This list contains some of the common and uncommon things that are generally known to everyone liging in Vyborg.
"ATARI" is Finnish abbreviation meaning "professional or habitual criminal". Basically an ATARI is person that lives out of crime (burglar, fence, racketeer), or has compulsive need to continue criminal behavior (kleptomaniac, rapist, serial killer). Thought ATARI cases are not very common in high-technology society, they apparently exists in all societies. Because the existence of ATARIs is considered to be a threat to society, Vyborgian police have a special task force that examines the actions and background of known ATARI, and use these information to set up baits and traps for known criminals.
All crimes commited by persons classified as ATARI cases will be considered to be more severe than those commited by other criminals. Statistics show that known ATARI cases face very high risk of being shot by police during arrest.
Cybernetic implants and replacement limbs used to be popular during third millenium (2000 - 3000 AD), but the advances in genetic engineering and cloning made cybernetics mostly obsolite. Today Vyborgians use cybernetis very consevatively, and visible cybernetics - such as replacement linbs - are used only during the recovery period while the final replacement organ is being cloned.
The few common cybernetic implants are generally hybride systems, containing biomechanic, bioelectric and genetically engineered components.
Vyborg Defense Forces (VA-Int) is divided into two main sections: Planetary Defense Forces and Navy. PDF consists of Army, Air Forces and Wet Navy, while Navy has System Defense, Space Control, Scout and Assault units.
Army consists of two main groups: Guerrillas and Jaegers.
Guerrillas are trained to fight in small groups within enemy-occupied area, and life off the land. Guerrillas avoid direct fight with enemy, preferring ambushes, sniping and other low-risk tactics. While normal guerilla cell has only three men, they are able to wreck havoc when they are equipped with off-road mines, shoulder-fired missiles, sniping rifle and camo suits.
Jaegers are primary fighting force, trained to fight in all situations and with all available weapons. After basic training, jaegers are divided into different combat schools to learn fighting in a specific environment of with specific equipment.
Jaegers can also be cross-trained in
Special Forces are generally considered to be a jaeger unit, but they may draw personnel from any military units. All military psions are trained with special forces.
Air Forces control the skies with assault speeders and airfighters, and share pilot training with Navy's space control units.
Wet Navy maintains small fleet of surface and submarine ships. While surface ships have little effect on planetary defense, submarine with a long range spinal meson gun can be extremely dangerous opponent.
System Defense units provide a stationary warning and defense network for settled planets and gas giant fuel-skimming points. SD units consists of deep bases, missile bases, defense satellites and listening stations.
Space Control units are small, space-fighter units used to harass and destroy enemy ships. SC units consists of fighters, fighter tenders, missile boats and system defense boats.
Scout units are used to gather transfer information. Scout missions are usually single-ship missions. Scouts use survey ships, scout ships, and jump shuttles.
Assault units are main battle units, and consist of various large starships which are capable of attacking enemy units in other solar systems. Most of the ships used in assault units are captured Virus ships from Virus Wars which are repaired and refitted with Vyborgian hardware. This means that a ship with TL-13 hull may contain TL-14 spinal particle accelerator, TL-15 computer and TL-16 power plant.
Most cities consist of several transparent domes, which are interconnected with ground-level tubes. Each dome is stand-alone unit, containing its own power plant and waste recycling system. Individual houses are build within these domes.
In higher elevations these domes are pressurized, but at sea level these domes provide protection against violent weather.
Continuing old Finnish tradition, many families have a secondary home or cottage, called "mökki", in widerness area. This secondary home is complete self-powered stand-alone habitation unit, equipped with non-perisable supplies so that cottage can be abandoned for years, and still be re-habited with moments notice.
While cottages could provide easy target for burglars, they are usually quite safe places. As there is no roads and cottages can only be reached by air, burglars would need and air-raft with ground search radar to locate their targets. Additional deterrent is local laws. In 1992 Finnish court decided that althrough lethal boobytraps are illegal, law does not forbid setting normal hunting traps inside ones cottage. Traditional spring-loaded beartrap can kill of maim unarmored man, and Pancor Beartrap fires ten 12-gauge shotgun shells in a similar way as Claymore mine.
