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New Canberra
Australia's Interstellar Heart
C. 1999-2002 by Scott Ash
I want to take this opportunity to first thank Bill Bacon, Abraham
Gubler and Evan Powles for their ideas regarding New Canberra. To
be honest, my own thoughts here are miniscule compared to the input
they provided me, both on and off the 2300ad mailing list. Thanks,
"mates!" While I have been blessed with visits to several cities in
Australia during my Navy days, I hope Australian readers forgive my
obvious American perspective in my portrayal (some might say "Californication")
of "their" colony on Tirane. For information on the Australian military
presence in New Canberra, I must also thank Dan Hebditch, master of
the Order of Battle, and Abraham Gubler for his ideas regarding the
unique structure of 2300AD's Australian Defence Force and government.
Also, my thanks to Kevin Clark, Ben Levy, Dave Malesevich, Bryn Monnery,
and numerous others for their ideas and suggestions. A special "thank
you" goes to my daughter, Randi Adams, for much of the unique flora
and fauna found at the last chapter. (Too bad she feels herself too
old to continue contributing more- sda '02)
Note: Geo=Earth. Where the "geo-" prefix would be used in a word
related to Earthly descriptions, it has been replaced by "tira-" to
indicate Tirane and Tiranean features. While this is common practice
in the English-speaking areas of Tirane, other colonies differ. Also,
if my Spanish or Malay is incorrect at all, please don't hesitate
to correct me. As Australia is an equal partner in the colonization
of what has been known as the "American Arm," that term has here been
replaced with "Rimward," both in Australian and American usage. Only
the most jingoistic media outlets in America use the term "American
Arm," often to the displeasure of America's Australian allies. Therefore,
where appropriate, "Rimward" is used here. Ab: Aboriginal, In: Indonesian,
Jp: Japanese, Sp: Spanish, TSB: Torres Strait Broken. Pronunciations
added if different from spelling. For explaining Spanish or Spanish-derived
adjectives, the masculine and the feminine forms are separated by
a slash (/), as in "NovoCano/a." However, as in general practice the
masculine form is used throughout to indicate a people, such as "Latino,"
"Malvino," and "Mariano."
Index
1.
Introduction
New Canberra, Australia's first extrasolar colony,
can claim to be the diplomatic center of Tirane. The Tirane Council
meets at Bennelong, New Canberra's capital, and many other planet-wide
conferences are held within the colony. Receiving many visitors for
any number of reasons, New Canberra has become a popular tourist destination
for Tiraneans, edging out Tunghu for the number of tourist arrivals
per year. Additionally, New Canberrans, or NovoCanos as they call
themselves, comprise the bulk of Australia's overall population. A
merger of the proud Latin American and diverse Australian cultures,
New Canberra has become a strong presence on Tirane, and its richly
diverse population has created a place and outlook unique in Human
Space. "Soy NovoCano!" (or "NovoCana!" if female) is a proud declaration
made by many in New Canberra, whether of Argentine, Australian, Indonesian,
Nigerian, or other origin.
But under the surface serious problems are beginning
to emerge. While the smaller immigrant communities have merged with
the New Canberran mainstream, problems of poverty and marginalization
in the Latino and Indonesian communities have festered to the point
of increasing crime and violence, leading to separatist activity in
one of the regions. Additionally, many NovoCanos are questioning the
current government's increasing centralism, coming to believe that
devolution to the various regions might better serve the needs of
average NovoCanos. Compounding that, a small but growing number of
NovoCanos are beginning to question their relationship with Australia,
in the belief that all Tirane's colonies should follow Freihafen's
and Wellon's example and seek independence. Some resentment comes
from the NovoCano's Australian counterparts on Earth as well, given
New Canberra's overwhelming political and economic power within the
Commonwealth of Australia. Many NovoCanos believe that New Canberra
will be an entirely different place in a generation, though to what
that change brings remains to be seen.
INDEX
2.
Tiragraphy
New Canberra sits on the southern half of the Araki
continent, bordering Amaterasu on the north at Duffer's Strip. Additionally,
the New Canberra colony includes two major island groupings off both
east and west coasts. The Australian portion of Araki lies almost
entirely below Tirane's equator, a point recognized in the territory's
flag. It is deep blue, with the Crux Australis as seen from Earth
in the fly and the Argentine Sun of May centered on the canton.
Each of the following regions will be discussed in
their own specific articles. However, for the purpose of this overview,
here are the major regions of New Canberra.
The southern half of New Canberra, known as the Llano
("yah-no") de Tierra Negra or the Black Soil Plains, contains some
of the richest farmland found anywhere on Tirane. South of the New
Silver River (Rio Nueva de la Plata) and originally the Argentine
Santa Maria colony, the Llano has since been integrated into New Canberra
since the Argentine effort's collapse in the 2180's. Currently home
to 25 percent of the territory's population, this area continues to
attract new settlers eager to develop the available riches. Its proximity
to the Southern Ocean allows for an extensive fishing industry, and
products harvested from the sea comprise a fair portion of the inhabitants'
diet. The major city in this area is Ciudad Santa Maria, or "el CSM"
(Say-Ess-Em), with a population of three million. Other cities include
the multiethnic San Diego, home to Tirane's largest and most extensive
zoo dedicated exclusively to Tiranean fauna; Costa del Oro (Sp: Gold
Coast), a popular beach resort once known as Nueva Ensenada; and Villa
Navarro, the Llano's largest horse trading center. The Llano is the
center of New Canberra's vegetable, fruit, and dairy industries, and
has extensive virgin forests in the western coast of the region. Latino
residents of the Llano call themselves "Santa Marians" (or "Mariano/as")
after the original Argentine colony founded in CSM. For obscure reasons,
non-Latino residents of the Llano refer to themselves as "Victorians."
Nueva Cordoba is the center of the Nuevas Malvinas
region, consisting of the islands immediately to the north and west
of the Llano and the Pampa, across the Rossi Strait. Home of the Cooperativo
de los Pescadores de las Nuevas Malvinas (Sp: Nuevas Malvinas Fisherman's
Cooperative), New Canberra's largest seafood producer, Nueva Cordoba
also hosts the ADF Maritime Command's largest shipyard on Tirane.
The remainder of the area is dedicated to agriculture, and the rolling
hills growing a variety of crops give this region a quiet, pastoral
air. Founded by Argentines discontent with the merger of the Santa
Maria colony into New Canberra in 2183, Nueva Cordoba and the Nuevas
Malvinas are a small slice of Argentina within New Canberra, only
begrudgingly a part of the Australian colony.
Between
the Silver Mountains and Duffer's Strip lies the Pampa, a semi-arid
region now given to grain farming and livestock rearing. Dominated
by the Barton River and fed by the Deakin and Thabu Koesa (TSB: "Snake
River") rivers, this area has a good portion of New Canberra's population
engaged in a variety of occupations. Most of these towns are situated
along the river, and are agricultural and light-industrial centers.
Where the Black Soil Plains have rolling hills the Pampa is dominated
by vast grasslands, which support vast ranchos or estancias (Sp: stations)
of cattle, jumbuck and sheep. Larger towns along the river include
Port Bagaaybila (SE Ab: "Place full of creeks") at the rich delta
country where the river meets the sea, Tirane Springs, Bencoolen,
and Pama Ngapa (Central Ab: "Sweet Water") at the river's source,
the northern face of the Silver Mountains. As the Pampa reaches the
equator, deserts become more apparent, yet in no area of New Canberra
are deserts like those in Australia proper. If anything, the deserts
of the eastern Pampa are more closely compared to those in Northwestern
Mexico east of Los Angeles, and the American Southwest. This is New
Canberra's own Outback, and a popular local vacation destination.
The Eastern Shore and the large island Pulau Timor
Bahru (In: "Island Timor New," or New Timor) is home to some of the
best surf found anywhere on Tirane, and supports a growing tourist
industry. From the island city of Anchorhead to the capital of Bennelong
at the eastern edge of the Escarpment dividing the Pampa from the
Shore, south along the mainland to Windbourne just south of the Silver
Mountains, this sparsely populated area attracts beachgoers from all
over the Core, as well as hikers and campers. A few small towns dot
the shore, mostly geared to tourists, but fishing and a nascent mining
industry is taking root here, most notably around Anchorhead. The
city of Windbourne sits on the northern side of the Rio Nuevo de la
Plata (Sp: New Silver River), which forms the natural barrier between
the Black Soil Plains and the Eastern Shore. Pulau Timor Bahru hosts
surf and sun resorts, and has become New Canberra's premier coffee-growing
region.
Stretching along the Eastern Shore and from just
north of Anchorhead on Pulau Timor Bahru north to Duffer's Strip lie
the Spice Islands. Originally intended to grow spices for Tiranean
consumption (hence its name), lately this archipelago has attracted
tourists from not only New Canberra but from the other Tiranean colonies
and nations as well, especially Amaterasu. While they lack the white-sand
beaches popular with most tourists, the Spice Islands offer volcanic
displays, hot springs (popular with the Amaterasujin, especially in
Grandwinter), and challenging watersports. Its largest city is Port
Essington, with 200,000 residents, on Peterson's Island.
Duffer's Strip, the northernmost region of New Canberra,
borders Amaterasu at Broken Ridge. Once the site of the bulk of Australia's
tantalum reserves, this was the site of the "First and a Half Interstellar
War" between Japan and Australia. It lies along Tirane's equator,
and has a hot, humid tropical climate within the valleys and cools
off as elevations increase. The major cities of Duffer's Strip are
also among the largest in New Canberra: Mount McDonald, Rum Jungle,
and Kosciusko. Unlike the other large cities of New Canberra, these
cities are compact, crowded places, as much of the surrounding jungle
is protected by environmental and safety regulations as a result of
the remnants of tapped out tantalum mines. For other minerals, however,
Duffer's Strip remains the richest area known on Tirane. These support
the industries of New Canberra, and employ many of the district's
residents. Also, several varieties of teas are grown in the mountains
and valleys of the Strip, many of which have earned awards and acclaim
throughout human space.
INDEX
3.
