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[Draft] Rockhounds Pages
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ECSNorway Wrote:(I also badly underestimated the carrying capacity of an Island when setting up the initial timeline... those things are -big-. No need for four of them.) Maybe you want to downscale them a bit... I think each island will have more transport capacity than most other ships in Fenspace together. ^^ 
I already have, the original design per Macross canon is more than triple what I've built them at.
-- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
DRAFT:
Needs additional detail in a few places. Suggestions welcome. '''Greenwood Technical Institute''', informally '''Greenwood University''' is jokingly known as the "School of Hard Rocks" due to its focus on serving asteroid miners and other potential employees of RockhoundsInc, the UnitedBeltAlliance, and similar agencies. ==History== Greenwood U was founded in 2009 by Rockhounds employees sharing their expertise in electronics repair, geology, and orbital navigation, out of an interest in mutual survival (and, of course, profit). The informal exchanges were quickly turned into official corporate training sessions by the company's upper management and spun off into their own division (Greenwood Technical Institute) in 2010. Numerous teachers and trainers were imported from Earthside and some of the more experienced spacers among the miners joined the faculty. In 2012 the Institute received accreditation from the US Department of Education to award Associate's degrees in several fields. In 2015, with widened accreditation, GTI opened a high school division, accepting any student who could pass the entrance exams and pay the tuition, regardless of age (students under 16 chronological years of age still required proof of either parental consent, or emancipation, however). The collegiate divisions have also expanded to provide a full Baccalaureate course of study. ==Courses of Study== Given its origins catering to the needs of a specific business, it isn't a surprise that GTI's course catalog is heavy on the hard sciences. The two largest departments are Geology/Planetology and Electronics Engineering. Equally large is a track known as "General Spaceman", which covers a wide variety of important topics including operating principles of most FenCraft, orbital mechanics and navigation, basic astrophysics, and mechanical engineering oriented towards spacecraft maintenance and repair. It is intended primarily to provide valuable skills for general crew on any size of spacecraft and includes orientation courses for students newly arrived from 'Daneside. Smaller departments include Legal Affairs, which offers courses in both Criminal Justice and Contract Law. The former includes one of the best Computer Security courses not taught directly by an AI. The department of Medicine is one of the only schools in the system to focus on space-based medical issues, even if they are only able to accredit emergency responders at this time. Graduates are accepted for further studies at several prominent Australian and American medical schools or the Vesta Institute Of Biochemistry. Courses in Business Administration are also offered, and highly recommended even for those not aiming for corporate employment. Smallest of all is the newly-formed (as of 2016) Department of Handwavium Engineering, its faculty composed primarily of former TSAB researchers. This department spends the first two years of its students' time giving them a solid if high-pressure grounding in the laws of physics before moving on to handwavium and how to find the loopholes in those laws. (The faculty stands united in asserting that even at its most obscure, handwavium never actually //breaks// the laws of physics. It just finds loopholes we didn't know about yet.) A well-rounded education is mandatory for a GTI graduate, but degree programs are not yet offered in several required areas. For now the Institute groups these under the umbrella of the Department of General Education. This includes many of the "liberal arts" courses offered by Daneside colleges, such as History, English, Languages, and Literature studies, as well as Mathematics, Psychology, and Economics. Students not interested in a full degree program are welcome to enroll for individual courses, with short intensive reviews often available. These can involve as few as eight or as many as twenty or more class hours in a week and are intended for those seeking individual certifications and qualifications. ==Extra-Curricular Activities== GTI fields a variety of sports teams, including soccer, gravball, mixed martial arts, and table tennis. Most of these are operated under the auspices of faculty-sponsored clubs, rather than the (nonexistant) Physical Education