Operators (aa-pr-ay-trz)

Career

Qualifications

Becoming an Operator doesn't require rigorous training. All one needs to become an Operator is a proof of a base level of strength and to be at least 18 years of age, and to do a week of training with another Operator.

Many have pushed against these requirements, believing that there should be longer training times, and that the level of required strength should be higher.

However, no changes to these regulations have been made in the 30 years since the job was officially created.

No! We need more of them!
Do you know how hard it is to cross the Zones on foot?!
On top of that do you understand how few people are actually equipped to deal with the Zones?

I was barely equipped and I was an Operator for years before starting this Homestead!

I'm not changing the regulations. Either we adapt and grow stronger or we die. No in between.

— Jay Holt, Owner of the Third Homestead

Career Progression

Operators don't have an inherent ranking system like a military.

Instead, career progression is a social status that is measured in the number of successful "runs" (round trips through a Zone), that one has made.

Typically those with higher run counts are more respected and acknowledged by the public and administrations.

What do you mean you dont know who he is?! He's done 60 runs! Give him some respect!

— Civilian attempting to cut in line with a friend

Payment & Reimbursement

Pay for an Operator is normally per run, typically a percentage of the total value of goods transported (not including humanoids), divided between all operators operating the Vehicle.

Operator pay per ticket is a more controversial subject, due to the fact that people can use almost no other method to get to other Homesteads in the first place, and whether or not passengers even have to pay depends entirely on the rules set in place by the Owner of the Homestead.

What, so you want us to take all these people across the Endless Library for free?!

Fuck you! Either we get paid per ticket, or nothing but our cargo is coming with us.

— Gerard Prince, Head Operator of the BookWyrm

Perception

Purpose

Operators are those who maintain Vehicles, most commonly Trains, and protect people and goods as they are transported between Homesteads. They ensure that there is as little loss of life as possible in transit through Zones.

Our job is to make damn sure that the idiots stupid enough to want to change Homesteads get to live long enough to be happy that they were stupid enough to want that!

So get your shit together!

— Attempted pep talk from an Experienced Operator

Social Status

Public opinion of Operators is sometimes very divisive. Some respect them like war veterans while others hold nothing but contempt in their hearts for them.

Most public opinion is on the positive side, however, as Operators are some of the only people who regularly travel outside of Homesteads, risking their lives for others.

Why do we have to trust them with our lives?
Most of them ain't even old enough to drink yet!

— Bar Patron, Complaining about Operators

Operations

Dangers & Hazards

There are a vast variety of hazards that operators may face. 99% of those hazards are the Zones and their inhabitants.
Occasionally, though, there will be a group of bandits who strike out into the Zones in order to interrupt and loot Vehicles in transit. These groups do not tend to last long.

You know that whole saying about how other people are the real monsters?

Yeah that's complete bullshit. The real monsters are out there, in the Zones, waiting to turn you inside out, infect you, or consume your memories like a kid reading a picture book.

— Veteran Operator, Manus Gillespie

Vehicles