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{{Navbox Lore}}
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{{Navbox Human Lore}}
{{Navbox Human Lore}}
[[File:Pluto view.jpg|thumb|Pluto, as seen from orbit.]]
In the far-flung reaches of the [[Sol]] system lies the planet of '''Pluto''', one of the last bodies in the system to be formally colonised by humanity. While the planet (though the matter of it being a true planet is somewhat up for debate) itself lacks any significant resource deposits beyond nitrogen ice (which also makes up the majority of its surface,) its position as the nearest significant stellar body to the Oort Cloud, and the Cloud’s significant Helium-3 deposits, means Pluto has had a great impact upon the Sol Alliance itself. And thanks to its original colonisers - the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - the planet has developed an economic system that may very well be unique in the Orion Spur.


'''Pluto's unique status as a colony established by the USSR and its unique system of government that is distrustful of outsiders from "corporate influenced," places, characters born on Pluto will have names and appearances characteristic of the peoples native to the Eastern European or Baltic republics in the USSR, Russia, the Caucasus Mountains, or Central Asia. Only native Plutonians may select the Plutonian accent. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins. Members of the Communist Party of the Supreme Soviet of the Plutonian System and Surrounding Space may not hold command positions on SCC vessels or facilities.'''
<center>[[File:New_hai_phong_pixel.png]]</center>
{{Template:Region-JewelWorlds}}
{{Template:Region-JewelWorlds}}
New Hai Phong, sometimes rendered New Haiphong, is an economic powerhouse of the Sol Alliance funded by Hephaestus Industries. The capital of New Hai Phong is Cua Song, built around the coast of a large freshwater sea. Tobacco is the main export of New Hai Phong, serving as the planet’s main claim to fame. The primary language is Sol Common, though the spoken Hai Phongese  dialect is notably different. New Hai Phong Common, or NHP Common, is much more tonal-based than Sol Common and has a distinctive accent. Freespeak is also somewhat common on New Hai Phong.
'''Due to the ethnic make-up of its original settlers and ability for the massive New Hai Phongese population to absorb immigrants into its culture via assimilation, characters born on New Hai Phong must have names and appearances consistent with the peoples of Vietnam, Hong Kong, and South China. Only characters native to New Hai Phong may take the New Hai Phongese accent. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.'''
==History==
==History==


Before the 2130s Pluto was regarded as something of a non-entity by the nations of Earth and their colonial subjects. It was far and away the most remote “planet” in the Sol System aside from a loose collection of dwarf planets dwelling even beyond the Plutonian orbit and lacked any reasons to make it an attractive colony beyond prestige. Though the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics laid ''de jure'' claim to the planet during the Second Space Age in the 2070s ongoing economic issues on Earth and the sheer distance between the two planets stymied any attempts at colonisation until the discovery of Helium-3 fueled warp engines by the USSR in 2130. With the proliferation of warp engines, inevitability after 2030, there was an increasingly large demand for the mining and refining of Helium-3, with the majority of the Sol System’s Helium-3 was located in the distant Oort Cloud. This combined with the desire of the Party’s bureaucracy to show that  the USSR was still relevant in the era of increasingly powerful corporations led to the colonisation of Pluto in 2131 by the USSR. Immediately following the launch of the rockets that would carry the first settlers to Pluto, the USSR’s People’s Commissariat for Cosmological Sciences successfully lobbied for the reclassification of Pluto as the ninth planet of the Sol System in order to bring the Soviet Union’s new colony greater amounts of prestige in the eyes of the United Nations.
What would become New Hai Phong had quite humble origins. Originally detected in the late 2100s, New Hai Phong was colonized in the early 2200s  by a coalition of Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos with intentions of it being not much more than a base of operations for mining facilities on the nearby ice-covered planet of Chu Nho. But as the mining operations continued industry — primarily that of [[Hephaestus Industries]], then dwelling in the shadow of [[Einstein Engines]] — followed, and the inhabitable regions of the planet began to rapidly increase in population and importance over the 2200s.
 
As New Hai Phong’s industry expanded, so too did Hephaestus’ hold over the planet. As the mines of Chu Nho began to dry up in the early 2300s the planet became more and more reliant upon Hephaestus and the industry it brought: without the sprawling, smoke-belching factories of Hephaestus and the crowded habitation blocs that housed its tens of thousands of employees, New Hai Phong would simply be another Middle Ring mining colony destined for a slow decline into irrelevance. To avoid this fate more and more liberties were given to Hephaestus: regulations on building were lifted, palms were greased to look the other way, and the culture of corruption that now defines much of life on New Hai Phong formed as a result. By the 2400s, Hephaestus’ hold over the planet was all but assured. It is estimated that roughly one in three Hephaestus Industries products undergo final assembly on New Hai Phong, and around four in five products have at least one constituent part assembled on the planet. The presence of Hephaestus is impossible to miss.


A desire to mine as much Helium-3 as possible in the shortest time and most efficient manner led to the Soviet Space Program establishing facilities not just on Pluto itself, but also upon all five of its moons. While Pluto, thanks to an extreme drive by the Soviet Union and high demand for Helium-3,has been a prosperous colony from the year it was founded up until today, its roots in the planned economy of the 22nd century USSR have left it has a somewhat odd planet compared to the rest of the corporate-dominated Sol System. The '''People's Commissariat for Economics and Finance of the Plutonian Special Administrative Zone''' ('''NKEF-OAZP''') dictates Helium-3 mining in the Oort Cloud as per a contract between the Sol Alliance and the Plutonian System, then the NKEF-OAZP sells off its Helium-3 reserves to the Solarian Alliance, and then the Alliance, through the Solarian Corporate Authority, sells off this Helium-3 to private actors. In the post-Collapse Sol System Pluto marches on as the Alliance’s main source of Helium-3 and, despite its bizarre economic system, one of the most important planets in the Alliance. Glory has indeed come to those ones that looked forward.
But not all are willing to live alongside Hephaestus and the culture of corruption that it has created. Throughout the 2400s there have been various anti-corporate movements on New Hai Phong, but the pervasive corporate influence and corruption of the planet has seen them repeatedly stamped out or bought out. The one movement that has survived is the New Hai Phongese Socialism of Senator Le Hanh Trang and her party, the Solarian Socialist Unity Party. But with their inability to dislodge Hephaestus from the planet using the Solarian Corporate Authority, it remains to be seen who the New Hai Phong of the future will belong to.
 
On '''October 19, 2460''', New Hai Phong was struck by the largest terrorist attack in the Alliance in recent memory. Several cities and even an orbital shipyard were targeted with a series of bombs found out to be military-grade, with Nhom Hy Vhong reporting the heaviest damage and casualties: immediately after, the planet underwent a period of lockdown by both Solarian and Hephaestus security forces. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Tajara Revolutionary Army in retaliation to the two Tajara bans and the perceived inequality of Tajara in the Alliance. The bombings prompted much outrage towards both the government for its inability to prevent the attack and towards Tajara themselves, culminating in the Third Tajara Ban on '''November 6, 2462''', of which Senator Le Hanh Trang was a major sponsor, alongside Senator Hendrik Strom.


==Environment==
==Environment==
[[File:New hai phong.png|The planet of New Hai Phong.|thumb]]
New Hai Phong orbits a binary star system, named Mau Sang and Tia Sang. Hai Phongese years are about ten Terran months and, due to the planet’s orbit, the cooler seasons are about two Terran months shorter than the hotter seasons. Heavy winds and monsoons hit much of Nha O during the monsoon season, which starts towards the end of spring and ends during mid-fall.


As the furthest planet from the Sun Pluto is extremely frigid at the best of times, with light taking upwards of six hours to reach Pluto from the Sun. Thus the majority of the planet’s surface is covered in a lay of nitrogen-based ice occasionally cracked by cryovolcanos that shoot massive plumes of water and ammonia upwards of hundreds of kilometers into the air, reaching heights that are able to interfere with passing spacecraft and shuttles. Pluto’s gravity is also very low compared to Earth, which has led to the creation of what has been termed one of the wonders of the Sol System: a massive gravity generator built in the core of the planet which provides Earth-equivalent gravity. The five moons of Pluto have similar generators built into them, and likewise possess similar environments - frigid, icey, and free of most valuable resources. But, nevertheless, well-located for the refining and processing of Helium-3.
Water covers about 63% of the surface of New Hai Phong with one large, snaking landmass called Nha O covering the rest of the planet. What is not dotted with lakes, rivers, and swamps on Nha O is mostly covered in a savannah environment, with deserts closer to the equator. New Hai Phong has a near-breathable surface atmosphere and a similar gravity to Earth. The only equipment needed to breathe comfortably on the surface is a respirator mask. The average temperature at the equator is 36°C, 30°C at the 35th parallel during the summer, 22°C at the 35th parallel during the winter, and 10°C at the poles.
 
