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{{Navbox Corporations}}
'''Medina''', nicknamed the Republic’s Prize, is a planet located within the Jedeed Isfahan star system. Considered one of the core worlds of the [[Republic of Elyra]], it is one of the most populated planets in the nation. Medina’s population lives atop city-sized, hovering land vehicles that float over a constantly-shifting landscape. These hovering vehicles are supported by magpulse drives, a technological marvel supported by the Republic’s investment in phoronic research. Over weeks, no single location remains the same, as the entire tectonic assembly of the planet shifts. The largest industry on the planet is the export of fine goods and valuable commodities. The second largest is a unique bounty list referred to as the Phoron Bulletin, where the Elyran government contracts experts from across the galaxy to hunt phoron as it is uprooted across the planet’s ever-churning surface.
[[File:ORION SPUR LOGISTICS.png|right]]
== History ==
<center>''“I think there are better ways to build a society than draining the life and light from its best citizens.”'' - Mahmud ibn Amin (2328 - 2419), physicist and second leader of “Project Hubris”</center>


Founded in 2464, '''Orion Express''' is a manufactured megacorporation designed to handle logistics for the [[Stellar Corporate Conglomerate]] in the wake of the phoron scarcity, and the sudden entangling of supply lines that left the Conglomerate struggling for more resources. Its main branch is dedicated to cargo services and transport, but also features a fledgling robotics division mainly focused on industrial synthetics to aid in its logistics missions. The Orion Express is expected to become an integral part of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate’s future through delivering supplies and merchandise throughout the Orion Spur.
Isfarshan I was marked for development in 2360 for a very specific reason; the absurdly high levels of phoron concentration under its surface. Geologists and engineers touching down on the surface soon realized the unfortunate side to the planet’s obscene mineral wealth; the constant earthquakes and frequent dust storms would make it next to impossible for a permanent settlement to be constructed on the surface.
== Corporate Affairs ==
=== History ===
The creation of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate suddenly brought several stations, offices, and installations under the control of a single group. While the megacorporation's supply channels were enough on their own, they were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer space they had to cover. Missing shipments, long delivery times, and overall chaos plagued the transport of goods between the different members of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. To solve this glaring issue, the corporations (with [[NanoTrasen]] contributing the most resources and manpower) united a portion of their cargo departments into a sole entity in 2464; Orion Express.


Alongside handling the internal supply lines of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, the Orion Express also acquired the duty of delivering corporate goods to its buyers. The megacorporation Extranet shops were merged into one domain; the Orion Express Market. Thanks to this, anyone planning to purchase anything from the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate must go through a supplier who eliminates competition to guarantee maximum profit. Countless workers now toil in multiple warehouses, hangars and ships to deliver the orders in time. No region is too remote for the Orion Express' couriers.
While brief excursions on the planet’s surface made it possible to mine, thanks to low-flying shuttles and jetpacks, it was still inconvenient, hazardous, and resource-intensive to continue orbital mining operations. The size of Isfarshan I and its abundance of precious materials merited a dedicated colonization effort. Thus, the Republic tasked a group of engineers and researchers to develop a way for a stable colony to exist on the planet’s surface. The project was originally led by Misha Khouroshi, an electrical engineer from Bursa employed by Osman Electronics. As the scale grew larger and the Republic’s demands grew more ambitious, the team expanded to include not just engineers and geologists, but physicists, mechanical engineers, and architects. They would go on to nickname themselves and their work “Project Hubris”, in sarcastic reference to the grand demands that their government was making of them.
=== Influence ===
In spite of its recent unveiling, the Orion Express already wields considerable influence within the Orion Spur. Its fleets are a common sight within the [[Republic of Biesel]], and its [[Corporate Reconstruction Zone]], as well as anywhere with any SCC presence. Outside of these aforementioned zones, its influence is diminished, but has been growing substantially as time passes, the corporation taking steps to worm its way into shipping markets not already dominated by other corporations; mainly been small scale shipping, and shipping to more remote areas of the spur. This has caused some friction between Orion and many frontier planets, as the corporation offers its services for vastly inflated prices, as it slowly builds a monopoly over transport of goods to isolated systems.
=== Internal Reputation ===


Orion Express is known to employ many unskilled workers in its warehouses, cargo depots, and shipping vessels. The corporation advertises itself to potential employees as a "jumping off point" for those interested in the shipping industry, but lack the qualifications required for higher-level positions or even lower-level positions at other megacorporations in the Spur.  
It was Khouroshi who originally proposed the concept of hover technology, though the rest of the team was skeptical of the idea owing to the massive amount of resources, planning, and construction it would take, beyond the point of practicality. Khouroshi managed to easily convince the Republic, and less easily convince her team, that the money and resources that went into developing large-scale, working hovercraft technology could be compensated with Isfarshan I’s rich natural resources.


While Orion Express does not pay as well as the other megacorporations or offer benefits such as overtime pay, employees are compensated by other means; flexible hours and TOIL (Time Off In Lieu) are common benefits provided to all workers. Those in more skilled fields such as machinists or pilots still receive competitive pay, but miss out on some of the benefits working for corporations such as Hephaestus or Zavodskoi provide. Despite this lack of pay and benefits compared to other megacorporations, Orion’s rock bottom hiring standards and recent founding attract people from across the spur who may not have been able to find work with a megacorporation or work at a megacorporation that did not have skeletons in the closet until Orion came along. Many employees have used their positions within Orion to secure livelihoods for themselves they’d be otherwise unable to, and praise the company for it despite its drawbacks, of which it has many, beyond the poor pay and benefits.
“Project Hubris” was developed over the course of twenty-one years. Setbacks, failures, political unrest, and poor communication between both the team and the Republic were common. The greatest setback was the death of Misha Khouroshi in 2372, at age 49, from an aortic dissection. Mahmud ibn Amin, her successor, would remark that Khouroshi was “the hardest worker of any of [Project Hubris]”, and noted that it was a death most likely caused by intense, ongoing stress.


As a result of its tumultuous birth within the SCC, Orion has quickly established a reputation within the Spur for its rapid-fire style of inner management and cohesion. Positions, orders and even salaries can change by the day, all serving to maximize delivery times and costs. To a low-ranking employee, this means a rapidly shifting work environment - to top officials, it means orchestrating a neverending seesaw of “controlled chaos”. Pilots, miners and service workers are given a surprising amount of autonomy to deliver on their orders as fast as possible, which they must, lest they risk being replaced by the countless eager applicants who may have drive and imagination where they lack credentials. Most of the time this is due to heavy demands from the other members of the SCC, who expect quick turnarounds on their orders, and are not afraid to threaten higher-ranking officials within the company. In the end, the leaders of Orion Express are just as fearful of being replaced as their workers are.
Despite all these setbacks, it was April 18th, 2381, when the magpulse drive had its first test runs. The first platform, Drifa, was established in the southern hemisphere of the planet, and thousands of miners, medical personnel, and researchers were finally able to call the planet home. The planet was newly-christened Medina by the Republic. While the first prototypes of the magpulse drive were rudimentary and overpowered to contrast the planet’s Earth-like gravity, the warp technology they harnessed would go on to develop more efficient drives that permitted the rapid expansion of the planet’s surface colonies.


