Pioneer
The site of the Federation's most famous victory, the high arctic city of Pioneer is one of the oldest in the Federation and exudes a charm found in few other Terranovan city-states. Founded in TN 792, the exact reason for the city's existence is unknown, but by the tenth centuryits economy was much as it is today: winter sports and tourism. When Earth withdrew, the weather and economy proved a greater threat to Pioneer than the forces of other city-states, and the local population shrank from 400,000 to less than thirty thousands in under five cycles as people fled south to warmer climes. Those who remained eked out a living in the lumber industry and in the city's unusual brand of agriculture, hydroponics greenhouses.
The city incorporated into the nascent UMF in TN 1571, voluntarily seeking membership in the wake of the Federation's initial eastern expansion into the Tershaw Cooperative ALliance. Tied into the Northern economy, the city's population soared, though all that was threatened by the WFP-NLC invasion of TN 1669. The battle that ensued took place in the rough terrain some 60 km northwest of Pioneer and became a turning point in Terranovan military technology, being the first to involve mainly military walkers - actually, converted Hardhat models - and directly leading to the development of the Heavy Gear.
Nestling on the western end of the Whitetop Range and in the Pioneer Valley, the popular image of the city i s of a living antique, but in practice most of the city is as modern as any in the Federation. Only the old town with its chalets and narrow cobbled streets winding up the slopes of Mount Seraphi matches the popular image of the city. The city remains the top Luxury holiday destination, popular for staging numerous cold-weather sports like skiing, sledding and snowballing while several companies organize walking and camping tours in the hills and plains that surround the city.
The city also serves as the hub of the Federation's "performance enhancement" industry. To get the most from their staff and customers many corporations arrange product or performance-related promotions, ranging from 'collect X points for a free Joe-Gear T-shirt' to encourage purchase of a particular brand of cereal, to all-expenses-paid holidays for a company's best salespeople. Dominated by GalitzCo, such work is a multi-million mark industry, adding to the already popular (but expensive) tourist trade.
The cost of living in Pioneer is the highest in the UMF, if not on the entire planet; most goods must be imported and food i s grown in special hydroponics domes. These spectacular but vulnerable structures Line the southern slopes of the town to maximize the sunlight they receive. Tours of the domes are a major part of the "Pioneer experience" and with manv rare species grown for export, provide a major contribution to the local economy.
Demographics
Hard Living
Pioneer's economy is dominated by small companies, often family run, a noticeable divergence from the national trend. In many regards this adds to the antique feel of Pioneer: each hotel, restaurant and so forth has its own distinct atmosphere, rather than being punched from a corporate mold. In the last dozen cycles, however, many of the city's younger residents have attempted to break out of Pioneel's restricted prospects, heading south to Rapid City or beyond in search of employment. In some regards this is offset by the influx of seasonal workers from other cities, particularly students taking a sabbatical to work as waiters or chalet maids in exchange for the opportunity to visit the snowy city, but it has put the long term prospects of several family-run companies in doubt.
The dominance of small business has led to the development of strong city-state owned educational and medical institutions, paid for by annual fees levied on the users and, in the case of the medical facilities, subsidized by compulsory citystate brokered health insurance for all visitors.
A sizable military force is stationed in Pioneer, though these units see little combat and most often serve as an adjunct to the civilian emergency services, rescuing injured holiday-goers from their own foolishness, resulting a close bond between the units and the people of the city. Permanently based in Pioneer, many members of the unit marry into local families and the become part of the local community when they retire. As a result the city has the second largest concentration of veterans after Baton Rouge. Furthermore, the UMFA has chosen to utilize Pioneer's isolation for its own purposes and is currently constructing a launch facility for military satellites some forty kilometers east of the city. Construction began in TN 1928 and is expected to be complete in TN 1937.
Space-based assets theoretically fell under the aegis of the Joint Terranovan Space Initiative after the War of the Alliance, but many powers - including the UMF - were reluctant to release all their facilities to an international organization. Since the collapse of the JTSI, the Northern Guard Space Service has taken over in the CNCS, but Solomon Davi is just as reluctant to let his neighbors in on the Pioneer project.
Government
Industry & Trade
- Tourism
- Hydroponics
Maps
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Pioneer
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