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>La Villa Strangiato
>La Villa Strangiato
 
(не показано 7 промежуточных версий этого же участника)
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A [[Sol Alliance#Middle Colonies|middle colony]] with an amazingly hospitable climate across most of the planet, and large oceans, '''Silversun''' is well-known as the main tourist destination and retirement point for the wealthy elite of the [[Sol Alliance]]. In recent decades, the planet has seen heavy investment by Idris Incorporated. One of the bank's major branches is located here - a gleaming monolith dedicated to corporate wealth located in Silversun's capital city, Helios City - the spot where the first colonists touched down centuries ago.
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.  


With a minimum temperature of 17.4°C in the winter and a maximum temperature of 27°C in the summer, Silversun's main climate zone could be described as "eternal spring". Humidity varies throughout the year, but is usually low, although soft, pleasant rains are frequent in the summer.
'''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.'''
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==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.


Human residents of Silversun are divided into two major groups: descendants of the original colonists, and the rich Expatriates. Political tensions are extremely high, but have not yet boiled over into violence, and Silversun's political situation has dramatically worsened due to the ongoing phoron crisis and Solarian Collapse. While historically an area for political debate, the political quagmire that is Silversun's government has only worked to fuel tensions.
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.


==History==
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.
Silversun is one of the first Middle Colonies, sometimes even being called a sister colony to [[New Hai Phong]]. As colonization had, by this point, become an effort run by the Alliance, the original colonists sent to Silversun were from all around [[Earth]] - no real nationality or ethnicity dominated, leading to a diverse set of backgrounds and beliefs being sent to Silversun. While being too distant from the heart of the Alliance to become a jewel world such as [[Venus]], its pleasant climate still made it very appealing to its first settlers.
Shortly after landing it was discovered that the planet was incredibly hospitable in almost all of its areas. The planet was quite comfortable in terms of temperature, with it never really becoming too hot or too cold to be comfortable, and lacked major weather phenomena such as typhoons or the intense storms that battered Silversun's sister colony on New Hai Phong. Flora and fauna were abundant, beautiful, and quite docile - some species of avians would nest in the prefab buildings of the first colonists without caring that they were aliens, and aggressive wildlife was notably lacking. Having just come from the still environmentally-devastated Earth, the first colonists of Silversun came to cherish their newfound homes. This viewpoint would, eventually, lead some to come into conflict with the Idris Incorporated investors and staff that arrived on the planet after its initial colonization.
[[File:Silversun.png|An image of Silversun, displaying its tropical oceanic environment from orbit. |thumb]]
Instead, '''[[Idris Incorporated]]''' committed to making Silversun a planet-wide resort for the Alliance's wealthy, particularly [[Venus#Cytherean Culture|Cythereans]], investing heavily into constructing entire cities from scratch and staffing it with high-quality service staff and primitive, non-intelligent service droids such as automatic bartender and waiter systems to ensure the highest possible quality of service was guaranteed. High apartment prices ensured that only the most powerful and affluent would move into these new Idris-built homes that quickly became symbols of status to own. Occasionally even entire cities were left deserted due to lack of immigrants able to afford housing or willing to settle in the Middle Ring. Large areas of jungle were marked for development by the colonial government, which some of the original colonists suspected of being increasingly in the pocket of Idris Incorporated. The destruction of these large swaths of jungle caused anger amongst some members of the original colonists, and damage to the ecological system of the planet. The planet remained beautiful - as was the intention of Idris' architects while designing these sprawling resort towns - but some of the raw natural beauty of the planet was forever lost in this period.


The settlements of the original colonists, meanwhile, gradually had tourism make up more and more of their economies as Idris Incorporated increased its investments and began hiring heavily from local areas to reduce costs. The previous local industries - primarily agriculture - began to fall to the side as more and more individuals became involved in the service industry, or supporting the service industry, that was developing on Silversun as a result of Idris' heavy investments in the planet. In these first years of Silversun's booming tourist industry the primary visitors were Cythereans from Venus, though wealthy visitors from across the growing Alliance could be found on the planet. Senators from Sol, Hephaestus executives from New Hai Phong, and Eridanian suits amongst others could all be found vacationing or holding business in the beautiful resorts of Silversun. The original colonists were somewhat divided on the matter of Silversun's new primary industry. Some viewed the rapid growth of the tourism industry as a boon to Silversun - and a method to make it more relevant than other planets in the Middle Ring - while others, perhaps the majority, viewed the growth of the tourism industry with varying levels of suspicion. Some felt that the planet's culture would become sanitized in order to achieve the maximum Idris quality appeal to outsiders, while others worried that the large amount of development needed to support the rapidly growing tourism industry would negatively impact the planet's environment. Though the issues at hand have changed, this divide between new and old residents of Silversun remains a major cultural conflict for the planet.
==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.


