The beating heart of the modern Coalition of Colonies, Liberty’s Cradle is home to many of the Coalition’s most developed and influential worlds. In contrast to the Solarian stereotype of the frontier as a decivilized wasteland populated by roving bands of pirates and petty warlords, Liberty’s Cradle is a prosperous and safe region which has a higher standard of living than much of the former Middle and Outer Ring possessed prior to the Solarian Collapse of 2462. Post-Collapse the area has continued to prosper and, now that it dwells far behind the Coalition-controlled Weeping Stars, is more secure than it has ever been before.
Originally established in 2305 as a Solarian Alliance Outer Ring planet, Konyang is presently one of the more distant outposts under the Coalition of Colonies after its independence in 2462. Konyang’s capital city Suwon, the largest settlement on the planet, is built upon a natural formation that defines most of Konyang's geography: islands with large interior mountains that feature lush, but soaking wet, coastal jungle regions. Konyang was initially a relatively average Outer Ring settlement intended to export water, before the discovery of mysterious, deactivated drones in 2407 led to a robotics boom occuring on the planet that lasted well into the 2450s. The Konyang of today is a planet renowned for its robotics industry, though some of its initial luster has faded in the years following its boom. Water, however, remains a key industry - the planet has a remarkably low salination level, meaning that essentially all of its water is drinkable. Konyang Solarian Common, or Konyang Common, is the most used language on the planet inside and outside of major population centers. Due to its proximity to the Coalition of Colonies planets, Coalition member planets often import water from Konyang. In major cities and universities, Tradeband can be found being spoken, though it remains rare. Speakers of the language are generally from off-planet, moving to Konyang during its robotics boom. Konyang almost completely lacks valuable minerals due to intensive mining efforts carried out by drones—whose source remains unknown—hundreds of years before it was colonized.
Because of the ethnic make-up of Konyang's original settlers and assimilation of immigrants into the native population during the first AI boom, human characters born on Konyang will have names and appearances consistent with the people of China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japanese Islands. Only native Konyangers or Konyang-made IPCs may select the Konyanger accent. This is enforceable by server moderators and admins.
The Konyanger flag was adopted in 2462, having unofficially been used by pro-autonomy circles long before the declaration of independence. The traditional taijitu represents peace and harmony as the highest values of the new state, with the color blue representing the waterways the planet is known for and yellow, their aim of prosperity. The white background represents Konyang's purity.
History
Conception and Planning | 2200s - 2299
When the United Nations proposed and eventually enforced the creation of the Alliance of Sovereign Solarian Nations, China, Korea and Japan were once more forced to band together to compete with the world for influence inside the newly found institution. Rivals such as the European Union, the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth and the United States were first in line to claim hegemonic roles, their space programs forming the core of Solarian colonization of the Inner, Middle and Outer rings over the centuries, populating them with their own peoples and sparking an unofficial race for prestige land grabs, one which the Department of Colonization was more than happy to let unfold, resulting in the extremely fast expansion of Humanity into the Orion Spur. While regional powers such as India and the Mediterranean countries began creating their own colonies on Gadpathur and Assunzione, the East Asian trio were relegated to secondary roles of supplying technology, labor and capital without any actual representation in the stars, a situation problematic for some and resented by many in the “sovereign” governments.
It was thus decided to present a plan to Solarian functionaries for a colony spearheaded by China and supported heavily by Korea and Japan, aimed at restoring the pride of the three “cousin-nations” and their position in the Alliance. Intense negotiations and technical planning amounted to years of disagreements over the name, location and allocation of responsibilities between the partners, as well as the presence of China’s Einstein Engines megacorporation, which offered to finance a great portion of the initial effort. Soon however, the advent of the Second Great Depression and the following Interstellar War in the mid-late 2200’s saw a bankrupt Alliance put a halt to any colonization projects, resulting in the plans being shelved. The war took a great toll on the core Solarian worlds, including Earth and its nations which were called to provide manpower, funds and materiel for the Solarian Navy. Federal China’s economy tanked completely under the pressure, relying on IMF bailouts and stays of payment on the salaries of its public sector, with pensionaries and students being most severely hit, resulting in massive social upheaval which would have long lasting consequences for the country’s financial hegemony in the post-war region.
As peace and relative stability returned, the Alliance found a newly independent, sizable and embittered Coalition of Colonies rival its claims in the Galactic East, calling for the presence of military garrisons and naval stations to protect the border. It was at this time that colonization projects were beginning to reemerge, with the Pacific Pact racing once more to submit a viable plan for a colony that would represent East Asia. A fatigued China could no longer bear the incredible costs it aspired to as the leader of the colonial venture before the war, giving significant leeway to the other two partners and largely retreating behind its megacorporation, Einstein Engines, which was still willing to back the endeavor. An aggressive Korean delegation largely dictated terms, giving birth to the “Konyang Project”, named after the Konyang University in which the colonial undertaking was revealed and presented to the public in 2299.
Early Colonial Period | 2304 - 2400s
The flag of Konyang under Alliance administration.
The plan envisioned five convoys for the establishment of four primary settlements on a strategically placed planet selected by the Solarian Navy for the support of local naval operations against any threats from the Frontier Alliance. The targeted planet was revealed to be a lush world first discovered in 2278 by a long-range scouting probe, dominated by water and possessing a breathable atmosphere, placing it in a prime position to sustain Human civilization. The quickly named “Haneunim” solar system possessed a few more bodies of secondary importance, and the first convoy was scheduled to launch on the 10th of March 2304, from the Wenchang spaceport in South China, to meet the long-distance freighters in orbit of Luna that would carry the first 5,000 colonists to Konyang. The ethnic mix-up of the colonists were equally distributed amongst the three nationalities, with all being volunteers and 646 of them under the employ of Einstein Engines.
It took the warp-propelled convoy one year to reach its destination, traversing light years of Solarian vastness before meeting the Navy squadron which would escort them to the planet, with touchdown being made on September 8th, 2305. Konyang was covered in jungles and great mountain ranges, requiring great labor from the men and women of the expedition to create the first settlement, under the direction of officers from the Department of Colonization. Two months later, Unity Station would receive the first signal passed along by the Navy, originating from beacon Number 22890/223, Designation ‘SUWON’. The foundations had been laid. In the following decades, all five convoys would come to form the basis of the “Konyang Territory”, a colony directly controlled by the Alliance and the Solarian Navy as the base of the 58th Fleet. Boosted by its status as a naval base, the abundance of freshwater and with the backing of Einstein, all three cities were realized; Suwon and Boryeong, New Hong Kong, and Aoyama, each at the start holding ethnic majorities of Koreans, Chinese and Japanese respectively.
The Robotics Boom | 2407 - 2430s
Despite the acceptable climate and near unlimited freshwater, the colonial government soon realized an alarming lack of mineral resources, forcing a complete reliance on external trade and supplies from the Navy for any and all industrial goods and even basic construction materials, a reality which had to be corrected as fast as possible. A planet-wide scanning expedition was organized, while “patriotic aid” was fervently being fundraised in China, Japan and Korea for nearly a whole century to cope with the colonists' increasing demands. This led to a landmark moment in the history of Konyang, when on the 21st of April 2404, mining teams dug into a collapsed tunnel outside the vicinity of Aoyama, discovering a defunct mining drone, crushed by tonnes of rock and soil. The chassis appeared broken and old, though its very presence implied the exploitation of the planet by a different civilization.
The device was hurried back in secrecy to a panel of dumbfounded colonial officials, who deemed that their corporate partners would be more suited in tracking down its origin. As such, after a quick formality bid behind closed doors, the Alliance sold off its odd piece of government property to Einstein Engines whose scientists saw it as a curious case worth pursuing. Month after month, the Terraneus Diagnostics laboratory in Aoyama kept receiving bits and pieces from similar drones recovered from abandoned, centuries-old mineshafts, culminating in the 2406 discovery of a sealed vault containing a great number of intact mining drones. The severity of this discovery was immediately apparent to the scientists. Words were had with the governor of Konyang by the local Einstein Engines representative, and it was decided to keep the drones a very closely-guarded secret - with only select Terraneus and government officials even being aware of their existence at all, let alone what was being done with them.
The Terraneus research team worked feverishly, though in secret, for months upon months. Staff were quietly shipped in from offworld in order to not alert outside observers, and the team continued to work upwards of eighty hour weeks in order to crack the drones. In mid-2407, they achieved one of the most remarkable breakthroughs in recent scientific memory by cracking the AI algorithms of the drones. Information of this moved rapidly from the local Einstein Engines office up the corporate chain and moved equally rapidly up the government's chain from provincial office to Sol itself. The information spread like wildfire, and humanity now had the secret of AI despite not truly knowing from where or who these machines came from. This was little more than a footnote to the Nralakk Federation - to them, these AI were crude and hardly approached the machines that had driven their civilization to ruin.
