NationStates Jolt Archive

[OOC: This is all mostly either secret IC, or background stuff that everyone knows. If you're unsure what here is or isn't available to you IC, ask me via TG or post here. It's usually pretty obvious; we're a generally isolationist culture, and the military-corporate arm has most valuable information pretty much under control.]

Overview

The total land area, collectively referred to as Santa Barbara, governed by the CoFedCo, is over 14.7 million square kilometers.

Santa Barbara includes not only the Santa Barbaran Mainland, but the lands of Isla Vista, Montecito, Noachia (on Mars), and several other underwater and extraterrestrial colonies throughout the system.

Government and Law

The government, formerly known as the Federal Government, is now the Corporate Federal Conglomerate or more commonly, CoFedCo. It takes the form of an oligarchy, comprised of a constantly shifting number of SBIA megacorporate representatives, who oversee (due to their corporation's massive influence) the general goings-on, and elect amongst them a President.

That president is currently Heinrid Abadas. The main stated goals of CoFedCo are to ensure a profitable society, and to undo the damages caused by the Pratt dynasty. Since the megacorps already take care of and oversee the environments and behaviors of their employees and dependents, CoFedCo is more of a confederacy, with Corporate Domains given to local, major megacorps. Everything has a sponsor.

The exact form of government is a matter of some debate. It has been at times called a Corporateocracy, Fascist or Police State, a Democracy, a Dictatorship; depending on point of view. Since CoFedCo is the heir of the Federal Government, with the same commercially elected (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=98514) head of state, it might best be seen as a corporate democracy.

However, the power structure remains the same no matter what the trappings: plutocracy. Undeniably, there has been a tendency for the rulers to use their wealth to make more wealth, and thus ever-increasing power at the expense of the poor and the unemployed.

The CoFedCo government now spends most of efforts on four primary activities: establishing the monetary policy of the nation, managing Santa Barbaran foreign policy, managing the Federal Courts, and operating the ITDO.

Alliances and Foreign Relations

Santa Barbara was formerly a member of the Ur Trade Pact (no longer, owing to the UTP's collapse and that of the PCC), the Corporate Coalition (no longer, owing to the CC's collapse), the 2MPN Pact (long defunct), and the GDODAD.

Santa Barbara is represented on the Damocles Defense Council (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=84158), which includes strong defensive, intelligence and trade ties with many of the major powers in the Devil's Desert.

Santa Barbara is rumored to be a member of the Order of the Seraphim. (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=87075)

Santa Barbara has signed the Mangalan Accords (http://www.pacifier.com/~cziller/mangalanaccords.html) and the Martian Free Trade Agreement (http://www.pacifier.com/~cziller/mfta.html).

Major Trading Partners

Gehenna Tartarus
Whispering Voices
Los Bananas El Fuego
Vegana
Stuff and Shinies
Thuluckack
Yerwaht
The Evil Overlord
Tarrican
Sketch
Vrak
Praetor
Angelus
Mallberta
Hleelzuuyar
Eniqcir
Nikea
Sunset
Rooferlonia
Crosshil
Ma-Tek

The Judicial System

The Federal Court system has always been efficient and not known for mercy. Vast amounts of money are spent each year on lawyers and courts, although it goes without saying most lawyers in Santa Barbara are business lawyers. Thus, most sentences are fines or increased benefits between corporations or persons.

Those that do get a prison sentence go either to a soft, hotel-like holding area (that is nonetheless highly secure) for a while, or to an underground, orbital, or underwater prison, where it's rare that 'life' sentences amount to a great deal of years, and escape is sheer impossibility.

Economy

The government operates purely off the profits of the megacorps. The relationship between the megacorps and the government is, in fact, apparently neo-feudal. The one thing each individual megacorp cannot do is physically protect it's market or lands or people from enemy nations or large armed forces.

So, their relationship with the government is primarily for this benefit-- the megacorps themselves perpetuate all kinds of fears among the population (fear is a good motivator in various types of advertising!), especially the fear of being overrun for having a weak military.

Massive amounts of money are 'donated' by the megacorps for continued operation of the ITDO, the military-consumer industry and advanced armed force which prevents the economy from spinning into a period of hyperinflation.

Of course, the government establishes monetary policy and exhange/interest rates, just as it does with many other nations. But in this case, the government is really made up of businesses, at least the largest ones, so there can be tugs and pulls by megacorps with their own agendas. The TNE, however, operates in an uncharacteristically democratic fashion, to insure a legality acceptable to a businessman and familiar to any board of directors.

Economic theory has advanced to the point where the entire system is streamlined, geared especially for the sustained, profitable production of war material and maintenance of an armed defense force. Social engineering via advertisement provides the nationalist social psyche to provide human resources-- and quantum computers working for the megacorporations can exert tremendous social, economic, and political control on a daily basis.

Santa Barbara is surely among the world's economic superpowers. The megacorps based here wield massive influence and show steady longterm growth, with prosperity surpassing that of all but a handful of known national powers.

Business

Business, and most other things, is left in the hands of business.

