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AUSTRALIA
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>>>>>[Updated
Australia dump. Table of contents for the lazy.]<<<<< |
| Aboriginal Australian
Council Federal Australian Republic Imperial New Zealand Republic of New Zealand Tasmania |
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>>>>>[Oh
this sounds like loads and loads of fun...]<<<<< |
Aboriginal Australian Council
Affectionately referred to as Walkabout, this nation comprises the western
two-thirds of the island continent of Australia. Its borders cover what was
formerly known as the territories of Western Australia, South Australia, and
the Northern Territory. There are no longer any internal borders here, as the
peaceful Aboriginal tribes do not require them. The state is relatively peaceful
and fields only a scanty army. The meager government is comprised solely of
a handful of justice issuing elders who are, for the most part, more concerned
with Dreaming than with crimes. Magical practices are predominantly shamanistic
and modern technology is noticeably absent. However, for its occupants, Walkabout
is a wonderful place to live.
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>>>>>[True
to point, the technocrats make the place look like the most ass backwards
place in the world.]<<<<< >>>>>[But
isn't it?]<<<<< >>>>>[Typical
techno-centric response. Regardless... The natives, who rarely emerge
from the bush, shy away from technology. Us "technocrats" can't get close
enough to them to find out if its fear or simple dislike or what. But
don't rule technology out completely. The cities of Perth and Darwin are
worth a visit. They're no Tokyo- Chiba, but if you're heading down to
Walkabout and you need a break from the bush, check into one of those
two.]<<<<< >>>>>[Rumor
has it that the "scanty army" is in action. What's the scoop on that?]<<<<<
>>>>>[Not
much, border skirmishes with the Fed-Aussies and an occasional flicker
of sparks between the Walkabouts and the land pirates.]<<<<<
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| Government Type: | Tribal Council |
| Capital: | none |
| Regional Telecom Grid Access: | (PA/AAC) |
| Population: | 3,456,000
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| Per Capita Income: | 9,550¥ |
| Below Poverty Level: | 1% |
| On Fortune's Active Trader List: | <1% |
| Megacorporate Affiliation: | 0% |
| Felonious Crime Rate: | 4 per 1,000 annum |
| Education: |
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>>>>>[
? ? ? ? ? ? ]<<<<< >>>>>[I
know what you're thinking... "None of this drek makes sense." Well, it
doesn't until you've been to Walkabout. For starters, the population.
It's low. No big deal. Australia's never been much of a hub of activity.
The Aborigines make up the bulk of that three and a half million, too.
There are only a handful of white folk left in Walkabout, and they're
concentrated in Darwin, Perth, and Alice Springs (in that order). The
Tribal Council has been sure to make life tough for them, too. As for
the meta-types...that defies explanation. Dwarves and orks were the predominant
expressions and are embraced by the society. The trolls, though slightly
outcast, are not persecuted and have formed their own bonds. The elves,
on the other hand are highly persecuted and are considered the
work of the Evil Spirit. Also note the strangely high number of "other"
meta-types...like I said, it defies explanation. Scrolling down we find
the income statistics. How do they smell? Fishy? Well, I got you there.
The Aborigines have no use for nuyen. They just don't. They consider their
poverty line in terms of a persons worth and, since only one percent of
them are good-for-nothings, only one percent of them are below the poverty
line. As for the corporate affiliation...well, they have no major assets
there, they choose not to market there, and the Tribal Council has, in
the past, made it very unprofitable for them to be there. As for education...it's
all in how they think.]<<<<< |
Federal Australian Republic
This is what became of the "old" Australia. The eastern
third of the continent is where the FAR can be found. Its population mostly
consists of your typical white "Aussie," and its culture is quite unique,
difficult to describe, and a striking contrast to its continental neighbors.
It maintains a modest military and keeps its ties with the rest of the
world as cordial as possible.
| Government Type: | Representative Democracy |
| Capital: | Canberra |
| Regional Telecom Grid Access: | (PA/FAR) |
| Population: | 14,876,000
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| Per Capita Income: | 14,820¥ |
| Below Poverty Level: | 14% |
| On Fortune's Active Trader List: | 2% |
| Megacorporate Affiliation: | 6% |
| Felonious Crime Rate: | 16 per 1,000 annum |
| Education: |
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>>>>>[Sounds
pretty grim.]<<<<< >>>>>[Trust
me. It is. Especially in the bigger cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
Crime is high. Pop culture is all about drugs and BTLs. Racism flourishes.
