P A G E 1 1 3

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Arioch
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Arioch »

It doesn't pose any kind of problem to deal in fractions of a talent, just as pennies were used as fractions of a pound or dollar (before they were inflated into valuelessness, back when several pounds was an annual salary). However, most of the currency the crews would have would be in military scrip.

I think it's easy to imagine that pilots with short lifespans aren't afraid to bet large sums of money.

Excellion
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Excellion »

Quazel wrote:I always just assumed they had a currency system of some sort, seeing as they do have a civilian populous and interact with several other species.
The insider actually has a nice section on the Loroi's economy and monetary system. I've added the relevant section in the spoiler below (Without a spoiler tag this post would be quite bulky). The text itself is a partial copy and paste from this page.
SpoilerShow
Economy and Civilian Life

The Loroi economy has some free market elements, but it is heavily managed by the military government. Business is considered a civilian pursuit (warriors are prohibited from engaging in commerce or owning businesses), and so profiteering is viewed with suspicion by the ruling warrior class. After the formation of the Union, the Loroi economy opened up somewhat, following more capitalistic models provided by the Neridi and Barsam and other aliens that allowed for faster growth. But many businesses were nationalized under the martial law instituted by Greywind in 2140, so there are still a lot of restrictions on the economy.

How is war production handled for the Loroi? Are ships and such made by civilians or are they in-house projects by the state?

Manufacturing firms are civilian (or alien) companies, though many are heavily managed or outright owned by the state, especially those that are key to the war effort. Defense industries are still civilian, though with military officers heavily involved in design and specifications (as they are with our own civilian military-industrial complex). A significant percentage of Loroi military hardware is produced by alien companies.

The Loroi have an official currency called the talent, worth several thousand dollars; it originated in ancient times on Deinar as a representation of the value of one year of unskilled labor. It is used mainly for high-level transactions between businesses and government entities. Most individual Loroi are members of a caste (either a warrior caste or a civilian guild), which often provides housing and other services as part of the compensation for "employment." Most caste and guild members are not paid a salary; rather, they are allocated a sort of "allowance" that is usually in a local currency or company/military scrip. Most of these currencies have some sort of tradable token that represents cash, but most transactions are virtual (as you would expect at this technology level).

The various alien members of the Union also have their own currencies (or multiple currencies). Alien companies and individuals are treated as civilians under Loroi law, and so are able to engage in commerce. In some ways, alien businesses are viewed by Loroi society with more favor than Loroi civilian businesses, because they do not have the social "taint" of being failed warriors that goes along with the Loroi civilian class. As such, much of the banking and financial business in Loroi territory is handled by Neridi and Barsam firms.


How are Loroi paid? If only the civilians can own businesses, why would warriors stay in the military, and how can the military afford to compete with the private sector in salaries?

In the Loroi system, the military is paramount, and the civilian economy exists almost solely to support the military. The warrior class is the “upper” class, and civilians are considered inferior and usually have a lower standard of living. Most Loroi workers are not free agents; they receive a basic education from the state, but then become apprenticed to a guild upon reaching adulthood to complete their education. Low-ranking Loroi (both warrior and civilian) are a bit like interns; most are not paid a salary, but are trained and housed and fed by their employers. As a Loroi worker rises in position, she gains additional benefits and compensation (sometimes monetary, sometimes not). Guilds are often local monopolies (and the military is also a monopoly), so you can switch jobs, but it’s hard to find higher pay at the same job somewhere else. A civilian Loroi with the proper resources and business acumen (and luck) can start her own business and even potentially form her own guild, which is something that a warrior may never do. However, civilians are excluded from military (and therefore government) service and therefore have little or no say in government. Civilians are also very low in priority when it comes to mating privileges.

Once a Loroi has completed warrior trials, she is part of the society’s elite, and enjoys a comparatively high standard of living, even if she never rises above the lowest rank. Unless she is dishonorably discharged for some reason, she will never "retire" into civilian life. As a warrior, she may sometimes have to dig latrines and her life may frequently be in danger, but that is considered part of a warrior’s duty. If she doesn’t like it, she can choose to suffer the ignominy of demotion to the civilian class. Loroi culture is a warrior culture, instilled with warrior values from birth. Every billet on a starship is much coveted by a large number of available candidates.

Loroi warrior education does have different levels; many technical disciplines require a 4-year education similar to a college degree, and some less-technical disciplines (such as infantry) only require 2 years of training. For example, some of the Soroin you’ve seen in the comic who are wearing jumpsuits instead of armor (such as Cloud the “shoe-girl”) are 2-year-educated “Novice” Soroin, who perform mostly menial tasks. (When considering the length of Loroi secondary education, keep in mind that it begins at age 8, and so includes elements of what we would consider high school.) I haven’t classified these as “enlisted” ranks because the Loroi don’t share our concept of the class division between enlisted and officer; there is no barrier to promotion for a 2-year-educated Soroin to the same higher rank that a 4-year-educated Soroin would have, provided that she puts in the time and work and shows the appropriate aptitude. But if she does not, then like the midshipmen of the age of sail, she may stay a Novice for a very long time. (There are also specialties that require training equivalent to a postgraduate degree, but this is usually attained on the job.)

Krulle
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Krulle »

Oh, there are other bets possible on a ship:
cleaning duty of the latrines;
a particularly wanted ration (e.g. your monthly coffee ration);
...
Vote for Outsider on TWC: Image
charred steppes, borders of territories: page 59,
jump-map of local stars: page 121, larger map in Loroi: page 118,
System view Leido Crossroads: page 123, after the battle page 195

Zakharra
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Zakharra »

harlequin2262 wrote:I wonder what they used as a betting currency.

