05-23-2015, 05:42 PM
(05-23-2015, 04:08 PM)Nyumii Wrote: Yay, it's back!
I was kind of wondering about what purpose does the Exploratory Fleet serves, in light of the fact that Avali tribes are interstellar nomadic groups. Am I right in assuming that tribal fleets generally only visit/colonize star systems that were mapped out beforehand by the Exploratory Fleet? What other functions does the EF serve, and how large is this fleet - or more specifically, if there are multiple smaller fleets within this overarching faction, how large is a typical task force? Do these groups travel with an armed escort in uncharted territory as a precaution?
All groups, exploratory, nomadic tribal units etc. have "adequate" defences to fend to off pirates, uppity natives etc. at the very least sufficient to cover their escape or hold the line until the actual military fleet arrives with reinforcements and real firepower. (And if holding the line isn't viable, they'll use that nomadic wilderness survival know-how to abandon the position to take it back later)
The exploratory fleet is a mixture of pure exploration (Boldly going where novali has gone before, and adding those data logs to the system), and ordered research at the behest of the council/oracle (We need more data on X, please organise a suitable task group to carry out this project. Based on existing data the oracle suggests location X be assigned to tribe Y, they will probably need Z resources allocated for this purpose). In many ways the EF is itself still made up of tribes with specialities, just tribes that operate somewhat differently to the civilian infrastructure.
As you surmise the "fleet" isn't a single unit that goes about all together but breaks up into task groups depending on what needs to be done where.
The civilian nomad fleets don't usually go beyond systems that have had at least cursory examination by the exploration fleets. The civilian tribes are assigned goals based on their expertise and past performance, for example "We will need X resource. The oracle thinks your tribe can do this, if you accept you will be allocated Y supplies to set up the infrastructure and carry out the work. Based on existing data, sites A, B and C may be good locations to consider." The roles carried out by the nomad fleets typically cover all forms of industry and agriculture for example...
- Miners with orbital refineries and asteroid mining drone swarms.
- Agricultural with mobile hydroponic/aeroponic farming facilities that can manufacture and deliver huge quantities of food and biological products on the doorstep for colonies.
- Manufactures with multi-purpose, zero-G, drone-assisted/3D printed assembly lines that can fabricate almost anything from digital blueprints in bulk
- Logistics with bulk haulers that can transport finished supplies between colonies and tribes, or complete trade deals with non-avali races.
Larger tribes tend to have access to entire specialised ships. Smaller tribes may be less mobile and instead erect temporary infrastructure planetside, such as greenhouses, or modular fabrication facilities that can be taken away once they're done.
Given the lack of an official currency, there isn't really a "commercial" sector in that sense. And entertainment/recreation facilities tend to exist either digitally (via the nexus infrastructure), or as facilities and attractions unique to that tribe. Specialist roles like teaching, medical, etc can all be handled via the nexus infrastructure. Even complex surgery can be handled by a simple robot with the right program installed!.