which left the Nakajima system and which has not been seen since.
3. The recovery of the relic and its return to Nakajima, which is still resisting the invasion forces of the Hope Federation, would be a great boost to morale to the Nakajimans. This together with military aid to the defending forces could force the Hope Federation to withdraw from the system. Of course the capture of the relic by the Hope Federation would have the reverse effect.

Obviously the PCs are meant to recover the ancient vessel. A question though, assuming the vessel was preserved (using TL11 technology) what sort of condition is the cruiser likely to be in (the current year is 5717 meaning the vessel was decommissioned 1675 years earlier). The cruiser is currently inside a bulk carrier.

 

[jcrocker]

Originally posted by Antony:


The Triumphal Wonder

Obviously the PCs are meant to recover the ancient vessel. A question though, assuming the vessel was preserved (using TL11 technology) what sort of condition is the cruiser likely to be in (the current year is 5717 meaning the vessel was decommissioned 1675 years earlier). The cruiser is currently inside a bulk carrier.

Well, I'm guessing the O-rings need replacing...

Sealing it in an envelope, evacuating all air, and filling it with nitrogen would probably keep the hull and structure in good shape, but I'd want to test the electronics thoroughly - and I would replace any organic-based seals, rings, valves, what have you.

Jon

 

[mike wightman]

The electronics will have taken some damage from cosmic radiation over 1675 years, this may have been mitigated somewhat by being inside the bulk carrier. As Jon says, test thouroughly and be prepared to replace the main computer, sensors, avionics etc.
Another material which may degrade over time is glass, its optical properties can change so any fibre optics may well need replacing.

 

[jcrocker]

If it is a heavy cruiser, as a ballpark figure maybe start with a hundred thousand credits worth of needed repairs to fly it home - make the recovery team make some task rolls, and their successes can cut that down [or really bad failures add to it!] - that would be after all of the obvious stuff gets repaired/replaced. After that long, no matter what TL it was mothballed at, things break.

To get it battle-worthy should be the job of a shipyard.

 

[Antony]

I was thinking of using my Europa class battleship from by Star Kingdom of Swan campaign as the cruiser in my Banners game. This makes the ship 20,000 dt. Thinking about it in a virus environment the electronics will need to be redone in any case as the ship is well and truly pre-virus in construction.

The Europa can be found at
www.skaran.net/Starkingdom/equipment/Craft/UNH/europa.html

 

[jcrocker]

Originally posted by Antony:
I was thinking of using my Europa class battleship from by Star Kingdom of Swan campaign as the cruiser in my Banners game.

Looks good - but 200 airlocks!! I'm guessing most of those would be temporarily sealed off so they don't leak, and left for the yard to fix. Get a few up and running and holding air long enough to get home.
Or pirate parts from several to get one mostly-running.
I was worried that a hundred thousand repair budget might be too much, but if it cost 9 billion new, that should be okay.

 

[far-trader]

I've always treated the number of "airlocks" in a design as a measure of total capacity. Those 200 "airlocks" would be many personal sized airlocks to the outside and between airtight sections, as well as several larger team size airlocks and even a few cargo hold and/or vehicle/craft airlocks big enough to handle such items without depressurizing the whole bay. But that's just my way of looking at it

 

[Antony]

In the larger ships I too assume that the number of airlocks is a rating of their total capacity. Ie they are equivelant to 200 standard airlocks, but if they were four times the capacity then there are actually only a quarter the actual airlocks.

 

[jcrocker]

Thank heavans - I can see the stewardess now:

"In case of emergency, you may leave by any marked airlock. You will find exits there.
And there.
And there, there, there, there..."

 

[Badbru]

Hi Antony.
Sounds like an interesting TNE universe you have there, a bit different to mine but then that's why we love Traveller in all its forms.

As for the cruiser, well pardon my French but bugger the cruiser, you say it's "inside" a Bulk carrier? That's a ship with atleast 20,000Dt of cargo space!! probably more as to leave room to put the cruiser in, in the first place. Hell if it's in a Hangar that's 40,000Dt. Said cruiser was put in the bulk carrier late Rebellion era when shipping losses were mounting? That would make the Bulk carrier only 100 to maybe 200 years old.
That's alot younger than your wayward cruiser. So in order for your PC's to find this missing cruiser they first have to find this missing Bulk carrier? Well if I were playing in your game I think my character would be more interested in a max 200 year old ship that could easily move a Division worth of troops and all there equipment than a 2000year old relic warship that's in questionable condition? Most "our world" museum items of a military nature have been "deactivated". If you were to go to the National War Museum in Canberra how much of the stuff on display there would actually be useable?
Weapons will have been deactivated by removing fire controll or in the case of the turrets the removal of the complete turrets themselves.

