Jumpstart

Jumpstart

Jumpstart is an incredibly fascinating system—not only does it have two habitable planets, they happen to be in the same orbital path. Both planets are tiny, and ride along the inner edge of habitability — so the climate is quite hot. A significant amount of surface area on both planets is covered in water, with large archipelagos strung throughout. The planets are within sight of each other in their orbits, and between each other and their moons, the varying gravitational pulls are such that seismic activity — and resulting tsunami — keep human development very much at bay.

The system must have regressed early on; though there's no direct evidence, it appears as if the Republic intended to cultivate the two planets — Xbalanque and Hunahpu — as resource centers. The inhabitants at the time of Sleepwalker arrival were barely beginning to remaster iron smelting. The people of Hunahpu were organized in loose empires spanning handfuls of island chains; the people of Xbalanque followed a more migratory tribal structure, following native sea-life like early humans followed herds on ancient Sol-3. Through gentle propaganda and open diplomacy, the peoples of Xbalanque and Hunahpu chose to align under Shelbyite rule, and are now in the process of being slowly modernized—though handfuls of promising sailors and others who demonstrate strong intellectual capacity are brought directly to Accord facilities for more rapid assimilation. The languages on this planet derive mainly from Yucatec and Spanish.

The high population of hardy and willing natives is a boon for the refugee Shelbyites, but two planets are always harder to defend than just one.

Overview

Also called The Twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque are home to 32 million inhabitants, with the greater balance on Hunahpu. When the Accord arrived — they showed up after they'd shaken the Imperium off themselves and teh Oskanna system — the population had managed to reattain a technological level before industrialization or mechanization, but certainly on par with extensive trade and good pre-industrialized urbanization and governmental development. Both planets' populations viewed themselves as vassal states to the Accord, whom they deemed "Sky Sailors," a city-state of people so advanced they'd learned to lift their ships off the waters and ino the skies themselves.

Etymology

Hunahpu and Xbalanque appear to be twin brothers in a larger mesomerika creation tale. Though there's no way to be certain, it appears that the oral histories passed down by the religious figures of both planets are a fairly faithful rendition of the Popl Vun, considered the holy scripture by the natives of both planets.

Culture

Both planets are small and are 80% water, with scattered archipelagos. Seafaring is vital and deeply respected, as is trade. Society is divided into castes, but with the arrival of the Accorded the lowest stratus of society, the farmers and animal keepers, have been given greater respect. The millions of Xbalanquans and Hunahpans are divided up into thousands of island nations, led by chieftains who ally themselves with powerful warlords, ten to twenty on each planet. All chieftains and warlords coe from the noble class, though their power is kept in check by members of the priestly and warrior classes.

X&H culture is still very self-involved, something which the Accord is very gently trying to remedy. The Equalization policy is in full force in this planet, through the establishment of higher academies — again, separated by caste — to bring the natives up to more contemporary standards of technology and science. To their credit, the natives of X&H already had an extensive academic system, with all castes by the agrarian being taught reading, writing, and math, in addition to oral literature and history.

Stonemasonry is highly advanced and beautifully nuanced, and for reasons no one has been able to discern, beermaking is a finely honed art on Hunahpu.

The general feel of the two planets hearkens back to the societies of the descendants of the mesomerikan nations and empires, with religion and social order being held in high esteem. Though the Accord has yet to witness it in any large scale, blood sacrifice does still occur, though it's mostly non-fatal and self-inflicted, usually as a form of penitence.

Current Issues

The major warlords on both planets have aligned themselves with the Accord with little complaint; they know power when they see it, and if they get the opportunity to sail the skies, the glory is unprecedented. THe real issues lie with modern technology and cosiety clashing with traditional X&H values and mores. In particular there are problems with the caste system, and with the separation of roles between men and women. However, the Accord is going to great lengths to make transitions as smooth as possible, including sending Sleepwalkers to live in the island-nations and follow native societal rules.

Economy

X&H are so technologically underdeveloped that their driving economic force lies in labor and sheer raw wealth, in the form of mineral resources. The system is support to the greater economic mechanism of the Accord. Internally, X&H trade is a lively and intricate thing, an expression of culture and nationalism that is astounding to behold. Nations ahve risen and fallen because of deals gone wrong, or undercut prices, or a surprise shift in product allegiances.

