Dana-Burn

Dana-Burn (ダナ・バーン, Dana Bān) was an old, abandoned mining complex. It is most known as the main base for the resistance movement that fought for the independence of Ceres.

## History

Dana-Burn was a large underground mining complex just west of Ceres. At the time of the independence uprising, it already ceased its function as a mine. However, its sturdiness, size and location lent themselves well to the needs of the revolutionaries. Due to its nature, it was easy to defend, and they used it as a bunker that they could protect against their attackers.

They installed various security systems which were supposed to add another layer of safety, in addition to the complicated layout of the former mines.

Ultimately, they managed to hold out in Dana-Burn, and Tanagura granted them the independence they wished for, as well as autonomy from Jupiter.

This was seen as a massive win for the movement. Without bloodshed, they persevered and won their freedom. Celebrations were held on the streets all around the complex, and a parade marched down the main street connecting it to Ceres. As part of the now autonomous Area 9, Dana-Burn was free of Jupiter’s control.

However, as their victory proved pyrrhic, and the complex no longer served any purpose, it was abandoned. With the independence they won, Ceres citizens became outcasts, cut off from the rest of Amoi and the world, and Dana-Burn became the very symbol of this failure.

Abandoned and left to rot, in time, the nature reclaimed it, with lush forests of the Green Belt swallowing it, obliterating its streets and dilapidating its buildings. Dana-Burn now stood as a blight to Ceres and to Amoi, but being too big and too expensive to tear down, it was simply left to perish slowly.

## Description

Dana-Burn was a massive complex of similar looking buildings accessed through its Main Gate. Navigating it without a map was hard, and navigating its labyrinth-like tunnels and underground passages without the blueprints was impossible.

The outside buildings were separated into blocks, and consisted mostly of warehouses and cargo entrances for the mined wares. Although abandoned and in disrepair, probably due to being built to be sturdy to begin with, most buildings still retained their main properties. On some of them even such things as power generators and locks still worked, and even if the outside structure wasn’t holding up that well, the underground levels were mostly intact. These were, however, only basic storage buildings with no level of comfort. Simple, grey concrete buildings with nothing on the inside that wasn’t immediately necessary for its functioning.

The warehouse that played the pivotal role in the Ai no Kusabi storyline looked fairly unassuming from the outside. It was a compact, square, low-lying, windowless building with a large cargo entrance. The entrance itself was wide, and from it hung a rusted, half-closed shutter gate. The doorway was controlled by a lever, but its control pad was broken and useless. Faded warning sings were barely visible on the wall next to it.

Straight from the entrance, a steep, spiral slope led to the lower underground levels. This slope was meant to be navigated by trolleys and carts and was equipped with sensor lights that miraculously still worked. To the very right of the entrance was a corridor where the emergency elevator could be accessed.

On the third basement floor, the corridor leading from the elevator was narrow and illuminated by orange sensor lights and eventually lead to a three-way fork. Each fork was colour-coded by its illuminated floor – green to the left, yellow to the right and blue straight ahead. The labyrinth only grew more complex from there, with various storage rooms lining the corridors.

## Accessibility

    The military technology used to build Dana-Burn wasn’t Tanagura’s, but its origin was unknown even to Katze. The power generators and security systems were made to withstand the passage of time, and worked at maximum efficiency.

After the structure was abandoned following the independence revolution, in time, the blueprints were lost. This turned the mines into a deadly labyrinth that one couldn’t leave once he entered. Even the foolhardy and reckless slum mongrels were conditioned to fear Dana-Burn. They didn’t know the nature and extent of the security system that remained operational, but even without that threat, navigation was simply impossible. All signals were blocked from within as well, making it impossible to call for help or use trackers.

But, as it turned out, the blueprints weren’t entirely lost. An old dingo from the slums, Buczka, venerated in his heyday as the Living Compendium of Ceres, still held onto full blueprints from the independence era. It was by getting his hands on these blueprints, that Guy managed to stage his trap in Dana-Burn, an act that eventually resulted in its destruction and total collapse.

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