Yeah, it's grim alright. With a capital G.]<<<<< >>>>>[I
heard Australia's the place to be for merc ops. What's the chip truth
on that?]<<<<< >>>>>[You
heard mostly right. Mercenary activity is very high in the FAR right now.
Shadowruns are going down all over the place in the bigger cities while
the corps jockey for position in this ripening fruit of a continent. Meanwhile
die- hard/hard-corps mercenary mercenaries are finding work in
the interior. Bandits and pirates and the like are known to distrub the
trains and caravans that move through the savannahs and the steppes. Those
supply lines are fragile and merc help is greatly appreciated by the FAR
government. In addition to that, they could always use a few hands trying
to bust the borders of Walkabout and snatch the sucker back.]<<<<<
>>>>>[How
dare you advocate merc jobs of that kind? Let the Aussies and the Walkabouts
fight it out themselves. A good merc knows better than to get into that
kind of situation.]<<<<< >>>>>[Ethics
are details... Real mercs only pay attention to the important details.
Ethics are not one of them.]<<<<< |
Imperial New Zealand
Occupying South Island and the many smaller islands
around it, Imperial New Zealand created itself, almost spontaneously around
the time of the Awakening. No one is exactly sure how the revolution came
about, but in a lightning fast war, the two islands of New Zealand split,
and Imperial New Zealand arose on South Island. The most formidable force
in the Australian region, Imperial New Zealand is the only nation in the
region the megacorps pay a whole lot of attention to.
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>>>>>[Besides
the others, which just get jotted down as pieces of meat, due for carving
up.]<<<<< |
| Government Type: | Monarchy |
| Capital: | Christchurch |
| Regional Telecom Grid Access: | (PA/INZ) |
| Population: | 9,568,000
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| Per Capita Income: | 32,680¥ |
| Below Poverty Level: | 7% |
| On Fortune's Active Trader List: | 2% |
| Megacorporate Affiliation: | 8% |
| Felonious Crime Rate: | 3 per 1,000 annum |
| Education: |
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>>>>>[Don't
be fooled by the figures, boys and girls. There is a certain segment of
the population which, although incorporated into their population figure,
is disregarded for most of their statistics. It's a ploy to make them
look good in the eyes of the world. Example: their shadow community and
their SINless are dismissed to give them that ever so keen looking 88%,
66%, & 12%. Don't let them pull the wool over your eyes.]<<<<<
>>>>>["No
one is exactly sure how the revolution came about"? That's a big
drek pile if I ever heard one. This is INZ's deal: Prior to the
Awakening, the INZ was for all intents and purposes ... well ... rural.
Post-Awakening though is another story. Maori tribesman began to
find their rituals a bit more "capable" and before too long a powerful
Maori elder motivated his people into something resembling the Great Ghost
Dance of North America. By 2031 they had established their presence
on the island through displays of powerful magic. After that they
managed to turn over a few industrialization projects into lucrative enterprises
and asserted themselves as a power in the area. They began to pose
a threat to RNZ by 2039, which is when they began to make advances toward
it, the Maori in control looking to reclaim control of both islands.]<<<<<
>>>>>[Why
didn't the RNZ keep control of South Island when they could? You
know, launch some kind of military strike before the INZ could mobilize
its industrial interests?]<<<<< >>>>>[Because
for whatever reason North Island "Awakened" a bit slower than South Island.
I would wager it had something to do with North Island's industrialization
prior to the Awakening. Whatever the reason, the RNZ had no means
of combatting the Maori magic and by the time the INZ was starting to
mobilize itself industrially, the RNZ was still in the midst of its recovery
after the '29 Crash. So, while the RNZ may have launched a strike
against its southern neighbor it was incapable of doing so since its computer/telecommunications
assets were still not completely restored (and wouldn't be until February
2033).]<<<<< >>>>>[Why
"INZ"? Why an monarchy rather than a tribal council like Walkabout?]<<<<<
>>>>>[Because
the Maori were not exactly in search of peaceful living and a return to
"Dreamtime" like the continentals. The Maori wanted to reclaim their
lands and force the settlers out. It would appear that there was
quite a bit of bitterness sitting under their surface and the Awakening
empowered them to do something about it.]<<<<< |
Republic of New Zealand
Occupying North Island, the Republic of New Zealand
is a fragile democracy struggling for political survival. Despite its relatively
high population, level of education, and per capita income, the RNZ is
constantly under attack by its southern neighbor, Imperial New Zealand.