Everything changed with the discovery of [[Skrell]], however. Once the Skrell learned of Silversun, they have expressed high interest in the planet due to the climate, which is especially pleasant for the amphibious species during the rain season. A couple years after the first contact a large wave of Skrell tourists arrived at the planet, which was caused by a Skrell idol advertising the planet on Skrell social media. Afterwards, Silversun ports saw anyone with the money to afford a trip to the planet arriving - flooding the only small spaceport at Helios City - and often staying. The problem only got worse during the rainy seasons, with many Skrell scientists and officials taking vacations here. This exact moment moved the Sol Alliance to introduce their famously strict visa requirements, and only tighten them ever since.
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.  


A recent point of conflict between the descendants of the original colonists and Idris has been the presence of IPCs - primarily shells and Bishop frames - on the planet. These Idris shells are a recent arrival, and are of some concern to the native workforce. After all - an IPC can work longer hours at less pay than a human, generally does not complain about working 48 hour shifts, and requires only electricity and a roboticist to function. Many of the more recent high-end resorts have a majority-positronic staff, with the famous Villa del Sol staffing itself entirely using Bishop frames (aside from human handlers) as a measure of their wealth as a resort.
=== Flora and Fauna ===
* '''Cua quy (''Orcinocarcinus''):''' A species of 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 (''Caniforme fidelis''):''' 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 (''Bubaliforme newhaiphongae''):''' 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 (''Troglodytes nguoi''):''' 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. They are also highly intelligent, making regular use of rocks and branches as tools to hunt or gather. 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 (''Pictus triticum''):''' 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.
* '''Ngot la tree (''Lissoalbus''):''' A genus of leafy softwood tree with shallow roots found growing all over Nha O. They spread and grow very easily, and prove surprisingly resilient and flexible during typhoons and tropical storms. Bending rather than breaking, a ngot la will be fully uprooted and flung across the land before it actually cracks from strong winds. Ngot la leaves are often used for seasoning in New Hai Phong cuisine.


In the aftermath of the Solarian retreat from much of the Middle and Outer Rings Silversun has remained as one of the few Middle Ring planets under direct Solarian control, and has continued to prosper even in the chaotic environment that has followed the inward retreat of the Orion Spur's hegemonic power. While the Solarian Corporate Authority has nationalized many of the Alliance's megacorporation assets within its borders Silversun has remained untouched -- and has even seen an increase in the Alliance's military presence due to the smaller amount of territory the Navy must patrol -- thanks to Idris paying for the planet's cost in full. Money is, after all, the key to many things - including the Orion Spur's favorite vacation world.
==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.


==Environment==
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.
[[File:Silversunmap.png|thumb|right|A map of Silversun's islands.]]
Silversun is a tropical, primarily oceanic climate with an average daily temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. Most of the planet is covered in oceans. There are five major islands on the planet; New Aotearoa, the Petal Isles, Nu'ulopa, and the islands of Toowoomba-Tauranga. The landmasses on the planet are home to several volcanoes, but most that could cause significant planetary disruption are long-since inactive. The largest active volcano on Silversun is Tagata Taufaamata'u, on the island of Silisili, and it is constantly monitored by scientists around the planet for signs of eruption. Volcano tourism is quite popular, and [[Idris Incorporated]] hosts tours inside the inactive volcano of Rohutu-no'ano'a; the rich volcanic soil is also home to incredible biodiversity.


Silversun's tectonic activity and weather patterns means that tropical storms are incredibly common, and every citizen is prepared for the eventuality of a blaring siren indicating an oncoming hurricane or cyclone. Owing to this, infrastructure on Silversun is flexible, usually lifted some off the ground by poles, or made of waterproofed material.
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.


