Subject: *Shall Not Perish* - RICE Paper: Glisten
Herewith the first of the RICE Papers (excluding the introductory
Paper). There is at least one Lettered RICE Paper coming that is
associated with this one. For reference, use the TML Message
Number as the RICE Paper number.
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RICE Paper: Glisten
Glisten (Glisten:Spinward Marches/2036)
A000986-F A Hi Na In As Cp 103As K9V (ICoC 1117)
g=1.0000 day=24:00:00.0; year=6094d 15:51:33.12/6094d 15:51:33.12
atmo=1.0, controlled weather
temp=+23 (0/lat +23 to +23) (season 0 to 0, 90 deg lat)
daily temp range 0
Ore, Rad, Crys; Met, NonMet; Parts, Dur, Cons; Rec, S/W, Doc
Cons/Ind; UnAg/Neut; Har/Friend
Legal 6-B7784, Tech FE-FEFEH-EEEG-FE-H
Notes: Glisten uses Imperial Standard time measurements by fiat.
Local year is used for ephemeris calculations only.
Local temperature does vary to minor extent, but not by
intent, and not to significant degree.
"Belters" are an independent bunch, and the fact that they may control
the government of an entire system does not change this fundamental
psychological attitude. Glisten is a fine example of this. Nominally,
the government is run by a civil service bureaucracy, but in practice,
a citizen of Glisten will avoid, ignore, or evade the bureaucracy
whenever he can get away with it. Bribery, called by various names, is
not only not unusual, but in many areas it is an expected part of doing
business. I saw virtually no sign of bureaucracy during my visit, and
would have chosen to call this government a "tempered functional
anarchy" rather than a civil service bureaucracy.
The anarchy begins at the starports, where the order of unloading and
CHI (Customs/Health/Immigration) processing is theoretically governed
by a list based on your class of ship and time of arrival at the port.
In reality, the list is reprinted within an hour of any ship's arrival,
based on how much "pull" a ship's captain (or shipowner's agent) has
exerted on Arrival Control. It's not hard to find out the realities
versus the theoretical restrictions; a few minutes after passing a
cursory CHI inspection, I chatted with a group of stevedores and Customs
agents and found out that certain ships and shipping lines were given
preferential treatment because they gave "preferential considerations"
far above those offered by their competitors. I was fortunate enough
to come in on one of these lines, but I was asked not to say which one,
as it could cause repercussions. Once in Glisten (the idiom is "in
Glisten" rather that "on Glisten" because virtually no construction is
done on the exterior of the asteroids), however, the preferences are
virtually public knowledge. The same attitude extends to
transportation. Glisten has an unusual approach to transportation -
private vehicles are for all intents and purposes non-existent, but the
government operates no transportation facilities (other than
maintaining the starports). Instead, the government licenses private
companies to operate "public" transportation. Once the license is
issued (with the process simplified by liberal amounts of
"consultation"), the licensee pretty much determines what rates will be
charged and what routes will be operated. I was greeted by a virtual
free-for-all at the transportation center; each company hires people to
"steer" passengers their way, and attempts to peel a customer from a
competitor's "redcap" are not unusual - and apparently, neither are the
resulting fistfights. Glisten does maintain a police force, but their
function seems to be limited to making sure that innocent bystanders
don't get injured in these situations. The customer is not considered
an innocent bystander, and neither is any bystander that voluntarily
enters the fray.
There are at least six companies that provide (read: sell) tourist
information; no two of them agree on anything but the names of the
streets in the city, and the locations of government offices and major
tourist attractions. Each company has a preferred set of restaurants,
hotels, and various other service providers, and while there is some
overlap, no two lists are identical. All of the restaurants and
service providers that I tried were quite acceptable, and provided
good value. The hotel I stayed at was a pleasant place to stay at a
good price, and a quick visit to the others to look around seemed to
indicate comparable accommodations. You will most likely do well at
any one of the choices; I'd recommend that you look at three or four
before deciding, and choose the one whose ambiance most suits you.
There are a number of tourist attractions that should be placed on your
"must-see" list:
1) the CourtArena. This is where court cases are tried, and
the local system of justice is quite interesting (and worth
a separate RICE paper). All I will say about it here is
that there is de facto no distinction between civil and
criminal justice as there is on most other worlds, and that
watching a trial is an experience in itself.
2) the Swim Center. One of the public sport and exercise
facilities, this one is dedicated to aquatic pursuits. The
center of the (small) asteroid that this is located in is
hollow, and very large. The entire asteroid is kept in
zero-g, and the water is not contained in any way - you
leave the locker room and enter the "pool", and you see a
huge sphere of water hanging in front of you. Caution is
recommended when swimming; there is no natural tendency to
"rise" to the surface, as there is no internal gravitational
gradient. Note to those from cultures with various body
taboos - swimsuits of any sort are strictly optional.
