|
Provincia do Brasil By Ben Levy
In 2184 AD, the first civilian settlers from Brazil landed at the airfield called Missao Primo, the main base for the engineers and scientists charged with surveying Brazil’s new colony. Only 4800 arrived that year, and the rate of influx was to remain small (although it grew steadily) over the next 20 years, but it was the beginning of a steady tide that still continues. Well over 38 million people have relocated to Provincia do Brasil since then, (as well as millions of animals, these coming primarily on the Vaca class ships) and Missaoprimo is now a medium sized city in a colony of over 100 million people. Provincia do Brasil occupies the subcontinental island landmass of Cabralia, (10,142,000 square kilometers), a peninsula of the south polar continent, and a number of islands in the southern hemisphere of Tirane. The bulk of the population is in Cabralia. The Brazilians are somewhat more progressive about installing the institutions of national government than are most other colonizing powers. They have a standing policy of granting administrative areas full statehood as soon as they reach a population of 1,000,000. As a result, Provincia do Brasil is home to 14 states (Estados) and five federally administered territories (Unidades). The Estados on Tirane have legal status in the national government identical to the Estados on Earth. This is seen as entirely natural to the Brazilians, who see the situation as no different than treating their Amazon regions as proper states as well as their densely populated coast. They consider the other powers to be erring in limiting representation by their colonists. To the Brazilians, Freihafen, Elysia, and Wellon are independent today because their respective national governments under represented them. Affirming the new land as a legitimate and integral element of the nation is a major part of Brazilian colonial philosophy. In the words of the Hayushi Cordero, Brazilian Minister of Colonization between 2244 and 2263: "Our friends in other nations survey a new world, and plan a colony, and say to themselves: Here is a new colony belonging to our nation. Here is how it is expected to serve our nation. Here is the role we shall assign it. Here is its destiny. We are different. We look at our land on Tirane, and say: This is not Brazil acquiring land. Here is Brazil growing onto land. This is Brazil, as much as Amazonas and Sao Paulo, and needs no special purpose or mission to earn its place. Rather, we as Brazilians have the purpose of settling and building our new land. Our foreign friends think only of the resources their territories provide for them. Before we ask, does Provincia do Brasil owe us anything, we must remember, they are a part of us. Do we ask what a new baby in a family owes to its older siblings? Every settler in Provincia is Brazilian. He or she is not a colonist, no more than our ancestors were colonists when then built this city. ( Note: Cordero was referring to the capitol city of Brasilia) He or she has all the rights of a Brazilian, and is entitled to the support of his nation. The destiny of Provincia lies within all of us, but foremost, within the hearts of those who will settle and build the newest part of the nation of Brazil. They will discover for themselves what they can give back to their country, and those of us living in Provincia’s older sibling will give them what we have discovered we can. Perhaps, one day, just as we Brazilians moved our capitol away from the sea, where our nation was born, to better emphasize our settlement of our vast inland territory, so might our children or children’s children choose to build a new capitol on Tirane". Over a fifth of all Brazilians live here. The culture is not so different from terrestrial Brazil, with a few exceptions. First, the demographic mix is different, as the Brazilians consciously recruited settlers from several other nations, who now make up a significant part of the population. Provincia do Brasil has a more Mediterranean leaning in population and culture and less on an African influence compared with terrestrial Brazil. Terrestrial Brazil, for example, does not have a large Greek minority, while Provincia do Brasil does. Second, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, strong in terrestrial Brazil, is even stronger in Provincia do Brasil. The reason for this is the difference in history: whereas, on Earth, the Church grew from a European power base and only, eventually, aligned itself with Brazil by default, on Tirane the cooperation and shared power base was entrenched from the start. Over two thirds of the Brazilians on Tirane are practicing Catholics, and while other religions are not persecuted in any way (except, possibly, the Novo Catolicos), the cannot match the overwhelming social influence of the Roman Catholics. The territories of Provincia do Brasil, which will be examined individually in greater detail, are as follows: Cabo Vitorio, Estado, located at the southeast extreme of Cabralia. Most urbanized and industrialized estado. Population 26,700,000. Lemanja. Estado on the south coast of Cabralia, west of Cabo Vitorio, straddling the Rio Osario. Oldest populated area, site of the first Brazilian settlements on Tirane. Population 14,100,000. Oxala, west of Lemanja. Estado with the third largest population, the western edge of the well populated southeast region. Population 11,500,000 Campobelo, Semi arid highlands occupy most of this Estado, with a heavily farmed irrigated valley (The Vale do Rio Lusitano) dividing the uplands. South of Campobelo lie Baia Grande and Oxala, and to the east is Serra do Prado. Population 7,800,000. Acre. Estado west of Campobelo, with dry monsoon climate, mostly owned and settled by the Church of Rome. Population 5,000,000 Nova Ostia: Estado west of Cre and Campobelo. Sub-tropical with a strong wet-dry climate oscillation. Home to a large Greek ethnic community. Population 4,600,000 Alegre. Hilly, mediterranean Estado west of Nova Ostia. Population 8,000,000 Chaparaca. Mountainous Estado occupying the northeast coast of Santaprovincia. Often buffeted by storms. Population 3,000,000. Vinicao. Estado west of Chaparaca. Climate is unusually gentle, warm, and mild, an anomaly considering its location. A wine making center since the early days of colonization. Population 5,200,000 Mata Centaura. Warm and humid, with poorly drained land covered by swamps and forests, this is the last region in Cabralia not yet organized into an Estado. Located on the eastern end of Cabralia, this is the wild interior land between the well settled Cabo Vitorio to the south and the windy mountains of Chaparaca to the north. Population of the Unidade is 500,000. Sera do Prado. Mountainous region between Lemanja and Vinicao, east of Campobelo. This Estado contains the headwaters for the Rio Osario and the site of Provincia do Brazil’s catapult launch complex. Population is 2,400,000. Ilha Nova Azora: Unidade encompassing the second most populous major island south of Cabralia. Population is 550,000. Ilhadoce: Island Unidade set on the rather tranquil agricultural island, preparing for Estado status. Ilha Nova Flores. Unidade encompassing the major volcanic island northwest of Acre, near the northern tip of the peninsula of the south polar continent. Population is 60,000. Ilha Brava. Unidade encompassing the major island off the west coast off the peninsula of the south polar continent. Known for petrochemical resources. Population is 430,000. Campinasur. Estado on a peninsula of the south polar continent, the "frontier" of Proivincia do Brasil. Population is 3,500,000. Brazil is one of the few major powers seriously restricting Freedom of the Press. Books (both printed and electronic) and other art forms banned by the Vatican are generally not permitted in Provincia do Brasil. The Vatican lacks the authority to ban these legally, but any recognized religious body is permitted to suggest books to be banned to the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry generally agrees with Vatican suggestions. There are severe fines for smuggling in illegal material, even if enforcement is spotty, but in reality only the most offensive works receive the ban. Aside from banned published material, Customs officers (members of the Guarda Fiscal) on Provincia do Brasil are alert to live plants and animals (which must undergo rigorous inspection), Pentapod products (some of which are banned, again due to Church influence), weapons (although anecdotal evidence suggests permits can be easily obtained when the procedure is made profitable for the customs officer), narcotics of any kind, and certain luxury items, such as jewelry, precious stones, art work, etc., which may be brought in with heavy duties. Finally, customs officers have the power- and duty- to withhold