Bunker Primus
Bunker Primus is the capital and sole major settlement of the Manifold Conservation Society. A unique civil engineering wonder, Bunker Primus is the only city in the Manifold which fully penetrates the face of a cube (extending from Medial E5 to Medial D5) beyond the cliff-walls of the commissure between these faces.
Demographics
In general, because the majority of the population of the Manifold Conservation Society resides within Bunker Primus, any statements about the demographics of that nation also apply to the demographics of Bunker Primus.
As the capital of the multi-cultural Manifold Conservation Society, residents of Bunker Primus are relatively diverse. The defining factor that separates a citizen from a non-citizen visitor is birthright or, in the case of immigrants, an oath and contractual committment to serve the needs of the nation and uphold its values (i.e. preserve the cultures and species of the Manifold). Because space within Bunker Primus is limited, quotas are set for the number of people from each race (Human, Verdial, Rostran, and Ovinex) which may be inducted into the Conservatorship each year, with the proportion of each based on the relative proportion of each within the Manifold as a whole. The nominal purpose of the policy of immigration quotas is to prevent a loss of diversity within the resident population (i.e. loss of cultural and biological distinctions through inter-breeding), as this would run counter to the national goal of the MCS to preserve, among other things, the distinct cultural heritages of the Manifold.
These immigration quotas are frequently the subject of hot debate among residents, as some view the quotas as unfairly biased and unneccessarily constraining of (ostensibly) voluntary citizens. In contrast, others argue that such quotas should be further suplemented with the expulsion of insufficiently 'pure' specimens from each race from Bunker Primus to further reduce the loss of diversity inherent in close communal living. As a related matter, some members of the Administrative Council have differing opinions about the permissibility of inter-racial marriages among citizens, with such unions being more likely to be accepted among the academic elite who run the society than among 'conserved' populations in the conservation districts. The debate is further muddled by the perennial question of what, if anything should be done about the small, yet growing, population of the Groundling underclass.
In short, questions of how class and ethnic identity relate to national identity constitute the most volatile political faultline within Bunker Primus society, dividing the population into 'Pro-Meld' and 'Pro-Variety' parties. Other outposts of the Manifold Conservation Society do not deal with such questions nearly as often and, usually, are more reflective of a local population in terms of demographics. Emigration (or, as some would say, 'escape') has thus far provided a relief mechanism which has prevented Bunker Primus from falling into civil unrest over the matter. Even so, incidents like the infamous Charred Chard Murders highlight the racial tensions which boil beneath Bunker Primus' progressive veneer.
Government
Bunker Primus houses the Administrative Council and the High Administrator in fortified administrative facilities below the Medial E surface.
Defences
by Mael Balland
When their strong diplomatic ties and extensive surveillance apparatus fails to prevent a militiary threat, Bunker Primus can deploy legions of infantry and deseltech auto-armor units to counter opponents, though these lack the logistics to venture afield. Concentric walls made of excavated stone and capped with gunnery stations resist ground-based invasion, while anti-air cannons and missile platforms dissuade airborne threats.
Infrastructure
Bunker Primus is a many-layered megastructure, with the bulk of its habitable volume located beneath the roughly two mile thick crust which separates Medial E5 and Medial F5; the bunker system extends all the way through these layers in places, especially in the dense city core located around the E5/F5 commissure.
Each layer of Bunker Primus is subdivided into districts which serve a pre-determined purpose. In order from Medial E5 to Medial F5, the layers of Bunker Primus are:
Power, sewer, water, air, communication, and transportation systems found within Bunker Primus are unique for their complexity, breadth, and the deliberate design ethos behind them, though this complexity comes at the cost of constant maintenance by a specialized social class of megastructure civil engineers. As many new residents are not used to navigating without natural 'sun' and 'moon' light, search and rescue operations are frequently launched to recover people lost in the city's laybrinthine corridors.
- E5 Surface: Original MCS research facility and Navigator's Guild resupply outpost. Surface farms, airports with free commerce zones, trade hubs, embassies, and surface fortifications. Heat radiator spires for Sterling cycle generators in the micro-gravity districts. Large RadNet repeaters and reconnaisance structures.
- E5 Bombardment Shield
- E5 Upper Industrial Centers: In addition to serving as additional armor and anti-blast baffling for the layers below, extensive bunkers provide space for industrial processes and auxiliary power generation.
- E5 Habitation Modules: An excavated region comprised of a three-tiered honeycomb of empty rhombic dodecahedrons excavated from the surrounding rock, with each cell measuring a quarter mile high. As Conservatees are added, the cells of the honeycomb are filled with structures, resources, and transplanted wildlife to support the specific biological and social needs of the new residents. Population density (and therefore construction) varies from sparse rural living to hyper-dense metropolis living. Dividers can be knocked out to support large acquatic species (i.e. cetaceans). Unused honeycombs are used as transport hubs and storage areas. A few 'habitation' modules are instead used as vertical farming facilities to provide surplus food. Fortified administrative complex near the commissure.
- Micro-Gravity Districts: Specialized micro-gravity industrial facilities. Mounts and direct transport facilities for the E5/D5 Skystation. Building-sized centrifuges on this layer - known as 'gravity baths' - contain light commercial facilities and allow citizens and tourists to live on this layer without fear of the dangers of micro-gravity (i.e. bone loss). Extensive black market in the gaps between infrastructure where Groundlings live and work. Roots of the thermal transfer columns that provide power and cooling for Bunker Primus as a whole. Sterling cycle power generation facilities further from the commissure.
- D5 Habitation Modules: As E5 Habitation Modules
- D5 Upper Industrial Centers: As E5 Upper Industrial Centers:
- D5 Bombardment Shield: As E5 Bombardment Shield
- D5 Surface: As E5 Surface, but without the historical structures and with increased military fortifications due to the layer's presence in the Medial D theatre of the War of Reunification.
Architecture
While architecture within the Habitation Modules is representative of the peoples who live within it, the official architecture of Bunker Primus is brutalist and stark to evince an inhuman neutrality.
Natural Resources
Because it is adjacent to the Dorsal Tesseract and within Medial Tesseract, Medial E is almost entirely taken up by grassy fields and rolling hills. This terrain would make it ideal for surface farming save for the Dorsal Tesseract's famously nutrient-poor soil, requiring careful suplementation to be useful in this capacity. In contrast, Medial D is adjacent to the Caudal Tesseract, meaning that, while its soil is of a better quality, the terrain is more rugged and the weather is noticeably cooler. Because of these facts, much of the Manifold Conservation Society's grain comes from Bunker Primus' E5 facilities, while its lumber and orchard products (particularly apples) come from the city's D5 facilities. Still, the vast bulk of Bunker Primus' feedstock, derogatively known as 'basement grain' in trade markets, is grown in vertical farms in the Habitation Modules near the cube edges and vertices.
MCS Flag by BCGR_Wurth
Founding Date
9920
Population
800,000
Inhabitant Demonym
Residents
Location under
Included Locations
Owner/Ruler
Owning Organization
Characters in Location
Comments