TFL/New Panama

# New Panama

* Most Common races: 90% human but not xenophobic
* Government: Limited franchise parliamentary democracy
* Systems controlled: New Panama
* Total population: 1 billion
* Notable trade policies: 0.5% tariff on incoming or outgoing goods that are not sold in New Panama; $25,000 visa fee for visitors who only stay at 1 space station
* Other notable quirks: None

New Panama is the human government of the New Panama star system. It is located near the borders of Celestial Dragon Empire, the Confederated Stars of Ursa, and (a currently unnamed alien star nation). As both the alien star nation and the Celestial Dragon Empire have heavy fees on freight being shipped into or out of their systems on foreign freighters, New Panama is well-suited to be a transshipment point: Imperial freighters drop off Imperial goods at New Panama and pick up alien goods to bring into the Empire, and alien freighters do the same in reverse. New Panama maintains a formidable star fortress, the New Panama Citadel, in orbit around the star just above the T-K transition point to facilitate this trade and discourage hostile nations from attacking.

## Trade Policy and Economic Concerns

New Panama charges a 0.5% tariff on goods entering or leaving New Panama without sold in New Panama. Passengers who stay on the Citadel without visiting other New Panama orbitals, asteroids, or habitable planets are charged a $25K visa fee; there is a small tourist industry in New Panama to get around the visa charge but most people find it is cheaper to just pay the fee.

New Panama has an asteroid belt that is notably rich in transuranic fissile metals and located near the orbit of it's T-K point, inside the star's goldilocks zone. The nation is an exporter of rare earth metals and an importer of electronics. It has limited local supply for its shipyards, but weapon and other spacecraft components often need to be shipped in

Fueling stations are ubiquitous and the many repair faculties are among the best in local space, but they generally significant wait times and they are not cheap. Submitting a rush order is an option only available to the extremely wealthy.

## Politics and Government

New Panama is a limited franchise democracy under a Parliamentary model. Full citizenship is restricted to those having successfully completed a 5 year service obligation. Anyone wishing to join the service applies for the available spots on the master roster, competing in physical, intellectual and technical challenges to be allowed to enlist. Those unable to complete a term are unable to vote, stand for election, or own land in their name. Corporate land ownership is forbidden, though corporations may own the structures, equipment and other property located on land leased from a citizen.

New Panamanian governments are generally stable, lasting years between elections and no recent history of civil war or coup. The copious funding from the transshipment tariff and visitor visa allows for generous medical and education benefits.

The New Panamanians are fiercely territorial and only permit foreign warships to transit their space with weapon systems completely powered down.

There are roughly 1 billion New Panamanians, of which about 90% are humans. 480 million people live on New Panama II, the more habitable of the system's two habitable planets, and another 320 million live on New Panama III. The remainder live in the orbitals or the asteroid belt.

### Foreign Affairs

New Panama is aggressively neutral to its immediate neighbors. It maintains a small fleet of Starships and patrols Hyperspace within a few AU of its T-K point analogue, but does not entertain treaties with its neighbors, nor take sides in their disputes. So far, the Empire and the unnamed aliens have concluded it is cheaper to pay the tariffs than conquer New Panama, and more economically sensible to take the additional costs of transshipping freight than to liberalize who can carry freight into or out of their controls.