In the library of the Peregrine, Trevelyan reads "...the compendious history..." (p. 92) of the Nomad ships which begins with:
"...the memoirs of Thorkild Erling, first captain of the Nomads." (p. 93)
Erling is the first person narrator of "Gypsy," so that story may be part of the memoirs read by Trevelyan.
"There was a note of disappointment in Thorkild's later writings; his new society was evolving into something other than what he had imagined." (ibid.)
We do not read those later writings but can see for ourselves that the trading Nomads in The Peregrine differ from the endless wanderers originally envisaged by Thorkild Erling.
A spaceship can be a closed ecology. The Nomads maintain hydroponic tanks, synthesize proteins and vitamins, repair their ships and construct new ones when crews need to split so they could have wandered endlessly, surviving indefinitely. However, they find trade and entrepreneurship in Union space more rewarding. Individuals or groups within a ship run an enterprise with support from the captain and a small tax for public facilities. But one or a few ships could have continued Erling's endless voyage.
4 comments:
It's unlikely (depends on the technology) that the Nomads could have just wandered.
A spaceship big enough to support large numbers of people is a capital asset of enormous cost.
To produce an item like that, regardless of the form of economic organization, requires a huge population of interlocking specialists -- and that in turn requires people to support the specialists with the things that the specialists don't grow or make, etc.
"Division of labor".
Societies with a weak division of labor without exception don't produce big expensive capital assets.
Kaor, Paul!
Stirling's comments here explains why Thorkild Erling's hopes of the Nomads becoming endless wanderers was simply not practical. Whether STL or FTL, space ships represents a huge investment which has to be paid for somehow. So, it was inevitable that the Nomads became merchants and traders.
To say nothing of my doubts that, given FTL, anything like the Nomads would even be possible, given my view that merchant ships needing far smaller crews would out compete them.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: it could work if they’re specialists and are willing to tolerate lower returns, Like the sea gypsies of SE Asia.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
That might be possible, in rare NICHE situations. But those low returns might well discourage some Nomads so much they abandon that kind of life.
Ad astra! Sean
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