"Possibility of forced labour on a comet" Topic

"Something I've pondered in a work of mine, in which a corrupt authority figure threatens the protagonists with being sentenced to forced labour "chiseling ice off of (insert name here) comet." Assuming they really are masses of ice as scientists now believe, could a comet be large and stable enough to hold a prison colony?…"

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Armand

If no one is expected to survive their sentence and return to civilization, what difference does it make?

That they can continue breathing… (smile)

Armand

The cost of just transporting the criminals to the comet would be more than it is worth. Unless the operation paid for itself, it seems unlikely to be supported. Drones would be cheaper by an order of magnitude.

Sure – assuming as noted that it would not cost a fortune and also that you could get people dumb/committed enough to be guards (or maybe use robots)

Thanks.

Armand

"Unless the operation paid for itself, it seems unlikely to be supported."

Having the inmates mine oxygen/water for their own survival would be quite an incentive…

I see some parallels to the transportation of convicts from Great Britain to the Australian colonies. I'm thinking that the cost of transport was a factor back then, just as Augustus points out but I assume there were other factors that justified the expense like free, expendable labour or reducing the overcrowding in prisons.

Admittedly, there were no drones back in the 19th century but perhaps there are technical limitations preventing their use in this future setting, like magnetic interference or the robots cannot maintain themselves without human intervention?

I'm currently rewatching the Expanse and it's interesting that drones do not appear much in the storyline so far. They mine ice for water using manned ships and perhaps instead of placing a prison colony on or in the comet, the setting could be a prison hulk that attaches itself to a comet or other resource.

The setting certainly has some potential as an an adventure hook for Starfinder or Ironsworn Starforged.

Thanks for this one Armand

Augustus sounds like an AI trying to drum up support for its brethren.

(smile)

Armand

One of the more ridiculous SF themes in recent years: Prison colonies on awful planets/moons/asteroids which would be unbelievably expensive to run, housing inmates who seem to just be run of the mill criminals. Why would anyone bother?

Glup!…

Armand

I, for one, think you should be glad to welcome your new robot overlords….