Thread: CoS: Exploration Extent

Hi,
two points before I launch into the main subject of this post:

1) I'm using the web interface to post, so if any strange code appears in emails please let me know.
2) I'm being a bit more specific in my subject titles - it's getting hard to follow threads here at times because of subject-wander.

OK, now to the main subject: the extent that the Covenant of Sufren has explored over time in the TNE setting. From sources we have:

001-1201: A rough sphere which covers the coreward half of the Sufren Subsector, and by implication part of the rimward half of Shimmer Subsector in Massillia Sector. Source: subsector table, Lady Elise adventure in the Ref's Screen.

As of 1201: All of Sufren Subsector and 'worlds in the Shimmer Subsector of Massillia'*. Source: subsector tables and text, CoS article in Challenge 76.

* I'm assuming 'worlds39; are synonymous with 'systems39; in the quote above.

As of 1202**: Generally, a few parsecs into the spinward half of Khavle Subsector. Source: subsector table, Vampire Fleets.

** Of course, this data took time to get from the CoS, via the Covenant Navy mission to return the Lady Elise to the RC. They get there, via Promise, by 21/III/1202. The question is: when did they leave the CoS? Taking travel times into account it cannot be in 1202. At a guess, mid-1201?

In summary, at the start of 1201 - the CoS have data on the coreward half of Sufren and the rimward half of Shimmer. Before 1201 is out they have data on the rimward half of Sufren and parts of the spinward half of Khavle, at minimum.

Eamon

Eamon--

Thanks for the subject line reminder. I am doing my usual resolution to do
better, hopefully this will last longer than the last one, unless I've
already broken it.

I'm not sure if you have an overall question here other than, "Check my
work? Anything else?"

Your citation of Ch 76 is accurate, and "worlds" does mean "systems." I
used "worlds" to keep parallelism with the list of world names, although
"system" is probably more accurate.

Ch 76 cites nine LPs in Sufren subsector, plus probably an equal number or
more up in Shimmer, Libert, and the kitty-corner subsector between Shimmer
and Libert.

Looking at the map I see "Vassalry Judiciate," which presumably marks the
dead remains of a polity from AGtD. It makes me smile: an exercise in
thesaurus-ry surpassed in futility only by the one Franz Joseph had to do
when he named the Dreadnoughts in Star Fleet Technical Manual (I have a
first edition): USS Federation, Star League, Unificatum, Compactat,
Corporation, Konkordium, Star System, Affiliation, Concordat, Directorate,
Organization, Star Union, Alliance, Confederation, Dominion, Star Empire,
Trusteeship, Association, Consortium, Entente.

Your question about departure time of Lady Elise, does that imply there is
a timeline problem, like it could not have gotten someplace in the time
available from other definitions? Not having Ref Screen/LE in-hand, I'm
not sure.

(Here's what I remember of LE off the top of my head. Wrote it while iced
into the office one weekend with Steve Olle. My car was having valve
trouble and was either in the shop or in the parking lot waiting to be.
Very simple deck-plans attempting to fit traditional starship 5m grid onto
House Rules 10m grid. Stockholm syndrome. Grace a Dieu Fontenot, jump
sensitivity sickness. Asteroid belt at Amov/Azov. Ship named for Kirk
Wescom's newborn daughter, who just left for college a couple years ago.
That's it. LE is apparently an RC ship taken over by Virus and taken into
CofS. I wasn't sure if it was that or the reverse. And apparently we
publish someplace when it was returned? Surely not in the LE adventure
itself? That takes all the suspense out of it.)

Is the arrival date in VF? If so, you could maybe take it with a bit of
salt, Frank was sometimes careless with over-specific details. Maybe it
was a misprint.

Aside from that, it looks like you've done your homework. Given the number
of worlds listed as having LPs (and by projecting an equal-radius circle
into the neighboring subsectors) you should assume that they've gone at
least one jump past that line at least once.

> Hi,
> two points before I launch into the main subject of this post:
>
> 1) I'm using the web interface to post, so if any strange code appears in
> emails please let me know.
> 2) I'm being a bit more specific in my subject titles - it's getting hard
> to follow threads here at times because of subject-wander.
>
> OK, now to the main subject: the extent that the Covenant of Sufren has
> explored over time in the TNE setting. From sources we have:
>
> 001-1201: A rough sphere which covers the coreward half of the Sufren
> Subsector, and by implication part of the rimward half of Shimmer
> Subsector in Massillia Sector. Source: subsector table, Lady Elise
> adventure in the Ref's Screen.
>
> As of 1201: All of Sufren Subsector and 'worlds in the Shimmer Subsector
> of Massillia'*. Source: subsector tables and text, CoS article in
> Challenge 76.
>
> * I'm assuming 'worlds39; are synonymous with 'systems39; in the quote above.
>
> As of 1202**: Generally, a few parsecs into the spinward half of Khavle
> Subsector. Source: subsector table, Vampire Fleets.
>
> ** Of course, this data took time to get from the CoS, via the Covenant
> Navy mission to return the Lady Elise to the RC. They get there, via
> Promise, by 21/III/1202. The question is: when did they leave the CoS?
> Taking travel times into account it cannot be in 1202. At a guess,
> mid-1201?
>
> In summary, at the start of 1201 - the CoS have data on the coreward half
> of Sufren and the rimward half of Shimmer. Before 1201 is out they have
> data on the rimward half of Sufren and parts of the spinward half of
> Khavle, at minimum.
>
> Eamon

Hi Dave,

Yes, 'Check my work' was the intent, and thanks for the check muchly.