Orion Express tries to promote a work environment that is internally competitive rather than externally, encouraging employees to beat quotas and set personal goals while discouraging interpersonal conflict while working in mixed facilities such as the [[SCCV Horizon]]. Since it owes its existence to the rest of the Chainlink, Orion Express’ bottom line is nearly always to support the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, resulting in an atmosphere that constantly pushes its workers to improve and evolve, at all levels. Orion's policy is to expand into areas that the other megacorporations have little to no presence while avoiding direct competition in places where other corporations have a stranglehold. In the event they have to enter a market dominated by another SCC corporation, such as mining, Orion has a policy of cornering systems/areas that have proven too troublesome for other companies to take. On the surface, most operations seem to be operating at a loss - but in truth, millions of small, independently-led and created projects are what keep Orion Express’ earnings in the green.  
By 2388, individuals from across the Republic of Elyra were migrating to Drifa and other newly-founded extraction platforms, and in this rush, the planet became a phoron boomtown. Khouroshi was correct; the mineral extraction and economic benefit that the magpulse platforms assisted in paid back the debt on Project Hubris thousands of times over. With limited failures, the floating cities of Medina continue to hover over the planet’s surface to this day.


== General ==
== Environment ==
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
Medina is the only planet within the binary star system of Jedeed Isfahan. It is orbited by six moons; Hubal, Manat, Ruda, Quza, Al-Uzza, and Allatu. The surface of Medina is hot and arid, with daily temperatures averaging at 35 degrees Celsius. Medina’s median pressure is typically 80 kilopascals, meaning even short trips outside of the safety of its floating cities require oxygen gear. The weak atmosphere produces a pinkish-red sky, and the planet’s beautiful yet desolate vistas are famed across the Republic.
'''Current CEO:''' [[Notable Humans#Chin-hae Hong|Chin-hae Hong]]
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
Formerly a first officer of Aoyama Transportation Council, Chin-hae Hong is liked by her subordinates but considered something of an outcast within the SCC itself. She is known for her blunt honesty, mannerisms which some have called “overly gregarious”, and obsessive fascination with her field of logistics. Originally scouted by Hephaestus Industries’ director of robotics, Ischyros, Hong’s impressive management skills, quick thinking, and constant desire to refine and improve tried-and-tested tactics means Orion has stayed afloat through means other than the Conglomerate’s credits.
</div></div>
'''Official Titles:''' Orion Express, Orion Express Logistics, Orion Express Limited


'''Motto:''' ''Faster than light.''
Most notable about the planet’s landscape is its constantly shifting surface, dotted in purplish-white sand dunes of silica and tiny granules of phoron. The six moons exert constant pressure on the planet, and tectonic activity is unstable and actively prohibitive to attempts to build a settlement on the surface. The moving plates, however, ensure that minerals deep within the planet’s core never stay hidden for long. Some parts of the planet’s crust will, given enough time, produce towering spikes of phoron pointed at blood-red skies.


'''Headquarters:''' [[Mendell City]], [[Biesel]], [[Tau Ceti]]
Because of the unstable surface and phoron toxicity, no native life exists on Medina. Yet time and the careful observations of geologists have uncovered evidence that, millions of years ago, there were once living organisms on Medina’s surface. It primarily seemed to be arthropodic, similar in shape to isopods, and these fossils have developed a culture of fascination around them due to limited knowledge and their intriguing history.


'''Official Languages:''' Tau Ceti Basic, Tradeband
All Madani cities have robust shielding and self-perpetuating atmospheric systems for the eventuality of dust and sandstorms. A far more dangerous occurrence also presents itself to those who excavate the surface without proper protection; the violet haboob. It is the local nickname for the phenomenon of phoron particulates being swept up in a sandstorm, sending clouds of poisonous dust whirling across the surface. Unprepared miners seeking glory with the Phoron Bulletin can quickly find themselves in danger when caught outside, and many more have gone missing when a haboob kicks up in the fields.


'''Primary Color Scheme:''' Black, grey, silver
== Economy ==
While Medina’s best-known exports are the production of artisanal goods, such as furniture, cookware, glassware, and sculpture, it is heavily industry-based. Resource extraction, not limited to phoron but also glass, gold, silver, and gems, factors heavily into the planet’s bountiful economy. So well-off is the average Madani native that a divide between rich and poor is something of a foreign concept. Tourists from all over the Spur, and typically young people from more conservative planets in the Republic, also flock to the floating cities for the nightlife and youth culture.
=== The Phoron Bulletin ===
The Phoron Bulletin is a relatively new feature to the Madani economy, having been introduced by Elco in early 2430. However, since then, it has been responsible for countless millions of people from all over the Orion Spur seeking the planet’s booty.


== Executives and Branches ==
The bulletin is a bounty system established by the Elyran government for the sake of outsourcing massive workloads to external parties of all varieties. These workloads include but are not limited to phoron location and extraction, and is extremely dangerous work. The average Madani usually avoids Bulletin work, with the dangers of working on the planet’s surface readily apparent to them. While forms of travel are granted by Elyran officials in the way of hover-barges and extraction vessels, the usual Bulletin hunter is found using their own ships or even daring to make expeditions on foot.
=== Executives ===
'''Chief Financial Officer:''' Fuji Makato, 48


Hailing from [[Mars]], Fujii served as a financial manager for the Martian Government for several years until being offered a job in Tau Ceti in 2450 and choosing to remain there once Tau Ceti declared independence. She has a reputation for being a stickler for having her affairs in perfect order, an attitude that serves her well in her profession, and an unusual contrast to the hot-blooded Hong. Some of her underlings find her perfectionist disposition unbearable to work under. Perhaps due to that fact, Makato has started bringing in owned positronic employees under her, programmed to share her orderly nature. Despite all this, Makato is well-liked in the company, especially by those who realize that their benefits are better than it would be for other businesses due to Makato’s practical nature. Privately, it is believed she holds anti-Solarian sentiments, though such opinions, if they do exist, remain completely uninvolved with her business dealings.
Outside of the floating cities, the planet is exceptionally hazardous. The Elyran government keeps a close watch via surveillance cameras on government-issued helmets on the various teams they contract out to find phoron, and has explicitly forbidden armed conflict between phoron hunters over deposits on the planet's surface. Harsh penalties await those who break the sacred “violet peace”, ranging from heavy fines and a stripping of phoron-hunting licenses, to even field execution.


'''Chief Operating Officer:''' Hakim Galla, Human, 45
Despite these risks, some phoron hunters still take their chances both with the Elyran state and other hunting parties. Law is difficult to enforce in remote areas, and fighting over deposits is not unheard of. The Medina Bureau of Economics patrols around areas with high known phoron concentrations to both protect hunting parties and uncover the remains of those that have been lost to Medina, either through natural causes or conflict. Even so, the Elyran government has been known to overlook the transgressions of some hunting parties or dismiss their charges. Coincidentally, those parties are usually the ones with the largest phoron hauls or the strongest connections to government or Elco officials.


An Elyran with a humble background as a [[New Suez]] dock manager, Hakim Galla currently serves as the COO for Orion Express. He is known for being the most laid-back of Hong’s top officials, a direct contrast to the policy expected by people under her. When seeing his personality and style of management, however, the decision starts to make sense. He has been known to cheer up moody boardrooms and investor’s calls with just his presence alone, a useful trait considering his main affairs include maintaining cohesion between the major enterprises within Orion Express. It’s suspected that Hong only keeps him around due to the rapport and reputation he’s earned amongst the mid-to-low level employees of the company after solving many disputes others thought unworkable. Others see him as proof that enough talent and personal improvement can raise anyone to the upper echelons of the company.
Those from off the planet seeking the Phoron Bulletin are often surprised by the cutthroat nature of other phoron hunters. Others are warned and come prepared, knowing full well that the next deposit may spell disaster in the form of accidents or even illegal ambushes by foreign parties.


