AMCO
I'm Sorry Dave
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
LOCATION INFORMATION
POPULATION
Arcadia was once a barely habitable and thoroughly unremarkable desert world dotted by a precious few oases - a world practically begging to be improved, as Globex might put it. It certainly checked all the boxes when it came to gravity and positioning (while located at the edge of the Deep Core, the system is easily accessible with up-to-date navigational data), but the real reason it was chosen lay elsewhere.
The real reason was Priviak I, whose mantle turned out to contain massive quantities of valuable resources - resources that would, in combination with locally-sourced asteroids and ice comets, provide everything Globex's Gaia-class Terraforming Spheres needed to improve Arcadia.
Over several long years, the planet was reshaped in Globex's image, its barren deserts replaced by clearly demarcated Regions divided by artificial mountains and newly-formed seas; hundreds of thousands of biologists, ecologists, and engineers supported by numberless droids and advanced artificial intelligences created not one, but several new or transplanted biospheres for the world, all the better to attract tourists.
Beneath the blossoming surface, continent-spanning networks of maintenance tunnels, supply depots, geothermal plants, weather control stations, communications infrastructure, visium pipelines, cloning facilities, recycling facilities, and autofactories were constructed to support and maintain the corporation's shiny new biospheres and the equally-important cities and resorts responsible for leveraging that environment for profit.
As a fairly recently settled corporate-owned world, the population is disproportionally young (yet not too young; it will likely take a few years for the settlers to start reproducing at normal levels, as many are career-driven employees eagerly working towards promotions) and quite diverse (humans and near-humans are a majority, but Globex will happily take anyone from anywhere, so long as they are productive).
- Intent: An aggressively terraformed planet that specialises in tourism.
- Image Credit: Mesozoic Land: Ichthyovenator by Raph Herrera Lomotan.
- Priviak 1: Melting Point by Adrian Virlan, Unearth - Geb Mining station by Leon Tukker.
- Environmental Diversity: Raptor Tree by Pablo Rivera, Jungle in the canyon by Andy Ivanov, The Cavern (Cover Book Illustration) by Voyager, and Square landscapes 3 by Anton Fadeev.
- Settlements: High Orbit Station SA - 119 "DEMETER" by Mark Sztaba, Mechanized jellyfish by Leon Tukker, and Patriots of the Arq Bookcover and architecture designs by Leon Tukker.
- Canon: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Links: Gaia-class Terraforming Sphere | Compliance Glands
- Planet Name: Arcadia
- Demonym: Arcadian
- Region: Deep Core
- System Name: Priviak
- System Features: Arcadia is the fifth planet orbiting the Type-G star Priviak; the inner planets have fairly close orbits. Beyond it are three more distant planets (two gas giants and a barren world) and a sizeable asteroid belt. Arcadia used to have a rotational period of twenty-six hours, but Globex slowed it to match Coruscant's twenty-four-hour days; it has an orbital period of 397 days.
- Priviak I is a sizeable planet that maintains a close orbit to Priviak - it does not rotate, leaving one side a volcanic hellscape and the other a largely unlit but still uncomfortably hot wasteland. Despite its high gravity and general unpleasantness, its vast mineral wealth is one of the key reasons Globex opted to terraform Arcadia - thousands of mantle bores pull a wealth of valuable materials up from the planet's core. These are then sent to titanic refineries by way of continent-spanning railroads, which in turn feed into a space elevator. Barely anyone lives on the planet, as droids do most of the work. It is, in other words, the ideal 'extraction world'.
- Priviak VII is a large, icy world with a dense but quite unbreathable atmosphere. It has no native life. Globex has set up a number of databanks and computation networks deep beneath the icy surface - the thick, lifeless crust offers impressive protection while the atmospheric composition is well-suited to 'venting' heat into space.
- Location: Located between the Deep Core planets of Dremulae and Ebaq.
- Major Imports: Raw Materials (primarily from Priviak I), Luxury Goods, Rare Materials.
- Major Exports: High Technology, Droids, Cybernetics, Luxury Goods.
- Major Services: Tourism, Advertising, Entertainment.
- Unexploited Resources: Negligible; fully utilised.
- Gravity: 0.983 Standard
- Climate: Controlled; temperature and weather patterns are regulated to create wholly separated ecosystems.
- Primary Terrain: Differs by Region; controlled miniatures of dozens of real and fabricated planetary ecosystems are present.
- The Primal Wilds is one of the largest and most popular Regions - it holds a plethora of diverse, majestic, and frightening creatures, among them great reptiles, rancors, and even vornskr. Its vast jungles and vibrant forests are a favourite of tourists; there is always something exciting to see here - when population sizes grow too large, the affluent are even permitted to hunt 'rare beasts'.