History
When Argentine and Mexican warships challenged the
European Space Agency's (ESA) colonization fleets over Tiranean colonization
rights Australia led the efforts to resolve the conflict. Upon the
ESA's acceptance of the Melbourne Accords allowing for open colonization
of extraterrestrial territories, Australia in 2163 claimed the central
third of the Araki continent, what is now the Pampa, the Eastern Shore,
and Pulau Timor Bahru. Immediately after making their claim the Australian
Colonization Department began surveying and settling. In honor of
it's first capital destroyed in the Twilight War, the Australian public
overwhelmingly chose "New Canberra" as the colony's name. The name
itself is of Aboriginal origin, and the accepted source is "Meeting
Place" from the language of the Ngunnawal people of southern New South
Wales. Cynical sources claim the name comes from a similar sounding
Aboriginal word meaning "a woman's breasts," but the "meeting place"
origin stuck in the minds of Australians eager to shed the sexism
of the early twentieth century and therefore became official. Initially
the effort was lackluster, as the section of the Pampa claimed by
the Australians was semi-arid desert and the first town, Bennelong,
for it's first ten years of existence was merely a base for the numerous
survey teams sent by Newcentre.
While
Bennelong was still nothing more than a collection of prefabricated
buildings, confrontation over Australia's claim on the mountainous
area dividing Amaterasu and New Canberra, known as Duffer's Strip,
came with Japan in 2173. The Japanese, who were settling the northern
half of their shared continent, began sending survey teams south from
their central city, Hoshikyo (Jp: "Star Capital") into the mountainous
area separating the two colonies. Known later as the "First and a
Half Interstellar War," it came to blows early in the conflict when
an overeager former Field Command Section Leader, Paul Hanson, opened
fire upon a Japanese company's survey team which included Tasmanian
engineers and technicians. The Japanese responded by returning in
force with units of Imperial Marines, the Australians escalated in
turn sending parts of the ADF Garrison into the Strip. It is still
unknown whether the troops were sent to enforce their countries' claims
to the area or keep the combative survey teams apart. A no-man's land
was set up around the disputed area, but it proved difficult to maintain
its integrity thanks to the difficult terrain and limited numbers
of regular troops deployed. Confrontations between patrolling troops,
locally raised auxiliaries and wildcatting prospectors from both sides
occurred almost weekly in the zone through the months of the stand
off.
Before
the conflict could escalate, however, Britain and America intervened
and a compromise was reached. The Rum Jungle Agreement of 2174 provided
for Australian sovereignty over the area, yet the tantalum found there
would be mined by both Southern Cross Mining Pty. Ltd of Adelaide,
South Australia and Osaka's Mogami Honshu Kigyo (Jp: "Corporation").
Since then, Australian and Japanese relations on Tirane have been
for the most part friendly, as both profited handsomely from the agreement.
As it was Australian territory, the Australian Defence Force was tasked
with the defense of the mining concessions, which saved Japan a great
deal of money. As for Hanson, he was later tried in a quickly convened
colonial court and sentenced to life imprisonment back on Earth. He
later died of wounds sustained in a prison riot.
Since
then much of the emphasis was placed on Duffer's Strip, as what later
became the bulk of New Canberra was in Argentine hands. Some development
also came the Eastern Shore, yet for much of the colony's history
Duffer's Strip held the majority of the population, at one time supporting
ninety-five percent of New Canberrans. During the initial colonization
period, over half of immigrants were not of Australian origin, many
of those from Indonesia and Nigeria. Taking advantage of the raw materials
brought up from Southern Cross Mining's facilities, Sumatro Fabrique
built several factories throughout the peninsula, and these provide
the backbone of the Duffer's Strip economy today. In particular, the
Proton Bahru (In: "New Proton," from a vehicle originally produced
in Malaysia) line of automobiles became the symbol of New Canberra's
industry. Inexpensive and easy to maintain, "PB's" still attract a
following in the low-end auto market, especially among university
students and the many "alternative" communities throughout Tirane.
While
Australia, Brazil, Japan, and the ESA nations invested heavily in
their Alpha Centauri colonies, the American and Argentine efforts
were not so vigorous. The Americans had left much of their Tiranean
colonial development to corporate contractors, and the Argentine government
steered a good portion of their resources into new warship fleets
to defend their nascent colony. Much of the Black Soil Plains were
used as military training centers, and the colonists were seen by
Argentina more as support for visiting and permanent party forces
than a viable community in their own right. There was little thought,
other than the military presence, on the part of Argentina over the
logistic and engineering planning requirements of building a colony.
Thus Santa Maria was hard pressed to provide a sufficient surplus
necessary to feed the large garrisons, much less supply external markets.
During INAP's brief colonial presence on Tirane a native Tiranean
virus had killed half of the livestock brought to the colony. This
combined with the lack of anything to trade on Santa Maria's part
and the near-feudal structure of the colonial administration stifled
any innovation on the part of Santa Maria's colonists. While Dr. Alejandro
Navarro Galtieri, INAP's chief veterinarian and a dedicated pacifist,
developed the vaccine preventing further livestock losses to the local
virus, the militaristic nature of the Argentine colonial effort ultimately
led to it's collapse.
Before the Rio Plata Wars of the twenty-third century, the INAP forces
stationed on Tirane were in 2175 used in an abortive amphibious attack
on New Albion (now Wellon) as a test of military capability and in
revenge for British military operations in the South Atlantic on Earth.
Utilizing a number of imported submarine assault craft the INAP force
intended to operate along the south and western coast of the Tiralbion
targeting shipping and isolated settlements. However news of the expedition
leaked first to Australian intelligence and then a Japanese Colonial
Defense Force patrol craft encountered the flotilla in the open seas.
This information was passed to the ESA command and what naval forces
were available were mobilized. The first contact came when the a British
coastal transport ship was sunk, the first of many over two months,
the ESA response was fitful as the on-world ships were general patrol
vessels not suited for anti-submarine work. It was not until a crack
Royal Navy anti-submarine team arrived from Earth that the situation
was brought under control. Two subs were destroyed and one captured
with its databases intact. Two other subs and one supposedly on route
to Provincia do Brasil were never accounted for.
Armed
with information on the INAP venture and the collusion of the Santa
Marian colonial authorities the ESA nations demanded reparations.
Britain, France and Bavaria mobilized their small fleet off the coasts
of Santa Maria and faced down their Argentine opponents with skirmishes
especially fierce off the coast of the Neuvas Malvinas (whilst on
Earth a similar, if less overtly violent, scene was taking place of
the coast of South America on a much greater scale). The threat of
force and international opprobrium forced the Argentine government
on Earth to disown the actions of INAP dominated military on Tirane
and begin to negotiate an end to the crisis. Under an arrangement
between the ESA nations and the Santa Marian colonial government signed
at Bennelong, the growing spaceport city on the Eastern Shore, Australia
was asked to supervise the demilitarization of the Llano del Tierra
Negra, including occupying the large bases in and near CSM. This led
to conflicts between Australia and Argentina, but the actual colonists
begrudgingly accepted the decision as one more disaster to add to
the many that had happened before.
Initially
these Australian Defence Force troops were received cooly by the Marianos,
yet with the Australians' overall fairness and not a few rescues by
the New Canberra Emergency Service in the Southern Ocean turned most
Marianos into the ADF's avid supporters. Indeed, once the demilitarization
was completed Santa Maria's civil authorities welcomed the opportunity
to develop their economy without the heavy demands placed on them
by the Argentine and Mexican military commanders. When Argentina finally
abandoned Santa Maria in 2183 as a result of the Santo Cristophos
School disaster, the Santa Marians had become accustomed to the Australian
presence. Thus, in the referendum held later in the month, merging
of the colony into New Canberra barely won out over outright independence.
In recognition of their new citizens the people of
New Canberra overwhelmingly voted to make their colony officially
bilingual, in order to welcome them into their new "meeting place."
For a few years, though, both the original Australian colonists and
the former Argentines suffered through strained relations. Spanish
was not considered an important second language by many of the Australians,
and the new Hispanic citizens had little regard for English, a language
spoken by historical rivals. However, many of the Australian military
and civil affairs personnel stationed in Santa Maria and, after 2209,
the Nuevas Malvinas became proficient in Spanish, and were instrumental
in the merging of the two colonies. To this day (2303) the descendents
of these troops and the remaining units involved still take pride
in their bilingualism, and over the decades have been joined by descendents
of Argentine settlers in creating a number of unique Field units within
the Australian Defence Force's Tirane Command.
Another issue that faced both communities was the
structure of the new government. New Canberra had a sizeable, locally
elected assembly with considerable power over the day to day management
of the colony. Santa Maria's, however, was a seven-member advisory
body turned ad hoc government with the removal of the INAP-appointed
military governor. While it was clear that the Australians had the
lead in governing infrastructure, the Mariano settlers still trusted
their own leaders, and continued to recognize the Junta de Advisores
(Sp: Board of Advisors) as their leadership. The newly enlarged New
Canberra assembly, not wishing to alienate their new citizens further,
gave recognition to their Mariano counterparts as Santa Maria's regional
council. Using the Junta as a template for similar regional councils
throughout New Canberra Bennelong continues the practice of "advisory
boards", as another gauge of local needs, though only the Junta de
Advisores de Santa Maria uses the name. This is a conscious decision
of the other regional councils, as "Junta" still holds a negative
connotation in English-speaker's minds.
Many former Argentines who did not support merger
of their home with the Australian colony in 2183 left the Llano for
the Nuevas Malvinas, to the west of southern New Canberra. For the
first twenty years of their settlement of what later became Nueva
Cordoba these Malvinos were de-facto independent, while they did profess
loyalty to their Argentine homeland. As a result of the First Rio
Plata war, though, the Australian government in 2209 was begrudginly
asked to assume responsibility for the Nuevas Malvinas defense. Brazil
was eager to remove any unassimilated Argentine from New Canberra
in order to defend it's own Provincia do Brasil colony from the self-proclaimed
"Argentine Government-in-Exile," which had been formed by Argentine
government officials who fled Buenos Aires in the wake of Brazilian
invasion and subsequent occupation. Brazil's aggressive stance came
as a result of Malvino attempts to Brazil's colonial effort during
and immediately after the war, which culminated in the destruction
of what was to become Conquista da Victoria's first water treatment
plant. A cordial relationship between Brazil and Australia prevented
too much hostile action being taken against Nueva Cordoba, as well
as later Australian guarantees of the Malvinos' good behavior.
Having tripled the size of its Alpha Centauri holdings
in less than twenty years, Australia then entered a turbulent period
in its history. Back on Earth conflicts with the separatist governments
in Hobart and Cairns escalated nearly to the point of civil war. However,
by a narrow margin Australians accepted the status quo and formalized
the independence of both Tasmania and Northern Queensland. This period
also saw a great deal of constitutional reform, which led to greater
autonomy for the people of New Canberra, granted by Newcentre in order
to not lose the wealth and prestige that came with having one of the
first extrasolar colonies in human history. In 2188, Australia's quadcentenary,
using grants from the Australian Colonization Department with its
new headquarters in Bennelong, the first university was opened for
the citizens of the colony. Originally intended to be named Issac
University after the first Australian-born Governor-General during
the pre-republican period, by popular demand it was named Lalor University.
