Golgotha Mining Station

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henry quirk
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Post by henry quirk »

Those gold rush communities sprang up overnight, weren't really planned, were wholly motivated by profit.

The difference: Golgotha is well established with certain ideas concrete-set. Folks who thrive there are hard and spare. Folks who don't thrive, who mebbe look to ride coat tails, end up dead.

Some one, can't recall who, wrote about a place -- Jackson's Hole -- on a (I think) colony world. It was lousy with all manner of organized crime. The primary difference between that place and Golgotha is a fanatical adherence to the (One & Only) Law. Unscrupulous types arrive all the time...some are even able to get a leg up...the clever ones can hang on for a long time. But if Jane Deuterium miner discovers she's been bilked, she's gonna gonna have sumthin' to say about it. Larry, the one who sold her substandard scrubber parts may wake up dead.

#

"What's preventing organized crime? If the one rule is MYOB, they can target people a few at a time to build a power base, and people trying to organize against them will be accused of not minding their own business. Does the one and only law prohibit them from hiring outside contractors for security to protect against reprisals from people like Jane?"

But MYOB is not the whole of it.

'Mind your own business, keep your hands to yourself...or else.'

And: you gotta remember context. The Law isn't meant to primarly govern interpersonal interaction, it's meant primarily as an admonishment to those who'd presume to rule, to govern, Golgothans.

Some busybody lookin' to get up in your affairs: that's on you how you handle it.

Some busybody lookin' to establish a conduit on Golgotha wherein illegal (elsewhere) product is moved to and fro, that's on individuals how they wanna deal (some will ignore, some will align).

But folks comin' and tryin' to muscle Golgothans, or develop a power base so as to direct the affairs and finances of Golgothans, well, it's gonna be war.

Let's say Munson is lookin' to replace one of the electron beam initiators on his pulse drive. He's got a cargo box full of spices from a previous run. He knows Lazarus Whey is the go-to guy for refurbished initiators and he knows Whey has a sidebusiness trading in rare organics. A normal transaction would have the two haggle over price and they'd settle on sumthin' mutual or Munson would take his business elsewhere. But suppose Whey wouldn't sell the initiator, or asked for a price way beyond what the market dictates, or just flat out admits he has 'partners' who win't let him deal the way he used to. Munson (cuz he dreads the loss of Whey's products, and mebbe cuz he likes Whey) will make his inquiries. Golgotha is small...some one will spill the beans. Before you know it, Whey is gettin' visits from concerned folks lookin' to help (introduce his 'partners' to vac). Within the confines of the Law this is wholly acceptable and probably even mandated. If Jane has a lucky run and brings home surplus deuterium that will skew the economy but naturally. If Whey's 'partners' skew the economy through artificial price hikes and created scarcity, this is a large-scale event, a major 'not keepin' your hands to yourself' event. '...or else' is invoked with a vengance.

And if Whey goes pussy and refuses to assist Golgothans lookin' to break his 'partners' most surely he's slated for vac. He's already on thin ice lettin' himself be used in the first place.
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henry quirk
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Post by henry quirk »

"Do they ever need help from the community?"

Probably. They can ask for help (no crime in asking). Mebbe they'll get some; mebbe they won't. No one is forced to lift a finger.

#

"Are there ever natural disasters there?"

Touched on that up-thread...

(S)elf-preservation over the long haul has taught Golgothans a lot about how to drop everything and go patch that hole...NOW. That guy you hate? Hate him later ('later' bein' sumthin' you won't see if you and that guy you hate don't patch that hole...RIGHT NOW).

This is SPACE...SPACE wants to kill you...you do what you gotta to not let it.

#

"Do they age? Do they ever get sick and need care?"

They age, they do get sick, they do need care (and they pay for it with their own resources [which they have or they wouldn't be Golgothan]).

#

"Do they get early onset dementia in the same proportion that other humans do?"

I'm assuming 500 odd years down the line some of what ails us, won't ail them. But that's okay: there's plenty in the Uroboros that kill 'em dead. The absence of senility isn't even noticed with all the other shit flittin' around.

#

"What happens when a self reliant solitary minded individual suffers some misfortune that is more than they can handle themselves?"