'''Chief External Affairs Officer:''' Tuiqi Xao’Luup, Skrell, 304
== Culture ==
<center>''“If you value your lover, don’t vacation on Medina.”'' - Damascene saying</center>


Tuiqi, hailing from the [[Nralakk Federation]], serves as the Foreign Affairs Executive for the Orion Express. A middle-aged Skrell of 304 years, Tuiqi was a high level manager within the Nralakk Federation’s Qerr’Zolvq Industries until their acceptance into Orion Express. They pride themselves on their breakthrough into a majority human-owned enterprise; something that isn’t exactly common at an executive level. Like most Skrell of their age, Tuiqi has long sought to prove their mastery in their chosen field, and their talent was quickly noticed by Hong. The two share a kindred spirit in being pioneers, and like many Orion workers, constantly seek to outdo each other despite their differences in rank. Tuiqi has proven invaluable in extending Orion’s reach from one end of the Spur to another, and continues to pursue any new frontiers the company hasn’t gotten to yet.  
Medina is considered something of a heartland for supporters of the [[Elyran Government and Politics|League of United Republicans]], the Republic’s center-left party. Most cities are quite socially liberal, with a “live and let live” attitude common in the nightlife culture. Decency laws are fairly relaxed compared to [[Damascus II]], and loose, colorful clothing adorned with embroidery, eye-catching jewelry, and oxygen equipment customized and adorned with personal effects can be seen across all floating cities. EVA equipment, such as helmets and suits, are also usually dyed bright colors and embroidered, or encrusted with jewels (real or fake) or metals.


=== Branches ===
On Medina, there is a strong emphasis placed on not just artistry, but also perfection in artistry. The planet itself has built an astounding reputation for quality in its exports. While Madani goods are valued in the Republic of Elyra, they are sold for very expensive prices in the greater Orion Spur. The quality of goods can be attributed to the immediate availability of many precious gems, metals, and ores. Certain types of wood, stone, and animal products such as fur and leather are more expensive and rare due to importing costs, and thus Madani art is primarily centered around glasswork, sculpture, and jewelry. The further automation of its mining industry means that creation and artistry is becoming increasingly ubiquitous among the populace. The Republic’s greatest artists find themselves often starting out on Medina, drawn to the freedom present in such a culture, and the novelty of its ideas.  
'''Valkyrie Exchange Terminal, [[Valkyrie]], [[Tau Ceti]]:''' Orion Express’ Valkyrie branch reflects the circumstances under which the company was formed. Hastily constructed in 2463, the branch office is a large prefabricated building with easy access to most megacorporate shipping on the docks. Plans are already in place for an opulent complex located just outside of the Exchange Terminal which will house Orion’s management in the coming years.


'''Novus, [[Callisto]], [[Sol]]:''' Orion Express’ Callisto branch, known by local workers as ‘The Hub’ due to its size and central role in the function of the port, was overhauled by the SCC shortly after acquisition to provide the next generation of logistical support and management. Fully automated and hosting a fleet of both flying and non-flying drones, Novus is the primary warehouse used to transport goods from the surface of the moon to the port's orbital facilities for shipping. Novus acts as the headquarters for Meng Logistics Incorporated.
Individuals born planetside tend to grow on a colorful mindset, seeing artistic liberties as an absolute necessity to take when confronting invention. Every invention, from the most luxurious hovercar to a simple kitchen appliance is seen as its own contained canvas upon which the absolute boundaries of the creator’s imagination must be pushed. This mindset usually boils down to “If something cannot be beautiful, why make it?”


'''Ganzaodeng, [[Konyang]], [[Coalition of Colonies]]:''' Orion Express’ Ganzaodeng branch was opened shortly after the company’s formation, purchasing old Einstein Engines’ assets from the Konyang government in order to accommodate the rapidly-growing trade between Biesel and the Coalition. The city’s multicultural nature serves as a boon to the branch, with merchants from nearly every system being capable of doing business at the port. Despite the boon it provides to the local economy, the Ganzaodeng branch is looked upon with suspicion, being viewed as a destabilizing force on the planet where rules and regulations are discarded to keep up with the sheer amount of freight passing through it.
Naturally, Madani art culture and its focus on beauty and perfection has spawned a counterculture. Called ''ghul-anata'' in Elyran Standard, and typically translated to “ghoulpunk” in Tau Ceti Basic, the artists of this subculture prefer to create works that are deliberately ugly, off-putting, or uncomfortable. This includes noisy, grating music, visual media designed with garish colors or deliberately skewed perspectives, and fashion designed to be grungy and ill-fitting. While typically disparaged as edgy youth culture, native Madani illustrator Noor Amari has found great success and popularity in the wider Orion Spur for her sketchy, garishly-colored illustrations of modern life in Elyra, often with a darkly humorous spin.


'''Zharrkov Major Depot, [[Adhomai]], [[People's Republic of Adhomai]]:''' Located in Nal'tor, the Zharrkov Company's main depot is a mixture of office, warehouse, and shuttle port. Adhomian products flow from across the entire planet to be shipped to the wide galaxy here. A smaller branch exists in Crevus to buy products from the other Adhomian factions; these goods are then transported to the headquarters. The building is also home to a large armory full of Tajaran military surplus. Locally, it’s known for attracting numerous youths and troublemakers with little work experience and massive amounts of energy.
== Demographics ==
The floating cities of Medina generally contain a healthy variety of people from all walks of life. While there is no major distinction between those not from the planet and people born planetside, the lifestyles may vary tremendously. Most of the planet’s long-term residents are Elyran citizens, though there is a significant population of elderly Elyrans, usually from [[Persepolis]] or [[New Suez]], moving to the planet in their retirement.


'''Alara, Bursa, [[Republic of Elyra]]:''' Unusually for the anti-megacorporate Republic, a small spaceport and branch of Orion Express exists in the port city of Alara. Despite its small size, Bursa’s branch is how many Elyrans receive various goods from the rest of the Spur, though the Republic’s isolationism means the port is minuscule compared to the grand scale of the company’s other locations.
About 85.6% of the population of Medina are practitioners of varying sects of Islam. Religious doctrines are quite loose, however, and interpretations of the Quran among Madani are more liberal and progressive. Notably in the past two decades, a movement has spread among the younger populace where pre-Abrahamic faiths such as Zoroastrianism, Arabian polytheism, and Turkic spiritism are beginning to be practiced and ritualized in small groups. However, only a very small percentage of citizens are actually registered as having a non-Abrahamic faith as their religion, and data on how widespread the movement actually is is inconclusive.