The robotics boom of Konyang caused a variety of benefits and harms to the previously marginal outer ring planet. The economy ballooned massively, as did its standard of living and industries. Konyang moved from a rural backwater that exported food and water to a high-tech planet that still exported basic goods, but primarily focused upon robotics. Megacorporations flocked to the planet: Einstein Engines, already present through Terraneus, rapidly secured dominance over the planet; Hephaestus Industries struggled with Einstein dominated competition before selling its factories over to local government control in 2427; and Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals, despite its skrell benefactors, purchased rights to examine the planet's biosphere from Einstein. The fact that their prosthetic limbs were originally designed on this planet has been stated to be a "happy coincidence" by its board. Due to the mass arrival of corporations, jobs were readily available - the planet was booming.
A massive migration wave of Einstein employees and their families to Aoyama made the city wrangle the spot of first in importance from the nominal capital of Suwon, to the point where the expatriate scientific community and their dependents outnumbered the local Japanese original colonists. The city quickly became known to Humanity as “Point Verdant”, the name assigned to the Terraneus Diagnostics laboratory in Aoyama, while the parent countries on Earth invested billions to capitalize on the success of their colonial project, to lift the planet into a modern world and reap the public relations benefits of their colony achieving a breakthrough in artificial intelligence.
The rapid expansion of Konyang's industries and cities had overtaxed the limited bureaucracy on the planet to the breaking point, and architects were in short supply. Urban planning on Konyang is estimated to be some of the worst in Alliance space outside of New Hai Phong as a result, with cities such as Point Verdant often having haphazard roads running through them and districts smashed together with no apparent rhyme or reason - a legacy of corporate jockeying for areas of interest, and the municipal corruption that came with it. There are countryside facilities originally utilized for drone research and retrieval that have, in recent years, fallen into disuse and disarray. Such facilities often dot the mountains and foothills of Konyang, slowly being overtaken by nature - sometimes with unfortunate results when these facilities have been improperly stripped of dangerous materials. The environment also suffered in areas where drones were found - jungles were cut or burnt away by corporations in order to get at the precious drones below, prefab buildings were orbitally dropped and erected, and landing zones were cut into the landscape itself.
The stormy tidal waves so infamous for tormenting the early colonists were tamed through the building of sea walls, a comprehensive road network linked the remote villages with the urban centers, and the city of Ganzaodeng was raised from the rocky desert. The Konyanger conglomerate PACHROM would mark the rise of the first native Chaebols, building shipyards, dams, hydroelectric plants and the first space fleet capable of ferrying enormous capacities of water across interstellar systems.
The Positronic Integration | 2410s
Soon enough, IPCs entered production on the planet, making Konyang one of the first places to embrace the positronic revolution. The limited resources saw higher prices, lessening the availability of domestically produced frames. Furthermore, the still rudimentary waterproofing technologies meant that IPCs could not work for long hours without shelter, ensuring that human jobs would remain safe from automation. When in the rest of Sol IPCs were produced en-masse for labor, Konyanger IPCs were more integrated in white-collar employment and indoors service-related work. Meanwhile, a growing media culture based on animation combined with the Konyanger recycle-friendly attitude, giving newer generations a fresh look on positronic intelligence, one that valued them as people rather than a disposable resource. The lack of widespread automation never brought the anti-synthetic sentiment so common in the rest of Sol, and IPCs in time became a unique cultural phenomenon in the colony’s urban centers.
Solarian laws governing the relations between IPCs and mankind were nominally enforced on Konyang, barring synthetics from gaining their own freedom, a fact which remained a thorn between the more liberal, younger Konyangers and the older generations. Einstein Engines allied with the Solarian governorship to press for the continuing status of Konyang as a colony, preventing elections and thus any liberal political influence from threatening the company’s grip on its synthetic workforce. This however, did not prevent Konyanger society to further integrate IPCs, even if the concept of universal citizenship for all synthetics was still far from publicly accepted. Aoyama was most receptive to the positronics, as a center of research and culture, with IPCs welcomed in people’s houses, treated like family and celebrated in festivals and even religious ceremonies. Suwon sentiment remained ambivalent, though many Solarian officials and naval officers expressed most severe concerns, in many cases pressing for crackdowns and questioning the morals of Konyanger citizens. The denizens of New Hong Kong and Ganzaodeng on the other hand, were most unhappy, with the powerful Chinese factory and shipyard labor unions remaining vocally opposed to IPC rights in the workplace, owing to their ties with the wider Solarian unions.
The profound effects of the emergence of this positronic culture were soon felt across the planet, change being heralded through a wave of demonstrations in mid to late 2412. High school and university students in Aoyama took to the streets to call for synthetic rights, in one of the few instances of pro-IPC disturbances on Solarian soil. In particular, the students called for the immediate emancipation of owned synthetics, marching from the main First Avenue down to the Governor's House and being joined by crowds of people and IPCs alike. The Aoyama Constabulary alongside Terraneus security forces were ordered to put a swift end to the march, resulting in the first major incident since the founding of the colony. Over 400 student injuries were recorded, the crowds responding with rocks and branches to the authorities’ tear gas and water cannons. 247 arrests were made that day, sparking additional outrage in the student movement as the ringleaders were tried as adults and given lengthy prison sentences. Smaller incidents were also noted in Suwon and Boryeong, marking 2412 as a year of upheaval and social change, laying the foundations for full IPC citizenship.
Late Colonial Period | 2410s - 2440s
As Konyang left behind the troubled ’10s and social peace returned through decrees permitting local city authorities to afford certain permissions for IPCs. This followed the final robotics' boom peak in the 2430s, seeing the planet’s GDP growth reach new levels. The colony’s industrial potential skyrocketed, with hundreds of hydroelectric dams, sea walls and shipyards creating thousands of new jobs in New Hong Kong, the new industrial core of Konyang. Labour relations shifted dramatically, as the new Hephaestus-pioneered industrial chassis enabled IPCs to work in the most difficult of conditions, sidelining and driving off the all powerful Gwongfu labor unions, with human employees forced into the urban centers and Ganzaodeng, contributing to a skyrocketing of the local IPC population in the prefecture.
Suwon saw a significant rise in business activity with the outside world, emboldening private ventures to the neighboring Frontier Alliance, bringing in massive profits from moss and entertainment exports. The animation industry reached new heights, with hundreds of new studios producing pioneering and high quality work, including classics like “One Day in My Life” and “Tomonomimi”, two of the most highly acclaimed works of media in recent Solarian memory. The entertainment sector brought new life to the Konyanger tourism industry as well, with more and more people rediscovering the distant hidden gem tucked deep in the fringes of the Alliance. The Suwon Stock Exchange was listed for the first time in the Chicago Financial Review, Sol’s most coveted investment periodical, as “Upcoming”, leading to billions of credits flowing in the country from abroad.
New chaebol conglomerates emerged, replacing even Einstein products with widely successful “Local, Cheaper and Better” campaigns. While Gwok Foods was making headlines in 2439 as the most successful Konyanger “IPC-inspired” exporter by yearly gross tonnage, the Ayame Motor Corporation created the first “completely Konyanger” 2-seat automobile designed for the cramped roads of Suwon and Point Verdant, becoming an instant hit. The Boryeong based Mujigae Publishing brought comics back into the youth’s hands, and Konymation had expanded to control cinemas, movie production studios, theme parks and restaurant chains in its ever expanding media empire.
Independence and Present Day | 2462 - Present
The Mars Violet Dawn catastrophe of 2462 signaled an era of widespread uncertainty and energy insecurity for the entirety of the Sol Alliance, with the Spur-wide phoron crisis exacerbating the situation for the Alliance’s Middle and especially Outer Ring colonies. A Konyanger recession in the late 2450s had already stretched the colonial government thin, with riots over the cost of living and unemployment in New Hong Kong and Suwon making national news for years on end. As the shaken corporations entered discussions on how they would survive the ever increasing phoron costs, it was made clear to everyone that the Alliance could not, and would not fund the refitting of the corporate fleets with the new Suzuki-Zhang Hammer Drive engine, threatening the complete cutoff of Konyang from outer space should the local Bluespace gate fail. Only a few Einstein vessels and the 58th Fleet stationed on the planet remained as the only reliable link between Konyang and the Spur.
The shortage soon hit the domestic market, leading to dangerous price increases for even the most essential of supplies. The average Konyanger saw their purchasing power plummet, as salaries remained stagnant in the face of a decreasing supply. The colonial Governor Hyun Kyung-Ho, turned to the only emergency option left, Earth. It was not the first time that Patriotic Aid was raised in China, Korea and Japan, though this time it proved most underwhelming. As the call for help fell on ears of men that could not even help their own economies, the trophy colony had to be abandoned to its own devices, with many in the East Asian public accusing Konyangers of greed and forgetting them in their apogee of financial success. With this last link to the past cut off, the question and possibility of independence soon started circling.
