Airstrip Sixteen Factbook

[Airstrip Sixteen]

Airstrip Sixteen

Airstrip Sixteen is the final remnant of a now-forgotten empire that once controlled nearly all of The Jade Isles. After the empire's destruction at the hands of what INGSOC representatives refer to as "capitalist antagonists," Airstrip Sixteen absorbed all surviving Municipal Provinces and Processing Camps and eventually stabilized. Based along the southern tail of The Jade Isles, Airstrip Sixteen has only recently reentered the world stage after years of relative isolation.

Nation Name: Airstrip Sixteen
Head of State: Big Brother
INGSOC Minister: Adam Cook
Director of Foreign Affairs: John Smith
Governmental Branch: INGSOC
Capital: Administrative Zone One
Major Cities: Administrative Zone One, Municipal Province One, Municipal Province Three, Processing Camp Twelve
Castes: Inner Party, Outer Party, Proles
Location: The Jade Isles

[Airstrip Sixteen]

Airstrip Sixteen: Government

Basic Government Structure
Airstrip Sixteen's government is based on a divisive caste system. People in Airstrip Sixteen fall into one of four categories: Inner Party, Outer Party, Prole or Foreigner. Life expectancy and quality of life differ vastly between castes, despite INGSOC's insistence that all people living in Airstrip Sixteen are equal.

Simply: The Inner Party members decide how things are run, the Outer Party members do the running and the Proles represent the unwashed masses. Foreigners are a special case and will be discussed separately.

The Inner Party
Inner Party members live in opulence and luxury, benefiting directly from the work of those in the castes beneath them. Members of the Inner Party are responsible for passing laws, deciding on policy and dealing with foreign delegates. In fact, every citizen of Airstrip Sixteen that any foreign dignitary will ever set eyes on will be an Inner Party member. Outside of Airstrip Sixteen, people are completely unaware that a caste system even exists. Despite their wealth and status, Inner Party members are often "disappeared" in the night, the result of paranoid scheming by their political and social rivals.

The Outer Party
Outer Party members live in cold, sterile environments of steel and glass. It is they who write the propaganda of the Inner Party and it is they who grease the cogs of the INGSOC machine. Life is hard for an Outer Party member. They are under constant surveillance by the secret police and there isn't a bathroom, stairwell, alleyway or office that they can avoid the constant and watchful eye of Big Brother. Oftentimes they are little more than mindless drones. Any sign of non-conformity is immediately rewarded with "rehabilitation."

The Proles
The Proles are the teeming millions of Airstrip Sixteen. Despite their low status, the enjoy the longest life expectancy thanks to their deemed unimportance by the dangerous political players of the Inner Party. They are uneducated and ignorant of the world around them. Many aren't aware of a world at all outside of their respective province or camp.

Foreigners
Foreigners never see the real Airstrip Sixteen. The closest foreign dignitaries come is Airstrip Sixteen's "capital," Administrative Zone One. There they are told a grand lie. Interacting only with Inner Party members, they have no reason to believe that a caste system exists or that the people in the fatherland have as hard of a life as they do.

INGSOC
The only political party in Airstrip Sixteen is INGSOC, which stands for English Socialism. All Inner and Outer Party members are considered a part of INGSOC, though only Inner Party members are aware of its true nature. INGSOC's current Minister of Policy is Adam Cook, though, like Big Brother, he too is a fabrication. INGSOC expects unquestioning loyalty from all citizens, punishing dissenters with instant "rehabilitation." INGSOC can put laws into effect at any time, or make changes to existing laws at any time. But in truth, it doesn't matter. They often change the dates in newspapers, purposefully garble productivity statistics and completely fabricate news stories to leave the Proles in a constant state of confused ignorance.

The government exists only to keep the Proles in line and to keep the Inner Party in control. While occasional attempts are made to expand Airstrip Sixteen's territory or the like, these are all secondary to INGSOC's true goal.

[Airstrip Sixteen]

Airstrip Sixteen: Economy

Airstrip Sixteen's economy is based around the ticket. The ticket is a ration stub that can be traded at INGSOC-approved supply depots in exchange for goods. The Inner Party is constantly raising and lowering the value of the ticket to keep the Proles destabilized and this makes the ticket worthless on the international market.

The Outer Party and the Proles live in constant poverty, oftentimes on the edge of starvation. A black market for coffee, water, etc, has existed in Airstrip Sixteen for a long while. The Inner Party is aware of this market and "rehabilitates" any they find engaging in it.

