TUNGHU By Ben Levy
As Bavaria made early preparations for their colonization of Tirane, it was known that they could never mount an effort that could compete with France or the United Kingdom. They were approached by the Manchurians, who offered them money, engineering assistance, and most precious of all, interstellar transport capacity in return for a choice seaside enclave within Bavaria’s claimed area. The Manchurians wanted the deal because it was, for them, an easy way to get the small presence they wanted on Tirane. They expected their enclave would share facilities with the Bavarians, and so would save them expense and effort, which would be applied instead on more distant worlds in the Chinese Arm. The Bavarians needed the deal to compete with the larger European powers. It’s sometimes difficult to look back at the 22nd Century’s colonization efforts and remember that it was a time when every ton landed was precious, but such were the times, and it at times made for strange partnerships. The Tunghu-Freihafen arrangement worked out well, and is continuing uninterrupted by Freihafen’s independence. Tunghu measures a scant 316.4 square kilometers, stretching for 30 kilometers along the moderately irregular coast. IN addition to the area on the mainland, there are a handful of offshore islands incorporated into Tunghu as District 18. Manchurian investment the enclave has made it the most heavily developed colony on Tirane, at least in terms of development per square kilometer. At almost 7000 people per square kilometer, the population density is as dense as many urban region of earth. The official population estimate is 2,244,000. Most sociologists believe there are several hundred thousand undocumented unofficial residents in addition to the estimate. The government, while concurring that there are uncounted persons living in Tunghu, claim that this figure is many times the actual number. The Tunghu population as spread out into the sea, aquaculture is common, and many people live on floating communities, not unlike certain areas back on Earth. Tunghu is crowded, and very commercial, and is a thriving business center. There are the inevitable comparisons with Hong Kong. The visitor is advised to avoid these, as the Tunghu natives are quick to point out that before recovery by China, Hong Kong was a prosperous, business oriented Chinese ethnic enclave next to but independent from China. Tunghu, they’ll explain, is more like Singapore, a prosperous, business oriented Chinese ethnic enclave next to a non-Chinese nation. Tunghu was planned with two functions in mind; commerce and politics. The first was left to private business. The attitude was: get them there, let them loose with a minimum of government interference, and trust in the Chinese work ethic to make things happen. Politically, Tunghu is supposed to be the local representation of all Manchurian culture. While other colonies were still surveying farmsteads and planning roads, Tunghu was working on ornate gardens, and cultural buildings. They are fully aware that millions of Tiranians might never see Earth, and millions more might get to Earth but never see China, but most can travel to Tunghu. Tunghu has therefore made itself into a kind of "model China"- some have used the phrase "Disney China" with the intention of showing itself off to visitors. Tunghu seems to have a lot of festivals. There are parades and celebrations marking everything from Buddha’s birthday to the anniversary of the first Manchurian landing on Tirane. For about two weeks around every Chinese New Year, Tunghu is immersed in a round the clock party and is overrun with tourists. There’s a business side to this, also. Tunghu actively tries to bring in as many visitors as possible to benefit trade. Tunghu has all the benefits of a planned urban area. From its inception, planners knew how it was supposed to grow, and what level of population it would eventually achieve. Much of the services were placed underground to conserve space. Skyscrapers were constructed with the same idea. The combination gives Tunghu more open space than population density would suggest. It even allows Tunghu to preserve some native Tiranean habitat (mostly for show) and some parkland. Tunghu has Tirane’s first and most popular public beach, and during Grand Summer’s summer, it’s crowded with Freihavians. Tunghu also has the down side to being a planned city, which is that planners never get it right. One gets a feeling in much of Tirane that the buildings aren’t being put to the uses the planners had, and that much of the city is busily trying to reinvent itself. Tunghu has a large, crowded open-air market in an area that was supposed to be a park. An indoor mall fills half an elementary school. There is a sense here that everything and anything would be sacrificed in the name of profit. And there is crime- though more often economic in nature than violent. Customs: Tunghu’s customs inspections on incoming visitors is a rather quick and painless affair- they only thing they’re looking for are the really bad things- explosives, unlicensed weapons, poisons, etc. And software. After several recent "soft" attacks on Tunghu’s communications net, local authorities have classified dangerous software as a weapon. The Tunghu customs agents conduct random electronic searches with devices that can find hidden electronic media, and randomly test software. A virus or any other "dangerous" software is treated as seriously as a loaded gun. Several times a year, foreign college students who don’t quite understand this are hauled off to the Tunghu general detention facility. Other than the above, Tunghu is free and easy about whatever visitors choose to bring in. Some tariffs are charged for wholesale goods, but not for raw materials and food. Weather: Tunghu is located in a temperate marine climate zone, the equivalent of the Pacific Northwest on earth. Although annual seasons aren’t severe, visitors from off world would do well to check on the progress of Tirane’s Grand Seasons, and pack accordingly. Rain is frequent, except during Grand Summer. Assistance: Tunghu has a small but helpful Bureau of Tourism, with offices at the Combined Terminal (District 1), on Jackie Chan Avenue near the Garden of Saints, (District 34) and at the Great Civil Tower (District 4). They can also be reached through the communications net. They are polite, knowledgeable, and attend to their tasks with patriotism and pride. Happy Visitors are the Close Family of Prosperity is the motto on the silk banner above the supervisor’s desk at their head offices in the Great Civil Tower. In addition to eagerly assisting in solving problems, they promote cultural events. Visitors have no need of schedules in Tunghu. Incessant, repetitious Bureau of Tourism advertising will frequently remind them of what to see, and when. Tunghu has a governor appointed by the Manchurian Ministry of External Territories, and a 42 member Board of District Officers, which is locally elected. Their offices, meeting rooms, and administrative facilities are mostly located in the Great Civil Tower. Public sessions of Board of Officer meetings are held in the Hall of Public Law, near the tower, but much of the work of government is done in private meetings. The officers are elected to four-year terms, and most of them are solidly supported by their constituents. There seems little to expect out of the next election of Officers other than public approval of the faces already in office. The power of the Board of Officers relative to the governor is the single most contentious issue in Tunghu politics today, and heated debates on the issue have made their way into the normally calm and conservative Board of Officer meetings. Currently, the Board’s power is very limited, with almost every decision subject to review and approval by the Governor, and no power to override the governor’s veto. Conversely, the governor has broad powers not subject to Board review, especially with respect to enforcement of laws put forth by the mother nation. This issue has never generated so much passion as it does now. Tunghu politics have always played second fiddle to the economy, and the economy has generally been prosperous enough to keep peoples’ minds off the government. Local control of government has become the cause of the day largely because the current appointed governor is very unpopular, while the Officers have strong local followings. Lately, it seems the governor can hardly speak without attracting a crowd of demonstrators to the Great Civil Tower to protest his policies. For the most part these protests are civil, although quite noisy. Tunghu Officers often attend these rallies, if only to be seen denouncing the governor. Despite the sensationalist reports in the foreign press, (Making up for the lack of coverage in the Manchurian press) there is very little local sympathy for independence. Tunghu is Manchurian, and there is no desire here to be anything but. The people merely want what most Manchurian cities already have: the authority to select their own mayor. Most likely, the national government will not let matters get too far out of hand. When push comes to shove, the economy of Tunghu is more important than one political career, and many observers expect the current governor to be replaced before to long. Twelve nations have Consulates or Legations in Tunghu, ten others maintain interest sections. 