The significance of the name was not lost on the Newcentre government,
as Peter Lalor was the leader of an armed uprising against the British-dominated
colonial government of the nineteenth century. However, with the new
autonomy that came with the reforms, Newcentre accepted the will of
the NovoCanos. Today Lalor University, while not the largest institution
of higher learning in New Canberra, has become one of the most prestigious,
with nearly as many students from Australia proper and other countries
as NovoCanos.
New Canberra since has used its affiliation with
Australia to provide to Tirane what Australia provides to Earth: a
strong, neutral location for all sorts of inter-colonial negotiations,
as well as a skilled diplomatic corps. Since it's inception in 2202
the Tirane Council, a forum for all the colonies and nations to discuss
pan-Centauri issues outside of Terran politics, has met at Bennelong.
As the countries with Tiranean colonies have no rivalries or major
conflicts with each other, Tiranean politics has been for the most
part cordial. The agreement between Brazil and Australia regarding
the Nuevas Malvinas was the Council's first success, both diplomatically
and psychologically. The success there led to greater acceptance and
respect for the Council, and slowly but increasingly more responsibility
for all-planet and intra-system regulation was granted by Tirane's
colonies and parent nations, though in no case is sovereignty of outposts,
stations, or colonies ever threatened by the Council.
Recently Tirania's conflict over Wellon's Knightsbridge
Shire on the continent of Eisig, claimed by Tirania, through the Council's
efforts was settled amicably in Wellon's favor, in exchange for undisclosed
concessions by Wellon. Also, after the War of German Reunification,
the independence of Freihafen was formally recognized in the Tirane
Council's chambers in the Needle, Bennelong's tallest building. Lately,
in a gesture that is expected to acknowledge Tirania's de facto independence,
the Tirane Council including New Canberra and Australia have offered
a place within the Needle for Tirania and America to negotiate the
terms of independence. Tirania has agreed to this in principle, but
no word on the proposal has yet come from Reston. However, it was
not dismissed out of hand, as America does not want to alienate its
closest ally over a mature colony it has no further interest in. Often,
though, the Tirane Council is merely a smokescreen to hide the actual
diplomatic work of Australia and America, both strong allies with
a neutralist outlook on international politics. The Council itself
has no actual powers beyond enforcement of international law beyond
Tirane's atmosphere, through the Tirane Space Police and System Patrol,
and has a full-time staff of less than three hundred people.
INDEX
4.
Demographics
Both Australia and New Canberra are loath to subdivide
their people, either by religion or by ethnic background. "It shouldn't
bloody matter where the %@$* our people come from! Once they're here
they're mates!" was Chief Minister Torres' comment when it was suggested
in the 2300 census to determine the ethnography of New Canberra's
citizens. However, the Federal departments of Immigration and Community
Affairs and Aboriginal Affairs both required such data to determine
the effects of their efforts in New Canberra.
The 2300 census, taken to prepare for the 2302 Federal
elections, showed New Canberra to have the following approximate ethnic
breakdown:
Australian,
no further subdivision: 32%
Argentine
and other Latino: 22%
Indonesian(Javanese/Malay):
20%
Nigerian:
9%
Indian
States: 6%
Scandinavian:
4%
Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander: 4%
Other,
including Tiranian: 4%
During that census, given the revulsion NovoCanos
have in identifying themselves as anything but "NovoCano," many simply
identified themselves as "Australian." Therefore the numbers presented
above may be inaccurate. Those groups that did identify themselves
as members of a specific ethnic group generally were those who lived
in neighborhoods and towns whose origins came from settlements, and
in the case of many in the Argentine community a former colony, started
by their ancestral homelands. 35% of those participating in the census,
regardless of the background claimed, were not themselves born in
New Canberra, but generally follow the pattern listed above.
Those identifying themselves as "Australian" are
of a variety of ethnic backgrounds, yet for the most part all are
descended from those who emigrated from Australia proper. These people
can be found throughout the colony, not limiting themselves to any
particular areas. While there is no favoritism shown towards any ethnic
group shown by the government, many of those who work for the New
Canberran government, in any capacity, are descended from the Australian
colonists in proportions that belie their actual numbers. In most
places this would cause a degree of resentment between the colonists
of the mother country and those who've come from other places, but
for the most part in New Canberra this resentment isn't common, save
in the Nuevas Malvinas. This includes those colonists descended from
the various Aboriginal peoples of Australia, and while the vast majority
of them have integrated into the society as a whole, some still live
traditional lives along the Eastern Shore, Pulau Timor Bahru, the
Silver Mountains, and Duffer's Strip. Aboriginals also form a disproportionate
number of Field Command Leaders and Tactical Commanders patrolling
the jungles of Duffer's Strip, as their familiarity with blending
with the natural environment have made them uniquely suited to the
long-range patrols undertaken by Tirane Command in defense of the
common border with Amaterasu.
Argentine, or "Latino" which many prefer, NovoCanos
have made an impact on NovoCano society in a much greater degree than
their actual numbers would indicate. Spanish is an official language
of New Canberra and many of the names in the New Canberra gazetteer
come from the original Argentine names. Additionally, the rural practices
in the Black Soil Plains/Llano de Tierra Negra stem not from the Jackeroos
and Jilleroos of Australia proper but in the Gaucho traditions of
Patagonia and the Argentine Pampas. While this might indicate prosperity
on the part of Latinos, in fact the opposite is the case. Though officially
New Canberra is bilingual, in practice those who don't speak English
often have a hard time improving their economic position, and with
the official bilingualism there is little emphasis on teaching English
to Latino NovoCanos. This has made much of the Latino-dominant areas
of New Canberra, in particular the Nuevas Malvinas, the most impoverished
of New Canberra.
While official Argentine support for Santa Maria
ended with the abandonment of their colony in 2183, many Argentine
and Mexican emigrants made their way to the Llano de Tierra Negra.
This has given rise to a "illustrado" community, made up of those
descended from the original 10,000 Argentines left behind as the Argentine
administration and military left. Much of the beef and fish consumed
in New Canberra come from the Latino areas of the colony, from estancias
(Sp: stations) and cooperatives still owned by the illustrado families.
Income distribution, while far better than Argentina and Mexico proper,
is still disproportionate in the Llano and the Nuevas Malvinas, with
the bulk of the economy controlled by the illustrados. This leads
to internal tension within the Argentine community, yet any efforts
by Bennelong to redress these issues are rebuffed, as (from the illustrado
point of view) the community should solve it's own problems. While
Santa Maria and the rest of the Llano are beginning to show signs
of economic stability and growth, the Nuevas Malvinas will likely
remain a depressed, blighted area, as internal tension between separatists
and the New Canberran government continues.
Another source of tension within the Argentine community
is over the Novo Catolico schism engineered by Argentina and Mexico
during the First Rio Plata War in 2205. The Vatican, not wishing to
alienate their Brazilian base of support, condemned the Argentine
aggression that led to that war. The military leaders in Buenos Aires
and Mexico City, instead of accepting the Vatican's decision, broke
from the Roman Catholic church and formed the Novo Catolico church
with it's center in Montevideo, Uruguay. While most of the people
within the INAP sphere (Argentina, Chile, the Inca Republic, Mexico,
and Uruguay) followed their leaders, the lesser presence of both the
Instituto Nacional de Astronomica Practical (INAP) nations on Tirane
also diminished the impact of the schism within the Argentine community
of New Canberra. Many (though not all) in the Nuevas Malvinas, which
enjoyed a period of de facto autonomy until the Brazilian intervention
from Provincia do Brasil in 2206, strongly support the Montevideo
church. Marianos, since 2173 having mostly worked closely with the
Bennelong administration, have thus far remained faithful to the Roman
Church, now based in Perugia, Italy.
While other communities in New Canberra see continued
immigration, especially from Indonesia, the Indian States, and Nigeria,
Argentine immigration has tapered off to near zero in the past three
decades. While this has been attributed to Argentina's new colony
on Montana as well as the other main INAP colonial effort undertaken
with the Manchus on Kwantung, a more reasonable explanation can be
found in the depressed economies of the Nuevas Malvinas and the Llano
de Tierra Negra. While the Llano's economy has shown some resiliency
as it integrates further into the overall NovoCano effort, the Nuevas
Malvinas remains depressed due in part to the political instability
and low-level insurgency found there. While this has not prevented
new Latino immigration, often this comes from such countries as Chile,
Mexico (particularly the states of Cuba and Panama, both still resistant
to Mexican annexation), Spain, and the Latino community of Tirania.
Oddly enough, another source of Latino immigration to New Canberra
comes from America itself, as Hispanics from California's Central
Valley, Puerto Rico, and South Florida see more opportunity as Spanish-speakers
in officially bilingual New Canberra than might be found in America's
colonies in the Rimward Arm. As a result, most of these new Latino
settlers are more loyal to New Canberra (though not necessarily Australia)
than the average native Latino.
Settlers and their descendents from Indonesia, often
called pribumi (In: "native"), are mainly found on Duffer's Strip,
with smaller communities in the Spice Islands, the Eastern Shore,
and Pulau Timor Bahru. Indonesians are for the most part Malay and
Javanese, with very few Balinese and Chinese-Indonesian descendents
among them. Making up the majority of residents in Mt. McDonald and
the largest pluralities in Kosciusko and Rum Jungle, the Indonesian
community's impact on Duffer's Strip is clearly most apparent in the
Islamic religion practiced by the vast majority. The sound of the
muezzin calling the faithful to prayer has become as much a part of
the daily life of Duffer's Strip as youngsters playing sepak takraw.
There was some resentment directed at Bennelong and the New Canberran
parliament when Spanish was elevated to an official language as there
were far more Bahasa Indonesia speakers in New Canberra in 2183, some
of which continues today. However, in recognition of the Indonesian
contribution to New Canberra's growth, the three major cities of Duffer's
Strip refer to their neighborhoods as kampongs, or communties, and
Indonesian traditional architecture strongly influences public buildings
and personal housing throughout all of the non-Latino areas of New
Canberra. Indonesian themes and styles also influence dress throughout
New Canberra, and the batiks created by the textile industry of Duffer's
Strip are also finding a market throughout the rest of the colony,
and indeed all Tirane, as well.
