Chang-Er
Chang-Er is the primary world, and indeed the only permanently settled world of the Chang-Er System, barring the military garrison on its moon. It is a relatively prosperous, though somewhat backwards agricultural world that has come to importance primarily because of its prime location at the nexus of three jump gates between the State of Pariah and the Democratic Republic of Yuanjing. Aside from location, the planet is also known as a major exporter of Supermaize, thanks in large parts due to the native corporation, Hengsha Corn, which has taken over much of the planet in recent years. Chang-Er has been in a frequent state of civil war over much of the last century between the insurgent Chang People's Liberation Front (CPLF) and the incumbent government.
Ecology
Chang-Er is officially classified as a Garden world, with conditions nearly ideal for human life, as well as most Earthborne life. It has a Nitrogen-Oxygen atmosphere with an extensive hydrosphere covering the majority of the planet’s surface, and a well balanced local biosphere with a mixture of adapted native lifeforms and adapted Earth lifeforms. The average temperature of Chang-Er is a comparatively hot 22 degrees celsius, and areas near the equator are often too hot for unprotected humans during the day. Otherwise however, Chang-Er is, in theory, a nearly ideal place to live. In practice, the vast majority of Chang-Er’s surface area has been taken over by major agribusinesses, primarily Henghsa Corn, with much of the land area of the planet taken over by vast fields of Supermaize, rice, and other important staple crops, as well as ranches for cattle, sheep, and Mogwainiu. In many of the less developed areas however, one can still see the natural beauty of Chang-Er’s diverse cloudforests, oceans, and prairies.Major Settlements
Chang-Er has a relatively small, and highly dispersed population. However, it still maintains a few major population centers that could reasonably be called cities. These tend to be clustered around the various spaceports that have been built by manufacturers here, and aside from the few oldest settlements tend to effectively be company towns owned by the corporation that built the local industry. The largest settlements on Chang-Er are the following:Louyang
Luoyang is the oldest and largest settlement in the Chang-Er system, established during the First Expansion, it has slowly outgrown its origins and become a respectable city. Since the start of the Civil War, Luoyang has been the seat of power for the incumbent government and has largely remained in government hands. However, insurgent forces have been operating in the area for several years now, and the government has started to lose its grasp on this once important stronghold. Luoyang is home to the Dai Chun Long Nuclear Power station, the largest single source of electrical generation on the planet as well as the Luoyang Starport.Xin Xiamen
A newer city, Xin Xiamen originally served as an interstellar grain elevator before slowly expanding its industrial capacity, resulting in a population boom. The city was effectively a Hengsha Corn company town for several centuries. However, several years into the ongoing civil war, the city was seized by the government in order to secure its spaceport and prevent the possibility of illicit weapons transfers. Xin Xiamen is host to the Xin Xiamen Spaceport, which is the largest interstellar port facility aside from the capital’s starport, and likely its largest cargo port by volume.Hengsha
The third largest city in the system, Hengsha is host to the heavily fortified interstellar headquarters of Hengsha Corn, as well as being the central manufacturing up of the enormous nuclear combine harvesters that maintain the high output of supermaize in the system. In order to ensure that the manufacturing centers continue to operate at peak capacity, Hengsha Corn maintains a tight grip on this city, making heavy use of out of system mercenaries to prevent CPLF attack, and more covertly, to discourage government seizure of the city.Zhennan
A smaller city built around a large central rail hub, Zhennan is a logistical center that is key to maintaining control over the small continent of Chencun. It is tightly under government control for the moment, though the increasing pressure in other theaters has seen the city’s garrison relocated to other parts of the planet in the fight against the CPLF.Luzhou
A small city located far from Louyang, Luzhou is an abandoned company town that has since been repurposed as a major CPLF stronghold. Infrastructure of Luzhou was badly dilapidated after its abandonment during the Long Night, and as a result, the CPLF has had the responsibility of rebuilding it. Luzhou is home primarily to a small spaceport which serves as the primary means by which the CPLF receives support from the outside.Economics
Infrastructure
Chang-Er is a comparatively underdeveloped world for Civilized Space, lacking any of the hallmarks of a proper interstellar civilization. Its Starport consists of a token highport, and a larger downport, of a generally atomic age technology level. Other spaceports lack a highport completely, and have infrastructure that is even more rudimentary. Surface transit on the planet relies primarily on railroads that have been partially electrified, and surface ships. Aircraft are a comparatively rare sight owing more to strict controls put in place by the government moreso than a technical restriction. Ownership of personal vehicles is also quite low, and those seeking personal transport will often ride horses or Mogwainiu rather than owning a car, especially in rural areas.Industry
Changer-Er is an agriworld first and foremost, with most of its economic output being centered around the cultivation of crops, though with major secondary sectors in agricultural manufacturing, ranching, and food production. Chang-Er’s most famous exports are its vast quantity of supermaize, of which it is possibly the largest producer in the Pariah Sector and the Yuanzi series of nuclear powered harvesters, which have been exported to a vast array of semiferal worlds. It also produces large quantities of foodstuffs for export. It does have a limited mining sector, though this is largely a means of meeting some of the needs of Chang-Er’s industries rather than for export.Trade