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Other nations have no permanent representation in Tunghu. Diplomats in Tunghu are mostly concerned with trade relations, and also in spying on the other diplomats. Tunghu has a reputation as a hotbed in the economic intelligence world. The seaside Combined Terminal is the central hub of transport in Tunghu. The Terminal apron and the Number Three runway take up 3 square kilometers of precious land area. Causeways lead out to the Number One and Number Two runways, often called the floating runways, which don’t actually float. They’re mounted on pylons, securely anchored on the seabed. Below the apron are several levels of parking and warehousing. Aircraft and spacecraft are parked beneath the apron with the aid of enormous elevators. Most air traffic and all space traffic (which is very limited, see below) uses the floating runways. Local aircraft, government aircraft, and private aircraft generally use the Number Three runway. The Combined Terminal also handles marine traffic at the docks located north of the two taxiways, which were designed to also serve as jetties. Underground, on the inland side, the Combined Terminal handles rail traffic, and truck traffic. The freight handling system is modern and continuously active. Cargo is transferred quickly, via an automated series of massive conveyors and gantry cranes, between different modes of transportation. The Combined Terminal is also the southern nexus for local transportation, including Tunghu’s subway. There is more here than simply a transportation hub. The Combined Terminal is also the gateway to Tunghu. It is home to several hotels, including the Terminal Silk Blossom Hotel, the Emporer’s Hotel, and the Tunghu Waystation. There is a large pedestrian mall, and the upscale stores here attract Tunghu natives as well as visitors. There is a busy information booth, parcel post, data communications, and freight forwarding offices, an emergency services station, and dozens of restaurants ranging from a few of Tunghu’s finest to noodle bars. Rising over the main structure is the Terminal Trade Tower, a 90 story skyscraper housing many trade and shipping companies, several foreign representation offices, a number of banks, and legal, financial, and service oriented companies of all sorts. The Combined Terminal tends to be commercially aggressive towards travellers. Advertising is bold, loud, obvious, often lewd, and covers virtually every available surface. Many Tunghu concerns have given up on surpassing their rivals’ displays and now hire spokespersons, who’s job it is to seek out new arrivals and bring their patrons’ messages to them face to face. Visitors are often taken aback by young men and women approaching them and offering to make hotel, travel, dining, or business arrangements for them. Tunghu has no orbital terminal, and a very limited local interface capability. Most traffic to and from orbit is routed through Freihafen’s facilities, and Tunghu maintains an interest section on Freihafen’s orbital terminal just to ensure the process is smooth. Interface capable craft may land at the Combined Terminal, subject to some restrictions. Arriving starships wishing to land at or send landers to Tunghu are requested to contact the Tunghu section at the Freihafen Orbital Terminal, which will contact the air traffic control section at the Tunghu Combined Terminal. Arrivals are requested not to contact Tunghu directly. As the useable orbits which offer approaches to the Combined Terminal are limited, and Tunghu’s airspace is often busy, there is frequently a wait of several hours while the Orbital Terminal crew and the air traffic control crew arrange a landing slot. Starship crews are advised to make the most of it, and enjoy a few orbits of high altitude sight seeing: arguing with the control crew will only make matters worse. Starships or landers must weigh in at less than 5,000 tons. Ships of greater mass will be diverted to Freihafen. No VTOL landings are permitted in Tunghu. All arriving craft must be able to land on one of the floating runways, then taxi to the Combined Terminal. Ships and landers without a taxi capability are never accepted- the Combined Terminal ground crew will have no way of getting you off the floating runway, other than dumping the unlucky craft into the sea. Finally, the Tunghu authorities insist that only ships or landers in excellent repair be allowed to land at Tunghu. Requests for emergency landings are immediately denied, and these cases are handed over to Freihafen. Signs of mechanical or electronic difficulty during landing is taken as evidence that the lander was not in excellent repair, and such a vessel will almost certainly experience a thorough inspection. The owner (or captain, if the owner isn’t available) will be fined, and in extreme cases the vessel will be impounded. Tunghu does not want junk on its flight apron. Once legally landed, the situation becomes easier. Space at the Combined Terminal is at a premium and the government tries to be supportive of smooth, efficient commercial transportation operations. Landing fees therefore include such amenities as loading and unloading services by trained and surprisingly quick freight handlers, assistance with routine maintenance checks and services, "concierge" service (the ground crew will help crews obtain food, lodging, tickets to cultural events, etc!) and three days of space at the flight apron. All of the above is done to keep things moving and save time, so that the ship can leave as soon as possible and make room for the next arrival. Longer stays involve expensive parking fees. Ship owners planning a longer stay in Tunghu are better off landing at Freihafen and taking surface transportation into the enclave. Tunghu prefers it that way, as well. Wealthy businessmen, on the other hand, often show off their status by keeping their ships conspicuously parked at the Combined Terminal. The effect is similar to having a very noticeable yacht parked at an upscale, downtown marina. One shuttle service operates between the Orbital terminals and Tunghu. This is a private company, the Two Ducks Line, flying four modified "Yinma" type landers. Yinmas are built for long duration missions, but these ships have had most of their crew spaces stripped out, along with some of their fuel stowage, increasing their carrying capacity at the expense of their endurance. Two each are specialized for passenger and cargo operations. Two Ducks Line isn’t subsidized by Tunghu, but they have the advantage of presence, having purchased a section of underground parking area beneath the Combined Terminal early on. The value of this property has skyrocketed since, closing out competitors who also want space at the Combined Terminal. Two Ducks Line connects Tunghu to the Freihafen orbital terminal with frequent flights. There is less regular but still dependable service to the other orbital terminals. Security and Emergency Services Tunghu maintains a professional police force, and a Crisis Force, which combines the function of fire department, ambulance corps, and civil defense corps. Headquarters for both agencies are located in the Great Civil Tower. The police force offices, training facilities, laboratories, and other services located in the Police Force Annex Building near the Great Civil Tower. There is also a District Police Station in each district. The Crisis Force maintains eight crisis response centers scattered throughout Tunghu, as well as the Civil Aviation Unit at the Combined Terminal and the unused Citizens’ Militia Building. Tunghu’s police force is 3,200 strong. Aside from the district patrol forces, the police force maintains some special departments. These include the Organized Crime