As I say: they can ask for help...best to start with the people who love 'em...mebbe those folks will lend a hand (but that ain't guaranteed).

##

"The thing about anarchy is it's not organized."

Not formally, no. But don't equate 'anarchy' with 'chaos'. The two aren't -- in context -- synonymous.

#

"It's fine to say that a particular event is an "or else" situation, but you have to actually convince each Golgothan individually that it is the case. If their default mode is FYIGM, that's going to be hard to turn around."

But the default mode is not 'fuck you i got mine', it's 'leave me be'.

And: in the example laid out above (with Whey) ther'd be little convincing needed. Some one is screwing with the natural economy, this endangers all Golgothans: dem motherfuckers got to go (out the nearest airlock). Absolutely, some Golgothans won't lift a finger, but some will and 'there will be blood'.

##

"The ones who made out best in the old west were saloon keepers and general goods suppliers because a large segment of the residents didn't want them to fail or leave."

Yep, like Whey, for example. He's 'important' (he best keep in mind, however, he ain't 'that' important).

##

"The thing about organized crime is the organization. They can call on outside resources. If they're at all clever, whatever hold they have on Whey will not be directly dependent on any individual enforcer the Golgothan posse is able to space."

Then the posse will introduce Whey to vac and wait for the nascent syndicate to make the next move.

As I say: 'there will be blood'.
commonsense
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Re:

Post by commonsense »

henry quirk wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:41 pm Those gold rush communities sprang up overnight, weren't really planned, were wholly motivated by profit.

The difference: Golgotha is well established with certain ideas concrete-set. Folks who thrive there are hard and spare. Folks who don't thrive, who mebbe look to ride coat tails, end up dead.
#
Colloquial Language is fine when a character speaks, but the narrative should be told in proper English.
#
Some one, can't recall who, wrote about a place -- Jackson's Hole -- on a (I think) colony world. It was lousy with all manner of organized crime. The primary difference between that place and Golgotha is a fanatical adherence to the (One & Only) Law. Unscrupulous types arrive all the time...some are even able to get a leg up...the clever ones can hang on for a long time. But if Jane Deuterium miner discovers she's been bilked, she's gonna gonna have sumthin' to say about it. Larry, the one who sold her substandard scrubber parts may wake up dead.
#
someone
Jane Deuterium, miner,
Larry? Sounds like a sitcom character. Lazarus? Not much better, but OK. How about something melodious like DeShawn or something real but rare like Bo or even a pseudo number like Trei or Trey?
Whey calls to mind a milky byproduct. Why not Smith, Smithson, Gatrell, Tritlar, Chia or Bahtmon?
#

"What's preventing organized crime? If the one rule is MYOB, they can target people a few at a time to build a power base, and people trying to organize against them will be accused of not minding their own business. Does the one and only law prohibit them from hiring outside contractors for security to protect against reprisals from people like Jane?"

But MYOB is not the whole of it.

'Mind your own business, keep your hands to yourself...or else.'

And: you gotta remember context. The Law isn't meant to primarly govern interpersonal interaction, it's meant primarily as an admonishment to those who'd presume to rule, to govern, Golgothans.

Some busybody lookin' to get up in your affairs: that's on you how you handle it.

Some busybody lookin' to establish a conduit on Golgotha wherein illegal (elsewhere) product is moved to and fro, that's on individuals how they wanna deal (some will ignore, some will align).

But folks comin' and tryin' to muscle Golgothans, or develop a power base so as to direct the affairs and finances of Golgothans, well, it's gonna be war.

