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Pequeño Cielo participated in the Howitzer Contest Part Two. Pequeño Cielo was written by Scytherax.
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| Pequeño Cielo | |
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| General Information | |
| Establishment: | 2271 |
| Disestablishment: | N/A |
| Status: | Active, Inclining |
| Location Information | |
| Location: | Manuel Benavides, Chihuahua |
| Societal Information | |
| Population: | 128 |
| Notable Individuals: | Angus Arabella Maxwell Jordan Jr. |
| Factions: | House Arabella House Jordan |
| Notable Events: | Establishment (2271) |
Pequeño Cielo is a town in Manuel Benavides founded by the current mayor and head of government, Angus Arabella.
Origin & History[]
The town was originally something Winston Arabella was thinking of in early March of 2246, spending the rest of his life creating schematics for the buildings: at first, the town was to be made up of a town hall, a saloon, a general store and a large strip of land able to hold at least fifteen houses. At the time of his death, his son Angus Arabella attempted to build a town of the same name in memory of Winston.
The town was successfully built, and although not in Winston's image, it was built with heart and without the help of various factions scattered across Mexico. The inhabitants are well educated and are at the same time capable in terms of sustainability and stability.
The town started construction in January 2268 when "a white man with a strange accent convinced a black man to help him raise a settlement from the ground up with supernatural powers". This was the original rumor that was spread throughout various settlements. In reality, Angus Arabella simply convinced his best friend, Samuel Johnson to assist him in building a fence made out of scrap metal around a pre-war power plant, however allowing enough space to start a town to fulfill his father's dreams. In early 2269, a prospector by the name of Maxwell Jordan offered them assistance by recruiting suitable members for the settlement, mentioning that he had contacts "all over Mexico". In the end, he recruited people from only Central Chihuahua. Following Arabella and Johnson's disappointment considering they overestimated Jordan, the settlement's build team ended up as seven ghouls and four humans.
Angus Arabella as Mayor
Things started to change in the late months of that year when Miguel Carlos showed up. Miguel was a merchant who sold pre-war odds and ends alongside repaired pre-war basic technology including radios that connect to nearby signals, nuclear-powered toys that glow in the dark and even laser technology brought back to life. Miguel claimed he knew a lot of people and was accepted by the members of the town. By the summer of 2269, the town had twenty-six workers. Miguel's usefulness was further revealed when he repaired a nuclear power generator inside the power plan, running the power plant at 4% efficiency. Miguel also bought some tents to use as shelter, allowing members of the town to stay in the tents instead of the power plant. He was then welcomed as a member of the community.
During the winter of 2269, the tents became no match for the settlers' needs; they needed more room, so restoring the power plant was postponed as projects for houses started to emerge on Angus's desk. Houses were built as two-story buildings with a basement in each.
In 2271, the town was cherished Pequeño Cielo and House Arabella was established as well as House Alejandro. House Alejandro represented the ghouls and House Arabella represented the humans. The two stood in unity and Pequeño Cielo was officially recognized as a settlement with 36 members.
Due to problems in 2272, the Government of Pequeño Cielo was established and Angus Arabella was crowned the Mayor of town. The members of the government were known as the Council and consisted of a single member from each family existing within the walls of the settlement. In 2273, the Council was given rights to run court sessions, manage finances, provide stock, rations and balance morale itself. They were responsible for any negative actions regarding politics.
Maxwell Jordan Junior before becoming Sheriff
In 2274, Miguel repaired a water purifier located inside the power plant capable of turning urine, rain and underground water into clean drinkable water. This boosted the morale and economy of the town as wastelanders would often stop by to have a drink of water and traders would pass by to buy some water before moving on with their long trip. The town's inhabitants were seen healthier and cleaner after the money was used to purchase food and clothing.
During January 2276, it was becoming obvious that there was not enough living space. Tents were pitched outside walls to store resources so more could fit inside the safety of town walls as men wearing leather armor equipped with repeating rifles were hired to defend them. The men were led by Maxwell Jordan, a senior resident of Pequeño Cielo. As raids occurred, these men barely had any casualties and were established as the Authority of Pequeño Cielo, being led by Maxwell as Sheriff. In the end of 2279, Maxwell was killed during a major raid by an unidentified group of bandits, allowing his son Maxwell Jordan Junior to become the new - however inexperienced - Sheriff of the settlement. He spent two years in mourning and is still in mourning, shading his personality as cold and brutal. A House was established in memory of Maxwell.
In the present, Pequeño Cielo is a slowly growing economic town in Manuel Benavides, Chihuahua with an approximate number of 98 inhabitants run by Angus Arabella, Samuel Johnson, and Miguel Carlos as the representatives of the community. Although strength is not obvious in terms of military, the minds of the political system are.
Sustainability[]
Pequeño Cielo is recognized as a sustainable settlement, proving the title with various systems that they inherit.
Farming[]
One of them is farming. The farms of Pequeño Cielo are vast, taking up land outside walls larger than the town itself. Food is kept in pitched tents outside the walls defended by officers while spare resources are kept inside the power plant itself. Apparently, more food is kept inside the power plant. Meat is also made inside the walls as richer residents tend to mutated cows and geckos.
