Oye, m’beltas!
If you’re not familiar, The Expanse is a book and TV series chronicling the adventures of the crew of the Rocinante as they navigate the perils of a war-torn solar system. Throughout, one of main drivers of the plot is the oppression of those who live and work in the asteroid belts. When envisioning the HMA and RogueCorp culture I was greatly influenced by that of the beltalowda. So much so that I even began creating a translation guide for the Lang Belta as it applies to Eve Online. Considering that our group consists of people with many different native tongues, it seemed appropriate that we would communicate in one that was equally new to all of us. Although that was never fully realized, at least one word has stuck; Bosmang.
In world of the Expanse, bosmang refers to a dockside boss or chief. However, it is often informally used to refer to the captain of a ship. Likewise, we also use this title to refer to anyone taking immediate leadership of a task or activity. Most commonly the Bosmang title refers to the bosmang kapawalowda, or fleet boss, which is the person running one of our HMA Fleets. So what does it mean to be the Bosmang?
Simply put, the Bosmang is the person who has taken responsibility for the operation of the fleet. As it pertains to our HMA Public Mining Fleets, that person is usually the one providing boosts and compression but that is not strictly necessary. However, they are the person responsible for maintaining the safety, and profitability of the fleet. They do this by deciding what and where to mine as well as when and how to deal with threats or competitors. They are also responsible for answering questions and conveying important information to the fleet.
So, how do one become Bosmang? Well, you just step up and do it. Everyone is encouraged to create a fleet on behalf of the HMA as long as they abide by our Rules and Regulations. You don’t need any particular real or in-game skills, just a willingness to take command. Historically, if the previous bosmang stepped down without a replacement available the role was handed to the greenest pilot in the fleet as a sort of trial by fire. That being said, if you find that you enjoy taking on this responsibility regularly I recommend that you reach out to us on the Discord about becoming an “official” Bosmang. In order to be eligible, you will need to authenticate in HMASeAT and be capable of providing boosts and/or compression.
Du Pilota Séfesowng
The bosmang has no way to enforce compliance.