3) the Flight Center. Similar to the Swim Center, except that
a small gravitational gradient is maintained, to provide a
sense of up and down, and there is no water. Participants
do wear "wings" and "tailfeathers", and lessons are
available at low cost. As exercise, it is at least as good
as swimming, and many find it more exhilarating. Those who
suffer from disorientation in zero-g should come here,
rather than the swim center. Except for the wings and
tailfeathers, costume is optional, although a very popular
mode of dress is a tight body stocking, to reduce air
resistance. Wings and tailfeathers are usually decorated in
varied patterns and colors, and the body stocking, when
worn, can be equally colorful, in either complementary or
clashing colors and patterns. One deluxe rig that I saw was
generic spacesuit grey, wings and body stocking both, until
the wearer became airborne. He then switched on a
holographic generator, and actually appeared as a large
bird, whose species I didn't recognize (he said later that
it was a "roc", from Terran mythology dating back to "a
couple of thousand years before space flight).
4) the Museum of the Ancients. Glisten itself was not an
Ancient site that we know of, but they have nevertheless
amassed a very complete collection of reproductions of
Ancient artifacts, and a great deal of supplementary
information. The exhibits are quite fascinating, and quite
educational.
The people of Glisten are in general a friendly bunch; the tourist who
gets lost will quickly be offered assistance, and the tourist who asks
for a recommendation for a restaurant or a hotel will get many. Food
in Glisten runs to intense flavors, with extremely spicy food being
quite common. On a visit to one of the outlying asteroids, I was a
guest of one of the local residents, and invited to a dinner party that
she was giving. I found out the hard way that such dinner parties are
attempts by one person to outdo the neighbors in creating dishes so
spicy as to cause actual pain, and that it is a point of honor to
consume such dishes without showing outward sign of discomfort. Much
as I like spicy food, I cannot recommend this pastime to anyone - not
even Glistenites (suffice it to say that I did not finish that dinner
with my gastronomic honor intact). Asteroid construction being what it
is, there is not a lot of ability to have one's residence express one's
personality from outside, so most people don't try. Instead, they
express their individuality in their styles of dress - ranging from
nothing but cosmetics all the way up to multiple layers of clothing in
colors and patterns and styles carefully chosen to draw attention,
sometimes in combinations that even a Vargr might find in questionable
taste.
Doing business in Glisten is theoretically governed by a thick book of
regulations that every business is required to have accessible to the
customers. In reality, most of the regulations are ignored or
circumvented, and caveat emptor is an important part of business
dealings. Almost anything is claimed to be available for sale, and
most of it actually is available. A surprise was the presence of the
Corridor advanced-technology corporation "G"; in addition to a sales
outlet, they do some research locally. This is the source of the "G"
and "H" codes in the technical profile. It also enhances the
availability of low cost tech E and F goods of all types, allowing
Glisten to maintain its position as one of the leading shipyards in the
Spinward Marches.
The arrival of (and nominal conquest by) the Aslan New Lords has not
reined in the natural tendencies of Glistenites. Indeed, some Aslan
customs have been adopted and adapted to Glistenite culture. Duels of
honor, formerly treated as a private matter between the two parties,
have become much more public and ritualized, and many Aslan that I
spoke to asserted that the Glistenites are the only "fiyfiyalr" that
truly understand the ritual of the duel. A few even claimed that
Glistenites have raised the art to levels beyond those achieved by all
but a very few legendary Aslan duellists. Another Aslan custom, that
of "Assassination" has also been adopted, and integrated with the
duelling custom. When Aslan embark on an assassination, the objective
is the death of the target. Glistenites have instead made it a
campaign to embarrass the target, to provoke a duel, thus providing
more entertainment for a longer period of time. Aslan reaction to this
adaptation of their customs has been mixed, and their social scientists
are watching this development carefully.
Aslan and Human mix freely in Glisten, and it is not unusual to see the
younger Aslan adopting Human customs or modes of dress, though in a
distinctly Aslan manner. Aslan business concerns compete on an equal
footing with human concerns, making Glisten a shining example of just
how well the two species can get along, if both sides make an effort.
The local humans pay lip service to the Aslan males' claims of land
ownership, and the Aslan females provide the males with the _real_
products of land ownership, economic power that provides prestige. By
doing so in cooperation with the human society there, rather than
attempting to build economic power based strictly on Aslan models, they
achieve results far beyond the expectations of the leaders of the
ihatei expeditions. It can be expected that these revelations will
cause as much change to the Aslan ihatei colonies as they will to the
human societies that they have conquered.
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Jeff Zeitlin [email removed]
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~ QMPro 1.52 ~ Man stagnates if he has no ambition,...