A Guide to Arabia's Beta Hydri Colony 2300
MANZIL AL CENIT
ARABIA'S COLONY ON DAIKOKU BY BENJAMIN LEVY
Many elements expand and embellish concepts originally appearing in GDW's "Colonial Atlas". These appear here as non commercial "fan fiction" courtesy of 2300AD's current copyright holder, see copyright notice at end .
OVERVIEW
One of the first things a traveller notices on many alien worlds is the smell. Even within the manmade walls of the spaceports it pervades, and reaches the visitor on an instinctual, emotional level the other senses do not touch. The pungent sourness of Kimanjano is instantly noticed, so is the metallic tang of Stalo. King's sulfuric stench needs no description. Generally, the traveller instantly knows he is breathing air that is alien, strange, somehow wrong, no matter how subtle the aroma. Manzil Al Cenit is the exception. The air here is perfumed by the scents of a thousand species of flowering plants, competing in a game of biochemical propaganda that has resulted in scents that are not all wrong to humans, but actually pleasant. Manzil AL Cenit's air has been described as sweet, flowery, and soothing in an almost sensual fashion. It's no wonder the colony, Arabia's first, has become a place known for the manufacture of perfumes. It is a sad irony that the colony that sells so inviting is one of the least open to the visitor, but that is how the Arabians wish to administer their land.
Manzil Al Cenit occupies approximately 140,000 square kilometers on the western shore of the Mahit Al Zafrim (the Sea of Flowers) one of the three great bodies of water on Daikoku. It is on the far side from the Japanese colony, and is subtropical. Manzil Al Cenit's borders are clearly established. Both Japan and Arabia, with considerable backing from America and other non-European colonizers, support the more restrictive interpretation of the Melbourne Accords rules of sovereignty which insists that land be actually colonized, or at least incorporated within a reasonable colonization plan (with some allowance for wilderness claimed with the intention of maintaining it as wilderness) to be recognized as a sovereign colony. Neither Japan nor Arabia support the "I stuck a flag in the ground first, so the whole continent belongs to my nation!" approach of the Europeans.
The colony is about the same size as upper New England (Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire together) and has about 600 kilometers of sea coast. Al Fredoun is the capitol and largest city, on the coast in the central area, where the Arabians found good land for a spaceport near a natural harbor. Al Fredoun has about seven hundred thousand people. One hundred and fifty thousand people live in the city of Hakim, on the coast about 250 kilometers south of Al Fredoun, near the southern border. The city of Al Madinat Al Azar (the City of The Faithful), about 100 kilometers north of Al Fredoun and also on the coast, has about one hundred thousand people. About fifty thousand live in Al Baqqarim ("The Cattlemen", as it was the early center of cattle ranching), the only major inland town, across the hills about 60 kilometers west of Al Fredoun.
The seacoast is well watered open woodland, fading to savannah and plains as the land rises gradually into the hills that form a series of gentle ridges paralleling the coast. In the northern and western edges of the colony, the rolling ridges give way to deeply eroded landforms that stretch far beyond the colony borders, areas that have been difficult to explore from the ground. Rainfall increases to the south, where the vegetation thickens into a tropical rain forest. The southern border is well shy of the region that can accurately be called "jungle" but it is close enough for survey parties to reach it easily, and the Arabians have conducted or assisted a number of studies. Even north of the jungle region, though, the forest is spectacular. Tree growth, where unlimited by water supply, is bound only by the structural limits of plant physiology, and where ample water and fertile soil exist, trees will quickly evolve into a "height race" where the tallest get the most light exposure. Daikoku's gravity is only about two third's of gravity on Earth, and the cells of plants are just as strong. The result is a forest canopy that reaches twice the height found in comparable forests on Earth. The region between the forest floor and canopy in the area on the southern border of Manzil Al Cenit is some of the least known space known to mankind.
A curious thing about the length of the local day, something over 25 hours, is that it closely corresponds to the natural human rhythm, more so than the Earth day, which is too short. Evolutionary biologists have long determined the biological use of an internal clock that needs continual resetting (an adaption to shifting hours of daylight) but the fact remains that it is been an annoyance throughout human history. One of the most amazing things about Daikoku is that one rarely feels tired after a night's sleep. The standard Daikoku day has 25 hours and a "leap hour" making up the difference in time. In Manzil AL Cenit, the work day remains the same as on Earth despite the slightly longer day. This causes a small problem with the standard 8 hour shift- three of them fit neatly into a 24 hour day. It is customary on Manzil Al Cenit for human functions that must be continued throughout the night, such as police, medical, power plant, and other functions, to split the extra tie between two shifts, paying a bonus to people working the extra time. Other people work a standard Earth shift. The slight loss in productivity caused by fewer working hours than in a same length of Earth time seems to be made up by increased productivity coming from Daikoku's natural agreement with the human biological clock.
Poets and religious leaders fawn over the pleasant climate, sweet air, and mild gravity of Manzil AL Cenit. To more than a few, it represents a step closer to Paradise, the Islamic heaven. There have been some fierce debates within the Ulama over whether such a gently, hospitable region is a blessing given by God to Arabia as a reward, or a place Arabians were never even meant to inhabit, as it is too easy and lacks the harshness that God has used in the past to test the faithful. There is a sect in Arabia that holds fast to the latter view, and has always opposed the settlement of Manzil Al Cenit, but they are in the minority and have been unable to influence Arabian settlement policy.
The local calendar and the Islamic calendar used in Arabia drift apart rapidly (the Islamic calendar does not even keep pace with the actual orbit of the Earth, causing the Muslim holidays to drift through the seasons). The Arabian Ulama, following a long Islamic tradition, continuously update the colony's calendar, establishing the dates for major religious events, around which all else is based. The Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca which a Muslim is expected to undertake at least once in his lifetime, is naturally scheduled to coincide with the Hajj on Earth. Everything else moves quite substantially, and gives the appearance, to outsiders, that the calendar is established almost at random. With the Daikoku year being about half an Earth year, the two calendars are rarely in agreement.
Initially, the colony was entirely dependent on foreign shipping. The Arabians began their settlement before they had actually managed to purchase any starships. In return for cash and resources, the Japanese government arranged transport for the first wave of colonists. Gradually, Arabia began acquiring ships, and the pace accelerated when the need for ships to support the annual pilgrimage to Mecca became apparent. The colony's growth has been swift, in part because the Arabian government has been moving exactly those elements of its population with the highest birthrate. It's four million people represent a reasonably high percentage of Arabia's population, given Arabia's relative weakness as a spacegoing power.
Manzil Al Cenit would be a closed colony of little interest to travelers (indeed, the colony discourages travelers) were it not for the presence of a great many Eber ruins in the jungles south of the colony. These have attracted scientific and cultural outposts from the Astronomischen Rechen-Institut (AR-I), the Accademia Dei Lincei as well as minor settlements, such as the one belonging to the Institut des Etudes Xenologiques (IEX). There are even a small number of Ebers involved in the study of the ruins (they are, after all, the species that produced the ruins). These groups have brought far more attention to the colony than Arabia ever wished for, and the tension in the normally xenophobic colony is visible at times.
VISITOR’S INFORMATION
Restrictions:
Foreigners provoke anxiety to Arabians, especially non-Arab foreigners. They have long faced turmoil and tension, trying to balance their sincere belief in the necessity of cultural and religious purity with the economic
advantages and political necessities of maintaining ties with foreigners. Arabia would be happy to have as little contact between foreigners, especially non-muslims and its colonial citizens as possible, but the presence of the Eber ruins south of the Manzil AL Cenit colony makes this impractical. Even without the Eber ruins,, some accommodation would be necessary, as without foreign business contact and expertise the economy would wither. Arabia is forced to allow the presence of several foreign outposts and even
representatives from an alien race- the Ebers.
But the normally xenophobic Arabians will only go so far. In Manzil Al Cenit, foreigners are very limited in where they are allowed to travel freely. For the foreigner, there is no freedom of travel in Manzil Al Cenit. The Ulama is deeply concerned that foreigners will spread dangerous un-Islamic ideas and vices to an innocent population. The Manzil Al Cenit population is sheltered from the bulk of human culture even more than the Arabian population on Earth, by the design of the Ulama and the nobility.
If you wish to pass through Manzil Al Cenit's customs inspections quickly (no mean feat for a foreigner, the customs inspections here are exhaustive) pay attention to what you are bringing into the colony. Above all else, avoid bringing any information or entertainment into the colony which is not clearly for your own use. Avoid Pentapod products of any kind, cybernetics, and unusual technology. Do not bring in weapons. You may bring in alcohol, but you may not possess it outside the areas of open travel. Religious texts, or even outwardly visible paraphernalia, other than Islamic, are taboo. If you truly feel a need, be sure that it is clearly for your own personal use, and be sure it is discreet as possible. Conservative clothing should be worn whenever the native population may see you, even within the areas designated open to foreigners. Avoid copying the local styles of dress, though. The Arabian Keffiyeh and Dishdasha are still in general use, with only the most minor of stylistic details changing over the years, but the locals seem to be offended by the idea of non-arabs using them. Arabs are welcome to wear the local styles of dress, even if they are not Arabian.
Travel for Foreigners, the Rabiyim and the Korida Nasrani
The areas within Manzil AL Cenit in which foreigners can travel relatively freely, from the Al Fredoun Spaceport to the Kariyah Al Safrim (The Embassy Quarter) to Daighafya on the outskirts of Hakim and south to the border, where dirt roads continue to the Astronomischen Rechen-Institut (AR-I) and the Accademia Dei Lincei outposts, is known as the Korida Nasrani. In Al Fredoun, the open travel area consists of the Spaceport and its immediate area, the Embassy District, Misreyn (Little Egypt), and the International Market. In Hakim, open travel is limited to the neighborhood called Daighafya. Unless given special permission, foreigners are not permitted to travel on their own between these places (although Misreyn, the International Market, and the Embassy Quarter are adjacent). Rather, one takes acceptable public transport, or one travels with accompanied by a professional guide.