from entry any item of "moral abhorrence". The definition is a slippery one, but typically, if you’re trying to import something you wouldn’t want your children to see, the Brazilians will decide they don’t want their children seeing it either. On the wholesale level, Brazil has a system of tariffs that vary not so much with the product as with the nation of origin. Odds are, the friendlier the government where the cargo originated is to the Brazilians, the lower the scheduled tariffs. Citizens of certain nations, known criminals, "morally abhorrent" individuals (those known to publicly and loudly support something considered by the Roman Catholic Church to be unethical beliefs) and carriers of certain diseases may not enter Provincia do Brasil. Check with current updated listings, as all of the above is subject to change without notice. Visitors requiring special permits and identifications, such as film makers, and field scientists expecting to collect samples, as well as individuals needing to certify licenses or credentials, such as journalists, must make application at a Brazilian diplomatic post in their country of origin or departure, or through the Brazilian government on Earth, as the appropriate Ministries do not maintain licensing offices in Provincia do Brasil. Temporary permits for privately owned vehicles must be obtained the same way. Permits for watercraft and hovercraft must also pass approval by the Brazilian Navy, and for aircraft by the Brazilian Air Force. This can be done upon arrival at an international port of entry in Provincia do Brasil. The procedures are often time consuming, but experience with the ways of bureaucracies can often speed the procedures. Unfortunately, some well placed Cruzeiros will often work just as well. Brazil, briefly experimenting with the Real, returned to the Cruzeiro after Twilight Era hyperinflation devastated the Real. Brazilian banks on Tirane are fully integrated with other banks around the planet. Anyone with an account anywhere in Tirane therefore has full access to funds throughout Provincia do Brasil, with currency exchanges being handled autocratically at the time of the transaction, at official exchange rates. Many shops and individuals, however, through the area are not tied into the financial links of the Communications Net, and visitors should carry cash with them, especially if they intend to travel beyond the major cities. Much of the land is simply to sparsely inhabited to warrant complete cabled Communications Net connection, and most Brazilian financial institutions do not trust transactions to electromagnetic transmission. Cabralia’s climate is temperate in the south, subtropical in the north. Ilha Nova Azora has a very stable, pleasant mild climate. Moisture regimes vary considerably over this 9,000 km long subcontinent, and further weather information is available under the detailed regional sections. Ilha Nova Flores is temperate as well, but has a much more changeable climate. The south polar peninsula is arctic in the far south, temperate in the north. Ilha Brava is arctic in the south, subarctic in the north. In addition to the changes in climate, don’t overlook the time. Provincia do Brasil stretches across nine time zones, seven of which are in Cabralia. When shifts are starting in Nova Cabinda, workers are headed for home in Vitoria de Conquista. Brazil has an active Ministry of Tourism, but most of its interests are focussed on the Earth portion of the nation. To be quite honest, if you have the chance to visit only Rio de Janeiro or Vitoria de Conquista, go for Rio. The Brazilian cities on Tirane just haven’t put the effort into their cultural development that they have into their economy and infrastructure, and although much of the area is wild and scenic, there is more than enough natural beauty left in Earthside Brazil to satisfy most visitors. But if you’re going to go, the Ministry of Tourism maintains a planetary headquarters in Vitoria de Conquista, and local offices in many cities. They are fairly vigilant and aggressive in dealing with those who would give Brazil a bad name by fleecing or abusing tourists, but they cannot deal with the knotty politics often found in the smaller towns. Often enough, a call to the Ministry of Tourism to ask how to get a vehicle out of the impound lot behind a small town police headquarters will be answered with a question: "How much money do they want?" The Ministry of Tourism will help you decide where to go and how, and offer sound advice. Don’t overlook the various foreign offices, most of which are in Vitoria de Conquista. They’re there to help out their countrymen. Brazil leaves the job of supporting and guiding foreign business and investment interests entirely to their own nations, but otherwise throws little obstacles in the path of the foreign businessman. Of course, knowing how the local government works is important. The multitude of Estado governments is daunting to the outsider, and here it is a great advantage to hail from a nation with which Brazil maintains good relations. Such nations invariable have offices in Provincia, sometimes in several locations, where information and advice can be obtained about dealing with the often complex Brazilian government. For those unable or unwilling to rely on their government’s commercial affairs office, or the equivalent, there are several private companies that provide assistance to foreign businesses, at a price. Such consultants often specialize in a particular field. For example, the same consultant who knows how to profitably sell cargoes may be of little use to a real estate investor. Finally, there is the reliable alternative of finding a suitable local partner, ideally one that won’t ask too much and possesses all the local connections the foreign business lacks. Choosing the correct one, though, requires luck and skill, especially if one is unfamiliar with the Provincian business climate. Don’t trust everything presented on the Comm-Net. The Brazilian census of 2300AD recorded about 102 million people living in Provincia do Brasil. Some are immigrants, most are native born. Of the native born, three quarters listed their ethnic heritage as "Pardo", "Brazilian: or "Unspecified", reflecting the melting pot status of the colony, even more so than Brazil itself. Since the founding of the colony and as of 2300AD, 38,187,000 people have relocated to Provincia, and they still arrive. To date, the immigrants to Provincia do Brasil have been drawn from these nations:
The primary language is Portuguese. French and English are spoken as secondary languages by 42%, and 36% of the population, respectively, with some overlap. Greek and Italian are spoken by some Provincia do Brasil citizens, and a number of other languages are in limited use, including Angolan Kongo. The natural growth rate of the population is 2.5%, with a fertility rate of 4.35% and life expectancies of 87 for women and 76 for men. Brazil has no official national religion. Of course, the nation is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, and Brazil has seen itself as the guardian of Roman Catholicism since the Twilight. (Brazil entered the Twilight with the world’s largest Catholic population, and emerged from it with a position of central importance in Catholic affairs with the damage to Italy, Ireland, and Poland.) Of the eighteen post-Twilight popes, eleven have been Brazilian, and there is a strong mutual influence between Brazil and the Church. Distrust of the Brazilian-Vatican connection eventually led to the schism producing the Novo Catolico church in Argentina and Mexico. The remaining Catholic world still looks to the Vatican for leadership, and for support, the Vatican looks towards Brazil. It is only natural the Brazil is the principal backer of Vatican interests on Tirane. Religious affiliation reported on the 2300 AD census for Provincia do Brasil was as follows:
Despite it’s unofficial status, the Roman Catholic Church controls the rhythm of daily life, and strongly influences just about everything else. One of the earliest problems sent by the first settling priests back to the Vatican for review was the timing of Holy days. Tirane did not turn in step with Earth. When, then, was Easter or Christmas? When was Sunday? In 2181, even before the Brazilian survey outpost on Tirane was upgraded to Colony status, the Tiranean Bull of Pope Celestine VI settled the matter. (The name"Celestine" was no coincidence. Rafael Cardinal Memenos was fully aware, upon his appointment to the Papacy in 2169, that he would reign as Pope during the first establishment of Catholic hierarchy on Tirane, assuming Brazil’s endeavors went as planned. He chose the name Celestine, unused since the Pope Saint Celestine V was appointed in 1294, in anticipation of his role in Catholic history. Saint Celestine, of course, was named as patron saint of Catholics travelling offworld. Celestine’s Prayer was written in 2191, after the death of Celestine VI. It is still recited during the commissioning ceremonies for all Brazilian starships.) Celestine VI described an inherent difference between holidays commemorating acts of God the Father, whom he recognized as Creator of Tirane as well as Earth, and Jesus Christ, the savior of Mankind, who, being God as Man, was of Earth and not Tirane, except as Christians brought his worship there. Therefore, days commemorating the specific acts of Jesus Christ, and of the Saints, (at that time no offworld saints had yet been canonized) would be locked to Earth’s calendar. Days honoring the acts of God the Father would follow the cycle of the planet upon which God was being worshipped. Christmas on Tirane, therefore, occurs simultaneously with Christmas on Earth. Sunday, on the other hand, is every seventh Tiranean day. Most citizens of Provincia do Brasil do not work Sundays. Foreign Relations and Diplomatic Representation Brazil enjoys unusually good fortune in its settlement on Tirane. None of its major rivals have colonies on the planet. Although there have been disagreements over several issues with France, and several more serious contentions with Japan, none of these problems has been big enough to threaten normal diplomatic relationships. Many nations have Sub-Embasseys, Consulates, or other diplomatic missions in Provincia do Brasil, and most are located in the Distrito Lindaflorestra in Vitoria de Conquista. (A Sub-Embassy is a diplomatic mission with higher status than a Consulate, but is still beneath an Embassy in status, which by international convention is the senior mission representing one sovereign nation within another. Hence, a major offworld colony may contain Sub-Embassies, as none can outrank the Embassies in the capitol city on Earth, but an entire planet is too significant a region to be handled by a simple consulate.) Currently maintaining representation in Provincia do Brasil are: America: Maintains a large consulate and a separate Tiranian interests section in Vitoria de Conquista, (Cabo Vitorio) and a separate Commerce interests section in Sao Celestino (Alegre). Relations are cordial, but should be closer considering mutual rivals Argentina and Mexico. Angola: Has a small consular office in, and a small interests office in the Filhos de Angola building in Kantzauropolis, (Oxala). Relations are excellent. Australia: Keeps a consulate in Vitoria de Conquista. Relations are very good, with the Austrailians a bit hedgy over Brazilain concerns about the Argentinian popualtion of New Canberra. Argentina: Has only an interest section, on the outskirts of Vitoria de Conquista. Relations are chilly. Azania: Has three consulates, in Vitoria de Conquista, Lusitanium and Sao Celestino. Relations are fair, marred only by differences of opinion over Azanian involvement with Angola and Mozambique. Bombay: This nation’s interest section is located in a Vitoria de Conquista skyscraper. Relations are excellent, as Bombay is one of the minor nations Brazil has been courting for future co-development plans. The only hitch is occasional Bombayan frustration with Catholic Church activities that always seem to accompany Brazilian gestures of friendship. Britain: Relations are good, a result of Britain and Brazil sharing a mutual rival. Britain’s sale to Brazil of three York class colonization vessels was at bargain prices, with the expectation that the huge ships would be used to develop a Brazilian colony in the Latin Finger to compete with Argentina. Britain then provided a serious diplomatic slap in the face to Argentina by letting them find out that Argentina paid a lot more for their Yorks than Brazil did, leading to claims by Argentine pols that their space effort was in effect subsidizing that of the Brazilians, and a whole new round of Argentina/Brazil mutual nose thumbing began… The Brazilian Foreign Ministry is somewhat miffed over British sluggishness in selecting a new Consulate site. The Brazilians take it as evidence the British consider them of lesser importance. Currently, British interests are hosted in the very comfortable (and ex-British) Wellon facilities. Some non-British, non-Brazilian diplomats have suggested that one reason their British colleagues seem reluctant to relocate is the extreme opulence of their current quarters. Canada: Maintains a Sub-Embassy in Vitoria de Conquista, and consulates in Kantzeropolis (Oxala), Sao Umberto (Campinasur) and Sao Celestino. Relations are cordial. Canada does not wish to play favorites in the various intra-American disputes, but the largely Catholic Quebecois population regards the Novo Catolico church as a cheap and insulting political ploy and thereby provides some moral support to Brazil. Canton: Maintains a Sub-Embassy in Vitoria de Conquista, and a consulate in Sao Celestino. Relations are excellent, and Canton is currently negotiating for a Tunghu-like enclave. Caribe: Has a consulate in Vitoria de Conquista. Relations are excellent. Chile: Consular office in Missaoprimo is maintained but unused due to lack of funds, and Chilean-Brazilian difficulties. France: Although relations are cordial, the great French Empire keeps only a modest consulate in Vitorio de Conquista, and an agricultural mission in Sao Leonardo (Vinacao) Freihafen: Still in dispute with Germany over the ownership of various diplomatic missions across Tirane, but has agreed to maintain a temporary consulate in Vitoria de Conquista until the issue is settled. Germany: Germany has possession of the disputed consulates in Vitoria de Conquista and Kantzauropolis, and several properties along the Costa Alberto (east of Vitoria de Conquista. Greece: Greece has a special relationship with Provinica do Brasil, which is further explained, in the Nova Ostia section. Aside from the large complex there, Greece maintains consulates in Vitorio de Conquista, Kantzeropolis, and Lusitanium. Inca Republic: Maintains a large Sub-Embassy in Vitoria de Conquista. Relations are somewhat shaky. Italy: The Italian Main Consulate is a large stone building in Vitoria de Conquista, on the Boulevard Gallileo. Neighboring it on the northern side is the sizable Italian Cultural Center, with the planetary headquarters of the Academia dei Lincei to the south. Consulates are in Sao Celestino (Alegre) Sao Leonardo (Vinicao), and Basilicade (Dominicada) Relations are extremely close. Japan: Sao Celestino Korea: They have a main interest section hosted by the American Consulate in Vitoria de Conquista, and a Permanent Commerce Mission in Missaoprimo, (Lemanja). Relations are cordial. Manchuria: The Manchurian Legation Center is in Missaoprimo, with diplomatic offices in Vitoria de Conquista and Sao Celestino. Relations are normal. Mexico: Its interest section is near Argentina’s. Has a large public affairs office downtown. Relations are poor. The Netherlands: Has an interest section in Vitoria de Conquista. Relations are normal. Nigeria: The Nigerian Consulate is in Vitoria de Conquista. It is significantly oversized for its staff, which has been downsized as Brazilian-Nigerian relations have slipped. Persia: The Persian Consulate is in Vitoria de Conquista, collocated with the Islamic Heritage Center. Persia has good relations with Brazil, picking up the slack from other Islamic powers with poor or no relations. Poland: Has an interest section in Vitoria de Conquista. Relations are normal. Portugal: Maintains a consulate in Vitoria de Conquista, and interest sections in Sao Celestino, Missaoprimo, and Trinidade (Ilha Nova Azora). Relations are excellent, although, Brazilian and Portuguese interests on Earth appear more aligned than they are on Tirane. Romania: Has an interest section in Vitoria de Conquista. Relations are normal. Russia: Has a consulate section in Vitoria de Conquista, and a liaison office in Missaoprimo. Relations are very good. Russia’s usual attempts at provoking local independence movements have been thoroughly thwarted decades ago by Brazil’s policy of national inclusion, and Brazil’s efforts to gain Tiranean land for any nation that really wants it. Russia has thus far not pressed for a colony of its own. The Scandinavian Union: The Scandinavians maintain a Legation in Vitoria de Conquista, consulates in Ageanopolis (Nova Ostia) and in Sao Umberto (Campinasur), a scientific outpost in Tirasur, and a support section in Missaoprimo. Relations are very good. Texas: Texas’s interests are represented through America. Texas has no offices of its own, but stations personnel at all the American sites. Relations are strained by disputes centered upon the Incans, which has kept the two nations from cooperating as closely as they ought to, especially considering the mutual proximity of their colonies in