Fwurg

[High Lord Yllia]

((OOC: This thread takes place on Glasslyn, in the capital city. This thread is private to the following factions: Veolian Commonwealth, Praetorian Empire, Unified Republic of Darya, Sundarian Federation, Socialist Republic of Niom, Miomanian Colonists, The Confederaty of Excaria and The Silver Forests of Remunzia))

The conference building is a newly build, underground research lab, constructed in what seems to be a dome of a natural cave. Each delegation has been assigned their own wings in several new buildings within the conference complex. Each of these has been fitted with correctly sized interior, atmospheric conditioners and upholstery to suit the delegations and their respective needs.


((OOC: The new Underground Sundarian Research Center.))

The entrances to the underground complex are guarded by especially selected guards in formal attire, bearing ceremonial arms and their standard weaponry is stashed on hand. On the grounds themselves there is a distinct lack of guards, or other forms of visible military. The grounds are navigable by walking, and direction signs point the way to all relevant locations (in the native scripts of the respective delegations).

The conference complex boasts a staff of skilled attendants, cooks, entertainers, teachers, medical personnel, and other staff at the respective delegations requests.

The summit on Colonization and Galactic Survey and Scanning Techniques start of with an introductory speech by High Lord Yllia, followed by three weeks of lectures, discussions and workshops. The programme shows the lectures divided into two tracks: Colonization and Galactic Survey & Scanning Techniques. Each delegation has the opportunity to give a primary lecture in a track of their choice. The rest of the time in the tracks is filled with secondary lectures and discussions.

A plenary discussion closes the summit at the end of the three week schedule of lectures and workshops. The topic of the plenary discussion is the variety of Colonization and Galactic Survey related technologies, and the wishes concerning mutual research into these areas or other arrangements starting from this summit.

((OOC: The separate tracks are meant to give everyone a chance to post a speech/lecture and a subject of their choosing. This allows us to exchange some insight into the workings of our respective factions. Any subject outside any of the tracks but requiring the input of multiple members present at the Union can also be brought to the attention of the delegations, by means of a separate discussion.

Please use the following template for your speech, and follow it with the actual speech:

Title: Lorem Ipsum
Speaker: Dolor Sit Amet.
Category: Hyperspace Sensory techniques

"Short description/abstract goes here -- useful when we can search through the forum."

To allow for some interaction (instead of just posting a speech) the idea is to allow the asking of questions: if you want to ask a question related to a certain speech, please PM the player that wrote the speech. Since the speeches are public, it is the responsibility of the original poster to edit the (paraphrased) question into the speech post. This cuts down on the number of question/answer posts littered throughout the thread.

You can assume that anything from a white-board up to a full-auditorium holo projector is available. Any other requirements within reason are made available.

The posting of speeches should be done by the 29th of Februari))

[High Lord Yllia]

Once everybody is seated High Lord Yllia enters the main auditorium, followed by the Lady de Montreve and two aides in formal attire.

"Ladies and Gentleman, honored Senators, esteemed Guests,

The delegations gathered here represent a third of the Union member worlds, and it is a great pleasure to welcome each of you to our home planet.

It is my hope that this summit will continue the spirit of cooperation and progress to benefit the Union as demonstrated by the successes of the Summit on Mirda. Members of both the Lady de Montreve's and my personal staff will be available to deal with any requests or wishes, within reason, your separate delegations might have. I myself will be attending several lectures and host a formal event to conclude this summit.

It is my hope that you find your accommodation in accordance with your wishes and that your stay here may be both pleasant and productive.

Thank you. "

[Sundarian Federation]

Title:Exploring the vastness of space
Speaker: Adrianna Kolirodeas, Sundarian Astronomy Society
Category: Galactic Surveying

Adrianna is one the latest's additions to the Sundarian Astronomy Society, is currently specializing in Observational Astronomy, scanning and surveying the galaxy, here presenting her proposal for specialized survey fleets.

" Honored Guests, it is my pleasure to address you on this subject today, and I am honored to stand before such delegation of our Union states.

