Chifton

Chifton, Cayne Region, is a small city located on the Demarcating River that effectively separates the Cayne Region from the Sovereign State of Homebase. The city is considered an immigration-controlled federated state†, under implied co-administration by both the governing powers of Cayne and Homebase. The city itself is run by a local parliament comprised of officials from the same, with general elections to vacated positions run biannually. The demonym of Chifton is Chiftonite.

History
Chifton was first settled by Marsuline settlers in 4026 MEC, in response to the changing political climate caused by the violent resettlement of the region now classified as the Sovereign State of Homebase, or colloquially Homebase. It was designed to be a 'mediary' neutral ground in between the preexisting Cayne government and the fledgeling Homebase power could discuss and negotiate land ownership, economic benefits, trade and other political issues. Its first governor was the former Cayne Cabinet member Estaban M. Valude, best known for his crushing tactics and intimidating negotiation style. Valude is also credited with naming the city after the legendary folk hero Chifton of Catarery, believed to have lived approximately 520-554 MEC.‡ Valude served as governor for four years (out of a possible maximum of six) before beaten by the Homebasian Samiel Leidis.

Chifton was planned in 4025 by the "CRAQ Team", the Homebasian urban planning experts Jamney Clyde, Lawsie Remmler, Arner Aishfeld and Greyn Quentin. The results have been and continue to be hailed as an astronomical triumph - in Clyde's words:
 * "We were on a mission, you could say - to 'unify' these sort of diametrically opposite worlds, both stuck in the past an era apart. Aishfeld, he was the surveyor...he'd go and map out every hill on the plain, placing road markers through the day...we wanted this to work, so badly."

Remmler, the architect, also spoke in an interview on Chifton's planning:
 * "We took on the first in a long series of challenges when it came to building Chifton: this complete discontinuity of cultures. Normally, some of your work is cut out for you, there's some familiarity with the other side's foibles, their little social habits, essential to survive - but we were dealing not only with a near-total social quarantine, but from the inside...still, in the end we succeeded, seamlessly merging the Homebase technological ethos with the classical, industrial ideal of the Caynanites in every facet, every brick and bolt of that city."

A brief political upset in 4034 brought conservative Caynian Joanne Coulaka to the governor's position, whereupon she overturned Chifton's import/export tax prohibition, leading to an economic depression over the following two years. Homebasian opponents have over the years consistently cited this on issues concerning the taxation of Chifton citizens and goods  , as well as pointing to Coulaka's Homebasian successor, Harrin LaBene.

The year 4044 saw the mass production of the alloy bitreconium within Homebasian borders. With Chifton as Homebase's only port of trade, an estimated 40 million tons of the post-Mendelevian alloy has been shipped through Chiftonite markets since trade restrictions were lifted in 4051. As a direct result of this market, Chifton's skyline and architecture changed radically through the period 4052-4056, tending towards a more modern state and style - a change that was derided and interpreted by many as a Homebasian subversion of Chifton's status quo.

Unification Year Riots
During the summer months of 4055, Chifton was the site of several protests and demonstrations over the "Unification Year" plan, with anti-integrationists clashing with their counterparts in the streets. Despite the best efforts of city council and peacekeeping forces, violent riots rocked the avenues of Chifton, disrupting law and order. There have been claims, unconfirmed to this day, that municipal police forces were bribed to allow arrested leaders free or were otherwise sympathetic to either cause, undermining the progress of justice. Under such chaotic circumstances, a consensus for the Unification Year Initiative could not be resolved nor a conclusion compiled, and as such the Initiative was shelved for the maximum mandatory social reconsideration period: twenty years.

4061 marked the beginning of Homebase's 'reformist-reconstructionist' period in contrast to the expansionist ideal following the bitreconium boom. The internally focused societal norms of the day made their mark in Chifton as well, as a growing conservative mindset among Homebasian members of the Chifton parliament was countermanded with increasingly liberal Caynian ideals. These attitude influenced policies and tensions in Chiftonite politics, with the conservative Homebasians purporting to create a richer cultural Chiftonite environment as opposed to the liberal-radical Caynian stance towards a continued expansion of the Chiftonite city limits. The increasingly polarized opinions of parliament members instigated the beginnings of a reinforcement loop, with increasingly idealistic politicians elected to parliament seats as opposed to realistic hopefuls. This political spiral was subverted with the first emergency convening of the Neutral Party Adjudicators, whose investigations broke up the cycle of nominations and re-nominations that were allowing incumbents to push chosen successors into their seats. The social fabric of Chifton was radically altered with the conclusion of these events, with a greater variance in social ideals all across the spectrum, observable even when excluding attitudes on the original reformist versus expansionist continuum. In the words of the Homebasian sociologist Satha Geign:


