System Description ------------------ Inward Clearance Tavonni considers itself to be on the frontier. Even the forcible acquisition of the Sword Worlds has not wiped out the memory of their attempted land-grab. This perception shapes Tavonni's attitude towards defence and inward clearance. Most outsiders often consider Tavonni's defence forces to be overly large. However, this allows initial inward clearance to be cursory and almost automatic; always remember; the Navy awaits insystem. A patrolling naval vessel makes a cursory scan of incoming traffic and normally clears it through to Tavonni High. It may give special clearance if a vessel has another destination (for example, another starport or base insystem). Generally, this must be pre-arranged. Tavonni System Control (TSC) is based at Tavonni High, and monitors all in-system traffic. TSC controls the movement of ships to and from Tavonni High to all downports, plus any ships with special clearance that bypass the highport. It also has the authority to declare a civil or military emergency. The difference is that a civil emergency causes rescue ships to race to the scene, while a military emergency causes warships to race to intercept. Either way, TSC vectors civil and military traffic throughout the system. All military traffic remains away from the civil lanes, unless they enable their transponders. All incoming ships, unless given special clearance, must dock at the Tavonni High orbital port. Classed as "basic" in size, it houses up to 500 passengers and 500 work crew. Refined fuel, spare parts, armament stocks and annual maintenance are all available, plus local foodstuffs and luxuries from across the sector. Customs and immigration can clear planet-bound passengers either in orbit or on the surface. In-bound cargo has a basic inspection performed on it to ensure that its bill of lading is accurate. Starport Authority (SPA) customs officers sometimes inspect cargoes for contraband, but this occurs less frequently for regular goods than for speculative cargo. SPA personnel synchronise customs procedures with scheduled shuttle flights, allowing passengers and cargo to proceed to the planet with little or no waiting. If a ship wants to land at Beowulf Down, customs officers must first inspect it at Tavonni High. Final customs clearance may be handled either at Tavonni High or at Beowulf Down. TSC must then give landing clearance before the ship commences re-entry. Note that ships with special clearance may undergo inspection, customs and immigration at their destination downport. The Mainworld Seen from orbit, Tavonni appears untouched by civilisation. A deliberately low-key approach to development has left much of the planet undeveloped, making it look like a green jewel, lush with vegetation. While shuttling to the main starport on Bj'rn'ya Island, it is difficult to imagine that advanced sophonts live here at all. It is only when nearing The Plateau that artificial features begin to emerge from the jungle. Beowulf Down, the main starport, has excellent facilities for both private and commercial travellers. Aircraft and small craft are available for charter. Lone Scout Enterprises, an Imperial company originally created by ex-Scout commander Mikheil B. Powell, provides spaceship construction and starship repair. A full Scout base is attached to Beowulf Down, and is open for inspection once per month. trendi (Tavonni Research, Engineering and Design Inc), a subsidiary of Menelvagor, markets new vehicles and equipment. The main tertiary industry is hosting conventions and meetings for members of widespread Regency companies. The consequence of catering for these well-to-do travellers means that Tavonni's prices are not for the faint-hearted. Accomodation within the starport perimeter, for example, is at the Starport Hotel (4-star). The capital, Tamoachan City, is located moments away from the starport via monorail. Accomodation here ranges from the Hotel-at-the-Edge-of-the-World (5-star) through to the TAS Hostel (4-diamond). The off-worlder notices immediately that, having begun with only pre-fab buildings, Tavonni's population now prefers luxurious dwellings. Due to the cultural diversity, a number of restaurants provide off-world cuisine. In fact, most of the cuisines of three sectors, five species and four major races can be sampled in the capital alone. Tavonni Safari Park (TASP), the next island west of Bj'rn'ya, is for exclusive use by safaris. These include both camera shoots and big-game hunting expeditions. Visitors can see much of the more exotic of Tavonni's wildlife inhabiting the island. The Tavonni Beach Resort is the only permanent construction on TASP. The primary Aslan settlements are located on the eastern continent, mainly for historical reasons. Caradoc's base is located here, operating out of the original starport (now C-class). It was on this continent that Count Leto first granted land to members of the Ftai company. One other spaceport in known to exist on the planet, but its location is classified - as are the locations of Tavonni's deep-site meson guns. At least four of these are believed to exist - possibly more. Infrastructure Civilisation on Tavonni is widespread, literally! Being a young settlement, Tavonni's infrastructure is less than 70 years old, and averages out at TL 13 (some at TL 15). This planetary infrastructure contributes to the settlement pattern on Tavonni. The only large population centre is Tamoachan City (located close to Beowulf Down), with most of the population living in medium sized communities, separated from their nearest neighbours by up to 600 km or more. Most of these mid-sized communities support smaller communities, based on primary industry. This settlement pattern means that there are few long-distance ground transport links. Most passenger transportation is via grav vehicles, either air/raft taxi for short distances, or GCoach for longer distances (for example, via the Vargr-owned long-haul bus company, "G-Hound"). These long-distance services stress high speed. Rental vehicles are also available, ranging from 'Hatchback' style through to Grav RV. Bulk cargo trade is via either a few ocean-going merchant ships, or small craft/starships. From early on, the government recognised the need for a good communication net to limit the danger of dropping out of contact. Without it, help was almost impossible to call for, and rescuers would spend a considerable time deploying. Tavonni established an excellent and affordable communications network. All vehicles must be fitted with emergency beacons. Rental of a communications service is available at short notice for Cr1 per day plus Cr0.3 per 10 minutes on-line, with Hand Computer access at Cr3 per day (long term rentals are lower than these prices). The Government also created a rapid deployment emergency service facility. In the early days, the easiest way to provide these emergency services was to form them from the existing military medical and police force. Today, they still retain a paramilitary flavour, being staffed predominantly from ex-military personnel. For this reason they find it very easy to escalate problems to full military support in an emergency (the military are obliged to lend a hand in civil emergencies). They also have good access to funding, heavy equipment, and the Count's ear on major issues.