=== Flora and Fauna ===
* '''Cua quy:''' Large crustaceans, usually around two to three feet tall, with carapace colours ranging from rich brown to dark green. Semi-aquatic, they live on the beaches of Nha O and burrow into the sand to attack unsuspecting prey to lay their eggs in the corpses. Luckily, cua quy completely ignore humans and some even show signs of a “human allergy”, in which contact with a human can cause some manner of infection.
* '''Co duyen:''' A long-eared mammal with reddish fur that travels in packs in the boreal regions of Nha O. They are omnivorous scavenger-hunters, seen with equal parts endearment and notoriety in the cities of New Hai Phong due to their tendency to root around in garbage bins and slip into restaurants seeking food. They are incredibly social animals, and some New Hai Phongese even keep them as pets. However, the environmental bureau strongly advises keeping co duyen in homes due to their restless nature, and they are known to tear up apartments when unsupervised.
* '''Zai nhieu nai:''' A heavyset ungulate similar in appearance to a water buffalo. Zai nhieu nai roam Nha O in packs, migrating from pole to pole during the monsoon season when their usual grazing grounds become flooded. When they reach the beaches, they are often targets for the predation of cua quy. Some farmers on New Hai Phong herd zai nhieu nai, cultivating them for their soft, waterproof fur, fatty meat, and rich milk.
* '''Nguoi jan:''' A species of simians, roughly four to five feet in height when fully erect, with a light covering of fur that ranges in colour from brown, red, and very rarely white. They have short tails and are semi-bipedal, forming social groups remarkably similar to early hominids. Much anthropological and biological study has been performed on nguoi jan; some scientists to speculate they could one day evolve into hominids similar to Homo sapiens. Nguoi jan and their habitats are protected by law on New Hai Phong, though recently there is some concern among scientific societies that [[Hephaestus Industries]] may attempt to subvert said regulations for further development.
* '''Hoa lua co:''' Tall, stalk-like grasses that occasionally bloom with orange flowers. Hoa lua co is edible, and can be crushed into hoa flour or the flowers collected to decorate homes.


==Government and Politics==
==Government and Politics==
[[File:haiphong_flag.png|Government flag of New Hai Phong.|thumb]]
Local politics on New Hai Phong — generally that below the senatorial level — is not defined by political ideology or economic class due to the endemic corruption of the planet. Instead, it is defined by local communities known as blockfams that have banded together in order to influence local politics. Blockfams are entirely willing to barter and engage in local corruption themselves in order to get what they and their community members want or need, and are not idealistic communities. Blockfams have been known to compete against each other or collude with one another as their needs change, but hardly anything is constant in the relationships between blockfams, the local authorities, or other blockfams. Oftentimes negotiations between blockfams are not done with currency, but by bartering power, favours, and resources between themselves so that there is no credit trail should the planetary authorities, who themselves are corrupt by many measures, decide that any given blockfam’s operations are inconvenient. Corruption is a fact of life on the planet, and blockfams are simply a way for the average resident of New Hai Phong to get what they need from a corrupt system.
Local governance across the planet beneath the city-scale varies greatly. In one part of a city one could find a corporate-dominated community where Hephaestus owns everything including the police and emergency services, while in another a neighborhood sleepy apartment buildings which pay bribes to the local authorities to look the other way on the illegal gambling dens in the basements, while somewhere else still, the occasional city district or blockfam which operates untainted by corruption, or at least mostly untainted. Despite this presence however, many in the government and authorities do fight a nearly impossible battle against corruption through their actions as individuals or as part of the institutions they represent, but challenges are great. The omnipresent interest of Hephaestus industries dominates life on New Hai Phong, the money from the illicit gambling rooms run by the Zau Gwai Jyu is alluring, and already present expectations of corruption do not make fighting the problems easy.  Anti-corruption proceedings themselves often are used merely as instruments for one corrupt politician to dispose of a political rival in a “legitimate” manner, rather than hiring a hit. Despite these challenges though, many on the planet dream of a New Hai Phong with a more just way of life. Some galvanize politically with Senator Trang’s movement, while others who have lost faith in any and all politics simply work to fight corruption in their own lives in the small ways where they can.
New Hai Phong’s government is generally regarded to be substandard by the broader Alliance due to rampant corruption that is present at every level of civil government. The planet has a singular senator, Le Hanh Trang, in the Alliance Senate. Locally, the government of New Hai Phong on the planet itself is divided between its three cities and the powerful governors that rule over them. Due to their ten year terms and the immense corruption of the megacities themselves, these governors essentially serve for life and almost always come from local political dynasties that have the money to buy their way into the governorship. As lifelong rulers of the planet’s megacities, the three governors of New Hai Phong wield immense power over the planet. Thanks to this its planetary governor must often defer to the city governors’ demands, and thus the demands of Hephaestus Industries by extension.
Compared to the city governors, the planet’s legitimate Solarian governor, Lai Naam, is nearly powerless and almost completely defanged. A Frost-era appointee, Lai was given his position in 2462 and told that he would have all the support he needed in order to fight widespread corruption on New Hai Phong. But shortly after his appointment the phoron crisis began, and the Alliance rapidly had much bigger problems to deal with. Lai found himself unsupported and at the mercy of his “subordinate” governors, and his situation only further deteriorated following the death of Frost and the Solarian Collapse of 2463. Now, with the SCA having given up on New Hai Phong and the three governors as powerful as ever, Lai seems to be a defeated man, content to simply wait out the remainder of his appointment and retire to a comfortable apartment in the Core Worlds after it is over.
===Megalopolis Governors===
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
====Quách Diễm Nguyen====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The current Governor of Cua Song, Quách Diễm Nguyen (b. 2410) is a woman from the Quách family known for her deep connections to both [[Hephaestus Industries]] and [[Idris Incorporated]]. Nguyen’s two terms as governor have seen Cua Song’s more affluent neighborhoods along the coast prosper through tourism that is often connected to Idris Incorporated. More inland neighborhoods further from the Sanh Song Sea have seen little of this prosperity, with Nguyen having ignored much of southern Cua Song in favor of the touristy north. Southern Cua Song is a hotbed of New Hai Phongese Socialism, though its residents remain unable to dislodge the governor.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
====Lý Quốc Thành====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The Governor of Nhom Hy Vong, Lý Quốc Thành (b. 2390) is deeply entwined with Hephaestus Industries, which is at its strongest in the massive factories of Nhom Hy Vong. Thành, in his three terms as governor, has done much to further the interests of his corporate sponsors and much less for the typical New Hai Phonger in his megacity. The advent of the SCA in 2463 was a temporary cause for immense panic by Thành and his family, and the Lýs are rumored to have nearly fled the governor’s mansion in the night for [[Biesel]]. This rumor, and his constant favoring of Hephaestus, have won Thành few friends, and the younger residents of Nhom Hy Vong have turned many of its districts into strongholds of New Hai Phongese Socialism.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
====Yueng Long====
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
The Governor of Ton Gwai Pei, Yueng Long (b. 2411) is unlike his two counterparts: he makes no efforts to hide his corruption, and actively promotes it as a positive aspect of his governorship. Anybody can do almost anything in Ton Gwai, as long as they have enough money to pay the governor for it. As a result, Ton Gwai is divided between dozens of small “fiefdoms”, supervised by people that have paid Yueng for the right to control the area. Entire districts can be governed by criminal syndicates, local notables, or megacorporations (generally Hephaestus, if industrial, or Idris, if intended for tourism). This system has made Yueng one of the wealthiest men on New Hai Phong, and he has resisted all attempts to remove him due to this wealth and the support of his fellow city governors. Despite his personal success New Hai Phongese Socialism has continued to build among the ordinary residents of Tom Gwai, which suffer all of the issues and gain none of the profit of Darany’s system of graft.
</div></div>


[[File:Pluto.png|The flag of the Communist Party of the Supreme Soviet of the Plutonian System and Surrounding Space.|thumb]]
===New Hai Phongese Socialism===
The Plutonian government is a very atypical one by the standards of the modern [[Orion Spur]] - it is a bicameral system divided along the line between economic and political matters. As per its colonizer, the planet is run by a system of Soviets beginning at the neighborhood level and concluding with the Presidium of the Supreme Plutonian Soviet located in the system’s capitol of Tereshkovgrad on Pluto itself. The Presidium manages the politics of Plutonian System, and - critically - is the organization responsible for issuing SPOK memberships in addition to providing temporary residency permits for non-Plutonians and passports for Plutonians to travel abroad. It often works alongside its economic counterpart, the People’s Commissariat, in interstellar concerns. The NKEF-OAZP, otherwise known as the People’s Commissariat, is responsible for all economic policy in the Plutonian System. The most important duty of the NKEF-OAZP by far is the setting of yearly Helium-3 mining limits and targets, giving the Plutonian System large amounts of control over the price of Helium-3 as it goes to market and bringing significant revenue back to both the Presidium and Commissariat in the process while also ensuring that the extremely plentiful Helium-3 deposits in the Oort Cloud are not strip mined until the market crashes.