It is difficult for a newcomer to Duffer's Strip
to fully integrate, as the Indonesian communities are clannish and
protective of their adat, or traditions. While there is a move afoot
to elevate Bahasa Indonesia to become New Canberra's third official
language, similar efforts within the community are being made to improve
the English capability of Indonesian youngsters in order to make them
more competitive in New Canberra's economy. The vast majority of Duffer's
Strip's unemployed are Indonesian, which causes further tension between
them and the remainder of New Canberra, yet the companies with the
largest presence in Duffer's Strip are Indonesian or owned by Indonesian
residents. Smaller communities of Indonesian NovoCanos are found in
Bennelong and Windbourne on the Eastern Shore and Anchorhead on Pulau
Timor Bahru. None of these places have the same social and economic
problems Duffer's Strip's Indonesian communities have, yet don't have
the same sense of adat their brethren share in Duffer's Strip either.
These Indonesian settlers were brought to New Canberra
per an agreement between the Indonesian and Australian governments
as a safety valve for Indonesia's crowded conditions. While mean-spirited,
a fairly accurate comment by a Commonwealth Party leader in the 2220's
summed up the dilemma faced by both Australia and Indonesia, "If we
don't let the Indo's go to New Canberra they'll overrun Darwin." While
the Life Foundation had a hand in subsidizing the transport of Indonesian
colonists, for the most part the transportation costs were borne by
Indonesian companies. These companies were given the same tax breaks
as Australian companies by the New Canberra Department, which made
it easier for them to bear the cost of bringing their new employees
to Duffer's Strip. Duffer's strip was closer to the bulk of New Canberra's
raw materials necessary for heavy industry, and thus the most appropriate
place to begin the new Indonesian-financed development. While in the
early years of colonization full employment was realized in Duffer's
Strip, as time went on many mines were closed, and the costs of gaining
the materials necessary for manufacturing operations often overwhelmed
the companies operating in Duffer's Strip. This led to plant closings
and widespread unemployment, a situation only now being rectified
through government and Life Foundation sponsored diversification projects
and the encouragement of relocation to more prosperous cities. This
relocation has given cities outside of Duffer's Strip their Indonesian
communities, which have become just as prosperous as any other in
their new homes.
Nigerian settlers have come to New Canberra from
the beginning of Australia's colonial effort on Tirane, and have chosen
the largest of the Spice Islands to make their homes. A hard-working
people, Nigerians have formed a unique community within the islands,
yet aside from Duffer's Strip have only recently formed communities
beyond them, notably on Pulau Timor Bahru and the Silver Ridge mountains,
where they experiment with coffee production. Nigerian descended NovoCanos
are strongly defensive of the environment where they live, and through
their urging many of the smaller, uninhabited islands of the Spice
Islands archipelago have been set aside as natural preserves. Also,
the tourist and fishing industries of the Islands are largely Nigerian
efforts. Though having a percentage of Muslims just over half to that
of the Indonesians, the remainder being either Christian or animist,
mosques are as prevalent in Port Essington and Muhtma as they are
in Duffer's Strip. While the majority of Nigerians speak Peul/Fulani
or Hausa among themselves, English is used as a lingua franca between
speakers of different languages and there is little linguistic tension
between the Nigerians and the rest of New Canberra.
Scandinavians were part of New Canberra's second
wave of settlers, and chose an area in the southern portion of the
Eastern Shore for their homes. Nordmark, a suburb of Windbourne, is
the center of Scandinavian culture and learning in New Canberra, yet
Scandinavians can be found throughout the colony filling a variety
of roles. While those living closer to Nordmark and Windbourne are
more apt to uphold and display their heritage and languages, those
living further away live lives no different than any Australian in
New Canberra, save for participation in cultural events held where
there are a number of Scandinavians. Those living in Nordmark, though,
often choose to live lives at sea, in either the fishing fleets or
the New Canberra Emergency Service's rescue craft. Also, New Canberra's
largest commercial ocean-shipping fleet, Viking-Southern Cross, is
based at Windbourne, and many of the Scandinavian NovoCanos are found
in VSC crews not only plying the waters of Tirane, but aboard Australian
and Scandinavian interstellar merchant ships as well. Considered part
of the Scandinavian community, yet separate from it, are several hundred
Sami, or Lapp, families from the far northern regions of the Scandinavian
Union. They are found mostly in the Silver Mountains, engaged in reindeer
herding and the maintenance of roads and communications substations
deep in the mountains.
Along the rivers of the Pampa are scattered settlements
of people from the various Indian States. Placed there during New
Canberra's first century through the auspices of the Life Foundation,
these communities have integrated into and invigorated the life of
the Pampa easily, the only noticeable presence of Indian culture being
the various Buddhist, Hindu, and Sikh temples and Muslim mosques near
the various towns. These towns also have Indian markets offering the
sights and smells of the Subcontinent, which forms the heart of the
Indian communities of the Pampa. While all the languages of the subcontinent
were brought with them during their settlement along the river, only
Bengali, Hindi, and Punjabi survived, the remainder having adopted
English or one of the other three languages. The few Muslims in these
communities also study classical Arabic, the language of the Qur'an,
but do not use it as an everyday language.
While it was feared that the emigration and concentration
of so many East Indians from a variety of different states would bring
the conflicts of the Subcontinent to New Canberra, the Life Foundation
ensured that inter-ethnic tension would be kept to a minimum. Working
closely with the Australian Colonial Office, and later with the New
Canberra Department, the Foundation refused to concentrate large numbers
of emigrants from any single country into a single location. Therefore,
the Pampa towns of Bencoolen and Tirane Springs, along with the small
number of smaller towns between them, show a mixture of various East
Indian nationalities. As the first thing a Life Foundation emigrant
to New Canberra gives up is his or her national passport, the Foundation
then becomes responsible for their diplomatic protection until citizenship
is achieved. As such, the Life Foundation has large "transition assistance
centers" at Bennelong, Tirane Springs, and Port Bagaaybila to assist
these new immigrants, though solely in English. This does go some
way to erode the use of the Indian Subcontinents less-common languages,
such as Gujerati, Malayalam, and Tamil, but while this is of concern
to the Life Foundation the individuals giving up their languages don't
seem to complain much. After all, English remains the lingua franca
of the Subcontinent, despite the dissolution of 20th century India.
Punjabi Sikhs, in particular, have made the greatest
impact of all the East Indian peoples of New Canberra. While less
than 4% of New Canberra's overall population, Sikhs make up nearly
10% of the New Canberra Police force and contribute to the defense
of Australia as a whole, befitting the martial tenets of their faith.
In recognition of this, the Australian Defence Force has created the
Sikh Regiment of Australia, recruited primarily from the Pampa city
of Bencoolen. While originally a novelty unit, in each deployment
this regiment has earned not honors not only for itself but for New
Canberra as well, and as a result is Bennelong's ceremonial troops.
Additionally, turbaned Sikh engineers are found aboard starships throughout
Human Space, and those from New Canberra are considered "cream of
the crop" due to the greater degree of training and preparation required
by Australia's Engineering Trades Union.
Other peoples have made their way to New Canberra,
including East Africans, Indochinese- particularly from Thailand,
and Tiranians escaping their recent economic slump. All have integrated
into society as a whole, though East Africans are more likely to live
among their Nigerian counterparts in the Spice Islands and the Silver
Ridge. The Thai community is based at Port Bagaaybila, with a large
Thai Buddhist temple currently under construction. Their particular
experience with building canals and controlling floods have created
in their adopted home a system of waterways similar to those found
in Bangkok and Venice, which has added a unique character to Port
Bagaaybila's city center and port. Tiranians can be found anywhere
in New Canberra, and aside from their clearly North American-based
accent, are indistinguishable from Australians as a whole. Many younger
Tiranians have emigrated to Anchorhead in order to participate in
the lively youth culture and vibrant economy found there and throughout
Pulau Timor Bahru.
INDEX
5.
Government, Military and Law Enforcement
Since the constitutional reforms of the 2180's, New
Canberra has had a great deal of autonomy in its internal and Tiranean
affairs. Indeed, the only matters the Australian Federal Government
has over New Canberra are defense, extra-Tiranean affairs, and monetary
policy including the issuance of coins and currency. Additionally,
in the event of a loss of communication between Bennelong and Newcentre
for any number of reasons New Canberra becomes effectively an independent
country, according to both the New Canberran and Australian constitutions.
New Canberra also provides at least one member of Australia's Federal
Cabinet, the country's executive body.
Officially New Canberra is a "Department" of Australia,
and as such is represented in the Federal Parliament by the Minister
for New Canberra. During the 2180's reforms there was some controversy
over what to call Australia's Tiranean colony. "Colony" was seen as
patronizing and degrading, yet New Canberra's distance from Newcentre
made outright territorial status or statehood difficult, if not impossible.
Department status offered a good deal of local autonomy, yet created
the formal link to Australia necessary for the colony to flourish.
Often the New Canberra Minister, selected by the New Canberra Parliament,
was the only official representative of the colony in the Federal
Cabinet, even as New Canberra's population approached that of Australia
proper. NovoCanos found no problem with this, as they had proportional
representation in the Federal parliament and could influence government
by the direction their seats went.
Below the federal parliament are the two regional
parliaments, one at Newcentre for Australia proper and the other for
New Canberra at Bennelong. New Canberra is unique in having it's own
elected head of state, known as the Administrator, who has little
actual power. The Administrator merely "rubber-stamps" any laws passed
by the unicameral Parliament, as real executive power rests in the
Chief Minister. However, NovoCanos take their Administrator seriously,
as the post is often filled by a popular elder statesman, celebrity,
or retired military leader. Currently, as of 2303 the Administrator's
office is held by Erik Olafsson, the retired former head of the New
Canberra Emergency Service. Unique among Australian elected positions,
the office of Administrator is entirely non-partisan. This is intended
to provide an official position of neutrality if Parliament needs
to be dissolved for any reason, though at no time in New Canberran
history has there been such an action. To provide a check to the Administrator's
power, he or she can be removed by a simple majority in a referendum
according to New Canberra's constitution, yet as in the case of parliamentary
dissolution this option has never been exercised either.
The true political leadership of New Canberra rests
in the Chief Minister and Cabinet, who meet in the unicameral Parliament
at Bennelong. Other ministries, known as departments, are Social Services,
Justice, Infrastructure, Immigration and Community Affairs, Inter-Tiranean
Relations, Financial Oversight, Education, and Revenue and Treasury.