 * "Prior to 4061, Chifton was effectively a heterogenous, but dualistic society - the former by necessity, the latter thanks to Binary Age thinking. The attempt by the ConBases to further simplify the dualistic, Homebasian, aspect of Chifton society, in fact achieved the opposite of its goal, bringing this dualism to a conscious, visible level within the populace - which understandably caused a bit of a stir, in the short term achieving the increasing chasm in between the two political parties and their ideologies, but at the same time over the long term destroying the homogeneity of their own side, with it their own strength and voting power. Is it really so surprising that now, the only homogeneity Chifton has is in its utterly varicolored heterogeneity?"

ASP

 * Main article: Aquitilla Space Protocol

In 4069, Homebase's successful relaunch of the Bynari, the LFM Service's surviving orbital shuttle, raised interregional tensions to a critical point. Matters came to a head when delegations from Cayne, Drori, and Xerus Delta, among others, found themselves barred at Chifton immigration. It was not until threats of economic consequence that diplomacy prevailed. It was there that the Aquitilla Space Protocol (ASP) was written, guiding the direction and pace of future spacebound development.

"Dystopian Year"
4075 marked the reopening of the Unification Year Initiative File, and the resurgence of the reformist-reconstructionist ideal, now shouldered by predominantly liberal supporters. Carrying with it came idealists and social programs such as the Caynian-Homebase Reformists, the Caynanite Liberal Outreach Program, the CayneBase Unification Soccer Tournament, and the Homebasian Cultural Preservation Society. These social programs were not all immediately accepted into mainstream Chifton culture, as evidenced by the arson of the Caynanite Liberal Outreach Program Headquarters' Building in 4078 and the sacking of Caynian-Homebase Reformist meeting halls over 4080-4081. Minor riots were not uncommon during this period 4075-4082, until the Rokaut Street Riot brought the situation to a dangerously unstable level - resulting in a police crackdown on violence in the streets ; this increased civil unrest as Chifton descended further and further into a police-state on both reformist and anti-reformist sides. This state of affairs, lasting from 4082-4083, is now known as Chifton's "Dystopian Year", only ending with the reconvening of the Neutral Party Adjudicators under Homebasian and Caynian pressure in mid-4083.

Geography
Chifton's political and strategic importance lies with its approximately central location along the border between Homebase and Cayne, at the river juncture known as Pahsse Crossing. Pahsse represents an atypical geographic feature of the Demarcating River, where the normally treacherous waters of the river widen in order to cross a short section of fertile floodplain. Chifton is built on this low-lying floodplain, with numerous creeks permeating the city structure. Though this geographical structure makes the city susceptible to flooding, there are numerous safeguards and water locks that offset and redirect floodwaters, the most notable being the water purification catchments located underground.

Urban structure
Chifton's central business district occupies the floodplain to either side of the Demarcating River, with minor creeks and and tributary rivers forming a canal network that acts, in tandem with the rail system, as Chifton's mass transit network. Its planning is set out in a radial polar-coordinate system, taking advantage of high ground for infrastructural purposes. However, the soft floodplain soil of Chifton city necessitates poured concrete foundations - over the years leaching has caused city-wide maintenance requirements and caused constant fluctuation in the Chifton property market.

Trade
Due to Homebase's near-total economic trade embargo with all regions of Aquitilla, Chifton is the only port of trade that Homebase mandates itself. As a result, goods such as the Azano Plant and fruit from the Arismith Orchards are regularly imported to Chifton and exported to Homebase, leading to Chifton's reputation as a trade hub. This reputation is bolstered by the prohibition of import/export taxes, leading to political commentators referring to Chifton as alternately a "triumph of laissez-faire capitalism" and "a cesspool of profiteering politicos". As of 4090 MEC, Chifton has no primary markets, instead acting as a medium of trade through which the secondary markets of luxury produce, pharmaceuticals, and minerals towards Homebase, and leased electricity, bitreconium and other advanced metallurgical products, and high technology towards Cayne.

New

 * Unification Year Initiative

Existing

 * LFM Service
 * Marsuline
 * MEC