=== Florae and Faunae ===
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===
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====Silversun dawnflower (''Astraeus helios'')====
====Quách Diễm Nguyen====
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The Silversun dawnflower is a symbol dear to the Originals of the planet. It is a flowering plant found across the planet that blooms in the morning and remains active during the early hours of the light, when it utilizes bioluminescent petals to attract insects to spread its pollen. The flower features an odd arrangement of petals in a dual layer - one set of petals is larger to collect light, while another set surrounding the stigma of the flower are smaller to allow it to remain bioluminescent for a longer period at night. The wide and double-layered petals of the dawnflower along with its surprisingly stubby stigma are a common symbol of the Originals that have been co-opted by the Expatriates in their marketing for Silversun's resorts. Imitation dawnflower pins can be found throughout human (and even [[Skrell|Skrellian]]) space, and both imitations and real dawnflower pins are seen as a very fashionable accessory, demonstrating one's unity with nature (or love of corporate vacation spots).
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.
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====Yincheng reishi (''Ganoderma yincheng'')====
====Lý Quốc Thành====
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Yincheng reishi is not true, Earth-born reishi fungus, but rather a very similar-looking mushroom. While edible and even nutritious, the fungus is most popular for its hallucinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. Some Originals syncretised the ritual consumption of Yincheng reishi to achieve higher understanding or visions with their Earth-originating faiths, and over time it was also incorporated into therapeutic practices and meditation. However, Idris Incorporated has begun cultivating and selling Yincheng reishi across the Spur as a recreational drug, a practice which some Originals decry as cultural appropriation. Silversun is also one of the only places in Sol Alliance where Yincheng reishi is officially legal, though some planets (such as [[Venus]]) have decriminalised it.
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.
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====Soikla (''Soiklos niveus'')====
====Yueng Long====
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The Silversun soikla has some external similarities to the ''Arecaceae'' (palm) family. It is a large, flowering tree crowned with broad, flat leaves, with layers of porous bark from which buds will sprout during the flowering season. The inland soikla, however, has a far shallower root system than palms such as a coconut tree, and can be easily uprooted and planted elsewhere while keeping the tree intact. Rather than producing drupes, the soikla fruits from the buds on its trunk. Soikla fruit is cream and very pale green, with a pit in its centre - it has a crunchy texture and sweet, mild taste when ripe.
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.
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==Politics and Government==
===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.


While Silversun managed to remain cohesive and aligned with the Solarian Alliance during the chaotic period known as the Solarian Collapse its government is hardly the picture of functional governance. While nominally still under the control of popularly-elected Governor Andrew Clarke the military's dominance of the Alliance's emergency government has damaged Governor Clarke's ability to effectively govern Silversun. Governor Clarke's inability to effectively govern has seen him leaning more and more upon the '''Silversun Development Council''' for support in managing the day-to-day affairs of what the Alliance's military government is attempting to promote as a model Middle Ring colony. In theory the Council -- with oversight from the Governor -- works to create a better future on Silversun for both Originals and Expatriates while keeping the ever-present Solarian Navy pleased enough that they will not replace Silversun's governor with a naval officer, as they have with many other Middle Ring planets.  
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.


Unfortunately the Silversun Development Council is riddled with '''infighting''' between various factions on the planet. The most powerful faction in the Council is the pro-Idris Incorporated ''Tourism Development Group of Silversun''. Made up of Expatriates and the occasional Original affiliated with [[Idris Incorporated]], it is very clear to most that the Development Group is Idris' way of manipulating Silversun's politics to be friendly towards the megacorporation. The weaker faction in the Council is the anti-Idris ''Environmental and Cultural Preservation Group of Silversun''. Primarily made up of Originals and the extremely rare Expatriate paid or convinced to support them, the Preservation Group is dedicated to fighting what seems to be a losing battle against the unquantifiable wealth of Idris Incorporated. But while they are losing the fight over Silversun the Preservation Group retains enough influence to dead-lock the Council if needed, which will undoubtedly lead to an even worse situation in the government.
==Economics==


And the man atop this dysfunctional organization, Governor Clarke himself, is simply attempting to ride it out and hold onto what power he has all while reporting on his government's success to the Alliance. Despite his well-known status an incompetent (and corrupt) official elected mostly due to the interference of Idris Incorporated in 2460's planetary elections and to stamp off on proposals by the megacorporation, the Governor understands that he must ensure the planet remains stable and attractive to the tourists that keep the local economy running. He also understands that if he does not preserve Silversun's status as the ideal vacation area of the entire Orion Spur, the rug will very quickly be pulled out from under him.
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.


But those that will pull the rug out from under Governor Clarke are most likely not his exceedingly wealthy benefactors in Idris Incorporated. Instead an increasingly irate military-dominated Solarian Alliance has Silversun and its governor under an extremely watchful eye, simply waiting for Clarke to make a mistake severe enough to permit his removal without causing unrest on the planet itself. Many argue that the Solarian Navy's significantly larger presence in the Nova Gallia system, and particularly around the most populated planet in it: Silversun, is intended more to intimidate the local government than it is to protect against pirate or Stellar Corporate Conglomerate incursions.
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.


