PROSPERITY STATION RESIDENTS - PERSONAL OBJECTIVES

Note:  All the residents had slightly differing personal objectives, representing their particular perspective on the situation.  Nobody was aware of other people's objectives at the outset.

Colonial Officers of Police (COP)

You are the main arm of the civil power on Prosperity Station. The Chief of Police reports to the Colonial Officer on policy and financial matters, but has sole responsibility for operational matters. In the event of a disagreement, the matter can be referred to the Colonial Office on Meo (there is a 20-turn communications delay).

Objectives:

  1. Maintain law and order. The maintenance of order is more important that the strict adherence to the law out here in the asteroid belt.
  2. Ensure that the police gain maximum credit. You really want to get transferred off this backwater station, so need to be able to look good to your superiors back on Meo.
  3. Capture Pirates. In addition to this contributing to objective 2, there are substantial rewards for the capture of certain pirate captains, alive, for trial. Dead isn’t nearly as good.
  4. Keep as many of your officers alive as possible. You know them and their families well, and don't want to have to visit too many grieving widows.

 
Station Management

The Station Manager is responsible to the investors for the profitable operation of this station. The Solmine Corporation owns the station, and licences it's use to various subcontractors and service providers (such as bars, shops etc). However, the station is operating in Martian Association space, and therefore is subject to colonial government oversight. A colonial official is located on the station, responsible for ensuring regulation compliance (taxes, health and safety, that sort of thing), and law and order (there are also police here). Protection against military threats is provided by a detachment of Martian colonial marines.

Objectives

  1. Keep damage to the station to an absolute minimum. This installation has a significant credit value.
  2. Ensure that the employees of Solmine (your staff and the construction workers) are not unnecessarily killed or injured - they are insured, but unusually large losses will affect premiums.
  3. Ensure that your promotion prospects are not unduly affected by events. You hope to be promoted off this station as soon as possible.

Colonial Officialdom

The Colonial Administrator is responsible to central government for ensuring that the occupants of Prosperity Station pay taxes, follow the various regulations (such as health and safety) and obey the law. To do this they have a police force (though this not under operational control, the Administration influenced police policy through resources and a civilain Police Authority). Operational control for the police rests with the Chief COP.

The Administrator is also the civilian authority responsible for the Martian Colonial Marine Detachment. Again, the Marine CO has sole responsibility for operational matters, but must act on the Administrator's requests.

Objectives

  1. Make sure the station runs peacefully and in good order.
  2. In the event of a crisis, ensure that civilian casualties are at a minimum. As a committed Martian (from the Home Systems), you believe that a human life is beyond price.
  3. Ensure that your career is not adversely affected by events. As a career civil servant, your performance in this post may well fit you for promotion, perhaps to Assistant Governor, if you do well.

Miners

The mining teams are led by hard bitten, tough and resourceful belter miners (that's you that is).

Each mining gang has roughly the same status, and being Martian, you tend to work by consensus. Occasionally one leader will be more significant, but not always.

 

Objectives

  1. Ensure your reputation as hard types is not damaged.
  2. Make sure your equipment is not stolen or damaged. This is essential for your profitability, and without it you are, in effect, unemployed.
  3. Make sure that as many of your gang as possible survive.

Construction Teams

Construction teams are tough and resourceful. You have only just finished building this station, and the final snagging is being completed. Soon you will be going home with fat bonuses on your pockets.

The construction team leaders report to the Station manager, who represents the Corporation that employs you (SolMine).

 

Objectives

  1. Ensure your reputation as hard types is not damaged.
  2. Make sure your equipment is not stolen or damaged. This is essential for your profitability, and without it you are, in effect, unemployed.
  3. Make sure that as many of your team as possible survive.

Martian Marine Corps

The Martian marine corps is the finest in human space. This detachment is on a roulement tour of outlying installations in the Meo system. Your force expects to spend about 4 months here then get moved on.

The CO has been taken ill and invalided back to Meo Station several weeks ago, so the understrength Group is currently being commanded by the senior Lieutenant.

The marines' constitutional position is that they are, in the event of an emergency, to give aid to the civil power.

In this case the civil power is the Station Colonial Administrator. He may not give you operational orders, but you must attempt to meet his requests and work with him. In the event of civil disorder, the Chief Of Police can declare a State of Emergency, and request marine assistance.

In certain, rare, circumstances, the senior Marine can declare martial law and take complete control of everything. This will almost always result in a court of enquiry, after the event, to determine whether the marine acted lawfully - so it should be used only in exceptional circumstances.

Objectives

  1. Obey orders
  2. Defeat the enemy.
  3. That's all.

 

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© Jim Wallman 2002