Diligence

Diligence is the Capital world of the polity that calls itself New Utopia (or, more commonly, simply Utopia). Originally settled by a small group dissatisfied by the changes wrought by the conversion of the New Terran Confederacy into the New Terran Hegemony, Utopia strives to be a safe haven for any who wish to simply live out a peaceful existence where basic needs are guaranteed and personal freedoms ensured.

The planet, third from the system's G7V-class primary star is human habitable, but visitors accustomed to "Terran-normal" conditions may find it necessary to use filter masks and possibly respirators until they acclimate to the low pressure and high irritant content (native pollens) of the atmosphere. Temperatures near the equator are comfortable, with averages remaining between 15 and 30^oC year-round, but can get quite cold away from the poles. The 30^o axial tilt means seasonal variations are more extreme than on Terra as well. Summer at 45^o north or south latitudes will experience average temperatures of 25-30^oC, but winter temps drop to between -10 and -20^oC. Permanent ice caps extend to approximately 55^o north and south latitudes.

Starports

The highport orbiting geosynchronously above the world's capital city has been named Pearly Gate by the citizens of New Utopia. It is a large, advanced Class A facility with complete starship maintenance, repair, and construction capabilities. Refined fuel is available at standard prices. Amenities on station include a variety of lodging options, restaurants, bars, and casinos. A gallery of tech shops offer a variety of products and components.

Promise Gate is the Class A downport on the outskirts of the capital city on the continent called Eden by the residents. The small startown that acts as a buffer between the port and the city of Promise itself offers amenities and services similar to those available on the highport, though technology levels may be a bit lower.

The main city on the Elysium continent, called Erewhon, maintains a Class B starport. No startown buffer is present, but the portion of the city nearest the port may as well be one. Visitors must remember, though, that they are subject to full Utopian law here. The largest city on the third - and smallest - inhabited continent of Xanadu is named Camelot; it maintains the largest starport on the planet, though most of it is dedicated to government-managed shipping among the polity systems. The "public" portion of the massive port gains only a Class C rating based on its limited services and facilities. Most smaller settlements - at least those too remote to be considered suburbs - maintain Class D or E facilities,

Settlements

The capital city of Paradise is the largest settlement on Diligence, situated near the equatorial coast on the Eden continent. The city's architecture and design have, from its founding, been intended to portray an ordered sense of peace, prosperity, and grandeur. The city center is a complex of government buildings, all constructed of chromed steel and alabaster-white polished stone. At its very center is a circular tower - taller than any structure in the city - called the Seat of Peace. The uppermost floors of this building house the offices and deliberating chambers of the Council of Diligents, the governing body of the New Utopian polity. Lower floors contain offices of various governmental departments and branches. A semicircle of elaborate residences flank this tower; these are residences for the families of the Diligents of the council. Most of the buildings surrounding the city center are also dedicated to government activities, with a number of services (restaurants, clubs, etc.) dotted throughout. Residential areas - all neat and well-kept if not downright opulent - form an outer ring of sorts around the government complexes.

The city of Xanadu lies inland on the continent of Camelot; this city serves as the distribution center for all of the resources and manufactured goods required by the inhabitants of all four systems in the Utopian polity. Steady streams of interstellar freighters going to and from Breadbasket, Boulder, and Gloom, along with atmospheric traffic mostly connected to the industrial hub of Erewhon fill the skies above the starport. The city itself is mainly a collection of warehouses, administrative buildings, and the residences needed to staff these - but this city is far cleaner and more pleasant to walk through than any warehouse district anywhere else.

The city of Erewhon, on the southwest coast of the Elysium continent, is the industrial hub of the world, and indeed of the entire Utopian polity. Raw resources are shipped here from Xanadu and distributed to the foundries and factories that cover much of the western portion of the continent. Finished goods, which include agricultural equipment destined for Breadbasket and mining gear destined for Gloom and Boulder, as well as household necessities and luxuries for citizens on all four worlds, are produced in the facilities that spread out from the city. All find their way back to the Erewhon port where most are shipped back to Xanadu for distribution. Most surplus goods are either warehoused for trade with offworlders; finer quality and higher tech items are shipped to the Promise Gate port outside Paradise for trade purposes there. (Promise Gate markets pride themselves on offering only the 'latest and best' finished goods.)

Government & Law

The Utopian polity was founded on principles of individualism, freedom, and harmonious cooperation. Its body of civil law is remarkably small for a polity with over a billion citizens. In fact, there is only one named crime in Utopia: Disruption of Harmony. As the label suggests, though, this is a broadly interpreted infraction that includes everything from involvement in minor tavern scuffles to petty theft to armed insurrection. It is left to Magistrates appointed by the Council of Diligents to ascertain the seriousness of most infractions and mete out appropriate punishments. For citizens, the most minor offenses carry penalties such as temporary reduction of entitlements (i.e. food and clothing). Slightly more serious, or repeat offenses might bring a sentence of shunning (a more serious sentence whereby the guilty finds themselves cut off from surrounding society for a short time (no entitlements, no work, no social interactions). The most serious convictions result in exile to Gloom.

