Infrastructural Southwestern Colonist By Imperator-Zor Watch

0 Favourites 2 Comments 375 Views

To exploit the Petroleum deposits around the Discovery River region in 33 IA Infrastructure established a colony to exploit it. Doing so was a major undertaking with a decades long multi-phase plan that had begun years before the colonization fleet was dispatched. The amount of resources and economic output put towards this goal was significant and the end goals were by any ambitious, though the rewards of having at major source of oil under their control was calculated to be well worth it. All of which depended however on establishing a foothold in this new world. To establish and consolidate that foothold colonists were required.



The first wave of colonists were mostly drawn from the peasant classes, but included a good number of specialists from various fields. Most of them were under 30, all had to be in good good health and candidates were examined for loyalty. For all that they were given limited information about where they were to settle with information packets being distributed once the fleet was under way to maintain secrecy. Most of them assumed that they were simply being sent to establish a new settlements within the territory currently controlled by Infrastructure (which the Infrastructural government also did to develop it's often underdeveloped tracts of land). The second wave of colonists (discounting Detentional Laborers) were given slightly more information that Infrastructure had established a colony in a distant land far to the south where winter never came, which was enough to entice other settlers while leaving matters vague so that the colony could grow in secrecy, though in truth the location of the settlement had been snooted out by Drow Spies which lead to the Escort War. Afterwards the campaigns advertising a new life in the Petroleum Colony became more overt about the situation in that region of the world, and at the same time pre-transit training courses were prepared which included classes on local wildlife, the basics of the language of the Klebba, Issan and Shol, use of specific tools and firearms and group and group exercises to show settlers the ropes and to build a communal spirit. By spring of 37 IA there are some 12,400 Infrastructural colonists (among their ranks some 3,000 Detentional Laborers, not including some 1,000 which were released).



Coldlander peasants and workers as a general rule are well suited to colonial life. Hard work with limited resources is something they are generally used to. There are a higher than usual number of medical personnel on hand and both from trade with the natives and local agricultural projects there is no shortage of food. There is also a general sense of optimism among the settlers as they build up their settlement and push out into the grasslands. They may sleep in tents and barracks at the moment, but soon they will have either a nice homestead or a place in town to call their own as a few have already begun to do. Generally on arrival colonists are assigned to Labor Teams about thirty strong which are given various tasks around the settlement for the first while helping the colony along and others and themselves get settled in. As an example a labor team would clear out a plot of land which would become homesteads for those who had arrived a year before. Afterwards colonists at this stage generally pay their taxes in a few days of labor every month. This sort of top down and collectivistic approach at colonial development conducive towards the formation of a new community identity and spirit, even if such an arrangement is planned to be phased out over the next ten years. There are occasional Gosho Raids, but given that the Gosho are at best at an early iron age level of development and the colony has a substantial garrison armed with bolt action rifles they are generally considered to be more of an annoyance. The two biggest problems that Coldlanders have to deal with is sunburn and heat. Temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees Celsius in the summer and generally lingers above 30 during the summer months. Colonists are issued warm weather work clothes, which is a switch that most of them make easily. However other bits of traditional Coldland information that has been drilled in deep has its own problems, such as building houses designed to keep heat in.

IMAGE DETAILS Image size 641x1413px 216.59 KB Show More