Section and the Corruption and Subversion section. Both of these sections deserve special mention here because they often hire non-locals on a temporary basis. In the Organized Crime Section, non-locals have the advantage of having no friends or family in Tunghu who can be threatened by gangsters. Gangs have also planted their own members in the Police Force, and naturally there is a low probability of an outsider being a mole from a gang. Also, the gangs have little or knowledge about temporary officers, whereas they accumulate sizable databases on Tunghu natives. The downside, of course, is that they are less knowledgeable about Tunghu in general, and stick out like sore thumbs. They are also used in the Corruption and Subversion section, which handles cases involving members of the Tunghu government, and the Anti Terrorist Section, for much the same reasons. Temporary officers have no friends here to favor and no enemies out to get them. At least, they have none when they start their assignments. The Business Crimes Section is fairly nonchalant about the activities of local enterprises. They will crack down hard on foreigners. They get busy, usually, when local businessmen start complaining of some competitor gaining an illegal advantage. On the other hand, there are some practises that are illegal, but are widely used. Since they confer no advantages to any one local business over another, the Business Crimes Section looks the other way. An example of this is the almost routine violation of patents. Tunghu corporations will by a competitor’s invention, examine it, back engineer it, and put a copy on the market, patent or none. Since the practise is so widespread, it’s considered normal business and ignored, even though it is illegal. Non Tunghu corporations have a very hard time with this, and diplomatic protests are frequent. The Crisis Force has some 600 regular employees and a Youth Militia, essentially, a volunteer auxiliary. Young Tunghu residents join for three years, and although they receive no money, they are rewarded with college scholarships. The equipment is getting old, and the Tunghu government is shopping for new ambulances and utility aircraft, which would be VTOL or helicopter. This much anticipated purchase is being eyed by a number of major manufacturers, and it is expected the competition will be intense. Tunghu does not have a free public hospital, although some of the blue-collar neighborhoods do have not for profit clinics that serve the local population at minimal cost. There are four major hospitals, and all of them are for profit institutions. (Although, to the betterment of their reputations, they will handle emergency cases before asking for a credit chip.) Tunghu’s medical facilities are no better or worse than a typical core city of this size, but locals often go to Freihafen anyway for specialized treatment, including eye and limb replacements and advanced anti cancer regimens. The standard response by the city’s Crisis Force to a severe medical problem is to provide first aid at the scene and aboard the ambulance. The patient will be taken to the nearest hospital, in the judgement of the Crisis Force team. If conscious, a patient or a relative of the patient may request another facility, but Tunghu law dictates that the Crisis Force does have the final say in the destination of the patient. Mental health deserves a few words. In Tunghu, mental health professionals are kept quite busy. The stress load of the ultra-capitalist environment burns out many locals in the prime of their lives. Visiting a mental health professional, on the other hand, can be vocational suicide. The office manager who lets it slip that he or she attended a few therapy sessions will find it hard to break the stigma. So they tend to keep it secret, and the mental health community has obliged. The offices are unlisted and often hidden, to protect the identities of the patients. Finding a psychiatrist in Tunghu, to a non-native, can be challenging. Most of the locals are streetwise enough to locate one when they need one. They’d never mention it, though. Tunghu has only a token military presence. Surrounded on three sides by Freihafen and on one by ocean, security is implicitly dependent on good relations with Freihafen. Also, Tunghu’s small size precludes any sort of serious ground defense in wartime. Fortunately, Tunghu is also not much of a target. Being primarily a civilian, commercial area, it has kept clear of the assorted entanglements of its mother nation. During the Central Asian War, for example, the Manchurian attack on the then incomplete Richelieu, in orbit over Tirane, was carried out with no assistance from Tunghu. Indeed, it is possible that the attack succeeded because the French had been paying excessively close attention to Tunghu. Tunghu has no assigned space forces at all and no surface to space forces. Planetside, there is the Tunghu Regiment, a small mixed force performing security and ceremonial roles, based at the Kung Sye Chi Barracks adjacent to the Combined Terminal, straddling Districts 1 and 23. This is considered a plum assignment in the Manchurian military. Life is pleasant, the unit is small and highly visible, and the chances of actual fighting are as slim as they get in Manchuria’s military. The Barracks consists of a set of aging brick buildings, including an administration center, armory, and a motorpool, surrounding a large field used as landing field, training ground, and parade ground, as necessary. A large underground facility is known to exist beneath the field. This appears to be a combination bomb shelter and parking facility, as well as housing units the Manchurians prefer not discussing. The Tunghu Regiment consists of four company sized elements. These are: The Tunghu Infantry A slightly oversized infantry company, with a few tactical vehicles seen making occasional highly visible patrols around Tunghu’s perimeter. They man no permanent guard posts, and the border with Freihafen, although fenced, is unguarded away from the crossing points. Fortifying the border with more than a security fence would be considered insulting. Besides, Tunghu’s relaxed customs policies don’t require much border control. The Tunghu infantry is more often seen looking impressive in dress uniforms, showing up at parades, ceremonies and official functions of all sorts, and their most likely foes are urban terrorists, not foreign military units. To that end, it’s wise to remember that those polished and colorful uniforms are worn by aware, alert, and diligent soldiers. Tunghu Garrison Company A diverse, company sized unit performing service support for the military in Tunghu. This unit includes maintenance, medical, administration, local procurement, and logistics sections and the Kung Sye Chi Barracks Messhall, which often detaches a field kitchen when the infantry is romping around Tunghu’s perimeter. This last action isn’t militarily necessary- the troops are never more than a short drive from home and meals could readily be trucked out to them. Rather, it’s done just to show that the cooks are just as much field deployable troops as the riflemen are. Whatever the case, it seems to be morale booster for the combat troops, and the disdain combat troops usually have for service support troops is withheld. In fact, they seem exceptionally protective of their field kitchen. The local recruiting office is a detachment of the Garrison Company, but Tunghu has no local training facilities. Native recruits are invariably sent to Earth for training. Seaward Defense Company This includes four hovercraft , four helicopters, their crews, shore-based service personnel, and a marine section of about a dozen men. Principal mission is security at sea for the enclave, but the company also performs search and rescue tasks at sea, assists in science efforts, and provides law enforcement at sea. Although a special unit of the Army, they function as a coast guard. Headquarters Service Company This unit is poorly named, but that is apparently intentional. It is not really a service company at all, but rather a hodgepodge of units designed to support both the Tunghu government and the Tunghu Infantry. This is the only unit the Manchurians are cagey about; they openly discuss the organization, manning and equipment of the other units, but the HSC is kept quiet. This is probably because they feel it is impolite to discuss intelligence assets and heavy weapons in the presence of friends. It is believed that the Headquarters Service Company consists of a Mobile Air Defense Laser section, an Electronic