There are professional guides in rural and wilderness places across Human Space, but only in Manzil Al Cenit are they actually required, and for access to everywhere beyond the limits of the Korida Nasrani. The Guides are called Rabiyim. A Rabya is a licensed professional. His job is to make sure you get where you are supposed to be going and only there, and to keep you out of trouble. Also, to protect the innocent citizens from your foreign ideas and infidel ways. . In the Arabian point of view, they are not serving the traveller, they are serving the colony, by preventing a bumbling foreigner from doing the wrong thing, or visiting the wrong place, and interfering with proper society. Although he is working for the good of the society, they are paid by the visitor hiring them, and they know how to be worth a little extra coin over the base rate. A good Rabya is full of hints, tips, and various ways of assisting the visitor, and expects to be well compensated for his efforts.
Within an "Iqda", which is a territory, generally small, given over to the direct control and administration of the appointed landholder, freedom of travel is entirely in accordance with the will of the holder. This allows several businesses to use foreign workers without virtually imprisoning them, and allows the University to have foreign faculty members. One should be careful when entering an Iqda, because freedom of travel may not be universal. The exact rules are usually readily available. At the Manzil Al Cenit University, freedom of travel is limited to foreign staff, students, and registered guests, and does not extend to the residential areas or the university Mosque. Within the Iqda called "Gayth Halv", a corporate park about 25 kilometers southwest of Al Fredoun used by several manufacturers of scents and perfumes, and under the control of one of the corporate owners, freedom of travel is limited to foreign employees, their families, and invited visitors. But anyone can be an "invited visitor"- just show an interest in examining the perfume market and the sales staff will be happy to grant you access. Gayth Halv was in fact created explicitly for the perfume industry's need to have foreign workers and buyers. Rules within Iqdas vary considerably. The ones under the control of mosques and madrassas (religious schools) tend to be off limits to foreigners entirely.
There is no public agency devoted to tourism or travel or the assistance of foreigners. You are on your own. Of course, a local consulate can be a good source of help. Do not overlook the kindness of strangers. On the one hand, remember that they are taught to believe only the worst about foreigners, and to think themselves superior in every way. They can be maddeningly condescending, and make you feel as if you must be the most pathetic of wretches to have need of a local's aid, but they will help. Despite the general xenophobic attitude, locals are generally willing to give honest assistance when asked. In fact, it makes them feel good. Nothing swells ones pride as much as directing a foreigner, to foolish and dim witted to find it on his own, to a bus station.
Weather:
Manzil Al Cenit has a tropical, climate likened to East Africa but slightly cooler. The great temperature range of more temperate and polar regions of Daikoku do not have time to build up enough to seriously alter the climate of the tropical areas. Winter temperatures average 20 degrees C (68 F) and summer averages 26 degrees C (77 F). Humidity is high but not unpleasant along the coast. Temperature swings are gentle and predictable, with mild weather typical. Inland, in the hills, temperatures and weather conditions vary more, and in the south, there is a general trend to warmer and wetter as the equator is approached.
The coastal area is typically breezy. The least comfortable regions are some of the inland valley lowlands, where the air tends to be more still. The lower air pressure, however, means that human sweat evaporates more readily. Humans feel drier than they do in a similar humidity range on Earth. This quite nicely balances the higher natural moisture content of the air here compared to conditions in Arabia, and helps people tolerate the heat more easily. In terms of comfort, the colony on a whole is more amenable to humans than Arabia itself is. This is an unusual condition- typically, colonies are not as pleasant as the region on Earth that sponsored the colony. This fact has led to Arabia having an easier time drawing colonists than many other colonizing nations.
While not a weather phenomenon, the gravity is worth mentioning. Most inexperienced travellers think that everything must be easier in gravity lower than what they are used to on Earth. They all make the same mistake, confusing weight with mass. It takes longer to pour a liquid on Daikoku, but that liquid has the same mass as its equal on Earth, hence, it moves not just slower, but differently. Restaurants in the Spaceport do a lot of floor mopping. Vehicles, wheeled in particular, also have different handling characteristics here. Primarily, the reduced weight means less friction, but less traction. It is easier to spin tires on Daikoku, and much harder to make a quick stop.
Manzil Al Cenit has a lot of rural area unconnected by data nets. Also, the Arabian enforced isolation reduces the perceived need to create data net systems that are compatible with those of other nations. One result is that cash is still widely used in the colony. In some of the rural areas, transactions are almost never done with credit. Even the urban areas favor the use of currency. The only currency accepted outside the spaceport is the Arabian Rial. The spaceport has several foreign banks where local currency can be exchanged. Al Fredoun has a modern communications net in parts, but it is very limited in scope and coverage, and does not permit automatic currency exchange.
PEOPLE
In Manzil Al Cenit as everywhere, the term "Arabian" refers to a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Arabia. The term "Arab" refers to a person who professes an Arab ethnicity. Most Africans living north of the Sahara, most citizens of the Confederation of Palestine, most Syrians, Iraqis, and Omanis, and many others, consider themselves Arabs. The term should never be considered interchangeable with "Arabians".
The population is ethnically homogenous. The Arabians don't get a whole lot of immigrants, and those that they do hjave are rarely given an opportunity to assimilate. There are a number of Arabs of non-Arabian descent here, including Syrians, Iraqis, and a few Morrocans, as well as Pakistanis, but the Arabians look upon them as second class citizens. There about 20,000 United Arab Republic expatriate citizens living here, almost all in Misreyn, and about 1,000 Japanese, mostly business workers and families.
Families tend to be large, especially in the rural areas. The Arabian government has, since the 21st century, fought a tragic "boom and bust" cycle of population growth. On the one hand, the most orthodox elements of population, and the most impoverished, support rapid population growth. On the other hand, Arabia's lack of Arable land has limited the population it could support.
The standard of living, on the whole, is lower than in most colonies. The upper class, of course, lives quite well. The upper class in Manzil Al Cenit eschews urban residence, favoring large estates in the countryside, within commuting distance of Al Fredoun (Hakim is considered ore of a working city, Al Fredoun is the cultural center favored by the rich). One major reason for the rural tendencies of the upper class is the Iqda system. It is fairly common for a very wealthy member of society to be granted an Iqda holding, giving him broad authority over a piece of land and the inhabitants thereof.
Language:
Arabic (Eastern Standard) is the official national language, and the primary language of most of the inhabitants. Officially, this is identical to Q'uranic Arabic, but the fact is that some sounds, word usages, and grammatical styles are different, especially in everyday speech. The Arabians are not insistent on the learning of second languages, but out practicality second languages are not uncommon among ship crews, military officers, scientists, diplomats, and merchants. Japanese, Chinese, English, and French are the most common second languages, in that order, although a few locals speak other tongues. A small percentage of the population speaks three languages. IN the rural areas, fewer second languages are spoken. Literacy n second languages is not as widespread as spoken ability, but most people in the need have ready access to reader/translator software.
Literacy (in their primary tongue at least) is very high among men, however, the Ulama teaches the reading of classical Q'uranic Arabic. This is not entirely compatible with other forms of Arabic, for example, the Egyptian dialect used by the United Arab Republic or the Moroccan or Algerian forms. Several centuries ago, Arabians (then citizens of Saudi Arabia and a patchwork of small nations along the Persian Gulf). At the time, the version of Arabic spoken there did not closely match the Arabic of the Q'uran, but in the time since the Arabian Ulama has forced their national language to adopt Q'uranic style.
Religion:
Orthodox Sunni Islam is the state religion of Arabia and Manzil Al Cenit, so much so that the nation is considered to be the political expression of the religious ideal. Arabians are the most zealous of Sunni Muslims. Religious obedience is enforced by the Ulama (the religious leadership) through their own police force, and the religious law of Islam, the Sharia, is the law of the land. Other religions are not only not tolerated, they are outright illegal. Private practice is permitted, but any outward display of religion other than Arabian Sunni Islam can lead one into trouble.
Women have a very restrictive social environment. The Manzil Al Cenit Ulama supports the most orthodox and restrictive of Q'uran and Hadith interpretations, which favor such traditions as the exclusion of women from most professions, limited legal rights, the requirement to wear concealing garments, and inferior status in matter such as marriage and divorce choices. Of all the various foreign influences the Ulama tries to ban, foreign views on the Arabian treatment of women they take most seriously. Arabian teaching continuously drives home the view that women in other cultures are subject to continuous and horrendous abuse. To suggest otherwise to the Arabians, or to suggest that possibly something is not fair about the status of women here, is to invite oneself to a quick trial and a long incarceration.
Each of the towns and villages is centered on a Mosque. The Ulama prohibits buildings taller than the Mosque's minarets (towers) not, supposedly, due to pride but from practicality: such tall buildings, the Ulama claim, block the calls to prayer issued from the Mosques. In most cases, the Uiama does not actually rule the town. That is left
Patterns of Settlment
There is an overall pattern to settlement amongst the various human colonies. On the average, the harsher the conditions, the more urban the population will be. On colonies where the conditions are very amenable to human agriculture, and require fewer special precautions against local conditions, settlements spread out without waiting for colony infrastructure development to keep pace. This can be seen in places like Ellis and Tirane. King and Crater are highly urban, on the other hand. Given this trend, one would expect Manzil Al Cenit to have a large rural population, and it does. Several factors have inflated the rural and small town population even higher than it might have been. About three quarters of the colonial population is rural or lives in small towns.
One factor is of course the Iqda system. The granting of broad powers to a class of landholders makes the rural location of certain industries attractive. A number of Manzil Al Cenit's famous perfume plants are located in the hinterlands of Al Fredoun, close enough to get access tot he technology, market, and services of the city, but remote enough to allow the Iqda holder full sway in the administration of his land. By locating the Iqda far from a city, the employees of the business there have fewer options, and are more dependent on the Iqda holder for work and support. They can complain to the Ulama, who can revoke the holding for un-Islamic and grossly uncharitable practices, but this is not common. The Iqda system combined with rural businesses subtly places the preponderance of negotiating power in the hands of the employer, and a condition approaching serfdom is gradually taking hold in parts of the colony.
Second, the colony, from the start, was planned to exploit certain resources, notably the petrochemical wealth of the area.
