So far, every settlement on the Archipelago is based and
integrated with some form of industrial productivity or has been
planned to hold another purpose.
For instance, Curtisport was
founded to take care of commerce and tourist travel, from here all
imports and exports are coordinated. Likewise every tourist who wants
to visit the Archipelago will find himself landing in Curtisport first.
The Archipelago Consists of many Islands, though only a few are populated. Many islands are kept unpopulated on purpose to preserve the unique ecological balance.
To the north of the Archipelago, spanning almost along the entire lenght, lies the Crimson Reef. This is probably the finest natural highlight of the Archipelago and is home to many different species of sea-creatures. The reef can be seen from miles away, due to its distinct color. The exact nature of the reef is still under research by many marine biologists.
Just
under the Reef lies the Island of Newolland. From here the research of
the Reef is coordinated and quite an impressive Marine Biology research
facility has grown near the beach; Newolland Marine Biology Centre. Its
work is closely tied with Dewclaw University on Flinder's Continent.
Newolland itself has only one settlement called The Glades.
Further south lies the largest and main island of the Archipelago: Mephitus.
Mephitus is crowned by a huge sweet-water lake named Chakat Lake, in
honor of the Chakat who liberated them.Like all islands, Mephitus is
covered in lush tropical forests with the occasional rock outcropping.
There are no high mountains in the entire Archipelago, though the
southeast edge of Mephitus hosts an impressive cliffside.
Mephitis has three settlements:
Curtisport in the north;
New Bletchley to the northwest of Lake Chakat;
And Redpaws, southeast of Lake Chakat and the first Foxtaur village in the Archipelago.
To the east of Mephitus lies ::unknown:: a stretched island with a huge white beach along its east side with a nice view of one of the many coral reefs surrounding the Archipelago. As of yet there is one dwelling on this island called ::unknown::, situated on the side nearest to Mephitus.
Further down south lies ::unknown::, this is the
southernmost island in the Archipelago. Two settlements are founded
here though one of them is the 'obligatory' Federation
StarFleet/StarCorps base. Many of the inhabitants of the Archipelago
who choose to enroll into either will go here for their base training
and education.
The places are called:
::unknown base:: on the west side of the island;
::unknown village:: opposite of the base, on the west side of the island.
Lastly to the east lies a group of three islands who are
bunched together, their name is ::unknown::. Two of them are inhabited,
but the third is kept in as pristine a shape as possible. This last
island is home to a group of mammals known as Barclay's Wolf and is off
limits to anyone except the scientists who are trying to study the
Barclay's Wolf in general and who are trying to determine wether or not
the seclusion has caused them to develope differently than their
'mainland' relatives.
The island to the north is home to the town of ::unknown::;
The island to the southwest is home to the town of ::unknown::.
Since the Archipelago is situated on Chakona, its inhabitants adhere to the laws and codes set by the Chakat after they founded their first city. The general Political structure of Chakona can be read in Bernard Dooves 'Introduction to Chakat'.
The Archipelago has its own local Council located in New Bletchley. Like most provinces on Chakona, this is little more than a formal office. There is also a Justice seat located in the same building, all matters that can't be settled privately or locally are taken here.
Overall, the Skunktaur Archipelago runs the same course as the rest of the planet, legally, socially and politically.
On social notes there is a slight difference.
Each town and city that has been built was planned, having a specific
purpose in mind. Usually these towns are integrated with workshops and
other production facilities, products rangeing from simple tools to
entire starship parts like engines.
The detailed accounts to Skunktaur society is given in the chapter 'Social and Political standings of the Skunktaur'.
Schooling is provided for everyone in these settlements, and special
training is also provided for skunktaur childred to teach them how to
use their powers well and wisely.
Everyone who is old enough or wants to has a job working in one place
or another and if you're without a suitable position is soon found.
Like stated, every town or city on the Archipelago is integrated with some form of productivity. This can be anything from household products to Starship engineparts. And not every town produces the same product continually, since workshops and factories can be adapted to produce something else within a day.
