| The Antarctican Collective |
| Summary | Goto Top |
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Originally Posted By: Chris Hockabout
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| Domestic Economy And Foreign Trade | Goto Top |
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Mineral rights to deposits of iridium, iron ore, petroleum, silver; titanium,
uranium, and zinc, are used for trade to other countries as well as sales of the
rights to mine in pre-agreed areas. Although not directly tied to the government's
economic machine, Revolution Genetics Incorporated contributes substantial funds to
the workings of the Collective. An increasing amount of money is taken in from
hydroponically-grown food-stuffs: fruits, vegetables, and exotic plants. Export of
these is so far thoroughly restricted at the moment pending a decision from the Euro
Council. The Antarctican Collective chiefly imports computer parts and equipment,
advanced medical equipment, construction equipment, synthetic fibers and polymers,
and weapons and military material.
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| Transport And Communication | Goto Top |
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Transportation throughout the many miles of passageways and galleries in the
Pangaean Arcology is either by foot or small electric trams. Large cargo lifts,
elevator shafts and causeways connect the levels and the above-ground station. Huge
garages exit through the mountainside where the large mobile drilling platforms and
mining rigs reside when not in service. Faster surface transportation is
accomplished by sturdy and squat tracked vehicles, AV-4's, 6's, etc., small one-man
ground skimmers, or the huge "Mother Loaders," large tracked vehicles used in
transportation of construction equipment and materials. Many vehicles are not
actually personally owned, being the property of the Collective. Long-range
transportation is either accomplished by "Volvaresk" Ice-Crusher trans-oceanic
transports or the largest cargo planes (currently on loan from Free South Africa),
the huge Gollancz-S1's.
The Antarctican Collective taps WNS, NNN (New Network Nippon), and Network 54 for
its televised news and information, having a small primarily news-oriented station
for itself: Entendimiento, which simply means "information" or "understanding".
The Antarctican daily screamsheet is The Collective, and plans for world-wide
distribution are in the works.
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| Education And Health | Goto Top |
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From ages 2 to 16, the children are taught fundamental learning skills, sciences,
mathematics, economics, and communication, literary and oral. But most importantly
they are taught about their home and it's many dangers. A growing Antarctican is
taught in thorough and increasingly strenuous training courses how to work and
survive in his or her icy home. From age 17 on, the teenage Antarctican is given the
choice (or it is made for him/her) of job training, which lasts about two to three
years and involves training courses and apprenticeships. At the end of their job
training, all Antarcticans must enter into one year of military service. They are
thereafter places into their appropriate jobs.
Members of the Antarctican Collective boast the greatest number of genetically- adapted beings on the planet. To withstand the rigors of life on the ice-continent, the Antarcticans had to be made sturdier than the average human. Some of their more common and most advanced modifications are listed below:
All of these characteristics would allow the average Antarctican more than a fair
chance to survive for limited periods of time outside with little artificial means
for protection. However, only about 20% of the current adult population has
undergone the total transformation. Adults begin to develop complications when too
many modifications take place in too short a period. The process is being refined
to reduce side-effects such as cancer and immune-deficiency. Children have had few
of the complications that adults have and 50% of the prepubescent children have been
totally modified, with a failure rate of 1 in 1000 versus the adult rate of 1 in
100. It has been speculated that 1% of the population has been altered to utilize
the full combat genetic engineering program rumored to be available to persons of
compatible genetic backgrounds.
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| Antarctica Today | Goto Top |
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The Antarctican Collective is slowly gaining acceptance from the world, suffering
only one terrorist attack from a remnant organization of the Harrad Dictatorship.
Its early (and much unexpected) support from the Euro Market helped it get a
foothold in the Euro and World Market, its mineral goods and enfranchisement of
mining rights to other countries earning it billions in its initial year (and
earning European investors many more).
Even though the current government of Argentina is the Democratic People's Liberation Party, led by Paulo Montras, Argentina turns a cool gaze at the collective. The feeling among many Argentinaens is that those who fled in the early years of the Harrad reign abandoned their country instead of remaining to help the fight against Harrad. The Collective cannot adequately answer these accusations and therefore remains defiantly silent. With the money made from export and investment, Antarctica continues to build new arcologies and expand the Pangaean Arcology. In the perpetually dry valleys and moraines of the Transantarctican Mountain Range, "Mother Loaders" deposit tons of equipment and material for the construction of new sites. Mobile mining rigs bore vast tunnel systems in the space of months to be filled with the plastic and ceramet skeletons of what will be the galleries and trans-ways of the new Arcology. Revolution Genetics Incorporated is acquiring a name as one of the premier biological and genetic research companies in the world, much to the ire of such companies as Biotechnica and Neil-Roman Pharmaceuticals. Many physically and genetically- superior Antarcticans are gaining employment as bodyguards and mercenary groups outside their country and with other companies. Many prefer their genetically-enhanced musculature and central nervous systems to the metal-grafted and generally psychologically unstable cyber-soldiers running around. Unfortunately this doesn't endear them to many in the biz who think these "purples" haven't paid their dues in flesh and sanity to warrant such rates. From the times of hiding when supplies were scarce (they had scavenged the nomad ships of all available resources), the scientists and engineers, both South American and Australian, had to come up with alternative materials to house and clothe themselves. Turning over nearly one-half of their available hydroponics labs to genetically-altered plants, they experimented with organic fibers and plastics. Bioplast and organically grown fibers from the altered filaments of fibrous plants and mushrooms were the result. Although useful and created in enough quantities to service the entire arco, the Antarctican Collective is now turning to higher tech building materials. Later in the year, the geothermal core station will be completed. Plunging deep into the Earth, the geo-thermal station will power the entire collective. The UV/solar converter fields will be used to supplement this energy source. Plans are also in the works for their first fusion reactor. Right now, the Antarctican Collective welcomes all visitors. The Pangaean Arcology is a massive underground structure with many white-paneled galleries and high-ceilinged avenues lit by bio-luminescent paints. Since its emergence into the Euro Market, the Pangaean Arcology has opened malls and even a hydroponic park. The automated mining bots continue their work far below the surface, creating more and more tunnels and chambers. For the new year, the arcology plans to open a large park and recreating area lit by natural light: a huge duraplast dome that will cap off the park at a height of 35 meters. But behind all of its new openness, the Antarctican Collective is a very tense an
wary nation. Thirty people were killed when a bomb detonated in the Mallary Hill
Memorial Shopping Mall, killing an envoy from the Federated Republik of Hileine as
well as a visiting American journalist. An underground faction of the defeated
Nuevo Partido claimed responsibility. The worry among the Antarctican Government is
that the terrorists reside among the Collective's population, waiting to strike
again. So among all of its cheery extensions of generosity they keep a watchful eye
and do not hesitate to remove and interrogate anyone even remotely considered a
threat to the Collective or its people; all of it done very covertly, of course.
The Collective recently negotiated a contract with Arasaka Securities, Inc. to
instruct their police and armed forces as well as supply them with updated weapons.
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| People Of The Collective | Goto Top |
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The Antarctican people are very patriotic, though slightly xenophobic, this stemming
from their relative isolation. Their net space, once as barren as Antarctica
itself, has become a busy causeway for the curious netrunner.
Visit, stay awhile. The collective is eagerly looking for people experienced in cold-fusion reactors, bio-technology, and those willing to sell their services to the Collective's security militia. By the way, all of the stations that were in Antarctica that belonged to other
countries, joined the Collective or went back to their home countries. It seemed
like the safest thing to everyone involved.
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| Timeline | Goto Top |
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