Third, the government of Arabia, fully aware that the planet is perceived as more pleasant than Arabia itself, uses settlement on Daikoku as a reward. Family clans of proven religious dependability are regularly granted sections of land for settlement, with the family head installed as Sheikh of his own Iqda. This is considered quite an honor among Arabia's poor and lower middle class, and an opportunity. One does not have to struggle hard to survive hear. Earth farm animals and crops adapt easily, the climate is pleasant, and without too much investment in infrastructure or technology a large family group can easily become self supporting in the rolling savannah of Manzil Al Cenit. In return, the Ulama sees yet a another pious family transported to a place where the sinful lures of the rest of humanity cannot each them; their purity is preserved, and everybody benefits.
Little villages. "company towns" centered around a factory or other economic enterprise, and scattered farms have therefore been spread across the colony area. Village life revolves around the rhythms of Islam, and the villages and farms, each ruled by a Sheikh who is the male head of the dominant family and holder of the Iqda, earn their keep through agriculture slightly above the subsistence level and the production of low technology, hand made goods that are collected and sold to exporters who sell them offworld.
GOVERNMENT
Manzil AL Cenit's government mirror's Arabia. The colony is not thought of as being an integral part of Arabia, rather, it is a special territory under Arabia's control. The leadership, however, is required to follow the two tired feudal-theopcratic system of Arabia, including customary oaths of Allegiance to the Arabian King.
As in Arabia, power is divided between the Ulama, which is the body of religious leadership, and the nobility. The Ulama takes precedence. The Prince of Manzil Al Cenit, by custom a member of the family of the King but not in immediate line for the throne (it would be embarrassing if a few coinciding deaths among the royal Household suddnely left Arabia being ruled from its colony) serves at the pleasure of the Arabian King, the position is not hereditary. He has the power to issue laws, as does the king. The Ulama can intepret, modify, or even revoke his laws as they see fit, and for this reason the nobility generally consults with them first.
Westerners often wonder just how someone becomes a part of the Ulama. There is no test, no accreditation procedure, and no appointment system as would be recognized in either the west or the east. Instead, one is a member of the Ulama when the consensus among existing members of the Ulama say one is. The system is a sure fire way to breed orthodoxy- any one rebelling against the Iulama line is, by the Ulama's decree, not a part of the Ulamaa, so the body is almost always in consensus. They tolerate discussion and dissension over the most inconsequential of details, but to oppose the majority of the body in any meaningful way is to lose one's status as a member.
The Ulama may also create its own laws, in the way of Fatwas, official religious decrees. The scope of a Fatwa is virtually unlimited. Almost any aspect of society can be considered to be regulated under Sharia, the taditional Islamic law, or at least be within the bounds of religious commentary.
Positions within the Ulama are not full time. Members generally have other jobs. They are religious leaders, teachers, media workers, or frequently, government administrators. Some control territories, which may be Iqdas or Iqalas, see below. Some are simply religious scholars, writers, or mosque administrators. Members of the nobility are frequently given official government functions such as department and ministry heads, positions of state, administrators of regions (either Iqdas or Iqalas) or may have posts within the military.
The Ulama has a series of low buildings forming a campus in Al Fredoun, near the Mosque of the Stone. Their buildings have one large central auditorium and great number of small meeting rooms, offices, libraries, as well as traditional Arabian lounges, or Diwans, used for small informal meetings. The Ulama has no regular meeting schedule. Rather, they merely attend and observe as they see fit. Much of what happens takes place behind the scenes and by consensus.
The nobility does not have a single building either. There is the palace of the Prince, located in the central area of Al Fredoun, and there are palaces of other notables. In the same district as the Palace of the Prince are the buildings of the ministries. All the various government buildings are built form the local stone and coated with a glossy sealant. (In its natural form, the stone, similar to terrestrial limestone, is too porous, and would be subject to water infiltration) Although all are built in modern version of classic Arabian style, with pointed arched galleries and repeating geometric decorative motifs, none challenge the Mosque of the Stone in design, or in the height of its minarets. By law the Mosque's minarets are the highest points in Al Fredoun. This gives the government complexes the low, institutional look of a university campus or suburban office park.
Government Ministries
Early on in colonial history, Manzil Al Cenit, like almost all colonies, ran smack on into the question of government that pervades the history of extra-solar settlement. Is a highway on a colony world under the jurisdiction of a colonial branch of the Ministry of Highways or the Highway branch of the Ministry of Colonization? The Arabian government, never known for establishing clear chains of authority, decided to have it both ways, creating miniature versions of their Earthbound Ministries and having them answer both to the local government and to the Mecca government. For added confusion, the Ministries are also answerable to the Ulama (the foreigner may be forgiven if he cannot understand why a highway construction project would receive religious rulings). The nobility, as per long standing Earth custom, hands out Ministerial titles to family members based on the perceived need to reward friends, isolate enemies, and pay off enemies who could possibly become friends.
All of the ministries are located along the in the district of Al Fredoun named Maydan Al Qasr (Palace Park), the centerpiece of course being the Qasr Al Amir, the palace of the Prince of Manzil Al Cenit. Of course, none of the buildings, by edict of the Ulama, can rise higher than the Mosque of the Stone, but all are impressive in a neo-Arabesque style of swirling interlaced geometric forms. The whole district is off the Korida Nasrani and therefore not open to free travel by foreigners, but visitors escorted by Rabiyim are a common sight.
The Transport Ministry has authority over the roads, ports, and airports, and overseas air navigation (with the assistance of the Air Force) and marine navigation (with the assistance of the Navy). The Highway Police are directly under its adminstration, as are the highway maintenance crews and the Highway Inspectors. This latter group tours the remote areas, and especially the Iqdas, making sure that lands under direct authority of an Iqda holder comply with highway standards. They seem to find an awful lot of violations in territories held by people who have somehow offended the colonial government. They are engaged in an ongoing feud with the The Space Ministry, trying to gain control of the colony’s catapult. The Space Ministry is one of the exceptions to the rule as it is an office of the National Space Ministry and not a local government agency.
Defense is the other exception, being a national level agency, even though it has a colonial component. Defense and Space, together, ensure that the colony will not stray to far from Mecca’s authority. The Defense Ministry’s building is a veritable fortress, with all sorts of wild myths surrounding the activities that occur deep within the stone walls. The building’s size seems much too small for the number of workers who enter each day, hinting at an underground complex.
The Ministry of Resources is mostly an informational agency, setting standards, gathering data, and conducting surveys. Actual exploitation is left to private business, and the assignment of grants in done by Land and Administration.
The Ministry of Infrastructure deals with power and services. They are slowly expanding the colony’s power supply nets to include the rural areas.
The Ministry of Culture is tightly controlled by the Ulama, although not so tightly as the Ministry of Religion, which is naturally their principal stronghold. The Ministry of Culture is mostly concerned with sports, arts, and baser entertainment, much of which it imports, as the Arabians produce next to nothing of any great worth in this matter. Cultural exchanges with foreign powers are few, and with non-Islamic nations, very few. One of the duties of the Ministry of Culture is the maintenance of a view of cultural superiority. To that end, second or third rate cultural exhibitions of foreign origin are often staged, and placed against Arabia’s best, to teach the citizenry that the outside world really has nothing to compete with Arabia’s own culture. On occasion, this has backfired, as when an Al Fredoun audience erupted in a sustained standing ovation for a visiting Texan "country" band, en-route to Heidelshemat, who were amateurs, but far better amateurs than the Ministry of Culture expected them to be. The Minister of Culture for Manzil Al Cenit was recalled to Earth, where he was received by the king and promoted to Ambassador to Bolivia.
Education is the largest government agency, in terms of workforce, which is a normal pattern. This is another of the Ulama’s power bases. Fully half of the instruction given to students in Manzil Al Cenit is religious in nature, and this is considered far less religious a curriculum than the Earth Arabian standard. This situation exists because foreign expertise is both less available and less wanted on Daikoku than it is on Earth.
The Justice Ministry has control of the police, courts, and prisons. In Manzil al Cenit, as in Arabia, courts convened by the Ulama have absolute authority over the non-religious courts, and can overturn any deciscion. As a result, when a panel of judges is given a case, it is customary to include one or members of the Ulama among its members- this ensures that the decision reached will have some sort of religious context. There is no trial by jury system here, rather, cases are heard by semi-randomly selected panels of three, seven, or eleven judges depending on the nature of the charges.
The Ministry of Land and Administration hands out the "Iqda" assignments and is responsible for collecting information of a general nature. The Ministry of Agriculture supervises agricultural research and standards, with the Ministry of Industry having a similar role for factories.
The Ministry of Media operates the broadcast and netcast channels available in the colony, as well as producing a printed newspaper. (this is among the last printed newspapers in general circulation). All news in the colony is government news, however, news items may originate with different government agencies, and these often have competing viewpoints. Thus, a controversial topic in Manzil Al Cenit may see a report from the Ministry of Land and Administration voice one view, and the Amir (Prince) voice another. Japanese broadcasts do not reach the colony, and the Manzil Al Cenit government has made it subtly clear that if they did, they would be jammed anyway.
The Ministry of Elderly and Orphans sees to the care of those members of society that cannot see to themselves. There are a number of "Bayteem Al Caph" (Singular "Bayt") meaning "houses of the palm" after the palm tree "oasis: symbol used in their logo. These are generally not directly run by the government, they are awarded to charitable foundations. These are refuges for the desperately poor, infirm, or incapable, and also preserve the ancient Arabian custom of offering sanctuary for guests. By custom, police and security forces do not attempt to arrest fugitives in a Bayt Al Caph. A Bayt Al Caph will generally not even report or ask for the identities of people using its services, even if they are obviously foreigners.
Iqdas and Iqalas
Land is distributed among two different categories of administration. In the Arabian system, the names given to regions differentiate by type, and not by size, . An Iqda is a section of territory granted to an individual (never an organization, Arabian legal philosophy holds that responsible humans, and not the vague and ephemeral corporations and foundations. Arabian law prevails over the area, and it is Arabian sovereign territory, but the landowner's rights in the area are considered supreme. The Arabian government has the right to intervene, but only after the Ulama has decided that the land holder's actions are so unacceptable that the right to the Iqda is revoked. The holder of an Iqda bears the responsibility to provide the services necessary for the inhabitants, although in practice the regular government is frequently employed to do this, with the Iqda holder paying the costs. An Iqala is a section of land administered by the government. It can be thought of as equivalent to a county or province, but the size varies.
