The charism of an order is any of the spiritual graces and special characteristics which are exhibited by the order as a result of the vows they have taken and the orientation of the order to its task in the Church. Traditional charisms are embodied in the works of a teaching order (Jesuits) as compared with that of a missionary order (Maryknolls) or one devoted to the care of the poor(Missionaries of Charity). Often in the Church new orders, with new charisms, come into being to address some new situation or difficulty for the Church. For example the Dominicans (the Order of Preachers) was founded to counteract the Albigensian heresy.
One such order founded in the declining years of the Progressive Era is the Actors of St. John Paul. Founded by Blessed Curro Aguilar the special charisms of the Actors is the preaching of the Gospel and the teachings of the Church, especially to young people, through the medium of performance.
When the diaspora occurred members of the order quickly followed the spreading humanity to ensure that faith was not left behind.
The order's work in this area have resulted in the formation of the largest fleet of private couriers in both the Midlands and the Wilds, almost exclusively dedicated to the service of the Church.
Where ever they go Actors establish radio and video communication systems. They foster theater and music, all dedicated to teaching the faith of the Church, especially to the young.
Members of the order can most readily be identified by their devotion to Mary. While most have adopted the black jumpsuit with Roman collar worn by many other priests, they uniquely wear a blue rosary bracelet which is worn with another bracelet which consists of five white stones upon which are engraved the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary.
Actor courier ships tend to be run like small monasteries, with the crews following the order of the hours amid their shipboard work. They uniquely contain not only a chapel, but also a stage/studio where the performance of Christian plays is a regular occurrence.
The order is headed by a Master of the Order, who during the time period of New Diasporia is Fr. Nicolas Socius. Because the area of the New Diasporia is so far ranging local provincial governors have great flexibility and independence, as long as they keep to the rule of the order. Individual communities, which may be a ships crew or provincial house are run by a director, who is appointed by the provincial, with concurrence of the Master of the Order. The Master is appointed by the Pope from a list of three candidates proposed by the provincials. A number of roving censors act as agents of the Master and report to him on the functioning of the various communities.
Individual Actors sometimes take assignments from local Bishops or even the Holy Father himself. There have been several Actors who have been raised to Cardinal in the past, but none at the present time.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sky Rover Air Utility Vehicle
The Air Utility Vehicle is a fusion powered vehicle fitted with a Barnes-Gutierrez Engine. It is open topped and not pressurized.
The Sky Rover is a versatile vehicle which seats five. It can carry 12.5 cuft of cargo in its boot and substantially more in lieu of passengers. It is primarily designed as a working vehicle for use outside urban traffic areas. Although it is fitted with a central traffic control system, it is designed to be flown using manual controls or its own automatic pilot unit. The flight control system includes a multiscanner and passive array sensor. The Sky Rover model has both a standard long-range radio and a laser communicator, and is quite capable of maintaining communication with an orbiting spacecraft.
A light duty tractor/pressor beam assembly allows for manipulation of external cargo or towing. It can easily lift two people in an emergency.
Lights are mounted on the front of the vehicle for forward illumination. And it has standard aerial running lights. Landing lights are mounted in recessed fixtures beneath the vehicle for night landings. It maintains its own artificial gravity field, allowing for high G maneuvers without impacting passenger comfort.
The vehicle has a light duty force field, which can be adjusted to act as a rain cover or to maintain an environmental bubble, although then a life support system must be installed in the boot rack.
The windshield has reactive tinting and meets the highest standards for aerial fauna strikes.
Ventral fittings are waterproof, allowing the Sky Rover to engage in water landings. The vehicle is not configured for water operations in rough seas, but can operate from calm lakes and pools.
Electronics and other systems which are vacuum sensitive are sealed to allow high altitude and orbital operation. Passengers will have to wear vacc suits or cybersuits, but the vehicle includes an air system mounting bracket in the boot to which standard breathings systems can be connected. This allows operation in hostile environments even with its force field down.
The rear passenger seats may be folded up to provide a flat cargo bed. A tractor cargo tie down system prevents cargo shifting.
The Sky Rover comes with a minitool kit, standard. It is stored in its own compartment beneath the drivers seat.
A light duty tractor/pressor beam assembly allows for manipulation of external cargo or towing. It can easily lift two people in an emergency.
Lights are mounted on the front of the vehicle for forward illumination. And it has standard aerial running lights. Landing lights are mounted in recessed fixtures beneath the vehicle for night landings. It maintains its own artificial gravity field, allowing for high G maneuvers without impacting passenger comfort.
The vehicle has a light duty force field, which can be adjusted to act as a rain cover or to maintain an environmental bubble, although then a life support system must be installed in the boot rack.
The windshield has reactive tinting and meets the highest standards for aerial fauna strikes.
Ventral fittings are waterproof, allowing the Sky Rover to engage in water landings. The vehicle is not configured for water operations in rough seas, but can operate from calm lakes and pools.
Electronics and other systems which are vacuum sensitive are sealed to allow high altitude and orbital operation. Passengers will have to wear vacc suits or cybersuits, but the vehicle includes an air system mounting bracket in the boot to which standard breathings systems can be connected. This allows operation in hostile environments even with its force field down.
The rear passenger seats may be folded up to provide a flat cargo bed. A tractor cargo tie down system prevents cargo shifting.
The Sky Rover comes with a minitool kit, standard. It is stored in its own compartment beneath the drivers seat.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Rutter
A rutter is a navigational chart of subspace, especially for the regions in the Wilds which are not marked by gravity anchored subspace beacons. Even in the Midlands it is common for a world or confederation or empire of worlds to post a subspace beacon in an area of subspace which gives access to their system. Of course even in the Midlands there are worlds which chose to remain hidden, or at least to make outside navigation difficult.