===Education===
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.
Most, if not all, of education on Silversun is run by the [[Sol Alliance]]. The planet has few centers of higher education due to its widespread tourism industry, with most universities being operated and staffed by descendants of the original colonists and focusing themselves upon the natural sciences due to the planet's bountiful biosphere. The Helios City Institute of Botanical Sciences (Coloquially referred to as the Heliodome due to its massive, dome-shaped greenhouse) is definitively the most famous institute of its kind in the Middle Ring, and is perhaps the most well-known in the entire Solarian Alliance. Researchers from it have found employment through human and even Skrell space, and the Institute boasts a decent population of non-human students due to Silversun's focus on tourism and the Institute's prestige.


As the Idris Incorporated presence on the planet has increased, so has its influence on the kinds of job training that a person may receive on the planet. In the city of Yincheng is the Yincheng Academy of Security Sciences and Criminology, an Idris-owned institution that aims to equip any attendee with the knowledge they might need to succeed in a high-level corporate security, law, or private military environment. Idris Incorporated is known for offering jobs to the top performing students right out of the academy, and for many is seen as a gateway into the world of Idris' security operations.
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==
[[File:Silversunflag.png|thumb|250px|The flag of Silversun.]]
There are two major cultural groups on Silversun, with a major divide running between them. These groups are the descendants of the original colonists called the Originals and the later settlers brought in by Idris called the Expatriates. The Originals tend to be more anti-Idris than the later Expatriates, which tend to be the result of corporate-sponsored settlements by Idris following the discovery of the planet's incredibly hospitable environment. This cultural wedge has been built over the course of decades - perhaps centuries - by Idris' efforts to develop the planet into a gigantic luxury resort and the efforts of many of its original colonists to become something more than a nature reserve for rich Solarians.


===The Originals===
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.


As with many colonies of the Alliance, the settlers of Silversun were an eclectic group puled from across the Earth and unified by one thing: a mutual desire to leave humanity's decaying home behind and make a new, better life for themselves elsewhere. Many of the original settlers of Silversun were descended from the residents of areas lost to global-warming induced flooding and motivated to seek a new life elsewhere, signing up for the colonial mission in the 2250s that would see Silversun settled in 2253. The experience of watching Earth gradually fall apart and their homes sink beneath the waves instilled in these original settlers are conservationist tradition, and a desire to live alongside nature rather than conquer it. The original colonial settlements that have not yet been overtaken by Idris Incorporated, such as certain districts of Silverport preserved as tourist traps, demonstrate this commitment to living alongside nature: "green space" can be found throughout their urban spaces, and these spaces tend to naturally blend into the surrounding countryside rather than dominating it. The Originals, as they are now called following Idris' arrival, additionally became renowned for their agricultural and botanical research conducted on Silversun, with the Helios City Institute of Botanical Sciences becoming renowned throughout the Alliance and even well-known in the Nralakk Federation. Most Originals dedicated themselves to living in a self-sustaining manner, even if this ultimate did result in the planet being less wealthy than average. But despite their dedication to preserving the planet as it was forces far beyond the control of Silversun's Originals would see the arrival of [[Idris Incorporated]] in 2357 due to the planet's immense attractiveness as a vacation destination for the rich of the Alliance, and Idris' arrival would permanently and irreversibly shift the cultural climate and outlook of the Originals.
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.


Watching their planet turn into a gigantic tourist trap for rich people from across the Orion Spur -- though most tourists are their fellow Solarians -- while being unable to do anything to prevent the transformation due to the immense wealth of Idris Incorporated compared to any singular non-Jewel World planet in the Alliance has made cynics out of many of the Originals. It has, furthermore, caused the community of Originals to fracture along the fault line that is Idris Incorporated: some believe that the megacorporation must be fought no matter what, while others believe that it is better to instead work with the megacorporation in the hope that Idris will come to appreciate the planet's natural beauty more with native colonists of it in its company. The relationship between anti-Idris Originals and the Expatriates -- the settlers brought by Idris Incorporated and their descendants -- are horrific at best, though not on the level of breaking into open violence. Protests against further expansion by Idris Incorporated are common -- though futile, due to the immense power wielded by the megacorporation -- and an active effort is being made by most Originals to hang onto their distinctive cultural background that existed prior to Idris' arrival on the planet. To most outside observers it is clear that the Originals are fighting a losing battle against Idris Incorporated, with the megacorporation having retained its power over Silversun despite Originals having poured support into the anti-corporate Industrial Reclamation Mandate of 2463. But despite the battle being a losing one, many Originals believe it one worth fighting.
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.