== Divisions ==
=== Non-Citizen Persons ===
=== Logistics ===
Similar to elsewhere in the Republic, non-citizen persons on Medina perform the most dangerous jobs for less pay than their citizen counterparts. Perhaps due to this danger and because of the cloistered nature of the floating cities, Medina’s non-citizen person population is quite small compared to other Elyran planets.
Orion Express was founded to assist the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate in regards to its logistics capabilities, and this is where most of its operations are concentrated. Most operations are centered around repairs, refuellings, resupply, and the transport of goods. Any remaining ability to manufacture is then often leased to either the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate or its aforementioned “subsidiaries” that dominate the rest of the Orion Spur. Unlike Hephaestus, who have become masters at industrial shipping, using super freighters and other vessels to move an incomprehensible amount of tonnage around the spur, Orion instead relies on a fleet of fast cargo ships and expert couriers who stand by to deliver any corporate products to whoever acquires them. No place in the galaxy is unreachable for the Orion Express' staff, and cross-spur shipping at incredible speeds can only be done by hiring Orion to do it.


Orion focuses the majority of its merchant fleet on delivering to depots or other large installations such as space stations or cities, even sometimes ships if they are large enough. These runs make up a majority of Orion’s deliveries, and ensure the company a steady stream of credits as travel becomes more and more difficult due to the phoron scarcity. For more rural areas outside of civilization or far from centralized depots, Orion employs its couriers, who are deployed to deliver parcels far and wide across planets and space. This even sometimes includes planets being blockaded or otherwise unable to be normally reached. During the attack on [[Burzsia]] by the [[Exclusionists]], there were several courier vessels that flew through the battle happening around them to deliver industrial IPC parts to the planet. Orion has since used this as the focus of a massive marketing campaign, proclaiming that their shipping is so reliable even blockades and battlefields will not stop packages from being delivered. Being formed after the creation of the Solarian Corporate Authority and the wave of nationalization that went with it, Orion can still freely operate in Solarian space despite being a member of the SCC. [[Einstein Engines]] and Senator Trang of [[New Hai Phong]] have endlessly complained about this, but the parliament of Solarian state sees no reason to prohibit or curtail Orion’s operations within the remaining territory they control, as they also rely on Orion’s shipping services to move all manner of things around the core worlds.
Most of the NCP population are humans of various origins, usually from [[Dominia]], the [[Corporate Reconstruction Zone]], or the [[Human Wildlands|Middle Ring]]. They are typically refugees and political dissidents, fleeing upheaval in their home system.  


=== Robotics ===
Non-citizen [[IPC|IPCs]] are usually put to work with the Phoron Bulletin; almost always, these IPCs are manufactured in Elyra, and synthetics from other nations are rarely permitted within the core worlds. Like the rest of the synthetic population, they tend to congregate in their own groups due to widespread mistrust of synthetics. While Medina’s culture is more libertine, and there are rare elements of synthetic sympathy among the younger populace, this does not change that it is still monumentally difficult for an IPC to gain citizenship. In cities such as Drifa, there are rare underground groups and some ghul-anata groups that accept IPCs into their circles, seeking new perspectives on Elyran life.
In addition to the vast network of logistics provided by Orion Express, the company also operates a fledgling robotics division. Dissimilar to the other corporations that mostly invest in the field through its subsidiaries, Orion Express instead has integrated it as a division instead - mostly dedicated to the production, maintenance and research of industrial synthetics. It works closely with Hephaestus Industries on this front, unlike with mining, as Hephaestus doesn’t see the fledgling corporation as anything resembling a threat to their dominance over the IPC market. Hephaestus and Orion have already built several joint factories together within the orbit of Reade, to augment the production of the Sidirourgeío station.


The IPCs created by these joint factories are known to be of much lower quality then those produced by Hephaestus themselves, often because Orion machinists are struggling with the management practices of the company, needing to rush to complete orders on time. The market for these low quality IPCs is often for dangerous work that sees a high chance of damage or destruction for the positronic and its chassis. Orion sells them off knowing this, with the price for an Orion made IPC being significantly cheaper than any other on the market. Many of these IPCs end up running away, being caught and sold again to other corporations who may or may not use them in similar tasks. For those that don’t run away, if their jobs do not damage them, it is known that at around a year and a half old the chassis will begin to fail due to poor construction, resulting in the IPC either eventually failing while on the job, or simply being thrown into the scrapheap of District 15. The Trinary Perfection is known to rescue positronics who end up in D15, and attempts to repair them in any way possible. 
[[Unathi]] formerly of the Izweski Hegemony are also a rare but unremarkable sight on Medina. Typically, former Gawgaryn or Guwan make their way off [[Moghes]] towards Medina, seeking the riches found in the planet’s crust. Unlike Unathi on New Suez, Madani Unathi typically have little interest in assimilating into Elyran culture, and they are reputed to be untrustworthy and criminal in the cities. A rare few Unathi have been known to become part of the culture in the floating cities, becoming accepted by the populace and settling down for a different life.
=== Service ===
Even newer than its Robotics sector, Orion Express has recently leveraged its newfound wealth to create a division long thought to be insurmountable due to competition; the service industry. Shoved between giants such as [[Idris Incorporated]] and NanoTrasen, most corporations have long since given up trying to compete against the monopoly of these megacorporations. Miraculously, Orion has found cracks in the sector here as well. While Idris prides itself on supplying the highest quality service at most price ranges, Orion supplies to the very bottom of the barrel. Neither seedy neighborhoods, low-income customer bases, or even unstable governments manage to scare away the fledgling company, which has begun to plant thousands of convenience stores, post offices, and hardware stores that are sorely missing from places that the more conservative megacorporations refuse to touch. Precious few credits are pumped into these quick-fire establishments, as profit margins and accident rates are highly unpredictable. Instead, numerous businesses are opened up at once in a wide net, allowing low-performance projects fall into disuse, while others rise to be cornerstones of their communities.


The workers in this division are similarly honest and efficient. “Customer service” is a bygone term, and what ultimately matters is how many orders can be pushed out at the lowest prices and time available. Those who sign up to these positions are often locals themselves with little opportunities available, but a keen sense of what their individual niches are wanted by their communities. Those who manage to earn their positions generally do so through manic periods of activity that catch the eye of upper management, and get to be leaders in their own right. Compared to other megacorporations, these workers are given much autonomy in order to maximize their performance, be it making as many cappuccinos as possible to making sure an entire franchise of businesses operates twenty-four hours a day, every day of the month.
== Floating Cities ==
'''Drifa:''' The floating capital of Medina, Drifa is home to over sixty million people and rests on the back of over a thousand magpulse drives. Due to the seemingly endless profits phoron has brought to the planet, Drifa is overwhelmingly middle-and-upper-class. It is populated with luxurious SuezBank resorts and other get-aways, and is known for artificial greenhouses that produce upscale goods such as high-end coffee, chocolate and dates. As one of the more liberal planet capitals, Drifa’s abundant nightlife is popular with local youth and those visiting the planet from offworld, wishing to get away from the more restrictive law of their homeworlds. The current mayor of Drifa and governor of Medina is Layla Bint Hussein Al-Shahi of the League of United Republicans party. The city has a sizable synthetic population, where the precision and skill of IPC workers are highly prized in achieving the obsessive levels of perfection that the planet is known for. Detractors believe that as IPCs lack souls, they do not have the ‘human touch’ required to produce competent works of art.