In the Wilds many groups deliberately seek to hide their presence, or at least attempt to remain unknown to all but their friends. Others simply do not have the capability to maintain a subspace beacon.
In the absence of a beacon a ship traveling subspace must rely on inertial navigation and gravitational topology plotting, a very dangerous prospect, especially when there is not a supporting structure like the Highland's Department of Roads gravitational sensors and storm warnings to allow advanced notice of moving gravitational shear planes, i.e. susbspace storms. A rutter is a record of the path taken by another vessel which gives lapsed time, inertial navigational data and gravity plots of areas of subspace which are not marked with beacons. It is basically a set of data that can be loaded into the navigational computer system of a vessel that will allow that vessel to follow the course of the ship that recorded the rutter.
Most rutters are not public knowledge, but are instead carefully guarded proprietary secrets of traders or merchants. Often explorers will attempt to cash in on the strength of their rutters. The Church attempts to collect sets of rutters which they will often publish in an attempt to open up a region, though not always immediately, sometimes delaying use to themselves for reasons of limiting exploitation of degraded cultures.
In the Wilds many groups deliberately seek to hide their presence, or at least attempt to remain unknown to all but their friends. Others simply do not have the capability to maintain a subspace beacon.
In the absence of a beacon a ship traveling subspace must rely on inertial navigation and gravitational topology plotting, a very dangerous prospect, especially when there is not a supporting structure like the Highland's Department of Roads gravitational sensors and storm warnings to allow advanced notice of moving gravitational shear planes, i.e. susbspace storms. A rutter is a record of the path taken by another vessel which gives lapsed time, inertial navigational data and gravity plots of areas of subspace which are not marked with beacons. It is basically a set of data that can be loaded into the navigational computer system of a vessel that will allow that vessel to follow the course of the ship that recorded the rutter.
Most rutters are not public knowledge, but are instead carefully guarded proprietary secrets of traders or merchants. Often explorers will attempt to cash in on the strength of their rutters. The Church attempts to collect sets of rutters which they will often publish in an attempt to open up a region, though not always immediately, sometimes delaying use to themselves for reasons of limiting exploitation of degraded cultures.
Warsuit
A Warsuit is an advanced form of power armor made with a laminate of nanomaterials, hyperdense armor and liquid metal. It is powered by a micro-fusion engine. Like the cybersuit it has a dynamic instant chameleon surface which can absorb light to charge the backup power cell, which can be used to make the suit even more stealthy.
Also like a cybersuit a warsuit is self-adjusting, allowing one size to fit all. It is designed to operate in a wide variety of hostile environments, including the vacuum of space and even subspace. It provides radiation shielding, climate control and total life support, recycling gaseous, liquid and solid waste to support extended use.
Nano-motors provide muscle amplification of the user's strength. Its smart materials construction gives the suit self repair capability, utilizing a nanotech liquid metal gel layer buried among its other layers.
The warsuit contains a contragrav/B/G harness and tactical force field. The former gives high mobility and the latter both increased protection and enhanced stealth. A tractor-pressor beam assembly gives the same capabilty as gravitic waldos or a gravitic screwdriver.
The integrated helmet includes advanced sensors, which can provide sight and hearing protection as well as enhanced vision and hearing. The suit includes multiscanner capability. The user is monitored by a biosensor system which includes trauma maintenance. The HUD allows integration of weapon targeting systems for a multitude of offensive systems. Most weapon systems have their own power supplies and integrate with the suit through encrypted ultra short range encrypted EM.
The tactical computer is integrated with both the suits sensors and the encrypted communication system to allow a warsuit to act as part of a distributed tactical sensor array, which can give a combat leader a more integrated tactical picture.
Warsuits are the standard heavy combat armor of the Star Legion.
Also like a cybersuit a warsuit is self-adjusting, allowing one size to fit all. It is designed to operate in a wide variety of hostile environments, including the vacuum of space and even subspace. It provides radiation shielding, climate control and total life support, recycling gaseous, liquid and solid waste to support extended use.
Nano-motors provide muscle amplification of the user's strength. Its smart materials construction gives the suit self repair capability, utilizing a nanotech liquid metal gel layer buried among its other layers.
The warsuit contains a contragrav/B/G harness and tactical force field. The former gives high mobility and the latter both increased protection and enhanced stealth. A tractor-pressor beam assembly gives the same capabilty as gravitic waldos or a gravitic screwdriver.
The integrated helmet includes advanced sensors, which can provide sight and hearing protection as well as enhanced vision and hearing. The suit includes multiscanner capability. The user is monitored by a biosensor system which includes trauma maintenance. The HUD allows integration of weapon targeting systems for a multitude of offensive systems. Most weapon systems have their own power supplies and integrate with the suit through encrypted ultra short range encrypted EM.
The tactical computer is integrated with both the suits sensors and the encrypted communication system to allow a warsuit to act as part of a distributed tactical sensor array, which can give a combat leader a more integrated tactical picture.
Warsuits are the standard heavy combat armor of the Star Legion.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Railguns
The classic railgun consists of a pair of rails through which electricity is sent to produce an accelerating magnetic field. Ammunition, typically highly dense depleted uranium is fired from the railgun at a velocity exceeding 11,000 ft/sec. At such a speed the kinetic energy yield is superior to an equivalent amount of explosives in the same round. In space the range of this kind of railgun is limited and it is primarily of use only against stations and other predictable or stationary targets.
A gravity pulse railgun uses a gravity gradient to provide acceleration. Unlike the classic electromagnetic railgun the rounds do not need to be ferrous (or have a ferrous sabot.) That means conventional smart ammunition can be used. This allows for a great variety of ammunition types to be employed. Smart ammunition is most effective at short ranges, usually no greater than planetary orbit, where they are effectively employed as precision guided dead fall ordinance. At any range over a few hundred miles solid core ballistic hyperdense rounds are used.
