That is very helpful.
Considering it sounds like nation-states fall and rise with regularity, I imagine people can have about as much fun with these as Nebula California.
Well, the magic and superpowers wouldn't/shouldn't show up, since that was really a peculiarity with the Nebula itself, but throwing just about any system conceivable with tech about the late Succession Wars would be how I'd approach it. (Again, the Tetakuni keep an eye on their human preserves, and show up to restrict any destabilizing tech, while not-too-incidentally keeping the humans from progressing TOO far as to pose a real threat to themselves.)
Okay. One last thing, if you're up for it: Your version of Terra in the Fic.
The reason I'm asking is because I may want to visit your version of this reality. Sure, I can make up my own, but that's easy. And, it would be easy to rope in the Second Hand Lions history, as well, and call it legit for the adventure in question. But, it would still be fun to have your take on Humanity's cradle.
Terra in this scenario would likely be in a state of roughly Star League-era technology, but broken up into nations along largely cultural bounds. A simplified version of Europe might emerge in which nations with close enough lingual and cultural ties have fused (i.e. Germany and Austria, France and Belgium, a fully united Ireland, multiple Slavic states arrayed in confederations, etc.) with perhaps a more fragmented mainland Asia (break up China and Russia a bit, free Nepal, an independent Kashmir state, all of the southern Russian states broken free, a re-ordered Middle East, perhaps with a free Kurdistan), a more stable and self-defined African continent (i.e. borders no longer defined by wherever some fallen Colonial Power drew an arbitrary line), perhaps more Pacific Rim alliance groups, new Australian and Antarctic nation-states, South American confederations dominating the economic and political atmosphere of the Western Hemisphere, as there is no USA any more (instead, it's a collective of warring states more like we saw in Crimson Skies; the USA collapsed for good back in the early space colonial days--it's just not coming back after millennia of divisions; Alaska may be its own nation, Canada may be broken into at least two or maybe three countries as well).
Then we get into the varied states of Luna and Mars, each divided among three or four major power blocs that may or may not have Terran roots. The Transient States of Venus (now centered around sky-cities that float in the sweet spots above the hellish, high-pressure surfaces a-la a bunch of Bespins), confederations of the Jovian and Saturnine lunar/station-based settlements, and the sturdiest Belter groups.
Human DropShip tech remains in place, mind you, so in-system travel is no problem around Sol here--so long as nobody razes all the ship-builders--meaning that trade and travel to all these fun polities would be doable in your campaign. Just bear in mind that not every faction will have the same level of sophistication; not everyone will have access to BattleMech, battle armor, aerospace, and starcraft industries. The "superpowers" will likely be those that can build both 'Mechs and DropShips alike, while others may be restricted to shuttlecraft and tanks, or battle armor and fighters, or a reliance on bigger allies. And all of it alternating between low-intensity fighting and tense "peacetimes." Think of it all as a microcosm of a late Succession Wars-era Inner Sphere, with the Tetakuni playing the role of a slightly nicer ComStar: a neutral power that meddles in their affairs for "benevolent" reasons.
So... it wasn't a hyperspace problem that ended FTL travel for humans? ???
See, that's what I thought initially, too, but it's sounding like that wasn't the case, and it was just they lost the ability to repair and maintain JumpShips.
Which...OK, JumpShips predate BattleMechs by centuries, and DropShips capable of interstellar travel predate that. FTL travel isn't needed to maintain interstellar spaceflight in the Battletech universe - Terra was sending equivalents to Mammoth class DropShips to nearby stars at 60% light speed in the 21st century, with Magellan One launching in 2030. Slowboat interstellar spacecraft are completely possible in the Battletech universe with early technology, even in the absence of JumpShips, using fusion rocketry and powerplants less advanced than what you see in primitive BattleMechs.
Pretty much this is correct: the state of human FTL travel in the Diaspora is a loss of construction and maintenance for JumpShips, along with all the infrastructure that supported it. Germanium reserves--rare, even in the best of times--are likely depleted as well. The same goes for HPGs, though that was as much a result of the Blackout as it was any additional damage from whatever total war reduced humanity to sub-light travel only.
Now, relativistic sublight travel via DropShips IS technically possible, but it should be noted that the 21st century examples of the Magellan Program were all unmanned, and would have needed to cram an immense amount of reaction mass to sustain months or years of steady acceleration and deceleration to any appreciable fraction of light speed between systems. For humans to do it, they'd need life support, enormous food reserves, and ample supplies and space for any medical, sociological, psychological, and material needs--not to mention the capacity to support any potential in-flight population growth. That would likely become nigh impossible for DropShip-scale construction methods as they are--all for ships that could spend two or three GENERATIONS getting to stars that were once just a single jump away...
So no, humanity didn't lose the stars because they broke hyperspace. The Tetakuni, after all, are having no problem with FTL travel! They just beat their own interstellar infrastructure past the point of no return.
- Herb