On the other hand the bulk carrier was still very much opperational at the time of the disappearance and what change to your universe would happen if those Nakijimans suddenly landed 20,000 troops on the Hope Alliance homeworld?
Still as I said at the beginning of my post your TNE universe is different to mine. I usually run RC games where the Clipper ships at around 2000DT are the biggest ships. I once used, actually twice if you count Vampire Fleets, the Midu Agashaam Class Destroyer. So my TNE universe is more a "small ships" universe and the rarest things in it are ships with "Heavy lift" capacity making the offworld deployment of large numbers of troops a difficult thing.

Incidentally my game is stopping for a while as my players have life issues to deal with, if your game is currently running and short players I'd be interested in playing for a change. How long a drive is Bakers Hill from Rivervale anyway? I thought Bakers hill was someplace you passed on the way to York? Still if our east coast brothers were considering driving from Tawomba to Brisbane for a game I'd drive from Rivervale to Bakers Hill.

 

[Antony]

Hi,
I was wondering when someone would notice that about the bulk carrier. Still the cruiser is of great historical significance (whether operable or not) being the flagship of the human admiral who "started" the battle of Banners (which gave the sector its human name).

As for Bakers Hill you follow the Great Eastern Highway towards Northam. Bakers Hill is about 27k short of Northam. We are actually a little before you reach Bakers Hill (pop 230). Games here usually run on a fortnightly schedule.

 

[Antony]

Oh yes nearly forgot. The players don't know about the Triumphal Wonder yet. They are more worried about inteligence reports of a squadron of 20 DE class vessels massing around a system J4 from Alston, which have circuitry effectively immune to virus. (Incredibly valuable, you can just see the admiralty ordering that these ships be taken intact.)

 

[djg_p]

Hi Badbru and Antony,

Beed a long while since looking at these msg boards. Too much on my work and family plate over the past few months.

Anthony: If memory serves, I presented to you basic details of a campaign that I have been developing as a hobby of the past few years. (The only problem is that it has taken on a semi life of its own.)

Badbru: Noticed that you live in Rivervale. That is approx a 20 min drive up the road from my place. I live in Thornlie about 2 stone throws from the Shopping Centre.

Antony / Badbru: I throw an invitation out to you both for a collective visit to bash around some TNE ideas?

Deal?

Cheers, Dave G

 

[Antony]

Sounds good to me. Now we just need to arrange some times.

 

[Badbru]

I could indeed be up for that djg_p.

My current campaign is on hold till end of semester. Two of my players are studying at Uni (mature age students) hell aren't we all!

I've also had email communication with "agro" who's in North Freo/Palmyra area re- joining my campaign or me starting another. Tried to fit myself into Antony's but it happens on one of my worknights

At the very least I'd be interested in offering a critical appraisal of your ideas

Looks like Perth is the TNE capital

 

[ganymede]

Now, what if the cruiser is in excellent condition, because someone painstakingly took it apart then packed it into the bulk carrier?

eh?

am I joker or what!

But really, think about that....

 

[Antony]

An interesting idea. Certainly the cruiser would have had to be carefully preserved in order to even still be in existance as a museum piece. It is certainly possible. I read somewhere that the HMS Victory (wooden napoleonic ship of the line) had to be partly rebuilt but is now in theory seaworthy (if they can find a crew)

I did picture the cruiser more as a symbol or banner of the Nakajiman struggle though if operable it could be decisive. To show why this is what the Hope Federation fleet numbers are;

Hope Federation Star Force
8 Regular Combatants
14 Armed Merchantcraft

So an operable 20,000dt cruiser is likely to be able to destroy the entire Hope Federation Fleet

It also shows how precarious some pocket empires are.

 

[blckrider]

hi guys you may not know this but im currently running a game of TNE here in Perth as well

the bulk carrier is a interesting idea. you could have other forces looking for it as well, pirates, vargrs, (same thing i know}megacorps looking to get thier own bit of fire power, vampire fleets... the list goes on

currently have a idea going for a campaigin about salvaging a Solomani mobile shipyard, basically a battle tender that has been converted to ship construction... guild wants it... RC wants it... etc.