In space combat railguns can fire rounds from 40mm to 100 mm. Most are setup to feed from a variety of magazines to allow selected fire from the fire control or gunner's station. They are capable of both a high rate of fire or single shot operation.
In the anti-missile roll gravity pulse railguns typically use canister shot, a round consisting of any where from a dozen to a hundred beads of hyperdense designed to create a cloud of destructive material to kill incoming missiles.
Railguns are most often used in an anti-missile role, and against encroaching small craft. Used with rounds outfitted with gravity pulse warheads a railgun can even damage force screen protected targets. They are very effective against planetary targets and conventionally armored military craft.
Ranges are still short compared to missiles or energy weapons, but the flexibility of payload combined with high rate of fire makes the railgun an important niche weapon in space combat.
A gravity pulse railgun uses a gravity gradient to provide acceleration. Unlike the classic electromagnetic railgun the rounds do not need to be ferrous (or have a ferrous sabot.) That means conventional smart ammunition can be used. This allows for a great variety of ammunition types to be employed. Smart ammunition is most effective at short ranges, usually no greater than planetary orbit, where they are effectively employed as precision guided dead fall ordinance. At any range over a few hundred miles solid core ballistic hyperdense rounds are used.
In space combat railguns can fire rounds from 40mm to 100 mm. Most are setup to feed from a variety of magazines to allow selected fire from the fire control or gunner's station. They are capable of both a high rate of fire or single shot operation.
In the anti-missile roll gravity pulse railguns typically use canister shot, a round consisting of any where from a dozen to a hundred beads of hyperdense designed to create a cloud of destructive material to kill incoming missiles.
Railguns are most often used in an anti-missile role, and against encroaching small craft. Used with rounds outfitted with gravity pulse warheads a railgun can even damage force screen protected targets. They are very effective against planetary targets and conventionally armored military craft.
Ranges are still short compared to missiles or energy weapons, but the flexibility of payload combined with high rate of fire makes the railgun an important niche weapon in space combat.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Trinity Stats
Here are the full stats of the Trinity. It was designed with an application called GURPS Modular Vehicles using the rules from GURPS Space 3rd Edition, except for the force field and B/G engines, which are custom for New Diasporia. It was purchased by the Knights of Columbus, donated to the Bishop of the Fabury Diocese and refitted at the shipyard at Fabury.
Originally designed as a high end courier this ship has been refitted as an exploration/mission ship.
Crew: 6 Total. 2 Command and Control.
Hull: 50,000 cuft USL, Medium Frame, Standard Materials, Superdense (Standard) Armored Cylinder configuration Hull (DR 100, Electrified, Thermal Super-conducting Armor, Robotic, Instant Chameleon, Solar absorbtion Skin), Total Compartmentalization.
Control Areas: Small Bridge (Hardened, Genius, Robotic, Complexity 7), Advanced Sensors, Special Sensors (Gravity).
Engineering: Fusion Core, 6 Fusion Power Slice, Energy Bank (1,125,000 MWs), 3 Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Shunt (Must be used with a B/G maneuvering engine, 1.47 / 1.94 Pc/Day), 15 Barnes-Gutierrez Drive (This does not include Hyperdrive shunting., 122.09 / 161.53 Gs, 60,000 stons thrust), Artificial Gravity, Light Contragravity (1,000 stons Aerostatic Lift).
Accommodations: Luxury Cabin, 5 Cabin, Chapel, Full Life Support, Automed Bay (5 Patients), Complete Workshop (3 Users).
Misc: Combination Beam.
Armaments: 1,000 New Disporia Force Screen (DR 1,000), Nuclear Damper (10 mi), 1 Small Triple Turret Battery of 1 (DR 100, Lt Railgun, Lt Tight Particle Beam, Lt X-Ray Laser), 1 Small Triple Turret Battery of 1 (DR 100, Lt APAW, Lt Missile Bay [40], Hv Missile Bay [16], KK Lt Grav Missile Load [40], KK Hv. Grav Missile Load[16]).
Stores: 20 Cargo, 11 HUV Vehicle Bay (11-ton TTRT-class Hyper Utility Vehicle), Sky Rover Vehicle Bay (Sky Rover Air Utility Vehicle, 0.5 dtons for small craft available).
Statistics: DMass 371.44 stons, EMass 371.44 stons, LMass 491.44 stons, Base Cost kP627.8, Load Cost kP143.9, Total Cost kP771.8, HP 11,832, Damage Threshold 1,183, Size Mod +8, HT 12, 38 Man-Hours/day Maintenance.
Space Performance: 1.47 / 1.94 Pc/Day, sAcc 75.81 Gs (max load)/122.09 Gs (normal load)/161.53 Gs (fuel load)/161.53 Gs (dry load).
Air Performance: aSpeed 600 mph, Skimming aSpeed 67,278 mph, aLift 61,000 stons.
Sample Times : Orbit 0.00 Hrs, Escape Velocity 0.00 Hrs, Earth-Mars 9.92 Hrs.
All times are Earth Std, Full Load.
Printed with GMV Version 2.32.01 on 3/16/2011 9:23:55 PM
Copyright © 2011 by TerryC
50,000-cuft St. Andrew-class Schooner, Trinity (TLA)
Originally designed as a high end courier this ship has been refitted as an exploration/mission ship.
Crew: 6 Total. 2 Command and Control.
Hull: 50,000 cuft USL, Medium Frame, Standard Materials, Superdense (Standard) Armored Cylinder configuration Hull (DR 100, Electrified, Thermal Super-conducting Armor, Robotic, Instant Chameleon, Solar absorbtion Skin), Total Compartmentalization.
