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INDEX
 Arrival
in Olympus
Despite being an island nation/state, Olympus is perhaps the easiest
to get to city in the world. Airfare to Olympus is relatively cheap, and
customs is a breeze. For that matter, it is very easy to apply for "asylum"
in Olympus, almost regardless of where in the world you come from (so long
as you have some talent, skill, or money).
The two most common ways to enter Olympus are by boat (the least practical),
or by plane. Sea travel provides entrance through the Suiten Arcology Block,
though aside from tourism, not much naval activity occurs along the cold
water current running down from the Canary Islands. Most visitors and new
citizens arrive by Olympus International Airport in the northern sectors
of the Bezekric Arcology Block.
"Badsiders" head-hunted by the various organizations often arrive by
a different mean. Helicopters based in enclaves, bastions, and embassies
"ferry" the subjects directly to the Central Olympic Arcology. The "paper-trail"
is soon after erased by Olympus based networking experts in the corresponding
sponser department.
Applying for Citizenship
Becoming a legal, bone-a-fide citizen of Olympus is only a matter
of few hours, if you've come from another civilized nation. The citizenship
test is relatively easy, and employment is practically given to immigrants.
For Badsiders, things are a bit more complicated. Employment is hard to
come by, and unless you can prove your competence in a field they administration
is recruiting for, you'll either be deported or stuck in manual labor.
Further, nearly all of the immigrants possessions will be "quarantined".
Likewise, the badsider himself may be stuck in the Containment Bureau for
weeks, even months. Of course, there's always an exception to the rule.
Those special fortunate badsiders that are headhunted are given the red
carpet treatment. Any arms they possess will likely be confiscated, but
otherwise, they'll be citizens in an hour or two. Still, they'll be faced
with a dilemma deliberately made by their Sponsers. With no immediate way
to leave, they'll have to choose between working for their Sponser's organization
or manual labor. It's almost slavery. Good thing the pay is usually nice.
 The
Central Management Bureau
Olympus is the headquarters and domain of The Central Management
Bureau, also known as the CMB or Aegis. The offspring of the UPG (the creators
of Olympus). Coming to complete power after the end of the 5th World War,
its purpose is to maintain peace and harmony on a global scale. Under their
guiding hand, the world has realized "peace". Of course, this is a peace
in name only. Still, they have managed to implement global nuclear, chemical,
and biological disarmament. The also supervise trade and the global economy.
The final (verified) plan of the UPG, Aegis was created to be the perfect
peace keeping mechanism, a machine composed of organic parts, and wasn't
truly meant to be a nation. Its government does not exist to fulfill the
will of its citizens, but rather to enforce global law, maintain the world
economy, and protect the human race. But, in a world where there is no
certainties, Olympus is one of the safest, cleanest, and generally nicest
places to live in the world. The CMB has done nothing to discourage the
masses that have flocked to its banner; rather, it encourages it. Still,
many on the outside are reluctant to do so.
The Central Management Bureau is composed of three governing branches,
eaching serving different functions. The Executive Branch, has the executive
right (obviously) and governs external affairs. The Administrative Branch
is Olympus' judicial branch and heads up internal affairs and law, even
at the local level. Finally, the Legislative Branch is Olympus' law making
body, and is run by the super-computer GAIA. These branches exist in a
constant balance of power: checks and balances keep any one from becoming
too powerful. The various commitees and organizations within have their
own agendas, and they are in constant conflict with each other. This was
the intention of the UPG. The infighting slows progress and makes government
rather 'sterile', but it keeps Olympus from becoming a distopian city out
of the collective consciousnesses of Orwell, Huxley, and Rand.
The Executive Branch
The Executive Branch is the most powerful branch of Aegis, the
Central Management Bureau. Run by Bureau Chief Officer Athena, it determines
Olympus' foreign policy and keeps the other branches in line. It consists
of two primary groups. The Ministry of External Affairs is "the brain"
of all Olympic policy. While the Administrative branch technically controls
ESWAT, they cannot be deployed out of Olympus without authorization from
the Ministry of External Affairs. The Ministry of External affairs gives
out justice with an iron fist. They are the strong-arm of the CMB, and
this has alienated them from the Legislative branch. While the Legislative
branch is "pro-bioroid", and the Administration is "pro-human", the Executive
branch is pro-Olympus. At the end of the day, they're there to make sure
everything doesn't collapse inward on itself.
The FBI is the second division of the Executive Branch, and conspiracy
theorists would whisper that they truly run Olympus. While "FBI" does stand
for the Federal Bureau of Investigations, they can not be equated to the
old USA FBI. Instead, they are a sort of secret police that works from
the inside, pruning the tree of corruption through out the government.