department as they would be in an American school. The slightly misleadingly-named "yacht club", founded in 2013 by student enthusiasts, races solar sail vessels and several other forms of small craft. Under the leadership of Jenny Lambretta (class of 2015, Business Administration) and Michael Blanc (2016, General Spaceman) the club performed remarkably well in several contests across the solar system. Rumor has it that the current club president is seeking to acquire an FTL-capable craft for the club's use. Other clubs include several styles of music performance, a Model United Nations, 'Conflict Simulation' (wargaming, role-playing games, and military history and science-fiction), political parties of every stripe, a branch of the Campus Crusade for Cthulhu, and the A. C. Peters Appreciation Society. Clubs tend to operate in a fashion more familiar to Japanese students (and anime fans) - agressive recruiting, strong competition for resources, and somewhat overly-dramatic ritual interaction with the Student Council. ===Pranks=== Campus pranks are a hallowed tradition inherited from such famous Earthside schools as MIT and Harvard. A competition between clubs and other student groups for the best has become an annual tradition at Greenwood, often lead by the Student Council. One of the early, simple pranks filled every stairwell in Grissom Hall with popcorn. A later prank, popularly believed to have been perpetrated by hacker Lynn Dolittle, reprogrammed the campus' holographic chalkboards to surround the professor's cursor with iridescence and provide a pop-rock soundtrack for each lecture, cued by the same chalkboard cursor. The most famous so far, however, was the replacement of the entire section on uniform regulations in the student handbook with a design that appears to have been inspired by the Imperial Navy uniform from Star Wars. Matching designs were made available in local shops, apparently at the prankster's expense, and were worn by three classes of incoming freshmen before the faculty were able to clear things up, change the regulations, and make the appropriate alterations in the contracts with the shops. ==Campus== GTI's primary campus is located within Greenwood City, near the 'north' end of the asteroid colony's cavernous interior. Like most of the city it is purpose-built for this use, with spacious dormitories, elegant faux-Grecian architecture, large greenswards, and even a small lake and a Gothic Folly (often claimed by the Drama club). One of the city's several parks is situated just next to the campus, providing a widespread natural area for student recreation. On the other side is a shopping district catering to the needs of the students, including groceries, media, and group entertainment. [[Category:Gazetteer] [[Category:Fen Culture] [[Category:Fen Education] -- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
Does GTT also do the equivalent of short courses, Summer school, or intensive training programs?
These might lead to something like NVQs: http://en.wikipedia.org/w...Vocational_Qualification They might suit people in a lot of circumstances in Fenspace, who wouldn't have the time to go in for full-time education. The other thing you might want to look at are the old qualifications "City & Guilds": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_and_Guilds -- "It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind Ace Dreamer Wrote:Does GTT also do the equivalent of short courses, Summer school, or intensive training programs?Absolutely, I've edited the above to make note to that effect. (The 'General Spaceman' degree program is in fact a whole series of these kind of certifications, such as spacesuit maintenance and operations, basics of convention law, piloting certificates for various common craft type, orbital navigation, etc. Many entrants test out of half or more of the required courses by previous experience.) -- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
OK, I've updated several of the Rockhounds/Greenwood pages on the Wiki.
Created a separate page for Greenwood U using the above, consolidated stuff on Greenwood City to that page from the Greenwood Station page, and fixed a few not-exactly-broken-but-not-really-right links. -- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
Do we have a wiki page yet for the Belt Alliance?
-- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.  ECSNorway Wrote:Do we have a wiki page yet for the Belt Alliance?Not yet. "Belters" is about the pseudo-faction, not the corp. -- Rob Kelk "Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of the same sovereign, servants of the same law." - Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012 
Feel free to define them more than I have if you'd like.... they were really meant to be little more than badguys of the week.