Control Areas: Small Bridge (Hardened, Genius, Robotic, Complexity 7), Advanced Sensors, Special Sensors (Gravity).
| Communicator Range (mi) | Radio | Maser | Laser | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Bridge | 50,000,000 | 50,000,000 | 10,000,000 |
| Sensors Range/Rating (mi) | Passive | Active | Radscanner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Sensors | 70,000/40 | 200,000/43 | 45,000/39 |
| Gravscanner | 100,000/50 | 0/0 | 0/0 |
Engineering: Fusion Core, 6 Fusion Power Slice, Energy Bank (1,125,000 MWs), 3 Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Shunt (Must be used with a B/G maneuvering engine, 1.47 / 1.94 Pc/Day), 15 Barnes-Gutierrez Drive (This does not include Hyperdrive shunting., 122.09 / 161.53 Gs, 60,000 stons thrust), Artificial Gravity, Light Contragravity (1,000 stons Aerostatic Lift).
Accommodations: Luxury Cabin, 5 Cabin, Chapel, Full Life Support, Automed Bay (5 Patients), Complete Workshop (3 Users).
Misc: Combination Beam.
Armaments: 1,000 New Disporia Force Screen (DR 1,000), Nuclear Damper (10 mi), 1 Small Triple Turret Battery of 1 (DR 100, Lt Railgun, Lt Tight Particle Beam, Lt X-Ray Laser), 1 Small Triple Turret Battery of 1 (DR 100, Lt APAW, Lt Missile Bay [40], Hv Missile Bay [16], KK Lt Grav Missile Load [40], KK Hv. Grav Missile Load[16]).
| Weapon Name | Qty | Type | Acc | SS | Dmg | RoF | 1/2 Rng | Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lt Railgun | 1 | -8 | 4d+13(5) | (+0) | ||||
| Lt Tight Particle Beam | 1 | -4 | 2d+6(4) | (+0) | ||||
| Lt X-Ray Laser | 1 | -2 | 2d+4(2) | (+0) | ||||
| Lt APAW | 1 | -3 | 3dx5(2) | (+0) | ||||
| Lt Missile Bay [40] | 1 | (+0) | ||||||
| Hv Missile Bay [16] | 1 | (+0) |
| Missiles/Probes | Qty | DR | G-Rds | Exp Dmg | KK-Dmg | Size | AMod | PMod |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KK Lt Grav Missile Load [40] | 1 | 350G | 6dx10(5) | 0 | ||||
| KK Hv. Grav Missile Load[16] | 1 | 500 | 6dx40(5) | 0 |
Stores: 20 Cargo, 11 HUV Vehicle Bay (11-ton TTRT-class Hyper Utility Vehicle), Sky Rover Vehicle Bay (Sky Rover Air Utility Vehicle, 0.5 dtons for small craft available).
Statistics: DMass 371.44 stons, EMass 371.44 stons, LMass 491.44 stons, Base Cost kP627.8, Load Cost kP143.9, Total Cost kP771.8, HP 11,832, Damage Threshold 1,183, Size Mod +8, HT 12, 38 Man-Hours/day Maintenance.
Space Performance: 1.47 / 1.94 Pc/Day, sAcc 75.81 Gs (max load)/122.09 Gs (normal load)/161.53 Gs (fuel load)/161.53 Gs (dry load).
Air Performance: aSpeed 600 mph, Skimming aSpeed 67,278 mph, aLift 61,000 stons.
Sample Times : Orbit 0.00 Hrs, Escape Velocity 0.00 Hrs, Earth-Mars 9.92 Hrs.
All times are Earth Std, Full Load.
Printed with GMV Version 2.32.01 on 3/16/2011 9:23:55 PM
Copyright © 2011 by TerryC
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
St. Andrew-class Schooner
The schooner is a fast, lightly armed ship. They are often used as yachts or courier vessels. It is a perfect vessel for an itinerant Great Hero and his companions, whether a lone wolf or the member of a great martial order.
This St. Andrew-class Schooner was designed as a high end courier, but has been refitted as an exploration/ mission vessel. It is lightly armed (for the most dangerous parts of the Wilds at any rate,) and is equipped at TL A, which makes it quite a formidable vessel even with its light armament.
The specific ship that will be described in detail will be Darvis' ship, the Trinity. Since I will be covering this vessel in some detail it will be covered in several posts.
The Trinity is built on a 50000 cuft, cylindrical robot hull. It is outfitted with two triple turrets one on its ventral and one on its dorsal side. It has a superdense armored hull with a super thermal conducting, dynamic instant chameleon surface, which can be electrified and is capable of absorbing power to charge its 1,125,000 MWs Energy Bank, which is primarily used to power the ship's weapons and force field. It also contains a fusion power plant capable of producing 240 MW. It has a top acceleration of about 120 Gs. It's Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace engine is shunt capable. It also has a countragravity engine, which allows it to land and take off from a world even without its Barnes-Gutierrez engine, or park 1000 feet in the air, anchored by a gravity anchor.
Accommodations consists of a luxury owner's cabin and five cabins which can berth ten (though Darvis runs them at single occupancy.) There is a chapel, of course, and an automed bay/sickbay. The ship also boasts a workshop complete with minifactories.
The vessel contains an advanced communication and navigation suite, including a subspace beacon driven autopilot navigation system, a universal GPS unit, VORN system, inertial navigation system, an advanced proximity detection system and a gravity sensor navigation system. It also has advanced military grade sensors including radscanners, multiscanners and gravscanners.
This St. Andrew-class Schooner was designed as a high end courier, but has been refitted as an exploration/ mission vessel. It is lightly armed (for the most dangerous parts of the Wilds at any rate,) and is equipped at TL A, which makes it quite a formidable vessel even with its light armament.