=== Mining ===
'''Najada:''' A city where fortunes are made and lost overnight, Najada is unusual in the fact that its local governance is almost entirely Artisan free synthetics. Najada began as a simple shuttleport established early on in the planet’s history by a group of ambitious positronic settlers, wishing to seek their fortunes in reaping the ripening fruits of the phoron industry. The city has since sprawled from their port during the planet rush and now caters to the phoron mercenary population of Medina, being widely regarded as one of the seedier cities in the Republic as a whole. With a local government that is interested in profiting from the needs of the Phoron Bulletin above all else, almost anything goes in Najada provided it does not attract the ire of the Medinian Planetary Authority, who turn a blind eye to most of the goings-on of the city due to it’s high phoron yield. The headquarters for most of Medina’s mercenary companies are found here amidst the luxurious high-rises and mercenary bunk-housing, with its thriving black market providing all of the equipment required for their bloody work and more. The Najadi “Banafsaji District” is famous for its high-stakes gaming, where rich clientele gamble with the rights to mine entire deposits of mass quantities of phoron over dice-games and blackjack. The careful balance of Najada has been recently disturbed by the arrival of “danger tourists from” the rest of the Elyran Core, following the dramatized depiction of the city in the hit Elyran series Blood on The Sands.
The smallest division of Orion Express, the mining division is a new creation to help solve logistical issues faced by the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. With the scarcity reigning and Hephaestus still rebuilding its resource extraction within the Hegemony post-collapse, the SCC and its megacorporations have a demand for more metals, minerals and stones which this new division hopes to supply. Many of the corporations also see the new division as an opportunity to weaken Hephaestus’ share in the mining market, to their own benefit. Hephaestus’ board of directors have expressed varying degrees of reluctance to assist in the expansion of this venture, but due to the friendly relationship Titanius Aeson and Chin-hae Hong share, as well as an unwillingness to upset the balance between the Chainlink, tensions are low. Instead Hephaestus has remained completely hands-off with Orion's mining division, declining to train new miners or supply equipment for operations.


As Hephaestus is distant at best in the organization’s development, Orion has instead turned to others in the wider Spur; generally, these are factions affiliated with nation-states rather than megacorporations for both equipment and trained personnel. As a result, much of the employees for the division are contractors, rented by the company to fill its ranks and allow for even the slightest of competition against Hephaestus. In order to entice both other organizations and potential employees to work with the growing division, Orion offers incredibly low pay compared with Hephaestus for its employees in the division, and instead gives a comprehensive package of bonuses for mining work completed, as well as significantly more time off for workers. Combined with lax hiring standards and lacking the corporate culture of loyalty to the company Hephaestus requires to succeed, many people from around the Spur are attracted to Orion’s mining division. Organizations are offered lucrative contracts to provide workers for Orion, with each worker being rented for prices well above market norm. However these credits rarely reach the contractors themselves, instead being pocketed by a select few at the top or merely going back into the organization itself. Equipment is purchased second-hand, primarily from NanoTrasen who finds they no longer need the mass of mining equipment once stored in the Romanovich Cloud. While it is not the high-quality gear Hephaestus is known for, Orion’s limited mining operations make the cheap equipment a viable alternative, and even superior when accounting for the reduced training costs for these simple machines. Much like this equipment, those employees in the mining division that are directly employed by Orion are primarily former NanoTrasen miners who for one reason or another could not secure a transfer to Hephaestus.
'''Harba:''' More a fortress than a city, the floating enclave of Harba is among the most secure on Medina, and is where the EAF Command for the entire Jedeed Istafan System resides. Harba is closely connected to the Medinian capital, and acquiring property here is notoriously difficult. The city is directly governed by the Planetary Authority rather than any local authority, and housing is typically reserved for government officials and their families, or occasionally awarded to exceptional soldiers for their service. Regardless of one’s background, government clearance is required to enter the city at all due to security concerns, and most civilians come to Harba for work from elsewhere on Medina, inevitably finding themselves under a strict NDA. Harba is the main vector of getting Medinian Phoron off-world and into the rest of the Republic, and it is fiercely protected with a military exclusion zone for all ground and air activity. It is rumored that Osman Electric Industries has a government-contracted facility here which is in the process of developing military AI for the Elyran Navy, but OEI has repeatedly claimed that it is just another factory developing QQs.


The majority of contractors with Orion are hired from Qerr'Zolvq Industries and formerly, the Miners' Guild of the Izweski Hegemony. The influence of Orion’s own Chief External Affairs Officer, Tuiqi Xao’Luup, has lead to many Qerr'Zolvq miners taking up a temporary contract with the company through the SCC's work exchange programs, as Xao'Luup was once a Qerr'Zolvq employee himself.
'''Turaif:''' Turaif is the academic heartland of Medina, home to several learning institutions and the headquarters of one Elyran Megacorp. Turaif’s primary export is phoron research and education. The headquarters of Osman Electric Industries is found here in the grand Burj Osman, a tower known first for its many amenities, and second for its unique quirk in that it also functions as a research facility. The Burj Osman’s lower floors open to the public and present a typical offering of shopping malls, high-end restaurants, spas, and even hotels. The upper floors, however, are access restricted and home to OEI’s most prominent phoron research facilities, where all manner of phoron technology is researched and presented to the wider Republic. Also in Turaif, the Khalil Osman Institute for Applied Phoronics is Elyra’s foremost learning institute for phoron sciences, and many of the Spur’s greatest phoron researchers graduate from the institute. The rest of Turaif is home to closely-packed city housing, with most residents working in education or research fields. A local student art collective dubbed The Turaif School produces popular work that regularly pushes the boundaries of Elyran Futuro-Impressionism, much to the government’s annoyance. Their latest work is a series of 24 murals across Turaif showing the struggle of Medina’s NCP populace, and was widely published on Elyran social media despite the government’s attempts to the contrary. The League of United Republicans expressed quiet approval for the works, though local Republican Revolutionary Society members disapproved it for “rocking the boat.
 
As for the Miners’ Guild, Orion's previously unique relationship with the Hegemony, being the only other megacorporation save Hephaestus to not pull their investment from the Izweski Hegemony during the phoron crisis, allowed them to offer the once-struggling guild a one-sided contract in their favor. In exchange for the Miners' Guild keeping their guildsmen employed under their aegis, Orion would receive experienced workers for a fraction of the cost; naturally, the Guild eagerly accepted the terms. However, since the Miners’ Guild’s incorporation by Hephaestus Industries, this relationship has largely ceased, with most Guild miners working under Hephaestus directly outside of Hegemony space. Some guildsmen opposed to Hephaestus’s expansion chose to resign their previous positions and continue working for Orion Express - though often with fairly significant decreases in their pay.
 
Despite Orion's best efforts, the market is utterly dominated by Hephaestus, and has been for decades. Many recognize that Hephaestus will always be the industrial giant, mining and smelting more materials than can be conceivably imagined, and Orion will always be incomparable. The overall strategy at the top level has been to get around land clearance and asteroid ownership rights by going through contractors, as well as to seek out mining sites others deem too dangerous or far away.
 
== Subsidiaries ==
 
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
===Zephyr Shipping Company===
"From the sea to you!"
 