Malcontents
With such a rigid social structure, limited cultural diversion, and no outlet for political or social dissent, the question looms; what happens to those people who just don’t like the system? Firstly, these people are extremely rare. The Ulama has spent literally centuries designing a structure in which thought itself is carefully limited to the acceptable and responsible Islamic patterns. The ways of Sharia have become ingrained- the idea of "what would happen if we weren’t ruled by the Ulama?" is as alien as "What would happen if we outlawed entertainment" would be to an American. Nevertheless, there will always be a difficult few.
Arabia’s rulers have learned from bitter experience that direct repression generates resentment. If one insists on opposing the system, the government will react not with torture, prison, and reprogramming, but with quiet removal. First, to a rural madrassa where one can learn proper behavior. A madrassa, though, is not a prison. If a person strenuously objects to a government paid religious sabbatical, it will be suggested that the deviant relocate to a more tolerant location- in some other land. This is one reason why the Manzil Al Cenit government sees no reason to incorporate the town of Kasbah Marshid. It’s a suitable place for those without a suitable place. If necessary, removal offworld will be suggested. If all else fails, and the malcontent is a threat to the peaceful existence of others, "removal" takes on a different meaning, and a midnight ride with the Religious Guard or Cultural Watch is in order.
There are expatriate Arabians living abroad who attack the system, and there are the deviants of Kasbah Marshid who enjoy every excess banned in the colony, and there are the usual criminals and corrupt politicians and businessmen, but there are no active groups within Manzil Al Cenit opposed to the government or social order.
DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION
With the exception of the Sub-Embassy of the United Arab Republic in Misreyn, all of the consulates are huddled together in the Kariyah Al Safrim (The Embassy Quarter) district of Al Fredoun. Consulate workers and families are under the same restrictions as other foreigners regarding travel. With 4 million people, and alien ruins nearby, Manzil Al Cenit rates a number of foreign missions. These include:
America. The American relationship with Arabia is paradoxical. On the one hand, America has a much touted non interference policy, which the Arabians appreciate. On the other, Americans have interfered, albeit as paid hirelings of the Germans. On yet another hand, the Americans are valuable as economic partners, being both clients and patrons of the Manzil Al Cenit economy. Although its main interests lie on another branch of space, America seems more determined than most in spreading itself everywhere. While occasionally blamed on American ambition, this is more accurately a result of decentralized American politics. America has one unique thing going for it in Dar Al Cenit: many nations with more than one consulate on a multiply colonized planet which has no national capitols that rate an embassy designate one consulate as the primary consulate. This is frequently called a "Sub-Embassy". Only America and the UAR have their Daikoku Sub-Embassies in Dar Al Cenit. Others locate them in the Japanese colony. Like most American diplomatic posts, the Sub-Embassy here is used as a business meeting center. The Americans share their facility with Australia, which posts a consul and a few assistants here.
Canada A growing power on the Chinese Arm and a major force in cutting edge science, Canada has a strong interest in supporting the research in the Eber ruin areas. Taking a rather different approach from some other researchers, it was Canadian researchers who first suggested that some eber related life forms may have survived whatever cataclysm ended Eber interstellar civilization, and might possibly have found permanent niches in the local ecology. With this theory proven in 2281, the Canadians were then instrumental in setting up a program through which Ebers could then join in the research. Canada, like America, has managed to maintain fairly good relations with both Iran and Arabia and act as a mediator.
France. France has always professed a close relationship with Arabia, but the Arabians have always suspected this of being a broadly self serving relationship. The French still have overall good relations with the Arabians, and have a significant consulate here. The Arabians have let the French get away with somewhat more of a visually stunning building than they have approved for other nations, even though even the French dare not challenge the architectural supremacy of the Mosque of the Stone. France act as the representative office for numerous nations that have no consulate in Manzil Al Cenit, but occasionally require services such as legal representation, identity confirmation, etc. The United Kingdom, Scandinavian Union, Azania, Nigeria, and the Ukraine are all represented through France, each having an apartment and small office in the French Consulate.
Germany Germany owns what used to be Bavarian consulate. This was claimed during the German reunification ordeal by the Bavarian "government in exile" reconstituted at Heidleshemat. Bavaria's claim was disregarded by the Arabians at Germany's request. Very gradually, relations between Germany and Arabia are improving, but have been very cold since the war of 2288.
INAP. This Foundation maintains an office building that serves as home for the Argentine and Mexican consulates. Both nations supported (in a limited way) the primarily German and Iranian operation against Arabia’s takeover of the Eber ruin sites and foundation outposts in 2288, primarily as a show of force, displaying their ability to exert power on the Chinese Arm. The INAP building also has a barely concealed secret- it has a functioning Novo Catolico chapel within that is the only known non-Islamic center of worship in Manzil Al Cenit. (Japan’s rock garden in their consulate does not count, the Japanese explain).
Italy. Italy’s very stylish consulate, though not large, is probably the most luxuriously furnished in Manzil Al Cenit and is used as a headquarters for the two major foundations having outposts near the Eber ruins. Italy has friendly relations with Arabia.
Japan. Japan is the main power on Daikoku, the supporter of Manzil Al Cenit's early efforts, and general business and political partner for the colony. The Japanese consulate is one of the larger in the Embassy district, and is the center of life and home away from home for the many Japanese who maintain the trade and government contacts with this colony.
Manchuria Manchuria is "senior nation" in this arm of space and considers it important to maintain consulates throughout the region. Manchurians respect the closed society principle of Arabia, but certainly wish the Arabians had chosen them over the Japanese as patrons. The Manchurians feel slightly disrespected by the Arabians. They seem unimpressed by the economic realities that drove Arabian-Japanese cooperation; Arabia had nothing the Manchurians needed. The Manchurian consulate is a blocky looking building of uninspired architecture, which stays busy as the local home base of Manchurian business interests.
Texas The small Texan consulate is next door to the American consulate. It is permanently manned by a singleTexan family, and apparently charged mainly with "open source" intelligence gathering as well as assisting the Texans who travel here to study the Eber Ruins. Texas's resources are small, and the nation ha committed itself to a more "hands on" approach to Eber study, but they still find the ruins here worth investigating. Texan business ventures are mostly handled through the American Sub-Embassy.
United Arab Republic. Arabia and the United Arab Republic have a strange relationship, at times viciously mutually antagonistic, but quickly rallying to each other in times of need. A strong undercurrent of mutual distrust exists, however. Arabian theocrats despise the existence of a non-religious, but undeniably Arab challenge to their authority. Syria, Iraq, and Oman are lesser peripheral states and can be counted upon to fall into line behind the leader of the Arab world, but the United Arab Republic has never acknowledged what Arabians see as Mecca's obvious leadership role. At the same time, Arabia is not about to turn them away in a schism that would fracture Arab power. It might have been easier if the United Arab Republic had chosen another arm of space to bless with its colonial effort, but here they are, and while they may not be greeted warmly, they are greeted as family. To the non-Arab world, they two nations make a passing attempt at maintaining united front.
Despite the political differences, the gap between the culture of the UAR and some other nations with colonies on the Chinese arm is even greater. the culture shock between Cairo and Al-Fredoun is northing like the culture shock between Cairo and Aiko in the Japanese colony on the far side of the planet. To the UAR spacers working their way back and forth between their distant enclave on Kormoran and the Earth, a stop at Arabia's Beta Hydri colony is almost like going home. As a result, there are a great many UAR expatriates in the colony, more than on Kormoran. Some 20,000 UAR citizens live here, almost all in the Misreyn (Little Egypt) quarter of A-Fredoun. Many are pseudo-government employees, working for the ostensibly civilian firm under contract to the UAR to service their passing ships. Arabia would certainly not tolerate UAR government spacecraft flying out of AL FREDOUN other than diplomatic couriers. Other UAR citizens are eberologists and other scientists, and business workers. The UAR Sub-embassy is not a single building or compound, it is a group of buildings dispersed along Nile Street. The UAR takes an assertive view towards guaranteeing continued multinational exploration of the Eber ruins, as they feel the more they know, the more they an use to improve their position on Kormoran.
Library People (2 Whistles G chord with 3rd and 5th Harmonics) Representatives of this Eber nation have recently established small enclave south of the Manzil Al Cenit colony, near the ARI outpost. It acts as a support center and "home away from home' for visiting Ebers, who seem to need the reassurance of familiar rituals to maintain themselves. By agreement with the Arabian government, Ebers do not travel through the Arabian colony at all except between the spaceport and the outpost region, except in exceedingly rare circumstances. (several Ebers have toured parts of Manzil Al Cenit with official escorts) Even when the Ebers are just passing through, the Arabians insist they have a qualified professional escort. The one exception to this is the UAR enclave-Misreyn, Little Egypt.
The UAR has tried to capitalize on its openness towards the Ebers by insisting that they be allowed in the area of its embassy, where the Ebers are often treated to a few days of UAR hospitality and orientation briefings before proceeding to the outposts and ruins in the forests. The Ebers of the Library People "enclave" (in reality less than a dozen, comprising several Eber family groups) do not fully understand the protocols and legalities involved in human international dealings and travel. They do understand that humans have various ceremonies and rituals that are invoked when humans travel from the region to which they owe nation-allegiance to a another region. They also understand that they act on Daikoku as representatives not just of their nation but of the entire Eber species, and take their roles quite seriously. They mimic human customs of state by holding "state dinners" and conferences, much of which is baffling to humans, who do not understand why an official reception dinner should involve changing one's clothes.
SPACE OPERATIONS
Manzil Al Cenit has 2 surface starports and an Orbital Terminal. Only one of the two surface starports (Al Fredoun) is available for civilian use. Hakim’s starport is for military use only.
The Arabian National Space Line runs a subsidized passenger and cargo service between Daikoku and Earth. Their single greatest passenger requirement is the movement of Arabians from Daikoku to Earth for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca , which each Muslim is expected to attend at least once during his lifetime. Even with hibernation capsule technology, sheer numbers dictate that most citizens of Manzil Al Cenit will not have this opportunity. The effort of bringing all these people in at one tie and then returning them plays havoc with scheduling. The ships used for the bulk of the Hajj transport are the 3 former "Le Ponant" class colony "sleeper" ships, the Spica, Capella, and Mizar, with a capacity of 8,000 passengers each. Even with other ships committed to effort, Arabia still cannot manage even one percent of the population of Manzil Al Cenit annually.