________________________________ --m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
~~NOTOC~~
^ Registry Number: | (Various) | ^ Base Hull: | Stonewell-Bellcom Aerospace VF-1 ''Valkyrie'' | ^ Drive Type: | Acceleration Drive (Fusion Turbine Thruster x2) | ^ | FAST Pack: 2x additional Fusion turbine | ^ Drive Rating: | Standard Accel: 10g, Maximum 15g | ^ | FAST Pack Standard: 20g, Maximum 30g | ^ Owner of Record: | Greenwood Security Services, LTD | ^ | Roughriders, Inc. | ^ | Various others | ^ Purpose: | Interceptor | ^ Crew: | 1 Pilot | ^ Status: | Active | ^ Armaments: | One, two, or four small-caliber Pulse Lasers | ^ | One 3-barrel 55mm GU-11 gatling pod | ^ | Six underwing hardpoints | ^ | With FAST Pack: 40 GPM-12 "Stiletto" short-range missiles | ===VF-1 Valkyrie=== One of the most visually stunning and recognizable mecha designs in anime history, the VF-1 was a natural choice for Stonewell-Bellcom Aerospace's first project. With the F-14 Tomcat (the VF-1's visual design inspiration) consigned to the boneyard by the US Navy, salvaging the airframes seemed a logical starting point. 40 Tomcats were salvaged before interference from Iranian agents caused American security to crack down, closing off SBA's access to additional units. The manufacturing process, like most Fennish production during that period, involved a thorough bath of Handwavium in conjunction with constant replays of the various Macross anime, games, and soundtracks in the manufacturing bays. The transformation took between five and eight days per unit, with SBA's technicians able to work on up to six at a time. The resultant fighter was fast, maneuverable, and versatile, its armor capable of standing up to many of the weapons commonly in use at the time and its quirks typically limited to a requirement for a soundtrack to be playing in the cockpit during combat. Stonewell-Bellcom was able to hand-build a number of additional units during the Boskone War. The only other party using them was the Roughriders, who provided BAT technicians to assist in the construction. After the war ended the VF-1 was superseded in GSS and Roughrider service by the VF-4. Black Aeronaut Technologies compiled the accumulated expertise and offered to license production of the Valkyrie for sale on the Fennish civilian and military market. ====Models==== * VF-1H: The initial handwavium-derived model. Only 40 of these were built. Officially considered a sub-variant of the VF-1A. * VF-1J: The standard fighter deployed by GSS and Roughriders, with two head/turret mounted lasers and fittings to accept FAST packs. * VF-1J FAST: Fuel Armor Sensor Tactical packs were designed to increase the flight and combat endurance and capacity of the VF-1J. Initial plans had been passed around but were not finalized until after the heavy losses of the initial phases of the Boskone War. The FAST augmentation packs add maneuver verniers, sensor equipment, life support and fuel stores, and two four-tube mini-missile launchers with five Stiletto missiles per tube. Additional armor is fitted over the fusion turbines and the arms, allowing them to be used to block incoming fire from light weapons. * VF-1J FAST STRIKE: Either or both of the FAST pack's missile pods can be removed and replaced by other weapon mounts. The most common is a dual turbolaser mount powered by the fighter's fusion turbines. This is generally used only when mission requirements dictate because the massive power requirements of the turbolaser are a heavy drain on the fighter's fuel supply. * VF-1S: Almost identical to the VF-1J, the VF-1S is fitted with four pulse lasers in the turret mount and improved communications and sensory electronics. It is typically piloted by squadron commanders or members of elite units. * VF-1S FAST and FAST STRIKE: Like the VF-1J, the -1S can be fitted with FAST augmentation packs. * VF-1L: The -1L is a purpose-built EWAR model. It has the two-man cockpit of the -1D and -1E models, except the second seat has no flight controls. Instead, it has a suite of controls for its sophisticated electronics warfare package, tailored explicitly towards illuminating stealthed units, blinding enemy units, and spoofing radar ghosts of itself or other friendlies. Rather than a laser turret, the -1L instead has high-power antennas that are used for it's illumination and blinding. The antennas are powerful enough to overpower even HARM-based tracking systems. * VF-1L FAST RECON: Building off the electronic warfare capability of the -1L model, these specially fitted FAST packs carry far more passive sensors that their cousins, and additionally extend the range and survivability of a Veritech on a recon mission. Depending on mission requirements the -1L can also carry standard FAST and FAST STRIKE packs but this is considered a "special missions only" package. * VF-1A: With only a single turret laser and lacking attachment points for the FAST packs, the VF-1A is the standard export model to legitimate military customers. (While the FAST pack attachment points and software are not provided, they are easy enough to customize after purchase.) Customers include the United States Navy, British Royal Navy, Great Justice, Space Patrol, and several independent factions. * VF-1C: The -1C is designed specifically for the civilian market. While completely unarmed (the turret laser replaced by a communications antenna), it is still capable of wielding a compatible gun pod in Battroid or Gerwalk mode, and the underwing hardpoints are still present (intended for additional fuel, life support, cargo, or other mission augmentation packs). This is a popular sale item and a major profit item for Black Aeronaut Technologies and, by way of licensing fees, Stonewell-Bellcom. * VT-1D: Identical to the VF-1J except for the extended cockpit and airframe, and expanded life-support and fuel stores. The VT-1D has a two-seat cockpit intended for training use, but can also be used for critical courier missions or passenger transport. * VT-1E: Effectively a VF-1C with the extended frame and dual cockpit of the VT-1D, the VT-1E is just as popular as its single-seater companion on the civilian market. -- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
Hmmm.... BAT would probably also build...