Chang-Er, due to its status as the only major free planet between the Stelsoc powers of the Hawker Nebula, and the State of Pariah has become a major area for international trading. Though the majority of these trade passes between foreigners without reaching the local populace. However, some imports do make it into the hands of Chang civilians, and especially the powerful corporate and military interests on the planet. Chang-Er is technically a net exporter, though many citizens suffer from acute poverty unseen on almost any other garden world.Government
The official government of Chang-Er is run by an Impersonal Bureaucracy under the rule of a Quasi-Solist single party state. This government is in control of most of the major population centers, several key infrastructure sites, and most of the world’s starports. However, they struggle to maintain this level of reach in the ongoing civil war, and have lost much of the countryside, and even some urban neighborhoods to the CPLF or to the growing influence of the corporations. Opposed to the central government is the CPLF, a Stelsoc rebel group organized around Yuan Stelsoc Principles. The CPLF initially struggled to gain a foothold during the Civil War, but due to the support of outside powers, has managed to take significant ground in the struggle, to the point that the Central government has itself called in support from the State of Pariah, possibly leading to its annexation. Corporate forces too have struggled to contend with the growing strength of the CPLF and may soon side with the government which they deem to be the lesser of two evils.Law Level
In areas controlled by the central government, there is a state of martial law roughly equivalent to UIS code A.Outsiders are not allowed to leave the starport, or legally sanctioned spaceports, nor are citizens allowed to leave the planet. There is total control over the flow of information, a mandatory curfew, and all weapons and armor are banned. In practice however, enforcement is wildly inconsistent as law enforcement largely falls on the shoulders of militia members who are often too preoccupied with fighting against the CPLF to strictly enforce the more stringent elements of Martial Law. In CPLF territory, laws are still strict (equivalent to UIS code 7), but are likewise poorly enforced.Security and Defense
Chang-Er is a heavily militarized world, however, as these armed forces spend most of their time fighting each other, to say it is well secured is inaccurate. The Starport, and government owned spaceports are some of the most well defended areas of the planet with modest nuclear missile batteries, as well as being host to the imported fighter squadrons that make up the system defense fleet. On the ground the planet is defended by the Chang Planetary Guard, which also provides security. The CPG maintains the system defense force, as well as a professional wet navy, an air guard, and a professional army. The majority of the CPG’s numbers however, serve in the Militia, a more lightly armed force that also takes over law enforcement duties on much of the planet. The CPG is a relatively lightly armed, mid-tech, force, relying on air mobility to make up for its lack of heavy equipment. In recent years, the Chang government has begun to import weapons, armor, and vehicles from the outside, primarily the State of Pariah to bolster its capabilities. Aside from the government forces, the CPLF represents the second largest force on the planet. The CPLF’s military wing is a diverse force, with large numbers of irregular forces bolstered by a sizable number of ex-militia, and a small core of veteran fighters. The CPLF has gotten increasing support from the Democratic Republic of Yuanjing recently, and has received shipments of high tech weaponry and advanced equipment in small numbers, however equipment remains wildly inconsistent, with only the veteran core of the organization receiving more advanced equipment reliably, and other fighters making do with captured government stocks, supplies from defectors, or handmade weapons. The CPLF also lacks a lot of vehicular support, relying primarily on animal transport, especially Mogwainiu in rural areas, and whatever civilian vehicles they can get their hands on in more developed regions. Aside from the factions directly warring with each other, Hengsha Corn and other corporations have hired Stent Security to serve as protection for their key assets. The mercenaries don’t usually interfere directly with the conflict, but will not tolerate any threat against the company assets they’re charged with protecting. Stent squads on Chang-Er tend to be fairly heavily equipped, beyond the average capabilities of a CPLF or Government unit, and have plentiful, though usually unarmed, or lightly armed, vehicular support.Demographics
According to the most recent census information, Chang-Er has a population of 13,501,387, though the ongoing civil conflict makes the reliability of these numbers suspect. This population is the only one of note in the Chang-Er system. Chang-Er’s population consists primarily of Neo-humans, though substantial populations of Star People also live on planet. The population of Chang-Er is fairly dispersed with only five settlements worthy of being called cities, and few other major population centers, the vast majority of people living on the industrial farms and ranches of the planet, or as guerilla fighters far away from civilization.
Chang-Er Map by Travellerworlds
Population
13,510,102
Related Ethnicities
Inhabitant Demonym
Chang/Changer/Changers
Location under
Related Traditions
Characters in Location
CPLF Guerillas moving through a ruined town by Nightcafe
Atom Tractor in Chang Supermaize field by Nightcafe
Comments