But many more have simply seen the writing on the teal wall, and have left their second home to once again seek a better life. While many go abroad in search of better employment -- such as botanical research positions -- some simply go abroad due to Idris' hold on the planet being unbearably tight, and utterly unbreakable. While the Originals' diaspora is small they can be found throughout the Alliance and beyond, often championing their cause of closer and better relations with the natural ecosystem of their planets.
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.


===The Expatriates===
===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.


The so-called Expatriates of Silversun are a wealthy and influential minority on the colony closely and intrinsically tied to Idris Incorporated, which the overwhelming majority of Expatriates still work for today. The first Expatriates had a diverse background, originating from across the Solarian Alliance, but were -- and remain -- unified by their association with Idris Incorporated. The Expatriates are, as a rule, generally wealthier than their native counterparts due to affiliation with Idris and less inclined to care as much for Silversun's natural ecosystem. Expatriates often live in their own communities free of Originals that have security provided by Idris' in-house security forces, and spend much of their time not interacting with the "upstart and uncooperative" natives of the planet. The culture of the Expatriates on Silversun is closely wedded to Idris Incorporated itself, due to the megacorporation sponsoring Expatriate settlements on the planet. Silversun is considered to be a very pleasant posting by Idris Incorporated employees -- even its security personnel responsible for "containing" protests by Originals that stray too close to Idris property (which in some areas can be the majority of a city) -- and many lower-ranking employees constantly vying for a position on the planet. Expatriates are often considered to be some of the best employees Idris has to offer due to their extreme loyalty to the megacorporation, and many Expatriate families have worked for Idris for upwards of three generations.
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.


Despite not being the original settlers of the planet the Expatriates consider themselves to be just as Silversunian as their native counterparts, and are proud of the home they have created for themselves and their megacorporation. They -- not the Originals -- have turned Silversun from an utterly irrelevant backwater focused upon analyzing plants and animals to the premier tourism destination for the Solarian Alliance, if not the Orion Spur. With tourists coming to Silversun from as far afield as the Nralakk Federation and Coalition of Colonies the success of the Expatriates is clearly seen by everybody on the planet more concerned with people than plant life, and they are riding high on a level of success that even the Alliance's (to the Expatriates, misguided) Industrial Reclamation Mandate of 2463 could not even put a damper on. However the relationship between the Expatriates and the Originals on Silversun are increasingly hostile, though not quite on the level of open violence, and have worsened in recent years. Success often breeds jealousy, after all, and the Expatriates of Silversun are nothing if not successful. They, and Idris Incorporated, are clearly in the more favorable position to win the political war over Silversun despite the dogged -- and perhaps futile -- resistance of the Originals and an increasingly anti-corporate Alliance. To the Expatriates, preserving success is something worth rolling up their teal sleeves and fighting for.
===Cuisine===


Expatriates found abroad are often Idris Incorporated employees (temporarily) assigned to off-world facilities in order to promote the megacorporation's many interests abroad and typically retain a strong connection to Silversun itself, typically through familial ties. The "diaspora" of Silversun's Expatriates is truly inseparable from Idris Incorporated, and very few are found abroad without some connection to the megacorporation. As Silversunners are often regarded as some of the best (and most loyal) employees of Idris Incorporated they often find themselves assigned to important postings for Idris, such as in cross-corporation contracting positions.
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.


===Positronics===
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.


The overwhelming majority of [[IPC]] frames found on Silversun are owned by [[Idris Incorporated]] or one of its affiliates, with Expatriate families often leasing out (or being rewarded with) an IPC from the megacorporation. While Idris maintains a significant presence of security IPCs, such as IRUs and ISUs, on the planet most IPCs on Silversun can be found in the planet's service or tourism sector and most tend to be higher-end models such as Bishop or shell frames, in order to achieve Idris Incorporated's famously high quality in all things. Even the positronics of Silversun have managed to become a point of conflict between the Expatriates and Originals due to the manner in which Idris' shells utilized on Silversun are designed: they are build resembling the native population of the planet and are programmed with the accent common to Originals in order to give tourists the "authentic Silversun experience" in Idris' resorts, which primarily tend to draw their employees from the Expatriate community. While the construction of these positronics is point of protest for many Originals it remains likely that Idris will stay its course due to high profits from its "authentically-staffed" resorts.
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.


===Fashion===
===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.


