#2: Feb 23rd 2011 at 1:36:16 PM
(Psst, it's a well-known maxim in hard sci-fi that any intersteller drive doubles as a weapon.)
edited 23rd Feb '11 1:36:28 PM by Yej
Total posts: 2

You know what, I should have said please
OK, I'd appreciate, if you could, some feedback on a background element for my story. Just so I don't one day ask myself "Am I sure this makes any sense?"
Anyway, it's not 'directly' involving any of the significant characters' lives, although they are all aware of it and it exerts influence on their lives and work. But it's there in the background, and affects everything, for good or ill.
Setting the scene: for the last 700 years or so, mankind has spread across the stars. For astrographic purposes, regions of space of an approximate volume are arbitrarily designated 'sectors'. Humans being humans, sectors tend to develop into 'regions', with interstellar relations and trade more likely 'intra-sector' than 'inter-sector'. As a general rule, the greater the distance from Sol, the later the colonization date, and the poorer the system.
The story is centred around one sector, sixty eight occupied systems, all colonised 200-300 years ago. mostly poorish, but trade has been important for about a century. Trade is a fairly level playing field, with freight costs determined by mass/light year or volume/light year. the only economic advantage you can really get is in economies of scale, whether you're a producer, or in transport. most ships have a speed ceiling of ~350c. No FTL communication is possible, although if you came up with one, you'd be in "buy yourself an empire" wealthy territory.
the 'conflict'/'tension' in the sector is caused by philosophical differnces between two systems. One system, Horus, has had a foreign policy agenda for a few decades that can only be described as 'expansionist'. Official government policy is geared towards economic self-sufficency and building the tech and industrial base to fuel sector-wide expansion. 'Trade is excellent, insofar as it aids expansion', but it's never been that important to them. Horus has the largest population in the sector, but they're in no big hurry. In recent years, they've entered into a confederacy-type alliance with a nearby system, making a two-system bloc, and the story begins as a third system is added to the bloc. This was accomplished peacefully. So, they're sort of like the Maya or the Inca. Willing to amalgamate other systems willingly, but prepared to use force.
The other system is Artemis. They're far more typical of the sector's systems. Terraforming is still going (250 years after arrival) and their population hasn't broken 100m. Their foreign policy has been geared towards soft power, taking advantage of their astrographically central location. Their universities have educated a respectable proportion of the sector's bureacrats, politicians and powerbrokers, and they've made an enormous push for sector-wide trade agreements. they've largely succeeded, too. every system (almost...67/68 systems) in the sector formally agreed on things like tariff levels ("infant industry" being a self-evident truth in interstellar society), and interstellar finance. This garnered them an awful lot of goodwill, since every system benefited from the treaty. Artemis doesn't "have" expansionist goals (they'd like to 'conquer' their own system first). but they have mutual defence treaties with a few other systems. they've tried to conquer the chalenges their small population makes, by a mixture of mildly intrusive social engineering and heavy automation of their tech base.
now these 'trade rules' have worked for about 50 years. Except Horus et al doubled their tariffs recently (against the rules), and the other signatory parties levied trade sanctions against them in response. Yeah, this will end well.
So, the lines are drawn in this philosophical dispute. Horus et al don't 'need' trade, due to Horus' autarky/economic self-sufficiency policy, which was why they raised their tariffs. Artemis, on the other hand, will slowly wither without trade, given the volumes of through traffic in the system, and the large proportion of interstellar financial activity going on (the largest building in the system is called "Settlement House" for reasons unrelated to colonisation)
Horus et al's response to this has involved an assassination and (offscreen) increased tech/industrial base expansion/military buildup. Artemis is gently advocating economic ostracism, and considering something like Operation Bernhard[1]
. Yeah, this will end peacefully.
However, neither party has the logistical 'infrastructure' to turn it into a shooting war. Horus et al has the manpower, but not the ships. Artemis has ships, but has manpower issues. If attacked in their own systems, both sides will win. less because of weaponry, and more because neither can support a supply chain that far from home.
So the tension will probably just ratchet up until someone solves the problems preventing a shooting war. in the meantime, the sector's not going to be a fun place with that tension
most of the main characters call Artemis 'home'
So, that's a basic outline of a background story element. If you request clarification or additional info, I will attempt to do so in a cogent fashion, so you can give informed feedback.
cheers, and thanks in advance
edited 23rd Feb '11 1:07:09 PM by pathfinder
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