There was no time for serious debate however, with the Alliance being plunged into rebellion and collapse. On November 12, the 58th Fleet hastily departed Konyang, declaring a state of emergency in the system and abandoning the colonial government to its fate. Only elements of the Solarian Army and the Constabularies remained to maintain order, themselves being composed almost entirely of local Konyanger enlisted. The situation immediately turned into unrest, as public sentiment against the ineptitude of the Alliance boiled over into the streets. Massive student protests saw the storming of public buildings and central plazas in every major town and city, demanding a sharp reduction to the cost of living, IPC emancipation and a barring of the 58th Fleet from returning. Government reaction was mild, limited to the prevention of damages and protection of private property. Hyun Kyung-Ho was otherwise sympathetic to the students’ cause, sparking outrage within groups of Alliance-minded Army officers and Einstein corporate elites, who sought to prevent any secession of Konyang.
Thus, on November 15 2462, elements of the Army garrison under Lieutenant General Jiang Hongbing mobilized against the wishes of the Governor, taking up key positions in Suwon and Point Verdant. The mutinous 8th Sappers infiltrated the historic SUWON beacon telecommunications complex, preparing the country for a silent coup and preventing any long range communications with Sol. Jiang Hongbing, inspired by actions of mutinous admirals, took it upon himself to restore Konyang to the Alliance by marching the Army into the streets. While some of the formations under his command were willing to participate, the vast majority refused to bear arms against the Konyanger Governor or the student movements. In the following day, an internal power struggle saw many officers confined to their quarters, with Army hardliners being arrested, chased off or even assaulted in their own barracks as a loyalist armored brigade blocked access to the Governor’s House, preventing Hongbing’s men from touching Hyun Kyung-Ho.
With the coup’s inglorious end visible, the Governor’s staff were racing into negotiations with diplomatic officers from Coalition of Colonies still in the country for an express accession into the Coalition, following Konyang’s independence. Jiang Hongbing’s associates surrendered, himself fleeing into the thick jungles of Boryeong Prefecture, declaring a patriotic struggle in the Alliance’s name before soon being betrayed and confined at the 58th base’s Brig. On November 24 2462, telecommunications were restored, and Konyanger independence was broadcast to the world. The country’s preliminary accession into the Coalition was soon after announced, turning a new leaf in Konyang’s history. While the news was received with muted reaction from a confused Alliance government with more pressing matters to handle, the secession of Konyang was a huge blow to the three parent countries. After Governor Hyun Kyung-Ho assembled the nation’s intellectuals, economic and political figures, it was decided that he would remain in place as independent Konyang’s first Governor to organize free elections and set up the foundations for a democratic state.
Now, as a free Konyang comes out to the world stage, strong government initiative has seen its large synthetic factories nationalized, rapidly introducing legislation to establish the relationship with Einstein Engines. While they still are the dominating megacorporation on the planet, Einstein has lost most of its heavy industry, though still retaining the important research facilities around the vaults, as well as a good portion of software and positronic brain creation.
Location and Environment
The Haneunim System
The Haneunim System, centered around the yellow star it is named for, Haneunim, contains four major celestial bodies, including the planet of Konyang. The whole system bears evidence of ancient mining operations, missing an asteroid belt to separate the inner and outer system with what few rocks remain being mostly picked clean of minerals.
Huozhu
The innermost planet is known as Huozhu and remains practically inaccessible due to the scorching heat of Haneunim. Unmanned drones have indicated that the planet, which is visible to the naked eye on Konyang, is greatly lacking in any mineral wealth and has no atmosphere to speak of.
Hwanung
The second planet from Haneunim, Hwanung, is an insignificant dwarf planet believed to have maintained a thin arid atmosphere before most of its mass was artificially stripped away. While relatively close to Konyang and far cooler than Huozhu, observation and a handful of expeditions revealed that most of the planet's crust had been artificially stripped away, exposing its solid, icy mantle. Konyanger exogeologists continue to survey the planet from time to time and PACHROM has obtained a permit to mine ice in order to meet their quotas to Orepit.
Qixi
The third planet in the System is Konyang, accompanied by its lifeless moon of Qixi. Qixi is noteworthy for housing a KASF base and shipyard, the Konyanger military's largest off-planet possession; while more prestigious than working aboard one of the KASF's orbital stations, being posted here is considered boring by some. Some in the government have discussed plans to build more shipping hubs on the moon, akin to Biesel's own Valkyrie, but these talks have largely remained academic due to adequacy of Konyang's existing spaceport facilities.
Shiranui
Shiranui, a ringed gas giant colored blue thanks to its methane composition, is the outermost planet from Haneunim. Prior to the discovery of phoron, private companies operated over three dozen methane-harvesting facilities in orbit around Shiranui. That number has dwindled down to just thirteen in the past few decades; the remaining workers, their families having often worked in the industry for many years, are usually bitter towards NanoTrasen. The Aerospace Forces keep a number of unmanned satellites around the gas giant in order to better monitor pirate and refugee activity.
An asteroid belt, far to the outskirts and composed mostly of ice, forms a ring around the entire system, although this remains largely unexploited by both the Konyanger government and local corporations. It is instead the stomping ground of both refugees fleeing the Sol Wildlands, and the pirates that seek to prey on them.
Geography
A geographic map of Konyang, showcasing the planet's different biomes.
Primarily a tropical world smaller than Earth, Konyang boasts a mean radius of 5,111 kilometers. Freshwater oceans cover upwards of 88% of the planet’s surface. These oceans also grant Konyang its signature green color when viewed from orbit, in no small part thanks to the abundant presence of moss in the planet’s waterways. The planet’s continents are classified by its larger landmasses and island chains, although given the tides, the planet remains studded with small island chains and archipelagos that ebb and flow with the season. Two small ice caps exist on Konyang where the planet experiences a miniscule amount of snowfall and cold climates. The Konyanger terrain is principally mountainous, with large ranges covering vast areas of the planet’s landmasses. The tallest peak belongs to Mount Sansin, the highest mountain standing at a record 13.890 meters above sea level, its base forming an island of its own. Flanking the mountains are usually lush jungles, present in almost every island and continent in varying densities. This means that settlements have to be located in clearings adjacent to the coastline, on terrain with relatively even elevation. The largest and most dense jungle is located in Bukupo, an island in the heart of the Boryeong Prefecture. The largest landmass on the planet is Cheomseongtang, home of the Suwon prefecture and the nation’s capital. Other notable landmasses are the Oshima islands, hosting the largest mountain ranges, as well as the Yu islands, home of the only biome that could be described as a desert. New Hokkaido is the largest northernmost territory, renowned for its biodiversity and frosty tundra due to its proximity to the planet’s pole, as well as a unique lack of jungles. It is administered directly by the Government of Konyang, being the site of many scientific expeditions and military exercises, only boasting a population of a few hundred people.
Environment
An image of Konyang, displaying mossy oceans and algae-covered water as the face of the planet.
Konyang features a highly atypical environment for a habitable planet: it is entirely freshwater. The surface of the planet is primarily oceans, with estimates placing upwards of 88% of the planet as covered in water. What is not under the sea are the islands of Konyang, where the vast majority of its population lives. These islands follow a general pattern: a small coastal area and a large mountain range ringing the island. The freshwater oceans of Konyang feature a remarkable diverse biosphere, and Konyang underwater flora, such as freshwater moss, is often used in the planet's native dishes and exported offworld, as far afield as Sol and Tau Ceti. Konyang is defined by two seasons: wet, lasting nine months, and dry, lasting three months.
The coastal regions of Konyang represent the smallest regions of its islands, but contain upwards of 90% of the planet's population. Often called the "coastal jungles" of Konyang, these areas are extremely wet - flooding is an issue in many areas, though the bulk of populated and urban areas are protected by extensive flood protection infrastructure, primarily lengthy complexes of walls. Coastal areas feature a wealth of plant and animal life, both of which have been put under stress by the rapid expansion of Konyang's cities.
Although Konyang’s coastal waters are often tinted green from moss, even more so than its oceans, harvesting and cleanup efforts along the coasts of the main and important islands have resulted in some sections of the planet appearing blue. These areas are often exploited for settlements and as tourist destinations for their scenic looks, while dedicated seaweed and algae farms dot the planet, providing an income for local villages and traditional producers. The most famous Konyanger food exporter, Go-Go Gwok!, has the largest involvement in the moss and seaweed industry.
The inland mountain ranges of Konyang can be up to several kilometers in height in some areas, with smaller foothills featuring some rare settlements leading up to them. These ranges, which lack valuable minerals completely due to Glorsh-era mining, are the reason for Konyang's jungles - they form an effective rain shadow. Some mountains have what is assumed to be collapsed mines in them, deactivated drones scattered throughout.