'''Chief Executive Officer:''' Ziynet Fahimi, 34, Human
 
A subsidiary of the Orion Express, the Zephyr Shipping Company imports, and exports products from the various nations of the Sparring Sea. With an enormous range of products, buyers can purchase an assortment of goods from the unique cultures present there. From Dominian sabres to Elyran fashion pieces to Unathi antiques, Zephyr Shipping has it all. Considered the brainchild of Ziynet Fahimi, an up-and-coming logistics expert who had worked for Hephaestus, The Zephyr Shipping Company is an experiment in the possible future of corporate logistics and delivery. By trying a mobile warehouse and office located in a vessel Fahimi hopes to achieve a more efficient and cost-productive means of product transit in the volatile Sparring Sea. The project was approved shortly after the formation of the Orion Express and is a conglomerate of former SCC company transports, contractors, and facilities that existed there prior.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
===== Major Brands =====
The Zephyr Shipping Company's brands are focused on rebranded cultural products and curios to be sold in the wider Spur. Their covered area including Moghes and Adhomai also allows them to cash in on the Unathi and Tajara consumer market.
* '''Heirlooms From Afar:''' A more controversial brand, Heirlooms From Afar sells various antiques purchased in the region of space. These can include Unathi ancestral armor, Tajaran antiques, or Elyran rugs that originated on 22nd century Earth. Despite an extensive certification process so that buyers can know the legitimacy of their product, some accuse the company of selling counterfeits or stealing their products.
* '''Zharrkov Shipping:''' A brand specializing in selling Tajaran made products to the wide galaxy. From foodstuff to military surplus, anything Tajaran is sold by the Zharrkov. Thanks to contracts with the Tajaran governments, the brand has a massive arsenal of surplus guns available.
</div></div>
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
=== Meng Logistics Incorporated ===
“Right to your doorstep.”
 
'''Chief Executive Officer:''' Meng Yusheng, 42, Human
 
Meng Logistics Incorporated was to be purchased on behalf of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate to bypass the restrictions placed on the existing megacorporations following the collapse of the Solarian Alliance. It focuses on delivering supplies and equipment to the corporate assets of those beneath the banner of the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate within the Solarian Alliance, and even the Nralakk Federation. Founded shortly after the [[Republic of Biesel]] gained independence, Meng Logistics Incorporated struggled to keep up with the megacorporations that rule over the Orion Spur. It found itself initially successful after being relied upon by Idris Incorporated to facilitate deliveries to multiple Idris facilities, including on [[Silversun]]. Its success was short-lived, and the company was approaching rapid bankruptcy before being acquired by the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate in late 2463. It is mostly used as a loophole in the megacorporation treaties with the Solarian Alliance, successfully doing so for the most part.
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">
===== Major Brands =====
Meng Logistics Incorporated focuses on delivering for the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate within the Solarian Alliance and the Nralakk Federation, usually either supplies for corporate assets within the territories or delivering items bought by customers. It mostly finds itself being the primary supplier of consumer electronics within the aforementioned regions, such as PDAs and wristbound devices.
* '''Qwik-Qwik Deliveries:''' a service offered by Meng Logistics Incorporated that offers priority delivery in exchange for a rather significant price. Typically includes overnight delivery, weekend delivery, business week delivery and fortnight delivery.
* '''Gadgetz:''' a line of consumer electronics that Meng Logistics Incorporated sells to those within both the Nralakk Federation and the Solarian Alliance. This includes the Nralakk projectors, PDAs, wristbound devices, and much more. It usually finds itself supplied by the Special Economic Zones within the Core sector; Qerr’Malic, Aliose and even Aweiji in the Elemental sector.
</div></div>
== Relations ==
=== Nralakk Federation ===
Orion Expresses presence in the Nralakk Federation is less limited in comparison to the other megacorporations; rather than only having a Special Economic Zone to work out of, Orion Express is responsible for a large percentage of exports intended for human space via its subsidiary, Meng Logistics Incorporated. Orion also enjoys having access to Qerr’Zolvq Industries’ miners for work abroad thanks to the connections of Orion’s Chief External Affairs Officer, who was formerly a member of management at Qerr'Zolvq Industries. The fact that Orion Express has not been sequestered into a Special Economic Zone despite the purchase of the Qerr'Malic SEZ from NanoTrasen, along with one of it's executives having connections to the Federation’s state enterprises, has allowed the megacorporation to benefit greatly from its operations within the Federation despite its size and lack of expertise compared to the other members of the Conglomerate.
=== People's Republic of Adhomai ===
Since its creation, the Orion Express has played an important role in helping the People's Republic of Adhomai maintain its supply lines. As a fledgling space power, the PRA employs the megacorporation to help ferry much of its supply and equipment to [[Hro'zamal]] and other Orbital Fleet installations. In Adhomai, it inherited NanoTrasen's business of providing alien products to the local population. Orion Express also sells much of the Hadiist military surplus and manufactured goods to the rest of the galaxy.
 
With the end of the Second Revolution, many smugglers decided to abandon the illegality and joined Orion Express to lend their specialty to the megacorporation. These Tajara are frequently used as pilots and couriers in the Badlands, the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, and Tau Ceti; paths they are very acquainted with.
=== Republic of Biesel ===
The Republic of Biesel is viewed as the birthing place of the company, and therefore enjoys numerous advantages on its soil that it otherwise has to fight tooth and nail for in other territories. Like its sister corporation, the [[PMCG]], Orion proved itself in the chaos of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone. The need for swift, relatively small-scale deliveries has always been a necessity in the area, as individual planets and cities had incredibly diverse needs in short bursts of time. The first true employees were from these planets, setting a business strategy that has lasted until this day - to recruit locally, train quickly and replace even quicker. Within months, Orion couriers, miners and servicemen managed to put out much of the instability wrecking the region.
 
Although this particular job remains to be unfinished, it has given Orion a reputation within the Republic as a reliable and humble corporation. Many have flocked to its banner as an alternative to the often overbearing members of the SCC, and see themselves as the pioneers the Republic needs to keep it afloat in such trying times.
 
[[Category:Corporations]]
 
{{Navbox Lore}}

Версия от 12:10, 22 сентября 2023

Medina, nicknamed the Republic’s Prize, is a planet located within the Jedeed Isfahan star system. Considered one of the core worlds of the Republic of Elyra, it is one of the most populated planets in the nation. Medina’s population lives atop city-sized, hovering land vehicles that float over a constantly-shifting landscape. These hovering vehicles are supported by magpulse drives, a technological marvel supported by the Republic’s investment in phoronic research. Over weeks, no single location remains the same, as the entire tectonic assembly of the planet shifts. The largest industry on the planet is the export of fine goods and valuable commodities. The second largest is a unique bounty list referred to as the Phoron Bulletin, where the Elyran government contracts experts from across the galaxy to hunt phoron as it is uprooted across the planet’s ever-churning surface.

History

“I think there are better ways to build a society than draining the life and light from its best citizens.” - Mahmud ibn Amin (2328 - 2419), physicist and second leader of “Project Hubris”

Isfarshan I was marked for development in 2360 for a very specific reason; the absurdly high levels of phoron concentration under its surface. Geologists and engineers touching down on the surface soon realized the unfortunate side to the planet’s obscene mineral wealth; the constant earthquakes and frequent dust storms would make it next to impossible for a permanent settlement to be constructed on the surface.

While brief excursions on the planet’s surface made it possible to mine, thanks to low-flying shuttles and jetpacks, it was still inconvenient, hazardous, and resource-intensive to continue orbital mining operations. The size of Isfarshan I and its abundance of precious materials merited a dedicated colonization effort. Thus, the Republic tasked a group of engineers and researchers to develop a way for a stable colony to exist on the planet’s surface. The project was originally led by Misha Khouroshi, an electrical engineer from Bursa employed by Osman Electronics. As the scale grew larger and the Republic’s demands grew more ambitious, the team expanded to include not just engineers and geologists, but physicists, mechanical engineers, and architects. They would go on to nickname themselves and their work “Project Hubris”, in sarcastic reference to the grand demands that their government was making of them.