A Deputy Chief Minister is also appointed, and sits in cabinet meetings
as minister without portfolio. This is to prepare the Deputy Chief
to take over in the event of death or incapacitation of the Chief
Minister, an event that has not happened since the founding of New
Canberra. The Chief Minister and Cabinet are appointed by the party
with the greatest number of seats in Parliament, or the ruling coalition
if no one party holds a majority.
While Federal elections take place once every seven
years, selection for New Canberra's parliament takes place every 42
months, or twice during a Federal session. Unlike other Westminster-derived
parliamentary systems, election dates are fixed, and any loss of confidence
during a session means the government acts as caretaker until the
next election, unless new coalitions can be formed. This came as a
reaction to the turbulent times of the 2180's, where no less than
six governments ruled in a five-year period. 2188, Australia's quadcentenary,
marked a turning point in New Canberra's political development. As
New Canberra was only then starting to show a profit for Newcentre,
the costs of the all-too-frequent elections were starting to mount,
and only fresh cash from Newcentre kept the colony solvent. The last
government of the period, a rare coalition of the Commonwealth and
Labor parties (with the pro-independence Our Nation/Nuestra Patria
Party in opposition), pushed for that particular constitutional reform
as matters in Australia proper settled down. This overwhelmingly passed,
as voters were tired of the constant cycles of falling governments
and frequent elections.
The major parties represented in New Canberra's parliament
mirror those in Australia proper, both in the Federal and continental
governments. Additionally, there are two distinctly New Canberran
political parties, which while they never gain enough seats to make
an impact on their own are often asked to join coalitions when necessary.
This has often led to shaky governments and near paralysis until the
following elections, but the past twenty years have seen single-party
majorities able to keep the reins of power for longer periods of time.
Seats in Parliament are based on single-member districts, with an
additional twenty seats awarded at large. These twenty seats are divided
between the parties based on the proportion of the overall vote each
party receives. This guarantees that any party receiving at least
five percent of the overall vote has at least one seat in Parliament,
though detractors claim the larger parties use the extra seats gained
in this method to boost their majorities, in order to avoid forming
coalitions with the smaller ones. Voting is compulsory in New Canberra,
yet unlike Australia proper fines for failure to participate in elections
are fairly steep, AUD$5000 being the norm. Before the reader finds
this excessive, however, please keep in mind that at the current exchange
rate A$5000 is worth US$50, or roughly Lv40.
Currently the Labor Party, Australia's center-left
party, rules New Canberra with its history in the labor-union movement
of the 19th century. Since at that time the movement was influenced
by American labor leaders the standard British/Australian spelling
"Labour" was changed to "Labor." For New Canberra the major issues
of Labor's concern are economic development of the hinterland, support
for the unemployed of Duffer's Strip and the Latino areas of Santa
Maria and the Nuevas Malvinas (which includes subsidized relocation
to economically stronger areas), and improved services to rural residents.
Also on Labor's platform are further efforts towards a greater degree
of autonomy from the Australian Federal government. Infrastructure
projects are another priority, and airfilm and maglev lines linking
all the major cities of New Canberra were begun during Labor rule.
Additionally, it was during Labor rule that the oversight of New Canberra's
internal government passed from the Australian Colonial Office to
the New Canberra Minister and New Canberra's own Administrator.
Led by the young and charismatic Chief Minister Stephanie
Torres of Ciudad Santa Maria, New Canberra's Labor leadership has
taken a more aggressive stance in both Federal and Tiranean matters.
With New Canberra's larger portion of Australians as a whole, whichever
party wins New Canberra elections also comes to power at the Federal
level. Labor currently holds a 75-seat majority in the New Canberran
parliament as a result of political errors made by the opposition
as well as popular goodwill towards Torres herself. The Deputy Chief
Minister is currently Ms. Timah Sustrinoputri of Rum Jungle.
The main opposition comes from the Commonwealth Party,
a large center-right party currently ruling Australia proper. This
post-Twilight party formed from the center-right coalitions between
the old Liberal, National (formerly the Country), United Australia,
and Conservative parties. While it does have a more conservative focus
it remains somewhat compassionate regarding social issues, and isn't
nearly as reactionary as similar parties elsewhere, including New
Canberra's own Our Nation/Nuestra Patria. Led by Gary Leung, the primary
conflicts in parliament between him and Chief Minister Torres are
over social spending, privatization of public services, and relations
with the Federal government in Newcentre. Commonwealth feels the oversight
of the Bennelong government under the New Canberra Minister and the
Administrator to be more akin to" the fox watching the chook (Aus
slang 'chicken') house," preferring a greater level of Federal monitoring
of NovoCano affairs. Conversely, the Commonwealth Party is pressing
for the devolution of government to the regional level, allowing the
regions to find solutions to strictly regional matters.
The party made a grave political error in the 2302
election with their "Stuff Steff" campaign motto. While "Stuff Steff"
meant simply that Commonwealth wished to "make her unemployed," the
fact that the current Chief Minister is an attractive thirty-five
year old Latina widow with a pleasing personality made the motto a
great deal more suggestively sinister. The phrase was all the more
inappropriate given that Ms. Torres' Fleet Command Operations Commandant
husband died during the Kafer War. The previous leader resigned from
the party leadership as a result of the drubbing Commonwealth took
in the polls, and the more moderate Leung acceded to leadership of
the party in New Canberra. His deputy, Kylie Falcon, acts as shadow
Deputy Chief Minister.
On the fringes are the Progressive Democrats, Australia's
far-left party encompassing the environmentalist, radical socialist,
and pacifist elements of society. While they do gain seats in Australia
proper and the federal parliament, their presence in New Canberra
up to recently has been limited to the poorer sections of Duffer's
Strip's major cities, areas with chronic unemployment, and the youth
vote. Lately Anchorhead's two seats have swung to the "Progs," as
that city has been the focus of the Tiranean youth culture, with a
corresponding increase of idealistic young immigrants from all over
New Canberra and Tirania.
However, dividing New Canberra's Progressive Democrats
from their Australian counterparts is a strong Tiranista ethos, and
the New Canberran platform for the party includes a debate on independence
from Australia and the creation of a federal republic. In fact, the
NovoCano Progs is less left leaning than their platform might indicate,
as they support the Commonwealth Party's efforts towards devolution.
After all, the federal republic they propose will be based on those
very regions. The current leader of the "Progs" is the recently selected
Julie McKenna, daughter of Tirania's Adjutant General, who began her
political career upon achieving Australian citizenship.
National Unity, Australia's far-right party, has
even less of a presence in New Canberra than Australia proper. Fighting
for what it terms "Australian Cultural Purity," NU's platform opposes
non-Australian immigration, free markets, minority rights, and social
tolerance. Since New Canberra is officially bilingual and has an even
greater degree of multiculturalism than Australia proper, National
Unity has yet to gain more than two seats in the New Canberran parliament,
neither coming from the twenty at-large seats. Surprisingly enough,
one of the seats NU has perennially held is in Rum Jungle, in the
district surrounding the ANZAC Monument. However, this is tempered
by the fact that Rum Jungle is less than 20km from the Amaterasu border,
with a distinctly Tasmanian settlement hostile to New Canberra and
Australians as a whole, on the opposite side. While this hostility
has never taken a violent turn since the "Hanson Incident," as these
Tasmanians refer to the First and a Half Interstellar War, National
Unity still uses this as a means of gaining support. The Nationals
oppose any further devolution of power from Newcentre, but support
the notion of political devolution to the regions. Currently the leadership
of the party is in doubt, as the various factions differ on how to
approach the issues.
The two political parties unique to New Canberra
are Our Nation/Nuestra Patria and the Parti Melayu-Kanbera Bahru.
Nuestra Patria favors complete independence from Australia and a stronger
emphasis on morality (as defined by Nuestra Patria). The party's peak
occurred in the late 2180's, during the constitutional crises affecting
all of Australia, as Nuestra Patria came into being following the
merger of New Canberra and Santa Maria. While for years Nuestra Patria
was the main Latino party, over time the Mariano community found more
in common with the Australian mainstream parties. As a result of Nuestra
Patria's main support now coming from the Malvino community, the Hispanic
Novo Catolico Church heavily influences it and only in the last twenty
years has independence been included in the party manifesto. However,
in the 2302 elections Our Nation barely kept the three seats it's
always held, all from the Nuevas Malvinas region, and lost the one
at-large seat it normally gains. The Parti Melayu-Kanbera Bahru taps
the Indonesian community for support, stressing Islam and Malay culture
and a greater voice for both in New Canberran government. While it
does win about five percent of the overall New Canberran vote, with
a corresponding at-large parliamentary seat, the fact that it never
gains a majority in the community it aims to serve is indicative of
the conflict within the Indonesian community as a whole. Parti Melayu
advocates official recognition of Bahasa Indonesia throughout New
Canberra and the easing of the environmental regulations in Duffer's
Strip which prevent further expansion of the region's crowded cities.
One current policy the Party Melayu opposes is the relocation incentive
being offered to the unemployed of Duffer's Strip. Party Melayu believes
that the region and the Indonesian community in general would be better
served by the expansion of opportunity in Duffer's Strip itself. As
a result, it gains some support among Duffer's Strip's non-Indonesian
residents.
Both of these indigenous parties also support devolution
of central authority to the various regions, and a debate on New Canberra's
political future. In fact, the leaders of both parties, Armando Muņiz
de Zavala of Nuestra Patria and Anwar Azzizah of Parti Melayu, have
approached the "Prog's" Julie McKenna about presenting a united front
on discussing possible independence in Parliament. As there's little
else to unite the three smaller parties, little credence will be given
to any future "freedom alliance."
In trying to be all things to all people, the New
Canberran government has taken in far too much power into itself,
creating resentment from all segments of society. There is little
input from the various regions regarding their concerns, and in fact
this most diverse of colonies has one of the most centralized forms
of government of any place on Tirane. For their part the Australian-descended
settlers who form nearly half of the police and civil service have
worked doggedly to work out these issues, reaching out to disaffected
communities, seeking compromises, and generally being willing to talk.
But for those who want a voice in their own destinies this isn't enough.
Unfortunately, the party that has thus far appealed to the broadest
range of NovoCanos opposes this devolution. Whether Labor believes
this is a threat to their continued rule of New Canberra or simply
a belief that a more centralized government can address issues better
with the broader range of resources available is unknown. So long
as they remain in power, though, devolution is less likely to occur.