In astronomy, the main source of information about celestial bodies and other objects is the visible light or more generally electromagnetic radiation. Observational astronomy may be divided according to the observed region of the electromagnetic spectrum, which extends for visible light, through the electromagnetic spectrum all the way to astronomy relying on neutrino emission. Some parts of the spectrum can be observed from a Planet's surface, while other parts are only observable from either high altitudes or space.

To gather this data we have a variety of specialist equipment at our disposal, ranging from relatively simple shipboard scanners and probes, (radio)telescopes to observational satellites and custombuild observation-research stations. These are sufficient to study the galaxy to gain a basic understanding of the inner workings of space and study a wide range of phenomena, and provide detailed data and monitoring options on a solar system scale.

A projection is shown to cover various ways to observe and study the galaxy, giving a short explanation to the specific limitations, advantages and disadvantages per piece of equipment.

For the purpose of a search for suitable, safe locations to establish a colony, the vastness of space becomes an issue and we can no longer rely on the data we can gather through study with telescopes and space station, because the required amount time required to scan each and every corner of the galaxy, and the time it would take for the data, light or radio-waves, to travel back and forth from our intent sector target, leaving us with inaccurate data the moment the scan is initiated, which upon completion of the scan has already become useless. The navigational scanners, communication probes and beacons with which our ships and infrastructure are equipped still provide accurate data, but this data is either of insufficient detail or severely distorted by hyperspace travel or other sources of interference.

A short projection explains the theorem and possible problems caused by interference or data-distortion caused by hyperspace or other gravitational phenomena

In order to facilitate an accurate, in-depth study of possible locations, suitable for colonization, and cover the vastness of space in a respectable amount of time, I propose the formation of specialized fleets, equipped with all the necessary scanners, probes and other diagnostic tools, run by specialized personnel and researchers, to conduct an on-site study in sectors of interest.

Adrianna enters into detail, addressing the various tools and programs to be used, the qualifications of the crew and research personnel and the requirements for the ships and equipment.

This safes time and resources, and provides the possibility of a more detailed search for a location to suit the specific demands of a contractors interest. And should we run into a phenomena that has never been encountered before, the whole Union could benefit from it directly as we would have the researchers already on-site to study it in greater detail.

I thank you for your interest and time, if there are any questions I would be most happy to answer them. "

Questions
After the speech the following questions are answered by Adrianna Kolirodeas

[Praetorian Empire]

Title:Towards specialized colony deployment through one-shot hyper-drives.
Speaker: Felix Candari, Lead Scientist on Exotic Matter Solutions.
Category: Colonization

"Welcome everybody,

Everybody knows that finding a suitable location for a colony is not the finish line. There is still a lot of work to do when you have a location in mind. One of the important things that still has to be done is building the actual colony. Since there is no high tech mining equipment on site yet and there is probably no housing yet for the miners we have to ship all this in from our home systems. If we would do this in small pieces in normal cargo ships it will take ages and a lot of tax to get everything on site. Our researchers have been doing some theoretical experiments on this subject.

We think this is a matter of assembling the right Construction Materials and using the right Exotic Matter Devices . One of the solutions to make the effort of setting up a colony a lot cheaper would be using specialized construction materials and assembling most of the colony at home before we ship it. What we need to do is build and assemble the whole colony at home and launch it to its destination. standard deployable housing and exotic matter powered mining equipment that is custom made for the job. We assemble this package and cover it with shields to withstand space travel, hyperspace jumping and a 'landing'.

Now we need to get this 'colony' to its destination through hyperspace. We propose to build large specialized one-shot hyper-drives to make the journey from home system to destination. When the colony arrives at its destination it can use small maneuvering thrusters powered by dark matter fuel cells to attempt to land it smoothly. After the impact that the shields should be able to hold the colony is in place and all the space travel equipment can be disassembled. What is left of the hyper drive and maneuvering thrusters can be used to power the mining equipment. In effect this all would make it cheaper to build and transport the colony and more efficient since we can reuse all the hardware that is used. With support of other factions we are willing to look into the specifics.