Warfare section, a Signals section, and an Intelligence section. This last unit may have a scout section attached, and it is known that they field some very small drone aircraft. Tunghu is strong in neither. Although it has a more than adequate public school system provided for all residents, several adequate colleges, and one public university, students desiring a more challenging or extensive education generally travel, either to other Tirane colonies or to Earth. Public research is hamstrung by the fact that Tunghu’s citizens don’t want to see their money spent on it. Private research is also limited. Tunghu is small and culturally focused on business. Private research facilities get better results in broader, more academically oriented environments. Not a lot of science is conducted in Tunghu. There are three bright spots in Tunghu’s academic picture. One is the Tunghu School of Business, in District 9. Although outclassed by several institutions on Earth, and looked down upon by some of the more respected universities on Tirane, there is no doubt that the TSB, with its aggressive philosophy, consistently turns out able, creative managers with high levels of personal initiative. Part of this is due to their strong internship program, which places students into the dynamic and stressful world of Tunghu commerce. It is also due in part to the nature of TSB’s program, which is designed not to teach about business as much as it is designed to teach how to survive in business. Theory is definitely considered the poor cousin of application at TSB. Second is the Institute of Horticultural Design, in District 38. This is a private research organization dedicated to improving ornamental plants through biological and genetic engineering and old fashioned breeding. The institute has actually gone beyond improvement, now, and has created viable designer plants mixing Tiranian and Earth genetic components. The institute does not sell plants. Rather, it develops them and sells the rights and the genetic patent to growers. The most famous of their plants is the bioluminescent floating Lantern Flower, which is now widely exported- in non-reproductive forms of course. The income from the Lantern Flower has allowed the Institute of Horticultural Design to deploy teams of botanists to other worlds, where they search for interesting new plant forms to bring back for further research. The Tunghu Business Daily has reported contacts between the institute and Pentapods. The gain to the institute from Pentapod cooperation would be obvious, but reportedly the aliens are puzzled by the human need for plants that serve no practical function. Third is actually a loose and fractious coalition of entertainment studios that together, have worked out advanced methods of "virtual recasting" of holos and films. This is a process by which the original cast is edited out digitally, and a new cast edited in. The results are improving steadily, and in many final products, it is almost impossible to tell that the characters are not original. The market for this work is in the reselling of entertainment products to ethnic groups other than that which produced the original. A sappy romance shot in Wellon, for example, can be recast with Japanese for release in Ameraterasu. Typically, it will then sell better than the version with the Anglo-European cast. It is not necessary for the replacement actors to perform all the scenes of the film or holo being edited. In fact, the software can make their actions better suit the environment than the actors can. All that is necessary id for the computer to study the new cast long enough to properly digitally simulate them. A subway, an automated system of electric buses, and a fleet of independently owned and operated taxis serve Tunghu. The subways and busses are complementary. The subways travel north-south routes connecting Tunghu’s sixty-three stations, sharing the underground tunnel network with the freight trains. The busses serve east-west feeder routes connecting those stations to other points along the width of the enclave. Passes for the subway and bus system are sold at subway stations, at a kiosk in the Combined Terminal, and at certain other public places. Passes cost 2.5 Lv per day and allow unlimited use of the system. Passes are de-activated for five minutes after each use to prevent use for group travel. Residents can buy discount passes for longer time periods, visitor passes can be purchased with up to 30 days time encoded. Sharing the tunnels with the subways is an intra-city freight train service. These trains move cargo between the Combined Terminal and eight depots placed across the length of Tunghu. There is also an underground line for the through-trains that connect Tunghu with points throughout Freihafen. Through-trains stop only at the Combined Terminal. Tunghu’s taxis are considered historical throwbacks, by some. There are no automated taxis in service. All are manually operated by human drivers. This is the result of the taxi protests of 2269. Hundreds of taxi drivers were put out of work when the two corporations holding over 80 percent of the taxi permits simultaneously converted to automated cabs. During the height of the protests, one of the corporate computer networks experienced a massive cascade error, and eleven cabs crashed within a quarter hour before the system could be shut down. Investigation eventually pinned the cause on computer tampering, but by then public opinion was too far in the human drivers’ camp. The governor at the time decided that all taxis would have human drivers, and only licensed drivers could hold the permits, which would be issued on a per driver basis. The two corporations grumbled for a while, but eventually sold off their fleet to the drivers, and went into the private limousine business. They flourish to this day by serving people preferring the convenience of a car but disliking chaos of the fiercely competitive private taxis. Taxis are hailed from sidewalks or summoned electronically. "Taxi-lights" are about the thickness of a pen and eight centimeters long. They light up and emit a weak radio signal when pressed that alerts nearby drivers to the presence of a customer. It does not and by law can not summon a specific taxi. Travellers should be warned that often several taxis will receive the signal and all try to pickup the same passenger. Limousines are requested specifically via the communications net. Both sorts charge by the hour, with taxis charging the official rate of 0.8 Lv per minute plus a 1.2 Lv pickup fee. Limousine rates vary. If the need is great, one may rent electric vehicles in Tunghu. Non-residents, however, must first obtain a driving competence and insurance certificate from the Automobile authority office at the Combined Terminal, or any police station. Rentals are heavily taxed and rental rates are very high. Consequently, the rental market tends to be very upscale and is mostly limited to luxury vehicles. The local authorities believe Tunghu’s roads are crowded enough without hordes of clueless foreigners clogging them up. Tirane, being a core world, has a fully connected communications net linking the entire planet with voice, visual, and data communications. Calling a person in New Canberra is essentially no different from calling a person in the same district. Advanced software in use in Tunghu can even lessen, but not remove, the language barrier. (Many locals speak English and French in addition to Mandarin, particularly those in the business community.) Tunghu is a small and crowded part of that planet, and probably features more communications devices per square kilometer than anywhere else on the planet. There are both wire and transmission nodes throughout Tunghu, and the population makes extensive use of portacomps that connect via cellular relays to the net. Almost every citizen carries a small mobile phone. Some very well travelled public areas carry public communications terminals. They can be seen at the Great Civil Tower and at the Combined Terminal. Widespread use of personal mobile communications has made them all but obsolete. Their use in the terminal is mainly by visitors establishing local accounts so they can use the communications devices they’ve brought with them. Off world communication from Tunghu is simplified by the courier ships operated by the business community. Numerous companies located primarily in the Combined Terminal, book space on couriers and on freight and passenger ships as well. Data can be transferred to Earth for a small fee. Parcels are more expensive. Either will