The specific ship that will be described in detail will be Darvis' ship, the Trinity. Since I will be covering this vessel in some detail it will be covered in several posts.
The Trinity is built on a 50000 cuft, cylindrical robot hull. It is outfitted with two triple turrets one on its ventral and one on its dorsal side. It has a superdense armored hull with a super thermal conducting, dynamic instant chameleon surface, which can be electrified and is capable of absorbing power to charge its 1,125,000 MWs Energy Bank, which is primarily used to power the ship's weapons and force field. It also contains a fusion power plant capable of producing 240 MW. It has a top acceleration of about 120 Gs. It's Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace engine is shunt capable. It also has a countragravity engine, which allows it to land and take off from a world even without its Barnes-Gutierrez engine, or park 1000 feet in the air, anchored by a gravity anchor.
Accommodations consists of a luxury owner's cabin and five cabins which can berth ten (though Darvis runs them at single occupancy.) There is a chapel, of course, and an automed bay/sickbay. The ship also boasts a workshop complete with minifactories.
The vessel contains an advanced communication and navigation suite, including a subspace beacon driven autopilot navigation system, a universal GPS unit, VORN system, inertial navigation system, an advanced proximity detection system and a gravity sensor navigation system. It also has advanced military grade sensors including radscanners, multiscanners and gravscanners.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Liturgical Year
One result of reunification has been the resolution of the ages old problems of the liturgical calendar. The Church's calendar has always allowed for the celebration of local feast days and memorials, which differed from region to region. It has also faced the problem of disagreements on specific calendars between the eastern and western rites and even within rites (such as the disparate cycle of feasts that existed between the Ordinary and Extraordinary forms of the Latin Rite which developed in the twenty-first century.)
The cycle of the liturgical calendar follows the traditional order of the Church. Starting in Advent, which is four weeks before the date of Christmas. Easter continues to be set based upon the cycle of Earth's moon using the Computus. Easter day is the first Sunday after the 14th day of the lunar month (the nominal full moon) that falls on or after 21 March. This is nominally the day of the vernal equinox on Earth. Lent is the 44 days (forty days plus Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday. Pentecost is 50 days after Easter. The Septuagesima before Lent and the Sundays of Pentecost have been restored. The Church has added the season of Kingdomtide, which consists of the four Sundays at the end of the year before Advent, during which the period of Endtimes is uppermost in the mind of the Church. This is one of the most visible signs of reunification.
Solemnities, that is the great Church Feast Days have for the most part been returned to their traditional dates. Feast Days and memorials are probably as varied as they have ever been during the history of the Church, as bishops have been given latitude in this regard, on account of the great number of Saints who have blessed the Church, especially from the progressive era.
The three year cycle of liturgical readings, which was found very beneficial for the edification of the faithful, continues, even in many of the non-Latin Rites and variant Usages.
Priests, religious and many members of the laity continue to pray the Liturgy of the Hours also called the Holy Office in a variety of forms, which are authorized for their use. Since the Office is linked to the calendar of Solemnities, feasts and memorials there is a great variation in the specifics of the Office from region to region. Electronic Breviaries are available which contain all of the variations and can select the correct readings based on location. Of course for monasteries, convents and parishes old fashioned bound copies are also available.
The cycle of the liturgical calendar follows the traditional order of the Church. Starting in Advent, which is four weeks before the date of Christmas. Easter continues to be set based upon the cycle of Earth's moon using the Computus. Easter day is the first Sunday after the 14th day of the lunar month (the nominal full moon) that falls on or after 21 March. This is nominally the day of the vernal equinox on Earth. Lent is the 44 days (forty days plus Sundays) between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday. Pentecost is 50 days after Easter. The Septuagesima before Lent and the Sundays of Pentecost have been restored. The Church has added the season of Kingdomtide, which consists of the four Sundays at the end of the year before Advent, during which the period of Endtimes is uppermost in the mind of the Church. This is one of the most visible signs of reunification.
Solemnities, that is the great Church Feast Days have for the most part been returned to their traditional dates. Feast Days and memorials are probably as varied as they have ever been during the history of the Church, as bishops have been given latitude in this regard, on account of the great number of Saints who have blessed the Church, especially from the progressive era.
The three year cycle of liturgical readings, which was found very beneficial for the edification of the faithful, continues, even in many of the non-Latin Rites and variant Usages.
Priests, religious and many members of the laity continue to pray the Liturgy of the Hours also called the Holy Office in a variety of forms, which are authorized for their use. Since the Office is linked to the calendar of Solemnities, feasts and memorials there is a great variation in the specifics of the Office from region to region. Electronic Breviaries are available which contain all of the variations and can select the correct readings based on location. Of course for monasteries, convents and parishes old fashioned bound copies are also available.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Calendar
The calendar used in the Grand human Union is the Earth centric Gregorian Calendar which is still used at Rome during the diaspora period. It is based on the birth of Christ as calculated by the monk Dionysius Exiguusin in 525 A.D. This is the official dating method used by both the Church and the civil government. Many worlds also have a local date which is dependent upon local planetary orbit and world rotation, but this is not used by the civil government of the Union.
A dual day system is used by most local populations. In space, and in any other place where the local day is not reasonably applicable to human living cycles, a 24 hour day based on Roman Standard Time is used. This is 1 hr after Greenwich Mean Time aka Coordinated Universal Time.
Anywhere a reasonable local day exists (typically defined as a day between 20 and 30 hrs long,) that day is used with the local day divided into temporal hours made up of varying amounts of minutes, based on the actual astronomical length of the local day.
The Church divides the day based on the ancient liturgical hours, which are only loosely tied to exact hours. For Roman Standard Days the times are the traditional time. For local days the periods between each liturgical hour are lengthened or shortened as needed. The exact designated times are set by the local ordinary.