Although it's possible to be a sole proprietor, limited or general partnership, it's far more common to be a franchisee, a member of a megacorp or corporation (closed or open). Competition is extremely fierce from established organizations in their niches, and is carried out on multiple levels, again organized by the powerful computers crunching financial and social data alike. The market is brutal on newcomers, and more than 86% of new businesses fail within the first year.

Foreign trade thrives, though foreign corporations find it nearly impossible to even set up factories or ventures that compete with any of the SBIA megacorps.

The average megacorp has a line/staff organizational structure with a high degree of centralization, but with 'nodes' of cross-functional teams and other variances in structure.

Unlike in historical corporations, the computer power and presence has given a high degree of efficiency to the operation of companies. It is said today that trying to manage even a medium corporation without use of an advanced computer controller for some major aspect of it is like a fish trying to operate a bicycle.

The most successful companies, of course, use ITDO grade information technology for their computers, which are AIs, often sentient or close enough to not make a difference, often huge mainframes tied into system-spanning networks.

Corporations are generally ingrained into society, and have become an extended family, wealthy uncle, landlord and boss all in one to their employees. Loyalty to a corporation one works for is highly valued, and while getting laid off is generally not a crippling thing (one can always work at another outlet, another subcorp), getting fired is a critical blow to one's chances of economic and social success.

On a local level, the corporations can and often do provide everything for their employees-- and even sometimes their clients. Underwater colonies are often "communist" in the sense of living in a "commune" where private ownership is allowed but not practical (like having your own bunk on a submarine).

Individual entrepeneurs can and do make a living, but can never hope to compete for very long in any one niche, and must, like a virus, stay ahead of the corporate's vaccine in order to survive. The corporations generally copy and mass-produce whatever competitive edge the individual entrepeneur had (if they can, and they usually can), driving them out.

They do have a legal right to sue the megacorp for stealing the idea, but the megacorp can swamp the entrepeneur with thousands of lawyers. If the legal battle is somehow not won brutally and efficiently, the megacorp has other vast resources to draw upon; so does the average corporation, although a small corporation may be the one being preyed upon as well.

Partnerships are more common, and are a common form of marriage despite the high rate of failure (70%) on either the marriage or business side.

Recent Changes

While crime has gone up, health down, and the average lifepsan has dropped from 112 to 110.5 years, the mining, manufacturing, retail, agriculture, information technology and arms manufacturing sectors have all grown tremendously.

Spaceborn trade has also increased, as the bounty of the near solar system is reaped by Santa Barbaran megacorporate operations, and the smaller corporations take to the spacelanes as well between Earth, Luna, Mars, the Asteroid Colonies (the extraterrestrial population is still very small).

National resources continue to expand, and it is rumored that the megacorps will soon be exploiting "other planets and areas of planets." The financial sector is normalizing after the rocky upturn of the PCC to the CoFedCo. Not all of the PCC corporations became CoFedCo corporations, and the changes in power sent ripples through the market.

Social-Political Viewpoints

The following groups or factions, are generally not specific, unified groups such as political parties; rather, they refer to a general frame of thought or mindset along a spectrum concerning the specific politics of Santa Barbara, as might be taught in Remedial Political History of Santa Barbara 101 (at a private college, of course).

Included in parenthesis are nicknames for the idea, as well as specific parties or organizations represented by the idea.

Factions

Libertarian Capitalists ("Conservative Libertarian Party, Leftist Cappies")

Believe in the traditional capitalist and isolationist policies of the nation, but in a much smaller and less intrusive central (and local) government(s). Quite popular, although most members are quite cautious about how vocal they are or how exactly they say they want things run differently. They also tend to champion more civil rights and equalities.

Corporate Nationalists ("Corporate National Party, Corpo-Cops, Fascists, Corpo-Nazis")

Believe in corporate nationalism, which is somewhat like national socialism, except with corporations as the basic political unit of an all-important state (the nation). Essentially fascists, with support in the monopolistic megacorps such as DRI who want to officialize their free reign to dominate their niche. The CNP is rumored to have a propoganda machine in place and are ready to sweep the nation with it's ideals, which tend to be highly racist, elitist.

Corporate Hypernationalists ("Ultraright, Fascists, Hardcore Authoritarians")

Believe in a corporate nationalism as well if not more than your average CNP member, and a quick return from recent policies to GDODAD-era: military control, national arms races, and imperialistic warfare. Usually more armed, radical, fanatic, and less coherent and tolerable as a group, but have strong backers in OAC, SCI and CC and are deeply rooted in the political landscape. Fringe examples show up as secondary urbanites (hicks), lunatics, cults, proto-rebels.

Transnationalists ("Order of the Invisible Hand, Anti-nationalists, Globalists, Corpo-Imperialists")

Also called Expansionist Capitalists, they tend to seek a dissolution of any government and free reign to private owners AND megacorps to come and go as they please, do business with whom they like, base their business wherever they like, and are protected by mobile groups of the ITDO as if the ITDO were a publically held company (democratically elected military-civilian peacetime leadership, shares counting as votes, regular military organization). A central and growing faction, having recently shown the power of the Trans-National Exchange to implement change.