There are two key figures in the political environment of the Plutonian System: the '''Chairman of the Supreme Plutonian Soviet''' and the '''People’s Commissar for Economics, Finance, and Industry'''. The current Chairman, Konstantin Malashenko, is beloved throughout the Plutonian System as a man of the people that has used the increasingly large profits from Helium-3 since the invention of the Suzuki-Zhang Hammer Drive to massively improve the living conditions on Pluto itself, though the Plutonian System itself is far from a tourist haven. Meanwhile the current People’s Commissar, Nadezhda Petlina, has overseen a massive increase in the amount of Helium-3 mining to be conducted during 2463, and the NKEF-OAZP has begun - for the first time ever - issuing mining permits to non-Plutonian ships not affiliated with a megacorporation. While this opening of mining rights is unpopular with many on Pluto, the sheer size of the Oort Cloud and massive demand for fuel in the post-collapse Solarian Alliance make it necessary for supply to meet demand. With massively spiking demands for its primary export the future of the Plutonian System looks, if nothing else, extremely profitable.
One word defines the government of New Hai Phong at every level: corruption. Bribes, often originating in Hephaestus Industries, have become a part of daily life for the planet’s citizens, many of which have long regarded local corruption as simply a fact of life in the Alliance’s industrial capital. Anti-corruption efforts are often stymied and die out before they pass even the lowest levels of the planet’s governing body, and many believe that Hephaestus Industries is similarly behind this. Yet despite the General apathy of the planet towards its corruption, there is an exception: Le Hanh Trang’s New Hai Phongese Socialists.
 
Long viewed as a crusader against corruption, Le Hanh Trang and her party, the Solarian Socialist Unity Party, have their roots — and power base — firmly in the widespread dissatisfaction felt by many younger Haiphongers with the corruption of their government in recent years. Trang and the SSUP first rode this wave to win New Hai Phong’s only Alliance Senate seat, and have long attempted to break the stranglehold of Hephaestus over the planet through legislative means. Yet despite her best efforts, Trang was unable to break the planet and Hephaestus apart even during the height of the anti-megacorporate Solarian Corporate Authority. The once-public Trang has slunk into the political shadows following her defeat, and rumors have begun to swirl that she and her party are merely proxies of Einstein Engines that intend to sell New Hai Phong to it after wresting it from Hephaestus. The survival of Trang as a viable candidate for the position of Prime Minister is anything but certain, but her movement — with its emphasis on fighting for the common Solarian worker against megacorporations— will assuredly outlast her.


==Economics==
==Economics==


The economic system of Pluto is, as previously mentioned, a unique one in the [[Sol Alliance]] and perhaps in the entire Orion Spur. The People’s Commissariat for Economics and Finance sets yield targets for Pluto and its surrounding moons, then sells off its reserve to the Sol Alliance’s government (which earmarks a significant amount for the Solarian Navy,) before it is finally sold to private actors such as [[Einstein Engines]] (the primary purchaser of Helium-3 mined in the Oort cloud and refined on Pluto). While this may initially come off as an extremely inefficient and irrational method of mining what is perhaps the most valuable substance in the Orion Spur after phoron, various factors such as the colony’s early founding, the relative power of the Solarian government, and the low demand for Helium-3 have kept the mining rights for the entire Oort Cloud in the hands of the NKEF-OAZP. With the support of the Solarian Corporate Authority, the Commissariat’s rule over the Oort Cloud seems beyond reproach.
By leveraging their building rights on New Hai Phong, [[Hephaestus Industries]] has managed to seep into every crack of the planet. Large swathes of land on New Hai Phong are owned by Hephaestus, connected to the three megalopolises through bullet train networks. Hephaestus Industries has built numerous industrial factories, manufacturing plants, and research labs over the landscape, with the largest complexes being nicknamed cities. Hephaestus’ headquarters on New Hai Phong is the Sieng Nang Zi Complex, just 40 kilometers from the outskirts of Cua Song.


Pluto’s centrally-ruled and designed economy much resembles the industrial towns of the Soviet Union, and has led to an atypical system of organization designed around the exploitation of the moons of Pluto to create the most efficient and safe system for the refinement of Helium-3. Locally known as the Geliy-Zavod System, the five moons of Pluto are divided into two supply chains. In the Geliy-Zavod System fuel from mining stations and vessels is first sent to Charon, the primary transport hub that services Pluto’s Helium-3 refining facilities (the irony of Charon’s name, it seems, was not lost on the Soviets) before being sent to conversion facilities on Styx or Nix in order to be transformed from “raw” Helium-3 into a concentrated, refined form more readily favored for use as fuel. From these conversion facilities the concentrated Helium-3 is shipped, for further improvements, to refining plants on Kerberos and Hydra for Styx and Nix respectively. Following this the refined and concentrated Helium-3 is shipped to Charon, before being loaded onto freighters bound to locations throughout the Alliance.
Thanks to Hephaestus, New Hai Phong’s economy is comparatively a roaring success. Though the planet loses significant GDP from corruption, unemployment figures are through the floor and New Hai Phong maintains zero planetary debt. Hephaestus provides around 70% of all employment with 15% of Hephaestus jobs dealing with management and the remaining 85% dealing with all kinds of manufacturing, often the manufacturing of atmospheric equipment.


While the system of refining and processing Helium-3 is centrally-directed and designed, its method of mining Helium-3 is not. Thanks to a truly massive spike in demand as a result of the ongoing phoron shortage, the preexisting Commissariat-directed system of mining organized around state-owned mining barges and outposts has found itself unable to keep up with demand. As a result, the People’s Commissar for Economics, Finance, and Industry, Nadezhda Petlina, has done something unprecedented: in late 2462 she opened the market for private, non-megacorporate, actors to purchase limited mining licenses in the Oort Cloud. The resulting craze has seen a wild variety of public and private actors move into the Oort Cloud, though the wealth remains in the Plutonian System thanks to it, and only it, possessing the appropriate facilities to make engine-grade Helium-3 aside from mostly-decommissioned facilities on [[Luna]] that are too small and too far from the Oort Cloud to be economically viable. It remains to see how this “Helium Rush" will impact the state-dominated economy of the Plutonian System.
New Hai Phong also invests heavily in agriculture, being said to produce nearly all of the galaxy’s tobacco. However, tobacco has slowly lost popularity due to the outlawing and growing stigma of tobacco usage in many systems. Ironically enough, because of the thin atmosphere and airtight homes, few on New Hai Phong have even smoked tobacco and chewing tobacco is frowned upon because of its harsh effects on health and appearance.


Even in the era of massive megacorporations the Plutonian System remains a command economy under the often-heavy hand of the People's Commissariat for Economics and Finance of the Plutonian Special Administrative Zone, which effectively controls all aspects of the economy. Massive bureaucratic interference by the Presidium and Commissariat is similarly common in the Plutonian System, and travelling abroad is often an exercise in exceedingly bureaucratic frustration. The first option is to go through the traditional bureaucracy to receive a work passport, while the second option is to enter oneself into the Commissariat’s labour permit lottery - both options allot roughly half of the Commissariat’s yearly permits. Most privileges - such as permanent residence in the Plutonian System - remain locked behind official Presidium-granted Party membership.  
New Hai Phong has gradually branched out to other crops such as tea, coffee beans, cocoa beans, rice, soybean, and sugarcane. In particular, Hai Phongese tea is very popular as both a local and an exported product with many locals drinking tea with almost every meal.


==Culture and Demographics==
==Culture and Demographics==


Nearly every aspect of life on Pluto has some government presence, beginning from the state education system and the Youth's Interstellar Pioneer Program. Most outsiders believe it to be a simple way for the socialist administration to implement a mass youth program for ideological indoctrination, propaganda, and a tool for public image. This is not a false judgment, but the organization serves a variety of purposes. The Youth’s Interstellar Pioneer Program, or the Pioneers, is a state organization that, among efforts of indoctrination and communist education, opens up an easy way for Plutonian youths to experience apprenticeships, internships, or unique opportunities only available to those in the organization. Young people in the organization are often enrolled in Soviet-style scouting activities and community service projects which act as an optional education and camaraderie-building that provides networking head starts and practical skills in social cooperation and various professions. These opportunities can not only make former Pioneers diligent workers for the state, but also to any other employer that the few Plutonians who get the rare chance to work abroad may be hired by. Children can join the Pioneers at age 8 and can remain in the system until they turn 20.
For most of New Hai Phong's inhabitants, living conditions are poor. The metropolises have double-populated hab-cube buildings to save space, with privacy being rare. Because of this, "blockmates" will treat each other in a familial manner, calling themselves "blockfams". Blockfams are incredibly tight-knit, and loyalty to one’s blockfam is fierce and passionate; legendary disputes have been held between multiple large blockfams. Blocks inhabited by poorer citizens are often in poor repair with jury-rigging solutions and shoddy fortifications generally left to local communities.


All citizens of Pluto are required to be registered members of the '''Communist Party of the Supreme Soviet of the Plutonian System and Surrounding Space''' ('''PSSSR-SPOK''', often colloquially called the “'''SPOK'''” by residents of the planet) or face fines and eventual deportation from the planet. Around 95% of Pluto's population is found on the surface of the dwarf planet, thanks to the original central planning committee designating Pluto itself as the primary residential zone, and its moons as the Helium-3 processing and refining areas.
Outside of the three metropolises or surrounding towns, a rare few settlements exist in the deserts and jungles. Desert-dwellers live in small familial groups, usually working as moisture farmers or hunters that live off the land.