Ice cream rations, what else? :D

Absalom
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Absalom »

Excellion wrote:02-03-2016 (23:00) Read through the comic a second time. Haven't really looked around the other parts of the site yet. Now what is that "Insider" page subtitled Extra's? A few extra sketches perhaps?
Out of curiosity, did you ever read the archives of the old forums?
Excellion wrote:If Spiral had been more fluent in the trade language i assume her reply would be something akin to "There were signs of asphyxiation and severe haemorrhage. Under such conditions he must have deemed his survival changes to be low. "
...That sounds more like a med-tech than a pilot.

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GeoModder
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by GeoModder »

Absalom wrote:
Excellion wrote:If Spiral had been more fluent in the trade language i assume her reply would be something akin to "There were signs of asphyxiation and severe haemorrhage. Under such conditions he must have deemed his survival changes to be low. "
...That sounds more like a med-tech than a pilot.
Civilians... always at a way with words... :lol:
Image

Excellion
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Excellion »

Absalom wrote:
Excellion wrote:02-03-2016 (23:00) Read through the comic a second time. Haven't really looked around the other parts of the site yet. Now what is that "Insider" page subtitled Extra's? A few extra sketches perhaps?
Out of curiosity, did you ever read the archives of the old forums?
I know they exist, but i am still soldiering though all the current forum posts (I read the Loroi thread, but i still need to go though the Terran and Umiak threads and afterwards scan if there is any other interesting threads). The sheer amount of background information and detail is staggering; And i'm loving every bit of it.
Absalom wrote:
Excellion wrote:If Spiral had been more fluent in the trade language i assume her reply would be something akin to "There were signs of asphyxiation and severe haemorrhage. Under such conditions he must have deemed his survival changes to be low. "
...That sounds more like a med-tech than a pilot.
... Right you are. I was trying to rewrite Spiral's line into something that sounded less broken but translating "gurgle-gurgle" into anything remotely fitting took a few attempts. "Asphyxiation" seemed to be the best option but that word felt out of place. So eventually i just gave up and went for the med-tech line figuring that exaggeration might just work to get the point across.

That said: After re-reading that line i agree it definitely doesn't sounds like anything ye-average pilot would say. :lol:

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CrimsonFALKE
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by CrimsonFALKE »

Humanity Fuck Yeah!

Absalom
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Absalom »

Excellion wrote:
Absalom wrote:
Excellion wrote:If Spiral had been more fluent in the trade language i assume her reply would be something akin to "There were signs of asphyxiation and severe haemorrhage. Under such conditions he must have deemed his survival changes to be low. "
...That sounds more like a med-tech than a pilot.
... Right you are. I was trying to rewrite Spiral's line into something that sounded less broken but translating "gurgle-gurgle" into anything remotely fitting took a few attempts. "Asphyxiation" seemed to be the best option but that word felt out of place. So eventually i just gave up and went for the med-tech line figuring that exaggeration might just work to get the point across.

That said: After re-reading that line i agree it definitely doesn't sounds like anything ye-average pilot would say. :lol:
Yeah, I'm thinking something more like "He was covered in red stuff that looked like blood, and gurgling up bubbles of it. Even he would have bet vacuum-fresh corpse.".

That's not all that good either. Anyone who talks normaller than me care to take up the challenge?

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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Username »

WHOOOOO, NEW PAGE!!!!!

I think Spiral just jumped to the top of my favorites list !

Zakharra
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Zakharra »

Spiral could also just be that blunt spoken too. Loroi telepathy, from what I remember, tends to be direct and blunt in meaning. She is very likely to be just as direct with the spoken language. Thankfully she seems more like a mischievous/fun personality rather than mean.

Turrosh Mak
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Turrosh Mak »

Spiral looks more like Beryl and less like her head study or her appearance on page 41. I guess it could be because her eyes are more open, but to me she had an air of "sly fox" about her that isn't coming through this time.

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pinheadh78
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by pinheadh78 »

A new page! Is the drought over or a passing sprinkling of spring rain?

See guys, see! What have I been saying! As long as the comic creator is active in the forums the story is NOT dead.

I've updated my Patreon account so its active again and boosted my commitment to make up for missing this one.

Ender's Dream
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Ender's Dream »

Well I just joined and I love this series, its interesting since it doesn't follow the usual routine which most science fiction stories go.
As for what I'd like to add, well I figure writing up a fanfiction of this series would be an interesting investment into the future, hopefully I can live up to the standards of the comic itself. I really like it.

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Chekist_Felix
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by Chekist_Felix »

Ender's Dream wrote:Well I just joined and I love this series, its interesting since it doesn't follow the usual routine which most science fiction stories go.
As for what I'd like to add, well I figure writing up a fanfiction of this series would be an interesting investment into the future, hopefully I can live up to the standards of the comic itself. I really like it.
Godspeed!
My literacy is cringe-fest... Apologies for what you're about to read.

ShadowDragon8685
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Re: P A G E 1 1 3

Post by ShadowDragon8685 »

Ender's Dream wrote:Well I just joined and I love this series, its interesting since it doesn't follow the usual routine which most science fiction stories go.
As for what I'd like to add, well I figure writing up a fanfiction of this series would be an interesting investment into the future, hopefully I can live up to the standards of the comic itself. I really like it.
I started that, man. It'll suck you in.

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