A phenomenon unique to the easternmost Yu islands of the Ganzaodeng prefecture, inland deserts are created due to the rain shadow caused by the surrounding mountain ranges. These are the least populated areas of the planet. Extraordinarily dry, little grows or lives in these environments. Rare Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals facilities can be found in this area, taking advantage of the isolation and relatively sterile environment that the inland deserts offer.
Lastly, the oceans of Konyang are regularly stormy, the large waves being harnessed for their energy in electricity production at numerous such outposts, scattered throughout the unpopulated islets in the farthest and most secluded areas.
Flora and Fauna
Wildlife on Konyang is a peculiar mix of its original environment and the thousands of invasive species introduced by Human colonization. Species introduced in the initial colonization of the planet include huge herbivores and peaceful, if ecologically destructive, wildlife. Additionally, the large oceans are host to an uncountable number of species of fish, crustaceans and aquatic molluscs, with many being unique to their region of origin. Flora on Konyang is among its most famed aspects, spearheaded by the mossy shores and overgrowth which covers the vast majority of its visible terrain. All plant life which survives on Konyang must survive the extremely damp environment, and as such either thrives in the water, or is capable of moving away from it. Konyang's waters are famously covered in green moss and seaweed, giving it its signature color when viewed from orbit.
Some examples of unique flora and fauna are:
Shelfers
In the marsh and lowlands of Konyang's algae coasts resides an invasive species of large omnivores known as Shelfers. These are gluttonous moss-feasting beasts, with a distinct six-legged and bloated appearance. They are excellent swimmers, owed to webbed joints and a wedge shaped, slick head. From this, it uses a set of large protruding teeth to scrape moss and undersea growths. This creature is endangered, and displayed as a national animal thanks to its unique appearance. Originally a danger to unprepared colonization, these gained a reputation for its tendency to attack colonists.
These were first encountered by colonists who had shipped wildlife to and from Arusha, where escaped subjects managed to reproduce- over the years becoming a cultural icon due to their miraculous beneficial place they have in Konyang's ecosystem.
Konyanger Jeweler Cockatoo
Known for its affinity to decorate its nesting grounds with surface-level pearls and gems of all sorts is an opportunistic carnivore, the Jeweler Cockatoo. This large avian is an offshoot of the Earth parrot, bred originally to “liven the landscape” of Konyang’s dreary inner mountainous lands. Eventually, with the assistance of high-level genetic modification, they grew to giant proportions whilst maintaining the health and lifestyle of a standard - if highly dangerous - parrot.
Where small patches of forest and barrens clash, these birds thrive and craft beautiful roosts in the relative safety of open fields. In these fields, diminutive predators avoid the large avian’s glare (or don’t, and are frequently preyed upon.) The Jeweler Cockatoo possesses two sharp talons on one digit of each of its feet, and a short - but unbelievably sharp beak, refined further by its tendency to dig. The wingspan of these birds can grow up to fifteen feet.
The Jeweler Cockatoo is the national bird of Konyang, with many stylized imagery depicting the bird in some shape or form.
Glittering Konyang Moss
Found in vast plains of coastal territories in excess is the overflowing, yet precious resource of Konyang moss. One of its primary exports, this barely-tapped commodity retains a huge capacity to feed Konyang’s already sturdy ecosystem, and the billions which reside upon it, and more to export. The evolutionary process which grew this mystical, shimmering moss is a mystery, however its luster and fields of green it generates has a wonderful impact on sustaining Konyang’s moist, overgrown and greenery-rich habitat.
Konyang moss is pivotal to its moving industries, and even after the robotics boom, it remains a stable source of incoming development for the since-burgeoning planet. The moss’ nutritional properties have been highly studied in recent decades. Its rapid pace of growth is exclusive to Konyang’s ecological circumstances, with everything from subterranean heat, to the algae present in its beautiful green seas factoring in.
Economy
While young, the nation of Konyang boasts a powerful regional economy built upon decades of trade with both the Alliance and various Coalition partners. A developed country, Konyang manages to surpass its near total lack of ore with robust exports of foodstuff and energy, a strong shipping industry and a powerful robotics sector.
Raw Materials
Dams and sea walls are a common sight on Konyang, used to protect cities and population centres from floods and tsunamis, as well as to exploit the violent waves for electricity.
Konyang's freshwater oceans were perhaps the largest boon to the starting colonists, and continues to play a substantial role behind the planet's exports. Fishing provides for a large aspect of the domestic economy, with millions of fishing boats and trawlers scouring the shores and oceans for all kinds of fish, crustaceans and other aquatic creatures, of which a complete list doesn't exist. Such is the biodiversity in Konyang's waters, that each region has its own fish markets which serve clients all over the planet and the Spur. Besides fishing, Konyang's biggest aquatic produce in terms of volume belongs to its enormous seaweed and moss harvesting industries. Entire ships are purpose-built for collecting wild greenery which floats on the high seas and the bays of Konyang, bringing in billions in offworld exports and domestic sales. The harvesting of moss is not exclusive to the sea and the aquatic farms either, as many edible varieties are collected inland, both in the planet's jungles and mountain ranges. Konyanger moss is Spur-renowned thanks to powerful marketing campaigns and the spread of the planet's cuisine.
With tremendously stormy wet seasons lasting most of the year, it is no surprise that Konyanger corporations have attempted and managed to harness the energy of the wind, waves and waters of the planet. Electricity is generated through a network of dams, hydroelectric plants, wave power stations and tidal power stations, all dotted across the vast shores and oceans of Konyang. The electricity produced is then either stored in super capacitors, or is directly wired inland through thick underwater cables, catering to the needs of virtually every power grid on the globe. Much of it is also transported on board space freighters lined with rows of large batteries, ready to make the journey to Alliance and Coalition worlds as part of the lucrative electricity export industry.
Lastly, Konyang excells in the export of water and timber. The continent-spanning untouched jungles provide an excellent source of wood for foreign markets as well as domestic construction, of which there is very heavy use in lieu of metal structures. The freshwater is also extremely easy to chemically filter, skipping any desalination process before being bottled or shipped as-is on board of one of many of Konyang's water barges; large hollow space vessels with tankers and pools for water storage.
Maritime Shipping
Surface shipping is another one of the main forces behind Konyang's domestic market economy, and an inseparable part of the nation's maritime culture. The docks and shipyards of New Hong Kong are the beating heart of the sector, which provides employment to more than 20% of the entire planet's population. Entire towns were formed and dedicated to housing the laborers and their families close to the coast, and many islands subsist entirely off of seamen's salaries and work at nearby electricity stations. Surface shipping, while slower, is a lot more economical for planetary moving of goods across the continents and islands of Konyang, being preferred to airlifting or orbital shuttling. Aside from the creation of jobs and the transportation of goods, Konyang's shipping industry produces excellent sailors who can rival those of planets such as Europa, many of whom eventually transition to space.
Robotics and Services
Ever since the robotics boom, Konyang has become a major player in the export and development of IPCs and everything surrounding them. Each year, the most cutting edge technologies catered to the improvement of the life of synthetics are released by Konyanger software companies, often to critical acclaim. This is because of the the substantial positronic population, free and eager to spend on such innovations that allow them to experience the world in a more human-like fashion. When it comes to the export of IPCs, Einstein Engines remains the prime manufacturer of chassis and positronic brains, which are shipped abroad without being activated. The practice, while putting Konyang on the map as one of the big regional producers of synthetics, is a hotly contested area between deeply entrenched corporate interests and an increasingly politically aware IPC populace. Non-positronic robotics are a separate, but once significant part of the economy, with Konyang having hoeld high places in the spur leaderboards for the making of robots, mechs, pAIs and automated systems. This sector however, took a major hit as the robotics boom slowly deflated, leaving behind abandoned industrial complexes and derelict factories.
The nation's service sector has to be one of the biggest ones, contributing a sizeable portion of the country's Gross Domestic Product. Many of the companies listed on the Suwon Stock Exchange are everything from financial consultation firms, to insurance agencies, housed in every majpr city's financial district. Skyscrapers and office complexes in downtown Suwon, Point Verdant and New Hong Kong are a daily reminder of the office life millions of Konyangers live, and many parents dream of their child being able to one day find employment in a top law firm or such. While mostly concentrated in the domestic market, many of these companies have expanded their services abroad, building a reputation of Konyanger reliability and impeccable work.