Spica, Capella, and Mizar generally make 2 runs to Daikoku annually. One is committed to the Hajj. The other is a colonization mission. These voyages are entirely subsidized by the Arabian government. Regular (non-sleeper) passenger service is offered aboard the passenger transports Al Madina, Al Jeddah, Al Fredoun, and Al Manama. These are all newer vessels of Japanese origin, built during the 2280's. They were bought new by Arabia not only to help cement ties between Japan and Arabia, but to simplify local maintenance of the vessels, which is done in the Beta Hydri System at the Japanese Orbital Terminal. Along with the ships of the national line, a number of cargo and private passenger lines serve Manzil Al Cenit directly (generally through their orbital terminal, only a handful of couriers make direct surface to surface trips). In addition, shipping and passenger transport service is available through the Japanese orbital terminal. Relatively few privately owned interstellar ships are registered to Arabian corporations. These include the very large cargo ships Zainab and Madhumati, which can generally be found shuttling back and forth between Daikokoiu and Earth, moving the planets agricultural, textile, and synthetic production Coreward for hungry markets.
The Arabians have ships covering the space between Daikoku and Kormoran, although there are foreign ships that make this run. There is a government subsidized courier service creating a steady link between Daikoku and Earth. These are ships of several classes, mostly French and Japanese in origin, some offering "surface to surface" connections. All are owned by the government, but are leased to independent operators. These ships are the Al Maqwa, Al Sabiyah, Al Badiya, Al Deerah, Al Awdah, Al Tahreer, Al Samidoon, Al Shuhada and Al Shegaya.
The Independent freighter/transport Qabas IV is an exception to the normal flow. It operates from Daikokou through Delta Pavonis and then out to the more distant colonies "up arm", either to the "Canadian Finger" or the "Latin Finger". Qabas IV is a classical "tramp" ship with an irregular operation, making what stops and trading in what cargos the captain thinks will generate the most income. It is at Daikoku no more than 5% of the time.
The colony has 50 civilian spaceplanes ,shuttles, and orbital transfer/tug vehicles serving it, half of which belong to the national line. A few are Arabian military craft, and about 20 belong to various private services.
Manzil Al Cenit has a limited catapult capability, without which its utility as a food and synthetic materials exporting planet would be gravely compromised. The Manzil Al Cenit Catapult is near the main spaceport, about 24 km south of Al Fredoun. It is a two part system, the track being used to launch a winged boost vehicle, which then further accelerates the payload into orbit before returning. The payloads are placed into low orbit for retrieval by tugs which bring them to the Orbital Terminal for transfer to interstellar freighters. The system is kept fairly busy, with an average day seeing over 10,000 tons of material launched into space. The low surface gravity of Daikoku makes the operation easier than similar catapult programs elsewhere. The "double launch" mode was chosen for two reasons. First, the Arabians lacked the time, money, and most importantly suitable geography to install the sealed-vaccuu-tube launch to orbit devices typically seen elsewhere. For low quantities of cargo, the boost vehicle system can be set up more economically. Second, the use of a boost vehicle allows some flexibility in the routing of cargos. The Arabian orbital terminal has limited capabilities, and the boost vehicle can direct payloads into orbits convenient to either terminal, or into other orbits where they are retrieved directly by other ships.
The Orbital Catapult is for use only by the Arabian government, the colonial government, and by businesses registered with them, paying a fee, and operating within the colony. Traders looking to export goods on a one time basis must use other interface means, like the spaceplanes.
The Al Fredoun spaceport is one of the most liberal areas within the colony. It is understood here that most of the crazy foreigners are just passing through, and if a few Rials can be earned from them, so much the better. There are duty free shops here, running on the assumption that if you buy something on your way out, it must be okay- no one cares where you are going. Some of them find ways of working around the law and selling things that are otherwise unavailable to people who are not actually leaving.
Permission to land at Al Fredoun or to dock at the orbital terminal, if not prearranged, should always be sought before moving into any kind of approach orbit. The Arabians are slightly xenophobic towards unexpected guests but will grudgingly allow ships on Foundation business, or vessels involved in trade and willing to fork over spaceport fees.
Manzil Al Cenit’s military capability in space is described in the Military section.
TRANSPORT
It is impossible for a foreigner to rent a vehicle in Manzil AL Cenit without diplomatic status, or some similar very important persons waiver issued by the Arabian government (On Earth or Colonial) . This applies to ground vehicles, boats, and aircraft. (Bicycles are available in Al Fredoun without a permit or waiver, but that's about it). This is in keeping with the government's desire to restrict the exposure of the population to unsupervised foreigners. For the locals, however, private vehicles are the preferred method of travel, with hovercrafts especially popular. The Arabian Earth government disapproves of women driving. In Manzil Al Cenit, though, the need for women to drive to carry out basic functions across the broad rural territories is recognized. They should not drive alone, however, and never with the company of a man who is not a relative.
No long distance rail system was ever built for Manzil AL Cenit, nor does the government plan one in the near future. Al Fredoun does have a local intra-city rail line running, a light rail system that connects several parts of the city to the spaceport. Hover busses are the most common means of public transport between cities, with propane powered automated busses handling local public service. A hover bus line runs all the way to the southern border, where private vehicles take over for runs out to the ruins and outposts.
Vehicles in Manzil AL Cenit are typically propane powered. This is a commodity the colony's refineries produce in great surplus, and it is difficult to ship or synthesize into other products. The Arabians had wanted to set up a gasoline burning system, but the Japanese were dead set against it on environmental grounds, despite the ready availability of petroleum products on Daikoku and the minimal impact a small population would have. The Japanese were shown studies demonstrating that even if the colony population grew to 50 million, gasoline use, given the more fuel efficient, less polluting systems available, would not be a major source of pollutants, but the Japanese refused to budge on principle and refused to support it. As a second choice, Manzil Al Cenit adopted propane.
Bus transport, per passenger, From AL-Fredoun:
To Hakim: 2.5 Hrs 3 Lv
To Southern Border (Kasba Marshid): 3 Hrs 5 Lv
To Al Madinat Al Azar: 1.5 Hrs 2 Lv
Aviation and Marine
The Al Fredoun Spaceport is also the colony's principal airport. Other airports are at all major cities, and the AR-I outpost has a small airfield as well with regular if limited service to Al Fredoun. A small company "Al Firq" has prospered offering charter services with pilots who are also licensed guides. Al Firq has a few VTOL aircraft available for charter mission to remote areas beyond the borders of Manzil Al Cenit. The cost to charter such an aircraft, with a pilot and co pilot (they always use a crew of 2 when flying into the wilderness) is 280 Lv daily plus fuel. Regular air travel between cities is faster than the bus but more expensive. There are a number of towns with fishing piers along the coast, but no real marine transportation exists.
SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE
Manzil Al Cenit has a menagerie of security services, each with its own particular specialty. Jurisdictions often overlap. this multiplicity is largely a political phenomenon- it allows the maximum number of patronage jobs to be handed out. One would think that crime would be next to non existent in such a regimented and heavily policed society with a conservative religious leadership. Crime finds a way, though, particularly amongst those that see their standard of living as being somewhat lower than it should be.
National Police The principal national level anti-crime force, administered by the Ministry of Justice. The National Police has a force of 250 in Manzil Al Cenit.
Military Security. The Arabian armed services each maintain their own police forces. In most cases, their authority is limited to the immediate concerns of military facilities, operations, and personnel. The Military also has an intelligence service, which operates undercover in civilian areas when the military considers a case to be within their purview. Military Security has undercover offices who are mostly concerned with maintaining their own security, that is, they keep an eye out for Arabians but there are some exceptions in Manzil Al Cenit. The Arabian Air Force has authority for all civil air traffic control in the colony, and enforcement of law in the colony's airspace. The Arabian Army conducts some counter-intelligence operations. The Arabian Space Force has a security detachment for the Orbital Terminal.
Colonial Militia Security Very oddly, there is a Colonial Militia Security force but no Colonial Militia. Colonial Militia Security acts as a civilian backup to the national police in time of emergency, and also supports the military, but only as a kind of "low grade military police" organization, that is, directing traffic, maintaining barricades, helping in detailed searches, etc. The uniform is a variation of the army uniform, with a "high visibility" orange stripe.
Ministry of Justice Investigations Department. Found in the same ministry as the national police, but with an entirely different structure. This is the police force that polices the police. Their other function is to act in the counter-espionage role, a function not trusted to the regular national police. The Investigations department is the primary force used to counter high level corruption, and has the most advanced surveillance and infiltration capabilities.
Border Police Pretty much your average everyday border patrol. Considering the only habitations beyond the borders are the scientific outposts, one wonders what the 120 Border Guards are for, but they also have duties at the Starport. The Border Police also have two small patrol hovercraft on the ocean.
Religious Guard The Ulama has its own private police force, charged with protection and order within Mosques and Madrassas (and other religious property), protection of the senior members of the Ulama, and investigation and enforcement of the strictly religious laws of the Sharia. For example, if the Ulama determines that someone has defamed the Prophet, that unfortunate’s arrest is the job of the Religious Guard.
Cultural Watch Outsiders get this bunch confused with the Religious Guard, but to an Arabian, a religious issue and a cultural issue are not the same, even though the religious authority defines culture. The religious authority defines robbery as well, but doing so does not make it a religious offense. The cultural watch enforces the morals of society, locating and destroying banned books, art, and images, correcting couples who display unseemly behavior in public, and assuring citizens that women do not prance around in shameful attire. They have wide latitude concerning enforcement- at their discretion, a thorough beating or even a warning and lecture can substitute for a formal arrest. Even a public dressing down, however, results in the offender beign entered into the Cultural Standards data base as a violator, and wracking up too high a score on this list can subject one to sterner measures from the Cultural Watch.
Highway Police Part of the Ministry of Transportation, the Highway Police patrol for law enforcement purposes and emergency response as well. Their jurisdiction actually includes emergency response in all rural areas, as the National Police have no firefighting and only very limited rescue and medical capability.
