Tajaran Emigration

Leaving Adhomai

The Tajaran emigrants are a common sight in many parts of the galaxy - such as Tau Ceti - and there are plenty of reasons for someone to leave Adhomai; seeking refuge from conflict, searching for better opportunities in life, or starting a career with one of the many SCC corporations. While emigration to another planet is seen as something positive, the isolated position of S'rand'marr and the high cost of travel has created a hazardous and taxing obstacle to those leaving their homeland.

Leaving Adhomai is the start of the long journey, with few cities having access to a shuttle port and abusive loans being all but required to pay for a seat in a shuttle. Republican citizens may have better opportunities, as they are the ones with more access to official NanoTrasen and human-sponsored flights, with Nal'tor hosting the largest shuttle port on the planet. It is possible for a mega-corporation, or even the PRA, to partially pay for the flight of a new employee, something that would allow them to avoid many of the possible problems and dangers of their journey, albeit with strings attached, oftentimes mandatory work years to pay off fuel costs.

For the members of the New Kingdom of Adhomai and the Democratic People's Republic of Adhomai, the possibilities of leaving Adhomai are fewer. For a long while, the only option were smugglers known as “Ha’rron”. Smuggling through the Orbital Fleet’s blockade was risky with a high chance of being caught, imprisoned, or simply blown out of the sky. The Armistice hardly improved conditions. These smugglers now turned to legal shuttle companies were cheaper than many corporate alternatives, however conditions remained abysmal and dangerous. With the phoron shortage that swept across the Spur, Ha’rrons and other unsavory shuttle services have begun to dry up. The few that remain charge high bargains, some beginning to rival the costs of even corporate shuttles. Many prioritize freight, such as drugs, weapons, or illegal artefacts.

The Journey

After boarding a transport ship, either a Corporate craft or a smuggler's convoy, the migrant will start a long journey, to cross most of the frontier, heading to the rich planets of Biesel or those core worlds of the Coalition of Colonies.

Corporate carriers, such as NanoTrasen of Orion Express, may enjoy a safer passage, due to the possibility of having a security team aboard and bodyguards of their own, a powerful deterrent to raiders. The luxury of having their own seats and proper infrastructure is also present to the ones that had the opportunity of having their leave patronized by a megacorporation. Stops and technical problems are frequent, as many shuttles to and from Adhomai have lower priority for phoron shipments. However, these stops are safer, utilizing corporate or verified waystations while supplies and repairs are waited on.

Smugglers' transport ships’ conditions may vary widely, from large cargo ships to small and overcrowded spacecraft. Safety can be granted by a group of hired guns or only the weapons that the Ha'rron and the passengers are carrying. Raider attacks are a constant threat, as those ships are seen as easy and valuable prey, with low security and filled with good and possible captives. Many Tajara are taken to frontier slave markets, after being captured by pirates, with forced manual labor or domestic servitude being the most common use for them.

Technical problems and forced stops are also the banes of smuggling ships, as an engine failure could force a spacecraft to drift aimlessly in the void, until rescue or the demise of its occupants. The frontier also has a collection of hostile worlds, either by the nature of what dwells there, or their inhabitants, with many smugglers avoiding any stop on them unless needed. Reports of crew vanishing or being attacked when stopping in spaceports are also common, both by the local authorities or the tales of the Tajaran migrants.

Smuggler ships, without the logistical support of a corporation, suffer further from fuel loss. In frequent cases, a ship uses more fuel than anticipated to evade raiders or pirates, resulting in not having enough to make the final distances of a journey. These ships, rarely being in the best standing with the law, stop at unsavory stations to refuel. The added cost of the every pricier phoron fuel is that tacked onto the already high cost levied on the passengers.

A Tajara migrant may pass, or even stop with or without enough luck, in the territories of the Coalition of Colonies, Republic of Elyra and the Republic of Biesel. Most smugglers avoid those routes, as their illegal situation could cause trouble with the local law, while more daring ones utilize the better-developed infrastructure of those nations to save them time and possible unfavorable encounters in the future. It is also not uncommon for the passengers to just be left in those systems, away from their original destination, by more unscrupulous Ha'rrons.

Common destinations

Common Tajaran immigration destinations include the Republic of Biesel and other more prosperous human nations. It is common for many migrants to be employed by megacorporations, such as NanoTrasen, or join gangs and criminal organizations if unable to find proper employment. These organizations often provide security for their members from those attempting to recoup the debt incurred from expensive trips. While megacorporations utilize the work of the employee to pay their fuel debt, those criminal organizations and gangs have frequent (and fierce) confrontations with many a debt collector alike.

A common option for many immigrating Tajara is the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion. While less appealing, especially to those escaping the conflict and war of Adhomai, it is a surefire method to citizenship and a temporary respite from the ills which chase them, be it debt or otherwise.