Konyanger Corporations
In terms of the traditional megacorporations, the undoubted hegemon remains Einstein Engines, entrenched in the planet's life since the beginning of Konyang's colonization. The megacorporation owns a number of subsidiaries on the planet in many different sectors, most notably, Terraneus Diagnostics, which regularly bankrolls and invests in government initiatives in exchange for their continuous presence. It retains the original research facilities and control over the vaults, even if IPC production and exports are now handled by the Konyang Robotics Corporation, a public company in which Einstein controls a 49% stake. The Terraneus facilities on the planet mainly handle shell research and positronic brain production for export to the Coalition, while they occasionally butt heads with Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals in the realm of IPC research. Zeng-Hu has the second-largest megacorporate presence, mainly in biosphere research and sales of pharmaceuticals. Despite this, local conglomerates generally dominate the country’s financial sector, commanding the government’s cooperation and good graces in order to keep a stable economy. Upon achieving independence, Konyang has managed to maintain a strong presence of homegrown corporations in the fields of agriculture, media, energy and consumer goods.
PACHROM
A chemical and engineering corporation, PACHROM builds, maintains and manages eighty percent of all private dams, hydroelectric plants and seawalls on Konyang, as well as engaging in the field of chemicals and plastics production. Headed by Park Moon-soo, the business mogul is vying for influence with the government as indispensable to the nation’s energy output and defence against floods and natural disasters, making the “Pachrom Parks” one of the richest and most powerful business dynasties on the planet. Headquartered in central Suwon, the bulk of PACHROM’s operations are located in diasporic, uninhabited islands in the middle of the world’s oceans, where hundreds of organic and synthetic workmen toil daily to run the water powered electricity plants in extremely dangerous conditions.
The company’s notorious reputation for neglecting the safety of its employees and the environmental disregard for waste disposal from its plastics factories has been a big stain the Parks have struggled to wash off. While their ties to both the Alliance administration and the Konyang government have proven instrumental in their ability to dodge damning legal action, demonstrations of public outcry are a common feature in and around the street opposite the PACHROM office complex. To counter this, public relations campaigns are a constant focus, with tens of millions being spent in portraying them in a positive light. Charities are a large part of the Park family’s social presence, sponsoring public works and offering scholarships mainly in the Boryeong and New Hong Kong prefectures, where the majority of employees originate.
Often finding itself without funds from Unity Station, the colonial administration would commission PACHROM in the form of lucrative contracts for the construction of dams and power stations, allowing the utilisation of synthetics and IPC for the dangerous labour required. Due to society’s favourable opinion towards positronic intelligence, the multitude of cases of IPC fatalities would be swept under the rug with government assistance, creating a culture of tolerance towards lacklustre safety features and general disregard. Today, PACHROM’s future remains uncertain as the newly independent state of Konyang wishes tends to distance itself from its shaky past, a fact indicated by the recent awarding of the Kaneyama nuclear plant to the public company GON-ENE.
Gwok Group
Founded in the early 2410s with the name Hyeonsang Foods, the precursor to today’s multinational food conglomerate was the first attempt at commercialising Konyang’s seaweed and moss both for export and internal consumption. Initially finding limited success due to an overly competitive local market and foreign consumers' reluctance to the Konyanger novelty, the company's defining moment arrived during the robotics boom, launching them from mediocrity into the billion credit business stage.
As Einstein Engines staff poured into Point Verdant, Hyeonsang secured a contract from the megacorporation's local branch for providing meals and miscellaneous catering to workers and research staff. The once alienated Einstein employees would soon come around, praising the brand for its flavourful seasoning and convenience, eventually spreading the word to Einstein facilities and back home. By the late 40s, Hyeonsang was on the track of significant financial success, having secured a large foothold in the foreign dominated central districts of Point Verdant.
Rebranding into the more consumer friendly “Gwok” name in 2452, the company’s reputation abroad led to the opening of regional branches in the Solarian middle and core worlds, generating an increasingly massive amount of income, used for an aggressive takeover of the local Konyanger market. By buying off competitors, monopolising the moss and seaweed industry and introducing new marketing, Gwok’s domestic success was soon guaranteed as the primary supplier of supermarkets. In 2454 the IPC Gwok-0783, until then a senior executive and the face of the company as the main influencer of the rebrand, assumed direct control as CEO of the conglomerate thus becoming the first IPC in charge of a billion credit corporation in Sol space. The following years would see the consolidation of all affiliated assets and filial companies under an umbrella Gwok Group, topping the charts and establishing a farming, food and restaurant chain empire.
Konymation
Konymation represents the peak of the Konyanger animated media scene, being by far the most successful and most well known studio in the country, with a Spur-wide fame. It arose in the early days of the robotics boom, creating a resurgency of animations for both children and adults. While the industry was almost non-existent and cheap Solarian cartoons were the norm, a group of inspired artists came together to animate and direct the first feature-length production from Konyang, using native voice actors and a brand new artstyle of their own. The result was "One Day in my Life", a slice of life film following the daily routine of an IPC secretary in a human-dominated world, becoming an instant hit with both domestic and foreign audiences. Since then, Konymation rose to become the largest studio of quality animations, creating films and series for all ages and of all genres. Such was the success, that any animated pieces from Konyang have passed into the public consciousness simply as "Konymations", referred to as such in both the planet and abroad. Since their foundation, the studio has developed into a media conglomerate, buying out holoscreen channels, online platforms, news networks and more.
Mujigae Publishing
The biggest publishing house, Mujigae is to the comic book industry what Konymation is to animation. Having created thousands of interesting and touching comic series, Mujigae is credited with bringing paper back into the hands of millions of Konyangers, in an age where digital platforms have become the default for nearly everything in life. Many of Mujigae's works find great demand abroad as well as at home, with the company being known for their efforts to constantly seek out and recruit new artists with fresh ideas. A plethora of published series often find themselves being adapted into the holoscreen in lucrative partnerships with Konymation, as well as the other way around. Additionally, Mujigae's philanthropic work cannot go unmentioned; millions of credits have found their way to various charities on Konyang, primarily those regarding the children, the money drawn from art festivals and comicons that are hosted annually, often with the participation of the Ministry of Culture.
Konyang Robotics Corporation
The Konyang Robotics Corporation, or KRC as is more commonly known, is the country's largest government-controlled company centered around the manufacture, maintenance and welfare of the nation's positronic population. Borrowing heavily from Einstein know-how and infrastructure, it originated from the nationalization of Einstein and Terraneus IPC factories, with the majority of their employees swapping over to a government payroll. Einstein Engines controls 49% of the shares of the company, lending it tremendous behind-the-scenes influence on Konyang's synthetic population.
The primary function of the KRC is the production, storage and activation of IPC citizens. A very politically and socially sensitive topic, great care is placed by the government through the Ministry of Health and Positronic Affairs to meticulously calculate and order the amount of yearly activations, so as to maintain the Human-IPC ratio and meet the demands of the job market. To that effect, the KRC also acts as a sort of "school" for the newly activated IPC citizens, with special orientation camps where synthetics are taught about Konyanger society before released to the world.
Furthermore, the KRC acts as the primary health provider for Konyanger IPCs, with clinics and hospitals situated in every town and city, as well as strategically placed in certain villages in the countryside. Thousands of roboticists, engineers and software technicians are employed by the KRC to act as the equivalents of surgeons, physicians, nurses and paramedics for the IPC population, who are afforded universal healthcare through the KRC. Appointment times are dependent on location and the capacity of the clinic or hospital, with many in more remote areas having to wait months for limb replacements and other, more heavy duty needs that cannot be met by their local KRC center.
GON-ENE
GON-ENE is a newly formed, state-controlled energy utilities company, created following the announcement of the Kaneyama Nuclear Power Plant. Perceived as a direct competitor to PACHROM, GON-ENE has been planned to expand into hydroelectric and wave power, giving the government a greater control of the nation's power grid and cutting back reliance on privately-owned sector, though complete autarky is off the table for at least many decades.
Konyang is organized as a unitary semi-parliamentary republic headed by a President, the former colonial governor Hyun Kyung-Ho being elected to the position after independence. The Prime Minister is elected by the citizenry every four years, and is the leader of the governing party in the Parliament of Konyang. The current Prime Minister is Myeong Myung-Dae.
Planetary politics are found on both a national and prefectural level, with every party running in local and national elections. Polarization is fairly limited, the vast majority of Konyangers rejecting the extreme views put forward by radical political movements in the country that tend to be marginalized. IPC politicians do exist and are found in every major party, though most can be seen sitting with the National Party of Konyang.
Military
An IPC Konyanger Naval Infantryman in full gear.
Konyang’s military, also known as the Konyang Armed Forces, was first formed shortly after the colony’s independence from personnel of the former Solarian garrison. As a result, it carries a lot of the traditions of the Solarian Armed Forces. Bolstered by conscription laws requiring both organic and synthetic citizens one year of mandatory service, the KAF possesses Army, Navy and Aerospace branches. IPCs are actively recruited and accepted into the military, forming both their own and deployed in mixed units. This segregation is justified by the government as based solely on the differentiating capabilities, logistical needs and skills between man and machine.