- Glimmerdeep is perhaps the most exotic Region. Located entirely underground, this vast realm of titanic caverns is home to all kinds of strange and often bioluminescent creatures; some of them were even bioluminescent before being bioengineered by Globex! Many tourists find its great caverns and mushroom forests exciting - for safety reasons, 'darkly winding caves' are more restricted.
- Fantasia is a wondrous Region filled with pinkish mountains, clear lakes, and beautiful creatures. The entire Region has effectively been rendered 'safe for children' by getting rid of much of the 'ugliness' of nature. Virtually every creature present is cute and cuddly and most of the Region's 'carnivores' have been drastically altered to consume less frightening diets - like grass (or nutrient paste)!
- Atmosphere: Type I
- Capital City: Equinex
- Planetary Features: Most of Arcadia pretends to be untouched wilds, though carefully-hidden emergency response centres, lodges, resorts, and terraforming stations abound. In fact, the entire planet is crisscrossed by a network of subterranean maintenance tunnels, pipelines, and cloning facilities; if a Region runs low on a desirable form of flora or fauna, Globex simply clones more of them. Deeper still, vast geothermal facilities extract energy from the mantle while keeping it stable; the energy is either distributed as is or synthesised into Visium.
- Rainfall is relatively rare on Arcadia, even in humid regions; the terrain is, as a general rule, hydrated primarily from beneath instead, so as to not inconvenience visiting tourists. The weather schedule can be accesses weeks in advance and last-minute changes are rare.
- Major Locations: Arcadia is dotted with a number of resorts, most of them hidden from casual observation (to maintain the illusion of the 'untamed wilds of Arcadia') by way of optical shields or clever environmental engineering. More unique sites are noted below.
- Pit-Cities are a uniquely Arcadian type of city - instead of growing outwards or upwards, they grow down. Hundreds of layers are a common sight, with some drilling far further still into the planet's crust. Massive banks of elevators take the place of railways and the like; some layers spread outwards in a spiderweb of tunnels or more frequently neatly structured 'towns onto themselves'.
- Equinex is the capital of Arcadia and the greatest of the Pit-Cities - it stretches nearly eleven kilometres into the crust and holds the layered habitation sections, titanic databases, and polished offices necessary to administrate both the planet and much of the Globex Corporation itself. The High Tribunal of Arcadia, the Advisorate, and the Office of the Administrator-General can all be found here. It is somewhat noteworthy that the Globex Board of Directors often meets 'a quick elevator ride away'. 'Planetary autonomy' indeed.
- Equinex (short for equatorial nexus due to its location on the equator; don't expect creativity from Globex) is not much of a tourist destination; most of the city is taken up by endless bureaucracy and the palatial residences of ranking executives.
- Orbital Arcologies hover above the Arcadian surface, their glittering voidscrapers housing a mixture of permanent residents and tourists; some of them have had their 'Support Sections' replaced by massive casinos, theme parks, and the like. Smaller habitats serve in similar capacities - just as many tourists end up in Eden-class habitats as do in the resorts dotting Arcadia's mountaintops.
- The University of Arcadia is an institution spread across multiple campuses (both planetside and in orbit), most famously its Main Campus - located inside an artificial crater hidden from the views of tourists by one of the mountain chains dividing Arcadia's Regions, the UA Main Campus holds artificial lakes, tidy parks, high-quality student housing, and polished lecture halls. Its biology department is particularly notable; it is very well-funded and makes full use of close ties to Arcadia's numerous cloning/bioengineering facilities.
- The University of Arcadia has, for better or for worse, made a name for itself by poaching gifted students from poor planets by offering generous scholarships and desirable employment opportunities - Globex is always looking for fresh talent.
- Native Species: Little of the planet's admittedly barren original ecosystem remains.
- Immigrated Species: All the 'most marketable' forms of fauna are present, of course.
- Population: Moderate; Arcadia has a small number of high-density cities and numerous resorts, but no real hamlets or homesteads beyond the concealed mansions of the ultra-rich. Surprisingly many people live in orbit, most notably aboard Olympus- and Eden-class stations.
- Demographics: Highly diverse; the permanent population has a clear human or near-human majority, but other humanoids are present in fairly large numbers and nonhumanoids are, while not particularly plentiful, not unwelcome either. Tourists are, of course, equally diverse.
- Primary Languages: Galactic Basic is the only official language, but administrative AI can respond to requests in virtually any language.