Those times are the traditional times as set by the Church. The Angelus is prayed three times a day, at 6 am, noon and 6 pm. It is typically marked by the triple stroke repeated three times of the Angelus Bell. It is traditional for the morning Angelus to be prayed with Lauds (morning prayer) and for the evening Angelus to be prayed with Vespers.
Other Hours are Matins or the Office of Readings, which has no specific time and Compline, which is the last prayer of the day.
Hours are typically rung at religious houses and at parishes. The Legion similarly marks the hours, at least in the non-minority units.
A dual day system is used by most local populations. In space, and in any other place where the local day is not reasonably applicable to human living cycles, a 24 hour day based on Roman Standard Time is used. This is 1 hr after Greenwich Mean Time aka Coordinated Universal Time.
Anywhere a reasonable local day exists (typically defined as a day between 20 and 30 hrs long,) that day is used with the local day divided into temporal hours made up of varying amounts of minutes, based on the actual astronomical length of the local day.
The Church divides the day based on the ancient liturgical hours, which are only loosely tied to exact hours. For Roman Standard Days the times are the traditional time. For local days the periods between each liturgical hour are lengthened or shortened as needed. The exact designated times are set by the local ordinary.
Those times are the traditional times as set by the Church. The Angelus is prayed three times a day, at 6 am, noon and 6 pm. It is typically marked by the triple stroke repeated three times of the Angelus Bell. It is traditional for the morning Angelus to be prayed with Lauds (morning prayer) and for the evening Angelus to be prayed with Vespers.
Other Hours are Matins or the Office of Readings, which has no specific time and Compline, which is the last prayer of the day.
Hours are typically rung at religious houses and at parishes. The Legion similarly marks the hours, at least in the non-minority units.
Monday, March 7, 2011
So what do they wear?
One of the most common characteristics of those in clerical and religious vocations throughout history has been their custom of wearing clothing which differentiates them from the laity. In the late twentieth century, in the heart of the Progressive Era, there was a movement by some priest and religious to adopt the style of dress of the laity, which was generally a sign of heresy or at least a rebellion against orthodoxy. This short lived and generally abortive practice, almost none of the religious orders who adopted this convention survived past the middle of the twenty-first century, signaled the low point for religious vocations. In the decades and centuries that followed clerics and religious orders returned to the traditions of the past, with reasonable accommodations for their situation.
As it has been for centuries the Roman military collar, a "collarino" that covers a white collar almost completely, except for the top edge and a small white square at the base of the throat, is worn by priests of the Roman, Anglican Ordinate, and many other rites. The cossack, a traditional ankle length robe with a Roman collar, continues to be worn within Church environs as house dress. Outside, in the world, priest, at least diocesan priests, tend to wear clothing which matches local norms, with the exception that a Roman collar is worn. So if a shirt and slacks is the common business dress a priest will wear the same, though often in grey or black or some other color, with a Roman collar. In space it is not uncommon to see a priest in a black jumpsuit with a Roman collar.
Permanent deacons are not constrained to the wearing of religious attire except when actually engaged in their ministry. So while most possess a set or two of clerical garb most wear it only occasionally.
Religious clerics and brothers continue to wear the religious habit, most commonly consisting of a robe and cowl. In space the robe is often replaced by the more practical jumpsuit toped with a separate cowl which falls above the shoulders.
The garb of religious sisters tends to run to the traditional when in the convent or cloister and toward the veil and holy habit when in public. In space, where gravity fields may be variable, most women religious wear a two piece pajamas, typically in black or the color of their regular habit, often with a hair band instead of a veil. A crucifix or rosary is often part of the habit of many orders. A pin or badge is often affixed to the pajama top of many orders in place of this sacramental.
As it has been for centuries the Roman military collar, a "collarino" that covers a white collar almost completely, except for the top edge and a small white square at the base of the throat, is worn by priests of the Roman, Anglican Ordinate, and many other rites. The cossack, a traditional ankle length robe with a Roman collar, continues to be worn within Church environs as house dress. Outside, in the world, priest, at least diocesan priests, tend to wear clothing which matches local norms, with the exception that a Roman collar is worn. So if a shirt and slacks is the common business dress a priest will wear the same, though often in grey or black or some other color, with a Roman collar. In space it is not uncommon to see a priest in a black jumpsuit with a Roman collar.
Permanent deacons are not constrained to the wearing of religious attire except when actually engaged in their ministry. So while most possess a set or two of clerical garb most wear it only occasionally.
Religious clerics and brothers continue to wear the religious habit, most commonly consisting of a robe and cowl. In space the robe is often replaced by the more practical jumpsuit toped with a separate cowl which falls above the shoulders.
The garb of religious sisters tends to run to the traditional when in the convent or cloister and toward the veil and holy habit when in public. In space, where gravity fields may be variable, most women religious wear a two piece pajamas, typically in black or the color of their regular habit, often with a hair band instead of a veil. A crucifix or rosary is often part of the habit of many orders. A pin or badge is often affixed to the pajama top of many orders in place of this sacramental.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
So How Big is the Universe?
One question that is likely to come up is how big are the Highlands? How far do the Wilds stretch from Earth?
Humanity has had the Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine for just over a century. Theoretically if someone left the Solar System the year the B/G Engine was invented and had traveled constantly for that whole time they could be over 9000 light years from Earth. In actuality the span of mankind's explorations are just over quarter of that number.
It is generally agreed that the Wilds encompass a diameter of 5000 light years. Of course the Milky Way itself is only about 1000 light years thick, so that it is really only meaningful to speak of the Wilds in the band of stars extending either toward Sagittarius and galactic center or in the opposite direction toward the galactic rim. The 1000 light year diameter sphere of the Highlands encompasses the entire thickness of the galaxy. Beyond there is only the Galactic Halo region, an area of gas and the occasional rogue star.