*VF-1L: The -1L is a purpose-built EWAR model. It has the two-man cockpit of the -1D and -1E models, except the second seat has no flight controls. Instead, it has a suite of controls for its sophisticated electronics warfare package, tailored explicitly towards illuminating stealthed units, blinding enemy units, and spoofing radar ghosts of itself or other friendlies. Rather than a laser turret, the -1L instead has high-power antennas that are used for it's illumination and blinding. The antennas are powerful enough to overpower even HARM-based tracking systems.
How about calling it VF-1R (R for Recon)?
-- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode. 
VF-1L; "El Int" varient.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky? That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry- NO QUARTER!!! -- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children
Ah, thanks Star. Dunno why the L designation never popped out at me.
As for R.... VF-1L FAST RECON: Building off the electronic warfare capability of the -1L model, these specially fitted FAST packs carry far more passive sensors that their cousins, and additionally extend the range and survivability of a Veritech on a recon mission.
OK, -1L and -1LFR added to the post.
I can also see a "special ops" unit with one FAST RECON pod and one FAST STRIKE pod... added mention that this was possible for special missions. -- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
@BA: what happened to the idea of the "Companion Drones" ?
Just thought of a line to add to the L:
"Rumors of a gunpod style EM Jammer powerful enough to achieve a 'mission kill' on enemy receivers inside of dogfighting range (less than 2km) remain just that. Unconfirmed rumors" Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky? That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry- NO QUARTER!!! -- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children
BA: http://www.fenspace.net/i...php5?title=VF-1_Valkyrie
-- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode. HRogge Wrote:@BA: what happened to the idea of the "Companion Drones" ?Oh, that'll still happen, but it'll probably be more commonly seen with the VF-4s rather than the VF-1s. We can say that the idea was played with (CGI's terminology) using modified FAST packs for VF-1s and then perfected for a formal roll-out on the VF-4s. Alright! Page looks great, Norway. 
ECSNorway Wrote:BA: http://www.fenspace.net/i...php5?title=VF-1_ValkyrieThat is an impressive write-up. I notice mention of the "British Royal Navy". In terms of hard-tech already in use: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrier_Jump_Jet do you think that these would respond well to handwavium? The reason I ask is that they are quite iconic, and seeing as they are being declared obsolete about 2010, I wouldn't be surprised if waving them would be the sort of secret 'militiary research' on the use of handwavium that has been mentioned, once or twice. Supersonic? Space-capable? Can fly backwards? Sideways? Flying-saucer type manoeuvrability? What would happen if the 'Macross' handwavium process was done on a Harrier? Of course, "Doctor Who" fans will want space-capable Spitfires. [grin] http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Victory_of ... V_story%29 -- "It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind Ace Dreamer Wrote:I remember seeing early unclassified footage of Harrier landings - the aircraft were bouncing a few times on landing because the pilots didn't quite understand how to land a VTOL at the time. That image of "bouncing jump-jets" is likely to have been stuck in the collective subconscious...ECSNorway Wrote:BA: %[link=http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?title=VF-1_Valkyrie]http://www.fenspace.net/i...php5?title=VF-1_Valkyrie]That is an impressive write-up. Ace Dreamer Wrote:Of course, "Doctor Who" fans will want space-capable Spitfires. [grin]http://www.fenspace.net/index.php5?title=Timelords]Yep... -- Rob Kelk "Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of the same sovereign, servants of the same law." - Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
So... random thought. GTI has an Astroball team. What should they be named, and what should their logo look like?
The Greenwood City team will be sponsored directly by Marsden, of course, and in the early years of the league would be the Rockhounds team. The school will have its own independent team. So... Greenwood City Rockhounds (logo: Man in cartoon spacesuit standing on a rocky surface, with a stylized solar system in the background). Their preferred vehicles are handbuilt, usually old mining skiffs, and look like something straight out of Junkyard Wars. GTI/Greenwood U ... don't have a team name yet. I figure their mounts will be 'waved motorcycles, though. -- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.
An astroball team name... Hmmmmm...