But despite the government of the Plutonian System providing a great amount of welfare to its citizens and the absence of megacorporation domination, life in the system is far from the most free in the Alliance. Uniquely in the Sol Alliance, anti-Party sentiment is a felony in the Plutonian System that can carry up to five years in prison and - more importantly - a summary stripping of one’s Party membership. Party membership is currently restricted to Solarian citizens only and there are no known non-human Party members. Dual citizenship automatically disqualifies one from a Party membership due to concerns over split loyalties.
Corruption is also a constant problem on New Hai Phong. All three of the planet's metropolises struggle with bribery at every level, from local police departments to top officials. It is an open secret that [[Hephaestus Industries]] is behind most of these bribes as a means of retaining financial control over the planet. The practice of bribery itself is essential to everyday life on New Hai Phong; shopkeeps unable to pay "fees" to the city police find their business constantly raided on suspicions of every offence imaginable. Similarly, hapless tourists have found themselves booted off of the planet for non-specific crimes against local communities after failing to provide supplementary "administration fees" with their travel papers.


===Microdistricts===
Substance abuse and addiction, especially alcoholism, are also major problems due to the variety of high-stress situations both Hephaestus employment and the planet place on many citizens. This problem is only worsened by the fact that the legal drinking age on New Hai Phong is 13 and the legal age to buy alcohol is 17, leading to numerous teenagers falling to binge drinking. Though many drink, it is considered shameful to be inebriated in public. Heavy fines and mandatory community service in gruelling environments are given to those caught intoxicated, along with peer-shaming. In recent years, however, there has been a steep decline in teenage alcoholism, giving hope that the next generation may face fewer problems with drug abuse and addiction.


Plutonian society is, thanks to its unusual origins, an extremely closely-knit one centered around "microdistricts", the Plutonian term for a residential neighborhood. These microdistricts form the backbone of Pluto itself and number in the thousands, effectively covering almost the entire surface. The exception to this is massive gravity generator complex at the northern pole and the anti-asteroid shielding complex at the southern pole. One’s life revolves around their microdistrict and the community associated with it thanks to a massive central planning bureaucracy that ensures the workers in a given refinery facility - or from a given mining outpost or vessel - live in the same microdistrict, creating a shared sense of community on and off of the job. Public services (such as medical facilities, schools, transportation stations) and small businesses (the only type of privately-owned businesses permitted in the Plutonian System) can be found in every microdistrict, and those that work in them likewise live where they work; in the microdistrict. Aside from apartments and small businesses most establishments are owned and operated by the Plutonian government.
===Fashion===


Most residents on Pluto reside in large hab-complexes arranged in the microdistrict system that are typically partially underground for safety. Housing on Pluto is by design very utilitarian and non-extravagant with all families provided a sufficient apartment for their use by the central planning committee. While this makes Pluto highly unattractive for immigration it has led to a very tight-knit and communal life that few of its residents move away from permanently, leading to a very stable (if still somewhat small by the standards of the Sol System) population. The majority of the current residents of Pluto are the descendants of the original Soviet colonists and immigrants from Earth, with a small minority coming from other human planets.
Much of New Hai Phongese fashion is very practical, modifying both traditional and modern clothing to suit the environment of New Hai Phong. Conical hats, especially non la, are commonplace to shield citizens from the sweltering suns and heavy rains. For those in desert regions, a transparent, knee-length veil is attached to the rim of the hat to block the harsh effects of sandstorms. Conical hats are often left plain or decorated to better suit the style of one’s clothing. The most basic New Hai Phongese look is a conical hat, a thin tank top, airy shorts, and sneakers with breathable socks. Basic athletic gear is also common.


===Architecture===
Traditional fashion is still somewhat popular on New Hai Phong. Ao dai are commonplace, though not without changes for the New Hai Phongese climate. The dress is sometimes sleeveless or cropped to the knee or mid-thigh and the trousers are sometimes made tighter and often cut to match the shorter dress styles. New Hai Phongese ao yem have mostly remained unchanged from the traditional style with the backless garments remaining popular year round. The slightly less common cheongsam are usually made more breathable and are similarly cropped. Changshan are usually made more form fitting, and some New Hai Phongese changshan are styled to be worn open, whether with an undershirt or not.


Plutonian cities are often described as unique among environmentally-inhospitable planets in that the typical approaches of either domed or subterranean cities are eschewed in favour of sprawls of space-proofed buildings all connected to one another, with braced airtight insulated metal canopies at the ground level. These large networks of aboveground tunnels cover everything from streets to parks, to shorter buildings, and are typically built in grid patterns much like a typical street system would be. This often gives Plutonian cities the appearance of looking like a vast silvery spread on the surface of the planet with any building taller than three stories poking out above the base metallic layer of the planet’s cities. A few cities break this trend, but the “Plutonian Carpet” style of city building is almost universal on the planet. Living conditions in the cities are not horrible, but many of the more populated locale on the planet can feel cramped even to those used to urban living. Despite this,  they are not as tightly packed as other large cities in the Spur, like the megalopolises on [[New Hai Phong]], the poorly-planned boomtowns on [[Konyang]], or the unending stretches of steel found on [[Callisto]].
As the respirator mask is an essential part of life on New Hai Phong, it has become a staple part of local fashion. Respirators are often made in vibrant colors and decorated with stickers, neon-tubing, beads, LEDs, or whatever else the owner prefers. Some more skilled in engineering modify theirs by adding visors, changing the shape, or attaching additional pieces.


==Major Settlements==
===Cuisine===
Each city on Pluto has a number of industries assigned to it by the government of the planet in order to appropriately coordinate the planned economy of the small world. This has led many towns on Pluto to identify strongly with their trade and take pride in local facilities such as factories, assembly plants, or farms. Along with these normal, typically industrial, cities, there also exist a small number of closed cities on the planet, localities that typically are involved with scientific or military functions, and are deemed too important by the Plutonian or Solarian governments to be open to the general public. Special permission is needed from the Plutonian authorities to enter, leave, or obtain residency in these areas. The most major Plutonian cities are listed below.
 
Traditional New Hai Phongese cuisine uses animal meat and the hearty plants native to New Hai Phong. The resulting palate consists of soft, sour meats balanced against tough, sweet herb stalks. These herbs are often sucked on after the main course for flavor and nutrition. Most meals are entirely plant-based due to the inflated price of meat, leading to dietary supplement pills and gummies becoming commonplace. For the lower and lower-middle classes, rice, tofu, and other soy-based substitutes are often consumed due to the much cheaper price compared to native crops and meats. All folk on New Hai Phong enjoy a variety of wellmade desserts, including xoi la dua, a dish of sticky rice topped with Nha O Ngot La leaves, and che troi nuoc, sweet rice dumplings filled with beans. Blockfams often have a “noichu nuong”, a team of chefs and cooks individually called ”chudau”, who dedicate their time solely to making food for their blockmates.
 
Drinks are also a key part of Hai Phongese cuisine, stemming from poorer citizens needing more flavor in their soy product and supplement-based diet. Teas in particular are common due to New Hai Phong’s often forgotten tea leaf farms. White, green, matcha, and honeybush tea are all popular among those stressed out by New Hai Phongese life due to their soft, sweet, soothing flavors. For those who do a lot of physical or manual labor, black tea and pu-erh tea are popular because of their hearty, strengthening flavors. Both native and imported herbs and flowers are usually added for additional flavor, whether to make the taste sweeter or stronger.
 
One popular food on New Hai Phong is “dua zi mon”, literally “chopstick food” when translated, which is prepared by wrapping small balls of cooked meat, cooked fish, or raw fish in hoa dough before baking. Once finished, dua zi mon is ready to eat. It is a popular game among friends to see who can get the most duazi mon from the serving platter onto their plate unsurprisingly using one of the most common utensils through human space--chopsticks.
 
===Education===
 
Thanks to heavy funding from Hephaestus Industries, many colleges and universities offer incredible experience for those working in manufacturing and atmospherics. One such college is the Atmospheric Learning Institute of Kho Nang, or ALIKN, which is the main institute in Cua Song’s University District. ALIKN’s students are often jokingly called “aliens” as a fudging of the acronym’s spelling. Many atmospheric technicians, engine technicians, and toxin researchers come out of ALIKN, which also holds a small but steady group of airborne virologists.
 
Unsurprisingly, many graduates from the university are snatched up by Hephaestus who offers scholarship-to-employment programs to the gifted. Other corporations such as Einstein Engines also snipe graduates for their relevant departments. One notable graduate is Elisa Tung, inventor of the Shok-Free Protected Atmospherics System integrated into most high-end combat exosuits.
 
==Population and Major Cities==
 
===Cua Song===
Like the other three megalopolises, Cua Song is made up of modular “habitation cubes” that are essentially extremely compact and airtight pieces of a home that are combined to form proper buildings. Hab-cube buildings are organized by blocks. Cua Song is built along much of the Sanh Song Sea, a freshwater sea rich with life and resources and a source of pride of the denizens of the megalopolis. Cua Song is known for its very scenic seaside view and beautifully decorated hab-buildings, becoming the main tourist location on New Hai Phong.
 