[Airstrip Sixteen]

Airstrip Sixteen: Law

Airstrip Sixteen has no judicial system to speak of. Laws are written, changed and discarded daily. The driving principle is conformity. People can and are "disappeared" for showing the slightest hint of individualism or free-thought. A small force of secret police officers keeps constant tabs on everyone and people are encouraged to report one another to the authorities for even imagined offenses.

[Airstrip Sixteen]

Airstrip Sixteen: Foreign Relations

Capital: Administrative Zone One
Visit the embassy here.
Director of Foreign Affairs: John Smith
Embassy Status: Accepting Embassy Requests

Airstrip Sixteen has, until recently, been an isolationist nation. Within the last few years it has made steps to enter the world stage and is currently accepting embassies. Diplomatic immunity is offered in Administrative Zone One, the "capital" of Airstrip Sixteen. Diplomatic immunity is expected in return from all nations who wish to open an embassy exchange relationship with Airstrip Sixteen.

Most of Airstrip Sixteen's foreign relationships concern trade, especially the export of fish and the import of oil and nuclear industry goods. The nation hasn't been at war in years, despite what INGSOC tells the Proles.

Steven Smalls in Sailsia - Vesrossa
Winston McDowell in Unitopolis - Zolka

Bill Johnson in The Chrisman Union - Teronique

None at this time.

Airstrip Sixteen ambassadors typically travel with 7 staff members and 4 security personnel. Ambassadorial security are typically equipped with Walther P99s and PM-84s. Where possible, the diplomatic envoys consist of 3 Lincoln MKTs and a EC 155 Eurocopter.

[Airstrip Sixteen]

Airstrip Sixteen: Geography and Cities

Geography
Airstrip Sixteen's geography is typical for The Jade Isles: Lush jungles, exceedingly fertile soil, rich mineral deposits and generous precipitation. All the forests for miles around urbanized zones have been cleared away to make way for farmland and future development, but INGSOC keeps a few untouched islands within its reach. Airstrip Sixteen's national symbol, the jade lion, faces extinction due to deforestation.

The coastal territory of Airstrip Sixteen is hazardous, possessing the massive coral formations for which the entire region is famous. An unnamed and inactive volcano is an iconic image, silhouetted in the sky near Municipal Province Three. The average yearly rainfall for all of The Jade Isles is approximately 25 inches annually.

Cities

Administrative Zone One
Administrative Zone One is Airstrip Sixteen's capital in name only. Located on a small island offshore, approximately six miles from Municipal Province Three, Administrative Zone One is a beautiful paradise created to bedazzle foreign dignitaries. Here Inner Party members manage restaurants, cinemas and other entertainment venues such as brothels, bars and casinos. The city itself is surrounded by a massive military compound to prevent nosy ambassadors from attempting to leave the area without notice.

Municipal Province One
Municipal Province One is typical for a city in Airstrip Sixteen. This large metropolis houses about two million workers, mostly Proles and Outer Party members. It is noted for its high level of productivity and patriotism.

Municipal Province Three
Municipal Province Three is a port city near Administrative Zone One. Most of the offshore drilling and fishing that takes place is managed by officials in Municipal Province Three. It isn't as productive as Province One, but is otherwise fairly typical.

Processing Camp Twelve
Processing Camp Twelve is an overpopulated slum in the heart of Airstrip Sixteen. Populated almost entirely by Proles, it isn't as productive as its neighbors and its populace are often stereotyped as lazy. Processing Camp Twelve is choked with pollution from nearby ore mines and manufacturing plants.

[Airstrip Sixteen]

Airstrip Sixteen: Military

Infantry Forces
Airstrip Sixteen's military can be separated into two groups: The Fatherland Protectorate and the Sixteenth Legion.

The Sixteenth Legion
The Sixteenth Legion is a defensive force stationed in garrisons in the various Municipal Provinces. The Sixteenth is currently made up of approximately a hundred thousand enrolled soldiers. Troops are trained as either urban or general combatants. The urban units are equipped with PM-84s, while the general units are often equipped with AK-47s. Military service varies between mandatory and not, INGSOC arbitrarily deciding who is conscripted and who isn't.

The Fatherland Protectorate
The Fatherland Protectorate is the primary military force of Airstrip Sixteen. The Protectorate is currently made up of approximately nine hundred thousand soldiers. Troops are often trained with AK-47s.