be on Earth about a day after they’re sent. Businesses usually send important documents with a two-day, door to door, service. Private parcels are usually slower, taking three to four days door to door. Communications to with the frontier is naturally more time consuming and more expensive, especially if it’s to a frontier world not served by a direct connection from Tirane. Electronic advancements have not done away with the daily newspaper, although all newspapers publish on the net as well as in print. The Tunghu Business Daily is the most popular local news source. Although primarily focused on business, the edition sold in Tunghu includes the Local Supplement, with general interest news. The Tunghu Business Daily’s English and French editions are sold throughout Tirane. It is gaining in popularity as the best source of information on economic matters. As their distribution grows, the reporting network of the Tunghu Business Daily is growing as well, and they are on their way towards beginning out of system operations. They have no real competition on Tirane in business reporting, and their narrow focus is both a blessing and a curse. A running joke in the Tirane journalism community involves reporters covering a shuttle accident: the other reporters interview the surviving crew and passengers, the rescue workers, the officials, and relatives of the deceased. The reporters from the Tunghu Business Daily want to talk to the insurance agents, the accountants, and the purchasing department. "How soon are you planning to accept bids on a replacement shuttle?" Tunghu Broadcasting Service and Manchurian National Broadcasting are the two mainstream broadcasting services based in Tunghu. Both run a variety of typical video, radio, and multimedia programming throughout the day, including news, educational shows comedy, drama, music, etc. The Tunghu Broadcasting service tends to be the more radical and youth oriented network, while MNB is more conservative, and doesn’t push the cultural bounds the way their competitor does. Of course, the people of Tunghu have plenty of options besides these two. Broadcasts from Freihafen can be easily received in Tunghu, and with satellite or fiber optic connections, programming from all over Tirane is available. Software is available to provide subtitle translations, but proficiency in English and French in Tunghu is high. Still, people tend to prefer entertainment and news in their own language, and the two Mandarin-speaking networks are by more popular by far than their foreign competition. One company specializes in netcasting- providing public programming only over the communications net with no electromagnetic broadcast at all. This is Tirania Nettertainment, a Tunghu based firm that provides programming throughout Tirane. Being computer network based rather than broadcast, they have some abilities their conventional competitors lack. For instance, they can tell advertising clients who is watching and what they’re watching, moment to moment. Second, they can offer tailored, viewer directed programming. They can also offer interactive programs. As computers progress, increasingly seamless interactive shows are being released, in which the viewer actually becomes a character in the story being watched, and can effect the plot. The distinction between game and show becomes increasingly blurred. This hasn’t been successful as most would think. Many viewers do not want to think and act; after a stressful day making sales, they want to come home, flick on a wall screen, and be entertained. Also, many interactive player/watchers soon learn they lack the talents of professional writers, and when they try to create a story they only screw it up. Tirania Nettertainment is still growing, although it has a reputation for being even more radical and cutting edge than the Tunghu Broadcasting Service. Tunghu imports almost all of its food- thousands of tons per day. Limited quantities of specialized food are produced locally. Most of this is production is at sea. Tunghu has a thriving "aquaculture" industry. There are a handful of farms. Some of these produce a few indigenous crops that have found their way into Tunghu’s cuisine, and some produce small quantities of terrestrial produce. Tunghu’s traditional farms are here for their symbolic value more than anything else. There is an unspoken rule in the Manchurian and Cantonese colonies that where the Chinese people go, they will plant rice, if only to maintain a millennia-old tradition of the Chinese people. There have been and still are scholars that argue that the cultivation of rice defined and created the oriental culture. It is a crop that requires intense cooperation amongst farmers, whereas wheat, the quintessential western crop, is planted and reaped on the basis of individual effort. Tunghu’s rice production is insignificant compared to that of the mother country, and the bulk of the enclave’s rice requirement is met by imports from Amerateratsu. But Tunghu Rice fetches a good price on Earth, where Manchurians by it for the novelty value alone. Every graduate of Tunghu’s elementary schools can recall class trips to the rice paddies, where the children get to spend a few hours of their day soaking up this ancient element of Chinese culture. The traditional farms also plant a few other typical oriental crops, and maintain some livestock. Production is almost negligible, and these tiny, heavily subsidized farms (Only the rice production is profitable, and only then because output is so small that Tunghu Rice is an exotic rarity on Earth) are kept around more for cultural reasons than anything else. The non-traditional farms are of two sorts, the land based and the sea based. On land, small plots are given over to the growing of specialty crops, such as flowers, spices, ginger root, mushrooms, and a few Tiranian edibles. Flowers represent Tunghu’s only significant land based, cash export crop. Enclosed greenhouses, with artificial lighting and climate, produce carefully bred flowers from several ecosystems, as well as genetically engineered variants. The most famous of these is the Lantern Flower, explained in more detail under Flora and Fauna. All land based farming in Tunghu, both traditional and non, occupies a total of four percent of the land. Off the coast of Tunghu, aquaculturalists actively farm fish, shellfish, and seaweed. Fishing boats bring in those native species that are palatable to humans. Tunghu’s fishing industry is based in Districts 13 and 17. District 21 is comprised of Tunghu’s offshore islands and is home to the sea farming industry. In addition to imported species raised on farms, one local bottom dwelling coastal species, a mollusk like animal called the Snallop, is collected in mass along the beaches north of District 7. Mindful of the threat of over harvesting, the Tunghu government strictly regulates Snallop collection. There is also the inevitable friction resulting from Snallop harvesting on public beaches. Lately, Tunghu exporters have been trying to increase interest in the Snallop. If the market could support it, Snallop harvesting could take place in deeper waters with less disruption to the public beaches. Arriving foreigners at the Combined Terminal have been confronted by the ubiquitous "spokespersons", this time equipped with plates of fresh Snallop, prepared in a disturbing variety of styles. These are served to any passerby the spokesperson can entice. On Tunghu, there is such a thing as a free lunch. Provided you’re a new arrival, and that lunch is Snallop. Local agriculture, including land and sea based, can supply less than 5 percent of Tunghu’s need. All the rest is imported. Tunghu follows Manchurian law and legal structure. Trial by jury exists only for civil offenses. A panel of judges tries other offenses. Unlike an American style trial, the Judge is expected to direct much of the questioning, and legal counsel is expected to respond quietly and politely to the judges’ questions and directives. Respect for authority is one of the underpinnings of the system, and disrespect or disruption in the court is deemed a serious offense. It is not unheard of for a trial to begin for a relatively minor offense, and end with the defendant receiving a harsh sentence for his behavior in court. On the other hand, apology, contrition, and a demonstrated desire to set right the wrongs committed go far in securing leniency in Tunghu’s court. Tunghu has no long term detention facility. Until 2294, long term prisoners were sent to the Xixiang colony on Dukou. As Xixiang no longer accepts prisoners, other