Re: Space Lanes? (was Re: [OT] Sea Lanes was: Liberals )

----- Original Message -----
From: Roger Burton West <roger@firedrake.org>
To: <gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu>
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 4:23 PM
Subject: Re: Space Lanes? (was Re: [OT] Sea Lanes was: Liberals )

> On or about Mon, Sep 16, 2002 at 11:18:09AM -0400,
laserlight@quixnet.net
typed:
>
> >Something like:
> >"All ships departing Sirius, arriving Sol, must arrive within Traffic
> >Control Zone 14.
>
> I wasn't thinking of that quite as much as the mid-points of the jump
> chains. Say that Nakamura Lines operates a variety of ships between
> Alpha Centauri and Sol, and that this takes seven successive jumps. It
> makes sense to say that there's a particular section of space
designated
> as "the first jump out of Alpha-C", which all their ships will aim for
-
> so when a ship doesn't arrive at Sol, Nakamura's other traffic can
look
> in those jump zones (where it would be anyway) rather than having no
> idea where the missing ship might be.
>
> So, Vito's Wealth Redistribution Service Inc. bribes somebody at
> Nakamura to get the locations of those jump zones, puts a ship out
there
> (running silent), and pounces on the first decent target it sees. Once
> that happens, of course, Nakamura will change all its navigational
data,
> so Vito's had better wait for a worthwhile prize.
>
> Roger

How about a chain of beacons laid by the shipping line to speed the
passage
of the ships- an automated observatory which can pass data to the
merchant
and make its jump calculations quicker, easier and more accurate.  The
locations would be a commercial and military secret, and perhaps Vito
bribed
a Nakamura employee to get the details.

Such a route would doubtless be patrolled regularly to increase
passenger\shipper confidence about the safety of space travel.

Independant tramp vessels would hope to find such a route to speed their
own
passages.

Perhaps we're not the first species to lay trails in this way- an
entrance
to an Ancient route (a Ley line? :-) ) would be a prize worth fighting
for.
It might also be dangerous in its own right.

Rob Paul