Radical Pro-Elvens ("The Elven Problem, Radical Pro-Elven Party")

Their internal organization tends towards Pedocracy, government of the oldest and wisest (elves), and have been slowly working over a long time via the secret organization, Hand of Feanor. Include about 40% humans. About nine thousand left, and diminishing daily. No longer considered a real 'faction', RPEP has been legally dissolved by the CoFedCo.

Neo-Feudalists ("Neo-Feudal Party, Corporate Lords, Confederalists")

Believe in a tripartite restructuring of society, with land and power in the hands of the Church, the megacorps and the ITDO, in a loose confederacy sealed by contractual defense obligations. Mostly supported by a dispersed, vocal elite amongst the upper class already used to corporate lordship, and the religious.

Hyperhumanists ("Human First, Earth First, Brotherhood of Terran Dominion")

A small but wealthy, vocal and growing minority of radical pro-humans. They may adhere to one 'race' of humanity's ultimate supremacy and legitimacy, or simply to all homo sapiens and some homo sapiens super unleaded, even, depending on the humanist value core. All share a dislike and distrust of all alien species, particularly the ones with gravships that like to go around bombing helpless human nations. The stereotypical hyperhumanist is a zealous christian (usually, Catholic) with a rifle in one hand and cross in the other, fire in the eyes, beats his wife and children, drinks, etc. Hyperhumanists can believe in a variety of political idealogies, paritcularly corporate nationalism, as long as they do not violate their value core.

Democratic Capitalists ("Liberal Democratic Party, Leftists")

Believe in democratic values such as regular elections, and traditional values such as freedom of economy, and tend to look for a corporate structure to government committed to defense of the people and protection of freedoms. Grown in numbers and hope since the post-Pratt election, and now becoming jaded with Abadas' Pratt-like performance in foreign affairs.

Corporate Socialists ("Commies")

Are essentially socialists, who in believing in previous corporate capitalist viewpoints, and seeing many megacorps habitual 'taking care of' citizens (employees and customers), believe that it is the job of the megacorp to BE the government, FOR the people, and to use it's profits to educate, feed, house and entertain the people. A compatible viewpoint with democratic capitalism, except more left-wing (democratic capitalists are more pragmatical). Not an actual party any longer, as socialism was outlawed in 1 PS (Post-Socialism), but continue to exist in the underground.

'Strong' Hyperhumanism

The belief that humanity is, in a way, "chosen," because of it's genetic superiority, history, technology, God, and the natural order of things. The belief that humanity will always dominate, succeed or survive for these reasons. Corporate Nationalism and Hypernationalism can, at the extremes, fall under this sect.

'Weak' Hyperhumanism

Like strong Hyperhumanism, but favoring a specific breed, race, or subsect within humanity as defined by various values. There are white supremacists, black supremacists, mechanoid supremacists, genetweak supremacists, transgender supremacists, etc. Many religions include this belief, or can be made to incorporate it.

Visible Organizations, Groups, the Military, etc

The Megacorps

A megacorp is generally any corporation so large and powerful as to rival that of governments of tiny, small or even significant countries. Most are highly profitable, incorporate AIs into their decision-making and operations, some have monopolies, most have subcorps and take the form of a conglomerate.

Some are 'publically held,' though SBIA megacorps such as Cathedral Capital have stock far beyond what any average consumer could trade. In the case of Santa Barbara, the megacorps together comprise the government, represented in the CoFedCo TNE (see below), but much more than that; provide a backbone for the society, including in their collected assets 90% of everything.

Chances are, anything you encounter is owned, sponsored by, produced by or is working for a megacorp.

Notable megacorps that are owned by CoFedCo high ranked government leaders include Bennings Enterprises, GladBurger, Inc, Cathedral Capital, Utopia Mining Co, Disaster Relief, Inc. (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=83705)

Many of the megacorps are privately held today, and don't have specific products associated with their names, and whose names might easily be unknown to the average Santa Barbaran. These corporations work behind the scenes, quietly, taking full advantage of what some call a "money-adjustable business and news media industry."

Integrated Theater Defense Organization (ITDO)

The military arm of the PCC, now under jurisdiction of CoFedCo. Funded entirely by profits from the megacorps, whose national trade alone can easily sustain the bleed-out of capital (in fact, some economists note this bleed-out is necessary to prevent hyperinflation); at least if the megacorps decide to fund.

It has a unique rank structure, and includes the navy (NOTG), army (GADTG), space navy (OOTG), air force (AOTG), special forces (SOTG), logistics (LTSTG), command, control and communications (CCCTG).

The ITDO is currently undersized. The combined GADTG and LTSTG personnel total only 4.1 million, with the total ITDO perhaps no more than 10 million. Operationally, these forces are well-equipped, efficiently supplied, exhaustively trained and well-lead and motivated. However, the field combatants of the ITDO total less than a million.

Why has the ITDO not grown in proportion to the size of the country? It's a mystery. Sources say funding for the ITDO is being stripped back, but are hesitant to release any reasons why or what, if anything, is being done with the annual megacorp defense contributions.

Interplanetary Trade Guard (ITG)

A CoFedCo innovation, like a coast guard for the space age. Protects clients from harmful space debris, attack, crime, etc. Clients include CoFedCo and the RoS, and it uses equipment from the same producers as the ITDO. Technically, under the ITDO overall command; operationally, it involves a lot more legal issues that the ITDO stays out of.