There's a fierce rivalry between them and ESWAT (the latter despising the
"gestapo-shit" the FBI pulls). If ESWAT is the greatest unknown para-military
force in the world, FBI agents are their lesser known peers and betters.
Despite their gruff nature and reputation as being bloodthirsty, they have
the lowest arrest and operative fatality rate out of all of the law enforcing
organizations. They are extremely independant; they don't even answer to
the Ministry of External Affairs. It should be noted that they are the
only non-law enforcement orientated position in government that does not
consist entirely of bioroid: over 50% of the FBI's operatives are human.
The Administrative Branch
The second most powerful branch of the government is the judicial
and internal affairs department, The Administrative Branch. Unlike similar
government models, the power of the judicial branch outweighs the legislative
branch...barely. There power is derived from the fact that they act as
the "local government" of Olympus. They control local development and the
enforcement of CMB policy. They also have control of Olympus' law enforcement
and the elite para-military organization ESWAT. The Branch is headed up
by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which keeps the city itself running
on a day to day basis. They also are responsible for the enforcement of
law. The Ministry is headed up by Chief of State Nike. Nike is on excedingly
good terms with Athena, though the exact nature of their alliance remains
to be seen.
ESWAT is the highest of all law enforcing bodies within Olympus, and
they also serve as Olympus' "big stick" in enforcing global policy. ESWAT
(Extra Special Weapons And Tactics). Officially, it is not associated with
standard police units, though sometimes their jurisdictions cross. ESWAT
headhunts new agents from other law enforcement bodies and Badside, putting
the rookies through intense training. About 1 in 15 candidates for ESWAT
will make the cut. They are trained in the use of many weapons, as well
as land mate and vehicle operation. They serve as a special forces, and
perform the occaisional black-op. There role isn't restricted to brute
first: some of the greatest investigators and forensics experts work in
ESWATS Cyborg Crime Investigation team. ESWAT answers to the Ministry of
Internal Affairs, but resents how the Executive Branch has been using them
in strong-arm diplomacy.
The Legislative Branch
The Legislative Branch is the law making body of Olympus, though
of all the powers of the CMB, it lacks the ability to enforce their initiatives.
The Senators that make up the Parliament are exclusively bioroid; they
are made to represent the demographics and interests of the world proportionately.
As demographics change, old bioroids are retired and new ones are instituted.
There are no elections.
The actions of the Parliament are overseen by GAIA, a massive supercomputer
that takes up a good 25000 cubic meters of space in a massive underground
complex in the Central Olympic Arcology. It has the power to call for the
"impeachment" of senators, and the power to veto. Gaia is programmed to
absolutely represent the interests of Humanity; it has vehemently fought
against Parliament for this reason on many occasions. A veto by Gaia can
be overuled by the Council of Seven.
The Council of Seven, nicknamed the CPU, is a group of seven first-generation
bioroids that have been around nearly as long as Olympus (that's a really
long time). They act as the "organic balance" on Gaia's scale of justice.
They have been made to be extremely intelligent and moral, and act as advisors
to (and components of) Gaia. More importantly, however, they act as Gaia's
contact to the politics of Olympus. They are her eyes and ears. Their positions
haven't made them any friends in the Parliament or in the other Branches;
they have been "put under surveillance for their protection" several times
to keep them from interfacing with Gaia.
 Finding
Employment
If you want to live in Olympus, you will need to find a job, and
fast. If you're a bioroid, or headhunted, this won't be a problem. Employment
will be provided for you. Ultimately, you will want to find your dream
job. Your job will provide you with capital, favors, contacts, and authority.
And hopefully, the effort you have to put into it will be worth the returns.
Government Work
Administrative Position: Administrative positions cover
those who work as bureaucrats and civil servants. They are paper-pushers,
but they are also the movers and shakers of Olympus. They enforce policy,
schedule and attend conferences with dignitaries, hammer out contracts,
and the like. This, on a day to day basis, is boring, to say the least.
But, when it comes down to it, they have a lot of power, especially at
the higher levels. They can grant political favors, and at high levels,
they can control policy and use police forces.
| Annual Salary |
Examples |
| $25,000 |
Mail Room Boy/Secretary |
| $25,000 |
Paper Pusher/Low Level Bureaucrat |
| $35,000 |
Bureaucrat/Commitee Member |
| $65,000 |
Commitee Head |
| $70,000 |
Department Head |
Federal Bureau of Investigation: The FBI is the highest
of the high law enforcement and investigative bodies and Olympus, and is
also a symbol of the Executive Branch's power. Agents do not apply: they
are recruited, and not just anyone makes the cut. FBI agents are masters
of deception, combat, and the shakedown. It's said that in a gunfight,
the FBI Agent is the second one to draw, but always the first to fire.