Grand hotels can be found along the coast and uptown in Cua Song, often connected to the Ngoi Sao Chuyen Spaceport by tramways. Minibuses shuttle tourists downtown to neon-lit nightclubs, vibrant lounges, and lively night markets while taxis bring others uptown to the elegant restaurants, ornate water puppet theaters, pampering spas, and classy music clubs. Some tourists wander the busy streets, trying local street foods like soy-fish dua zi mon and tea-soaked hoa bread or snapping pictures with friendly locals. Bullet trains shoot out of Cho Nga Tu Station bringing more adventurous tourists to Ton Gwai Pei and workers off to Hephaestus Industries’ Sieng Nang Zi Complex.
 
Few tourists, however, visit the poorer areas of Cua Song far away from the Sanh Song Sea where the streets are almost empty, the rundown hab-buildings are covered in political graffiti, and the sidewalks are littered in sand-covered garbage. Southern Cua Song, often called Ghe Song, was built over barren desert. Extreme sandstorms in Ghe Song are a constant problem during “monsoon” season, often leading to blockfams organizing strikes on other blocks for much needed supplies.
 
Some notable blockfams in Cua Song include the peppy, friendly folk of Mat Troi Block, the traditional, yet open-minded residents of Bieu Tuong Block, and the talented and humble artisans of Tinh Than Block. Some notable blockfams in Ghe Song include the shady, dark-loving recluses of Tinh Than Block and the anti-corporate, passionate graffiti artists of Noi Day Block.
 
===Nhom Hy Vong===
Nhom Hy Vong is by far the area with the heaviest Hephaestus presence and where much of the planet’s industry comes from. The megalopolis sprawls along the Sea of Ca Ngay, the largest freshwater sea on New Hai Phong, and is divided in two by the Suot Maan River. To the east lies Gung Hy Vong, home to many factories and office buildings, and to the west is Nong Hy Vong which is packed with apartments and greenhouses.
 
In Gung Hy Vong, Hephaestus Industries owns a massive number of manufacturing plants, office buildings, and industrial factories. A good number of Hephaestus’ employees on New Hai Phong work in Gung Hy Vong, with most of the rest working in the Sieng Nang Zi Complex that connects to the city by bullet train. Nong Hy Vong is a stark contrast with brightly colored hab-cube buildings topped with gardens and giant glass greenhouses spread throughout the area. The region is known for its wonderful interior decorating and tasty vegetable dishes.
 
Some notable blockfams in Gung Hy Vong include the cold and distant folk of Khong Bo Cam Block and the stepford smilers of Gia Mao Block. Some notable blockfams in Nong Hy Vong include the extremely religious residents of Ton Giao Block and the family-orientated farmers of Nuoi Faan Block.
 
===Ton Gwai Pei===
Though the smallest of the megalopolises, Ton Gwai Pei is much more densely packed. Towering skyscrapers made of hab-cubes and designed with the help of feng shui consultants loom over the crowded, narrow streets of the city. Built on the coast of the Sanh Song Sea opposite to Cua Song, Ton Gwai Pei is known for its gambling houses, seedy nightclubs, and open-secret of a criminal underbelly. Tourists looking for more “excitement” often take the bullet train from safe, peaceful Cua Song to tangle in Ton Gwai Pei’s grime and bustle.
 
Unlike much of Ton Gwai Pei, or the rest of New Hai Phong for that matter, there is a sizable area called Zau Gwai Jyu where public intoxication is tolerated. This is mostly due to the heavy handed control the local crime syndicate have over Zau Gwai Jyu. The Pou Zyu Sau, as they are called, keep a grip over the management of Zau Gwai Jyu with lots of money, a decent amount of threats, and a handful of murders. The Pou Zyu Sau run multiple “hedon dens” where customers can partake in any drug, narcotic, or alcohol that won’t clog the vents.
 
Some notable blockfams in Ton Gwai Pei include the sultry, hedonistic gamblers of Con Seoi Block, the fatalistic artists of Tu Su Son Block, and the cutthroat businesspeople of Cong Hoi Block. One notable blockfam in Zau Gwai Jyu are the strong willed, drug free folk of Seng Tinh Zau Block.


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===Soyuz Landing===
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The first and largest settlement on Pluto, named after the rocket that took the original colonists of the planet to their landing site, also called Soyuz Landing. The city is unique among Plutonian cities in that it is a single massive dome, the largest in the Solar System since the destruction of the great arcologies of Mars in the Violet Dawn disaster. Soyuz Landing's economy revolves around managing the various operations of the Plutonian economy and government, such as manufacturing and especially helium mining. Similarly, all government ministries are located in the Landing. The Landing also serves as a manufacturing centre for consumer goods and industrial machinery on Pluto and is the primary hub for rail transportation on the planet. Within the city are also the most prestigious universities in the Plutonian system such as the Boris Chertok State University of Engineering and Cosmonautics and the Oleg Gazenko State University of Medical and Biological Sciences. Most notably and arguably most importantly however, the Landing holds the primary facility for the operation of the Plutonian Gravity Generator, and the majority of maintenance operations and adjustments to the colossal engineering project occur there. People from all over Pluto and even from other planets in the Alliance can be found here, making it the most diverse of Pluto’s cities. The city’s defining landmarks are incredibly large space-proofed apartment complexes that can sometimes house thousands of people just by themselves, leading the city to have a very strong urban culture that revolves around the apartment and microdistrict more so than anywhere else on Pluto.
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===Korolgrad===
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Korolgrad is the industrial heart of Pluto. The city is named after Sergei Korolev, the father of the original Soviet space program, both in memoriam of his contributions to the progression of Soviet society, and in allusion to Korolgrad being the largest port on Pluto proper. Most of the port’s traffic is used to ferry shipments of cargo or occasionally people to the various refineries and mining facilities on Pluto’s moons, but a sizable minority of vessels leaving the port go to other locations in the Solar System such as [[Callisto]] and [[Luna]]. Korolgrad has many factories that mostly produce mining and construction equipment, along with building materials and space-proofed vehicles and small spacecraft. The industrious heritage of the city is something that its residents are very proud of and revere in various celebrations year-round, often involving a recounting of the city’s founding by Russian miners and factory workers. A small number of dockyards are also present in the city, producing mining vessels and cargo freighters. Korolgrad is also home to the Glushkov Deep Space Monitoring Complex, a listening post and deep-space radar complex operated by the Solarian Navy that functions as the primary space traffic and early-warning detection facility for the Solar System.
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===Chernozhemsk===
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Chernozhemsk is not so much a city as it is a single, massive enclosed synthetic field, with it lacking the characteristic microdistricts of other Plutonian cities and instead implementing a system of collective community farms. As this may imply, Chernozhemsk is where most food on Pluto is grown and this “city,” alone has effectively made Pluto entirely food-independent along with giving the area a very country-like feel. Chernozhemsk is not domed however, and instead sits inside a massive rectangular structure that has led local Plutonians to give it the nickname of “The Box.” The agricultural tradition of the city stretches far back to its founding from its original settlers being farmers from the Ukrainian and Byelorussian SSR's. The landscape of the area is steppe-like with green, synthetic grass and fields fueled by the massive sunlamps built into the roof of the city’s ceiling. This abundance of organic plant life relative to everywhere else on Pluto has made Chernozhemsk the only place on Pluto where “fresh,” air exists. The city is also notable for being the hometown of the current Chairman of the Supreme Plutonian Soviet, Konstantin Malashenko.
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===Novitashkent===
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Sitting on the twilight zone of the tidally locked Pluto is the city of Novitashkent. Novitashkent is the poorest of the major cities on Pluto, mostly because the industries it was assigned at its creation bring in comparatively less revenue than those of other cities. However, this is not to say that Novitashkent is unimportant, with the city’s economy of textiles, chemical production, and operation of the largest power plant on Pluto, the Rashidov Memorial Energy Plant, being integral to the planet's broader economy. The largest industrial chemical plant in known space outside of New Hai Phong, the Rakhimov Chemical and Fertiliser Factory, is located here as well, with many on Pluto referring to it along with the energy plant as the “Two R’s of Novitashkent.” Novitashkent also has in its boundaries large enclosed cotton fields to source for its textiles, and as such, the cotton flower has come to be a symbol of the city and its residents. Those residents themselves are descendants of cotton farmers and construction workers from Central Asia, with the vast majority of them hailing from the Uzbek SSR. Despite it being the poorest of the major Plutonian cities, Novitashkent still manages to provide its residents the services expected of a Plutonian city, though comforts and luxuries are even sparser here than they would be on an already spartan Pluto, with delays in services and programs being even more common than average. Waiting in line is often joked to be the official pastime of Novitashkent for this reason.
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===Sputnikiy-Baltisk===
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A blip of civilisation on the otherwise barren centre of the Sputnik Glacier, Sputnikiy-Baltisk is the smallest of the major cities on Pluto yet holds the position of being the largest closed city on the planet. Special permission is required from the Plutonian authorities to enter the city or to stay overnight, with residency being something granted to only those that the authorities of the planet deem necessary to the operations of the city. Sputnikiy-Baltisk was not always a closed city however, and originally was settled by colonists from the Soviet Baltic republics as an ambitious engineering project attempting to build a city on top of a glacier. This project was exceptionally costly but in the end successful, and the city began to apply its scientific prowess to developing a telecommunications industry. Upon the discovery of Phoron however, Sputnikiy-Baltisk was deemed a closed city, and numerous laboratories and institutes were established inside its borders to test phoron as well as compare it to the primary export of Pluto, Helium-3. Since then Sputnikiy-Baltisk has turned into the scientific capital of the planet, with a large part of the city’s population being connected to the dozens of laboratories in the city that research everything from robotics, to energy, to biology. The details of these studies are, of course, only known to those with the right clearances in the Plutonian and Solarian governments. Despite being closed, Sputnikiy-Baltisk still maintains a strong telecommunications industry, with some outside observers saying that the real reason the city was closed was so that the Plutonian authorities could use the communications hubs and data centres in the city to constantly monitor and spy on their own citizens.
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Revision as of 11:57, 3 March 2024