It was Khouroshi who originally proposed the concept of hover technology, though the rest of the team was skeptical of the idea owing to the massive amount of resources, planning, and construction it would take, beyond the point of practicality. Khouroshi managed to easily convince the Republic, and less easily convince her team, that the money and resources that went into developing large-scale, working hovercraft technology could be compensated with Isfarshan I’s rich natural resources.

“Project Hubris” was developed over the course of twenty-one years. Setbacks, failures, political unrest, and poor communication between both the team and the Republic were common. The greatest setback was the death of Misha Khouroshi in 2372, at age 49, from an aortic dissection. Mahmud ibn Amin, her successor, would remark that Khouroshi was “the hardest worker of any of [Project Hubris]”, and noted that it was a death most likely caused by intense, ongoing stress.

Despite all these setbacks, it was April 18th, 2381, when the magpulse drive had its first test runs. The first platform, Drifa, was established in the southern hemisphere of the planet, and thousands of miners, medical personnel, and researchers were finally able to call the planet home. The planet was newly-christened Medina by the Republic. While the first prototypes of the magpulse drive were rudimentary and overpowered to contrast the planet’s Earth-like gravity, the warp technology they harnessed would go on to develop more efficient drives that permitted the rapid expansion of the planet’s surface colonies.

By 2388, individuals from across the Republic of Elyra were migrating to Drifa and other newly-founded extraction platforms, and in this rush, the planet became a phoron boomtown. Khouroshi was correct; the mineral extraction and economic benefit that the magpulse platforms assisted in paid back the debt on Project Hubris thousands of times over. With limited failures, the floating cities of Medina continue to hover over the planet’s surface to this day.

Environment

Medina is the only planet within the binary star system of Jedeed Isfahan. It is orbited by six moons; Hubal, Manat, Ruda, Quza, Al-Uzza, and Allatu. The surface of Medina is hot and arid, with daily temperatures averaging at 35 degrees Celsius. Medina’s median pressure is typically 80 kilopascals, meaning even short trips outside of the safety of its floating cities require oxygen gear. The weak atmosphere produces a pinkish-red sky, and the planet’s beautiful yet desolate vistas are famed across the Republic.

Most notable about the planet’s landscape is its constantly shifting surface, dotted in purplish-white sand dunes of silica and tiny granules of phoron. The six moons exert constant pressure on the planet, and tectonic activity is unstable and actively prohibitive to attempts to build a settlement on the surface. The moving plates, however, ensure that minerals deep within the planet’s core never stay hidden for long. Some parts of the planet’s crust will, given enough time, produce towering spikes of phoron pointed at blood-red skies.

Because of the unstable surface and phoron toxicity, no native life exists on Medina. Yet time and the careful observations of geologists have uncovered evidence that, millions of years ago, there were once living organisms on Medina’s surface. It primarily seemed to be arthropodic, similar in shape to isopods, and these fossils have developed a culture of fascination around them due to limited knowledge and their intriguing history.

All Madani cities have robust shielding and self-perpetuating atmospheric systems for the eventuality of dust and sandstorms. A far more dangerous occurrence also presents itself to those who excavate the surface without proper protection; the violet haboob. It is the local nickname for the phenomenon of phoron particulates being swept up in a sandstorm, sending clouds of poisonous dust whirling across the surface. Unprepared miners seeking glory with the Phoron Bulletin can quickly find themselves in danger when caught outside, and many more have gone missing when a haboob kicks up in the fields.

Economy

While Medina’s best-known exports are the production of artisanal goods, such as furniture, cookware, glassware, and sculpture, it is heavily industry-based. Resource extraction, not limited to phoron but also glass, gold, silver, and gems, factors heavily into the planet’s bountiful economy. So well-off is the average Madani native that a divide between rich and poor is something of a foreign concept. Tourists from all over the Spur, and typically young people from more conservative planets in the Republic, also flock to the floating cities for the nightlife and youth culture.

The Phoron Bulletin

The Phoron Bulletin is a relatively new feature to the Madani economy, having been introduced by Elco in early 2430. However, since then, it has been responsible for countless millions of people from all over the Orion Spur seeking the planet’s booty.

The bulletin is a bounty system established by the Elyran government for the sake of outsourcing massive workloads to external parties of all varieties. These workloads include but are not limited to phoron location and extraction, and is extremely dangerous work. The average Madani usually avoids Bulletin work, with the dangers of working on the planet’s surface readily apparent to them. While forms of travel are granted by Elyran officials in the way of hover-barges and extraction vessels, the usual Bulletin hunter is found using their own ships or even daring to make expeditions on foot.

Outside of the floating cities, the planet is exceptionally hazardous. The Elyran government keeps a close watch via surveillance cameras on government-issued helmets on the various teams they contract out to find phoron, and has explicitly forbidden armed conflict between phoron hunters over deposits on the planet's surface. Harsh penalties await those who break the sacred “violet peace”, ranging from heavy fines and a stripping of phoron-hunting licenses, to even field execution.

Despite these risks, some phoron hunters still take their chances both with the Elyran state and other hunting parties. Law is difficult to enforce in remote areas, and fighting over deposits is not unheard of. The Medina Bureau of Economics patrols around areas with high known phoron concentrations to both protect hunting parties and uncover the remains of those that have been lost to Medina, either through natural causes or conflict. Even so, the Elyran government has been known to overlook the transgressions of some hunting parties or dismiss their charges. Coincidentally, those parties are usually the ones with the largest phoron hauls or the strongest connections to government or Elco officials.

Those from off the planet seeking the Phoron Bulletin are often surprised by the cutthroat nature of other phoron hunters. Others are warned and come prepared, knowing full well that the next deposit may spell disaster in the form of accidents or even illegal ambushes by foreign parties.

Culture

“If you value your lover, don’t vacation on Medina.” - Damascene saying

Medina is considered something of a heartland for supporters of the League of United Republicans, the Republic’s center-left party. Most cities are quite socially liberal, with a “live and let live” attitude common in the nightlife culture. Decency laws are fairly relaxed compared to Damascus II, and loose, colorful clothing adorned with embroidery, eye-catching jewelry, and oxygen equipment customized and adorned with personal effects can be seen across all floating cities. EVA equipment, such as helmets and suits, are also usually dyed bright colors and embroidered, or encrusted with jewels (real or fake) or metals.

On Medina, there is a strong emphasis placed on not just artistry, but also perfection in artistry. The planet itself has built an astounding reputation for quality in its exports. While Madani goods are valued in the Republic of Elyra, they are sold for very expensive prices in the greater Orion Spur. The quality of goods can be attributed to the immediate availability of many precious gems, metals, and ores. Certain types of wood, stone, and animal products such as fur and leather are more expensive and rare due to importing costs, and thus Madani art is primarily centered around glasswork, sculpture, and jewelry. The further automation of its mining industry means that creation and artistry is becoming increasingly ubiquitous among the populace. The Republic’s greatest artists find themselves often starting out on Medina, drawn to the freedom present in such a culture, and the novelty of its ideas.

Individuals born planetside tend to grow on a colorful mindset, seeing artistic liberties as an absolute necessity to take when confronting invention. Every invention, from the most luxurious hovercar to a simple kitchen appliance is seen as its own contained canvas upon which the absolute boundaries of the creator’s imagination must be pushed. This mindset usually boils down to “If something cannot be beautiful, why make it?”