New Canberra is divided into six regions, the largest
and most populous being Duffer's Strip. The regions actually have
little actual power, and the regional councils often merely administer
for the New Canberra government the areas under their control. The
larger cities, however, do have a degree of internal autonomy for
issues related to urban life. As these cities also have the power
to tax property they are generally crowded (to minimize the amount
of property taxed), and have vast suburbs surrounding them beyond
the municipal limits. Often new cities have to be created from these
suburbs to prevent the larger neighbor annexing them, which leads
to further sprawl as those who can afford to do so move out further
from the city centers. Cities are responsible for internal land use
and to some degree metropolitan economic development. However, many
of the functions performed by other cities in the Core are the responsibility
of the New Canberra government as a whole. These include law enforcement,
water and sewer infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, electric
power, and communications.
Under the aegis of the New Canberra Department of
Justice, the New Canberra Police patrol the entire colony; there are
no law enforcement agencies at any lower level, city or shire. Given
the all-encompassing nature of the NCP, and the fact that officers
can be transferred anywhere within New Canberra, the idea of "community
policing" has not taken hold. While efforts are made to make officers
stationed in Mt. McDonald, for example, more sensitive to local conditions
and culture, conflicts often arise in the poorer kampongs of the city
which greater understanding of the citizens might have prevented.
This isn't to imply that the officers of the NCP are insensitive bigots,
as New Canberra's Department of Justice goes out of its way to recruit
from areas most in need of help. However, NCP officers recruited from
the kampongs of Duffer's Strip's largest cities often request transfer
out of the area, usually to the more peaceful cities of the Eastern
Shore and the Pampa. While knowledge of Spanish is required for a
posting in the Nuevas Malvinas and the Llano (Santa Maria), proficiency
in Bahasa Indonesia is as yet not required for those being sent to
Duffer's Strip as it is currently not an official language. The linguistic
and cultural differences, as well as the majority in the kampongs
being Muslim and most NCP constables being Christian or of other non-Muslim
faiths, often negatively affect the quality of law enforcement in
Duffer's Strip. It is to the NCP's credit, however, that no Sikh officer
has been sent to a Muslim area, nor are Novo Catolico officers sent
to Vatican-loyal Catholic neighborhoods.
The Nuevas Malvinas provide another difficult posting
for NCP officers due to the low yet increasing level of violent separatist
activity. Given the Nuevas Malvinas' origins as a haven for Argentines
wishing to avoid absorption into New Canberra, the NCP in particular
is seen as the visible symbol of "Australian oppression." Seldom does
a month go by without some expression of anger directed at the NCP,
either in the form of a car bombing, assassination, or vandalism against
government property. While communication with the Malvinos comes more
easily than in Duffer's Strip due to the required Spanish proficiency,
often these Spanish-speaking constables come from Santa Maria's Roman
Catholic community, which creates a source of tension between them
and the mostly Novo Catolico Malvinos. However, despite the attacks
against them, NCP officers have earned the respect of many Malvinos,
particularly as one of their own, Carlos Estefan Rawson, is Chief
of the New Canberra Police. Both he and Chief Minister Torres, though,
require unusual security while visiting Nueva Cordoba and the Nuevas
Malvinas, as both have been targeted by the most militant of separatists
for their "selling out to the Anglos."
Elsewhere in New Canberra the NCP has a far better
reputation. Those constables who might have had less-than-stellar
careers in Duffer's Strip or the Nuevas Malvinas often do better in
the Spice Islands, the Eastern Shore, the Llano, and the Pampa, all
with stronger economies and therefore lower crime rates. The NCP divides
New Canberra into Precincts, often individual city neighborhoods or
small towns, and Shires based around the larger cities and towns,
with the rural Precincts reporting to the nearest Shire headquarters.
Above the Shires are the six regional headquarters, each under a Regional
Commissioner. These regional headquarters are at Anchorhead (Pulau
Timor Bahru and the Spice Islands), Bencoolen (Pampa), Bennelong (Eastern
Shore), Kosciusco (Duffer's Strip), Nueva Cordoba (Nuevas Malvinas),
and Ciudad Santa Maria (Llano/Santa Maria). In longstanding practice,
the Regional Commissioners are ex officio members of the various regional
councils, and advise them on police matters. The headquarters of the
New Canberra Police, First Precinct, is in Bennelong's government
center, and sits nearly between the commercial and government centers
of the city. Surprisingly for it's function, it's not nearly as visibly
secure as the other government buildings of Bennelong. This was a
conscious decision by New Canberra's first Commissioner, Wayne Cole,
who believed that "the Police of this colony should be accessible
to the people of this colony, as it is made up of their best." However,
while not visible from the street, security measures are taken to
protect First Precinct, a fact not lost on many who currently languish
in New Canberra's gaols.
The police have a ranking system similar to the Australian
Defence Force, with some modifications as described below.
(Rookie) Constable
- no insignia.
Senior Constable - one downward-pointing chevron on both sleeves
below shoulder.
Leading Constable - two downward-pointing chevrons.
Senior Leading Constable - three downward-pointing chevrons.
Watch Officer - Shield of the New Canberra arms below shoulder (short
sleeve), or
between elbow and wrist (long sleeve).
Senior Watch Officer - Shield and fauna of the NC arms.
Leading Watch Officer - Shield, flora, and fauna of the NC arms.
Precinct Leading Watch Officer - Entire NC arms: shield, flora,
fauna, and Southern Cross.
Assistant Inspector - One seven-pointed Federation star on New Canberra
flora ("glitter fern"), worn on shoulder board.
Inspector - Two Federation stars on glitter fern.
Senior Inspector - Three Federation stars on glitter fern.
Chief Inspector - Four Federation stars on glitter fern.
Assistant Commissioner- One Federation star on a stylized police
baton, worn on shoulder board.
Precinct Commissioner - Two Federation stars on baton.
Shire Commissioner - Three Federation stars on baton.
Regional Commissioner - Four Federation stars on baton.
Chief of the New Canberra Police - Southern Cross on baton.
The NCP's everyday uniform consists of a khaki short-
or long-sleeved shirt, dark green slacks, a wide-brimmed felt or standard
police hat, and appropriate body armor. Due to the semi-formal nature
of New Canberra's Latino society, shorts are seldom worn, and never
in the Latino regions of the Llano de Tierra Negra or the Nuevas Malvinas,
nor in Duffer's Strip, where stickybushes (see below) are frequently
found. When in full-dress regalia, a black tie and green jacket is
added to the ensemble. NCP officers with the Special Operations Group
(the "Soggies") wear standard Australian military or black fatigues.
Constables carry handguns while on patrol in dangerous areas, but
aren't required to elsewhere- and don't. Therefore, while everyone
in the NCP is required to maintain proficiency, the infrequent necessity
of weapon use prevents regular practice. Correspondingly, only those
constables assigned to the Special Operations Group can be considered
experts in weapon use.
Separate but working closely with the NCP is the
Border Police, or BORPOL. Solely responsible for the security of the
common border with Amaterasu, BORPOL also works closely with elements
of the Australian Defence Force based in the area as well. However,
while ADF units are concerned mainly with an unlikely military threat,
BORPOL is focused on illegal crossings, smuggling, and area security.
Often they are tasked with the apprehension and repatriation of the
many illegal border crossers from nearby Amaterasu prefectures, those
non-Japanese ethnics that hope to flee their second-class status in
the Japanese colony. BORPOL uniforms are dark green fatigues, with
a rank structure similar to the NCP, though the Australian coat-of-arms
is used for Watch Officers. Dress uniforms consist of dark green high-collared
jackets with green slacks. BORPOL constables from Earth frequently
transfer from the Papuan border south of Cairns on Earth to Duffer's
Strip on a regular basis, but due to the distances involved and the
costs of frequent relocation, often those recruited in New Canberra
remain there throughout their career.
While in many other places the prison service is
separate from the actual police force, in New Canberra police constables
in a thirty-year career often do a tour as a warder in the prisons.
This leads to many cases where a convict can meet up with the individual
constable that initially arrested them, which often lead to interesting
situations within the gaols (jails, in US spelling). However, in the
century of NCP control of the prison system there have been very few
successful escape attempts, all escapees having either been recaptured
or killed outright by either pursuing constables or the elements.
Unlike the rest of Australia but in line with American practice, New
Canberra's four large prisons and ten smaller minimum-security camps
(each to be covered in the regional articles) are placed in remote,
inhospitable areas. Also, along with the rest of the Tiranean colonies
and nations, New Canberra does not impose the death penalty on any
convict regardless of the crime.
Acting in an advisory capacity, as well as being
the main investigative law enforcement agency in New Canberra, are
the Australian Federal Police. Seldom seen in uniform, and indeed
seldom seen at all, FEDPOL constables work with the NCP in investigating
the worst crimes. Often involving organized crime organizations, particularly
terrorist groups operating out of the Nuevas Malvinas, FEDPOL brings
a greater experience base in finding and neutralizing the most violent
elements of the separatist movement. Most other crimes, large and
small, are usually handled solely by the NCP. The actual number and
identities of the FEDPOL constables remain a secret, though it's rumored
that the actual number is less than five hundred, mainly divided between
Bennelong, Ciudad Santa Maria, Nueva Cordoba, Port Bagaaybila, and
Rum Jungle.
Corresponding with the New Canberra Police districts
are the various Criminal and Civil Courts, with smaller Magistrates
Courts at the Shire level. Above them are the regional Appeals Courts,
where any appeal begins its journey up through the system, possibly
culminating in the High Court of Australia. All New Canberran courts
are subordinate to the Superior Court of New Canberra at Bennelong,
which is the highest court of the territory, though not the final
point of appeal. If it chooses to hear the case, the High Court of
Australia in Newcentre has final jurisdiction over any case tried
anywhere within the Commonwealth of Australia. Often, however, the
High Court lets stand any decision made by the Superior Court, and
only twice in a century has a New Canberran case even been heard in
the High Court. In neither case did the High Court overturn the decision
of the Superior Court.
Criminal cases begin at the Magistrate's Court, where
a panel of three elected judges reviews all particulars of the case
presented. If the Magistrates determine if the presented evidence
is sufficient to take to trial, the case moves up to the District
Criminal Court. Here a determination of guilt (conviction), innocence
(acquittal), or failure of proof (found "not proven") is decided,
either by a jury or by a single judge appointed by the Administrator
on the advice of Parliament. In order to prevent tainting of a jury
either by the media or by local opinion, juries are transported from
other areas of New Canberra, at the Department of Justice's expense,
and the trial takes place away from the eyes and ears of the media.