Registry of Shipping (RoS)

A government group that legislates safe conditional uses of space, ownership, sovereignty, territory and salvage, etc. The basic laws it enforces for Santa Barbaran shipping are as follows:

* Pilots are defined as the controllers, be they human, alien, or AI, of a spacecraft's maneuvering and primary operations, and must provide certification that they are qualified to operate a spacecraft safetly.

* Spacecraft must have identification numbers clearly marked and clearly visible on the hull which show the port of origin (the ship's flag) and the individual craft's designation.

* National customs and security laws apply to stations of population 5000 or more, all ports and territories owned by that nation and it's people.

* Attacking a nonmilitary spacecraft is a criminal act unless in self-defense.

* Hazardous and dangerous cargo require certifications for the primary handlers and shippers in order to legally transport or store.

* Distress signals must be responded to by any able spacecraft nearby; if a spacecraft receives a distress signal but is unable to lend assistance, it must at least relay the signal to those who can.

* Spacecraft must be kept in proper working order to operate near a populated orbital body or other spacecraft.

Trans-National Exchange (TNE) (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=340773)

The economic branch of the CoFedCo responsible for setting the value of the nondollar and exchange rates. Moreover, it has begun to implement more executive control as democratic-capitalist principles take hold among the megacorps, whose votes in the TNE are based on economic health and scope. Lately the TNE decreed that the office of President be elected on a regular basis, (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=340773) starting quite soon.

Santa Barbaran Industrial Average (SBIA)

Like the DJIA, but for 500 of the leading Santa Barbaran megacorps. These are some of the wealthiest and most influential public- or privately-held organizations in the known universe. Many SBIA megacorps are members of the TNE, but not all.

Free Trade Zones (FTZ)

The CoFedCo asserts import tariffs on certain goods, like automobiles and some agricultural products (seaweed and superwheat). However, these conditions are not enforced in FTZs, which in Santa Barbaran case are regions where trade is unrestricted (though the usual customs law still apply; smuggling is not tolerated) by the corporate government.

Foreign exporters of some goods may find it preferable to trade here, but the CoFedCo doesn't tax or restrict trade generally, so the difference would only apply to those sellers of goods with tariffs. FTZs include Santa Barbaran colonies at Earth's Lagrange points, Santa Barbaran Noachia, Luna, the Asteroid Belt, the Castillo Coast, OMF Cities.

CoFedCo Census

With a different sponsor each year, the CoFedCo Census (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=135504) is a system to not only count, track, monitor and register each citizen, traveller and resident of Santa Barbara and all of it's lands, but gain valuable market research data and social information which is analyzed by formerly-PCC quantum computers in highly specialized and mysterious branches of business and science. Often, seemingly unaffiliated or unrelated polls or unnoticed sensor-observations feed information to the CFCC, which shares it (for a price) with the megacorps. Market information itself then becomes a market commodity, and is actively traded.

Geography and Places

Overview

The map (Copy and paste address)

http://www.freewebs.com/santa_barbara/santa_barbara.jpg

From above, the main continent of Santa Barbara, 2890 km SE of the Devils Desert supercontinent, is said to resemble two dogs: each facing away from the other, toward the left and right; the left dog is barking, and the right one's mouth is closed.

The climate is generally mild, but the pollution renders the weather cloudy, rainy, and unhealthful. On the coasts, a perpetual fog both natural and artificial permeates the cities.

Climate and Rainfall

Santa Barbara has a semi-arid coastal type of climate. In the central plains and highlands, temperatures range between 100c and 200c during cold and hot seasons. The hottest period spreads between May and August (250c to 310c) while the coldest period occurs between November and February (170c to 200c).

Two rainfall regimes exist over Santa Barbara. One is unimodal (December April) and the other is bimodal (October-December and March-May). The former is experienced in the central, east, north-east parts of the country, and the latter is found to the south and southern coasts.

Farthest Points

Most Northery point: Point Welbach Vista, Santa Barbara Main
Most Southerly point: Cold Ocean Island, Lompoc
Most Westerly point: Coal Oil Point, Santa Barbara Main
Most Easterly point: Springfield Falls, Goleta

Highest Points

Mt Refugio, 3804 meters above sea level
Mt Capitan, 2930 meters above sea level
Mt Hendry, 2546 meters above sea level

Territories

Castillo

Castillo was the 7th territory to be claimed by the Spanish colonists, and because of it's geographic isolation in the Bishop Martinez Mts to the north, remained small and generally clustered along open ports in the southwest. Today, this thriving economic zone features New State City and La Cumbre, two important mega-cities. The average GDP per capita in Castillo was (in 66) $74,500.

Cabrillo

Cabrillo was the third territory of this new land, claimed in 1538 during the return voyages of the explorer, Refugio Carvajal. This rich coastal valley area has a high population density (as does most of the Santa Barbaran Mainland, only more so) and features the Las Marias Megacity, which spans the entire territory.

Carvajal

The first landings of Carvajal were at the north, a place called St. Barbara point. The sighting of land was made by a gunner's mate, whose name is unknown to history, who named it, naturally, after the patron saint of ordinance.