While the Sol Alliance and Earth were once popular destinations for many Tajara leaving their homeland, mostly due to a famous movie that depicted the human city of Detroit as a paradise for immigrants, it is now impossible for them to enter the system after the Solarian collapse. Those present in the Alliance during one of the many Tajaran bans have since fled to neighboring Biesel or the Coalition thanks to the work of the Tajara Revolutionary Army.

Most smuggling transports can reach and land on the planets of Biesel with little difficulty, as countless ships leave and come to the system, due to the Republic of Biesel being considered a haven for business. The few unfortunate smugglers that may be boarded or captured by law enforcement may face prison or deportation. The crew they are transporting may be returned to their home nation by authorities if they are found to be guilty of any crime, or granted asylum if it is suspected that they are nothing but immigrants.

Tajara Revolutionary Army

The Tajara Revolutionary Army is a militant organization operating within the territory of the Human Wildlands, the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, and the Badlands. Originally a civil movement advocating for alien rights in the Sol Alliance, they were radicalized by the Solarian instability and the Adhomian Cold War. The group took up arms intending to force the Alliance to grant more rights to Tajara residing in Sol. The Revolutionary Army has been involved in bombings, assassinations, robberies, and shootouts with the Solarian authorities. Little is known in regards to its internal structure; its cells operate under a decentralized command structure. It is currently suspected that the organization is being financed by the Adhomian nations.

Following the Third Tajara Ban and the collapse of the Solarian Alliance, the Revolutionary Army evacuated the Tajara still living in the Solarian Core territories. Their mission then shifted to protecting the Tajara living in the wildlands from persecution and securing safe passage to Tau Ceti. Outside of supporting the Tajaran immigration and presence in the Wildlands, the group is deeply involved with smuggling groups.

The Tajara Revolutionary Army operates from safehouses, space outposts, civilian ships, derelicts, and the houses of collaborators. In their installations, migrants can find shelter and help in their journey to Tau Ceti. Their main migrations routes pass through the Badlands and the Valley Hale. In these turbulent regions, their main enemies are pirates. These paths are protected by some small corvettes armed with outdated weaponry. Due to limited resources, cunning has become the Revolutionary Army's main weapon. However, the dwindling fuel supply has led these corvettes to become rarer. While the Republican Fleets of Tau Ceti have taken the slack in the Valley Hale, the threat of piracy has become an increasing threat.

Due to their growing importance in the Adhomian emigration, the Revolutionary Army is supported by the Biesellite Tajaran community. Despite their seeming union around the defense of the Tajara people, the Revolutionary Army's unity is slowly fragmenting due to the political influence of the Adhomian powers over its members. Recent trends have shown disillusioned Revolutionary Army members joining megacorporate mercenary companies, namely the Wildlands Squadron, to escape the steadily fragmenting army.

The Tajaran community of the Republic of Biesel

Obtaining a work visa or refugee status is not difficult in the Republic of Biesel, due to the liberal immigration policies and the influence of NanoTrasen in the system. The large Tajaran presence on Biesel has also facilitated the stay and adaptation of many migrants to the system. However, high crime rates, discrimination, and high tensions, caused by many still carrying their old alignments and beliefs to this new world, are some of the hardships that a new immigrant may encounter.

The Tajaran community in the Republic of Biesel is the second most numerous alien society, only behind the Vaurca in sheer numbers, with the great majority of its population living in Biesel. The Tajara have a longstanding history with the system of Tau Ceti, with a large portion of it being marked by periods of tension and poor relations.

Life on Little Adhomai

Little Adhomai, also known as Imperial Plaza or District 6, is the home to most of Mendell city’s Tajaran population. While having a high crime rate, with youth gangs and illegal businesses being a common occurrence, it is known for being the birthplace of several cultural trends, such as the Little Tajaran Electro swing and the so-called Greasers. The vibrant life and culture of the District has been a long-standing symbol against the discrimination and conditions of the slum.

District 6 is usually divided into several sections by its inhabitants, each of them being related to their place of origin and alignments, such as supporters of the People’s Republic preferring to live in their own regions, together with other individuals that may share their common ideology. However, it is not uncommon for clashes to happen between supporters of the different Adhomian factions, and such conflicts might escalate into riots or further violence. This situation has escalated greatly since the Armistice, due to the growing presence of governmental elements in the area. The violence has gone unchecked by the Mendellian government. MCPD and Corporate Security refuse to enter the district, choosing rather to cordon off the violence. As such, gangs and organized crime have taken the role of order, running their own sections of the District as though it were their own city, a familiar experience to those from the anarchy of Crevus.

Organized crime, such as gangs and protection rackets, are a common factor in the life of those that might call the Imperial Plaza their home. Most criminal groups may profess alignment to the People’s Republic or the Adhomai Liberation Army, and they are commonly used by those two powers to further their own agendas on Biesel’s territory. Unaligned gangs do exist, but they lack the power and support of those with benefactors. Rumors of Raskariim cults becoming increasingly popular among the youth are also not unheard of.