The entire Archipelago can actually be seen as one big centre of productivity. Orders are put into business offices in Curtisport and from there the work is divided amongst the different towns. The end products are then sent to Curtisport for final shipping. Of course, when a town needs certain products for itself, then these are quickly assembled locally.
It's necesarry to note that Skunktaur productivity is not at all stressfull on the environment. In a workplace where the combined telekinetical powers of the crew can slot a 5 ton engine into its place with millimetre margin, detrimental tools such as heavy trucks and cranes are uneccesary.
Also new methods of production are developed and discovered every day, not just for use in the Archipelago, but for anyone who wishes to use them.
Skunktaurs are very proud of their handiwork and put in meticulous efforts to produce the best they can. Everything from the Archipelago therefor comes with a lifetime guarantee, one you won't need to call on.
The only exceptions to this sofar are Curtisport, New Bletchley, Redpaws and the Federation Base.
Curtisport is the biggest city on the Archipelago and is centered on being the axis for import and export as well as being the general Customs for any tourist or traveller to and from the Archipelago. Its position is also on the side of the Archipelago easiest to reach by boat and closest to Flinder's Continent. Trying to reach the Archipelago from a different location, specially by boat, would upset or even destroy much of the reefs around it. Curtisport is a bustling city with lots of hotels and businesses.
New Bletchley was founded to be the 'capitol' of the
Archipelago and serves at a Government/Student city. It houses the
Counsil and the archipelago branch of the Justice department.. As well
as many research facilities and the Twinstripe University of Crafts.
This University offers a broad range of technical educations and
courses. Most facilities work in close contact with the T.U. and the
university itself works closely with the Dewclaw University.
It is also here that most of the new developements in environmentally
safe, physically safe and improved methods of production are researched.
It is not uncommon for Engineering students to spend their education in
Dewclaw for their theoretical base, then transfer to Twinstripe for
practical classes and finish their education with an internship in one
of the many facilities in New Bletchley. This kind of closely knitted
education has earned Chakona the label of offering the finest
Engineering education available.
Redpaws is in this list because it's not a Skunktaur
settlement. It's home to a Foxtaur Clan who has recently moved to the
Archipelago. They live their lives according to the law on Chakona, but
mostly secluded like most Foxtaur clans. Their hunter/farmer lifestyle
has given them a close bond to nature and the Clan had decided to take
care of the surrounding forests and act as inofficial rangers shortly
after they settled in. Foxtaur patrollers set up small lodges for
hikers along trails and for themselves if they found themselves still
out and about at dusk. The storages are always kept filled up.
Lately the counsil in New Bletchley has decided to offer the Foxtaur
Rangers an official appointment, as increased tourism could mean a
heavier burden on the forests. Not to mention more trouble as tourists
sometimes have the tendency to pick the wrong trail.
Due to this, a Rangerstation has been set up in Redpaws and the
Foxtaurs now have official authoroty to act when something is wrong.
The Federation Base is part of the membership of Chakona in the Federation itself. Some Federation forces are based here to provide for the protection as well as being able to 'keep an eye' on this young pionier planet. Also, a training facility for young cadets is incorporated into the base as the surroundings provide for a good basis to train certain survival skills
While obtaining Visa and permits for Tourism and hiking is usually easy, there is one time a year when the Skunktaur Archipelago enforces a strict number of permitted visitors. This is on the 15th of January (Terran Date) during the three day Freedom Celebrations. The festivities are held across the galaxy, wherever there are Skunktaurs to celebrate, though most try to get home for the occasion because the celebrations are greatest on the Archipelago. Mates and other people invited by families are usually permitted to enter, but all other tourists must make sure they have a special Visa of wich there is only a limited number available. This to keep some sense of order and to prevent the islands to be flooded with people. The festivities centre mostly round Curtisport and New Bletchley with a special 'surprise' held at Chakat Lake on the last day.