Today, Carvajal is a vague distribution of large, sprawling and mixing cities, with the usual distinctions according to the dominant megacorp in the area, dotted with ITDO installations, airbases, spaceports, sea ports. St. Barbara Point is still open to tourists.

South Carvajal

A large body of land purchased by the expanding colonial governments, and quickly found to have rich gold deposits. The city of Goldplain today was first constructed during this time, the mid 1580's, as a gold boom town. The war with the horrifying native population(s) ended up in many massacres of settlers and colonists as fortifications were overrun by the relentless waves. After the war was won, South Carvajal was irrigated and became a wealthy agricultural and mining territoryy, leading the way in both the Industrial Revolution and the Information Revolution later on.

Goleta

The landlocked area between Lompoc to the east and Winchester to the west was originally once all part of Punta Diablos, but during the 18th century and the Island Civil Wars, Goleta broke free to manage itself. The geography of the area has never supported large populations, and the Goletan Plains are some of the least profitable badlands in the world. It's been a classic victim of desertification, of the type seen in the Middle East, over the past 6000 years. The reasons for this are not entirely known since no colonial farmers made it there except within the last 800 years. Today, it is one of the most rural areas goverened by the CoFedCo.

Winchester

The entrepeneur Jameson Winchester first discovered Coal Oil Point's real worth in 1835, and quickly exploited the rich sources of oil, natural gas, coal, bauxite and timber to become the virtual king of that land, which was then a part of Castillo. He had at one time all the governors in his pocket (or so it was rumored), and they renamed the territory in his honor after a particularly large donation was made during the sudden attack by National soldiers from Castillo, and the ensuing brief civil war would have been lost if not for this donation.

Punta Diablos

This quiet southern tip of the continent was home to a few fishing towns, port cities, lumber mills, but not much else for the first two hundred years of it's existence. When the islands of Quela, Perez, El Toro and San Juan grew in population and the corrupt, oppressive local governor of Punta Diablos was faced with rebellion, he reacted with force, sparking the Island Civil Wars of 1746-1750. The territory lost power and authority at that, which the island city-states saw rightfully as a victory for the Decentralizationists. Today, the Diablo Valley City straddles three intersecting major rivers, and has for the past few centuries been a thriving center of industry.

Lompoc

The many ports along the twisting and long rivers served as shipment points for the Steerwell Mountains mining products. This area was not colonized at all except for the Southern Ocean coasts, until 1703.

Summerland

The aptly named Summerland's geological formations are soft, weathered; this gives an overall rounded and pleasant aesthetic. In addition, the weather is particularly warm and temperate here. It's been consistently xenophobic in it's treatment of real estate, keeping a low population density and managing to maintain a pleasant, tourist-friendly environment. In recent years, though, this has been increasingly failing as air pollution rises.

Montecito (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=111913)

Perdido

This island off the coast of Montecito was given to the government of Angelus in exchange for certain technologies, and has been used as a mining colony ever since. The island's history includes being the site of a nuclear accident that contaminated the land, rendering it difficult and unsafe for humans to work in for 167 years (35 left to go).

Isla Vista

Isla Vista includes not only the island of Isla Vista, but the subcontinent to the north. Muy Vista was the first territory there to be colonized, named after an English sailor on a Spanish merchantman with apparently none too good Spanish speaking skills.

Isla Vista was conquered by the USSSB during the early years of the Pratt rulership. The left-leaning, sleepy college state to the north had been tolerated until violent revolution spawned the People's Republic (PRIV), which sought to arm Isla Vista and assert it's power in international politics.

The military operations to conquer Isla Vista took just 9 hours, during which Trigo itself was captured and the rest of it's armed forces were overpowered. It was called the Nine Hour War, but apart from the capital, it was a nearly bloodless change. The new order, overseen by the PCC, reversed the socialist policies of the past, rebuilt Trigo, and saw the Isla Vistans rise to become what would be a major power in their own right, if not for the continued control by Santa Barbara.

Trigo

Trigo is the capital of Isla Vista, and is used to refer to that island itself as well, since the city occupies all of the island's 159 thousand square kilometers. A fluid, advanced and hip megacity. Trigo University has one of the best reps in the CoFedCo, and is known for the Pink Elephant school mascot, which tends to be seen in commercial advertising a lot.

La Plata

La Plata and the island of Veracruz make up two profitable centers of trade and urban productivity for Castillo, and both are connected to New State City on the mainland via massive underwater magtube systems.

Carvajal Shelf

There are hundreds of underwater cities that exist off the coast of Santa Barbara, Isla Vista, Montecito, and most densely on the Carvajal Shelf to Trigo, which is now almost one uninterrupted city. Tyrone B is neighbored by Tyrone A to the south, Lamaya to the north, Blocono to the east and nothing to the west but deeper water.

Orbital Colonies

The orbital colonies include several OMF Cities, modular constructions of Orbital Manufacturing Facilities constructed early in Santa Barbaran space exploitation, now used to house small, usually specialized populations, and tend to orbital vessel maintenance, repair and operations.