Special Protective Service This organization provides guards for government buildings and specific government leaders. Essentially, it is the "House Guard" of the nobility. The fact that they need a guard separate from any of the other security forces says something about the level of trust here.
On top of this, each major city and town has a police force, and several government ministries have inspection/enforement teams. Does this make for some overlap, and confusion, as well as occasional rivalries between services? Absolutely.
THE ARABIAN MILITARY
Arabia's forces here were only token before the brief "Outpost War" with Germany and Iran in 2288. That humiliating experience has defined the character of Manzil Al Cenit’s armed forces today, as it created a strong drive to better protect the colony. This resulted in a series of lucrative and hotly contested defense contracts in the 2290's, which were largely won by American firms.
The brief war with Germany (at the time, mostly Bavaria, but Bavaria was already supported by most of the other German states) and Iran in 2288 was the single most important event off the past few decades. Arabia, in response to members of the Ulama who were incensed over what they saw as the lawlessness and vice of the mostly European outposts to the south, announced its annexation of the region and its intent to place the outposts under Arabian rule. Germany rejected Arabia's claim of sovereignty over the AR-I and Accademia Dei Lincei outposts, and when Arabian police occupied the outposts, Germany, together with Iran which was then engaged in another of its tense feuds with Arabia, sent a force of starships and ground troops, to settle the situation at Daikoku. German and Iranian troops, arriving in leased Argentine and Mexican transports and deploying from space in an operation no one at the time thought they could carry out, were able to occupy key points in the colony and hold it until Arabia backed away fro its claim over the outposts and agreed to limits its claims of sovereignty to its recognized border.
Al Fredoun's spaceport and points around the city were taken on the first day by a largely German force, with Hakim being taken a few days later by German and Iranian forces. German forces also occupied the Orbital Terminal. Argentina and Mexico supplied logistic support and troops performing "humanitarian" duties. One Arabian counterattack was mustered on the eighth day, but was unable to dislodge the German and Iranian troops around Hakim. American Marines, who had arrived under contract to the Germans, later secured the Foundation outposts. The Germans considered the Americans a non-party to the dispute and therefore a "neutral" power which could separate the Arabians from the outposts calmly. This went well in the AR-I outpost, but American and Arabian forces fought a few one sided battles in the Accademia Dei Lincei area. This event seems to have had no repercussions to Arabian-American relations.
The incident was one of the first ever involving a military deployment directly from space. It spurred the current Arabian drive for security for the colony, although the Kafer war has diverted most of humanity's defense efforts elsewhere. The war also resulted in a spat between Germany and Japan. Germany’s foreign minister launched scathing denouncements of the Japanese, whom, he said, were party to the clearly illegal actions of the Arabians, because they had done nothing to stop it, had made no efforts to cool the Arabians down, and did not offer any support to the German and Iranian response force.
Forces
The Arabian Army now has two "Commands" on Daikoku, both based in Hakim and sharing the single military base. The "Garrison Command" controls a number of scattered small elements, each a mostly infantry force responsible for its own direct support, administration, supply, and maintenance, with a limited deployment capability. The Garrison Command also controls the colony's recruiting and training functions, and the military police. The "Military Command" incorporates the other units- two Mobile battalions, a Quick Mobile Battalion, a Combat Walker battalion, two mixed "heavy weapons" battalions, an intelligence battalion, and an assortment of supporting units.
Manzil Al Cenit’s forces use the standard Arabian combat walkers, of the several "Aqrab" (Scorpion) models introduced in the late 2290’s with American assistance. The Aqrab is unique in that it copies the "hybrid" concept of some of the civilian work units often seen in the construction industry. A wheeled frame attaches to the backpack of the walker, allowing the walker to recline and operate as a wheeled vehicle. Although this gives the Aqrab some unique abilities, the unit’s technology lags somewhat behind that seen in the combat walkers of more advanced powers. Also, being a rather new addition to the Arabian order of battle, it still has bugs to work out, and the Arabians are still developing tactics for its use.
The Arabian Navy has a very small presence, as it is the only naval force operating on the Sea of Flowers. They operate 4 large hover-corvettes, assembled from components shipped to the planet from a factory near Seattle. A few transports and utility vessels support them. There are also a pair of research submarines. The main naval base is in Hakim, although a few of the utility craft and the research submarines are based in AL-Fredoun.
The Arabian Air Force has a combat support squadron at Hakim with old American model STOL fighters. The same base is home to a transport/utilty squadron and a mixed squadron with reconnaissance, electronic warfare, drone control, and long range interdictor aircraft. This service also mans the air defense lasers at Hakim and Al Fredoun.
The Arabian Space Force was non existent until the 2270, some three decades after the establishment of the Manzil Al Cenit Colony. They are still one of the smaller such services in Human Space. The military transport Al Arabiya is based at Earth but is a frequent visitor here, as are the obsolete destroyers Al Madinah and Al Manama. Permanently based at Manzil Al Cenit, at the Hakim starport, are ten X-2296 signle seat fighters recently purchased from America. This, and some defense satellites and deep system drones, are the space security force for the colony. Despite overall good relations with the Japanese, the Arabians have shown no interest in any joint exercises in the system.
SCIENCE
Research on Manzil Al Cenit poses problems for the Arabians. On the one hand, for centuries, the sciences have played second fiddle to religious learning, despite copious lip service. The fact is, the Ulama's intellectual repression inhibits the questioning, probing and theorizing attitudes that propel scientists to greatness. Historically, Arabian science has consisted of dutifully and faithfully recording facts while avoiding any speculative theorizing. Even in astronomy, where Arabians once excelled centuries ago, their achievements were in cataloging objects and calculating positions. This they took to an advanced degree, beyond other civilizations of their time, but it simply didn't occur to them to ponder what a star actually was.
When the Eber ruins were first discovered, the Arabians announced they would spearhead the archeological efforts. At first, this was welcomed. Quickly, it was realized that the Arabian investigation consisted of a detailed inventory and physical description of objects found, with little attempt at developing context or analyzing the culture that produced them. International impatience with the Arabian effort, and dissatisfaction with the results, led to the arrival of the Foundation outposts.
In contrast to the UAR, the Arabians have shown little interest in learning about alien intelligent life, despite the obvious resources available in the nearby and extensive Eber ruins. The old Orthodox religions of Earth, in general, have had a hard time dealing with alien intelligence, as its very existence opens up a host of questions with no answers to be found in ancient Earth books. The Ulama has been to publicly give a decision concerning the Ebers, but individual clerics have offered competing opinions. This difficulty in dealing with the alien Ebers has also hampered Arabian research.
Arabia suffers from a "brain drain" with many of the best scientists looking for greener pastures elsewhere, and Manzil Al Cenit follows the pattern. Some students travel off world to study, including some to non-Muslim nations, but only after their teachers are certain that they are firmly grounded in Islam and will not be swayed by the things they see and hear while away from home. The most trustworthy often go to the Stair University at the Life Foundation Colony on Austin's World.
Away from the ruins, Arabian research on Daikoku has progressed slowly but with extreme diligence. While religious study is decentralized through over fifty Madrassas, science is conducted in the main with the resources of the University of Al Fredoun, and various government agencies. This is one area where the usual rivalries seem to be suspended. The Navy, for example, frequently makes its research submarines available to the University, while the Army and Air Force provide support to scientific teams exploring far from the colony. They have made great progress in researching the geological structure of Daikoku, as well as the plants and animals.
Science-Tourism is a surprisingly popular pastime here, for locals as well as visitors (and the tourists, the bulk of whom are from Arabia). These tend to avoid the Eber ruins, but commonly explore the deeply eroded Karst terrain in the north and the monumental buttes and pillars of the northwest. Typically, a dozen or two amateur explorers will set out with a guide in a chartered vehicle, and the guide narrates the discoveries made in the area, the geology, and the life forms.
AGRICULTURE
Manzil Al Cenit is more than self supporting in agriculture, but the colony makes little profit from the export of foodstuffs, which are expensive to ship. Most of the export crop is sent off planet via the catapult, and hauled back to markets on Earth. Manzil Al Cenit is more accommodating to a range of agriculture than Arabia is, and Arabian buyers purchase much of the colony's export. Subsidized shipping and the catapult help keep prices of Manzil AL Cenit produce in line with general prices in Arabia. In addition to the usual staple crops, predominantly wheat, corn, rice, chick peas, and potatoes, Manzil Al Cenit has extensive fruit orchards.
Although the plants thrive, pollenization must be handled artificially. Honey bees have been imported to Manzil AL Cenit but are killed in large numbers by a small bat like predator that hunts by day. Honey is important to the Arabian cuisine and is imported from Earth and elsewhere.
In the early years of the colony, Japan provided seed which they had already adapted to the planet to the Arabians, who wished to expand the colony rapidly and not wait for the their own development of Arabian crops adapted to Daikoku. As a result, the local production still has some Japanese influence, and this has shown up in the local cuisine.
Several plants native to the region have been found to be edible. Some are in the "herb and spice" category. These include Firqari, which grows wild in the hills, and Qarat, a seed pod taken from a tree-climbing epiphyte. Both have become export commodities. Firgari is a ground plant that produces a dense carpet of tiny flowers. The seeds are tiny and spore like, and can be crushed to provide a fiery powder of complex and exotic flavor. Qarat is sweet and pungent, with a vanilla-like essence, and can be brewed into a beverage or used as a flavoring. It is difficult to obtain, as it only grows on trees of considerable height. Harvesting is done by hoisting a human picker into the tree, often suspending him on a cable from a crane or balloon. The collection is tedious, but the rewards great, as Qarat is valuable off world, especially on Earth.
COMMERCE
The business community in Manzil Al Cenit has a strained and difficult relationship with the Ulama. On the one hand, Islam has never been anti-business. Trade has always been promoted under Islam, at least, between Islamic buyers and sellers. Trade with the non-Islamic world is quite another story. On the other hand, on a colony world far from Earth, there are not a lot of options. The businesses need vendors and patrons, and it must take them where it can find them. The colony has extensive links with the Japanese colony on the far side of the planet, and Manchurian and American merchant ships are frequent visitors. Although the Ulama might wish the economy of Manzil Al Cenit to be linked directly and solely to Arabia on Earth, it is clear that the colony would be economically stunted if it did. There is a grudging détente: The business world is discreet and careful, as well as generous with its donations, and the Ulama does not complain. Indeed, many of the businesses in Manzil Al Cenit are located in "Iqdas" rather than in government administered territory. This means the holder, generally and owner or controlling officer of the business located therein, has the personal responsibility for the administration, and can enforce the laws as he sees fit. In such situations, the Ulama casts a blind eye the fact that many of its customary interpretations of Islamic law, if not broken outright, are bent or distorted. The most important locally based corporations are:
Jamayah Al Sa'ad: Oligarchic family owned conglomerate with a range of interests. Importer/exporter, real estate development, agribusiness, financial services.