arrangements had to be made. A new facility is under construction, and currently, Tunghu prisoners are returned to Earth for incarceration in Manchuria. Prison sentences of up to a year are served locally, in a Tunghu Detention Building, in District 25. Much of the building is underground, but it is not connected tot any of Tunghu’s underground infrastructure. One thing that doesn’t exist in Tunghu’s judicial system, at least not officially, is physical punishment. Despite widespread anecdotal evidence, several humanitarian foundations have found no evidence of it within the system. It is likely that members of Tunghu’s Police Force, upon apprehending suspects who seem not worth the bother of trials and paperwork, may implement physical punishment on their own. There is substantial evidence of this, although it is illegal. Miscellaneous Government services The Tunghu and Manchurian governments maintain a variety of offices in Tunghu, most of them located in the Great Civil Tower. The Civil Testing and Assignment Service administers tests to seekers of public jobs, then attempts to match high scoring applicants to appropriate positions. Preference is given to natives, then to Manchurians, before a non-citizen will fill a position. The Manchurian Intelligence Service maintains a curiously un-secretive head office in the Great Civil Tower. They provide a wealth of predominantly open source information on the nations, colonies, enclaves and settlements of Tirane for a reasonable fee. They watch over foreign diplomats in Tunghu, but conduct no covert activities in other areas of Tirane. At least, they’ve never been caught. It is believed that Manchurian policy regards Tirane as a "hands off" place, and limits operations there in order to preserve Tunghu’s status as a free trade center. The Manchurian Ministry of Foreign Affairs serves as the planetary headquarters for the various Manchurian embassies, consulates and other diplomatic posts on Tirane. The Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs- Tirane is the head honcho, and shuttles back and forth between Earth and Tirane, working out of Tunghu when he or she is on the planet. The Manchurian Department of Social Services is very limited here. Idleness is frowned upon, and the general sentiment is that anyone needing the assistance of the Department of Social Services in Tunghu s taking up valuable real estate. Manchurians in need of assistance are commonly assessed as being fundamentally unable to adapt to the difficult "frontier lifestyle" of Tunghu and are resettled somewhere else. The somewhere else they’re sent to is always a place much less desirable than Tunghu. Because of this, the people on the bottom tier of Tunghu society will take almost any job they must, in order to avoid deportation. This gives Tunghu employers a captive pool of fairly compliant exploitable laborers. The Manchurian Department of Public Services is the organization that maintains the public buildings, collects taxes, and acts as purchasing agent for the government. By Manchurian law, when the government needs to buy something or build something through public bid, it must advertise in Tunghu as well as in the home country on Earth. Manchurian firms always get a preference over foreign firms, but Tunghu’s brokers find creative ways of changing the nation of origin on products, and frequently sell products to the government they’ve purchased elsewhere and repackaged. Requests for bids are put out on the communications net, but responses must always be on paper, delivered to the Public Services Purchasing Office in the Great Civil Tower. By making the process inconvenient, they weed out the less serious bidders, and give a real advantage to residents of Tunghu. The Tunghu Power Authority operates Tunghu’s fusion powerplant, located on an offshore island (District 21). They maintain the power grid and bill customers accordingly. The Ministry of Transportation’s Tunghu office is primarily concerned with the operation of the Combined Terminal. The Tunghu Transportation Authority is left with the locally oriented tasks- road repair, operation of the subway and bus system, and inspection and licensing of vehicles. The Ministry of Transportation office is at the Combined Terminal, the other agencies have offices in the great civil tower. The Tunghu City Services Office mirrors, on a local level, the functions of the Manchurian Department of Public Service. In addition to making purchases, they contract out much of the city’s regular services. This is done to a higher extent in Tunghu than in many other cities, the idea being to promote local business as much as possible. Trash removal and operation of the recycling centers, for example, is contracted out, as is the city’s legal services, currently provided by Tang, Shiyen, Cho, and Rabinowitz of Tunghu. Tunghu serves as the Tirane headquarters for the entire Manchurian banking industry. Several banks, aided by liberal economic laws and a prosperous economy, even have started in Tunghu and now have operations throughout Manchurian space. The major concentration of bank offices is on Qing Street in District 3. Located here are the native Tunghu banks; Tunghu Saving and Trust, Bank Centauri, and The Tunghu Progress Bank. There are also four other Manchurian banks, as well as the Tunghu offices of over a dozen foreign banks. Of course, the National Bank of Manchuria has an office here, but they act mostly in their role of central financial clearinghouse for the Manchurian government and are relatively inactive in the commercial and private banking sectors here. Although Tunghu has no local currency apart from Manchuria’s exchange rates and interest rates are set locally. This occasionally causes the unusual effect of Manchurian currency being more or less valuable on Tunghu than it is in Manchuria. Market corrections even things out very quickly, but savvy traders have made quick fortunes exploiting this phenomenon. Of course, less savvy traders have lost quick fortunes the same way. Trade is the central pillar of the Tunghu economy. There are seven major mercantile exchanges, although far more action occurs across the communications net. Tunghu is especially well known for the tax and duty free retail malls it presents to visitors. One such mall is in the Combined Terminal, others are in Districts 2, 3, 4 and 7, and there is one open air retail promenade along the public beach in District 10. These shopping areas are popular with visitors from all over Tirane, especially those from Freihafen. In addition to these large enclosed malls, retail shops line the streets in many areas of Tunghu, particularly the southern Districts from 3 through 8. This is one of Tirane’s greatest shopping areas and a strong draw for tourists. It’s also the area with the most artificially Chinese environment known to mankind. Buildings are designed to look like shrines, pagodas, sections of the great wall, anything that tourists will mistake for classic Chinese architecture. Although seen in the shopping areas more than anywhere else, advertising is everywhere in Tunghu, and so frequently overwhelming that it becomes self-defeating. As a result, advertising has become a career where a motivated young professional with a hot new idea will rise to the top rapidly, then fade into obscurity when some newer star has the next great idea. As it is now, companies go to extreme measures in Tunghu to drive up interest in the products they’re selling. It’s worth mentioning that most of the time; those products aren’t made in Tunghu, nor even in Manchuria. Tunghu’s traders do a lot of brokerage deals, signing sole-distributor agreements with manufacturers on Tirane and elsewhere, and engaging in speculative trade of products purchased elsewhere. The corporate towers loom over the downtown streets, themselves festooned with advertising, making downtown Tunghu glow at night. Inside, wholesale trading matches the retail trade in intensity. Taking advantage of the scanty local taxes, companies trade goods, and arrange deals designed to beat the tax laws of every other major economy. Barter is common, and trade secrecy laws in Tunghu make it difficult for government auditors to track down who gave what to whom, and what was received in return. Foreign tax agents have been known to conduct covert operations in Tunghu, penetrating corporate computer security systems, and even breaking into offices to uncover corporate tax cheats. Tunghu’s government does little to stop them- it’s considered a part of a corporation’s cost of doing business. Despite audits attempts and