Lunar Colonies

Several colonies have long been established on Earth's moon. The megacorps most invested in Luna are Utopia Mining Company, GladBurger, Kako Habitat Construction, Cathedral Capital and Lace-Tintown Cosmetics. The colonies are centered around mining operations, agriculture, or shuttle trade with other Luna colonies.

Santa Barbara Noachia

Introduction

SBN was the PrattCo Conglomerate's attempt to colonize Mars. What started as grand plans to gradually introduce a Neo-Feudal Paradise of agricultural module farming across the surface of the Red Planet eventually became a constant and generally unprofitable defense of the Noachian desert against threat after threat.

Today, there are only a few million Santa Barbarans on or orbiting Mars; most are either involved with the ITDO forces stationed there, or are transients using Mars as a refuel or trade stop.

Population

There is no permanent civilian population as such, though support personnel are often noncombatants with no direct role in combat operations.

The CoFedCo administrator for SBN is Lord High Executive Marcos Fernando of GBI, and primarily the Aegis Corporation. Other megacorps own territory there, but all are under the military jurisdiction of the ITDO.

DRI has recently set up operations from orbit using loaned LTSTG equipment and personnel following the disasterous wake of Melkor's departure.

Military

Includes as permanently based the 25th through 32nd GADTG Army Groups. This includes the 51st through 114th FI (Frozen Infantry) Divisions and the 49th through 87th LTSTG Brigades. This is 1,617,009 total personnel, of which 281,769 are combatants. 5790 HAAVs, 46,000 (!) APTs. In long distance movements, this force would blot the sky with it's vehicles.

This force costs, per day of combat, $5.5 billion. The average yearly peacetime cost (not including pay) including all support, is $31.9 billion. This works out to an average cost per personnel of $19,727. This is equal to the average pay, so the end bill is easily $63.8 billion.

This funding comes from 'donated profits' from each of the Corporate Federal Conglomerate's megacorps as part of their obligations of contract. This is, in fact, a tax, but a tolerated one due to the Santa Barbaran military tradition.

Bases

There are a classified number and variety of ITDO bases. The originals, and the most important, are located underground. Most are protected by such stationary systems as Defender AA autoturrets, Gatekeeper autoturrets, Talon SOM launchers, GFE 4080 and 4070 model SDWs, fortifications, bunkers, mines, electronic sensors, etc. Also in the usable arsenals are 3rd generation ITDO missiles, including dense plasma focus fusion, liquid- and gas-core fission kinetics and submunition deployment warheads.

These are all supported by the main weaponry and equipment of the GADTG units stationed on Mars. Needless to say, they are heavily defended against any conceivable attack short of a vastly overwhelming full scale assault.

Spaceships

123 ITDO vessels orbit Mars, and make up the ground force's primary fire support since they have no heavy artillery or tanks, as well as a reconnaissance, electronic warfare, transport and combat group.

This is the 1st Battle Squadron, 1st Carrier Group, 1st Destroyer Battle Group, 1st Mobile Logistics Group, and the 2nd Battle Squadron. All together, about 5.1 million tons, 17,952 officers and crew.

In terms of sheer firepower, the rate of fire for the total force, using standard kinetic missiles out of their forward facing MMATS, is 964 per minute. With a total storage of 445,040 SMs, this gives the force a murderous total of more than seven and a half hours of continuous bombardment. At optimal firing velocity (0.2% of light speed) and distance (geo orbit), this could amount to 19.13 gigatons of kinetic energy alone.

The warships rely on their dense, advanced and expensive armor, and beam, particle, and guided weaponry more in ship-to-ship combat. The high degree of organization provided by quantum computing advances and technological integration allows for intricate and complex fleet tactics to concentrate fire and maximize damage potential per life of ship.

None of this comes without a price. In comparison to the quarter of a million troops below, the fleet has a staggeringly high cost, averaging at $554 billion per year.

The ships include 51 of the modernized OMI-55D Leafstemish and OMI-4D Starspear class destroyers, as well as 10 of the old Saltshaker and Periphery Deliverance class destroyers (formerly termed 'cruisers'). 2 Atmos and 2 Periphery class battlecruisers (termed by the JIL only 'fleet destroyers'). 53 merchant cruisers make up the primary logistics and firepower platforms.

The other ships, including the old Kirigo class assault carrier and it's compliment of 36 Spearmaiden tactical assault craft and several strategic transports, are support.

Economy

There is no real "economy of Santa Barbaran Noachia," but there is the continual resupplying of the OOTG and GADTG forces stationed there, and the continual demand of the resuppliers for goods of their own. There are also corporate shipments occuring in orbit but this involves the permanent populations of Mars very little.

Overall, SBN is a drain on Santa Barbara's economy. Even the profits generated from DRI operations cleaning up the Melkorian aftermath doesn't really sustain the cost, which is almost entirely ITDO operations and maintenance. The ITDO is looking at several alternative methods to costly resupply so far from Earth: MI technology, IW technology, gravitic technology and advanced mass drivers.

Unlike Santa Barbara mainland, however, there are no tariffs on SBN. SBN is, in effect, a free trade zone.