Navy Forces
Airstrip Sixteen, being in an archipelago, has a formidable navy. Ships are staffed by members of the Fatherland Protectorate.

Ranks in the Sixteenth Legion:
All numbers are approximate.
Guard: 299,950
Legionary: 700,000
Commandant: ?

Ranks in the Fatherland Protectorate
All numbers are approximate.
Man-at-arms: 290,000
Cadet: 600,000
Ensign: 100,000
Lieutenant: 10,000
Commandant: ?
Commander: ?
General: ?

Units in the Fatherland Protectorate
Fire Team: 3 Cadets, 0-5 Men-at-arms
Squadron: 1 Ensign, 2-3 Fire Teams
Brigade: 1 Commandant, 1-3 Lieutenants, 2-5 Squadrons, 0-3 Platoons
Section: 1 Commander, 2-5 Brigades
Regiment: 1 General, 2+ Sections
~
Company: 1 Ensign, 5-20 Men-at-arms
Platoon: 1 Lieutenant, 2-5 Companies


Airstrip Sixteen has a few dozen battleships, three or four carriers and a half dozen fighter squads active at any given time.

[Airstrip Sixteen]

Airstrip Sixteen: Miscellaneous Statements
Where appropriate, I'll put miscellaneous statements that I've made about Airport Sixteen into this thread in order to keep things consistent. If I post things that I later realize aren't realistic or consistent, I'll delete them here. If things change, I'll delete them as well. Airstrip Sixteen doesn't keep track of its history, why should we?

The Proles and Outer Party members of Airstrip Sixteen drink almost exclusively watered down beer, all day, every day. The Inner Party members have access to safe water, rich beer and a variety of imported liquors from across the globe.

In Airstrip Sixteen people speak English. INGSOC has been, generation by generation, pushing the population towards Newspeak, however.

All "media" in Airstrip Sixteen is created for public consumption by the Outer Party under the directive of the Inner Party. Basically, every single piece of film, literature, music, etc is propaganda created by the government caste.

The Proles lack the literacy, education, technological knowhow or willpower to create their own media.

Pornography is produced by the Department of Truth produces pornography as propaganda, typically for consumption by adolescent and pubescent boys. The pornography depicts heterosexual, male-dominant sex and emotionless sex, preparing them for their future roles as breeders.

There are no schools in Airstrip Sixteen, per se. The Inner Party effectively homeschool their children. The Outer Party send their children to Junior Citizen camps to watch films depicting the evil of capitalism and free-thought, read books with fabricated histories and play games that encourage paranoia, casting blame and general uneasy maliciousness. The Proles have no educational system to speak of.

Airstrip Sixteen's lone party is INGSOC, or English Socialism. Disapproval doesn't enter the populous' mind at all; they are completely unaware that alternatives exist.

Airstrip Sixteen practices capital punishment. This is accomplished through "rehabilitation," where a person is "disappeared" or "vanished," as the Proles would say, and re-indoctrinated, typically through physical and emotional torture, before finally being executed. The execution itself is usually accomplished with a simple shot from a firearm into the back of the skull.

Airstrip Sixteen has a formidable navy guarding the coral-infested waters that surround its territory. Ignoring Airstrip Sixteen's standing army, the nation also has a defensive force, the Sixteenth Legion, which, besides imposing constant martial law, also stand at the ready in case of invasion. Every major Municipal Province as well as a handful of Processing Camps are protected by anti-aircraft batteries.

Airstrip Sixteen's police force and defensive military brigades, also known as the Sixteenth Legion, dress plainly in easily-produced grey uniforms. The Fatherland Protectorate wear dark grays and browns, the better to perform their duties in urban environments. They're often equipped with gas masks, given their widespread use of chemical weapons, including teargas.


A pair of Fatherland Protectorates investigating rumors of deserters among an abandoned Municipal Province.

Weapons of all kinds are completely nonexistent among the civilian population of Airstrip Sixteen to prevent an uprising, no matter how unlikely. The military is armed, but all weapons are repossessed from soldiers upon their return to civilian life.

Airstrip Sixteen energy production is as follows:

60% Fossil Fuels
30% Natural Gas
10% Nuclear Power

Inner Party representatives are attempting to bring Airstrip Sixteen further into the nuclear age, but have been thus far unsuccessful.