Purification[]
The Water Purification system inside the power plant is exceptionally important and can be repaired easily. It - although most do not know how - uses a water chip to literally transform urine into purified water. After this was discovered, some residents took the job of "urine collector" to collect the buckets of urine that the residents excrete into. This was to conserve water for defecation at toilets. There was even a small gang created under the name "Pissheads". Strange.
Power Generation[]
Power is generated in the power plant using Pre-War nuclear technology. Residents proudly operate it, although most could not bear to imagine running power 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This was noted by the government, who then decided together that there is a 12-hour shift between 2 different groups of 5 people - which is a sufficient number to run the power generator, although it would be useful to have more. They would usually take up the job of "urine collector" during their free time to earn more supply cards and cash.
Hierarchy[]
The Hierarchy of Pequeño Cielo is divided into three roles. Everyone is assumed equal as ranks only exist within the various Houses of the settlement while decisions are made by the Mayor and Council in the "Government". The settlement is under guard 24/7 by the town authorities, thus introducing the "Authority". The final third of the town are various household owners and workers under the "Residence". Each are run by a single person.
Government[]
The Government makes decisions affecting the town usually positively due to the group still holding its original members. Some decisions cause negative impacts on the town which either affects their reputation with other settlements, their supply stocks and rations or the town's morale. Bad governance would lead to riots, giving the Council a hard time to choose over various decisions. To avoid corruption, one member from each family are to join the Council, usually the leading member such as the oldest son. They also run the court. With a stable number of 18, the Government consists of:
- The Mayor: The Mayor brings the debate to a final choice, usually positively impacting the town. He leads the settlement either with pride and kindness or prejudice and selfishness.
- The Council: The Council members each have their own role ranging from finances to stock managing. They each also represent their family, allowing Pequeño Cielo to have a more balanced democracy.
Authority[]
Typical Resident
The Authority (as the name suggests) are the vigilantes of Pequeño Cielo, making sure that those who do crimes are punished either in the most humane way possible or through the barrel of their guns. They also defend the settlement against raiders from the towering watchtowers. Although no major crime has been committed, the settlement would be helpless against the wasteland without justice. With the head count of 30, the Authority consists of:
- The Sheriff: Unlike the Mayor, the Sheriff only deals in investigatory services, although no major cases have emerged in the past decade. Despite his uselessness regarding catching thieves and attending court, the Sheriff is saved for only the most urgent of situations, such as heavy raider attacks and hostage situations.
- The Officers: The Sheriff has his army of men wearing leather armor, which is quite effective against most raider attacks. They wield rifles built with schematics from the early to middle nineteenth century and although they aren't as effective as laser rifles, the trigger still works and ammunition is easier to make.
Residence[]
The Residence are workers and are as well the majority and main fraction of the community as the Authority and Government focuses on improving the lives of the members of the Residence fraction. They work to improve the stability and economy of the town and contribute to town sustainability considering their role in the lives of the entire settlement. There would eventually be some cases where the resource buildings outside would be successfully raided and the residents may have to work extra hard, but that point has not yet come in the book of Pequeño Cielo. Being the largest group with a number of approximately 50, the Residence consist of:
- The Elder: In Pequeño Cielo, it is estimated that the person of right experience and age would be a fitting leader in terms of the community. However, the Elder is not elected to lead, but rather, he is elected to advise and provide emotional support for the residents. The Elder must, however, have certain capabilities and skills including skills regarding medicine and must be intelligent and suitable to be a pre-war teacher. He represents the Residence and if there is a problem among the residents, the Elder would be the one to risk his life questioning laws at the mayor's face. However, when he has, Arabella would attempt to reason. The current Elder is 51-year-old Samuel Johnson.
- The Residents: Every system needs support, and the residents are the backbone of the entire community; while everyone at the Government or Authority debate and protect, the residents enjoy life, proud to contribute to a not-so-strong economy. Although most think about the future of the community, there are others who care only for their personal needs. People found to do major thievery, chems or even smuggling will often be either imprisoned, punished or executed. Punishments include drilling hands (thievery), cutting off of limbs (chems) and crippling or dismemberment of legs (smuggling).
Notes[]
- Unlike most settlements, Pequeño Cielo sticks with the Pre-War currency. According to Arabella's conversation with Miguel and Samuel, it is a "strategy" to stabilize the economy as Pre-War money is worth more than bottlecaps.
- "Supply cards" are an alternate currency in Pequeño Cielo to buy set meals like "Rat & Water". Each are worth $6, making a good deal. However, they are usually earned through doing jobs that deal in most services like "urine collector" or "exterminator". Also, six are given to each family every month for a free meal. They are produced in the power plant using cheap materials.
- Recruit officers defend the resource tents outside for training. Maxwell's speech confirmed this and also states the reason for it: "The law is built off of men carved into soldiers, and this would be the quickest way to prove that they can be carved."
- 'Pequeño Cielo' is a name suggested by Miguel Carlos. In English, 'Pequeño Cielo' is 'Little Heaven'.
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