Unusual among court systems is New Canberra's use
of the prosecutorial appeal. If a defendant has been found innocent
despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the prosecution is
permitted to submit an appeal to the next higher court, the nearest
regional Appeals Court. Here three judges, appointed for ten-year
non-renewable terms by the Administrator on the advice of Parliament,
review the case and the evidence presented and make their decision.
Of the prosecutorial appeals presented sixty percent resulted in new
trials against a defendant. While many argue that this results in
cases of "double-jeopardy," very few prosecutors have actually appealed
acquittals, and those that resulted in new trials invariably led to
convictions. Any new trial brought up due to a prosecutorial appeal
take place in different cities, with different judges and juries.
While the other departments, such as Social Services,
Education, Revenue and Treasury, and Financial Oversight are self-explanatory
the Department of Infrastructure bears some explanation. It's purpose
is the maintenance and upgrading of all necessary infrastructure within
New Canberra, including water supply, transportation networks, electric
power generation and distribution, colony-wide information technology
networks (including satellites), parks, and non-urban land use. Currently
New Canberra's largest employer, the Infrastructure Minister oversees
a great deal of construction and maintenance activity, and has the
largest government presence in New Canberra. It is individual sectors,
such as power production and distribution that the Commonwealth Party
would like to see privatized. Though such efforts are unpopular with
the majority of NovoCanos, out of fear the quality of services provided
will suffer in the name of corporate profit, much of Commonwealth's
support comes from Australia's and New Canberra's largest corporations,
eager to take over the services from the public sector.
Under the Infrastructure Department's aegis, yet
working closely with the Social Services Department's health section,
are the men and women of the New Canberra Emergency Service (NCES).
Claiming its origins in Reverend John Flynn's Royal Flying Doctor
Service of the 20th century, the NCES has taken on maritime search
and rescue, provision of emergency medical services in remote rural
areas, emergency relief in response to natural or catastrophic man-made
disasters, and numerous other similar missions. While their colloquial
names "New-cess" or "Nuisance" may be less than complimentary, the
NCES is highly respected by all segments of NovoCano society. Another
role of the NCES comes in providing additional security at the request
of the NCP, NCES members being trained in squad-level tactics and
in counter-terrorism missions. Any NCES member who excels and shows
an interest in counter-terrorism is invited to join NCP Special Operations
Groups in each of the major cities. Ranks of NCES staff match that
of the NCP, listed above. NCES everyday uniforms consist of "international
orange" coveralls, with a formal dress uniform and rank similar to
that of the NCP.
All hospitals, save the ADF Medical Command facilities
near major bases, are administered by the Department of Social Services
Health Division, and are supported by New Canberra's tax system. Any
patient requiring treatment will be admitted without regard to ability
to pay. Indeed, New Canberra's health care system operates on a single-payer
basis, there currently being no private medical insurers or hospital
systems operating in the colony. However, the costs of services will
be billable to anyone who is admitted due to questionable activity,
such as operation of a motor- or hovercycle without the appropriate
headgear. Also, any victim of violent acts will receive a visit from
a nearby NCP constable for further investigation, particularly if
the wounds sustained are the result of firearms (mis)use.
While monetary policy is the responsibility of the
Federal government, the Bennelong Mint was created out of a need to
provide New Canberra a stable money supply. With a majority of Australians
living in New Canberra, it was felt that keeping a major branch of
the central bank, the Reserve Bank of Australia, in the colony would
ensure that all the Australian territory within the Core had access
to a strong currency. The Bennelong Mint produces Australian coins
from one dollar up to five hundred dollars. Additionally, the Mint's
Banknote Production Division produces $500, $1000, $2000, $5000, $10,000,
and recently issued $20,000 dollar notes using polymers originally
developed in Australia before the Twilight War. This ensures that
NovoCanos never have to fear the collapse of their banks due to an
unlikely end to communications between Newcentre and Bennelong.
In addition to Australian coins and banknotes, American
coinage is produced under contract, in the traditional American denominations
of 1c, 5c, 10c, 25c, 50c, and 1$. Currently the Australian dollar
and the American dollar are fixed to each other at a rate of 100 AUD
to 1 USD. This difference stems from the fact that the American dollar
was revalued following the Conference of Memphis, which unified the
Military and Civilian Governments that sprang up following the Twilight
War, while the Australian dollar simply lost value over more than
three centuries of inflation. This American coinage, with the "B"
mintmark, circulates not only in Tirania but America's Rimward colonies
as well. The fixed rate between the Australian and American dollars
ensures interchangability, excepting perhaps the A$20 coin, the A$500
coin, and the US$2 note and 25c coin (no equivalents used in the other
nation). The only major differences between the two currencies are
the extra two zeroes in Australian denominations and the use of minor
units in the American.
Australian coinage is made of a gold-colored alloy,
with jade tints in the highlights. Additionally, the $500 coin is
bimetallic, with a silver-colored alloy outer ring. Banknotes are
of polymer, and incorporate small holographic and color-changing insets
in the "clear window." Australian currency is in 2300AD designed as
follows:
Coins Obverse
Image Reverse Image(medal format, w/shape)
$1 Sir Henry
Parkes, 19th C. NSW Premier, known as "Father of Federation"
Wattle leaves, Crux Australis cluster (8mm round, smooth edge)
$2 Thomas Everingham, Prime Minister 2005-2015 oversaw post-TW reconstruction.
Koala in eucalyptus tree (12mm round)
$5 Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith, 20th C. Aviator First Australian
to fly across Pacific. Drukey (animal native to Tirane) (14mm round,
milled edge)
$10 Banjo Peterson, 19th C. Author, wrote "Waltzing Matilda."Jumbuck
(animal native to Tirane)
(12mm 12-sided)
$20 Helen Chang, 22nd C. Author, wrote "The Buried Bush," about
the pre-terraforming Outback. Platypus (13mm scalloped)
$50 Rebecca Eriksen, 21st C. Rights activist, favored non-Australian
immigration to boost depeleted population. Emu (16mm round,
Milled edge)
$100 Susan McEwan, 23rd C. Prime Minister, elected after failure
of first Botany Bay colony, pushed for return. Kangaroo (20mm round,
Reeded edge)
$200 Aboriginal, similar to pre-TW $2 coin. Aboriginal art of kangaroo
& snake (20mm scalloped)
$500 Sir John Flynn, 20th C. Minister, founder of the Royal Kookabura
Flying Doctor Service(24mm round, Bi-metal)
Banknotes
Front Image(vertical format) Reverse image(horizontal format)
$500 (Tree
Brown) Kevin Harris, PM 2085-2100, Began Australian diplomatic traditionCanberra
Memorial Park
$1000(Ochre Red), Truganini, last Tasmanian Aboriginal Uluru &
Kata Tjuta(Ayers Rock & the Olgas,
NT)
$2000(Sea Blue) Harold Johnson, NSW Premier 2050-2086, led Sydney
renaissance. Sydney Opera House & Harbour
Bridge
$5000(Gold Yellow) Ship Commandant Dawn Nguyen, discovered Botany
Bay, New Cairns Waterfront, veldt
$10000(Bush Green) Dr. Carole Hogan, led first Zeta Herculis survey
Zeta Herculis star & colony
world.
$20000(Red-Violet) Colleen Pangilinan, NC Governor 2181-91, negotiated
Santa Maria merger 2183 Honey Ant Dreaming from Pointer Station,
Tirane
In
popular New Canberran parlance $100 is a "peso," and often prices
are quoted in pesos. This has even carried over into the local media,
though figures are still written in terms of dollars. Jokes of confused
tourists and newcomers (or "two-bobs") shocked at the false introduction
of an Australian Peso are popular throughout New Canberra.
INDEX
5a.
Military Presence
Australian
Defence Force, Tirane Command
The
Australian Defence Force (ADF) has a fairly sizeable presence in New
Canberra and the Alpha Centauri and Proxima Centauri star systems.
All units present come under the aegis of Tirane Command, with its
headquarters at Bennelong's Defender Building, known as "the Big D."
While many other buildings in the center of Bennelong are built closely
together, unlike the commercial section and similar to other government
buildings the Defender Building is surrounded by a large area of land.
This includes several parade areas and the Defender's Memorial, a
representation of ADF personnel in ground and space combat roles.
Defender Building, actually a large complex of buildings, is rumoured
to have extensive underground facilities for command and control.
Led by Tirane Commandant Anson Yarramana, Tirane Command has operational
control over all forces dedicated to the defence of New Canberra and
administrative command over all other ADF forces on Tirane and in
the Alpha Centauri and Proxima Centauri star systems.
The
ADF is a combined arms force combining all elements of a modern military
organization in a single command: an interstellar fleet; a ground
force that includes support aircraft; a maritime navy for patrolling
the seas; an aerospace force for operating up to and including planetary
orbit; an extensive network of military facilities; and full logistics,
training and intelligence capabilities. The ADF's primary mandate
is the defense of Australia, its colonies and interests. It is also
the world's premier peacekeeping force, with individual units trained
and ready for deployment across known space to provide the military
muscle to back-up any Australian negotiated peace treaty. Australian
military forces operate closely with their American allies, sharing
technology, tactics and intelligence. Further information on the ADF,
including rank structure, order of battle, and available equipment
can be found here.
Much
to the dismay of Spanish-speaking Australians of New Canberra, the
ADF operates entirely in English, despite the official bilingualism
of their home. This is meant to maintain proper communications without
resort to translators. However, many ADF Reserve units in New Canberra,
when not training, use their native languages while on weekend drills
in the various reserve centers throughout the colony. While officially
proscribed, many facility commanders overlook that minor breach of
regulation while the reservists are in their assigned classrooms,
though all visiting trainers and units in the field are expected to
function in English. Oddly enough, Aboriginal languages have found
a niche in the ADF, used primarily as a means of secure communications
similar to the use of Navajo "code-talkers" in the island-hopping
campaigns of World War II. Communications specialists in the ADF,
therefore, are primarily Aboriginal, though many non-Aboriginals proficient
in various languages have also been assigned to comms units.
INDEX
6.