the Latin Finger. Ukraine: Has a Legation in Vitoria de Conquista. Relations are normal. Venezuela: Has a Consulate in Vitoria de Conquista. Relations are good. Venezuela is the major "unaligned" state of Latin America, with both Brazil and the Argentina-Mexico alliance courting it. Wellon: Inherited the United Kingdom’s facilities, including the Consulate in Vitoria de Conquista, some office space and support areas in and around Missaoprimo, several residences north of Missaoprimo, a luxurious beach retreat at Vitoriofin (Cabo Vitorio) and interest sections at Sao Celestino and Trinidade. The British are currently negotiating for new locations, while they share space- in a very civilized, friendly relationship- with Wellon. The Orbital Terminal, and Starship Operations Provincia de Brasil’s orbital terminal is the second station actually emplaced by the Brazilians at Tirane. The first was built primarily from habitat modules of the early generation colonization ships. It was a medium altitude orbit facility, which served from 2157 through 2229. During this time, the permanent station was designed and constructed. It was placed at geosynchronous (Or Tirasynchronous, in American standard usage) orbit above and due north of Basilicade, over Tirane’s equator. Construction began in 2220, and its first operations began in 2223. Some of the old station's modules were lifted to higher orbit and joined the new station upon the old station’s decommissioning. These are still in use for storage and warehousing, with one being used as a maintenance facility and one as a zero gee recreation facility. For the next two decades the station was slowly expanded, with a major renovation in 2261 being a dress rehearsal for the construction of the Ross 614 orbital station six years later. The orbital terminal now shows signs of age, but is well kept. The design is very standard, with four wide rings providing spin habitat for transients and a permanent population of 25,000, a long non-rotating core containing the infrastructure, with a communications and power antenna array and government docks on one end, and civilian docks on the other for starships, interface craft, and spacecraft. It serves as local homeport for the Brazilian Space Agency, and the Brazilian Space Defense Force (The military arm of the AEB.) It is also a major passenger and cargo routing and transfer point, connecting interstellar ships with interface craft from Provincia do Brasil. To serve the continuous flow of transients, most of one of the terminal’s four habitat rings is given over to commercial and office space, leased to private holders by the AEB. There are the usual hotels, restaurants, bars, and absurdly overpriced shops selling expensive trinkets, souvenirs, and replacements for the vital personal effects space travellers tend to leave behind in the carry on stowage bins of passenger shuttles. Amenities include several popular restaurants, such as the whimsically decorated Rice and Beans Tirastationary, a franchise of the Boston based Manny’s Tapas and Seafood, and Pompano Royal, an exotic seafood restaurant known for technically challenging recipes that can only be prepared under microgravity conditions. (The restaurant is in the Commerce Ring, of course. They simply maintain a small kitchen and storage area in the station core to handle these special dishes.) The hotels include the Provincia Orbital Omnimeridian, which also maintains a core section, used for their zero gee lounge, spa, and pool, and Kapsuros, which offers tiny sleeping quarters and minimal hygiene facilities for travellers between flights. Harry and Mamoud’s Duty Free Emporium sells a wide variety of luxury goods, relying on impulse shoppers passing their time by laying out exorbitant sums for goods that they could find elsewhere for much lower prices if they only took the time to look. Harry and Mamoud’s is also a useful resource for spacers returning from the frontier, as they are eager to acquire oddities and curiosities from the fringes of Human Space. One section of the Commerce Ring is given over to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Heavens, the only largest religious institution orbiting Tirane. The cathedral is one of only two dioceses consisting solely of space habitats, the other being over Earth. The bishop assigned to the Cathedral has a small congregation, but great responsibilities. In addition to his duties assisting ecclesiastical travel to and from Tirane, he is the head of the chaplaincy service for the Brazilian Space Agency. The Bishop also has extensive duties regarding the civilian population of the station, and in many ways, has more authority than the station director. Estacao Espaco do Tirane is home to several commercial lines, including Skytrails, an internationally owned company operating heavy cargo ships between Earth and Tirane, Linha Dona Elegante, a government subsidized line which operates passenger, mixed passenger-freight and a handful of small freighters between Tirane and Paulo, and Albatross, with a range of specialized transports connecting Tirane, Earth, and the French Arm. It is also home to Conexions Interorbital, a sort of orbital bus service linking the various orbital facilities over Tirane with transfer vehicles. Conexions Interorbital arranges its schedule to match arriving and departing starships. Thus, its possible to ascend to orbit on a spaceplane to the Japanese Orbital Terminal, then transfer over to Brazil’s terminal to catch an Albatross transport ship. Just as often if not more so, it’s used as a ferry service for permanent or long term workers assigned to an orbital station. Employees at the relatively nearby AusCo station, for example, often spend an off shift at the Estacao when they need a change of pace, but don’t have time for a trip dirtside. There is an amazing comradery among professional space traffic control personnel. Whether in the Brazilian Traffic Control Sections or working at their sibling stations orbiting Tirane, or any other world, they tend to forget their nationalities and cooperate smoothly, with operating safety foremost in their minds. The crew at Estacao Espaco plays no favorites with Brazilian ships, although they have been known to bump up the priority of Papal flights. Ships with that kind of VIP status, or an emergency, can expect to be put at the top of the list. Everyone else will get assigned an approach orbit in their order of arrival, with the Estacao crew responsible for Brazil’s approach orbits, as well as their portion of Tirastationary space. (By international agreement, the Brazilians have 7% of Tirane’s orbital space.) Several orbits are assigned to each starport on Tirane’s surface. Contact is typically made with the appropriate ground control station as soon as the orbit is assigned (Tirane has sufficient relay satellites to ensure that spacecraft are never out of touch with their assigned ground station unless something has gone wrong) and control is handed off to ground controllers on terminal orbit. On ascent, control is assumed by the Estacao once the lifting body has reached Low Orbit Altitude in Brazilian space, and is handed off to the appropriate control station once orbit or departure trajectory is established. Brazil’s control stations, orbital and ground, have fluent French and English speakers on hand at all times. Interface craft, and interface capable starships cleared by the orbital terminal traffic control section, commonly touch down at the following starports, which are further described under their respective regional sections: Portoestrello Vitoria in Cabo Vitoria, Portoestrello Missaoprimo in Lemanja, Portoestrello Centro in Campobelo, Portoestrello Oeste in Alegre, and Portoestrello Tirasur in Acre. Provincia do Brasil possesses a catapult launch system. This is a national facility, operated by the Brazilian Space Agency with the assistance of civilian contractors. It is described further in the Serra do Prado section. Brazil does not maintain a large military fleet. The fleet based at Tirane changes frequently, but currently includes the recently completed frigates Ambicioso and Alentado, their older but still effective sisters Animosidade, Armipotente, and Abalancado, with the elderly Aventuroso acting as a training and maintenance support ship, a few corvettes (essentially very large armed couriers), and a permanently assigned squadron of system defense boats. Several of the ships are currently manned partly by Greek personnel, an arrangement explained more thoroughly in the Nova Ostia section. Brazil’s Space Agency (Agencia Espaco do Brazil, or AEB) operates a civil fleet distinct from its military forces. Its mission is the support of non-military national goals in space, and the most important of these is the maintenance of the links between the portion of Brazil on Tirane