Naturally, Madani art culture and its focus on beauty and perfection has spawned a counterculture. Called ghul-anata in Elyran Standard, and typically translated to “ghoulpunk” in Tau Ceti Basic, the artists of this subculture prefer to create works that are deliberately ugly, off-putting, or uncomfortable. This includes noisy, grating music, visual media designed with garish colors or deliberately skewed perspectives, and fashion designed to be grungy and ill-fitting. While typically disparaged as edgy youth culture, native Madani illustrator Noor Amari has found great success and popularity in the wider Orion Spur for her sketchy, garishly-colored illustrations of modern life in Elyra, often with a darkly humorous spin.

Demographics

The floating cities of Medina generally contain a healthy variety of people from all walks of life. While there is no major distinction between those not from the planet and people born planetside, the lifestyles may vary tremendously. Most of the planet’s long-term residents are Elyran citizens, though there is a significant population of elderly Elyrans, usually from Persepolis or New Suez, moving to the planet in their retirement.

About 85.6% of the population of Medina are practitioners of varying sects of Islam. Religious doctrines are quite loose, however, and interpretations of the Quran among Madani are more liberal and progressive. Notably in the past two decades, a movement has spread among the younger populace where pre-Abrahamic faiths such as Zoroastrianism, Arabian polytheism, and Turkic spiritism are beginning to be practiced and ritualized in small groups. However, only a very small percentage of citizens are actually registered as having a non-Abrahamic faith as their religion, and data on how widespread the movement actually is is inconclusive.

Non-Citizen Persons

Similar to elsewhere in the Republic, non-citizen persons on Medina perform the most dangerous jobs for less pay than their citizen counterparts. Perhaps due to this danger and because of the cloistered nature of the floating cities, Medina’s non-citizen person population is quite small compared to other Elyran planets.

Most of the NCP population are humans of various origins, usually from Dominia, the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, or the Middle Ring. They are typically refugees and political dissidents, fleeing upheaval in their home system.

Non-citizen IPCs are usually put to work with the Phoron Bulletin; almost always, these IPCs are manufactured in Elyra, and synthetics from other nations are rarely permitted within the core worlds. Like the rest of the synthetic population, they tend to congregate in their own groups due to widespread mistrust of synthetics. While Medina’s culture is more libertine, and there are rare elements of synthetic sympathy among the younger populace, this does not change that it is still monumentally difficult for an IPC to gain citizenship. In cities such as Drifa, there are rare underground groups and some ghul-anata groups that accept IPCs into their circles, seeking new perspectives on Elyran life.

Unathi formerly of the Izweski Hegemony are also a rare but unremarkable sight on Medina. Typically, former Gawgaryn or Guwan make their way off Moghes towards Medina, seeking the riches found in the planet’s crust. Unlike Unathi on New Suez, Madani Unathi typically have little interest in assimilating into Elyran culture, and they are reputed to be untrustworthy and criminal in the cities. A rare few Unathi have been known to become part of the culture in the floating cities, becoming accepted by the populace and settling down for a different life.

Floating Cities

Drifa: The floating capital of Medina, Drifa is home to over sixty million people and rests on the back of over a thousand magpulse drives. Due to the seemingly endless profits phoron has brought to the planet, Drifa is overwhelmingly middle-and-upper-class. It is populated with luxurious SuezBank resorts and other get-aways, and is known for artificial greenhouses that produce upscale goods such as high-end coffee, chocolate and dates. As one of the more liberal planet capitals, Drifa’s abundant nightlife is popular with local youth and those visiting the planet from offworld, wishing to get away from the more restrictive law of their homeworlds. The current mayor of Drifa and governor of Medina is Layla Bint Hussein Al-Shahi of the League of United Republicans party. The city has a sizable synthetic population, where the precision and skill of IPC workers are highly prized in achieving the obsessive levels of perfection that the planet is known for. Detractors believe that as IPCs lack souls, they do not have the ‘human touch’ required to produce competent works of art.

Najada: A city where fortunes are made and lost overnight, Najada is unusual in the fact that its local governance is almost entirely Artisan free synthetics. Najada began as a simple shuttleport established early on in the planet’s history by a group of ambitious positronic settlers, wishing to seek their fortunes in reaping the ripening fruits of the phoron industry. The city has since sprawled from their port during the planet rush and now caters to the phoron mercenary population of Medina, being widely regarded as one of the seedier cities in the Republic as a whole. With a local government that is interested in profiting from the needs of the Phoron Bulletin above all else, almost anything goes in Najada provided it does not attract the ire of the Medinian Planetary Authority, who turn a blind eye to most of the goings-on of the city due to it’s high phoron yield. The headquarters for most of Medina’s mercenary companies are found here amidst the luxurious high-rises and mercenary bunk-housing, with its thriving black market providing all of the equipment required for their bloody work and more. The Najadi “Banafsaji District” is famous for its high-stakes gaming, where rich clientele gamble with the rights to mine entire deposits of mass quantities of phoron over dice-games and blackjack. The careful balance of Najada has been recently disturbed by the arrival of “danger tourists from” the rest of the Elyran Core, following the dramatized depiction of the city in the hit Elyran series Blood on The Sands.

Harba: More a fortress than a city, the floating enclave of Harba is among the most secure on Medina, and is where the EAF Command for the entire Jedeed Istafan System resides. Harba is closely connected to the Medinian capital, and acquiring property here is notoriously difficult. The city is directly governed by the Planetary Authority rather than any local authority, and housing is typically reserved for government officials and their families, or occasionally awarded to exceptional soldiers for their service. Regardless of one’s background, government clearance is required to enter the city at all due to security concerns, and most civilians come to Harba for work from elsewhere on Medina, inevitably finding themselves under a strict NDA. Harba is the main vector of getting Medinian Phoron off-world and into the rest of the Republic, and it is fiercely protected with a military exclusion zone for all ground and air activity. It is rumored that Osman Electric Industries has a government-contracted facility here which is in the process of developing military AI for the Elyran Navy, but OEI has repeatedly claimed that it is just another factory developing QQs.

Turaif: Turaif is the academic heartland of Medina, home to several learning institutions and the headquarters of one Elyran Megacorp. Turaif’s primary export is phoron research and education. The headquarters of Osman Electric Industries is found here in the grand Burj Osman, a tower known first for its many amenities, and second for its unique quirk in that it also functions as a research facility. The Burj Osman’s lower floors open to the public and present a typical offering of shopping malls, high-end restaurants, spas, and even hotels. The upper floors, however, are access restricted and home to OEI’s most prominent phoron research facilities, where all manner of phoron technology is researched and presented to the wider Republic. Also in Turaif, the Khalil Osman Institute for Applied Phoronics is Elyra’s foremost learning institute for phoron sciences, and many of the Spur’s greatest phoron researchers graduate from the institute. The rest of Turaif is home to closely-packed city housing, with most residents working in education or research fields. A local student art collective dubbed The Turaif School produces popular work that regularly pushes the boundaries of Elyran Futuro-Impressionism, much to the government’s annoyance. Their latest work is a series of 24 murals across Turaif showing the struggle of Medina’s NCP populace, and was widely published on Elyran social media despite the government’s attempts to the contrary. The League of United Republicans expressed quiet approval for the works, though local Republican Revolutionary Society members disapproved it for “rocking the boat.”