New Bexar
Founded in January of 2258, New Bexar was to be the Republic of
Texas’ first ExtraSolar colony. Utilizing the resources of the Austin Colonization
Company, 15,000 colonists were transported to the initial settlement of Travisville. Due
to colonization incentives offered by Texas and local growth, by 2300 the population of
New Bexar has grown to 1.3 million individuals. Most of the population (640,000) lives in
or near Travisville, with another 460,000 living in Crocket City. The remaining population
is spread among several island chains and large ranches inland.
LANGUAGE & CULTURE
New Bexar is a strange mixture of cultures and traditions which
are lumped together to form a uniquely "Texan" way of life. Large portions of
the population are Vietnamese, Hispanic, German, Norwegian, Chinese, as well as Anglo. In
fact, while the official language is English, all of these others are also in wide spread
use in New Bexar. Most locals use a liberal sprinkling of "foreign" words in
their English. Despite this cultural stew on New Bexar, all citizens view themselves as
Texans and are fiercely loyal to their colony. Due to the harsh conditions and
"frontier" mindset of New Bexar, most cultural holidays are celebrated with an
unusual ferocity. The Tet celebration and ensuing "parade" of
sea vessels lasts several days as the flotilla makes its way from Crocket City to
Travisville and has often been described by tourists as a "floating
riot". Alamo day and Settler's Day are two other holidays that receive
similar treatment by the population. The Lifers view these occasions as excuse for public
displays of drunkeness. The Spanish and old west traditions of rodeo are more than
alive and well in New Bexar. Monthly rodeo competitions culminate during the week
that Settler's day is celebrated. The monthly champions compete in a weeklong
Megarodeo that showcases the most talented and flamboyant of the cowboys.
CURRENCY
The standard currency of New Bexar is the Texan Dollar. Local
businesses will accept Livres and American dollars as well, but beyond that, most off
worlders will have to travel to a local bank for currency conversion.
TRANSPORTATION
Due to the nature of the weather on Austin’s World, there is
limited use of passenger aircraft for movement between colonies. Most travel is by ship or
other water craft. Huge passenger ferries travel between the cities of Travisville and
Crocket city. There are many private vessels within the colony, as well as several water
taxi services. Some tourists claim that travelling on board one of the many Vietnamese
fishing/harvesting vessels as a working deckhand is an experience that is not to be
missed. Interface facilities are located in Travisville and consist of spaceplane service
and an orbital catapult.
WEATHER
The weather on New Bexar is extreme. Anything from Category 5
hurricanes to gentle breezes can sweep across the lowlands of the colony. The terraforming
push has reduced the great dust storms that once swept across the plains due to intense
groundcover programs. Crocket City and Travisville have immense seawalls to protect them
from storm surges. Further from the coast, the winds have given rise to large
"windmill farms" which generate power for the cattle ranches and other outlying
settlements.
ECONOMY
The economy of New Bexar revolves around agriculture. The lack of
heavy metals has hampered the industrial development of New Bexar, but in the last 20
years there has been push toward developing the asteroid belt as a source of raw
materials.
Agriculture itself is a challenge on Austin’s World, but typical Texan ingenuity
has prevailed in the creation of novel ways to circumvent the restrictions of the
environment.
Due to the need for Vitamin C, extensive Fruit orchards have been planted around the
Travisville. In fact, the original settlement and "old quarter" of the city is
surrounded by a patchwork of walled orchards and heavy greenhouses. Even the extensive
grain fields outside of the cities are surrounded by walls. The success of these crops is
also guaranteed by the use genetically engineered grains with shorter, tougher stems as
well as other changes to acclimate crops to the intense environment of New Bexar.
Another major industry that has taken off since the introduction of clover and grasses
to the uninhabited regions is cattle ranching.
A survey was initially held to see which breed of cattle would fair best on
Austin’s World and much to the surprise of the cattle industry, the Texas Long Horn
was found to be the breed best suited. The high gravity, high winds, dust storms, and
other environmental factors did not seem to faze the long horns as it did more hybrid
breeds. The long horns were so adaptable, the cattle industry was soon experiencing mild
surpluses which has enabled New Bexar to export food to nearby worlds.
The Vietnamese population of New Bexar has developed several unique aquaculture
ventures which have grown very successful in the past few years. On several island groups
and in coastal areas, the Vietnamese of New Bexar have extensive facilities devoted to
seafood "ranching". A variety of Terran animals, shrimp, fish, oysters, and
scallops are being "ranched" in high tech ranches. All of these facilities are
located either on shore or in enclosed bays. In fact, as the Vietnamese branch out, they
are beginning to seek more ways to harvest the native wildlife from Austin’s
World’s oceans. On many occasions, this has lead to confrontations with the Life
Foundation, many of which nearly led to violence.
One of the few industries that has taken off has been the construction of sea craft for
all the colonies on Austin’s world. The largest and most successful of these
companies is Crane Ship Works, located in the Crocket City. Crane Ship Works custom builds
boats and ships of all sizes, especially a line of ferries that are common on the water
lanes of the world.
GOVERNMENT
New Bexar is officially a department of the Republic of Texas. It
elects a governor and lieutenant governor every 4 years, as well as a departmental
congress and supreme court. New Bexar also elects senators and representatives who travel
to Austin (Sol) and represent New Bexar in the National legislature. While the governor of
New Bexar is allowed a great deal of independence in the running of the colony, Texas
still has final say on any policies concerning New Bexar.
In most instances the colony runs itself with out much interference from Austin.
Despite several official fact finding delegations, New Bexar has managed to keep Austin
from interfering with its on going relationship with the Life Foundation. The citizens of
New Bexar feel that despite the rather nasty attitude of the Life Foundation, it is better
for all involved it handles the situation rather than allowing the home government to
intervene in a heavy handed manner.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
New Bexar is divided into 10 counties, each with its own sheriff
and from 15-35 deputy sheriffs. Within the city limits of Travisville and Crocket City,
most travelers may encounter city police who handle the task of law enforcement.
The Texas Rangers maintain a field office in Columbia. Stationed here is Company 1A of
the Texas Rangers. This Company consists of a Ranger Captain and 6 privates.
EDUCATION:
Despite a top quality university in the Life Colony, New Bexar
hosts a large campus of Texas A&M University in Travisville and Austin College
maintains a small campus in Crocket City. The Texas A&M campus has received great
acclaim due its pioneering work in creating crops that will thrive in the harsh
environment of Austin’s World. This University is also the major force behind the
cattle industry and the every growing groundcover projects on the plains of New Bexar.
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