and the portion on Earth. To that end, The space agency, aside from providing traffic control and support, also operates courier ships, transport ships, and support ships. Most are unarmed and travel only between Brazilian destinations. Brazil has fought for and one a special Orbital Quarantine Command waiver for these operations. All ships traveling from Provincia do Brazil departure points towards Earth carry at least one biosecurity inspector aboard, and all necessary equipment for detection of dangerous biological material. The clearance procedure is begun as soon as possible after departure. When arriving at Earth, final clearance procedures take only a minimum of time, generally consisting of verification of the inflight inspection’s procedures. Brazil’s ships are compartmentalized, so that a partial inspection failure will still clear most of the passengers and cargo for arrival. The downsides of course include the fact that Brazilian passengers are restricted to their quarters for much of the voyage, especially those with the cheaper fare tickets, who are inspected last (Can’t have cleared and uncleared passengers mixing!). The cost for this effort is borne by the Brazilian taxpayers, who mostly support the program as a necessity in linking distant elements of their nation, just as the Brazilian government is expected to connect points deep in the Amazon jungle with civilization. The ships operated in this manner by the Brazilian Space Agency include couriers, Surface to Surface transports, and passenger ships. Freighters, including those that move hibernating colonists, are presumed to have a less critical schedule, and they go through the normal OQC routine. It should be noted that ships from Paulo endure it as well. The idea is that after such a long voyage, a few more days won’t hurt. Besides, Paulo’s native biology isn’t nearly as familiar as Tirane’s, and the process is more difficult. (But if the service is extended to Paulo, the on board inspectors will have a lot more time to work in, so granting the procedural waiver to space agency ships operating between Earth and Paulo is being examined.) Their largest ship stationed at Tirane is the Riachuelo. Classified as an "Operations Support Ship", the Riachuelo is past her prime. The ship’s duties include transport, maintenance support, logistic support, command and control, research, training, and acting as an equipment test bed. She has a large hanger for small craft, and a large life support capability, so she could be pressed into service as a fighter carrier or assault ship. In Brazilian military exercises, the ship has undertaken both roles, under temporary transfer to the Space Defense Force. The question remains, what if Brazil needs both a carrier and an assault ship at the same time? Nacional Interegional Estrellabarcas. NIE is the operating company with the bulk of the Brazilian Space Agency’s couriers and surface to surface transports. NIE is the official carrier of Brazilian government travellers, and offers subsidized travel for Brazilian citizens. The 35 ships assigned to the Earth-Tirane route use the on board inspector system to make the trip to Earth more efficient. Annually, the NIE ships fly some 45,000 people to Earth and some 66,000 to Tirane, the difference being the NIE’s share of the immigration flow. (Settlers travelling to Tirane in such manner are travelling high class. The majority spends the entire journey in hibernation, because of the limited space available on starships. Only 8 of the NIE’s ships, all incapable of planetary landings, these being couriers that connect the Estacao Espaco do Tirane with its counterpart over terrestrial Brazil. The remaining ships are all interface capable, with a number of large passenger ships being similar in concept to the Marseilles type. These subsidize ships help insure that Brazil’s two core lands are strongly connected. There are 6 additional ships assigned to the Tirane-Paulo route. Three older couriers were renovated and transferred to the Vatican in 2292, these flying missions in support of Papal and other important Church functions between Earth and Tirane (typically, Italy, Brazil, and Provincia do Brasil). They can carry about ten passengers each in addition to a crew of six, and are maintained by the Brazilian Space Agency. They’re among the last of an aging class that launches with the aid of disposable solid fuel chemical rockets. Their highly visible exhaust plumes during launch have earned them the title "Holy Smokers" among English speaking space crews. In Provincia do Brasil, only Portoestrello Centro in Campobelo is equipped to service them. Provincia do Brasil’s Military In keeping with the notion of Provincia do Brasil being an integral part of Brazil, rather than an external element, there is no special local command for Brazilian forces stationed there, nor is there any kind of Colonial Militia. The military units stationed there have exactly the same status as units on Earth, and Brazil freely transfers personnel between planets. Living on Tirane is no guarantee of being stationed there, if one joins the Brazilian military. The Brazilian military is divided into the Brazilian Space Defense Force, and the planet bound Army, Navy, and Air Force. The most important of the Brazilian military forces stationed at Provincia do Brasil, and logically so. The Brazilians on Tirane have invested much of their naval budget into a fleet of large surface ships. From a purely military viewpoint, the move appears quite questionable, as the ships would be very vulnerable to attack from submarines, small high speed attack craft, and other specialized naval and air platforms. They could also be targeted from orbital platforms. The Brazilians, however, consider their position a secure one, with none of the other nations on Tirane offering any threat. Their large aviation-cruisers are ideally suited for carrying out many functions that more specialized craft cannot. They can carry embarked aircraft and/or marines, for example. They can assist in disaster relief far more effectively than patrol boats or submarines, and can carry large and sophisticated sensor arrays for intelligence gathering. They perform a range of missions for Brazil instead of merely providing seaborne firepower. They are also visually and psychologically impressive, and often visit foreign ports. Brazil’s surface fleet is backed up by their Marines, which keep four infantry brigades and eight other brigades on Tirane, as well as modest numbers of support and patrol vessels, and several submarines. The Brazilian Navy has 134,000 personnel on Tirane, in addition to 55,000 Marines. More data on the Brazil’s Tiranean naval forces are found in the detailed Estado sections. Lacking true threats, the Brazilian Army on Tirane is the junior service. Provincia do Brasil is divided into military districts. The southern district is headquartered in Sao Umberto and has responsibility for all of the Southern polar continent and the outlying islands. It is described further under Campinasur. The Western District is headquartered in Sao Celestino and covers Alegre, Campobelo, Nova Ostia, Planodoce, and Dominicada. It is described under Alegre. The Eastern District covers Ilha Nova Azora and the Estados on the southern coast of Santa Provincia from Baia Grande to Cabo Vitorio. It is described under and headquartered in Oxala. The remaining area is covered by the Northern District, headquartered in and described under Chaparaca. In peacetime practice, there is no overall military headquarters for Brazilian ground forces on Tirane, but there is a planetary logistic support headquarters for the Army, and a number of specialist units, based in the string of military sites northeast of Missaoprimo. It is assumed, if there is ever need, that a planetary headquarters would be established here. The Exercito do Brasil maintains a manpower of 125,000 on Tirane. The Brazilian Air Force on Tirane The Air Force mirrors the army district deployment, although headquarters for the Southern Air District is in Cidade Acre, the Eastern Air District in Cabo Vitorio, the Western Air District in Planodoce, and the northern Air District in Serra do Prado. As per the Army’s arrangement, numerous specialist and support activities are located northeast of Missaoprimo. The Brazilian Air Force’s strength on Tirane is 64,000. Brazil’s administrative policies regarding Provincia do Brasil, while offering many political and cultural advantages, have left it with no single executive office overseeing the region. Brazil rejects any notion of an administrative level between the federal government, and the Estado governments. To do so would create a "special status" for the Brazilian territories on Tirane, which the government specifically wishes to avoid. This is not to say that there are no