Thank you"

[Veolian Commonwealth]

Title: Workforce projection through focused migration and integration
Speaker: Dr. Narsu Sepidor, assistant researcher at the University of Nar Vikal, Mirda
Category: Colonization

Dr. Narsu Sepidor, a well-muscled veolian, slowly walked onto the dais after it was announced that he is going to present his preliminary work on workforce projection.

"Greetings everyone.", he started in a strong voice, "I am doctor Narsu Sepidor, and I'll talk a bit about my work at the University of Nar Vikal."

"As many of you already know, the Veolian Commonwealth has a population of roughly 12 billion people. While the planet can sustain at least an additional 7 billion, we should look towards the future, and plan accordingly. Especially now that new technologies have become available that allow the mingling of different species. To this end the university of Nar Vikal was tasked with finding ways to allow more efficient use of available real estate, and find new ways of distributing population and workforce."

The veolian tapped in the remote, and an image of a domed colony on a world with a clearly toxic atmosphere showed.

"One of my research projects has led me to believe that colonization might be one of the main factors in efficiently and productively distributing population load over a larger area of real estate. The prevalent opinion for efficient colonization is the use of droids and heavy machinery to increase the productivity of the colony. However, we all know that droids are less than suited for difficult tasks."

Again he taps the controls, and a video of three droids pops up.

"As an example, these droids are tasked with the distribution of TPR-2 in this field of plants. TPR-2 is a simple growth enhancing enzyme, and any farm-hand will know not to let the spray come into contact with the plants. The droids have received the instruction to evenly distribute the enzyme, and make sure that the plants are not directly covered. Let's see what happens."

The video shows the droids quickly and efficiently processing the first rows of the field and coming back to refill their equipment. After they refilled their equipment, they conferred in high-pitched tones, and continued with the immediate and efficient execution of their task. When they are done they can be seen returning the equipment to the filling station, and making their way to the storage shed, walking straight across the field and destroying roughly 10% of the plants.

"While the issue here is, of course, one of programming. This would not have happened had they a sentient supervisor that would've directed them in their decision-making.

I propose to look into technologies that allow the migration of larger population groups, and the development of integration methods to allow these population groups to get used to their new environment quickly and in good spirit. Not only will this ensure the natural growth of the colony, it will also increase the colonies resilience against unknown factors, and offer new opportunities for those that chose to volunteer as a colonist.

Secondly, the development of these technologies will also allow the Union to assist refugees by offering them a more permanent home, and helping them integrate into the culture of their choosing.

Thank you for your attention, and please don't hesitate to ask questions."

[Senator Salixa of the Silver Forests of Remunzia]

Title: Network Centric Colonization
Speaker: Senator Salixa
Category: Colonization

"Though I have the honour of presenting this research, it was not my own, but the result of the cooperation between the Socialist Republic of Niom and the Silver Forests of Remunzia. Senator Ght'Twwf has kindly agreed to allow me to deliver the speech."

There was a strange tension in the room where nobody wanted to say that they were very happy about this, but everyone agreed that this was the case.

"Many question the morality of colonising in itself. But when a nation has decided it must colonize a new site, we must be careful to limit the environmental impact our presence may have on the native natural environment.

Too often do colonists arrive only to start immediately taking what they can without regards to the impact they have. Soon they find that the easy pickings are gone and leave again, a dead colony staying behind. Not only is this a grave crime against the natural world, but it is also extremely wasteful. Establishing colonies is a hugely expensive undertaking and draining all resources and then leaving is hugely inefficient. In this, such a strategy is not just immoral, it is downright foolish.

A network centric model for colony construction changes all that. Rather than having one huge base on top of the easiest pickings, we propose developing methods to make smaller, modular, interconnected nodes around the site, each balancing itself with the natural environment for maximum efficiency with minimal environmental impact.

As an added advantage, such a model allows the modules to follow a standard design template which is repeated many times. Producing many of the same small object is easier, more efficient and more environmentally friendly than producing one large object. Thus, the modular approach is not only more environmentally friendly, but it also reduces the total cost of setting up the colony.

With so many possible advantages, how could we ignore this avenue of research?"