Rules: The GM may wish to disallow PCs access to the FBI. Both
Bioroids and Humans can become Agents, but obvious full Cyborgs will not
generally be recruited: they're too conspicuous.
| Annual Salary |
Examples |
| $25,000 |
Prospective Agent |
| $30,000 |
Rookie |
| $35,000 |
Detective |
| $45,000 |
Chief Officer |
| $75,000 |
Team Leader |
Government Research: Researchers are technicians, engineers,
biologists, geneticists, and the like, who work on developing technology
and maintaining the afore mentioned technology that keeps the city running.
Next to law enforcement, this field is the one in which Olympus does the
most headhunting.
| Annual Salary |
Examples |
| $20,000 |
Intern |
| $30,000 |
Researcher |
| $40,000 |
Lead Researcher |
| $50,000 |
Field Head |
| $75,000 |
Chief Scientist |
 Law
Enforcement
The city of Olympus is virtually crime free: bioroids aren't programmed
to be felons and in general it is a peaceful city. However, there is the
criminal element, and the police are often needed to protect Olympus from
extremists, hostage takers, and itself. Olympus has several law enforcing
bodies, each with various jurisdictions. All of these organizations are
controlled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The Olympus Police Department
The rank and file cops of the Olympus Police Department are the
backbone of order in Olympus. They respond to crimes in progress, patrol
the streets, and investigate crimes. They lack the training and resources
of the higher organizations, but they don't need them. The average cop
never has to draw his gun in the line of duty anyway.
Police, Patrolmen, Officers and Detectives function in the same way
and serve the same functions as in the real world. Police have the power
to make arrests and enforce the law. It typically will take 1-5 minutes
for the police to respond to any call at any given time at any place in
the city. Police get around by car, bike, motorcycle, and on foot.
Air Police
The Olympian Air Police consists of several squadrons of helicopter,
plane, and hovercraft pilots who act as back up to other law enforcing
bodies. They are a subdivision of the standard law enforcing body, and
fall under the same jurisdiction. Air Police generally are not used except
in the most extreme hostage situations, and in hostage and augmented criminal
cases.
SWAT
SWAT functions as the police strong-arm against hostage takers
and violent situations that need to be diffused quickly. They have a good
reputation compared to similar organizations in other countries, but cannot
compare with the likes of GSG-9, GIGN, and ESWAT. In fact, ESWAT looks
down on them as incompetent children. However, the fact that most ESWAT
agents are headhunted from SWAT cannot be overlooked. They are generally
used to suppress the "day-to-day" acts of terrorism that ESWAT does not
have the time for.
Special Investigations Unit
The Special Investigations Unit is an organization seperate from
the OPD, though it is still headed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
They are the "FBI" of Olympus (though they should not be confused with
the
FBI); they are responsible for investigating criminal activity that stems
outside of Olympus. They have several subdepartments, each which investigate
and respond to different offenses. They work to stop smuggling of contraband
materials in and technology out, to fight the drug trade, and to investigate
foreign involvement in local crimes.
 ESWAT
ESWAT is Olympus' premier paramilitary group. It serves as the
anti-terrorist, cyborg crime response, and special force branch of the
Central Management Bureau. It is not a police organization in the sense
that it is not used to enforce local law: rather, it is used to enforce
international law and to keep peace. E-SWAT is an extremely well trained
combat force, and can easily take on the toughest of opponents with relative
ease.
Recruitment
ESWAT operatives are handpicked from SWAT, SIU, badside "immigration
candidates", and, if they get lucky, FBI. Solos and foreign combat personal
are often headhunted from badside and other nations to work on ESWAT. These
individuals soon find themselves working in law enforcement, or in manual
labor.
Training
"AGAAIN! FROM THE TAAAHP!" The life of the ESWAT agent becomes
his training. Prospective and veteran operatives alike are put through
brutal, strenuous training at ESWAT's huge arcology in the Central Olympic
Block. They train 8 to 10 hours a day, with little let up. Every possible
scenario is simulated, and after they are all simulated, they do it all
over again. No one overspecializes; this breeds weakness. If a character
joins ESWAT, he can expect to be spending most of his time in training,
when not on an operation. While this limits the character's free time,
they'll make a lot of buddies (or enemies) on their team. It's always good
to have drinking buddies who are armed (or is it? *hick*).
Training consists of 10 day excersizes in various fields. Common excersizes
include defense of government property and officials, cyborg crime, hostage
situations, landmate operations, room clearing, and assassination.