Brazilian federal government offices on Tirane; there are many. They are offices of specific national agencies, however. National agency headquarters are not clustered into one part of Provincia do Brasil, (again the vision of not having a distinct capitol) but are placed wherever the agency thought most appropriate- and in some cases for strictly political reasons. The only territories that are administered at the national level are the five Unidades, which have a common government headquarters in the Ministry of the Interior building in Sao Umberto, Campinasur. Federal government offices on Tirane stay in constant contact with their respective Ministries in Brasilia, with the aid of continuous courier flights. Provincia do Brasil is treated as a distant region of the mother country, which is not an unusual characteristic for Brasil. There are still plenty of places in Brazil on Earth that are a lot harder for a government worker in Brasilia to reach than many areas on Tirane. There are 6 significant political parties active in Provincia do Brasil, and with two exception, they are the same parties that hold sway in Brazil’s earthbound Estados. These are as follows: Partido Alianca: Averaging a 44% electoral return, Partido Alianca is Brazil’s leading party on Tirane, known for its habit of letting its platforms drift around to match whatever seems to be the national mood at the time. They are strongest in the large cities, generally supporting a nationalist, populist, secular platform. Partido Republicana: With an average 34% return, they are the perennial underdog. Typically left of center on economic issues, staunchly conservative on social issues. The PR makes a habit of pursuing Church support. They rarely get it, since the Church doesn’t like to back the party that usually loses, even if they do support the policies. Partido Socialista: Stronger in Provincia than in Earth Brazil, the Socialistas have doggedly pursued the same goals for centuries: Government control of all major institutions, and a generous welfare state. Their election success in the past decade has been about 11%, but this varies with the local economic climate. Typically, the better the current local conditions, the worse the Socialistas do. Partido Renovador Nacional; Often called the "Partido Renovador Paranoidal", this party’s general philosophy appears to be that the reigning government structures are thoroughly corrupt and incompetent. The PRN offers continual promises to sweep away all the existing, inefficient institutions, although it has been less than thorough with its plans for a new structure. The PRN attracts those who have grudges against the government in power, whatever that might be, and has shown very limited success, with occasional victories at the local level. Over the past decade, the PRN’s average in election returns has been 6% in Provincia do Brazil. Partido Visao Novo. The closest thing Provincia do Brazil has to a pro-independence party, the PVN has initially set its sights quite low: they would ask, at first, only for a unified government for Provincia do Brasil. Most Tiranean Brazilians view this as a step backwards. After all, Provincia started with a single government, and the Estados were established, with full local support, as the colony developed. The least successful party, they are non-existant on Earth, and on Tirane, only generate 2% support. Partido Gregos. This political party, which, like PVN, does not exist on earth, represents the interests of the Greek ethnic community. It’s base of power is in Nova Ostia, which almost always has a Partido Gregos governor, and throughout Provincia do Brazil, it manages to pull in about 3% support. Brazilian Federal Agencies on Tirane The Brazilian Ministry of State maintains its offices in Sao Celestino, the optimal point in Provincia do Brasil for travel to foreign capitols on Tirane, and a lesser building in Vitoria de Conquista. This arrangement places the administrative and bureaucratic offices on one end of Santaprovincia, and the executive leader at the other. Many are the humorous explanations as to why this is, but the actual explanation is quite mundane. The Vice Minister for Tirane is in charge of all Brazilian diplomatic posts on Tirane, but protocol demands he be available for meeting with foreign consular officials, the majority of which are in Vitoria de Conquista. His staff in Alegre is more than capable of handling the administrative and logistic operations for the various missions and legations without him. Unfortunately, this has also given rise to the impression that the Ministry of State’s bureaucracy is not well watched, and it hasn’t helped that several major purchases have come to light in which the Ministry has paid scandalously high prices for routine purchases. The subsequent investigations have resulted in fines, sentences, demotions, a few disgruntled ex-bureaucrats denouncing the agency and the investigations, and a few fugitives who apparently fled when it was clear that in the final round of finger pointing, the biggest and ugliest fingers were pointing there way. The Ministry of Science and Technology Brazil’s efforts are not cutting edge, but the MST has the mission of advancing Brazilian science and technology through support of research and international cooperation. The MST has a regional office in Missaoprimo, and coordinates national grants for researchers, permits for foreign researchers wishing to work in Brazilian Tirane, and forwards patent information to Brasilia. MST also runs a national survey office that compiles geologic and cartographic information on Tirane, an oceanographic survey office and a weather service. The oceanographic survey office has no research ships of its own, although it does have a few submersibles. It relies on the Navy for logistic support. The weather service is likewise supported by the military, and the Space Agency. The Ministry of Transportation With its offices located in Lusitanium, Campobelo, the Ministry of Transportation’s duties on Tirane are relatively limited. Most of the Estados have their own transportation agencies. With the Air Force, they supervise civilian air traffic. Marine transport comes under the auspices of the navy, which inspects and regulates merchant marine traffic. Most vehicles are registered to an Estado office, and most ground traffic routes are maintained at the Estado or Municipal level. The Ministry does have responsibility for the major ground routes, called Superestradas, which combine "smart" highways for private vehicles with airfilm tracks. These include the Santaprovincia Superestradas Norte, Sur, and Oeste, Sur, the Superestrada Centro, and the Superestrada Tirasur, as well as several shorter runs, like the Superestrada Rio Osario. They also maintain federal registry offices for the Unidades, which do not have Estado level bureaucracies. Their Lusitanium office includes a research branch, which compiles traffic statistics for not only Provincia do Brasil, but other regions of Tirane as well, which is made available to serve Brazilian commercial needs. Min. Transportation also ended up with responsibility for the government’s communications network, which is also collocated with the major ground routes, seaports, and airports, and consists of fiber optic lines and laser relay towers. The Ministry of Infrastructure is Agency, with a main office in Porto Jardim (They closely cooperate with the Ministry of Transportation. Many Brazilians question the need for two different ministries, but Brazilian bureaucracies are harder to eliminate than Tunghu rats.) The Ministry of Infrastructure takes care of large things, like government buildings, monuments, cemeteries, bridges, tunnels, the airports and spaceports (the space agency and transport agency provide operations personnel, but structural work is the province of Min. Infrastructure.) For heavy capitol projects, the Ministry of Infrastructure uses its own government workforce, the National Corps of Engineers. They are authorized to contract work out to civilian firms, but only when the projects are small and the NCE forces are unavailable. National Corps of Engineers The Second Brigade of the National Corps of Engineers (The military structure is used although it is not a military organization) is responsible for the biggest national infrastructure works in Provincia do Brasil. Their presence predates the colony itself. Arriving in 2174, it took them ten years to upgrade the research settlements to the level of supporting the first waves of colonists. 