Politics

Again, there is only an extenuation of Santa Barbaran politics, as there are only Santa Barbarans in Noachia. The political jurisdiction is ultimately given to Marcos Fernando, and aside from the ITDO, the major landholders are GladBurger, Groovelico Fashion Electric, Utopia Mining and a few other corps like Aegis. All kinds of megacorps are invested, somehow, through trade allowed by the existence of friendly territory on Mars, and just as importantly, in orbit of Mars.

The ITDO commander, Jerry Cheng, is in orbit at all times. The ground forces are commanded by 8 Strategic Commanders corresponding to the 8 Army Groups stationed there. The vast majority of these forces are asleep. They are the Frozen Infantry, costing nothing but energy to keep at optimal fighting condition for much, much longer than a full-time conventional soldier, and for less annual operations budget. There are 6 ITDO districts, but a few vacant and worthless tracts of undeveloped land belonging to GFE, GB, UMC, CC, TAC.

An important person of note (again, IC secret) Tactical Subcommander Rolin Day, an augment, now in the FI along with his friend, Spec 1st Lee Chin, an Isla Vistan. (They featured in the "Power Shift" thread back from before the PCC had any troubles. They are now 42 and 43 years old, but both appear as they were when they were 26 and 27, and have the same physical qualities of health (or they will, once they are given the serum and come out of cryogen).

History

Santa Barbaran Noachia was owned but scarcely used by the Eniqciri province of Kasei, and when the PCC began to belatedly enact it's plan to colonize Mars, the Martian Delegation negotiated the purchase of the territory by PCC megacorps Utopia Mining Co, Cathedral Capital, GladBurger Inc, the Aegis Corporation, to be administered by the PCC and the ITDO.

The delegation consisted of Eric Love, SCC Cheng, Susan Michaels, Enrique Alvarez, EP Forsythe, Marcos Fernando of the PCC; and Mark Manning, Decker St Simon, Bob Laurensen, George Spring, assorted bodyguards. The negotiations were private, and were said to be curt and to the point. The ITDO merchant cruisers offloaded hundreds of container modules of platinum ore.

As it happened, it wasn't long before the colonization effort almost entirely stopped, due to the increased warfare in the region. The Vascillian War, the Melkor War, and in recent years the Kajal Attack all conspired to drive away investors and colonizers from the surface. Only the ITDO proceeded to build installations, communications and travel networks and satellites.

However, the choice location as a nexus between the asteroids, Earth and Luna, and the gas giants make Mars a logical market for long distance trade, a fact which was exploited by the Martian Delegation itself, which used ITDO merchant cruisers to bring goods for negotiation and sale directly to Martian governments. This showed how even the ITDO, an organization not designed to make a profit, could generate revenue from large-scale shipment of needed and desired goods. The Martian Duma today is panelled by genuine Santa Barbaran red oak.

The general unprofitability, however, of maintaining such large military forces in such a foreign theater, has caused recent strains on the Corporate Federal Conglomerate, which is beginning to question for what and how they are achieving this.

Unknown Things, Future Directions, Etc

(Stuff nobody knows even RUMORS about IC, unless you have a higher information technology rating AND spend more on the military, OR you RP it out with me OR are allied.)

The Voice, the Ancient One

The Voice has arisen. More specifically, the Ancient One is stirring. It's been sleeping a long time and has been in the process of waking for all mankind's history. The Voice could be it's voice in just another dream, or perhaps it's waking voice, as it reaches it's conscious cycle.

The Ancient One is, very briefly, an alien lifeform eking out a living in a crater/cave system in a near-desert area of Santa Barbara. It utilizes chlorides in it's biological process, producing waste that is generally poisonous to most Earthly life forms.

It's structure is multicellular, appearing like an Earthly mold or fungus, with shared traits of Earthly coral.

It's life cycle is vast, spanning millions of years, and it's processes are slow.

It is sentient. It's intelligence is not found in a central nervous system, but shared between 'subcolony' units much like a supercolony of ants. And, it's a psionically powerful entity, just beginning to enter it's conscious cycle (which will last thousands of years). It has it's own agendas and motives which have resisted any attempt to discover what they are.

The Voice is a man who came in contact with the Ancient One, and was subsequently put in thrall by the former's powers. The Ancient One, while sturdy, survivable, decentralized, toxic and long-lived, is still vulnerable physically. It projects it's mental powers to prevent destruction at the hands of the alien infestation on the surface (where it cannot survive), but these powers have a limited range, and it cannot control everybody like a puppet.

It can, however, exert a great deal of influence nonetheless...

Gonzalo Tzu, Overwatch Program, Internal Intelligence Agency

The OP was created as part of the ITDO by General Pratt, but after his death it was handed over to Mr Adler. Meanwhile, the IIA, created during the Socialist government predating the rise of the Pratts, has since some years after that run by Gonzalo Tzu.

Tzu had a hand in eliminating Toby Pratt, by approaching Bob Pratt while he was drunk and on vacation, and getting Bob to sign the warrant for what turned out to be the execution of his brother. In fact, with the help of MetaPratt One (the PCC's AI, still in operation in the ITDO), it was ostensibly a part of a plan to lay the way clear for Tzu's ascension to power. An unknown to any mortal is the motivations of MetaPratt One...

Frozen Infantry

An elite, but large organization of veteran warriors, most of whom are based on Mars. How is it both elite and large?