The Midlands are considered to consist of a flattened torus 2500 light years in diameter, a distance also only meaningful in the band along the galactic disk.
Every year the border of the Midlands moves twenty-five light years into the Wilds. This is effected primarily by Midland planetary governments suppressing piracy, imposing the rule of law-and-order, often brutally, and opening up worlds which have been isolated to trade and outside scrutiny.
Likewise the Highlands encroach on the Midlands primarily through political and industrial action at a rate of about a dozen light years a year. This is done by voluntarily incorporating worlds into the Great Human Union and tying them to the infrastructure of the Highland worlds. This is most often done by extending Blue Highways to worlds just outside the Highland borders. Soon Major Routes, with their more extensive superstructure and hypercable transmitter stations replace the Blue Highways and the previously independent worlds find themselves with a seat in the Highland Parliament and under the jurisdiction of a Highland Count or Countess, at least as far as offworld interests are concerned.
Those that resists soon become backwaters. It is a rare world which can resist the services of the Grand Postal Service and Department of Roads, institutions which tie humanity together.
Since incorporation into the Grand Human Union is the overt temporal agenda of the Church, a decision whose reasons are based on social justice criteria and prudential moral ethics most worlds face a great deal of pressure to join the Union rather than maintain independence.
The system is not perfect and from time to time a world will resist, but over a longer duration the benefits of membership simply overcome most resistance.
Humanity has had the Barnes-Gutierrez Hyperspace Engine for just over a century. Theoretically if someone left the Solar System the year the B/G Engine was invented and had traveled constantly for that whole time they could be over 9000 light years from Earth. In actuality the span of mankind's explorations are just over quarter of that number.
It is generally agreed that the Wilds encompass a diameter of 5000 light years. Of course the Milky Way itself is only about 1000 light years thick, so that it is really only meaningful to speak of the Wilds in the band of stars extending either toward Sagittarius and galactic center or in the opposite direction toward the galactic rim. The 1000 light year diameter sphere of the Highlands encompasses the entire thickness of the galaxy. Beyond there is only the Galactic Halo region, an area of gas and the occasional rogue star.
The Midlands are considered to consist of a flattened torus 2500 light years in diameter, a distance also only meaningful in the band along the galactic disk.
Every year the border of the Midlands moves twenty-five light years into the Wilds. This is effected primarily by Midland planetary governments suppressing piracy, imposing the rule of law-and-order, often brutally, and opening up worlds which have been isolated to trade and outside scrutiny.
Likewise the Highlands encroach on the Midlands primarily through political and industrial action at a rate of about a dozen light years a year. This is done by voluntarily incorporating worlds into the Great Human Union and tying them to the infrastructure of the Highland worlds. This is most often done by extending Blue Highways to worlds just outside the Highland borders. Soon Major Routes, with their more extensive superstructure and hypercable transmitter stations replace the Blue Highways and the previously independent worlds find themselves with a seat in the Highland Parliament and under the jurisdiction of a Highland Count or Countess, at least as far as offworld interests are concerned.
Those that resists soon become backwaters. It is a rare world which can resist the services of the Grand Postal Service and Department of Roads, institutions which tie humanity together.
Since incorporation into the Grand Human Union is the overt temporal agenda of the Church, a decision whose reasons are based on social justice criteria and prudential moral ethics most worlds face a great deal of pressure to join the Union rather than maintain independence.
The system is not perfect and from time to time a world will resist, but over a longer duration the benefits of membership simply overcome most resistance.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
St. Martin
St. Martin is a TL A world in the diocese of the same name. It is a crossroads where Major Rt 232 meets Major Rt. 221. Highway 6622 also opens on this world. It has a population of 2 billion people spread out over a dozen large population centers and numerous smaller villages and towns.
There is a Highland Rangers Station located in orbit around St. Martin's primary. It is under the command of a Lieutenant of Rangers and is the base for a relatively large number of patrol corvettes which patrol the surrounding dioceses.
While there are tens of thousands of local churches, chapels and oratories, belonging to a number of different rites located on St. Martin, there are only two major churches. The Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral named for St. Joseph is located in Thalasserry, St. Martin's largest city. St. Barnabas Basilica, a church of the Roman Rite, is also on St. Martin. At one time St. Barnabas was the Roman bishop's seat in the diocese, but fifty years ago the seat was moved to WoodSocket, the location of the Shrine of Our Lady of WoodSocket.
St. Martin has a massive transmat system which joins together all of the major cities and many of the smaller ones. Many of the towns and villages are also connected to regional transmat terminals which allow rapid travel to almost anywhere on the planet. This is supplemented by a legacy hybrid transmat enhanced high speed train system from the early days of transmat use,
The relatively ubiquitous presence of transmat portals means that the population to vehicle ratio on St. Martin is very high. Power vehicles are generally for industrial use, or primarily for off world private use.
Like many worlds in the Grand Human Union the government of St. Martin can best be described as a republic. The world itself is divided into 100 Governoral Districts. Each district elects a governor, who is the chief executive officer of the district, as well as a District Council. Each district also elects a representative to the Planetary Council, which meets in Thalasserry at Government House. Districts are not of fixed geographic size, rather they more or less are designed to be relatively equal in population, though due to migration this is not always the case. A few Districts have relatively small population and so tend to be unequally represented.
The Planetary Council appoints a representative to the Grand Parliament to represent St. Martin in the Upper House. Citizens of St. Martin also vote, along with other citizens of the county for a representative to the Lower House of Parliament.
There is a Highland Rangers Station located in orbit around St. Martin's primary. It is under the command of a Lieutenant of Rangers and is the base for a relatively large number of patrol corvettes which patrol the surrounding dioceses.