Geography

Both planets are approximately the same size, and bafflingly enough, ride the same orbital path. Why they didn't cause each other to shatter into an asteroid belt is still a mystery. The planets themselves are temperate to hot, and sport some weather systems that are utterly horrifying to behold. Hurricanes spawned off the coasts of larger islands often circle the globe once or twice before getting pulled into a polar current and dissipating in the arctic or antarctic circle. In fact, one of the ways the Accord has earned respect and admiration from the people of X&H is their insistence on warning and evacuating people in the paths of oncoming storms, which, prior to the Accord, arrived with only a few hours' warning.

Government and Politics

There are 7 castes in H&X: nobility, priests, warriors, merchants, artisans, and agrarians. Agrarians are more or less stuck where they are, though, on occasion, they can rise up to artisan or merchant status. Artisans and merchants are stuck where they are unless, during some kind of armed conflict, they prove themselves on the battlefield somehow, which will move them up into the warrior class. Priests are born into their station, but the Heavens do see fit to pull their ministers from other castes on occasion. Only warriors and priests can ascend to nobility, either through their own deeds, or by intermarriage or adoption.

Nobles are appointed to positions of ministration or authority by other nobles. The highest positions of authority are assigned by the priests, who determine the will of the Heavens. Clearly, there's tons of room for political games, ploys, and infighting, and one of the most popular evening dramas on Chomsky to date is a tale of the travails of a noble family on Xbalanque.

Regarding Accord representation, the warlords of both planets are granted the most holy honor of visiting the SkyShip (Waystation Utaanah) around Hunahpu to either nominate one of their own as Presidius, or select one from a number of Sleepwalkers who have spent time in the Jumpstart system. Jupmstart is the only system in which the Presidius selects his or her two Consuls, though that practice is set to change in 15 years, once the people of X&H have had a better opportunity to undergo Equalization.

History

Though details are very sketchy, the current theory is that the people of X&H came from enclaves in southern North America and Central America, a ready labor pool looking to improve their lot on a one-way trip to a new world. If this scenario is like the hundreds of other that have preceded it in history, either the laborers were paid well and did well for themselves, or they were repressed and reverted to old, traditional beliefs and behaviors to weather the injustices brought upon them by the people in charge of the operation. Current-day would seem to point to scenario number two.

It's very likely that the Jumpstart Manifold became erratic before failing entirely, allowing the richer company owners and employees to get the hell out. There was probably not enough money, resources, or compassion to rescue the laborers from the planets proper. Left to their own devices, they slowly recreated traditional societal structures and beliefs into the stratified, dynamically semi-urban society the Accord found six years ago. Communication between the Accord and the people of X&H was facilitated by the fact that the artisans and nobles of the two planets preserved Spanish as the language of science and refinement.

Military

The people of X&H are very willing fighters; the warrior caste is third only to the nobles and the priests. It's considered the greatest honor to be selected to serve in the Sky Ships; those natives that demonstrate an ease with the concepts explained in Equalization classes are brought up to Utaanah for more extensive training. Some are slated for Accord military service in Jumpstart; a few achieve higher status (like Lieutenant Magister Camargo Ximenez). Most military units, though, are manned by people from the Oskanna system, as well as Sleepwalkers who came in the Exodus or in later waves of escape.

Demographics

Jumpstart: 32,805,555 (3,107,551 former Imperium)
Hunahpu: 19,873,261 (1,903,886 former Imperium)
Xbalanque: 12,932,294 (1,203,665 former Imperium)

Age Structure:

0-14 years: 22%
15-64 years: 63%
65 years and over: 15%
Population Growth Rate: 7.5% (Sleepwalker immigration makes up between 0.7% and 4.2% population growth per year)

Sex Ratio

At birth: 1.4 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.2 male(s)/female
15-64 years: .99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: .93 male(s)/female
Total Population: .97 male(s)/female

Life expectancy

Total Population: 79 years
Male: 72 years
Female: 86 years
Literacy Rate : 45% in English or other Accord language; 63% in Yucatec

Nationality

Singular Noun: Hunahpan or Xbalanquan
Plural Noun: Hunahpans or Xbalanquans
Adjective: Hunahpan or Xbalanquan

Languages

Official: Yucatec, English, Spanish
Secondary: Lingallis, Yucatec Maya (closely guarded)

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