That claim does hold true to an extent, with IPCs taking a more active role in special forces formations, dealing with operations requiring levels of precision and focus that artificial intelligence can easily provide. A famous example is the army’s Mechatronic Corps, an elite unit utilising large, leftover battle mechs retrofitted for a pair of pilots. Such a force is unique in the Coalition, and is often used abroad in operations under broader CoC military command. Mixed infantry units of conscripts do exist, fielded in jungle patrol tasks or assigned garrison duty.
Notably for a 25th century military, the Navy maintains a very large aquatic force which it uses to patrol the vast oceans of the planet. Regularly described as more of a coast guard than a military arm, it is more geared for domestic policing than combat, consisting mostly of ships acting as launching points for many smaller, coast guard type vessels that patrol the vast expanse of the planet’s waterways and launch military aircraft. Nevertheless, it provides important services with its multiple telecommunication, radar and island outposts, providing crucial meteorological information for everyday seafaring and flood prevention on a planet where storms and extreme weather are the norm.
The Konyang Aerospace Forces perform both atmospheric and orbital operations with their doctrine clearly influenced by former Solarian officers within their ranks. Their fleet consist of obsolete vessels donated by Coalition planets, partially brought up to a modern standard by the planet’s technology and manufacturing sector. In 2465, the KASF’s main tasks include protecting the system from pirates and policing the large influx of refugees from the Human Wildlands, regularly pushing them to other planets within the Coalition as per Konyang’s strict migration laws.
National Police
In order to organize the National Police and smooth cooperation between prefectures, a unified rank structure was adopted shortly after its formation.
Despite its federal nature, the main law enforcement agency on the planet is the National Police, formed after Konyang’s independence from the merging of a number of local and specialised agencies under the then Solarian authority. One major change since then has been the introduction of synthetic officers in all positions and ranks, while also creating special divisions suited best for them. Police gear remains rather antiquated for the era, the force still using old Solarian equipment and stocks from the colonial garrison, meaning that much of the tactics and thinking remain unchanged. Considered tame by Alliance standards, the National Police places an emphasis on preventative policing, building rapport with local communities, and relying on a sense of civic duty from the populace to perform its duties. Despite this, the National Police has nonetheless received criticism for occasional incidents of corruption and brutality, mostly against synthetic citizens. This is more common in remote departments and conservative prefectures, where the sudden inclusiveness of synthetic officers with equal pay and opportunities is seen as a threat. Such incidents aside, government efforts for the modernisation of the National Police are ongoing.
The police is subject to the Ministry of Public Safety in Suwon and is organised at the national level, with local departments answering to the assigned hierarchy in their prefecture. Special divisions are deployed to deal with various policing duties, their size ranging from a whole new branch to Special Robotics detachments specialising in detainment of volatile synthetic suspects. The largest of these subdivisions and arguably the most important, the Coast Guard is the maritime arm of the National Police, operating a fleet of shore and sea patrol vessels in their mission to enforce the law at the huge array of islands and in Konyang’s waters. As the planet is surrounded by oceans, the Coast Guard has proven itself essential to the battle against smuggling and piracy while also assuming search and rescue duties during flooding, tsunamis and other catastrophes. The National Police has also gained Coalition-wide acclaim for its Special Robotics Division - a task force known for its expertise in detaining IPC without causing permanent damage.
Konyang’s culture has been shaped by its East Asian Earther heritage, unique status as a colony with little to no resources, and as the birthplace of positronics. Konyanger society is often described as closed-off, with many unspoken social norms that vary from prefecture to prefecture. Key social norms that are shared in Konyang’s culture are Harmony, Reciprocity, and Face. Often derided as “meekness”, Harmony refers to enforcing unity and conformity within society. The specific manifestations vary from prefecture to prefecture, but in general, individuals who disrupt a sense of peace can face social ostracization. For instance, explicit disagreement such as using the word “no” is considered impolite, and a non-answer is often far more acceptable. Harmony also refers to a person’s social role; respect should be shown to people of a higher status, usually along traditional lines such as age, profession, and experience.
Public media in Konyang is a powerful industry, and as broad as it may seem, it is very tightly knit. Aside from galactic-wide reruns and broadcasts of other nation’s shows, little seems to stand out - except the audio broadcast and illustrated artistic avenues. These two are well-refined artistic giants compared to other forms of entertainment on the planet.
A huge portion of the planet’s political views and very “personality” are channeled through its larger studios, where many are found enthused to spread its culture galaxy-wide.
Cuisine
The primary diet of Konyangers consists of moss, seaweed and fish, with farms and pastures on land being rare due to the thick jungle. Konyang's moss is either harvested in the wild, grown in "natural" hydrofarms, or grown synthetically in bioplants. The moss itself is said to change its taste depending on the environment in which it is grown, and natural moss from the coasts around Konyang's islands is highly prized. Exports of moss and seaweed are a very lucrative business, held primarily by the galaxy-famous Go-Go Gwok! brand. Many workers, however, must make do with hydrofarm moss at best, and synthetic substitutes at worst. Konyang's fish - quite diverse, due to its freshwater environments - are also often consumed on the planet, with many being exported as luxury food as far afield as Venus and Tau Ceti. More conventional but water-intensive crops such as rice and other tropical fruits are also grown to a certain extent but are considered a rarity.
The planet is also home to a thriving beverages industry, with local varieties of algae providing the basis of a light but thick alcoholic drink colloquially known as “Nong jiu” domestically and abroad. The wide selection of produce on the planet however means more traditional drinks are produced, typically drawing from their Earther roots and commonly based on rice. Some of these drinks are exported by local businesses such as Go-Go Gwok! while Zeng-Hu has wrestled to control some of these brands in an attempt to stop them from competing with their own lineups.
Synthetic Cuisine
Synthetic-unique cuisine is an unusual case in the Spur, but not for Konyang. Here, robots utilize gustatorial implants to - if inefficiently - consume, or at least “taste” food regularly. Indeed, there is an entire market for synthfood where robots can enjoy their own form of taste, texture and uniquely perceptive flavor for foods. Mostly, synthfood is described as a thick slime, one with varying additives for color. Texture is mostly a simulated process within gustatorial implants, given they are not always present on tongues alone - meaning that the actual texture of these synthfoods remains the same gooey substance.
One can achieve a similar substance to these synthfoods mechanically by grinding certain foods into paste, or utilizing candy machines with your choice of ingredients and output.
Organized Crime
Benevolent Guild
The Benevolent Guild is a criminal organisation operating primarily within the decrepit, dark shadows of New Hong Kong. Originating as a mutual aid society for low income and forced penal colonists shipped into New Hong Kong by the Alliance government, it developed into a ruthless crime syndicate with strong ties to the local lower class community. From the start, the tightly knit communal and familial ties have played an important role in preserving the gang’s power and shielding them from police action. Only in recent years has any meaningful progress been made, the allocation of governmental resources and the increasingly violent and profit-oriented tactics of the Guild having alienated much of the younger generation, chipping away at the once widely popular support.
Starting with extortion and loan sharking, the Benevolent Guild rapidly expanded into gambling, drugs and violent crime such as kidnapping both in New Hong Kong and in New Kowloon. It is not uncommon for synthetics that find themselves victims of the group’s loan shark tactics to be ‘collected’ as collateral damage and subsequently carted off to whichever corner of the Orion Spur where their new owners await them usually at a far cheaper rate than elsewhere. One of the few institutions on Konyang refusing to admit synthetics owing to a deeply conservative and spiritually esoteric internal ideology, a pragmatist outlook often compels them to deal with and even cooperate with IPC politicians, police and rival gangs. Connections with criminal organisations in the wider Spur have been confirmed to exist, as various crime syndicates in Xanu, New Hai Phong and Luna are known to be in connection with the Benevolent Guild.
5-Cheung
Emerging as one of the strongest IPC/organic street gangs of Suwon, the 5-Cheung numbers in the thousands of members in the cities of the Suwon and Point Verdant prefectures. The organisation’s origin as a loose collective of delinquents and fringe elements has since developed into a nationwide crime family with a powerful hierarchy fielding biker gangs and thugs to enforce their tight grip on the underworld. With a black repertoire of gambling, extortion, money laundering and narcotics, the 5-Cheung is considered a main rival to the Benevolent Guild of New Hong Kong, the two frequently coming to blows in a series of wars and uneasy truces over control of turf and general competition.
An open secret in the country’s political sphere has the 5-Cheung profit lucratively from corruption in the highest levels of government and police. During the Solarian era, prominent politicians employed protection from the 5-Cheung, soliciting their services in voter swaying, intimidation of opposition members and violent disruption of rallies and demonstrators. This has given the gang a justified reputation for being the political soldiers of ruling dynasties and representing the authorities in the underworld and on the street in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Following Konyang’s independence, the reformed National Police retained a virtually unchanged staff while the nation’s same prominent political families, now unshackled from Alliance oversight, enjoy even more freedom. As such, it is safe to say that 5-Cheung’s entrenched position will continue to remain untouched aside from the occasional drug bust and arrest of low level members.