New hai phong pixel.png
REGION - JEWEL WORLDS
This location is centered in the Jewel Worlds region.
Centered in the heart of the Sol Alliance and largely safe from any common galactic dangers, the Jewel Worlds are the pride of Humanity to some, and a massive bane to others. Here is where the first colonization from Humanity arose, and where the Interstellar War was powered, producing an extremely polarized mindset against it amongst the Colonial territories. Nearly sixty billion Humans can be found here with an undetermined amount of aliens. Among the Jewel Worlds are the entirety of the Sol star system, Epsilon Eridani, New Hai Phong, and Silversun. The Jewel Worlds possess two bluespace gates, one from Sol to Konyang - which is in the process of being dismantled - and another from Epsilon Eridani to Qerrbalak.

Earth, Venus, Luna, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto, New Hai Phong, Silversun, and the planets of the Eridani Federation are considered Jewel Worlds.

New Hai Phong, sometimes rendered New Haiphong, is an economic powerhouse of the Sol Alliance funded by Hephaestus Industries. The capital of New Hai Phong is Cua Song, built around the coast of a large freshwater sea. Tobacco is the main export of New Hai Phong, serving as the planet’s main claim to fame. The primary language is Sol Common, though the spoken Hai Phongese dialect is notably different. New Hai Phong Common, or NHP Common, is much more tonal-based than Sol Common and has a distinctive accent. Freespeak is also somewhat common on New Hai Phong.

Due to the ethnic make-up of its original settlers and ability for the massive New Hai Phongese population to absorb immigrants into its culture via assimilation, characters born on New Hai Phong must have names and appearances consistent with the peoples of Vietnam, Hong Kong, and South China. Only characters native to New Hai Phong may take the New Hai Phongese accent. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.

History

What would become New Hai Phong had quite humble origins. Originally detected in the late 2100s, New Hai Phong was colonized in the early 2200s by a coalition of Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos with intentions of it being not much more than a base of operations for mining facilities on the nearby ice-covered planet of Chu Nho. But as the mining operations continued industry — primarily that of Hephaestus Industries, then dwelling in the shadow of Einstein Engines — followed, and the inhabitable regions of the planet began to rapidly increase in population and importance over the 2200s.

As New Hai Phong’s industry expanded, so too did Hephaestus’ hold over the planet. As the mines of Chu Nho began to dry up in the early 2300s the planet became more and more reliant upon Hephaestus and the industry it brought: without the sprawling, smoke-belching factories of Hephaestus and the crowded habitation blocs that housed its tens of thousands of employees, New Hai Phong would simply be another Middle Ring mining colony destined for a slow decline into irrelevance. To avoid this fate more and more liberties were given to Hephaestus: regulations on building were lifted, palms were greased to look the other way, and the culture of corruption that now defines much of life on New Hai Phong formed as a result. By the 2400s, Hephaestus’ hold over the planet was all but assured. It is estimated that roughly one in three Hephaestus Industries products undergo final assembly on New Hai Phong, and around four in five products have at least one constituent part assembled on the planet. The presence of Hephaestus is impossible to miss.

But not all are willing to live alongside Hephaestus and the culture of corruption that it has created. Throughout the 2400s there have been various anti-corporate movements on New Hai Phong, but the pervasive corporate influence and corruption of the planet has seen them repeatedly stamped out or bought out. The one movement that has survived is the New Hai Phongese Socialism of Senator Le Hanh Trang and her party, the Solarian Socialist Unity Party. But with their inability to dislodge Hephaestus from the planet using the Solarian Corporate Authority, it remains to be seen who the New Hai Phong of the future will belong to.

On October 19, 2460, New Hai Phong was struck by the largest terrorist attack in the Alliance in recent memory. Several cities and even an orbital shipyard were targeted with a series of bombs found out to be military-grade, with Nhom Hy Vhong reporting the heaviest damage and casualties: immediately after, the planet underwent a period of lockdown by both Solarian and Hephaestus security forces. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Tajara Revolutionary Army in retaliation to the two Tajara bans and the perceived inequality of Tajara in the Alliance. The bombings prompted much outrage towards both the government for its inability to prevent the attack and towards Tajara themselves, culminating in the Third Tajara Ban on November 6, 2462, of which Senator Le Hanh Trang was a major sponsor, alongside Senator Hendrik Strom.

Environment

The planet of New Hai Phong.

New Hai Phong orbits a binary star system, named Mau Sang and Tia Sang. Hai Phongese years are about ten Terran months and, due to the planet’s orbit, the cooler seasons are about two Terran months shorter than the hotter seasons. Heavy winds and monsoons hit much of Nha O during the monsoon season, which starts towards the end of spring and ends during mid-fall.

Water covers about 63% of the surface of New Hai Phong with one large, snaking landmass called Nha O covering the rest of the planet. What is not dotted with lakes, rivers, and swamps on Nha O is mostly covered in a savannah environment, with deserts closer to the equator. New Hai Phong has a near-breathable surface atmosphere and a similar gravity to Earth. The only equipment needed to breathe comfortably on the surface is a respirator mask. The average temperature at the equator is 36°C, 30°C at the 35th parallel during the summer, 22°C at the 35th parallel during the winter, and 10°C at the poles.

Flora and Fauna

  • Cua quy: Large crustaceans, usually around two to three feet tall, with carapace colours ranging from rich brown to dark green. Semi-aquatic, they live on the beaches of Nha O and burrow into the sand to attack unsuspecting prey to lay their eggs in the corpses. Luckily, cua quy completely ignore humans and some even show signs of a “human allergy”, in which contact with a human can cause some manner of infection.
  • Co duyen: A long-eared mammal with reddish fur that travels in packs in the boreal regions of Nha O. They are omnivorous scavenger-hunters, seen with equal parts endearment and notoriety in the cities of New Hai Phong due to their tendency to root around in garbage bins and slip into restaurants seeking food. They are incredibly social animals, and some New Hai Phongese even keep them as pets. However, the environmental bureau strongly advises keeping co duyen in homes due to their restless nature, and they are known to tear up apartments when unsupervised.
  • Zai nhieu nai: A heavyset ungulate similar in appearance to a water buffalo. Zai nhieu nai roam Nha O in packs, migrating from pole to pole during the monsoon season when their usual grazing grounds become flooded. When they reach the beaches, they are often targets for the predation of cua quy. Some farmers on New Hai Phong herd zai nhieu nai, cultivating them for their soft, waterproof fur, fatty meat, and rich milk.
  • Nguoi jan: A species of simians, roughly four to five feet in height when fully erect, with a light covering of fur that ranges in colour from brown, red, and very rarely white. They have short tails and are semi-bipedal, forming social groups remarkably similar to early hominids. Much anthropological and biological study has been performed on nguoi jan; some scientists to speculate they could one day evolve into hominids similar to Homo sapiens. Nguoi jan and their habitats are protected by law on New Hai Phong, though recently there is some concern among scientific societies that Hephaestus Industries may attempt to subvert said regulations for further development.
  • Hoa lua co: Tall, stalk-like grasses that occasionally bloom with orange flowers. Hoa lua co is edible, and can be crushed into hoa flour or the flowers collected to decorate homes.

Government and Politics

Government flag of New Hai Phong.

Local politics on New Hai Phong — generally that below the senatorial level — is not defined by political ideology or economic class due to the endemic corruption of the planet. Instead, it is defined by local communities known as blockfams that have banded together in order to influence local politics. Blockfams are entirely willing to barter and engage in local corruption themselves in order to get what they and their community members want or need, and are not idealistic communities. Blockfams have been known to compete against each other or collude with one another as their needs change, but hardly anything is constant in the relationships between blockfams, the local authorities, or other blockfams. Oftentimes negotiations between blockfams are not done with currency, but by bartering power, favours, and resources between themselves so that there is no credit trail should the planetary authorities, who themselves are corrupt by many measures, decide that any given blockfam’s operations are inconvenient. Corruption is a fact of life on the planet, and blockfams are simply a way for the average resident of New Hai Phong to get what they need from a corrupt system.