snooping, business carries on. This leads many foreign treasury officials to suspect that they aren’t finding nearly enough. Naturally, the Pentapods, never a species to ignore trade opportunities, have not overlooked Tirane. They’re a long way from establishing the kind of presence here that they have at Beta Canum Venaticorum, but they do have a building here, adjacent to the floating community in District 11, which acts as they’re "trade and cooperation center". It is not any kind of a diplomatic mission as the Pentapods there don’t seem to be answering to any government as such- but then again whether they amphibians even have a government is a question yet to be answered. Overall, Tunghu has too small an economy to be considered a significant industrial center. However, by specializing in small niche sectors, Tunghu based corporations have carved out important positions in specialized markets. Virtual Recasting of Entertainment: This industry, mentioned above in the Education and Research section, produces recasts of the rest of humanity’s entertainment output. Much of it is quasi legal. Some is outright piracy, such as the underground pornographic recasting houses, and the houses that do recasting of major foreign productions without first acquiring the rights. There have been numerous complaints and lawsuits, and the Tunghu Police Force has brought a number of these recasting pirates to justice, but law enforcement efforts have proven unable to tackle the problem as a whole, in part because demand is so high. Entertainment is, after all, information, and when stored digitally, large amounts can be stored in small places, and covert transactions are simple. Recasts from Tunghu, legal, illegal, and in between, are sold here and distributed throughout Human space. Recasts can usually be previewed at the stores in small booths, or at home as communications net downloads. The industry prefers selling face to face in stores- customers are more exposed to merchandise, that way, and the illegal stuff is easier to slip in. Along with recast programs, Tunghu is a major supplier of entertainment chips in general, and personal and home entertainment devices, including the well-known Kaibang Virtual Theatre, a wall sized unit with a high-resolution holographic display and phased array speakers. Kaibang produces smaller units as well, including the odd looking, bulky, but high quality Wearable Personal Virtual Theatre. Visitors often purchase consumer electronics like this. Delivery off world generally starts with shuttle launches direct from Tunghu, as the Virtual Theatre is not designed to survive the stresses of orbital catapult launch. Tunghu has a thriving if small chemical industry, specializing in plastics for the consumer goods market, adhesives, and variable viscosity sealants. Chemical factories are located in Districts 25, 26, 27, 15, and 40. Generally, production is for the wholesale market, and shipments are sent via truck and train to the rest of the continent, and by surface ship to the rest of the Tirane. Shipments to extra-planetary destinations are usually made through Freihafen, where launch is cheaper than it is from Tunghu. Many products are safe for launch via orbital catapult. District 2, partly comprised of Tunghu’s industrial waterfront, possesses a small shipyard which produces small to medium sized ocean-going vessels, including fishing boats, ferries, small military craft and yachts. Yan Shen shipbuilding’s owners have considered scaling up their facilities to produce large cargo ships, but this would require either purchasing more land to expand their current yard, or moving to a new yard elsewhere. The former would be very expensive, and the latter would deprive them of the tax advantages of Tunghu. Adjacent to the Yan Shen facility is a smaller plant specializing in floating residences, which are predominantly sold locally, in Tirane, where space is at a premium and ocean living offers a real alternative. There have been a few buyers from elsewhere, mostly looking for an exotic residence, and a handful have even ben shipped offworld. These floating homes are essentially prefabbed homes built on highly stable ponton barges. There are floating communities in Districts 11, 16, 19, and 22. They tend to be quiet, modern, upscale professional communities. There are a number of plants producing cheap, expendable consumer goods of all sorts, including household goods, toys, infant care products, and the ubiquitous Tunghu souvenir trinkets foisted on visitors in all parts of the enclave. These manufacturers 0tend to be small "family" type businesses typically with under 100 employees each. Individually, they have little influence, but collectively they form the bulk of the membership of the Tunghu Manufacturer’s Associative, and they have a lot of political power. They are also clever and sophisticated marketers. The TMA pools the advertising budget from all its members, and tries to distribute orders from customers evenly. Tunghu also has plants producing specialized mining equipment, specifically artificial diamond drill heads, industrial food processing equipment, machine tools, and refrigeration systems including mobile refrigeration systems. Tunghu is a major producer, on Tirane, of refrigerated cargo containers, the type that can be easily switched between sea, truck, and rail. Recreation is almost an afterthought in Tunghu. With all the money to be made, and the dog eat dog business ethos here, who has time to relax? Indeed, stress is the leading cause of mental and physical ailments in Tunghu. The clever Tunghu native learns to disguise recreation and entertainment as business. The best answer to "Why weren’t you in the office with us on Saturday?" is "My hot new client wanted to go fishing, then to the beach. We talked about some new deals." With the exception of the beaches, which draw in a lot of Freihavians, most outdoor recreation in Tunghu is utilized primarily by the natives. If a visitor wants to play a few rounds of golf, for example, there’s little point in wasting money bribing the clerk at Tunghu’s only golf course. Freihafen isn’t far away, and they have much more room. The beaches, located in Districts 7 through 20, include a few with commercial oceanside frontages, and the shameless, frenetic atmosphere of constant carnival is popular with tourists, especially young ones. Then there are the frequent cultural events, staged mostly for the tourists. Starting off with the two week long festival marking the Chinese New Year, there are more than a dozen annual celebrations that serve as excuses for parades, fireworks, and absurd public behavior. All of these are scheduled in accordance with the Earth year. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be properly "Chinese". The festivals are scattered fairly evenly across the calendar, the intent being to avoid any intense tourist season. The New Year, though, draws an enormous crowd. Some of the locals even leave during this period, and spend a few days of relative peace in Freihafen. In addition to seasonal cultural events, Tunghu has one theatre for live performances- usually classic Oriental stuff the locals hate-, several "Holo-Houses" offering advanced electronic virtual reality based entertainment, and a huge number of clubs and restaurants. These are clustered in the south districts, and also in beach areas favored by foreigners. Neophyte visiting shoppers stick to the crowded commercial streets of the southern districts, and the indoor malls. The true master bargain hunter heads for the huge open air market in the northern area of Tunghu, in District 19. Hectare after hectare of tents, booths and tables jam the market area on fair weather days. When the climate sours, there are still an unexpected number of merchants. (In fact, bad weather days are when the shrewdest local shoppers buy- they know many merchants will be easier to bargain with when the market is less crowded with customers. On peak days the open-air market is chaos incarnate. The place is teeming with people, many of them from Freihafen, and merely getting around frequently requires physically pushing other shoppers out of the way. The experienced market visitor eventually learns to body check like a Russian hockey player. This makes things all the worse from the point of view of the beginner. Completed in 2283, this is the tallest structure in Tunghu, rising 344 meters above the city. The arcology carries on a long naming tradition- wherever the Chinese people have left China behind, they seemed to have named at least one important structure