- Culture: As a 'planet-sized company town', Arcadian culture can be difficult to distinguish from Globex's corporate culture - appearances and branding are vitally important, droids are ubiquitous (but are rarely considered people), manual labour is largely automated, and social status is difficult to distinguish from one's position on the corporate totem pole. Cosmetic surgery and cybernetics are commonplace. Hard work is seen as patently inferior to smart work and innovation is heavily rewarded both financially and socially. Hedonistic tendencies are common and accepted - many Arcadians consider the pursuit of pleasure life's true purpose. Unemployment is viewed as a 'failure of character'.
- The proliferation of cosmetic alterations is by no means limited to conventional surgery; biomods and cybernetics are both commonly used for cosmetic purposes. Arcadians are unusually likely to use technological solutions over, say, exercise or dieting - who has time for that when you could be partying, watching an endless stream of AI-generated holoshows, or trying to score a promotion?
- Fashion largely matches galactic trends, with a few exceptions; bodygloves are rather common in professional settings and holographic clothing is often used by service employees (of which there are plenty) and people attending fancy parties (of which there are plenty).
- Government: Corporate Technocracy with Democratic Tendencies
- The Arcadian Charter, written into law by the Globex Corporation after taking feedback from the people (i.e., its own employees), is the constitution of Arcadia (and by extension the Priviak system). Changing it requires a 55% majority in the Advisorate over the course of eight years (i.e., four elections / two full election cycles) and the approval of the Globex Corporation's Board of Directors.
- Executive and Legislative power is held by the Administration, which is led by an Administrator-General appointed by Globex's Board of Directors for five-year terms. The Administration is a meritocratic bureaucracy known to emphasise long-term profitability.
- All local Employees and Citizens (a rare status; outnumbered 20:1 by Employees) may vote for Representatives to the Advisorate every second year - terms last four years and half of the Advisorate's 122 seats are up for election at a time. While mainly an advisory body, the Advisorate is entitled to distribute the 'Open Budget' freely - per the Charter, the Open Budget must be no smaller than five percent of total planetary (not system) expenditure, except in emergencies. Education, welfare, and prestige projects are all popular choices.
- Members of the Advisorate are referred to as Representatives to the Advisorate, Representatives, or RttAs.
- Under the Galactic Alliance, the Advisorate selects a Senator, albeit from three candidates presented by the Board.
- Arcadia has a three-tier judicial system - most cases are resolved by Auto-Verdict (i.e., a Judicial AI), unsatisfied parties can appeal to Judicial Panels (who may reject to hear criminal and civil cases alike, at their discretion), and their decisions can in turn be appealed to the High Tribunal of Arcadia. The five Justices are appointed by the Board of Directors to ensure their 'independence' - they serve for five-year terms (one per year; staggered for continuity), but terms can be extended at the discretion of the Board.
- Globex favours competent jurists over corporate yes-men, but radicals are unlikely to be selected.
- Affiliation: The Globex Corporation (System Government), the Galactic Alliance (Interstellar Government).
- Wealth: Wealthy; Arcadia is a technologically advanced tourist destination with a thriving industrial sector. While Globex certainly collects a hefty profit, all Employees are reasonably compensated and Citizens are generally quite affluent. Similarly, most tourists are rather wealthy. As a corporate world, unemployed Residents are undesirable - even so, they are entitled to housing, food, medical care, and other essentials. Emphasis on essentials - clean beds, nutrient paste, mass-produced clothing, and fully-automated healthcare checks all the boxes.
- Various social programs exist to lift people out of 'Basic Sustenance' (and become productive Employees), including education, work programs, and 'exciting off-world opportunities' such as participating in the colonisation of a newly charted planet. How exciting!
- Corporations unaffiliated with Globex are permitted to operate on the planet, but are taxed; their employees are Employees.
- Stability: High; there is no unrest on Arcadia. The Globex Security Division closely monitors all population centres for criminal behaviour so that a firm, preventative hand can be applied before matters get out of hand. Most punishments are 'slaps on the wrist' like warnings or fines, especially if the perpetrator is a visitor - tourists have to go out of their way to land a prison sentence. At the same time, both Employees and tourists can expect to be safe wherever they go - theft, coercion, and violence are rapidly sanctioned by the surveillance state.
- Globex's Judicial AI prefer conditional imprisonment and community service to imprisonment. Where this is not possible, inmates are held in orbital Criminal Reform Centres. Arcadia has an incredibly low incarceration rate, which is likely at least partially because of the broad rights afforded the Arcadian Security Department - 24/7 surveillance of former criminals is perfectly legal and minor sentences are often served on a conditional basis while wearing a tracer capable of incapacitating the criminal if they pose a threat to anyone.