Greenwood ... The green wood... Barnsdale Wood or Sherwood... Robin Hood... the "Merrymen," perhaps? -- Rob Kelk "Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of the same sovereign, servants of the same law." - Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
{{Infobox Character
|name = Jenny Lambretta |image = |image_size = |caption = |birth_name = |birth_date = |birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = |body_discovered = |death_cause = |resting_place = |resting_place_coordinates = |residence = [[Greenwood City|Greenwood] |nationality = [[Fenspace Convention] |ethnicity = Caucasian |citizenship = Dominion of Canada / [[Greenwood City|Greenwood] |other_names = |known_for = |education = B.S. Astronomy (University of Toronto), M.B.A. ([[Greenwood Technical Institute|Greenwood U) |alma_mater = |employer = [[Rockhounds] |occupation = Field Operations Liaison |years_active = |home_town = Toronto, Dominion of Canada |title = |salary = |networth = |branch = |serviceyears = |rank = |unit = |commands = |height = |weight = |term = |predecessor = |successor = |party = |opponents = |boards = |religion = |spouse = [[Lynn Dolittle] |partner = |children = |parents = |relations = |callsign = |awards = |mission = |insignia = |signature = |website = |footnotes = }} ''Created by ECSNorway'' Jennifer Lambretta is the second daughter of Canadian industrialists Hugh and Jessica Lambretta, an 'old money' family with investments in several fields. Long interested in the economic opportunities associated with space travel, she graduated from the University of Toronto in 2009 with a degree in Astronomy (and a minor in Law). She immediately applied, successfully, for a position with the newly-formed Rockhounds Inc. == Rockhounds == Her initial position was 'Field Operations Liaison', a business euphemism for the people who interfaced between the corporation and the independent miners who prowled the Belt. Jenny proved as adept at handling the cussedly independent miners as she did the corporate hierarchy, and rose through the ranks quickly. By 2016 she was Vice President of the Field Liaison Department. In 2022, when Chris Marsden stepped down from the CEO's position, Jenny was named his chosen successor. == Attitude == Jennifer prefers to maintain a casual attitude, carefree and easygoing most of the time. This 'soft touch' usually works well for her, especially when dealing with the hard-nosed, irascible sorts who take up small-scale belt prospecting. She's just as good when it comes time to take charge, give orders, and get in peoples' faces, though. That combination is what attracted Rockhounds' higher-ups to her, resulting in her rapid rise through the corporate hierarchy. == Lifestyle == Jenny and her wife, Lynn Dolittle, maintain a comfortable residence in Greenwood City. Both hold Valkyrie pilots' licenses, and enjoy flying when they are both able to get away at the same time. They are active in the community and Convention scene, as well, including several charitable groups. In 2018, they adopted five-year-old Sally Ford, whose parents had been killed in a mining accident. Jenny is bio-modded, having deliberately sought out a change based on her favorite anime. Her 'Lum, Princess of Uru' costume had won 'Best of Show' at a Toronto convention in 2007, and in 2011 she reprised the role with the assistance of some guacamole. == Mundane Skills and Abilities == * Excellent businesswoman with strong leadership skills and intimate knowledge of economics. * Valkyrie pilot licensed by Greenwood City * Very competent amateur astronomy * Filthy Rich == Handwavium-Based Abilities == * ''Red Oni, Blue Oni... Green Oni?'' Jennifer possesses all the abilities to be expected of a Royal Urusian Oni, thanks to her biomod. These include flight, a minor upgrade in strength and toughness, and of course Lum's signature electrokinesis. -- Sucrose Octanitrate. Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode. Quote:Jennifer possesses all the abilities to be expected of a Royal UrusianI'm quite prepared to be corrected, but I think you'd need more than a standard biomod to get Lum's abilities. You might get her appearance, and a Quirk like "only owns one set of clothes", maybe with the minor upgrade in strength and toughness. Off-hand, I can't think of an in-story mechanism that would give you the lot, as a standard biomod of a human. You'd need something like an artificial leg or two in which you'd installed a speed drive, an artificial arm with a taser built in. Then get those morphed into flesh-and-blood by the biomod, but keep the abilities, maybe as 'cyber implants', maybe as their biological equivalents. I was wrong! I did think of a way to do it. [grin] -- "It is the business of the future to be dangerous" - Hawkwind |
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