after Dr. Sun Yat Sen. During the building’s planning stages, there was considerable pressure put upon the designers to give it a distinctively Chinese shape. Fortunately, there was even more pressure to make the building sound, from an engineering perspective. In the end, the homage to Chinese culture was provided for in the color schemes, with each of the tall, obelisk shaped structure’s four sides given a scheme based on the color traditionally associated with the direction faced by that side. The building has living space for 24,000 people in a variety of home sizes, from tiny studios to duplex apartments with breathtaking balcony views. The arcology also has offices, shops, restaurants, businesses, and all of the government apparatus for District 32, including the police station. If it weren’t surrounded by Tunghu (all of which is visible from the upper floors) the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Arcology could be an entire town. The core of the building is an uninterrupted atrium reaching from the public plaza on the fifth floor to the artificial sky on the sixtieth. Deep inside, the building features its own bus depot, and a central computer which, in addition to running the elevators, the waste recycling systems, and a sophisticated interior climate system, provides the arcology residents with virtually unlimited home computer capability. Businesses are charged for the service. The uppermost floor of the arcology has a restaurant and an observation deck. The roof bristles with antennas, with the arcology’s board selling space to communications networks, broadcasters, the Combined Terminal, and the Manchurian military. Tunghu needed at least one place where the oriental flair for gardening could be exercised to the fullest, and the Garden of the Saints is it. Much to the unspoken displeasure of the local Brazilian legation, which doubles as the Vatican’s representation in Tunghu, the saints referred to here are revered, legendary Taoist masters, not saints in the Christian sense. Each of the three saints represented here has a large, ornate temple, surrounded by hand carved stone statuary and lush landscaping featuring ponds and waterfalls. The temples themselves are not centers of ritual worship; they are peaceful places for meditation and contemplation. On the northern side of the park is the temple dedicated to Cao Guo Jiu. This legendary figure is associated with theater, and so a broad concourse of natural stone paving, with a carp inhabited stream meandering back and forth under it, leads from the temple out of the park to Tunghu’s theatre. The saint represented on the southern side is Zhang Guo Lao. Taoist mythology associates this saint with magic, and his area of the park contains a large sculpture garden, which features changing exhibits of high tech, electronic sculpture with themes of wonder, magic, and illusion. Adjoining the sculpture garden is the park’s large and popular playground. The natives do allow their children some years of relatively normal childhood before they enter the world of cutthroat capitalism. The middle of the park, and by far the largest portion of it, is given over to Lan Cai He, naturally the Taoist patron saint of gardening. Lan Cai He’s temple connects to a greenhouse with exotic floral exhibits, and has a large mossy stone terrace overlooking a pond stocked with Tunghu’s finest Lantern Flowers. The elite of Tunghu often rents the terrace for evening affairs, when the weather is good. Tunghu was designed from the beginning to place much of the transportation and service infrastructure underground. There are train tunnels, which serve both the local freight and subways, as well as separate tunnels for the through-trains. There are underground highways, utility corridors, ducts, sewers, communications lines, power transmission lines, parking areas, and warehouses. The densest area of underground construction is in Districts 1 and 2, where a local who knows his way around can cover a region of 12 square kilometers of Tunghu without ever setting foot on the surface. Early in Tunghu history, a few shops moved underground to serve the workers who spent most of their day in this under-city. Later, a few bars moved below the streets to be closer to their blue-collar clientele. Soon, the underground became the hip place for the young and adventurous, with more bars, more stores, and clubs opening up. Much of this subterranean sprawl has aged past its prime, and is now occupied by some of Tunghu’s less savory residents. Illicit businesses are often concealed in building basements, accessible from the underground passageways. One area straddling the border between Districts 1 and 2 is still the center of Tunghu’s counter cultural scene. This area, called the Rats’ Nest, has bars and music and dance clubs. Tirane’s wildlife may be more plentiful than Earths, but in an area the size of Tunghu there’s not a lot of it. If the government hadn’t been as insistent as they are on preserving at least some open ground, there might not have been any. A small area- less than 10%- of Tunghu remains untouched, mostly around the perimeter. According to one engraved stone plaque, on a balcony overlooking a broad Tiranian meadow, this is the gift of the ancestors to the generations to follow, a small reminder that they live in tiny corner of a big place, Mankind’s first home away from home. A few native species that can be observed in Tunghu’s remnant wilderness: Porcupig Slow moving spiny herbivore with the size and approximate disposition of a warthog, and the natural defense of a porcupine. If bothered, the Porcupig may waddle away, or stand and fight; its notoriously difficult to predict their reactions. If it fights, it will wait until its attacker draws near, then Intermittent. No. Appearing: Usually 1, sometimes 1-6. Initiative: 5 Melee Hit Chance: Easy or Routine, Size: 40 Kg Speed 50 Armor 0.1 Consciousness: 3 Life: 7 WPM –1 DPV .1 Signature –1 Special: The Porcupig can make one attack per action with a Routine chance, and one attack with an Easy chance against any opponent trying to make physical contact with it. Strutter A tall, long legged, long necked, fast running lizard like creature with a bipedal gait, known for its elaborate crests and neck frills. The strutter has a passing resemblance to a naked emu wearing a strange hat. It is primarily an insectivore and will run if threatened, but will kick if it has to. Gatherer. No. Appearing: 3D6 Initiative: 3 Melee Hit Chance: Routine, Size: 60 Kg Speed 100 Armor 0, Consciousness: 2 Life: 6 WPM –2 DPV .1 Signature –1 Much like the Terran Merekat, a group of strutters will post several sentries. If the sentries detect a predator or predator like creature within 25 meters, (Easy, modified by signature of creature) they will make clicking sounds, alarming the whole group, which will have an initiative bonus of 4 that round only. The Strutters will use this round to escape. Tarnder A graceful long legged herbivore. Tarnders have elaborate bony crests that are used in mating rituals. In defense, they are much better protected by kicks from their strong legs. Most of the time, they will flee an encounter, and very swiftly. Grazer. No. Appearing: 1D6x1D6 Initiative: 2 Melee Hit Chance: Difficult, Size: 200 Kg Speed 90 Armor .1, Consciousness: 6 Life: 14 WPM 0 DPV .5 Signature 0 During the mating season, Tarnders of both sexes are unusually aggressive. They have an effective ROF of 2, with a bonus of 1 to hit, during this time. Weasent The weasent is a long, sinewy, furry predator that seemingly combines the characteristics of a ferret and a boa constrictor. Weasents consume small prey and will never attack an adult human or even a child, although they have injured toddlers and infants. Killer. No. Appearing: 1 Initiative: 10 Melee Hit Chance: Easy, Size: 10 Kg Speed 90 Armor 0, Consciousness: 1 Life: 3 WPM –4 DPV .1 Signature None The weasent attacks by looping its long body around its prey. This attack is in addition to its biting attack, and if it succeeds, allows the creature to bite twice per round each round thereafter. This looping attack can also damage small creatures, but never anything larger than 10 kg. Rat Not originally native, but brought to Tunghu accidentally decades ago. Rats are now thriving in the enclave, thanks in part to the extensive underground infrastructure network. Weasents have spread into the city, preying successfully on rats. Gatherer. No. Appearing: 1D6 Initiative: 7 Melee Hit Chance: Routine, Size: 2 Kg Speed 75 Armor 0, Consciousness: 1 Life: 1 WPM –6 DPV .05 Signature None |