1 Total World Population = 90 000 000 3a Very Large Cities: (pop 7) 40M, 20M, 10M, 10M = 4 (80M) 3c Large Cities: (pop 6), 1M, 2M, 6M, = 3 (9M) 3e Medium Cities: (pop 5) 5 Starports and spaceports: A, A, A, B (Primary Cities) 3xF, 5xH Orbital Cities: 3xA, 1xB, 1xF
Mustaranta is the name of an equatorial volcanic island and also the name of the city that covers most of the island surface. Mustaranta got its name form the black, volcanic sand that covers all the shores.
The city itself consists of more than 400 separate domes and several underwater habitats. A Class A starport is situated on a small island 25 km from Mustaranta.
While Kotka 1 is not a large orbital city, it is notable for its class A starport and ship-building facilities. Kotka 1 is currently the only known place where it is possible to manufacture large BSD-T hulls.
Helsinki 2 is the largest oribital city in Vyborg, and it used to be the center of commerce for Vyborg system before the space trade collapsed.
The orbital staion has two separate starports, class A commercial starport, and class B free harbour. The free harbour may be entered without customs check (unless the approachins ship if considered hostile or fugitive), and cargo can be bought and sold without taxes. Adjacent to the free harbour is alien sector, vhere non-Vyborgian population lives.
During the Virus Wars the alien sector become the home of refugees who escaped from Virus-struck planets. Most of the refugees are completely stuck in the alien sector, unable to return to their homeworlds and unable to get jobs that would allow them to live on planet.
Because of historical reasons, there is no such thing as native Finnish noble. There has been Swedish and Russian nobles living in Finland, and most people consider the idea of noble social class as a bad joke. When Vyborg was settled, nobody even considered of creating a new noble class.
Heraldry noble class has never existed in Vyborg, and off-world nobles have no special privileges or duties beyond normal citizens. Local authorities (police, customs service, etc) will treat all persons with the same amount of respect, undepending on their social class. Diplomatic immunity is recognized only within alien sector in Helsinki 2 orbital station.
Maximum local Social Class is B (Knight), and can only be granted to military personnel due to outstanding combat performance. Non-combat personnel can never be granted Knight status.
Because of cultural background and harsh treatment of ATARI cases, Vyborg is low-crime world, and Vyborgian police is determined to keep it that way. In most cities, people can live without fear, and there is not such areas that one should avoid during night. The only notable unsafe area is alien sector in Helsinki 2 orbital station.
All Vyborgian police officers are equipped with a hand computer, 30-km
radio, commodots, data display headset, gauss pistol, nightstick and
spinner.
In street or speeder patrols, normal police clothing is either a two-piece
suit or armored coveralls, with cap or light helmet. Officers on grav-bike
patrol must wear full-body combat armor. Police clothing is always dark blue,
with insignia on left shoulder. The police insignia is two-edged sword with
lion head as handle.
Vyborgian police is trained to talk things out and solve problems without resorting to violence. However, even when non-violent solution is impossible, police must work within strict regulations.
The police regulations for using sidearm, are:
Note: shootouts are extremely rare in Vyborg, and police S.W.A.T teams may use either powered armors or landmates. If a police officer is killed on duty, it is highly unlikely that police will try to take the killer alive.
Before the Psionioc Suppression, Vyborg had one experimental psionic institute. The institute kept low profile even bofore the scandals in 5293, and when the Imperium moved against the institutes in 5321, Vyborgian institute virtually disappeared. As the institute went underground well before Psionic Suppression spread into Solomani Rim, the Suppression had no target in Vyborg, and was almost completely ignored.
The institute was discovered by local authorities in 5628 after a small group of Terran psionic researchers escaped into Vyborg following the Terra Incognita incident in late 5627. Instead of public outcry, the whole institute was quietly absorbed by Vyborgian Defence Forces.
In 5638 a new test was added into Defence Forces entrance exams. In addition to intelligence and mental stability tests ("block 1" and "block 2" tests), new conscripts must undergo a psionic sensitivity testing (called "block 3" test). Those soliders who are psionically strong and have usable powers usually disappear at the end of their compulsory military service term. Some of them can be later found in mental wards or in the most remotete listening stations. However, those soliders who have usable psionic powers and stabile minds are transferred into Special Forces. Permanently.
The non-military psions first appeared in 5694, when fromer military telepaths were used in court to interrogate suspects. Soon after this, those telepaths that were not suitable for combat duties were trained for police and court duties.