This is made possible by the perfection in recent years of cryogenic storage technologies, and importantly, safe "awakening" procedures using advanced technology (nanotech, genegeneering, developed with the free and unrestricted use of 'donated' body organs, tissues, and DNA for experimentation).

Over the years, volunteer selections of experienced GADTG and SOTG personnel compete to be fit for FI duty, and undergo specialized training in FI equipment and tactics. Then, those that make the grade, go into cryogenic storage after reaching a certain level of training. During this storage, their operational cost is far less than that of an active, training, and aging trooper. After many years of this, the FI have in storage far more troops, and all of the same highly skilled levels of general training, than would otherwise be possible.

Because of the advancing levels of technology and the possibility for them to "leave behind" the oldest FI in storage, specially designed equipment is built, and new technologies are introduced with as little change from the old systems possible, so that troops can use familiar equipment upon activation. Because of the nature of cryogenic preservation, FI lose no skills or experience from the time they enter to the time they leave.

The average FI division has 500 AGTs (armed ground transports), 731 Silent Eagle APTs, 92 Heavy Air Assault Vehicles, as well as the cryovat facilities and a handful of permanent security and operational personnel assigned to them. On Mars, these are augmented by LTSTG support and GADTG surface defense weaponry, equipment, and personnel.

Future directions of Santa Barbaran Noachia will involve the FI, but in fact the FI may change the future directions of Santa Barbaran Noachia...

The Corporate National Party

CNP is currently popular, but a minority all the same compared to Abadas's Neo-Feudal Party. However, some of it's idealogy should warn or at least alarm anyone observing (allies and trading partners). In the most extreme value cores, it aims to: nationalize mass-transit centers and lines; centralize all military control, disallowing independent, private corporate armies; conquer other nations to gain territory, resources, power; enforce by any means various forms of racism and genetic idealogy; rid the world of opposition and many noncomformist groups; create the Perfect Society. Sound vaguely familiar?

The CNP currently is lead by an educated but bland individual, who makes most of his contributions to the party with published works on political and humanities issues on the global net. In the hands of a truly charismatic, brilliant and influential leader, the CNP could be formed into something much bigger and more dangerous...

bump

Very nice!


Transnationalists ("Order of the Invisible Hand, Anti-nationalists, Globalists, Corpo-Imperialists")

Also called Expansionist Capitalists, they tend to seek a dissolution of any government and free reign to private owners AND megacorps to come and go as they please, do business with whom they like, base their business wherever they like, and are protected by mobile groups of the ITDO as if the ITDO were a publically held company (democratically elected military-civilian peacetime leadership, shares counting as votes, regular military organization). A central and growing faction.


Yay! I see the Order is expanding here also. Market is Eternal. Market is freedom, it is higher then good or evil. It is perfection.


1) "act in conformity with Market forces"
2) "within this limit, act also to maximise the opportunity for others to conform to the Market forces generated by your action"
3) "hold no other goals"

Very nice!


Transnationalists ("Order of the Invisible Hand, Anti-nationalists, Globalists, Corpo-Imperialists")

Also called Expansionist Capitalists, they tend to seek a dissolution of any government and free reign to private owners AND megacorps to come and go as they please, do business with whom they like, base their business wherever they like, and are protected by mobile groups of the ITDO as if the ITDO were a publically held company (democratically elected military-civilian peacetime leadership, shares counting as votes, regular military organization). A central and growing faction.


Yay! I see the Order is expanding here also. Market is Eternal. Market is freedom, it is higher then good or evil. It is perfection.


1) "act in conformity with Market forces"
2) "within this limit, act also to maximise the opportunity for others to conform to the Market forces generated by your action"
3) "hold no other goals"


"How did that Knootoss find out about our 'Invisible Hand' operations?"
"Don't know sir."
"Well find out!"

*Purely fictional. Nothing to do with ordinary IC continuity. :) *

Polity Categorization

Like all polities, Santa Barbara uses terminology to describe other polities based on sociopolitical and economic factors. (IE, by NS nation type!)

They are categorized primarily by economic policy and strength.

Class A - Polities with free economic policy
Class B - those with centrist economic policy
Class C - those with authoritarian economic policy

Each class is then broken down according to general economic strengths.

Type 1 designates imploded, basketcase, fragile, struggling and weak economies. These are the weakest and poorest polities. Probably due to mismanagement. Corruption often hampers trade, or sometimes encourages it.

Type 2 designates developing, reasonable, fair, good, and strong economies. These have more business opportunity potential, but trade might still be hampered by lack of suitable infrastructure.

Type 3 designates very strong, thriving, powerhouse, all-consuming and frightening economies. Some theoreticians hold there are more than 3 types and break down further, especially this last category. Generally it is accepted that there are three types, however, in CoFedCo foreign policy.

Class A type 3 polities make the ideal trading partner, generally. In many cases it is economically foolish to not take advantage of such an opportunity, depending on things like interest rates and exchange rates, etc.

Class A polities:

Anarchy
Capitalizt
Benevolent Dictatorship
Corporate Bordello
Capitalist Paradise
Compulsory Consumerist State
Free Market Paradise
Right-wing Utopia
Corporate Police State