Cenit Holding Corporation: A trading and brokerage company, also offering insurance services.
Daipet This is the nationally owned corporation with control over petroleum drilling operations.
Rashid Ibn Yanbu. This is Arabia’s largest courier starship operating company (Arabia’s courier starship fleet is owned by the government and leased to operators.) RIY also has repair and service contracts for many other starships and spacecraft, and the Manzil Al Cenit Orbital Terminal.
Zahran Engineering This firm machinery manufacturing and contacting divisions.
Bank Al Cenit: This is the publicly owned, government controlled central bank of the Manzil Al Cenit colony.
Qassim Zarikah A trading company with diversified interests. Qassim Zarikah is the leading brokerage house for Manzil Al Cenit businesses. Despite a fairly closed culture, there are relatively little restrictions on foreigners owning stock in local businesses. Of course, the legal system tends to ignore the concept of a self or publicly owned firm. Unless a company can produce a resident who owns at least half of it, it will be at a severe disadvantage legally. This tends to suppress foreign ownership of businesses.
Baeshen Nadi This company specializes in personal services, including legal, financial, and medical services.
Baht AL Shahi (Tea House) This corporation started as a small chain of cafes in Al Fredoun as is now the leading chain food service corporation in Manzil Al Cenit. In 2293 they opened their first cafes in the Japanese colony on the far side of the planet. In 2298 they opened their first off world café, and the chain is growing.
Kiimaawiyyaat Hakim Zarikah KHZ is the colony's most important refining and chemical corporation. They also have a transport division.
H'ariir al Sirr This is the leading perfume manufacturer in Manzil Al Cenit. It exports the signature product of Manzil Al Cenit - perfume. The colony gets far more income from petrochemicals and synthetics, but perfume is better known.
INDUSTRY
Textiles
The total textile market throughout human space is estimated at between 200 million tons and 400 million tons annually. Manzil Al Cenit produces about 1% of this. Textiles, both synthetic and natural, are the primary industry of the colony. Visitors to the International Market occasionally search for "oriental" carpets. They do not find them here, unless they are being resold. Manzil Al Cenit does not do the carpet thing. That's more of a Turkish/Persian/Pakistani/Afghani thing anyway, although North Africans produce some fine carpets as well. Also, buyers find relatively few finished goods, except in the forms of traditional Arabian clothing. Arabians tend to be fairly clueless about the styles that flit through the remainder of human culture. To their credit, their sellers of textiles know this, and they don't try to compete where they can't. So, Manzil Al Cenit exports fabrics, and lets manufacturers elsewhere
Petroleum
It was not dumb Arabian luck that placed Manzil Al Cenit in a region of significant petroleum and natural gas deposits. The Arabians wanted it that way. In the 23rd century, when the plans for establishing a space colony were first being developed, Arabia still had an active petroleum industry. Output had shrunk to just a tiny fraction of the early 21st century peak. Petroleum production mostly fed the plastics and lubricants industries, but even with a greatly reduced output, along with new technology capable of reaching deposits never though recoverable in the 21st century, it was clear the petroleum industry's days were numbered. No new reserves had been found in the Arabian area in decades, nor had new reserves been found in areas that Arabia could exploit with some reasonable expectation of control and profit.
Petroleum had been found on several other worlds, and petroleum industries were moving off planet to pursue them. However, prior to Daikoku, these were all in areas colonized by other powers, and none wished a purely foreign operation to spearhead its petroleum industry. The Arabians did not wish to be mere investors in a foreign colony. If that was the only option, it seemed preferable simply to sell off the industrial hardware in which the nation had invested so much. But there was human potential as well. Much of Arabian technological, industrial, and scientific skill was oriented towards the petroleum industry. To maintain employment, either a centuries old national tradition would have to be scrapped, or Arabians would have to scatter, working in enclaves in foreign lands. These options did not seem attractive. Arabia desired to keep its operations in a place over which it exercise more oversight, and provide work for its skilled workers, many of whom belonged to families that had been in the petroleum business for generations. Arabia began looking for a colony of its own.
Manzil Al Cenit was a fortunate break. Other worlds were considered possibilities, but the Japanese were historic friends and trading partners. A number of colony sites were studied. Manzil Al Cenit was chosen as it had the best combination of favorable climate, distance from the Japanese colony, and good reserves of petroleum and natural gas. The nationally controlled corporation Daipet was set up, following the tried and true Arabian petroleum exploitation technique of putting all operations under a single national "umbrella" company. First prospecting and drilling equipment, some of it languishing for decades in Earth warehouses, was shipped out. As Earth based petroleum operations ceased and Daipet gained, whole refineries were shipped. The required skilled colonists went with it. They weren't forced, but the alternative was unemployment until one could be retrained in another skill. With Arabia being a place of limited resources and a narrow range of opportunity, they volunteered by the thousands.
Under the control of Daipet, Arabia's petroleum industry was in part dismantled, shipped, and rebuilt on Daikoku. The petroleum industry is now the colonies second largest employer in the industrial sector, after textiles. It feeds a large and varied chemical and synthetics industry.
Handicrafts
A great many of the rural settlements have developed "cottage industries". These often make use of the local natural materials available, as in any rural low-tech society, but in Manzil Al Cenit the handicrafts industry is also known for incorporating more advanced materials, the products of Manzil Al Cenit’s synthetics industry. In some cases, technological items are incorporated in locally finished goods- for example, the plush Daikoku animal dolls with electronic components imported from Earth. Handicrafts have become an export item, being collected by commercial agents who evaluate and by items from small villages and farms, and then sell them as bulk lots to shippers, often speculative traders, at Al Fredoun. They have a particular appeal on Earth, and in colonies with strong ecological values, such as the Japanese colonies and the Life Foundation colony at Austin’s world. Typical handicraft items include tools, accessories, items of clothing, toys, household decorative items, carrying containers, cases, holsters, handbags, and tack and harness for animals.
Power
Manzil Al Cenit lacks a fully integrated power net. Many smaller towns and rural areas are served by small power plants, which are typically natural gas powered turbines. There are no nuclear plants, but there are a number of wind farms, especially along the ridge lines west of Al Fredoun. The planet's strong but quickly cycling seasonality, coupled with the low hydrographic percentage means wind conditions are higher than are typical on Earth, and can be counted on as a steady power supply. This, however, does not meat the needs of the major cities. With the grudging permission of the environmentally conscious Japanese, eight major petroleum fired power plants were built. One is dedicated to the support of the catapult (which can also tap into the Al Fredoun power grid in an emergency). Several meet the power needs of the city of Al Fredoun, two are at Hakim, and another serves Al Baqqarim and its surroundings. The whole concept of using petroleum powered engines to drive a power plant is an old one, and this fuel has fallen from favor throughout most of human civilization. However, it must be said that the Arabians, with some assistance, have improved the technology to the point where the output of noxious gasses, the major complaint regarding petroleum burning, is a fraction of what it once was. .
POINTS OF INTEREST
Al Fredoun
The capitol city of Manzil Al Cenit and only major city, Al Fredoun is large only by the standards of the Chinese Arm. Most of the area of the colony open to unaccompanied foreign travel is here. Al Fredoun is a sprawling city of low buildings. In the center of the city is the colony’s largest building, the Mosque of the Stone. This building (explained in the Colonial Atlas) dominates the skyline. Al Fredoun also incorporates the following areas:
Saha al Masjad (Mosque Square) This name actually applies to far more than just the immediate area around the Mosque. The area incorporates several noteworthy religious schools, a park, the main library, a hospital, and attractions such as the zoo and a children’s park. It is not one of the areas open to foreigners, and even escorted foreigners are not always permitted in.
Maydan Al Qasr (Palace Park) This is home to the palace of the Amir, the government buildings, and many office buildings.
Kariyah Al Safrim (The Embassy Quarter) All of the foreign missions but one are located here. Foreigners may travel freely here. Many of the businesses here are designed to cater to foreign tastes.
Misreyn (Little Eqypt) Home to the large UAR colonist contingent. Generally considered to have the best restaurants in the colony.
Taraf This coastal section overlooks the harbor (to the north) and the sea of flowers (to the east). It is the city’s upper class residential area, and also has hotels that are favored by visiting Arabians. It is not among the areas available to open travel by foreigners. The beach here is divided into women’s sectors (who may bring children of either sex) and men’s sectors (men may bring only male children) and a family area (where whole families may visit, but bathing attire may not be worn.) Swimming is a rare past time in Manzil Al Cenit, and the beach is mostly used as a picnic are. The sweet smell is legendary and gave the Sea of Flowers its name.
Al Uqdah (The Knot) This was the original settlement area of Al Fredoun. It is now mostly lower middle class and laboring class housing and small businesses. Al Udah is the most congested area in the city, and has the typical urban social problems.
The International Market Originally, foreign business dealings were to be limited to the immediate area of the spaceport. The government anticipated that Arabians would learn to do without foreign contact and the foreign businesses would wither and die. They failed to appreciate that whenever a government anticipates that a certain social system will wither, it ends up actually thriving. Naturally, within decades, traffic to the spaceport became unacceptably high, and the government had no choice but to open a second commercial area for use by foreigners. The International Market has far more Arabian businesses than foreign, but most foreign commercial activity takes place here. Also, the Manzil Al Cenit export oriented businesses tend to be concentrated here. Unlike most urban commercial areas, there are no buildings taller than 6 stories. The urban sprawl thus created contributes to the traffic congestion in Al Fredoun. Al Aqdah and the International Market are known for having the furthest urban traffic jams from Earth.
The Spaceport This district is largely industry, warehousing, and transport services. There is also a very busy commercial concourse at the spaceport itself, probably the best in Manzil Al Cenit.