Silversun fashion is, like much on the planet, a point of contention between the Originals and Expatriates in addition to being a massive source of profit for Idris Incorporated. The fashion of the Originals according to the Originals themselves is generally full of muted, earthen tones and designed to be very breathable in order to both encourage sustainability and function well in the warm, humid coastal environments that dominate Silversun. The fashion of the Originals according to the Expatriates is full of flashy, attractive colors that draw the eye of off-world customers and tourists alike. The best example of this is easily the extremely successful line of Silversun fashion from ''Le Soleil Royal'', Idris' major fashion subsidiary, such as floral print Silversun shirts. Despite protests from Originals that their culture is being hijacked and morphed for profit, Idris' Silversun fashion lines continue to bring in massive profits for the megacorporation.
==Population and Major Cities==


===Major Holidays===
===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.


The most famous (and most controversial) holiday on Silversun is the '''Festival of the Silver Seas''', which is celebrated every year on the 9th of April. The Festival of the Silver Seas is (allegedly) a celebration both of the day that the firsts colonists made landfall on the planet and of their dedication to preserving the planet's unique ecosystem for future generations to enjoy that brings together both Expatriate and Original in a celebration of everything that makes Silversun a beautiful and great planet. In reality it is an extremely disingenuous corporate attempt to co-opt native culture in order to promote tourism to Silversun that has only continued due to Idris Incorporated's feverent promotion of it. While many view the holiday as nothing more than a chance to become exceedingly drunk and wake up in a dumpster (or worse) on the 10th of April the native population of the planet often stages their largest anti-Idris protests on or near the Festival, and tensions are typically highest on the planet during the week of the Festival of the Silver Seas. Idris Incorporated security personnel on Silversun are generally placed on high alert during the period surrounding the Festival, which they typically refer to as the "Week from Hell."
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.


==Notable Settlements==
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.
Silversun has a bevy of settlements spread across its various islands, ranging from pre-planned towns housing five-star resorts and hundreds of thousands of expats to the sleepier, less frequented smaller towns mostly dominated by Native Silversunners. While the types of settlements may vary some, those listed below are the most notable of all of Silversun's cities and towns, and would be known to almost every Silversunner, if only by name. Each of the cities below has its own culture that that most of its inhabitants are proud of and try to represent, if only because it is encouraged by Idris Incorporated in most cases due to it making the monetizing of those very cultures easier.
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==== Helios City ====
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Located near Silversun’s equator, Helios City is the capital of Silversun, its largest port, and the central hub for its economy. The city was founded originally in 2253 as Helios Base One, the first base on the planet where colonization was organized from on the lush tropical world. Spearheaded by American capital and interests, the city soon grew to be the most important in the newly colonised world, a position which it has more or less maintained throughout the planet’s history to the present day. Helios City is the home to nearly one-third of all of Silversun’s population and is a massive, sprawling megalopolis that has grown from its humble beginnings to encompass six islands, each of which are connected to one another by colossal Idris-funded and Hephaestus-made railroad and motorway bridges that stand high above the waves of Silversun’s crystal blue oceans. The largest of these islands, Apollo Island, is closed to the general public and is home to the Apollo Solar Array, the largest solar power plant in the Orion Spur. It covers most of the entire 250,000 square kilometres of the island it sits on with solar panels or other energy infrastructure like windmills that generate enough electricity to comfortably power most of Silversun, though smaller, more local solar arrays can be found all over Silversun. Though built by Einstein Engines, it is now owned by Idris Incorporated who contract its maintenance out to Hephaestus Industries and run tours for those interested in seeing the spectacle.