Let's say Munson is lookin' to replace one of the electron beam initiators on his pulse drive. He's got a cargo box full of spices from a previous run. He knows Lazarus Whey is the go-to guy for refurbished initiators and he knows Whey has a sidebusiness trading in rare organics. A normal transaction would have the two haggle over price and they'd settle on sumthin' mutual or Munson would take his business elsewhere. But suppose Whey wouldn't sell the initiator, or asked for a price way beyond what the market dictates, or just flat out admits he has 'partners' who win't let him deal the way he used to. Munson (cuz he dreads the loss of Whey's products, and mebbe cuz he likes Whey) will make his inquiries. Golgotha is small...some one will spill the beans. Before you know it, Whey is gettin' visits from concerned folks lookin' to help (introduce his 'partners' to vac). Within the confines of the Law this is wholly acceptable and probably even mandated. If Jane has a lucky run and brings home surplus deuterium that will skew the economy but naturally. If Whey's 'partners' skew the economy through artificial price hikes and created scarcity, this is a large-scale event, a major 'not keepin' your hands to yourself' event. '...or else' is invoked with a vengance.
#
pulse drive is too Trekkie
wholly: use fully (wholly was used up earlier)
#
And if Whey goes pussy and refuses to assist Golgothans lookin' to break his 'partners' most surely he's slated for vac. He's already on thin ice lettin' himself be used in the first place.
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henry quirk
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Post by henry quirk »

"pulse drive is too Trekkie"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear ... propulsion

As for the other comments: I appreciate 'em but -- remember -- this is world building, not the novel...I'm not writing 'this to be 'correct', just for thinkin' outloud.

So: errors and poor names and whatnot should be ignored.

And, that properly would be Jane, the deuterium miner.

Meh...just go with it, Common...look at the skeleton, not the bones.
commonsense
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Re: Golgotha Mining Station

Post by commonsense »

Ok
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henry quirk
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one lil point...

Post by henry quirk »

"Colloquial Language is fine when a character speaks, but the narrative should be told in proper English."

True for a 3rd person (limited or omniscient) piece, but not so much in a 1st person work. You can get pretty idiosyncratic with 1st person.

Well, that's my bit of shitty pedantry for the day.
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Re: Golgotha Mining Station

Post by commonsense »

True
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henry quirk
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Since I lasted posted in this thread...

Post by henry quirk »

...I course-corrected a bit.

Rescaled some things, retooled others, generally re-thunk stuff.

What follows is an experimental stab at a beginning.

-----

Space (Truckin') Opera

by Henry Quirk (2018, mine, all mine, goddamnit!)

ONE

After decon I made my way across the orbital's Esplanade. 'Bustling' doesn't cut it. It was befuzzlin' after three weeks of just me and V.I.ola, betwixt. Big noise, big color, all manner of people, everywhere. I navigated the fiasco, un-augmented eyes mostly straight ahead. I'm no tourist, got no interest in the orbital's goin's on.

I nearly tripped over and then side-stepped a Brain (in a jar) skitterin' erratic-like on its four mech-legs through the shifty crowd. It wasn't runnin' its ghostface so I couldn't say for sure, but I'd have bet five creds it was drunk. Surrounded by hundreds of bios, mechs, and enfleshed infos, can't say I blame it. If I were gonna be there for more than a handful of hours I'd probably get blitzed myself.

I was relieved when I got to the brokerage and he was at his terminal, all big and fat, plugged in and (mostly) human.

"Trujo."

He swiveled in his chair. Plugged in, it didn't matter much which direction he faced. If he coulda stood on his head at all, then he coulda stood on his head, facin' the wall, and conducted his business with the same greasy efficiency as he did sittin' up, facin' the mostly superfluous ghost terminal.

"Munson! What brings you to Hesperis?"

Trujo knew I was in-system 'bout five minutes after I cleared the Needle (along with a whack of other 'interested' beings, each and every one I hoped to avoid). And he knew why I was on-orbital. And he knew I knew this. And he still acted surprised to see me and curious why I'm on Hesperis. Meh.

We shook hands. I plunked down in the human-form chair that sprouted from floor.

"Same as always. Droppin' off."

He relaxed back in his own grown chair. Seemed to me it groaned a little. Like I say, Trujo is a large man.

"Now you're looking to pick up."

"Yep."

Trujo's eyes irised closed as he accessed his manifests and schedules by way of the optical cable plugged into the top of his shaved head.

"Well let's see what I have... You still flying that old tractor?"

'Course I was flying the 331.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Besides, no way I coulda afforded another tractor even if I wanted to. Creds were tight, always.

"You know I am."

Mech eyes opened.

"Hmm... Have a preference?"

I shrugged.

"Nope. I'll go wherever takes me out of Comm Space."