Sea Bandits
Although both the previous colonial administration and the nascent Konyanger Armed Forces and Coast Guard have tried to stamp out piracy, the sheer expanse of the planet means that groups of what the authorities call “sea bandits” continue to infest the waters and orbit of Konyang. Ranging from small motor boats launched from fishing villages with nothing more than an antique rifle, to retrofitted probes salvaged from the refugee waves pouring into the system, piracy is one of the most pressing social and security issues faced by the newly formed nation.
Individual pirate groups usually number no greater than twenty people but the Sea Bandits as a whole operate as a wider criminal network inclusive of individuals and crews from all over the planet. By coordinating their activities and intelligence through encrypted sites, the organisation manages to both evade and stay one step ahead of the authorities. Most of their activities take the form of kidnapping, armed robbery of craft and hijacking unescorted seafarers, while admittedly avoiding the busiest and well guarded sealanes and locations. The most audacious raid by the Sea Bandits to date involved the boarding and ransoming of a cruise ship by the use of an unregistered freighter. Although only circumstantial evidence has been uncovered, Golden Deep Zaibatsu have also been accused of working with Sea Bandit groups by launching probes full of narcotics, to be recovered by the pirates.
Synthetics on Konyang
As the origin of the integrated positronic chassis now found throughout the Orion Spur, Konyang has always had a quite unique relationship with IPCs, the IPC population constituting a staggering 34% of the total population. While IPCs throughout the Sol Alliance are often looked upon as little more than property, tools, or novelties depending upon their frame those found upon Konyang possessed a notably greater degree of autonomy and freedom before the planet’s secession from the rest of the Alliance, achieving full and unconditional freedom afterwards. Legal ownership of synthetics within the borders of the Republic does not exist, the Emancipation Act constituting one of the first acts passed by Parliament. IPCs can work wherever they like, live however they please within the confines of the law, and partake in politics by voting or being elected. As such, foreigners are repeatedly cautioned to not bring any privately held IPCs with them, for they cannot be forced to return unwillingly.
Ordinary Konyangers, as a result of the planet’s liberal outlook on positronics, possess a more positive view of synthetics than other humans in the Orion Spur - particularly those from the Sol Alliance and its former territories. The majority of people on Konyang view IPCs as amicable colleagues and neighbours, with many friendships between man and machine being established. Closer bonds such as marriage are also legalised and not unheard of, though not without outcries from the more conservative spectrum. Many scholars theorize that this is due to the prevalence of IPCs in daily life on Konyang, seamlessly blending into society, in addition to the pride many citizens have in their planet being the origin of the modern positronic. Konyang’s integration of IPCs stands with some degree of contrast to Biesel’s, with the large synthetic ghetto of District 14 segregating many synthetics from the average citizen of the Republic of Biesel.
With Konyang’s independence, IPCs share full legal equality with all organic citizens of the planet. This concession was given, both as an acknowledgement and acceptance of the fact that synthetics have become part of everyday life in the colony and are generally accepted by its inhabitants. Unlike the Republic of Biesel, IPCs in Konyang seek to assimilate into human society, with IPCs being given the choice to adopt a second, “human name” before receiving citizenship. A human name can range from an entirely new name, to adding a first or last name of any kind to their existing designation.
Many positronics can be found within the economy of Konyang with perhaps the most famous (or infamous) one being Gwok-0783 (now Kim Gwok-0783, under post-independence IPC naming conventions), the owner and operator of her very own food conglomerate in the form of Go-Go Gwok! Authentic Konyanger Moss. As Go-Go Gwok! is technically an interstellar corporation, Gwok-0783 herself relied on a series of legal loopholes centered around Konyang’s former IPC laws to maintain control of the company when Konyang was still in the Sol Alliance. Examples such as Gwok, with her control of an inter-planetary corporation, are fairly rare. However, many positronics have made a successful name for themselves as small business owners and corporate workers on Konyang.
A mysterious vault upon Konyang's surface, unearthed and built around with monitoring infrastructure.
Due to the system’s bluespace gate, many members of Golden Deep have secured permits to operate, as it allows their vessels to more easily make the journey from the frontier to the more lucrative markets of Tau Ceti and the Jewel Worlds. The money and business brought into the system by these synthetic traders has - arguably - been a major contributor to Konyang’s more liberal laws and regulations regarding IPCs. Konyang, before its independence, was one of the few systems under Solarian control in which IPCs could own and operate a business.
The synthetic population in Konyang is regulated by the government. A set number of positronics are assembled each year under contract at Terraneus Diagnostics facilities in Point Verdant with the prospect of being granted citizenship after a 3 month life orientation period. The determined number is set annually by Parliament, backed up by the yearly census and statistics, with production increasing or decreasing depending on the number of human birth ratios, positronic shutdowns, and other factors. Expenses are met both through government funds and private donations, though debate on the matter is rarely heated as the amount of new brains numbers usually in the hundreds; a tiny fraction of positronics produced and exported in total. IPCs and positronics constructed for the purpose of selling them to a different country, are not covered by such regulations and are not given citizenship.
There are further regulations in robotics construction in Konyang. Any activated positronic brain can qualify under the Emancipation Act. Exceptions to the law exist for manufacturing and research, with Point Verdant in particular activating positronic brains for the sake of testing shells before shipping them off-world. The law has also sparked development in other fields of mechatronics, with Konyang beginning to lead the way in circuit-based robotics.
Despite gains for its IPC citizens, other positronic intelligences have not been so lucky. Although some brains have been repurposed as AI coordinators for cities; with no way to transition to humanoid frames, bound intelligences have been granted freedom, but often take contracts with corporations that result in a return to the old status quo, all for the sake of staving off destruction due to a lack of maintenance.
Konyanger Augmentation of IPCs
Augmentation on Konyang is a fascinating subject, where the presence of so many IPCs has brought success in modifying the Positronic body and mind. Famed explorations into the sectors of IPC modification include "sensory evolution," where synthetics' senses being amplified or dulled in extremes according to desire.
Primary among the delves into this evolution of the senses is the New Dawn Augmentation Movement. This is a Konyanger organization based on the improvement of the IPC lifestyle via modifying chassis, funded peculiarly by Terraneus Diagnostics. The movement is oddly organized as a non-profit, going against the corporation’s established modus operandi. This, coupled with the tantalizing opportunity to freely modify an IPC's form with donated funds leads to public skepticism of the augment movement’s motivations.
Still, the true size of the movement to augment and improve Konyang's IPC population is extraordinary in comparison to other stellar nations. Roughly 22% of Konyang IPCs have some form of corporate-funded augmentation to enhance themselves.
A Konyanger design, the Scorpion Lobe is an augment which manipulates the perception of time for synthetics for better or worse.
SENSO-EVO/Scorpion Lobe
A miraculous creation of Konyang's technological advancement, SENSO-EVO is the term aptly handed to Sensory Evolution's foremost product. This is the Scorpion Lobe, a similarly shaped attachment to the rear of a positronic brain which adjusts the rate at which the synthetic perceives time literally. The implications of this are seen as either a blessing or a curse — sometimes even utilized as a way to reduce problematic behavior in positronics.
These implants are commercialized to protect the integrity of brains which adopt extremely high speed tasks, or extremely tedious and slow ones, with a perception that best suits their given utility.
A double edged sword by nature, these are often removed by free positronic chassis due to their almost torturous nature. Some may find their lives flashing hours into moments, whilst others may find daily grinds to be impossibly long ordeals. Unfortunately, removing these implants is not always a safe procedure, sometimes damaging a brain or rendering the problem worse.
These were first manufactured by Hephaestus Industries on instrumental Konyang research facilities, and later acquired by Einstein Engines personnel in the same month - debates over the design’s origin have been ongoing since 2449.
Recreational Software
In the IPC community of Konyang, the culture of acceptance and freedom has always invited the curiosity of synthetics to imitate and follow human pastimes and habits. This in turn included activities such as smoking, synthetic flavours and eventually, recreational drugs. Due to the nature of the positronic, the only way to recreate such sensations is through software targeting and modifying specific programming in the brain. At first, this dangerous commodity was provided by amateur programmers using experimental and highly volatile code known as “overloaders”, leading to often irreparable and lethal damage to an IPC’s systems. The results of the few initial successes, however, proved promising enough for the idea to be seriously considered by upcoming Konyanger tech companies and business-oriented software engineers, leading to the first reliable and somewhat safe overloaders in the mid to late 2450s.