Helios City is the financial center for Silversun as well and is the headquarters for Idris Incorporated’s operations on Silversun and within the Sol Alliance at large. It houses the Idris-owned real estate firms which make much of the planet’s economy turn, has the third-largest stock exchange in the Sol Alliance after Callisto and Luna, and has the second-busiest passenger port in the country after Callisto’s. It is home to some of the best night clubs on the planet and arguably within the Orion Spur, and has a bustling entertainment industry that often sees headlining acts from all over space perform for crowds of hundreds of thousands. Most, if not all of the main resorts of the planet can be reached through Helios City’s rail lines, shuttle ports, or for the more aquatically inclined, ferry and cruise ports. Many who live here have no connection to Silversun, and are mostly expatriates or second-generation immigrants who have affiliations with Idris Incorporated or are simply looking to make a new life on the planet of Sunshine in its ever growing and ever bustling economy and job market. It is the largest megapolitan area in the Solarian Middle Colonies outside of New Hai Phong.
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.
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===Nhom Hy Vong===
==== Yincheng ====
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.  
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Settled shortly after Helios City by a Chinese expedition, Yincheng or “Silver City,” as it is sometimes called was established on the largest island on Silversun in hopes of making use of what the colonists originally perceived as a wealth of minerals, the foremost of which were Silver, Lithium, and Gallium. As news of this discovery spread, hundreds of thousands from all over the Sol Alliance flocked to the city in hopes of striking it rich. While many failed in their endeavors, the ensuing influx of people turned Yincheng into the richest and most populated city on Silversun for a few decades. While the minerals are either entirely depleted or sitting at levels that are economically unviable, their presence allowed for Yincheng to become the home of a large technology and manufacturing sector that cemented its status as one of the most important cities on the planet. Like many other cities on Silversun, Yincheng has a large Idris Incorporated presence which has bought out much of the area’s technology and research industry for their own purposes. Despite this or perhaps even because of it as Idris moves more employees to Silversun, Yincheng maintains its identity as a city built by an influx of new people from anywhere looking to make it big. Most of Idris’ most innovative technologies and products in recent memory were invented in Yincheng, ranging from the coding and interface development of Holo-Dive, the algorithms which make Chirper function, to the latest models of ISU’s and Idris security software.


Due to its tech industry, Yincheng also houses many security operations ran by Idris, with numerous information and data centers in the area along with some IRU and ISU maintenance and assembly plants. Even though Helios City has the largest port on Silversun, Yincheng hosts the planet’s Idris-sponsored planetary defense force and its modest flotilla. A premier security education institution, the Idris-Owned Yincheng Academy of Security Sciences and Criminology, is located here and attracts many from all over Silversun as well as from throughout the Sol Alliance who hope to score a job with Idris Incorporated's security division. The mining pits of Yincheng’s past mining operations now serve as tourist attractions monetizing the history of the city and areas where holidaymakers can go on underground guided excursions through the subterranean network of the old mining tunnels.
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.
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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.  
==== New Yogyakarta ====
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New Yogyakarta is the third largest city on Silversun and the last major city which many consider to be the truly “native,” on Silversun. Settled shortly after Helios City had proven that a colony was sustainable on the planet, New Yogyakarta was the result of a joint Indonesian-Japanese effort that aimed to create a city that could serve as a home base for future colonization efforts in the Middle Rim. Because of this, a strong manufacturing base was built up in the city along with off-shore mining operations that hoped to see New Yogyakarta turn into the workshop of the Middle Colonies and industrial hub of Silversun. These hopes were soon dashed however as it became increasingly clear that New Hai Phong, not Silversun would become the industrial powerhouse of the Middle Colonies. New Yogyakarta saw this writing on the wall and instead embarked on a program of wholesale diversification, specializing into not just manufacturing, but the services industry, hydroelectric energy production, and biomedicine, all with ties to Einstein Engines rather than Idris Incorporated as an act of defiance against the company which the city saw as trying to erase the native culture of Silversun. To this day, New Yogyakarta is one of the only places on the planet where an Idris presence cannot be found, is thought by many to be the final vestige of true “Silversun,” culture and is where the majority anti-Idris activists and protestors on Silversun live. As the company’s hold on the planet has only grown stronger, many Native Silversunners have moved to New Yogyakarta to better be with people they see as like themselves, though Natives can still be found the planet over. This has not stopped Idris from trying to gain sway in the city by either trying to buy out Einstein Engines owned enterprises there, running public smear campaigns against those who want to keep the company out, or bribing those in the city government or police forces to take a more Idris-friendly stance. Despite these efforts though, New Yogyakarta is staunchly in opposition to Idris Incorporated, something that has only entrenched itself further after Einstein Engines found itself as the largest company in the Orion Spur following the start of the current phoron scarcity. The vast majority of New Yogyakarta’s population are Silversun Natives rather than Expats.
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===Ton Gwai Pei===
==== Toowoomba-Tauranga ====
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.
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Toowoomba-Tauranga, often called “The T-Twins” or “T-T,” by locals is the fourth largest city on the planet of Silversun. It was established shortly after the colonization of Yincheng had begun on two close islands, Toowoomba Island and Tauranga island, by a joint Australia-New Zealand colonization initiative with support from the rest of the Commonwealth of Nations. In contrast to most other places on Silversun, Toowoomba-Tauranga does not experience a tropical climate due to its far-southern position on the planet, nearly within the antarctic circle. It is one of the few cities on Silversun where winter is noticeable, with snowfall is a normal occurrence throughout half of the year. The reasoning for its location was similar to that of Yincheng’s, in that the original colonists were hoping to extract natural resources from the local area, but instead of precious metals they were after Helium-3 and natural gas beneath the seabed surrounding the island. These predictions however let the city down, as soon after extraction operations began the deposits were discovered to be drastically smaller than originally thought by the colonists, a predicament that threatened to throw the survival of the T-Twins into jeopardy. Noticing that much of the planet was heavily catering to the growing Silversunner tourist industry but having no tropical vistas of their own to draw tourists, government of T-T partnered with Idris Incorporated to establish casinos and even terraform part of the already mountainous Tauranga Island into a ski resort with Hephaestus Industries, so that the city could better attract outsiders and their money.


