The Legal Status of Zebulon System

jedion357's picture
jedion357
June 1, 2013 - 6:29pm
Module SF-0 Crash on Volturnus wrote:
Colonizers: Unsettled; presently claimed by the government of Truane's Star, the explorers of the Zebulon star route.

Interesting note: it says the government of the Truane's Star system not Pale which certainly suggests Pale dominates and controls New Pale (something I consider significant) Also it explicitly says that the government is responsible for exploring the route (something that might be significant).
Modules SF-1 &2 also explicitly state that the government is the employer and sponser of the mission to Volturnus.

Dragon #98 Volturnus Connection wrote:
Seccitte Zebulon misjumped and discovered the system.

Upon return to Pale, Seccitte decided to sell the strogational information he and his crew acquired while charting their way back. He sold the location of the system to the government of Pale, which promptly paid Zebulon by giving him a private island (where he lived very comfortably -under the government's watchful eye, so he could not resell the information elsewhere).

A couple problems with this a freighter captian would sell this info and move on the idea that the government would act in this way is odd kill him perhaps to silence him but violate his civil liberties with a luxuary island? Not buying that. But if Zebulon chose to retire to a luxary island that'd be differnt IMO.

Clearly the above statement is ignorant of statements in KHs rules concerning both directions of the route being mapped to sell the information. This is actually explainable- Seccitte had other information on Volturnus that caused the government to overlook the fact that he didn't have both directions of the route mapped. That he shared a secret that caused them to want to claim the system right off. Also I remember seeing somewhere ( and haven't found it yet) that Pale sent an unmanned probe to Zebulon which would be the mapping of the route there.

i would change the violation of Seccitte's civil liberties by the Pale government to his choice to retire and that he got more money then is normal for selling the route ie there was a secret involved: the alloys the pirates were mining most likely.

Zebulon's Guide wrote:
PF61: The Zebulon system is dicovered by Professor Alorne Zebulon, the Frontier's most noted scientist, explorer, and educator. The planet Volturnus is settled almost immediately. Anker is discovered but not settled until 57 PF.

Well not much to say but that this is just too contradictory to try to reconcile. I would advocate for grabbing the name Alorne as the founder of the University of Zebulon. In the tradition of the Jedion canon I would then state the much like Triad was founded as a place for cultural and scientific exchange between the dralasites, vrusk and humans that the U of Z was about exchange between the Frontier and Rim and that it has grown steadily in importance. That is if you accept the Zebs material.

Zebs timeline wrote:
FY 105 An altered mechanon assassinates the Governor of Zebulon.

This is a smoking gun canonical statement, providing you dont discount Zebs altogether. I interpret it as that the UPF being greatly concerned about

A. individual members amassing an empire and having multiple seats on the COW which would destablize the COW and UPF. Terledrom is explicitly stated to controll one colony and I treat this as a grandfathered in case but that no one else may do this in the UPF. Later the COW would tackle a similar situation by adressing the sudden development of mega corp controlled planets which would result in the existing megacorp planets being "grand fahtered in" but no more after the passage of the rellevant law.

B. the exisitence of so many primitive species and one small but advanced species on Volturnus demanded special treatment of the situation and thus the UPF claimed Volturnus as a territory and appointed a governor (I also now consider Jamison to be the first governor BTW but not the one that was assassinated)

C. Later the eorna egg ship can be located and now there is some friction over the control of the system. With the UPF maintaining a governor and responsibility for the primitives- something the eorna originally agreed to but now with the resurgence of the eorna species the control of Zebulon is a muddy mess. with the eorna licensing much of the activity off Votlurnus (colonization of Anker for a university) but the UPF not actually letting go of their control of Volturnus.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!
Comments:

jedion357's picture
jedion357
June 2, 2013 - 4:30am
Couple of Refinements: Its the governor of Zebulon not Volturnus. (zebs timeline states of system not planet)

eorna are desirous of retaking controll of their system and its a fine mess. mega corps desire to rape resources, UPF and Rim have strategic military interest, etc.

Jamison as a hero and commander of the Battle of Volkos was a natural choice for appointment to Governor in the aftermath of the sathar attack- he was already and old Volturnus had as the leader of the first expedition, commander of the ground forces in the battle and an already recognized laison between the eorna and the UPF.

As governor he was very concern with limiting abuses by mega corps and protecting the natives (including the eorna) this naturally garnered hims some powerful enemies with deep pockets to lobby for his replacement. This was inevitable.

Recent governors were less inclined to stand up to megacorps and this has greatly increased tension between the native species of Volturnus and the UPF and may have lead directly to the mechanon uprising.

The discovery of the eorna egg ship has put the eorna on a path to regaining control of their planet but the UPF has been exercising custodianship of the primitives and uses this as one of several excuses for retaining control which is rather insulting to the eorna as they are the ones that uplifted the primitives from dum animals.

I would predict that sometime in the century after FY111 that Volturnus would gain its independence
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

jedion357's picture
jedion357
June 2, 2013 - 4:34am
RE: Seccitte Zebulon- sold out to the Pale government and his crew got nothing- you have to have both direction of a route mapped to sell it and the law is clear that the whole crew shares the proffit. however since the sale of the Zebulon information is so irregular Seccitte only proffited. He also sold off his ship and went into retirement.

Some of his disgruntled crew eventually ended up among the pirates?
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

iggy's picture
iggy
October 27, 2013 - 9:38pm
How's this:

Alorne Zebulon is unrelated to Seccitte Zebulon.  Alorne arrived early to Voltrunus right after SF2.  His name makes it easy for others to assume he is the discoverer of Zebulon.  The Pale government capitializes on this to hide their dealings with Seccitte Zebulon and let falsehoods get written into history.  Alorne goes from constantly trying to explain that it was some other Zebulon that he does not know to just ignoring the questions thus letting the assumptions go.  He eventually leaves Voltrunus to move to Anker to get away from the miss-directed fame.  He tries to overshadow the falshood by pouring himself into the UofZ founding and growth.

Seccitte lives his latter years disgruntled that he made a deal that put him in hiding and unable to claim the fame of the system bearing his name.  If only he had taken his first officers advice to refit the ship and chart the misjump for a proper claim.
-iggy

jedion357's picture
jedion357
October 28, 2013 - 6:04am
I like that Iggy, I also like the disgruntled crew ending up with the pirates, perhaps providing the pirates with information on Zebulon.
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!