2nd BDE, NCE, has no permanent home, establishing temporary quarters at whatever major capitol project is currently their main interest. Past operations have included the clearing of the lower Rio Osario and the construction of the ship-locks at Port Jardim (this entailed blasting through a bedrock shelf with nuclear demolitions, a technique causing much outcry as that was the first and thus far last use of nuclear explosive on Tirane), the construction of the orbital catapult in Sera do Prado, the channels and tunnels dug into A Paradeo in Chaparaca (Porto Paradeo) and the construction of the Superestrada system, including a number of significant bridges and tunnels. Currently, much of the Brigade is in Nova Cabinda, along with their current headquarters, establishing a new seaport there for the shipping of minerals and petrochemicals. The First and Third Brigades are on Earth, and the Fourth Brigade is working on Paulo, with a specialist detachment assigned to the Ross 614 system. The NCE is proud of their record of letting no element of nature block their progress. From it’s offices in Kantzeropolis, capitol city of Oxala and media and arts center for all of Provincia do Brasil, Min Culture cooperates closely with the Church, and the lay-activist foundation that is both a major supporter of Roman Catholic power and influential voting bloc, the Institudo do Ordem e Progreso. In the interest of preserving the public social spirit, and to defend "Positive forces" (The Church, the IOP, the government, etc.) the Ministry of Culture has the authority to ban published arts of any kind. This is rarely exercised if the publisher or producer opts to cooperate with an appointed Review Board during production, but working with a Review Board is time consuming, expensive, and often dilutes an artist’s intended meaning. As a result, the film industry in Provincia do Brasil is pretty much dead, reduced to documentaries and watered down dramas and romances with predictable moral fables included. This is why Brazilians actually consider films of moving plants from Paulo "a big hit". They have little better. The actions of the Ministry have also given rise to the substantial local demand for black market entertainment. Foreign films (Vids, Tri-dees, etc) are often recast with Brazilians, and snuck into Provincia do Brasil. Much of the recasting is done in Tunghu, and most Vice Ministers of Culture (The Minister is on Earth) have railed against the "satanic" practices of the Manchurian entertainment industry. More than one senior bureaucrat in the Ministry, however, has resigned in disgrace after being caught owning or watching a spicy Tunghu recast. Enforcement of cultural restrictions varies wildly. The national police are legally barred from pursuing these cases. Enforcement is left to the Guarda Fiscal and the local and Estado police agencies. Personal attitudes towards cultural restrictions strongly color the reactions of offices dealing with such offenses. Many ignore it entirely, or offer mere lip service. The Ministry of Culture also promotes the classical arts, and festivals throughout Provincia do Brasil. The annual Carnival has regained the position it held during medieval times in Europe: it is the one time during the year when the Church (and the Ministry of Culture) chooses to look the other way, and a very repressed population cuts loose for a week. Then, they all get dressed again, sober up, go to confession, and convince themselves that they didn’t really do the things they did during Carnival. Finally, the Ministry of culture is charged with supporting the "religious aspirations of the people". In truth, the Ministry of Culture does support all the religions represented in Provincia do Brasil. They have built Synagogues, Mosques, and a small, secluded camp for a bunch of Ramtha devotees who managed to squeeze their grant request through the bureaucratic maze. But, partly due to size and influence, and partly through a strong mutual bond, the Roman Catholic Church naturally gets the lion’s share of the support. Ironically, the Ministry of Culture is the only national agency that treats Provincia do Brasil as an entity distinct from Terrestrial Brazil. None of the other Ministry offices on Tirane have any real autonomy. They act as local liaisons for the Ministries on Earth. Regional offices, in a way. But, the Ministry of Culture is concerned that if cultural decisions were made on Earth, Tiranian Brazilians would feel they were being unjustly imposed on. Hence, the Tiranean Brazilians tolerate specs for their airfilm trains being written in Brasilia, but when a book is put on the "abhorrent" list, it’s done by a local. The Tirane offices of the Brazilian Ministry of Education are in Vitoria de Conquista. Most of the Estado governments also have large and active agencies devoted to education. Other than making feeble efforts to coordinate the local educational systems, the Ministerio do Educacao sponsors some national programs, approves some texts and curricula, and lays down standards. They also oversee the accreditation of academic facilities, other than Church owned institutions, which come under only church supervision. The Brazilian Ministry of Health maintains its offices in Missaoprimo. It’s functions are relatively limited. With most actual health programs administered buy Estado level agencies, the national agency does such thing as conduct statistical research, conduct emergency operations such as disaster relief, provide epidemic control services, and promote research. Naturally, their greatest area of interest is with potential pathogens. On worlds with Earth compatible ecosystems, such as Tirane, pathology presents challenges. Earth native pathological organisms have evolved alongside Earth life for eons. Their methods of attack are extremely precise, and likewise, methods of defense against them have evolved. Often, the shape of a single cell surface molecule spells the difference between infection and health. This is not so on Tirane. Organisms that can cause harm to humans have not evolved to do it; they are merely exploiting a fortuitous circumstance of biochemistry. Hence, an organism that is highly benign in the Tiranean ecosystem may emerge as an extreme threat to human health. It is with an eye towards these unpredictable reactions that the Ministry of Health conducts its research, at its main office and at a number of field sites that move frequently. To date, no real threats have emerged from the Tiranean ecology, but a number of minor pathogens have been identified, a few of which can cause severe, even fatal consequences if untreated. There are two regional courts in Provincia do Brasil, one in Lusitanium (Campobelo) and one in Vitoria de Conquista. Each is collocated with a National Police headquarters, with additional National Police regional headquarters in Sao Celestino (Alegre), Sao Umberto (Campinasur) and Consequencias (Chaparaca). The regional courts are the highest Brazilian courts on Tirane, with the next court level above them being the Supreme Federal Tribunal in Brasilia. They are equal in status to the regional courts elsewhere in Brazil. Beneath the regional court level, there are Federal Courts in each Estado. Brazilian courts follow the "inquisition" model, that is, the judges (most major cases are heard by a panel of three judges) are permitted to direct the questions. The jury (which may be overruled by the judges if the judges unanimously agree that the jury’s verdict constitutes a travesty) is allowed to present questions of its own. The National Police are charged with investigation of major crimes, crimes exceeding the scope of Estado and local departments, providing security to Federal facilities, investigating foreign activities, and investigating government wrongdoing. This is the only Ministry of the Brazilian Government actually headquartered in Provincia do Brasil. Min. Col. occupies a handsome building in downtown Missaoprimo. The building makes use of some symbolic architecture: it is designed to look as if it was built up from an array of colonial pre-fab shelters. The agency employs a workforce of thousands, whose duty it is to ease the settlement of hundreds of thousands of immigrants annually. From here, they also coordinate the settlement of Paulo, but the Paulo effort is dwarfed by the continuing movement of colonists to Tirane. This is due in part to the proximity and economy of settling Tirane, and part due to the ease of settling new arrivals into a land where they make up only a small annual increase in population. By contrast, young colonies must accept a much higher ration of immigrants to population. Min. Col doesn’t need much to sell the advantages of life in Provincia do Brazil to the Brazilians. With only 21% of the Brazilian population, but 62% of the land (Not counting Paulo, of course!) Tirane offers relief from the massively crowded Brazilian cities. Most of the land in Provincia do Brazil is held in trust by the government, and issued out parcel by parcel to homesteaders, companies, and organizations moving to or expanding in the colony. Min. Col. tries to use