I haul in Community Space (cuz work is work), pay their friggin' fees (cuz that's just one of the prices of doin' business). But I can't cotton to their 'one for all' hooey. So when I can, I fly in Free Space. Business is spare flyin' Free but I breathe easier.

I fly the Gadsden on the 331's nose for a reason.

"You're in luck, then. I have two scheduled for Golgotha."

A mostly defunct mining station in Free Space affixed to a big chunk of mined out rock surrounded by other chunks of whatnot, all orbiting a small, dim, dwarf. Notable mostly as a way-station between Flinx and Lapis 5 (with 1 through 4 bein' long gone I don't know why they just don't drop the numerical). Was a hoppin' place a few years back, then a new Needle cropped up that bypassed Golgotha's. Sparsely crewed, quiet, and about as far as you can get from any place excitin as a body could want.

"Mass?"

"Touch over one."

Decent load for a hauler like mine.

"Pay?"

"Standard plus half, and the out-going Needle toll."

That plus five is for the distance. Like I say, Golgotha is off the beaten and more than just a few AU from its Needle. Most don't wanna travel that far, that deep, in-system. Me, long-haul is what I do.

"That'll work. Load need anything?"

"It's Pseudo Grub..."

"So nuthin' special."

Really, what the hell do processed, compressed algae and yeast blocks need? Besides flavor, that is.

"Just avoid the rocks and the mooks."

"Always."

"Status?"

"I unhitched soon as the creds cleared. Inspected her. Moved off and parked her half a click out. Still gotta re-tank and restock. After that I'm good to go."

"Okay, then. Thumb the plate and you can get moving. Link with my comp when you get back to your tractor for the relevants."

"Will do."

"So, how you've been?"

"Meh... Workin'."

"That's what you been doing. How are you?"

"Alive."

"Hmm... As always, a pleasure."

"Thanks, Trujo."

It occurred to me on my way back to the lock (as it always does) that mebbe the man I meet when I'm Hesperis-way isn't a man at all. Entirely possible Trujo is an A.I. not even on-orbital but tucked away in one of the hundreds of satellites clustered 'round, or a non-human runnin' a proxy body from two offices up-spin. I've never seen him outside of that office, or without that cable plugged into his skull. It's part of the problem I got with Comm Space. Almost nuthin' and no body is what it seems. Flesh gets reshaped or swapped or ridden by remote; ghosts hang on every-thing and -body like a shroud. I thought on it all for five then put it aside. Don't matter much what Trujo is as long as he plays me straight and makes with honest work. Don't matter what Comm folks do with themselves cuz I'm just passin' through.

TWO

Threadin' a Needle is easy. You let the V.I. do it. Nah, strike that. If you're like me you don't 'let' the V.I. do it cuz the V.I 'must' do it. Executin' a spiral around a Tipler Needle can't be done with a natural, unmodified human brain. Not fast enough to take into account the always shifting variables. Between Needles I'm more than competent (if I say so myself) at navigatin' the 331. Needles, they're V.I.ola's.

She's not top of line (not for a long time now), but she knows Needles, knows the 331, knows me, and generally knows a helluva lot about any place we're liable to end up, and that's all I need to get through my day to day.

When I bought the 331 she was already installed, experiential- and data-bases deep and wide. I'd have been a damned fool to wipe her. I didn't (cuz I'm no fool, mostly), so she's got a personality that don't always jibe with mine. which is to say, sometimes she's a royal, Grade-A, bitch. Makes for interesting times, now and again, betwixt.
commonsense
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Re: Golgotha Mining Station

Post by commonsense »

I'm hooked. Can't wait to read more. Keep on writing.
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henry quirk
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watch this thread

Post by henry quirk »

more is comin'
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Re: Golgotha Mining Station

Post by commonsense »

Looking forward to it.
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Golgotha Mining Station

Post by WarnerLot »

I suppose it all depends on whether they need to put a loop or siding in for the platforms, or if they just build the platforms either side of the existing tracks.

If the latter then the work will be quicker, but theyll have less flexibility in how they operate trains. If they just put the platforms up itll make it harder for them to operate any type of shuttle service, and in the same way they wont be able to hold a train at the station waiting for a match to finish as at Charlton, because that would potentially block up other services on that line.
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