Popular awareness of recreational software became widespread upon its release as a commercial product, Konyang being the first world to introduce a marketable version of it. Usually sold inside a single-use stick drive, their circulation is approved by safety boards and is considered legal for responsible consumption, much like alcohol for organics, relying on the consumer for mitigation and avoidance of repeated use. Legal overloaders today can be found mainly in synthetic-centred retailers found around the major cities, their relatively limited availability and high price setting them as a luxury IPC item. Its effects include a wide range of results, from simulating the sensations of a light buzz to a short bout of excitement and joy, aimed at enhancing the experience at celebrations, parties and get-togethers.
However, where there is demand, there must be supply, and the fact that demand spiked as these new products launched paved the way to a large underground market of cheap, unsafe and highly unpredictable overloaders sold both by dealers and unlicensed street vendors of dubious reputation. An illegal overloader epidemic hitting the cities of Suwon and Boryeong in late 2459, led to intensified police crackdowns and government campaigns against illicit overloaders, labelling them as malware and the IPC equivalent of dangerous drugs. Virtually unrecognisable from a legitimate overloader without the seal, side effects are many times more powerful and addicting, appealing to adventurous synthetics and the financially insecure. From catapulting the positronic into a garbled, incomprehensive reality of simulated emotions to simply heightening the senses, the illegal overloaders’ addictive and dangerous nature leads many synthetics to disrepair, involving behaviour breaking glitches, hardware failures and more, all while guaranteeing a returning clientele.
Reception to recreational software has been mixed, dividing society and politicians on matters of free will, the dangers of overloaded IPC, and the overall ethics of deliberately creating and selling what are essentially drugs. Both synthetics and humans have loudly spoken against it, spawning demonstrations and dividing politicians across party lines. Legislation has already passed, categorising possession and distribution of illicit overdosers as strictly illegal, with heavy punishments for dealers and suppliers. Police and coast guard raids yield millions of unbranded overloaders each year, making highly publicised arrests while sending a message of absolute intolerance towards the malware. Despite this, circulation never ceases and exports to Xanu, Tau Ceti and Sol.
Population and Major Cities
A map of Konyang showcasing the Prefectures and the New Hokkaido Territory. Click to enlarge.
Suwon is the largest, most populated, and second wealthiest city on Konyang itself and is generally one of the larger cities in the Coalition of Colonies. It functions as both the planetary capital, as well as the capital of Suwon Prefecture, encompassing the entirety of Cheomsongtang. Symbolic of the new government is the Parliament Building, a massive structure of flowing lines and sustainable technology, incorporating pieces of the first colony ship. The Prime Minister's Government House, the President's Crimson House, the Solarian embassy, as well as embassies from various Coalition states are present here as well. Standards of living in wealthiest areas of Suwon are equivalent to and (sometimes) even surpass the living standards of places such as Highland City or Argia sa Mar, demonstrating how wealthy the robotics boom has made some sectors of the planet. A lack of readily-available materials, however, ensures that even the super-rich of Konyang often live in smaller houses than their Colonies planet counterparts. Life outside these wealthy areas is better than life in most cities in Himeo but dramatically worse than in the very wealthy areas, or even the cities of Xanu Prime. Overcrowding is a massive issue for the government of the city, with no obvious solution presenting itself due to how expensive importing new building materials is post-boom. The city is home to most of Konyang's biggest companies and office complexes, as well as the Suwon Stock Exchange, making the city's financial district the economy's beating heart. "Shoebox apartments" are common here, as are Konyang's often egregious traffic issues. The city is fortified with extensive sea walls, flood walls and flood gates to prevent natural disasters during the wet season, tropical storms being fairly common.
One of Aoyama's many skyscraper blocks, safely located behind a dam.
Aoyama, known in the larger Spur as Point Verdant, is the second most-populated city on Konyang, and the industrial heart of its robotics industry. Built along a coastal mountain range from which it draws its namesake, it is by far the wealthiest city on Konyang, and one of the richest cities in the Coalition of Colonies. Due to being home of the Robotics Boom, hosting foreigners and their families that once even surpassed the locals inside the city, Aoyama is frequently known outside to outsiders and to the Spur at large as Point Verdant, much to the chagrin of the locals. Aoyama is home to the renowned Point Verdant Terraneus Institute of AI Research, and is the poster child for the rapid development of Konyang's cities during the Boom. The city is extremely wealthy, but suffers from persistent overcrowding and traffic issues in all of its districts. The Pusan District, near PVTI, had the reputation of possessing the worst traffic in the Alliance according to its residents. Air quality in Aoyama is regarded as subpar, due to the amount of robotics factories in the city's outskirts, which have however slowly but steadily declined since. Being the focal point of the Robotics Boom, it is home to a large number of expatriate communities and Einstein Engines employees.
Boryeong, named after a city on historical Earth where some of its colonists originated from, is the third most populated city on Konyang and capital of the Boryeong Prefecture, referred to as the breadbasket of the nation. The city, while still suffering overcrowding issues, has it to a lesser extent than Point Verdant or Suwon, with the city's outskirts necessitating a need for space due to the vast hydroponics farms and water plants. A second-grade industrial city of much natural beauty, Boryeong is more rustic than its counterparts, with wood playing a much more prominent role in construction; outside the central ring, some of Boryeong's districts are built entirely out of timber. Water bottled or processed in Boryeong is sold throughout the Alliance and Coalition in bulk, and native moss grown in the prefecture is marketed throughout both as a luxury food. Over half of the city's labourers are employed in hydroponics, aquaculture, fishing and food processing, with Gwok Foods being the largest provider of work in the region. Synthetic moss is grown in Zeng-Hu facilities near Boryeong and, despite being regarded as lesser quality than natural moss, is often consumed in poorer areas of Konyang.
Ganzaodeng, named for its dry locale, is located in Konyang's only desert and holds the largest expatriate populations on the planet, being nicknamed, “Little Sol”. Due to its unique geographic setting, it faces remarkably calmer weather than the rest of the planet, with the city being connected to the rest of the island by air and rail that cuts right through the mountains. Ganzaodeng is Konyang's only planned city with origins in the Robotics Boom, when the foundations were laid for a city envisioned by foreigners, for foreigners. Rich Solarians descended upon the planet's seemingly only dry piece of real estate, building a city full of nightlife and eclectic inner-ring pleasures within the distant colony. By the end of the Boom however, the city's famous strips of casinos and luxury hotels still operating in downtown Ganzaodeng became a symbol of a bygone era, as much of the Solarian population elected to depart. The city passed into native Konyanger hands, being expanded into a hub of shipping with the help of the city's remaining big names. Because of the reliably clear weather, Ganzaodeng has developed a sprawling extraplanetary shipping sector, with plans for a spaceport larger than New Hong Kong’s, as well as future schemes for the largest oceangoing port on the planet. Its climate has resulted in the prefectural government engaging in moss filtration efforts to open up the surrounding beaches to tourism. Despite of the Solarian exodus, the city stands in contrast to the rest of Konyang’s relatively conservative social nature, with people from all over the Spur calling it their home and making it by far one of the most multicultural centers on the planet. It’s not uncommon for a person from Ganzaodeng to know two or three languages.
New Hong Kong, the site of the former naval base of the 58th Solarian Fleet, has now developed into a fully fledged city in its own right, being the only prefectural capital with a local synthetic majority. Being regarded as a lot more pedestrian and working-class than Suwon and Point Verdant, New Hong Kong is nonetheless a very important centre of interplanetary trade and commercial activity, hosting the planet’s largest ocean ports and dockyards, being the country's industrial's hotspot and the seat of power generation. Large hydroelectric dams, wave energy converters, dockyards and factories belonging to the PACHROM corporation provide employment for half of the city’s inhabitants, the Prefecture of New Hong Kong generating enough electricity for domestic consumption as well as exports. Employees of the various power companies may also elect to be sent off to one of the many power generation isles scattered throughout the oceans and dedicated solely to that purpose, receiving better pay in exchange for more dangerous conditions away from home. The city itself is considerably more packed than its counterparts, with small cramped apartments being stacked over each other to form vertical mazes of working class blocks. Heavy smog and particles cover up the sky through the entirety of the island during the dry season, giving the prefecture a signature orange-brown tint. This, as well as constant heavy rains and a near permanent gloomy weather during the wet season place it as undesirable for humans. Seat of the National Party, downtown New Hong Kong is described as the centre of planetary IPC politics, being the first to react to, condemning or praising events in Konyang and throughout the galactic stage in regards to the synthetic “race”. New Hong Kong is additionally the birthplace of Konyang's labor unions, with the Socialist Party enjoying strong support from the city's human blue-collar workforce.
Dams are a very common sight on Konyang, with the New Hong Kong's dam in the neighbouring industrial town of New Kowloon providing only a fraction of the power required by the city, while also playing an important part in flood control and water filtration.