scientific approaches to land management, seeking to avoid the chaotic growth of Terrestrial Brazilian cities, and trying to distribute land fairly and equitably to arrivals, while keeping good land in reserve for future settlers. For all their efforts, though, harried Min. Col. personnel often face long lines of settlers unhappy with their land grants. Offices in Miranda, Cabo Vitorio. (on the coast, west of Vitoria de Conquista.). This Ministry operates the national Mint, Cabo Vitorio Branch, collects federal taxes, and interfaces with Min. Fin offices on Earth. Ministerio Fazenda works closely with the Banco Centro do Brasil, controlling interest and foreign exchange rates. It oversees the regulation and taxation of all Communications Net commerce. Standardizes and secures banking practices. Operates customs offices, sets duties and tariffs. Primarily, in all these functions, the Tirane offices of the Ministerio Fazenda functions as a liaison office for the main offices back on Earth. From time to time, Brazilian insistence on complete financial unity between the two pieces of their nation result in economic imbalances, that is, one region will experience an excess or shortfall of currency compared to the other. The effect is similar to that experienced in Tunghu, but to a much larger scale, and like Tunghu, offers opportunities and hazards to speculators. Also, as in Tunghu, market factors will correct the imbalances quickly. Unlike Tunghu, since Provincia represents a quarter of the Brazilian economy, the swings are regarded as much more serious on a national scale. There is no electronic currency exchange between Tirane and Earth (Obviously!) so for the Brazilian financial efforts to succeed, exchange must be cash based. Several high speed financial couriers attempt to keep Brazil’s financial underpinnings stable. The Ministry of Finance maintains a specialized police force, the Guarda Fiscal, which is further described in the next section. Law Enforcement, Intelligence, and Security This is Brazil’s civilian intelligence agency, with its planetary headquarters in Sao Celestino. Its focus is primarily external, with its mission being to gain information required by the Brazilian government. The DDS lacks the high technology tools of many of its competitors (although by no means should it be considered primitive!), and to stay effective, resorts to old fashioned skills like human intelligence. Brazil, being a polyethnic society, is able to recruit spies from many social and genetic backgrounds. The religious nature of Brazilian society works in its favor as well, as it produces a small cadre of supremely motivated individuals who consider working for the Brazilian government to be a holy cause, and can be expected to be fanatically loyal. Brazilian spies will often take on missions requiring years, perhaps decades, of commitment, often creating foreign identities and slowly working themselves into positions of great confidence. As Brazil has no great political feuds with the other nations on Tirane, its spies are placed in positions where they can relay intelligence data acquired by foreign nations about topics Brazil considers interesting. Others are placed where they can provide political information, or act as subtle agents of influence. The Guarda Fiscal’s headquarters is collocated with that of its parent agency in Miranda, Cabo Vitoria. Their duties are wide ranging. They are charged with providing customs officials at all points of entry, customs investigators to apprehend smugglers, tax auditors and investigators (Brazil, like most technological nations, often finds it easier to bring down organized crime leaders under tax law rather than criminal law), guards for the national mint, and investigators for economic crimes, including computer crimes and labor law violations. The personnel are extremely varied. One Guarda fiscal officer many operate undercover, infiltrating a smuggling ring, another may be pursuing a labor law violation case in court, and another may be running Comm-Net security operations, seated in a comfortable armchair and wired into a computer for a six hour shift. They are all Guarda Fiscal agents. They are sometimes resented by Estado and local police agencies, who often consider the Guarda Fiscal agents arrogant and over-educated, so cooperation with police agencies is variable. The Guarda Fiscal is often used to investigate corruption within agencies it is supposed to cooperate with, adding to the liaison difficulties. Loopholes with in Brazilian law make it easier for this agency to clandestinely acquire personal information on individuals (spy on people) than it is for other security agencies, another factor working against their popularity. The Brazilian National Police does not have a single head office on Tirane. They are an adjunct of the Ministry of Justice and their deployment is discussed in that segment. They are often competing with the Guarda Fiscal, as their jurisdictions overlap substantially, and interservice cooperation is not good. They have about 7,200 personnel assigned to Tirane in their regular offices, and about 1,900 personnel in a subordinate agency, the rural police, who patrol lands distant from Estado and Municipal forces, as well as the Unidades. The National Police have worked with dogs and horses since animals began arriving in earliest Vaca flights, and their canine and mounted units are now considered the most elite of the National Police units. Their equivalent foreign services have long dropped their humorous barbs: there is still a lot a well trained dog can accomplish that eludes any technological replacement, and horses have proven useful patrol and crowd control mounts. Canine and Horse mounted- Policials a Cavalhos-* units (many of these work under the Rural Police) are frequently called upon to support other security elements. Like the DDS, the national police, (which are charged with domestic counterespionage) are hindered by technological shortfalls, and often uses more… a polite phrase would be "time-tested" … techniques, such as outright thuggery to obtain information. More than one critic has noted that hover patrol cars in use by the national police have tool kits equipped with tire irons. *Note- "Policials" is a Brazilian usage, Portuguese would be "Policias" The Tirane headquarters of this Roman Catholic Church organization is in Basilicade, the major city in Acre. The ESS has several missions. First, it is responsible for ferreting out crime and corruption within or against the Church. It provides security for Church VIP’s, including the Pope. It works against the Novo Catolico Church. The official Roman Catholic Church view of the Novo Catolicos, backed up by numerous well researched theological treatises written on the matter, is a harsh one. It is the Roman Catholic view that the Novo Catolicos practice outright fraud and deception against catholic believers, and in doing so, illegally deny them proper sacraments and other gifts they have a right to. The ESS operates covertly to disrupt and discredit the Novo Catolico Church, and bring as many of it congregants as possible back into the Roman Catholic fold. The ESS takes full advantage of the less than compete loyalty many Latin priests and lay persons have for the Novo Catolico Church, and is believed to have infiltrated the senior ranks of this "upstart sect". Servico dos Informacoes Militares This agency unifies the intelligence functions of the Brazilian armed forces. They are the most technically adept of the Brazilian security forces, but prohibited from acting in a domestic security function unless called in during a declared national crisis. This happens often enough to keep their skills honed. All of the military services provide some intelligence capability, with the Army’s contribution being mostly in the realm of tactical and technical intelligence. SIM operates a number of electronic listening posts, and also receives intercepter transmissions from Navy ships at sea and satellites. Most major nations have encryption systems beyond the capability of the Brazilians to decode, but they overlook the creativity of Brazilians, who find that it is often cheaper to buy the codes they want directly, or steal them, than to research and develop the computers and algorithms needed to obtain them through decryption. Also, they take full advantage of "traffic analysis", that is, the diving of intelligence information through the fluctuations in the patterns of encrypt message traffic, rather than actually deciphering the messages themselves. SIM often provides support to other agencies, and they are held in higher regard than the other agencies. The agency headquarters is in one of the deeper tunnels of Porto Paradeo, and it maintains a school in Campobelo. These topics are described under the regional sections. |