Local governance across the planet beneath the city-scale varies greatly. In one part of a city one could find a corporate-dominated community where Hephaestus owns everything including the police and emergency services, while in another a neighborhood sleepy apartment buildings which pay bribes to the local authorities to look the other way on the illegal gambling dens in the basements, while somewhere else still, the occasional city district or blockfam which operates untainted by corruption, or at least mostly untainted. Despite this presence however, many in the government and authorities do fight a nearly impossible battle against corruption through their actions as individuals or as part of the institutions they represent, but challenges are great. The omnipresent interest of Hephaestus industries dominates life on New Hai Phong, the money from the illicit gambling rooms run by the Zau Gwai Jyu is alluring, and already present expectations of corruption do not make fighting the problems easy. Anti-corruption proceedings themselves often are used merely as instruments for one corrupt politician to dispose of a political rival in a “legitimate” manner, rather than hiring a hit. Despite these challenges though, many on the planet dream of a New Hai Phong with a more just way of life. Some galvanize politically with Senator Trang’s movement, while others who have lost faith in any and all politics simply work to fight corruption in their own lives in the small ways where they can.

New Hai Phong’s government is generally regarded to be substandard by the broader Alliance due to rampant corruption that is present at every level of civil government. The planet has a singular senator, Le Hanh Trang, in the Alliance Senate. Locally, the government of New Hai Phong on the planet itself is divided between its three cities and the powerful governors that rule over them. Due to their ten year terms and the immense corruption of the megacities themselves, these governors essentially serve for life and almost always come from local political dynasties that have the money to buy their way into the governorship. As lifelong rulers of the planet’s megacities, the three governors of New Hai Phong wield immense power over the planet. Thanks to this its planetary governor must often defer to the city governors’ demands, and thus the demands of Hephaestus Industries by extension.

Compared to the city governors, the planet’s legitimate Solarian governor, Lai Naam, is nearly powerless and almost completely defanged. A Frost-era appointee, Lai was given his position in 2462 and told that he would have all the support he needed in order to fight widespread corruption on New Hai Phong. But shortly after his appointment the phoron crisis began, and the Alliance rapidly had much bigger problems to deal with. Lai found himself unsupported and at the mercy of his “subordinate” governors, and his situation only further deteriorated following the death of Frost and the Solarian Collapse of 2463. Now, with the SCA having given up on New Hai Phong and the three governors as powerful as ever, Lai seems to be a defeated man, content to simply wait out the remainder of his appointment and retire to a comfortable apartment in the Core Worlds after it is over.

Megalopolis Governors

Quách Diễm Nguyen

The current Governor of Cua Song, Quách Diễm Nguyen (b. 2410) is a woman from the Quách family known for her deep connections to both Hephaestus Industries and Idris Incorporated. Nguyen’s two terms as governor have seen Cua Song’s more affluent neighborhoods along the coast prosper through tourism that is often connected to Idris Incorporated. More inland neighborhoods further from the Sanh Song Sea have seen little of this prosperity, with Nguyen having ignored much of southern Cua Song in favor of the touristy north. Southern Cua Song is a hotbed of New Hai Phongese Socialism, though its residents remain unable to dislodge the governor.

Lý Quốc Thành

The Governor of Nhom Hy Vong, Lý Quốc Thành (b. 2390) is deeply entwined with Hephaestus Industries, which is at its strongest in the massive factories of Nhom Hy Vong. Thành, in his three terms as governor, has done much to further the interests of his corporate sponsors and much less for the typical New Hai Phonger in his megacity. The advent of the SCA in 2463 was a temporary cause for immense panic by Thành and his family, and the Lýs are rumored to have nearly fled the governor’s mansion in the night for Biesel. This rumor, and his constant favoring of Hephaestus, have won Thành few friends, and the younger residents of Nhom Hy Vong have turned many of its districts into strongholds of New Hai Phongese Socialism.

Yueng Long

The Governor of Ton Gwai Pei, Yueng Long (b. 2411) is unlike his two counterparts: he makes no efforts to hide his corruption, and actively promotes it as a positive aspect of his governorship. Anybody can do almost anything in Ton Gwai, as long as they have enough money to pay the governor for it. As a result, Ton Gwai is divided between dozens of small “fiefdoms”, supervised by people that have paid Yueng for the right to control the area. Entire districts can be governed by criminal syndicates, local notables, or megacorporations (generally Hephaestus, if industrial, or Idris, if intended for tourism). This system has made Yueng one of the wealthiest men on New Hai Phong, and he has resisted all attempts to remove him due to this wealth and the support of his fellow city governors. Despite his personal success New Hai Phongese Socialism has continued to build among the ordinary residents of Tom Gwai, which suffer all of the issues and gain none of the profit of Darany’s system of graft.

New Hai Phongese Socialism

One word defines the government of New Hai Phong at every level: corruption. Bribes, often originating in Hephaestus Industries, have become a part of daily life for the planet’s citizens, many of which have long regarded local corruption as simply a fact of life in the Alliance’s industrial capital. Anti-corruption efforts are often stymied and die out before they pass even the lowest levels of the planet’s governing body, and many believe that Hephaestus Industries is similarly behind this. Yet despite the General apathy of the planet towards its corruption, there is an exception: Le Hanh Trang’s New Hai Phongese Socialists.

Long viewed as a crusader against corruption, Le Hanh Trang and her party, the Solarian Socialist Unity Party, have their roots — and power base — firmly in the widespread dissatisfaction felt by many younger Haiphongers with the corruption of their government in recent years. Trang and the SSUP first rode this wave to win New Hai Phong’s only Alliance Senate seat, and have long attempted to break the stranglehold of Hephaestus over the planet through legislative means. Yet despite her best efforts, Trang was unable to break the planet and Hephaestus apart even during the height of the anti-megacorporate Solarian Corporate Authority. The once-public Trang has slunk into the political shadows following her defeat, and rumors have begun to swirl that she and her party are merely proxies of Einstein Engines that intend to sell New Hai Phong to it after wresting it from Hephaestus. The survival of Trang as a viable candidate for the position of Prime Minister is anything but certain, but her movement — with its emphasis on fighting for the common Solarian worker against megacorporations— will assuredly outlast her.

Economics

By leveraging their building rights on New Hai Phong, Hephaestus Industries has managed to seep into every crack of the planet. Large swathes of land on New Hai Phong are owned by Hephaestus, connected to the three megalopolises through bullet train networks. Hephaestus Industries has built numerous industrial factories, manufacturing plants, and research labs over the landscape, with the largest complexes being nicknamed cities. Hephaestus’ headquarters on New Hai Phong is the Sieng Nang Zi Complex, just 40 kilometers from the outskirts of Cua Song.

Thanks to Hephaestus, New Hai Phong’s economy is comparatively a roaring success. Though the planet loses significant GDP from corruption, unemployment figures are through the floor and New Hai Phong maintains zero planetary debt. Hephaestus provides around 70% of all employment with 15% of Hephaestus jobs dealing with management and the remaining 85% dealing with all kinds of manufacturing, often the manufacturing of atmospheric equipment.

New Hai Phong also invests heavily in agriculture, being said to produce nearly all of the galaxy’s tobacco. However, tobacco has slowly lost popularity due to the outlawing and growing stigma of tobacco usage in many systems. Ironically enough, because of the thin atmosphere and airtight homes, few on New Hai Phong have even smoked tobacco and chewing tobacco is frowned upon because of its harsh effects on health and appearance.

New Hai Phong has gradually branched out to other crops such as tea, coffee beans, cocoa beans, rice, soybean, and sugarcane. In particular, Hai Phongese tea is very popular as both a local and an exported product with many locals drinking tea with almost every meal.

Culture and Demographics

For most of New Hai Phong's inhabitants, living conditions are poor. The metropolises have double-populated hab-cube buildings to save space, with privacy being rare. Because of this, "blockmates" will treat each other in a familial manner, calling themselves "blockfams". Blockfams are incredibly tight-knit, and loyalty to one’s blockfam is fierce and passionate; legendary disputes have been held between multiple large blockfams. Blocks inhabited by poorer citizens are often in poor repair with jury-rigging solutions and shoddy fortifications generally left to local communities.

Outside of the three metropolises or surrounding towns, a rare few settlements exist in the deserts and jungles. Desert-dwellers live in small familial groups, usually working as moisture farmers or hunters that live off the land.

Corruption is also a constant problem on New Hai Phong. All three of the planet's metropolises struggle with bribery at every level, from local police departments to top officials. It is an open secret that Hephaestus Industries is behind most of these bribes as a means of retaining financial control over the planet. The practice of bribery itself is essential to everyday life on New Hai Phong; shopkeeps unable to pay "fees" to the city police find their business constantly raided on suspicions of every offence imaginable. Similarly, hapless tourists have found themselves booted off of the planet for non-specific crimes against local communities after failing to provide supplementary "administration fees" with their travel papers.