 

[Badbru]

Hiya blckrider.
Welcome to the boards

I have a similar concept going in the background to my (currently still on hold ) campaign. I forced two of my players to play one term characters due to a specific idea I had about the characters in question. The trade off for this though was to have them captured by a virus ship that heavily cyborged them. (we all also played Gurps cyberpunk for a while) Those two players now have a strong desire to find that ship again, and the ship in question is a Fleet Replenishment & Repair vessel.

 

[Highguard]

Perth is the TNE capitol eh? Sounds like I need to make a pilgramage then...darn. My ship pulled into Austrailia once for 3 days. Parts of my body still send me "thank you" letters because of it. <grin>

I have some thoughts on this post, and I will share them tomorrow. It's bed time.

Peace out.


<yawn> Ok I am back. Did you miss me?

Here are my ramblings re: Mothballed ships. This perspective comes from having watched the USS Missouri come out of mothballs and then get decommissioned. I will try to explain as I go.

Disclaimer: I am in no way telling you that this is the way to do things, just what I have experienced. If you don’t want to use any of this information, yet have something plausible, remember one thing: Incompetence and bureaucracy in the Military/Government can be used to explain ANYTHING.

1st and foremost: Any ship that is mothballed or in a museum status will have the following:

No operational weapon systems. It may have mock-ups.

No ammunition.

All spaces not in use or needed for access to vital systems (say the sound system in a museum) will be welded shut and the atmosphere removed. (with no air, there can be no rust). This is also to keep small children and stupid people from wandering off and hurting themselves.

Engines will be removed (as much as possible) IF they were still in use when the ship went INTO mothballs. At a minimum: All fluids have been removed and anything that could turn to powder (seals, o-rings, Insulation on the wiring) has.

Depending on the layout of the ship: one or more bulkheads (walls) have been removed or spaces converted for things like Tour guide break room and Gift shops.

Control panels in key (on the tour) spaces will be coated in plastic laminate to preserve the room so you don’t end up with 50 million finger prints on the brass. This saves the "historical" look, keeps people from stealing dials and knobs as a free souvenir, and makes it easier to clean up the vomit when somebody loses their lunch during the tour.

Very realistic dummies at various stations. I mention this only as something that could be used when the PC’s finally find this ship. Picture this: Your going down a long p-way. It’s dark. Only your shoulder lamp to light the walls and floor. You look into a space and Someone is looking back at you!!?? You catch a glimpse of maybe 3 or 4 more in the room with him, and he’s wearing a sidearm!.
Yes its young Spacehand Roberts who back in the day would wander from area to area on patrol to make sure nothing was amiss! It would take a few seconds to realize that the person they were looking at was NOT in a space suit, and if your party is as high strung as most, Spacehand Roberts will be pronounced dead on the scene due to multiple gunshot wounds. Could lead to someone earning a new nickname or the occasional "well at least I didn’t kill Spacehand Roberts!!".

57th century or not: 1000+ year old wiring is non viable. Its powder, fused, brittle, and its only purpose will be to show you where to put the new stuff.

Micro meteor holes have been repaired over the years. Not to battle ready spec’s but to just make sure the pressure is good.

That should give you the basic idea that if recovered, what you have is a pre-built hull in which to add systems too. To refurbish the hull it will probably cost 25% normal and 5% of the time it would normally take to build one from the ground up. ON the bright side: the systems going INTO this hull will be much smaller than the ones it was originally outfitted with. This will allow some apparent increase is volume, or an increase in range/power/weaponry etc.

Enough on the sad state of your historical monument/museum.

HOW did they move it?

If I were in charge of moving a 20k ton hunk of metal, this is how I would do it. Please note: I have not done the math on this and just from my knowledge of the game odds are you will have to be creative on the design rules.

I would have a ship built that was nothing more than jump drives, maneuver drives, and a power plant with enough fuel for the power plant, with an attached small boat whose only purpose is to be a flying fuel scoop. Probably look something like a big floating "H" in space, where the cross bar of the H was about as long as the ship to be moved, at one end of the cross bar would be the jump drives, at the other crew quarters and the bridge. Bring that over the top of the cruiser, and attach it, then haul it away.

You could actually work fuel one of 2 ways: build it as part of the actual ship. This would allow you to reuse it on another salvage operation, or you can get kind of cute and use the fuel tanks on the cruiser itself with just feeder hoses coming from the Hauler to the tanks. If you use this option though, your hauler is stuck wherever the cruiser is until you can get some fuel tanks. Oh heck, do both. Get some really big fuel tanks, fill up the cruiser and make your range just silly for a ship that size. <grin>

Hope this helped or gave you some useable ideas.

Peace out.