- On Arcadia, privacy is an illusion. Settlements hold far more cameras than people and tens of thousands of satellites monitor the wilds for criminal behaviour and dangerous situations; the Arcadian Security Department has even been known to use droid or cyborg birds!
- Compliance Glands are used to render even fierce predators largely harmless to consumers; defective fauna is euthanised.
- Freedom & Oppression: Arcadia is, all things considered, reasonably free - freedom of speech is largely unrestricted, no one is arrested or imprisoned without good reason, and everyone is free to believe what they please. At the same time, privacy is highly limited. The state has broad discretion to secretly monitor private and public forums alike for virtually any reason; while this data is mainly used to prevent crimes before they occur, there is significant room for abuse. Despite Arcadia's corporate nature, workers' rights are well-protected.
- Residential Status: Despite being a popular tourists destination known to welcome anyone, so long as they can pay, those wishing to make Arcadia their home long-term often find it a more finnicky process. Status as a Resident is hard-earned and even that does not confer the right to vote - to vote one must either be an Employee, a Special Status Resident (typically students or artists), or a Citizen. Acquiring citizenship is a privilege, not a right - to qualify one must display exceptional merit, climb far enough up the corporate totem pole, or be related to someone even further up the hierarchy. Children of ranking corporate officials get automatic citizenship.
- The reason for this strictness is not xenophobia, but frugality; Arcadia is automated to the point where manual labour is more or less redundant. Globex is unwilling to spend too much on welfare, but is equally unwilling to take the publicity hit poverty would represent - instead, they try their best to keep 'unproductives' out and, failing that, will literally pay them to leave.
- Residential Status: Despite being a popular tourists destination known to welcome anyone, so long as they can pay, those wishing to make Arcadia their home long-term often find it a more finnicky process. Status as a Resident is hard-earned and even that does not confer the right to vote - to vote one must either be an Employee, a Special Status Resident (typically students or artists), or a Citizen. Acquiring citizenship is a privilege, not a right - to qualify one must display exceptional merit, climb far enough up the corporate totem pole, or be related to someone even further up the hierarchy. Children of ranking corporate officials get automatic citizenship.
- Military: Arcadia barely has any organic soldiers - its ground forces are almost entirely composed of droids and its orbital defences tend to similarly emphasise automation. Arcadian military doctrine, as it were, is almost entirely defensive; the government would be hard-pressed to muster an invasion force sufficient to seize a barely populated frontier world, let alone get itself entangled in interstellar warfare.
- Technology: As the 'shining jewel' of a megacorporation heavily involved in research and development, Arcadia is at the bleeding edge in most technological categories, particularly in the fields of robotics and entertainment. Arcadian industries - largely buried in the crust and hosted aboard orbiting space stations - are advertised as galaxy-leading, but are not always more cost-effective than low-tech alternatives.
- Due to the complicated bioengineering involved in maintaining the Arcadian ecosystems at peak profitability, Arcadia has developed a highly competent workforce within the biological sciences. This is further bolstered by heavy use of such methods elsewhere, perhaps most notably in the unusual commonality of exowomb-grown 'designer babies' - a popular choice for career-driven Employees!
Arcadia was once a barely habitable and thoroughly unremarkable desert world dotted by a precious few oases - a world practically begging to be improved, as Globex might put it. It certainly checked all the boxes when it came to gravity and positioning (while located at the edge of the Deep Core, the system is easily accessible with up-to-date navigational data), but the real reason it was chosen lay elsewhere.
The real reason was Priviak I, whose mantle turned out to contain massive quantities of valuable resources - resources that would, in combination with locally-sourced asteroids and ice comets, provide everything Globex's Gaia-class Terraforming Spheres needed to improve Arcadia.
Over several long years, the planet was reshaped in Globex's image, its barren deserts replaced by clearly demarcated Regions divided by artificial mountains and newly-formed seas; hundreds of thousands of biologists, ecologists, and engineers supported by numberless droids and advanced artificial intelligences created not one, but several new or transplanted biospheres for the world, all the better to attract tourists.
Beneath the blossoming surface, continent-spanning networks of maintenance tunnels, supply depots, geothermal plants, weather control stations, communications infrastructure, visium pipelines, cloning facilities, recycling facilities, and autofactories were constructed to support and maintain the corporation's shiny new biospheres and the equally-important cities and resorts responsible for leveraging that environment for profit.
As a fairly recently settled corporate-owned world, the population is disproportionally young (yet not too young; it will likely take a few years for the settlers to start reproducing at normal levels, as many are career-driven employees eagerly working towards promotions) and quite diverse (humans and near-humans are a majority, but Globex will happily take anyone from anywhere, so long as they are productive).
Last edited:
