Aurora Confederacy
Mercantile Federal Republic of The Aurora Condederacy Confederacy | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: United-Undivided | |
 | |
| Capital | Valeria-Port Aurora |
| Largest | Khayr South Sands |
| Official languages | English |
| Demonym(s) | Auroran |
| Government | |
• President | Zafferana Promura |
• Vice President | Myako Sogabe |
| Area | |
• | 116,222 km2 (44,874 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2011 census | 8,768,988 |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | $386,387 billion |
• Per capita | $29,079 |
| Currency | Northern Dinar (ND) |
| Time zone | UTC |
| Driving side | right |
| Calling code | +471 |
| Internet TLD | .ice |
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Driving in the Aurora Confederacy
When entering the country, either by sea or across through one of the two border crossings, driving is to be done on the right like continental Europe, though the actual side the steering wheel is on does not matter. Vehicles must have a current certificate of rodworthiness and must be presentable at all times on request of a patrol officer from the police or DoT along with proof of insurance. Vehicles that are due to stay in the Aurora Confederacy for a constant period of longer than 90 days must be registered within the country, this however also extends to diplomatic vehicles. Regardless of nation of origin, diplomatic vehicles are also subject to the same road traffic laws as all other drivers and so diplomatic drivers are still subject to the road traffic laws herein the Aurora Confederacy.
Terralinks are express routes of an underground nature, remarkably accident free due to the constant patrol of police and watchful eyes of the SPECS cameras which watch the average speed of motorists as they go down the tunnels. Go over a posted speed limit or the 100km/h national limit and you are issued with a fine (and points if over 20km/h over the limit in force). Hard shoulders are also monitored so if you break down, the emergency and recovery services are noted. pass one camera but not the next and dont pass an exit camera, the system is able to work out where you are and direct police to you, even before you get to a phone (located every 10m down the tunnels by evac doors).
In the case of a breakdown, once the system has located you, (be it by the ANPR based system in use by the CCTV or the SPECS or by the fact the you have picked up an emergency phone), the lane adjacent to the hard shoulder you are sat on is closed, so 200m down from you, a lane sign will show up [X], traffic across the lanes is then reduced in speed past your car. A police cruiser will be sent to you, along with the Terralink recovery service (or your own breakdown recovery service if in an organisation like the ADAC).
In the event of a crash, or other major highway incident requiring closure of a tunnel portal traffic is marshalled off, first off 20km from incident, lane 1 is marshalled off, then Lane2 is marshalled off 15km from incident, with lane 3 marshalled off 10km from incident, allowing a 5km free work space for emergency services.
Specs cameras are situated every 5km, and drivers are timed between junctions to ensure that they keep to the strictly enforced speed limit. Failure to adhere to the speed limit results in a 50Dinar fine and up to 3 penalty points on a drivers licence, further more CCTV cameras are every 10m down the tunnels watching every exit which has a number by it so that the emergency services know exactly where you are, this makes the Terralinks the safest motorway system in the world despite the fact that for 90% of their coverage they are in tunnels or just open on one side to allow for ventilation.
They are built to a standard design, 2 main tunnels with a left and right hand shoulder 3.5m wide, with 3 lanes, each 4m wide, across the roof space are sign gantries spaced 100m apart with information matrix signs, along with reflective signs.
Matrix signs give the following information
[x] Lane closed (red)
[↑] Lane open - 100km/h speed limit (green)
temporary speed limit signs, red circle white numbers
[90] 90km/h speed limit
[80] 80km/h speed limit
[70] 70km/h speed limit
[60] 60km/h speed limit
[/] return to 100km/h past this point
[T] tunnel closed 5km ahead leave at next exit
[C] Congestion ahead slow down (this will be followed by a speed limit on the next matrix 100m down the tunnel)
The Mercantile federal republic of the Aurora Confederacy has many lesser roads that are not paved at all, instead just covered with hard stones, these roads have been the staple backbone of the Aurora Confederacy's road network before the advent of the Terralink, These roads can often be quite slippery and dangerous in winter so care must be taken. Even through there is no official speed limit on these roads, the clause "Safe and Prudent speed" still exists, and here, semi trucks have the right of way.
When venturing on the unpaved roads, drivers are advised to be familiar with how the legally required 2-way radio works, and are also requested to keep idle chat off channels 9 and 19, as well as the international UHF distress frequency, it is a criminal offence to use the IDF and channel 9 for idle chatter, with a fine of 1000Dinars for such an offence, though it is a common curtesy to use channel 19 to warn on coming drivers of oversize loads. It is therefore reccomended that you have a scanner tuned into CB19
It is compulsory to drive with headlights on at all times, whether it be during the midnight sun of the polar summer, the depths of the polar winter or on the Terralink motorways and licence plates must be of a readable font. front registration plate however is optional and not a legal requirement however a rear registration must be displayed and of a legal size for the country it is from.
| Drivers by legal requirement must have the following equipment: |
|---|
| Snow chains |
| Fluorescent market sheet and a means to tie it down |
| Warning triangle |
| Two-way radio able to tune into either the international distress frequency, CB09AM or CB09FM |
| Shovel |
| First aid kit |
| High visibility jacket |
| Spare bulb set |
| Spare tyre, as well as a means to change it. |
| Tow rope |
| GPS |
| Spare fuel, stored in an approved container (or 'Jerrycan') |
| food and drink, per passenger |
| Thermal blanket, per passenger |
| Battery jump leads |
| Fire extinguisher |
| Wheel chocks (for vehicles over 3,500 kg) |
| Flashlight |
| Vehicle jack (for vehicles under 3,500 kg) |
| Jacking pad (for spreading load, vehicles under 3,500 kg) |
Though the surface roads have no official speed limit, the term "safe and responsible speed" however applies, so drive according to the conditions and stop regularly to clear off ice build up off your head and tail lights. Travelling on the Terralink however, there is a strict speed limit and enforced by average speed cameras and police officers. 100km/h during the periods of daylight, 80km/h during the periods of night.
Unlike many countries the wearing of seatbelts is not mandatory however when on the ice roads it is illegal to wear a seatbelt, this is because of the extra second it takes to get out of a seat belt if the vehicle goes through the ice into frozen water may prove fatal. Carriage of hazardous goods covered under A.D.R. / HAZ-MAT regulations, such as fuel and chemicals is not permitted on the sub-surface Terralink. In any situation, the recommendation of the Auroran government is to drive safely.
When it comes to road transport, the truck is the main vehicle used in haulage. Trucks are permitted to be up to 36m in length and haul up to 3 trailers with a maximum trailer length of 14m when pulling more than one trailer, however single trailer trucks are permitted to operate with 17m long trailers. The height limit for trucks is 4.5m though TIR trucks are usually no higher than 4.0m in height though they too can be 4.5m in height.
In order to protect the their trucks, many operators fit bull bars to their vehicles, nicknamed "Bear bouncers" or "Moose Munchers" by some. Conventional trucks can often be seen with co-phased antennas fitted to them for radio communication.
Electricity in the Aurora Confederacy
Electricity in the Aurora Confederacy is generated mainly by nuclear power though there are two coal fired power stations located at Longyearbyen, close to the large coal mine which allows coal to be fed to the power station by conveyor belt. The other non nuclear electricity generating staion is situated on the Rai'Lal - Barentsburg sea-span, capturing tidal flow to spin a turbine but nuclear power remains key to the energy generating operations of the Aurora Confederacy, mainly through the use of Magnox reactors of which there are 20 such reactors operating across the country with in 10 power stations, rather than newer pressurised water reactors or boiling water reactors. There were two RBMK power plants however, these were closed in 2013 as a Magnox plant was brought on grid. Eventually as the existing Magnox reactors reach the end of their life, The government will be replacing them with new reactors, again of the Magnox design, this change over will be occurring betweem 2016 and 2020. With the RBMK reactors off grid, the Uranium enrichment operation can be scaled back as the Magnox reactors do not require enriched Uranium.