Its military is in a state of disintegration. They can not seem to replace
their forces as fast as the INZ troops shoot them down.
| Government Type: | Representative Democracy |
| Capital: | Auckland |
| Regional Telecom Grid Access: | (PA/RNZ) |
| Population: | 13,849,000
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| Per Capita Income: | 22,000¥ |
| Below Poverty Level: | 16% |
| On Fortune's Active Trader List: | 2% |
| Megacorporate Affiliation: | 14% |
| Felonious Crime Rate: | 8 per 1,000 annum |
| Education: |
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>>>>>[Mercs
and riggers are wanted in the RNZ pretty bad. INZ attacks are pretty
frequent (about once or twice a week). The attacks, which are usually
hit-and-fade and almost always from the south, have put a severe dent
in the RNZ's ability to fight back. They're offering reasonably juicy
contracts for pretty much all mercs. They do show preference for those
with aerial and maritime experience though, as ground skirmishes are
pretty rare. Riggers are in particular demand. Rigger buddy of mine,
Gearface, he invested in three Dolphin II's before he sailed for the
RNZ. Nice little ships as they are, he took about four months and stripped
them, turning them into these nice little gunship/droneships. Each boat
carries two Wandjina RPVs and is fully rigged for remote control. When
he first got down there, he had to slave all three boats to his remote
control deck and pilot them that way, hiring three lackeys (one for
each boat) to man the drones. Of course, his status has improved and
he's up to four ships. He's got a skipper, two techs, and at least one
gunman aboard each boat and he just kicks it with his rigger deck aboard
one of them, dealing with the drones. Nice, fat savings account, too.]<<<<<
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>>>>>[Touristy
babble erased from here.]<<<<< |
| Government Type: | Constitutional Oligarchy |
| Capital: | Hobart |
| Regional Telecom Grid Access: | (PA/TAS) |
| Population: | 981,000
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| Per Capita Income: | 16,700¥ |
| Below Poverty Level: | 2% |
| On Fortune's Active Trader List: | 0% |
| Megacorporate Affiliation: | 0% |
| Felonious Crime Rate: | 12 per 1,000 annum |
| Education: |
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>>>>>[Any
comments? Anyone?]<<<<< >>>>>[Yeah,
I've got one. I'm a runner from Sydney. Like they said earlier in this
file, Sydney's a dump. A bloody hell-hole. Real bad. Anyway, the heat
was on for me and mates after this particular run of ours. We made a 'trix
chop on some corp's mainframe, skittered off with some vital data, and
nabbed our pay from our Johnson. Nonetheless it was getting right thick
for us on the streets of Sydney. People busting caps at us from every
direction. So we skee-daddled to Tasmania figuring to get away from it
all for a spell. No such luck. The Tasmanians are these bloody devils
with guns, no education, and a love for shooting everything. I don't know
what's going on down there, but its bloody crazy.]<<<<<
>>>>>[I'll
tell you what's going on -- it's actually pretty simple. Around the time
of Australia's mainland split, while what would become the FAR was battling
what would become Walkabout, what few big multinational corporations were
in Australia got nervous. Believe it or not the fighting that was going
on was quite vicious. Anyway, since it was getting royally ignored
by the government (whose hands were full with "the Dreamtime War") the
Tasmanians decided to secede. Of course, they did so in quite an unprepared
manner and what was left in their country was complete disarray. A select
few have been struggling to put Tasmania back on track, but with no success.]<<<<<
>>>>>[Then
who is in control? What's this "Constitutional Oligarchy" thing?"]<<<<<
>>>>>[During
the first few confusing years of Tasmania's contemporary history, several
(we'll call them) controlling interests emerged. They primarily manifested
themselves as warlords, powerful shamans, etc. Each controlled perceptively
small parcels of land. As the first decade and a half passed, the more
powerful of the lords emerged and wrote what is today's Tasmanian constitution.
The constitution divides the island nation up into six districts. The
island as a whole is governed by whoever emerges as the leader of each
of the individual districts.]<<<<< >>>>>[Sounds
chaotic.]<<<<< >>>>>[Trust
me, it is.]<<<<< |
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