In the modern day, Toowoomba-Tauranga is unrivalled in its gaming industry on Silversun and boasts some of the largest and most expensive casino resorts in the Orion Spur, the most well known being the Silver Snow Palace on Toowoomba Island. Additionally, the city is host to the Tauranga Winter Resort, the largest and only resort of its kind on Silversun which hosts the annual Idris Permafrost Exhibition, a massive sporting event sponsored by Idris Incorporated that attracts athletes and teams from all over the Orion Spur with hopes of winning huge cash prizes and prestige for their excellence in winter sports. Aside from the resort and casinos however, much of the T-T economy and culture is free from Idris influence as the location and culture of the cities themselves is not seen as easy to monetize as Helios City or Yincheng. For that reason, most of those who live in the “Winter Wonderland of Silversun,” are Silversun Natives rather than Expats.
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.
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<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
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.
==== Mulobi-Mbisi ====
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Mulobi-Mbisi is an old town that has been transformed into an entirely new project that Idris Incorporated is attempting to bring into being on Silversun. Mulobi-Mbisi was officially founded relatively long after the initial colonisation of Silversun as a small fishing town a few hours flight away from Helios City on a large volcanic atoll. Its founders were mostly immigrants from Central and East Africa who were looking to find a better life for themselves on the beautiful and unpolluted world of Silversun, as Earth was still in the process of climate-change reversal. Over the years it grew to have a modest population of nearly one-hundred-thousand people that made a poor living off of fishing and water desalination plants. This all changed about a decade ago when Idris Incorporated brought a proposal to the city government: they wanted to buy the entire city. To the company, the small podunk town’s location on a beautiful and large volcanic atoll made perfect business sense as a location from where they could build the largest resort the planet, and the Orion Spur, had ever seen. The town’s residents, who were only getting by in many cases or were otherwise unemployed, voted in favor of this proposal after Idris promised a cash pay-out for all residents in the town of ten-thousand credits which many residents used to move elsewhere and leave the small town behind. In 2454, Mulobi-Mbisi became ground zero for Idris’ largest construction project to date. Of course though, this resulted in the homes and businesses of many of the natives who stayed being bought and then demolished to make way for Idris’ exploits. Though still under construction, the Sunshine Ring Oceanside Resort is expected to be a city-sized tourist attraction dotting the various islands inside the borders of Mulobi-Mbisi connected by bridges that connect the islands together in a ring-shaped circle. Initial construction off the first leg of the resort is expected to be completed in 2466, though tourist and land development in the area is foreseen to stretch on even into the next century. Mulobi-Mbisi’s population is made up almost entirely of Silversun expats or immigrants who have come to the town to work on the ambitious Sunshine Ring project and it is currently the fastest growing city on Silversun as more people both from Silversun as well as off-world buy up timeshares or condominiums in the city, most often before the buildings are even finished. Recently, the company has proposed renaming the city to “Sunshine City,” in support of their new project, a proposal which is by nearly all measures expected to succeed. Many Silversun Natives who oppose Idris’ continued expansion on Silversun and transformation of the planet’s people and landscapes cite Mulobi-Mbisi as both an example or even a reason all on its own for why the company needs to be stopped.
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  • 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.

    Содержание

    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 (Orcinocarcinus): A species of 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 (Caniforme fidelis): 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 (Bubaliforme newhaiphongae): 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 (Troglodytes nguoi): 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. They are also highly intelligent, making regular use of rocks and branches as tools to hunt or gather. 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 (Pictus triticum): 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.
    • Ngot la tree (Lissoalbus): A genus of leafy softwood tree with shallow roots found growing all over Nha O. They spread and grow very easily, and prove surprisingly resilient and flexible during typhoons and tropical storms. Bending rather than breaking, a ngot la will be fully uprooted and flung across the land before it actually cracks from strong winds. Ngot la leaves are often used for seasoning in New Hai Phong cuisine.

    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.

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