For non-citizens (i.e. visiting Travellers), minor infractions are usually punishable by fines and confiscation of any items that may have been involved in the infraction. For more serious crimes, offworlders are declared "unwelcome" and must depart the polity systems immediately, never to return. They are also warned that should they ever be discovered within the borders of Utopia again, their possessions will be forfeit, and they will be permanently exiled to Gloom.

For the visiting Traveller, the important equipment-related regulations to be aware of are as follows:

Hard-shell body armor of any kind is not permissible; only the Utopian "Peace Facilitator" forces (i.e. police and, when necessary, special ops teams) are permitted to wear such armor, and then only when performing their duties. Within the major cities, even soft armor is discouraged, though not strictly illegal.

Small "sidearm" weaponry (slug pistols and/or large knives) can be carried,, but must be worn openly. (Concealed carry is not acceptable.) Within the major city limits, larger weapons (shotguns, long blades, slug rifles) are not permitted, but can be carried in non-urban areas.

Anything that can be categorized as a heavy weapon, or WMD is strictly illegal. These should be declared upon arrival at any starport where they will be cataloged and warehoused for the duration of the visitor's stay. They will be returned upon departure. Possession of any of these weapons not so declared is considered a serious Disruption of Harmony. Conviction will be punished by permanent ejection from the polity as described earlier

History

After the rise of the New Terran Hegemony, many citizens were unhappy with the changes to the general order, particularly with the harsh treatment of any who did not conform to the strict human-centric behavioral norms that were being imposed. The effects of these were obvious enough for the non-human residence of what had been the Confederacy, but even quite a number of humans found themselves dissatisfied with the new "structured society" that was being imposed.

One of the dissatisfied was Jacimo Djouliman. He quietly began spreading a vision of a better world - better even than the old Confederacy - that promised individuals could do whatever they pleased as long as they did not impinge on the peace and harmony of others. People would work together, each contributing with the labors and skills they enjoyed practicing. Djouliman believed that in a large enough group, there would be enough people with varied enough interests to ensure the community as a whole could prosper and live in harmony and happiness. Djouliman was a gifted speaker who took his message to a number of worlds within the Hegemony, and in a short while had amassed a clandestine following of over two thousand people who believed in his vision for a better life. Several of these were sufficiently financially well off to procure several old freighters which were converted to carry passengers, and in the year ??, eleven years after the establishment of the Hegemony, they departed their homeworlds to establish a "New Utopia".

Well beyond the borders of the Hegemony at the time, they finally came across a system and primary world that would become the seat of their New Utopia. At first, it did not appear to be an ideal choice, being partially frozen and with an atmosphere thin enough to be marginally breathable at best. But Djouliman and his closest advisors decided that its not being an ideal world for humans would be further insurance against a future incursion by the Hegemony, and so they settled. They named the world Diligence as a constant reminder that while their own community was dedicated to peace and harmony, the rest of the universe was not. It would be necessary to be ever on guard against incursion of that unpredictable outside world and the disruptions it could cause.

The first settlement was named Paradise; its location chosen because it offered the most hospitable conditions on the planet, and was surrounded by fertile land that could be agriculturally developed. Thanks to the resources of the wealthiest colonists, minimal housing and basic services were quickly established. The modified freighters that brought the colonists here were reverted to their original purpose and necessary goods were purchased from the fringes of the Hegemony until the colony could become self sufficient.

A hundred years later, that self sufficiency had been achieved and trade contact with the Hegemony was almost completely severed. The population grew rapidly and, making use of natural resources on the planet, industry began to thrive. Two hundred years later, the population and industry started reducing the available agricultural lands. At this point, having forgotten most of their fears about potential conflicts with the Hegemony over human-suitable worlds, they established a colony in a system only a parsec away. This system had been deliberately bypassed in the search for an initial colony site because it was too much like Terra - too perfect for humans. But now, a colony was established there with the intent to eventually have that planet feed all of New Utopia (which some believed would eventually grow as large and strong as the Hegemony itself). Thus Breadbasket was settled and as its food production abilities expanded, industry took over more and more of Diligence.

Socio-politically, the original colonists decided that some formal constitutional document would be necessary to formally establish their New Utopia. The document drafted by Djouliman was long on philosophical expressions of cooperation, peace, and harmony, but very short on governmental organization and structure. Djouliman believed that a harmonious, cooperating society would work most things out themselves. The only governmental entity established by this constitution was the Council of Diligents. Originally consisting of Djouliman and his six most trusted advisors, the Council's purpose was to "protect New Utopia from the evil influences of the outside universe". The document did not provide for elections of any sort, or any other guidelines for maintaining this Council over time, so by default, appointments to the Council were for lifetimes, and when vacancies appeared, they were filled by appointments made by the remaining Council.

Over the years, the Council of Diligents has allowed its intended purpose to slowly expand. While its members still adhere to the founding principles held by Djouliman, they came to realize that they could not ignore or avoid the universe beyond their boundaries. Trade relations were established, and diplomatic ties were made with other fringe polities that had been springing up in the Borderspace regions. A starfaring navy was established to guard against undesirable incursions; the Hegemony became a bogeyman-like shadowy threat that demanded the vigilance of the Council and indeed every Utopian. The fact that fairly extensive trade with Hegemony worlds was conveniently overlooked.