Chakat visitors and psychicly active species are given a special headband when they enter the Archipelago, usually this is supplied with the Tour booking or the Visa itself. The headband is woven with strands of a special alloy in it which has a certain psychic ommStarblocking characteristic. This because every Skunktaur has the ability to form an empathic bond with hys brothers, within a certain 'psychic range'. Because this works as a 'relay' every Skunktaur feels the buzz of a legion of Skunktaurs around hym, or even on the other side of a city. To hym this is absolutely natural and often soothing and Skuntkaurs can even 'pick' certain signals belonging to close friends, relatives and even mates. However, Skuntaurs also form a one-way bond with Chakat, sending hys signals to hir, including everything relayed, but not sensing hirs. The Chakats mind would be flooded with input. Also shi could inadvertantly begin to use the mental powers of the Skunktaurs around hir, since on an island filled with skunktaurs the 2:1 ratio is easily met. Other psychicly active species could be affected in the same, or even a worse way. Walls of hotels and private rooms are also lined with the same material for privacy.
The Archipelago has a fine infrastructure for traveling, though not yet as extensive as on Flinder's Continent.
Buses Travel regularly between Curtisport and New Bletchley, though
personal transport can be rented if you wish to travel further.
There are regular ferries that travel inbetween islands and most ports
also service 'express fare' to single target islands, which you can use
instead of a ferry that visits each port in turn.
Each town and village also has a small aircraft field just outside its
limits, these are usually used for shipping goods, but can also be used
for personal travel. With the only exception the pad near Redpaws wich
is only to be used for supplies and emergencies.
In the worst case, the Archipelago hosts the same hitchhiking formula
as employed on the 'mainlands'. That is, if you don't mind that you can
end up being suspended in mid-air next to some big piece of equipment
when the only ride going your way is a factory transport.
Communication is still a little underdeveloped in the Archipelago. The
usual FEDSTELNET communication is possible, and Public terminals are
available in every town. The Foxtaur rangers have even set up each
cabin with a means of communication. It is best, however, when you
choose to go out hiking in the wild to get yourself a
CommStar-compliant communicator. The Archipelago tourist association
has set up an office in every settlement, though some are rarely more
then a single office, where a tourist can get a communicator free of
charge. Because of central communication it's not neccesary to return a
communicator to the same office where you got it, as long as you return
it. Close tabs are being kept on these devices, but the generous
availability seems to have a positive effect, because not a single
communicator has gone 'missing' yet.
The following information has been given on numerous occasions and can be found in a lot of texts about Chakona. It is, however, a very usefull list and the latest edition of the compiled texts is provided below.
Do's and Don'ts
Do be polite and courteous - a smile and a friendly attitude goes a long way!
Don't refer to Chakats as "it" or other neuter terms - Chakats are
referred to as Shi (or Sie, both pronounced Shay), or the possessive
form Hir (pronounced like the German word Herr).
Do remember that Chakona was primarily intended as a homeworld for
non-human species, and expect some differences in standards and amenity
configuration based on that fact.
Don't refer to Skunktaurs as "it" or other neuter terms - Skunktaurs
are referred to as Hy (or Hie, pronounced like the English word He),
Hym or the possessive form Hys (pronounced like the English word His).
Do take the time to get to know the locals. Friendships can be easily made and last a long time.
Don't stare or point at Chakats or Skunktaurs, and don't discuss their
sexuality with them unless they invite you to. After all, how would you
feel to have your sexuality and bedroom habits the subject of public
interest?
Do feel free to give Chakat service staff a friendly hug in lieu of a
tip for good service - tipping isn't generally practiced on Chakona due
to the good wages paid to service people.
Don't mistake the friendly and affectionate nature of Chakats as an
open invitation for sex, and don't assume every chakat who takes an
interest in you wants to bed you. Chakats may be promiscuous, but they
are also discriminating, just like other races.
Do keep an open mind, and refrain from judgmental comments about
Chakonan society until you have spent some reasonable time on-planet,
as you would anywhere else.
Do take care if you are psychically active; The empathic abilities of
Skunktaurs have proven to include not only Chakat, but also other
species. When you're unused to it, it might be disturbing to sense the
emotional state of everyone you meet. A special headband is supplied to
you if you request one, at no fee.