While there are tens of thousands of local churches, chapels and oratories, belonging to a number of different rites located on St. Martin, there are only two major churches. The Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral named for St. Joseph is located in Thalasserry, St. Martin's largest city. St. Barnabas Basilica, a church of the Roman Rite, is also on St. Martin. At one time St. Barnabas was the Roman bishop's seat in the diocese, but fifty years ago the seat was moved to WoodSocket, the location of the Shrine of Our Lady of WoodSocket.
St. Martin has a massive transmat system which joins together all of the major cities and many of the smaller ones. Many of the towns and villages are also connected to regional transmat terminals which allow rapid travel to almost anywhere on the planet. This is supplemented by a legacy hybrid transmat enhanced high speed train system from the early days of transmat use,
The relatively ubiquitous presence of transmat portals means that the population to vehicle ratio on St. Martin is very high. Power vehicles are generally for industrial use, or primarily for off world private use.
Like many worlds in the Grand Human Union the government of St. Martin can best be described as a republic. The world itself is divided into 100 Governoral Districts. Each district elects a governor, who is the chief executive officer of the district, as well as a District Council. Each district also elects a representative to the Planetary Council, which meets in Thalasserry at Government House. Districts are not of fixed geographic size, rather they more or less are designed to be relatively equal in population, though due to migration this is not always the case. A few Districts have relatively small population and so tend to be unequally represented.
The Planetary Council appoints a representative to the Grand Parliament to represent St. Martin in the Upper House. Citizens of St. Martin also vote, along with other citizens of the county for a representative to the Lower House of Parliament.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Transmat Portals
Though the theoretical possibility of transmat technology was revealed by the work of the renowned physicist Fr. Borland Barnes in the early years of the twenty-third century it was not until the middle of that century that transmat portals became a reality.
Large masses in real space are reflected in subspace topology as gravitational plateaus separated from the subspace ground plane by massive gravitational shear planes. The plateaus float on the subspace ground plane their isolation from the rest of subspace imposed by the destructive shear planes.
A transmat portal is a subspace gate, which is made by using a hyperspace drill to create an opening to subspace which is located on the gravitational plateau which is the reflection of a world. It is connected to another portal which opens out to normal space at another location on the same plateau, the same world. The hyperspace drill creates the virtual tunnel which allows the gates to be placed back to back in subspace yet open to portals many thousands of miles apart in real space.
In the early years of their construction transmat gates were rare and most often used to supplement other forms of transportation. A high speed train or road which goes through a transmat portal can span continents in an instant. As transmat technology became cheaper to utilize public pedestrian transmat portals become common. Eventually private transmat portals were possible to allow those who could afford them the capability to go from an office or apartment in the city to a home on a tropical island in an instant.
An individual transmat portal opens exclusively to its matching portal. Each gate is placed utilizing a hyperspace drill. No action by the user of the portal is required. They just have to step through. It is possible to have many transmat portals in the same area, all leading to different destinations. However a large number of subspace openings in an area does require that the subspace structure be gravitationally fortified. This is one of the functions of the hyperdrill, to stabilize subspace topology in an area where a large number of gate portals have been constructed.
On TL B worlds it is still common to see individual gates which lead to a single destination. On TL A worlds it is much more common for public transmat portals to be located at transmat terminals. A transmat terminal has a large number of gates, usually arrange in some kind of logical sequence, leading to various remote locations. Some of them will lead to other terminals. Others to single remote gate portals. There is often a nominal fee for using a portal, typically no more than a milli or two, although some portals are free to use. For example, the Blakely Square portal leading to the Shrine of Our Lady of WoodSocket does not charge a fee for use. There is usually not a separate fee charged to passengers if a train uses a transmat portal on its regular route. There may be a toll if a road utilizes a transmat portal.
Large masses in real space are reflected in subspace topology as gravitational plateaus separated from the subspace ground plane by massive gravitational shear planes. The plateaus float on the subspace ground plane their isolation from the rest of subspace imposed by the destructive shear planes.
A transmat portal is a subspace gate, which is made by using a hyperspace drill to create an opening to subspace which is located on the gravitational plateau which is the reflection of a world. It is connected to another portal which opens out to normal space at another location on the same plateau, the same world. The hyperspace drill creates the virtual tunnel which allows the gates to be placed back to back in subspace yet open to portals many thousands of miles apart in real space.
In the early years of their construction transmat gates were rare and most often used to supplement other forms of transportation. A high speed train or road which goes through a transmat portal can span continents in an instant. As transmat technology became cheaper to utilize public pedestrian transmat portals become common. Eventually private transmat portals were possible to allow those who could afford them the capability to go from an office or apartment in the city to a home on a tropical island in an instant.
An individual transmat portal opens exclusively to its matching portal. Each gate is placed utilizing a hyperspace drill. No action by the user of the portal is required. They just have to step through. It is possible to have many transmat portals in the same area, all leading to different destinations. However a large number of subspace openings in an area does require that the subspace structure be gravitationally fortified. This is one of the functions of the hyperdrill, to stabilize subspace topology in an area where a large number of gate portals have been constructed.
On TL B worlds it is still common to see individual gates which lead to a single destination. On TL A worlds it is much more common for public transmat portals to be located at transmat terminals. A transmat terminal has a large number of gates, usually arrange in some kind of logical sequence, leading to various remote locations. Some of them will lead to other terminals. Others to single remote gate portals. There is often a nominal fee for using a portal, typically no more than a milli or two, although some portals are free to use. For example, the Blakely Square portal leading to the Shrine of Our Lady of WoodSocket does not charge a fee for use. There is usually not a separate fee charged to passengers if a train uses a transmat portal on its regular route. There may be a toll if a road utilizes a transmat portal.
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