Okay. I agree it could be stupid. Thing is, I've now had an idea for a new plug, another major storyline to go with Arpia. Here's the idea of the plot (that's not exactly what's going to be in the preambles for that civilization, but it's the basics):
317 years ago, an expedition was sent by the Federation to try to explore beyond the known universe. On the way south through Auroran space, the expedition disappeared. Many rescue parties were set up to find them, but to no avail. In fact they had stumbled on an unknown wormhole which had transported them into another system they had no knowledge of (which would in fact be south of the known universe). There were four planets in that system. Because of turbulence encountered entering into this new special system, more fuel was needed to move onwards. After half an hour they didn't have enough fuel left to make a hyperspace jump. They decided to land, all seven ships of the expedition, on one of the planets, because they had detected a hospitable landscape with good viable atmosphere. Unfortunately, they had to stay on the planet, all two thousand people, because they could find no more fuel sources.
A century later, they had managed to settle down and had found a new but limited source of fuel (they could give a ship enough fuel for one jump, no more). They tried to send a ship over to the wormhole to go back to Federation space. Unfortunately, new turbulences caused a malfunction on the ship, and at the moment it was going in the wormhole, it exploded, and this cause a major disturbence within the wormhole, making departure impossible, only arrival. They were stuck
So they tried to find other nearby systems. They found a few, but did not have the resources to go that much further away.
Two centuries later, present day, you are a little captain.
And you are about to discover the existence of this civilization
Anyway, those are the big lines. It ties in with Arpia because this is pretty much the exact opposite: they are absolutely nowhere with technology (compared to "modern" governments). You're the one to bring them back on track, either by stealing technology or finding interested people who would gladly give it.
You can post comments if you wish. What I'd especially like to know is whether it could be ok (or totally weird, ) if learned men in that civilization still speak the Federation-tongue (at least an old version of it), and they become your only contact. But little by little you understand their language, and from then onwards you don't need an interpreter (a little like it is done in the Polaris string). Or then would it be better and more realistic that their tongue is really not that different from yours?
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Pace
(haldora)
-- Cartman: I hate hippies! I mean, the way they always talk about "protectin' the earth" and then drive around in cars that get poor gas mileage and wear those stupid bracelets - I hate 'em! I wanna kick 'em in the nuts!
Oh, and it was a battle in the Persian Wars, where the Athenians drove off the Persians. I can't remember if it was the first or second one, but Marathon was the other, as I recall. It's been a while.