Spaceport Facilities
New
Canberra has two orbiting stations, one each for civil and military
use. Visiting warships from both Fleet Command and other nation's
navies use Citadel Fleet Station, which also has a small American
Space Force detachment handling the American ships that visit Tirania
infrequently. This detachment will be moved to the Ronald Reagan Shipyard
upon its completion, making room for further ADF expansion. A third
facility in orbit around Esa, Esa Fleet Station, is the ADF's primary
ship repair yards. Australian Defence Force ships damaged in the Kafer
War are all currently here undergoing repair and refit. This includes
the ADS Kangaroo, the last assignment of Chief Minister Torres' late
husband Angel ("ahn-hel"). As such, the crew of the Kangaroo and other
ships undergoing repair at Esa have received a warm welcome during
their "dirtside" leaves to all parts of New Canberra.
Pointer
Station Orbital Facility
Pointer Station, New Canberra's orbiting civilian
station, handles over 70 percent of all interstellar and intra-system
travel intended for New Canberra and monitors all other traffic intended
for the colony. The station is named for the two stars, known as the
Pointers, that align with the Southern Cross in the Australian sky.
Interestingly, these stars are Alpha Centauri and Proxima Centauri.
One of the four largest stations orbiting Tirane, Pointer Station
can accommodate up to 25,000 people permanently. While this is very
large these stations pale into insignificant against Earth's L-5,
L-4 and Gateway, each able to accommodate upwards of 100,000 people.
The station is a lively, boisterous place, one of the few stations
known in human space offering a bar that brews its own beer. This
pub, the Dreamer Hotel, offers a live video view of Honey Ant Dreaming,
a 90,000 square kilometer Aboriginal art project visible from orbit.
While arrivals from Australia proper and Australia's
Rimward colonies receive only a cursory inspection if travelling in
Australian-flagged ships, everyone else receives a thorough inspection
for items the New Canberran and Federal governments don't wish to
see in the colony. These include narcotics, concealable firearms,
and any organic matter- particularly live plants and animals not cleared
before transit- that could negatively affect agriculture. With a free
and lively press, no printed or electronic media is censored or restricted
from distribution in New Canberra, but anyone carrying literature
of any sort advocating violence against the Australian or New Canberran
governments on behalf of any organization will likely find unsolicited
surveillance during their stay. Arrivals from INAP countries in particular,
and Latinos in general, seem to attract particular attention by the
Immigration and Community Affairs officers manning the inspection
station. The current Labor government, in no small part because the
Chief Minister herself is a Latina, is looking into how to balance
the needs of security with the desire for fairness on the part of
customs inspectors. However, there have been several recorded incidents
in the past twenty years where INAP agents have passed on covert aid
to Malvino separatists through Pointer Station. Through agreements
with the American government, anyone heading for Tirania undergoes
inspection by American Immigration and Naturalization Service agents
in the "American" section of the station. However, as in the case
of the American Space Force detachment at the Citadel, the INS will
relocate their entry clearance functions to Ronald Reagan Station
upon its certification by the Customs Service for such processing.
Pointer Station comprises of a central shaft 5 kilometers
long with a diameter of 50 meters, this shaft is the main load bearing
structure of the station and is a long hollow tube made of a single
piece of extruded composite. The shaft is used to move cargo from
one end of the station to the other and also has several personnel
moving elevators. In the center of the shaft is a large spherical
structure, with a radius of 250 meters, this solid structure holds
the stations fusion power plants, communications antennas, microwave
power receptors, extensive self repair and construction facilities,
external sensors, life support machinery and the powerful shield generators.
The shields, constantly in operation, protect the station from Alpha
Centauri's dangerous radiation as well as being very capable of holding
out direct energy weapons like lasers, particle accelerators and blasts
from nuclear explosions. Also in the central sphere are auxiliary
hanger bays and the station's self-defense weapons. The central sphere
is referred to as Pointer Hub and the offices and command centers
that run the station and nearby space traffic control are located
here.
From the central sphere to the end of the station
pointing away from Tirane is the heavy industrial facilities. This
section with a radius of ten meters contains zero-g mineral refineries,
heavy production lines and several shipyards and air-docks. Halfway
along the torus is a wider section with a radius of 250 meters containing
eight large shipyards for construction of the largest Australian freighters
and liners. The end of this half of the station is the spacecraft-docking
bay. A large ring over 250 meters in radius this area contains docks
for up to 32 large space ships like the New Orleans-class liners and
many smaller ones.
The section of the shaft extending towards Tirane
supports the six residential rings, each with a radius of 250 meters
that rotate to provide artificial gravity for the 20,000 full time
residents of the station. Around the shaft in this section is an additional
ring with a radius of 100 meters that provides space for the specialist
factories for pharmaceuticals and precision engineering as well as
the research laboratories, zero-g recreational facilities (including
what the Japanese refer to as a "Love Hotel") and warehouse space.
At the end of this half of the shaft is a second docking facility,
this dock specializes in the aerospace craft that transfers cargo
and passengers to Tirane's surface. This dock can handle hundreds
of shuttles, space planes and dead drop craft, and thus is an extremely
busy port. At the far end of the torus, pointed at the planet, a zero-gee
observation area and pub was constructed. Popular for its stunning
views of Tirane and particularly Honey Ant Dreaming, the observation
area is often crowded throughout the day.
The station's six ring sections each spins to create
one gee of centrifugal gravity on the bottom/outer level of the eight
each ring has. The first ring, Pointer One, towards Tirane from the
command center is dedicated to incoming interstellar and intra-system
craft intended for New Canberra, and has a wide variety of restaurants,
bars, hotels, and overpriced tacky souvenir shops. Currency is easily
exchanged here, as only Australian and American dollars are accepted
within the station. Pointer Two has been leased to the American and
Tiranian governments for immigration processing, yet New Canberra
Police and Australian Immigration and Community Affairs immigration
inspectors ensure that Australian and New Canberran law is adhered
to within the station. Therefore the open possession of firearms,
while permitted with a license in America and Tirania, will not be
tolerated anywhere on Pointer Station. Additionally, while the space
is leased to the American government, merely moving from the other
rings to Pointer Two does not constitute international flight, and
anyone wanted by New Canberran authorities will simply be handed to
them by the Americans upon request without further negotiation. This
applies to American citizens as well. Remember: the entire station
belongs to New Canberra, and their laws predominate. As in the other
rings, a variety of commercial establishments are available, yet show
a more American flavor. The third and fourth wings are the residential
rings, where the 15,000 full-time inhabitants of the station live.
Access is restricted to residents and their guests. These rings have
become crowded as of late, so no group of people are more excited
about the impending relocation of the Americans to Ronald Reagan Station
than the residents of Pointer Station, as once the Americans leave
Pointer Two it will be converted to more residential space. The fifth
ring is the administration and commercial wing where work best conducted
under artificial gravity can be located. The last ring serves the
interface traffic, where passengers seeking passage dirtside are processed.
Pointer Six offers much the same as Pointer One, yet with less of
the opportunity for long-term stay.
Among wealthy NovoCanos, as well as many other Tiraneans
of means, the use of orbital stations to get to destinations on the
planet faster is a fashionable means of travel. A businessman from
Bennelong, for example, can meet with business associates in Mirambeau
by simply hopping a shuttle to Pointer Station, taking a shuttle to
one of Nouvelle Provence's orbital stations, then shuttling down to
Mirambeau. In comparison with regular air travel if the connections
are exact that same businessman can save nearly fourteen hours on
the trip. However, the interface costs to and from orbit are much
higher than he would have paid had he simply taken a plane.
The control staff of Pointer Station operates in
a crisp, professional manner, which completely belies the friendliness
and general humor of NovoCanos. While these controllers are quite
capable of maintaining their composure during any crisis, it is joked
that the Infrastructure Department goes out of it's way to find the
most humorless individuals possible for orbital and interface traffic
control. To their credit, in the eleven decades since the first Australian
station was placed in orbit, no fatality or major mishap has ever
occurred to any of the thousands of space and aircraft that came under
the control of a New Canberra Infrastructure Department flight controller.
Per a 2293 agreement in the Tirane Council, New Canberra is permitted
twelve percent of Tirane's orbital space, between that allotted to
Amaterasu and Provincia do Brasil.
Fleet
Space Station Citadel
The
Citadel, as it is known, was the greatest white elephant of the ADF
in the spacefaring age. Defense planners in the middle of the 23rd
century decided that planetary defense was best trusted in a giant
orbital platform packed with weaponry and repair facilities but unable
to maneuver in stutterwarp. The product of this thinking cost so much
that Australia was forced to delay the construction of the third generation
of principal combatant from the 2260s until the 2290s, leaving the
older Australia and Woomera-class ships over pressed and comparatively
out of date until the introduction of the Anzac-class.
A
giant sphere with a radius of 250 meters the Citadel has an internal
volume of 50 million cubic meters. The surface is dotted with gun
towers, target tracking arrays, sensor and communications antennas.
The central core of the station along the "up-down" axis is an enormous
hangar with very large doors on either end of the sphere, this hangar
has a volume of one million cubic meters and contains air-docks, shipyards
and repair bays. Eight "smaller" hangers for interface landers, fighters
and drones are also provided around the main core.
Two
large counter rotating spin habitats are embedded inside the hull
and rotating around the central hanger bay. They provide enough accommodations,
recreational areas and offices for up to 10,000 permanent inhabitants.
The station is fitted with powerful shield generators like Pointer
Station's, which are intended to protect the human crew from excess
radiation and also protect the station during battle from enemy weapons.
Recently the Citadel has being operating with only a quarter of the
designed personnel, leaving many facilities unused. This can be attributed
to many Fleet Command personnel being transferred to both ADF ships
in the ESA arm, as well as the large buildup occurring at Zeta Herculis.
Still, space was found for a detachment of American Space Force personnel
and their equipment, and these "Men (and women) In Black" with their
families make up fifteen percent of the station's current population.
Federation
Proprietary Manufacturing Yard
This
yard trails Citadel Fleet Station, and supported by it. Wholly owned
by the Australian Federal Government, the Yard is at present the primary
shipbuilding facility for the Australian Defence Force. Currently
repairing many of the ADF ships damaged in the Kafer War, many of
it's uncompleted hulls were placed in orbit around Esa until such
time as yard space opens up. This has angered many Australians, colonial
and core alike, as while ships that can be repaired at Citadel Fleet
Station are being repaired at Federation Proprietary, the upgrading
and expansion of the fleet is being held up by that work. Citadel
may well be a "white elephant" in the minds of many in government,
but for the time being the need to bring it up to it's full potential
is weighing heavily on defense planners in both Bennelong and Newcentre.
Coral
Sea Station
Coral
Sea Station, orbiting Tirane at the exact point of demarcation between
Amaterasu's alloted space and that granted to |