AW: Neue Planeten
Calypso – Eye of the Storm
With more than 99% of the surface covered with water, Calypso was never meant to be extensively settled. While underwater arcologies might be feasible, there are enough planets colonized much more easily. The exploitation of the planet was complicated by volatile weather patterns, ravaging the whole planet with hurricanes, monsoon-like rain and floods. Calypso supplied nearby planets with water for some time, but finally was left alone.
That changed when STORM&LIGHTNING, a SLA Industries subsidiary specializing in weather control, decided to use Calypso as test area for its new developments. Finally, they shielded a small island group from the ravaging weather and established an industrially useless, but intrinsically beautiful haven.
Today this haven is known as the Pearl Harbor Resort, a luxury recreational park for the rich and famous.
Pearl Harbor
The Resort was built when STORM&LIGHTNING realized that its employees regarded duty on Calypso as vacation, at least as long as they worked in the shielded research facilities. In a SLA-sponsored redevelopment project, the research facilities, staff quarters and all necessary infrastructure where relocated to the outskirts of the area or underground/underwater. In its place, luxury hotels, shopping malls and recreational establishments were built all over the islands.
The weather is warm and sunny, but due to the weather control plants, it is still constantly raining. But instead of the dirty, cold and grey rain known from mort, it’s more like warm falling mist under a sunny sky.
There are about 50.000 inhabitants on Calypso, of which about 35.000 take care of the up to half a million visitors coming from all over the World of Progress. The rest consists of STORM&LIGHTNING staff, planetary administration and their families, albeit even many children work for the tourist industry in one way or the other. Pearl Harbor features its own local security force, the Guardia. There are no residential operatives, but there might be some upper class Slops on vacation around.
Sectors
Central Prime
Central Prime is the shining crown of the resort, with the most luxurious hotels, most lavish parks and the most expensive shops, not to mention the most exclusive clubs. The area is completely warded and has only few entrances. The whole area is considered to have SCL 8, but of cause, there are hundreds of exemptions for employees and guests alike. Nonetheless, only the cream of the World of Progress is allowed to enter.
Central Downtown
Outside Prime’s walls lies Downtown, which is just the same, albeit a little less exclusive. Shops, clubs and hotels for the non-VIPs invite anybody who can afford the stay to visit Pearl Harbor. The administration of Calypso is located here as well as the gross of the Guardia.
Central Suburbia
The higher-ups of S&L and the wealthier employees of the resort have their apartments in Downtown. Small Pubs and markets for the locals are often frequented by visitors to get in touch with the natives. As illusory that may be on a planet that has been settled mere centuries ago with immigrants from all over the World of Progress.
The grey market tourism industry has carved out its niche here, creating various red light and vice districts that are not high-class enough to become official.
Outlands North
The Guardia HQ and the planetary prison can be found here. While there are Guardia Stations all over the sheltered zone, the Guardia HQ houses a SWAT unit on par with low-SCL Operatives and the planet’s two prisons, called Hotel and Station. Hotel is a luxury prison for higher-ups that can not buy their way out of the charges brought against them, while Station is the prison reserved for local criminals, which are usually shipped off-planet at the next opportunity.
Outlands South
STORM&LIGHTNING relocated its research and development facilities to the southern outskirts of the sheltered zone. Production and administration remain off-planet, but S&L keeps a presence here motivating its most valuable staff with the luxuries of the resort – and the constant threat of the ravaging weather if the Perimeter fails to work.
Outlands West
On the far-off side of the Perimeter, where the weather starts to show its violent nature from time to time, the lesser employees of the resort find their housing. The area resembles Mort with its cramped buildings and maddening levels of connections, and while still not as dirty, the rain and storm often become unpleasant around here.
Perimeter
The Perimeter is the wall of fusion plants vaporizing sea water to create a wall of warm ascending air and its control stations lying to the east of Pearl Harbor. The Perimeter itself is hit by the violent storms native to Calypso and thus considered outside the sheltered zone.
The Wyld
Beyond the Perimeter lies the Wyld, the area of Calypso’s untamed nature. Officially, these areas are uninhabited, but S&L has a number of research and monitoring stations out there. Rumors of secret military installations, secret factories and pirate hide-outs abound, carefully nurtured by S&L for their attraction to visitors. In truth, these rumors are completely false, of cause.