Longyearbyen EGS, currently the only coal fired power station in the Aurora Confederacy is to be the planned site for a Magnox reactor complex to come on stream in 2022, construction is due to start around 2014. This will initially suplement the coal fired power station until 2024, after which point the boilers for the coal fired power station will be turned off. This is to bring Aurora's Electricity grid in line with current emissions regulations with the rest of the region.
Unlike the rest of the region that the Aurora Confederacy resides in, and indeed the world, the chosen voltage is 110v DC rather than AC with distribution lines of 500,000v and 750,000v running down the Terra Link tunnels below the primary road deck to keep them safe from the elements though in some areas pylons remain. The electrified railway lines of the Aurora Confederacy, electrified at 1500v DC across the main network and 10,000v DC on the two sea-link bridges that run north and south of Rai'lal, also serve as part of the electricity distribution network.
The use of 110v DC came about after the Aurora Confederacy backed Thomas Eddison in the war_of_currents, over the Alternating current of Westinghouse, however Westinghouse's AC system prevailed across the world but by then DC was firmly in place, making the Aurora Confederacy unique across the world. The result to stick with Direct Current however has had some advantages, especially as in the area of back up power supplies as the batteries used no longer need complex integration systems such as inverters and can simply be plugged directly into the buildings electrical supply.
Government of the Aurora Confederacy
Political relations
Communications
Aurora Confederacy has 3 main modes of personal communication, these being satellite mobile phone, geographic telephone and two-way radio, this is primarily because of the barren, empty nature of the nation with no cellular phone coverage outside the city centres. Inside the cities Cellular coverage is 2nd gen only, 3g coverage has not yet made it into the country. Because of the lack of cellular coverage, two-way radio communication is essential and a in many cases, combined with a global positioning system, has been a life saver, though short range of CB means that messages are generally relayed.
Emergency phone service number is 112, with non emergency calls to be made on 211, however when using satellite phones the international dialing code must be used before making the 112 or 211 call. CB09, the traditional emergency channel of civilian CB radio still retains its use and is monitored by the emergency services, as is HAM radio frequency 3,985 kHz. These are dedicated emergency radio channels for the Aurora Confederacy
Major Industries
The primary industry of the Aurora Confederacy is the manufacture of commercial vehicles, the main manufacturer being Diamond Star which produces a wide range of vehicles of both conventional and cab over layout types.
Diamond Star part of the state owned Project Aurora group of companies, dates back to 1903 when Harold Hunter set up Hunter Automotive, Under this name Harold Hunter produced his first mechanised vehicle, this vehicle was 4 wheel drive with wide tyres, and proved a great way to get across the terrain, however most business was still relatively slow. In 1922, Harold Hunter produced his second vehicle, called simply "Model 2", this vehicle was better in many ways, even having a heated cabin and electric start, practically unheard of in the early 1920s. Diamond Star's Model 2 truck had a large 8 litre petrol engine that produced 140 horse power, again not bad for the 1920s.
1925 saw the introduction of the Model 3 and the first international sales, a larger engine that produced a heady 150 horsepower gave the model 3 a maximum speed of 35mph, which for 1925 was quite fast for a commercial truck. Harold Hunter had the idea of cutting the cogs at an angle, making gear changes a lot easier, yes synchromesh transmission in 1925. Most cars did not have that luxury!
In 1929, Harold Hunter joined engineer Rjyk Van Hansen, and the name Diamond Star was born, with this partnership, the new company, Diamond Star, started work on a 4th model, called the DS1. This model has a 6 speed synchromesh transmission, electric start and was the first model designed NOT to be full time all wheel drive, the long axle spacing between axles 2 and 3 made it an ideal candidate for conversion into a military half track, known simply as the DS1T, the T meaning Tracked. The half track format proving to be an excellent vehicle at getting across the snow covered terrain of the polar north.
Since 2001, the best selling model produced by Diamond Star is the Kvasir, which at the time of its introduction in 2001 was one of the most advanced vehicles produced by Diamond Star.