Hakim
The second largest city in Manzil Al Cenit is a relic of the recent split between the more technocratically oriented space and military services of Arabia and the religiously and politically conservative rulers. Wanting an area where they could set up and operate in relative isolation, the military and the Arabian Space Service moved in a private construction company and began building at first a spaceport and base, and then the infrastructure for a colony site south of Al Fredoun. When the religious authorities learned that Hakim's
function was largely to provide a refuge from their control, they were irate, and the response was the Purge of 2280. Seventeen officers were convicted of various and vague anti-social behaviors, and a Hakim was
brought into the fold under a religious council.
Hakim today is a more industrial, more workaday, business oriented place than Al-Fredoun, which is blessed with the fineries of government, culture, and the university. (And cursed, in the Ulama's view, with all those dangerous foreigners). The lack of exposure here has actually given Hakim a reputation for being more conservative, not less, an irony considering its origins.
Kasba Marshid
Just beyond the southern border is the strange town of Kasba Marshid. It is actually outside the sovereign boundaries of the colony, and the Arabians seem to take pains to make this clear.
Arabian politics is bewildering to the outsider, who frequently forgets that their society contains, like any other, diverse interests which demand accommodation. Even as the Ulama railed against the practices of the foreigners in the southern outposts, a growing entrepreneurial class was earning a living catering to those very foreigners. The solution was to provide a protected town outside of Arabian territory, where businesses could profit by serving the needs of the forego outposts. The town is literally just outside the border. A guarded gateway separates Kasba Marshid from the colony proper. Northward, inside the colony boundaries, the road runs back to Hakim. Southward, in extra-national territory, the road forks with branches headed off towards the AR-I and Accademia Dei Lincei outposts.
Kasba Marshid has a lively and varied "souk", or market, which sells whatever the traders here think the foreigners at the outposts will buy. The Souk has a reputation as a place where one must watch one's wallet, and anything else he or she is carrying. The merchants here stock all the things needed for exploratory missions, and the market has a reputation for carrying a wide variety of quality gear for wilderness adventuring, much of it locally made.
The town has become a haven for those few who rebel against the theocratic state. One can be Arabian here, yet not live under daily Orthodox interpretation of Islamic law. The deviants and malcontents are attracted to this place. Law here is provided by the Arabian military, but Sharia law is not enforced- technically this is not Islamic territory. A host of vices run just under the surface, but not deep enough to hide from casual notice. The town is rife with alcohol, drugs and prostitution, and graffiti adorns the walls. The military clamps down on threats to life and property, but allows all else to slide by. Some believe that the Arabian ulama has actually learned to like it this way- it gives them a great example of how a culture turns rancid in the absence of Sharia. Just about the entire deviant population of Manzil Al Cenit has found its way here, giving the town an anarchic, bohemian feel. It is still Arabian enough, though, to have a mosque and minarets from which the regular calls to prayer are issued.
Al Maugiar (The Abode of Beasts)
The region on the northern flank of Manzil Al Cenit, Al Maugiar is an old stone table land, gradually eroded over the eons. With a long period of slow erosion coupled with a gravity much lower than Earth, putting less vertical stress on rock formations, Daikoku has developed some truly impressive topography, and Al Maugiar is a fine example. The geologic region extends far north of the colony. Manzil Al Cenit's northern border is marked by a series of stone posts and electronic devices that for over 100 kilometers traces the path of one of the white watered canyon rivers. Sadr Al Fariq (Fariq's Cantonement) is a small town on the northern border, serving as home base for nearby rural settlements, and the local army and border police post. Some settlers, especially those less than thrilled with the government system, have moved across the border. They still return to trade, and the Manzil government neither recognizes them nor obstructs them.
Al Sinnin (The Teeth)
This is a geologic formation in the western region of the colony. One of the effects of Daikoku's lower gravity is that certain rock formations, while forming, are never as compressed as their earth counterparts, and never reach the strength and density of Earth counterparts. This causes a lower resistance to certain types of weathering. The Al Sinnin formation is the result of stronger, harder igneous rock forcing its way upwards through less resistant sedimentary rock. The weaker rock then eroded, leaving pillars, something akin to the buttes of the American Southwest but relatively taller, thinner, and more numerous. Al Sinnin occupies hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, extending from the western area of Manzil Al Cenit far to the west, into the interior of the continent.
The pillars have been of interest to prospectors. Like earth's "Diamond pipes" the deep origins of the stone and the subsequent upwelling suggests they concentrate certain rare mineral types. A few prospecting missions have found gems in the talus deposits at the bases of some pillars, and gem hunters routinely scour the area. Several pillars, found or thought to contain good deposits, have been extensively mined. Two have been destroyed outright. This has brought the rebuke of Japanese ecologists, but the Arabians have claimed the destruction was accidental. In one case it clearly was, as part of the mining team was lost in the collapse of the pillar.
The gems recovered from these pillars tend not to be first class jewel quality, as the necessary temperature and pressure conditions for their creation are rare on Daikoku. They find their way into the handicrafts Manzil Al Cenit is known for.
FLORA AND FAUNA
An Article twice this size could not do proper justice the complex and surprising ecosystem of Daikoku, even restricting its attention to the area of Manzil Al Cenit. Here is just a sampling of the diverse life forms present here.
Slug-Mold
This is a simple life form, similar to the Earth slime-molds but taking the concept further. While a Slime-Mold is formed from an aggregate of single cell organisms (certain species of Amoeba), the Slug-Mold goes further. Once aggregated, the cells diversify. The microbes normally act as independent, microscopic, unicellular organisms. They remain as independent organism when given a steady but limited food supply. When a large food source is available, they reproduce quickly. When numbers grow, the stimulus of crowding causes them to mass together, like the Slime-mold. Instead of forming a spore-body, though, the cells then begin to differentiate. The Slug-mold becomes a functional multi-cellular organism, simple but mobile, complete with rudimentary sensors. On a level of development similar to an Earth flatworm, the creature can then consume the more plentiful food more efficiently, as well as compete with other simple organisms. As food becomes scarce, the Slug-worm will breakdown into unicellular forms again, however, some of the resulting cells will be encased in hardened sacs, where they will lie dormant for varying periods of time. This adaption prevents the newly dispersed mob of single cells from competing with itself for food and dying off as a result.
The Slug-Mold resides in damp areas. It cannot overcome the immune system of a healthy human. However, food left in areas where Slug-Molds can access it will soon be found to be crawling with the rather odious little worms, each up to several centimeters in length and a slick pinkish gray in color. Scientists first assumed the worms were larval forms of another creature, and were astounded when they appeared in screened areas where no adult creature could have possibly entered to lay eggs.
Colonial Avians
Twelve species of these birdlike creatures have been identified. All travel in large flocks, like many terrestrial birds. Unlike Earth's birds, the species is strongly poly-morphic with specialized forms. In this, they bring to mind Earth's termites, ants and bees. Four forms are found within most flocks: The infertile males (rare) are the equivalent of Termite soldiers, guarding the flock against predators and competitors. The infertile females (common)are workers, harvesting nutritious plant matter, chewing it up, and partially digesting it before feeding it to other members of the flock. Fertile males and females stay towards the center of each flock, rearing young. Unlike their insect equivalents, there is no single queen. All of the breeding females, which are always closely related, usually siblings, lay eggs. Fertile males are the rarest form, only a few exist within each flock. A flock can number thousands of avians. Some species are mobile, but many defend permanent nest areas. Some nest areas are centuries old, and are built up into great nest-vities in the upper layers of the forest.
Daikokuan Delver
This is the deepest digging burrowing animal known. Ecologists and biologists have pieced together a theory describing the likely origin of the animal's digging habits, which can take the beast up to ten kilometers below the surface level. It is believe that a very gradually increasing depth to certain sub-terranean aquifer level containing accessible pools caused a population of Delvers to dig deeper in order to keep returning to its habitual pools. Some other genetic bottleneck then eliminated the delvers that did not descend to such depths. The Delver's organs are known to contain levels of trace minerals found in far less frequency closer to the surface, and it may gain a metabolic advantage seeking out concentrations of iron and other metals.
When the Delver surfaces, it will eat almost anything it can find for days on end, then return underground for a period of sleep, digestion, and whatever else the weird things do down there. It is a large animal, sort of a cross between Aardvark, Hippopotamus, and wood-louse, and few other creatures will challenge a surfaced, hungry Delver. Fortunately, they are slow moving.
Gatherer No. Appearing: 1 Initiative: 3 Melee Hit Chance: Difficult, Size: 2000 Kg Speed 30 Armor 0.4, Consciousness: 13 Life: 22 WPM +1 DP 1 Signature +2
In battle, the sheer size of the Delver allows it attack anything in front of it.
Haycaja
This is the top carnivore north of the jungle. The Haycaja is a pack hunter. It has two modes of running. Its double jointed skeleton allows to assume a very low, crouched position while running concealed through tall savannah vegetation, and then a taller long gaited running position for final approach, and to scan for prey. Its skeletal structure led scientists to theorize it was actually an Eber import, and later DNA testing confirmed this. It is not known why the Ebers brought this creature here. It may have been a pet, hunting animal, game animal, or may have been brought to establish an "Eber-native" ecology.
Chaser No. Appearing: 2D6 Initiative: 6 Melee Hit Chance: Routine, Size: 200 Kg Speed 80 Armor 0, Consciousness: 6 Life: 14 WPM 0 DPV .5 Signature 0, -2 crouched in vegetation.
Dai-Ghaf This willowy plant grows in abundance in the western and northern areas of the colony. It flowers in spring, a riot of color and complex, sweet scent. It actually uses two different avian species in its fertilization /reproduction cycle, one to carry male pollen, and one which, for unknown reasons, instinctively guards the developing seeds in their seedbulbs before they are ready to disperse and germinate.
Zulaijin A plant that grows as an epiphyte in the high forest. The Zulaijin is known for its extremely bright and fragrant flowers, which produce a scent with calming effects. The Zulaijin blossom is about 12 centimeters across, and hardens after death. The color and shape are thus naturally preserved. The scent slowly decays, and is unnoticeable after several months. It is harvested as an ornament, and to provide a natural incense.
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