Regarding the various polity type, whilst it might have challenged the thesauri, it certainly gave that otherworldly feel which is good for a SF setting (If not completely realistic!).

On the subject of LPs, I'm not sure how extensive they are, given that the CoS didn't bother setting any up in the rimward half of Sufren Subsector. I could see some in Libert and the 'kitty-corner', but equally I could see a less extensive network. Given the statement in Ch 76 about wanting to recontact the worlds of Backman, Hervestia and Neefi, begs the question of why they don't want to focus on Zeeland, which is two J-2s from Houstar, Pop A and Tech 9. Then again, it's not on the subsector map.

I suppose what would work best would be to formulate the strategy the CoS is using and see where that drops listening posts. They seem to have the coreward, spinward, and anti-spinward quadrants pretty well covered, but not the rimward - if we are to take the absence of NE Data for the rimward half of Sufren Subsector in the LE adventure as evidence of no CoS presence there. Then again, anything jumping in direct to Sufren from there will have little fuel in their tanks - so maybe that's a risk the CoS is willing to face under those circumstances. Maybe they send a ship to check for suspicious activity every now and then.

LE problem was the timeline, but to address your recap point first: you were close with the Belt - Gamov; it was a DL ship; the return of the LE was covered in Challenge 76, the VF Prequel 'A Blighted Land' - by Frank.

I don't have the books available at the minute, but with the LE presumably getting lost in 1200, the LE Adventure occurring in 1201, and the return occurring in early 1202, it seems tight for a J-2 ship to cover the distance. I did a rough count from Sufren to Promise (where the LE return mission has to be rescued from) and it's of the order of 18 jumps - then there's more to Aubaine - where the crew returns at the end of III/1202 by VF. Timeline could be adjusted, or the LE could be hand-waved as a J-3 ship, or maybe they had a perfect run up until Promise. I see what you mean about Frank's time/distance estimations - the 'Once and Future Emperor', by himself and James Maliszewski had a mission prompted by data on a world on the spinward edge of Diaspora prompting an RC sponsored mission to investigate. Definitely long-distance recon!

Eamon

---In , <dcndcn13@...> wrote :

Eamon--

Thanks for the subject line reminder. I am doing my usual resolution to do
better, hopefully this will last longer than the last one, unless I've
already broken it.

I'm not sure if you have an overall question here other than, "Check my
work? Anything else?"

Your citation of Ch 76 is accurate, and "worlds" does mean "systems." I
used "worlds" to keep parallelism with the list of world names, although
"system" is probably more accurate.

Ch 76 cites nine LPs in Sufren subsector, plus probably an equal number or
more up in Shimmer, Libert, and the kitty-corner subsector between Shimmer
and Libert.

Looking at the map I see "Vassalry Judiciate," which presumably marks the
dead remains of a polity from AGtD. It makes me smile: an exercise in
thesaurus-ry surpassed in futility only by the one Franz Joseph had to do
when he named the Dreadnoughts in Star Fleet Technical Manual (I have a
first edition): USS Federation, Star League, Unificatum, Compactat,
Corporation, Konkordium, Star System, Affiliation, Concordat, Directorate,
Organization, Star Union, Alliance, Confederation, Dominion, Star Empire,
Trusteeship, Association, Consortium, Entente.

Your question about departure time of Lady Elise, does that imply there is
a timeline problem, like it could not have gotten someplace in the time
available from other definitions? Not having Ref Screen/LE in-hand, I'm
not sure.

(Here's what I remember of LE off the top of my head. Wrote it while iced
into the office one weekend with Steve Olle. My car was having valve
trouble and was either in the shop or in the parking lot waiting to be.
Very simple deck-plans attempting to fit traditional starship 5m grid onto
House Rules 10m grid. Stockholm syndrome. Grace a Dieu Fontenot, jump
sensitivity sickness. Asteroid belt at Amov/Azov. Ship named for Kirk
Wescom's newborn daughter, who just left for college a couple years ago.
That's it. LE is apparently an RC ship taken over by Virus and taken into
CofS. I wasn't sure if it was that or the reverse. And apparently we
publish someplace when it was returned? Surely not in the LE adventure
itself? That takes all the suspense out of it.)

Is the arrival date in VF? If so, you could maybe take it with a bit of
salt, Frank was sometimes careless with over-specific details. Maybe it
was a misprint.

Aside from that, it looks like you've done your homework. Given the number
of worlds listed as having LPs (and by projecting an equal-radius circle
into the neighboring subsectors) you should assume that they've gone at
least one jump past that line at least once.