Training should most definitely be roleplayed from time to time. This
is an excellent tool by which to teach the rules system to the players
without having to worry about death (as much). It'll make those deadly
black ops that much easier. It will also cement the characters together
in a coherent group, and it can be used to create conflict between PCs
and NPCs.
Operations and Procedures
The majority of ESWAT missions involve special-forces actions
and anti-terrorist operations. Both are compromised primarily of tactical
assault, and at this activity, ESWAT is the best in the world. Their training
and teamwork really pay off, and the mission fatality and injury rate is
lower than those incurred in training. A lesser function excersized of
ESWAT is the use of standard police and SIU investigative procedure and
assault tactics in bringing in dangerous cyborg criminals too tough to
aprehend with normal police units.
ESWAT will often operate in other countries, often loaned to these nations
by Olympus to put down terrorists, criminals, and insurrections. However,
often they will operate in other countries to protect their own interests.
ESWAT will only do so if authorized to do so by the sovereign government
(authorization is often aquired just moments ahead of time) or under the
cover of plausible deniability. In such circumstances, operatives have
a lot more freedom in their actions (though reckless behavior will lead
to pay cuts or suspensions). Still, agents have to be careful what they
do. The Ministry of External Affairs has ESWAT investigated routinely.
At any given time there will by half a dozen FBI moles in ESWAT.
 Getting
Around
It's a big island, and in the course of a campaign set in Olympus,
the characters will be scrambling all over it. There are many ways to get
around inside the arcologies and between the blocks. Most means are relatively
inexpensive and easy to acquire.
Car and Motorcycle
Olympus does have large stretches of highways and wide roads to
drive upon. The roads are well maintained and they allow for the use of
wired electronic cars. Traveling from one end of the island to the other
takes about 4 hours of driving. All the same, cars are relatively scarce
in Olympus, and traffic jams infrequent. Most people either use public
transportation or use bicycles.
Public Transit
Olympus has a large, accurately timed, and cheap metro transit
system that runs to all of the beaches and several arcologies in each of
the Blocks. Travel by electro-magnetic super-conductive monorail is also
available. You can get from one side of the island to the other in 30 minutes
by this method.
Helicopter
Every arcology block possesses at least four helipads. These are
government operated, and therefore air transportation is generally limited
to dignitaries, military personal, corporate attaches, and other VIPs.
 Places
of Interest
Ahh, the places to go and people to see. What follows is a brief
listing of various locales in Olympus worth a second look.
Akatendai Arcology Block:Primarily an industrial block, it houses
most of the actual foreign corporate holdings. However, there are residences
in the area for bioroids.
Anemos Arcology Block: Olympus' science arcology, it is where
the GAIA super computer is housed (albeit a quarter mile underground).
It also houses the Tartarus Arcology.
Bezekric Arcology Block: The Bezekric Arcology Block is primarily
a governmental block. It houses all of the foreign embassies as well as
most of the government buildings. Most Corporations with interests in Olympus
have their residences and headquarters based in this arcology.
Central Olympic Arcology Block: Olympus' largest arcology block,
it consists both of residential complexes and comercial districts. Most
immigrant humans live in this arcology block; the ratio of human to bioroid
is approxamitely 2:3. This, of course, makes this place a boiling point.
Most of the Biocontrol Service Centers are based here.
Suiten Arcology Block: A second Residential and Commercial block,
it also houses the Olympic Port Authority.
Tartarus Arcology:The huge, mirrored administration arcology
in Olympus. Shaped like a semi-circle, it has thousands of floor levels,
all of which are used towards the development and control of military grade
weapon and armor development.
ESWAT Headquarters: This building is a massive police structure
situated between the primary arcologies of the Central Olympic and Bezekric
Blocks. It houses all aspects of ESWAT operations. It also contains the
massive training facility (partially outdoors) that ESWAT uses to prepare
for it's operations.
The 'Burbs: Between the large arcology blocks are miles and miles
of country side, and expensize housing. The suburbs of olympus are something
alot of people aspire for, but generally only high administrative positions
and stuffed shirts can afford them (ESWAT agents are always in debt...).
Still, they are beautiful, and they offer a chage of pace from the somewhat
hectic life of the big arcology cities.
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Construction plans for Olympus began in the early 1990s, and now, almost
150 years later, Olympus is debatably the center of all culture and law
in the world. It is a man-made island, a floating city in every sense of
the word. It is located between the Azores and Canary Islands. Consisting
of several arcology complex "mini-cities" over the sub-tropical island,
it is a wonderous place, eons ahead the rest of the world. Using technology,
it is the most advanced, recognized sovereign governing body. It's city
structure is emulated by nearly every other reconstructing nation.
Facts
at a Glance