Substance abuse and addiction, especially alcoholism, are also major problems due to the variety of high-stress situations both Hephaestus employment and the planet place on many citizens. This problem is only worsened by the fact that the legal drinking age on New Hai Phong is 13 and the legal age to buy alcohol is 17, leading to numerous teenagers falling to binge drinking. Though many drink, it is considered shameful to be inebriated in public. Heavy fines and mandatory community service in gruelling environments are given to those caught intoxicated, along with peer-shaming. In recent years, however, there has been a steep decline in teenage alcoholism, giving hope that the next generation may face fewer problems with drug abuse and addiction.

Fashion

Much of New Hai Phongese fashion is very practical, modifying both traditional and modern clothing to suit the environment of New Hai Phong. Conical hats, especially non la, are commonplace to shield citizens from the sweltering suns and heavy rains. For those in desert regions, a transparent, knee-length veil is attached to the rim of the hat to block the harsh effects of sandstorms. Conical hats are often left plain or decorated to better suit the style of one’s clothing. The most basic New Hai Phongese look is a conical hat, a thin tank top, airy shorts, and sneakers with breathable socks. Basic athletic gear is also common.

Traditional fashion is still somewhat popular on New Hai Phong. Ao dai are commonplace, though not without changes for the New Hai Phongese climate. The dress is sometimes sleeveless or cropped to the knee or mid-thigh and the trousers are sometimes made tighter and often cut to match the shorter dress styles. New Hai Phongese ao yem have mostly remained unchanged from the traditional style with the backless garments remaining popular year round. The slightly less common cheongsam are usually made more breathable and are similarly cropped. Changshan are usually made more form fitting, and some New Hai Phongese changshan are styled to be worn open, whether with an undershirt or not.

As the respirator mask is an essential part of life on New Hai Phong, it has become a staple part of local fashion. Respirators are often made in vibrant colors and decorated with stickers, neon-tubing, beads, LEDs, or whatever else the owner prefers. Some more skilled in engineering modify theirs by adding visors, changing the shape, or attaching additional pieces.

Cuisine

Traditional New Hai Phongese cuisine uses animal meat and the hearty plants native to New Hai Phong. The resulting palate consists of soft, sour meats balanced against tough, sweet herb stalks. These herbs are often sucked on after the main course for flavor and nutrition. Most meals are entirely plant-based due to the inflated price of meat, leading to dietary supplement pills and gummies becoming commonplace. For the lower and lower-middle classes, rice, tofu, and other soy-based substitutes are often consumed due to the much cheaper price compared to native crops and meats. All folk on New Hai Phong enjoy a variety of wellmade desserts, including xoi la dua, a dish of sticky rice topped with Nha O Ngot La leaves, and che troi nuoc, sweet rice dumplings filled with beans. Blockfams often have a “noichu nuong”, a team of chefs and cooks individually called ”chudau”, who dedicate their time solely to making food for their blockmates.

Drinks are also a key part of Hai Phongese cuisine, stemming from poorer citizens needing more flavor in their soy product and supplement-based diet. Teas in particular are common due to New Hai Phong’s often forgotten tea leaf farms. White, green, matcha, and honeybush tea are all popular among those stressed out by New Hai Phongese life due to their soft, sweet, soothing flavors. For those who do a lot of physical or manual labor, black tea and pu-erh tea are popular because of their hearty, strengthening flavors. Both native and imported herbs and flowers are usually added for additional flavor, whether to make the taste sweeter or stronger.

One popular food on New Hai Phong is “dua zi mon”, literally “chopstick food” when translated, which is prepared by wrapping small balls of cooked meat, cooked fish, or raw fish in hoa dough before baking. Once finished, dua zi mon is ready to eat. It is a popular game among friends to see who can get the most duazi mon from the serving platter onto their plate unsurprisingly using one of the most common utensils through human space--chopsticks.

Education

Thanks to heavy funding from Hephaestus Industries, many colleges and universities offer incredible experience for those working in manufacturing and atmospherics. One such college is the Atmospheric Learning Institute of Kho Nang, or ALIKN, which is the main institute in Cua Song’s University District. ALIKN’s students are often jokingly called “aliens” as a fudging of the acronym’s spelling. Many atmospheric technicians, engine technicians, and toxin researchers come out of ALIKN, which also holds a small but steady group of airborne virologists.

Unsurprisingly, many graduates from the university are snatched up by Hephaestus who offers scholarship-to-employment programs to the gifted. Other corporations such as Einstein Engines also snipe graduates for their relevant departments. One notable graduate is Elisa Tung, inventor of the Shok-Free Protected Atmospherics System integrated into most high-end combat exosuits.

Population and Major Cities

Cua Song

Like the other three megalopolises, Cua Song is made up of modular “habitation cubes” that are essentially extremely compact and airtight pieces of a home that are combined to form proper buildings. Hab-cube buildings are organized by blocks. Cua Song is built along much of the Sanh Song Sea, a freshwater sea rich with life and resources and a source of pride of the denizens of the megalopolis. Cua Song is known for its very scenic seaside view and beautifully decorated hab-buildings, becoming the main tourist location on New Hai Phong.

Grand hotels can be found along the coast and uptown in Cua Song, often connected to the Ngoi Sao Chuyen Spaceport by tramways. Minibuses shuttle tourists downtown to neon-lit nightclubs, vibrant lounges, and lively night markets while taxis bring others uptown to the elegant restaurants, ornate water puppet theaters, pampering spas, and classy music clubs. Some tourists wander the busy streets, trying local street foods like soy-fish dua zi mon and tea-soaked hoa bread or snapping pictures with friendly locals. Bullet trains shoot out of Cho Nga Tu Station bringing more adventurous tourists to Ton Gwai Pei and workers off to Hephaestus Industries’ Sieng Nang Zi Complex.

Few tourists, however, visit the poorer areas of Cua Song far away from the Sanh Song Sea where the streets are almost empty, the rundown hab-buildings are covered in political graffiti, and the sidewalks are littered in sand-covered garbage. Southern Cua Song, often called Ghe Song, was built over barren desert. Extreme sandstorms in Ghe Song are a constant problem during “monsoon” season, often leading to blockfams organizing strikes on other blocks for much needed supplies.

Some notable blockfams in Cua Song include the peppy, friendly folk of Mat Troi Block, the traditional, yet open-minded residents of Bieu Tuong Block, and the talented and humble artisans of Tinh Than Block. Some notable blockfams in Ghe Song include the shady, dark-loving recluses of Tinh Than Block and the anti-corporate, passionate graffiti artists of Noi Day Block.

Nhom Hy Vong

Nhom Hy Vong is by far the area with the heaviest Hephaestus presence and where much of the planet’s industry comes from. The megalopolis sprawls along the Sea of Ca Ngay, the largest freshwater sea on New Hai Phong, and is divided in two by the Suot Maan River. To the east lies Gung Hy Vong, home to many factories and office buildings, and to the west is Nong Hy Vong which is packed with apartments and greenhouses.

In Gung Hy Vong, Hephaestus Industries owns a massive number of manufacturing plants, office buildings, and industrial factories. A good number of Hephaestus’ employees on New Hai Phong work in Gung Hy Vong, with most of the rest working in the Sieng Nang Zi Complex that connects to the city by bullet train. Nong Hy Vong is a stark contrast with brightly colored hab-cube buildings topped with gardens and giant glass greenhouses spread throughout the area. The region is known for its wonderful interior decorating and tasty vegetable dishes.

Some notable blockfams in Gung Hy Vong include the cold and distant folk of Khong Bo Cam Block and the stepford smilers of Gia Mao Block. Some notable blockfams in Nong Hy Vong include the extremely religious residents of Ton Giao Block and the family-orientated farmers of Nuoi Faan Block.

Ton Gwai Pei

Though the smallest of the megalopolises, Ton Gwai Pei is much more densely packed. Towering skyscrapers made of hab-cubes and designed with the help of feng shui consultants loom over the crowded, narrow streets of the city. Built on the coast of the Sanh Song Sea opposite to Cua Song, Ton Gwai Pei is known for its gambling houses, seedy nightclubs, and open-secret of a criminal underbelly. Tourists looking for more “excitement” often take the bullet train from safe, peaceful Cua Song to tangle in Ton Gwai Pei’s grime and bustle.

Unlike much of Ton Gwai Pei, or the rest of New Hai Phong for that matter, there is a sizable area called Zau Gwai Jyu where public intoxication is tolerated. This is mostly due to the heavy handed control the local crime syndicate have over Zau Gwai Jyu. The Pou Zyu Sau, as they are called, keep a grip over the management of Zau Gwai Jyu with lots of money, a decent amount of threats, and a handful of murders. The Pou Zyu Sau run multiple “hedon dens” where customers can partake in any drug, narcotic, or alcohol that won’t clog the vents.

Some notable blockfams in Ton Gwai Pei include the sultry, hedonistic gamblers of Con Seoi Block, the fatalistic artists of Tu Su Son Block, and the cutthroat businesspeople of Cong Hoi Block. One notable blockfam in Zau Gwai Jyu are the strong willed, drug free folk of Seng Tinh Zau Block.