Kinteros

The interior of a Kinteros Casino.

• World: Kinteros
• Location: Core Worlds
• Type: Tropical pleasure world
• Tithe: [Hospitality] Official Imperial entities (Administratum, Inquisition, Imperial Navy, Imperial Guard etc.) are given a large number of free services on Kinteros, the value of which counts as the planet's tithe. 
• Population: 500 million [500 000 000] and around 25 million tourists at any given time.
• Government: Imperial dictatorship. Kinteros is ruled by a senior Administratum official, whose duty - with the help of Arbites, the KSP and the KPF - is to keep the various business conglomerates who own most of the planet in line.

Description

​A tropical paradise world, Kinteros is the most popular holiday location in Sector Deus, with Nobility and upper-middle classes flocking here en masse to enjoy the exotic climate and excellent entertainment. The vast majority of tourists come from nearby Tachion Primaris - for while only a small proportion of the population may be able to afford such luxuries Tachion Primaris has so many people that its upper classes are still more than sufficient in number to sustain Kinteros. Other major sources of tourists are Inaria, Kronos, and Sarris V in the Core Worlds, and places like Adamant Prime & Solstreim from further afield. Kinteros' original native population developed a dusky tanned skin and dark hair over millennia of colonisation before the planet was made into a pleasure world. In M41 native Kinterans are now outnumbered by lighter (or in some cases darker) skinned people who are either descended from more recent immigrants or are merely visiting.

The non-urban regions of the planet truly are paradise, gentle soft beaches made of sand in a variety of colours and azure water that harmlessly splashes against it. A moderate yet sunny climate with warm breezes and mountain ranges for endless nature walks, with edible plants all over and a complete lack of dangerous wildlife. Illustrious shopping malls and a variety of themed amusement parks dot the suburban areas and offer products and thrills that can be found nowhere else. On the glistening crystal clear oceans are enormous pearlwhite hotel-ships that glide gently without a single engine-noise, surrounded by tourists swimming in the temperate water. Big docile whales are drawn to these marvels and surface alongside, sometimes even allowing the visitors to board them for enjoyment.

These areas are visited for blissful relaxation, but the cities are a very different tale. Everything in Kinteran cities revolves around entertaining tourists. Casinos; sports races; luxurious hotels; strip clubs; brothels; adult industry; bars; and some of the finest restaurants in the sector can all be found in abundance on Kinteros, and relatively lax laws regarding behaviour and substance use means almost any taste can be accommodated. City society and culture is built around this and it is clearly apparent to any visitor. Professional gamblers are some of their most respected celebrities, successful jockeys and other racers are hailed as heroes, famous adult workers are held as nobility, and stage artists like musicians and singers freely incorporate drug-use and sex into their acts.

However because of Kinteros' degeneracy preachers of the Ecclesiarchy all across the Sector eagerly look for any reason to condemn this world and damage its reputation in order to reduce tourism. Such loss in profit is unacceptable to the ruling corporations so the Kinteran government is notoriously harsh on anyone - tourist or citizen - that threatens to damage their reputation with illegal behaviour. This harshness is carried out by the Kinteran Secret Police (KSP), a government organisation of plainclothes investigators that ruthlessly enforce the few laws the planet does have. These skilled and relentless operatives stand in stark contrast to the official Kinteran Police Force (KPF) who only enforce low-level laws and can be hired as entertainment themselves.

Society on Kinteros is essentially two-tiered, with tourists automatically occupying a higher level of privilege than the standard Kinteran citizen. The authorities are more lenient on tourists for misdemeanours than they would be with citizens, with tourists garnering little more than fines for crimes that would land a citizen in prison (and if arrested by the KPF, tourists usually recieve additional 'services' for paying their fine). Entire street gangs of citizens have been 'disappeared' overnight by the KSP for daring to rob a tourist, and any social dissent against this two-tiered system is similarly silenced. This is all to ensure nothing could possibly discourage anyone from visiting and spending money on Kinteros.

This is not to say that tourists are immune to the law however. Severe crimes such as murder will still land a tourist in prison, and if a tourist won't stop spreading tales of how they were robbed by a native gang they will be disappeared too (unsavoury rumours are unacceptable as they will hurt profits). The most disproportionately punished crimes are those committed against the corporations themselves. Anyone who cheats in a Kinteran casino - including tourists - will quickly find themselves without hands, and rigging sports races is punishable by death. Finally the casinos, arenas and stadiums are all guarded by ruthless mercenaries, ready to gun down anyone who breaks the planet's strict no-weapons policy in such important public areas.

In an display of hypocrisy the ecclesiarchy that so condemns Kinteros on other worlds still takes advantage of the opportunities is presents - as the largest chain of brothels on the planet is the church. Their sermons focus on encouraging citizens to make the most of the bounty that the Emperor provides as the local nuns, priestesses and priests secure donations for the ecclesiarchy with their servies. These temple pleasure workers are still very devout members of the ecclesiarchy though and some argue that spending such personal time with them makes typical citizens more faithful rather than less. Nevertheless there are occasional - and intense - arguments within the upper echelons of the Sector Deus ecclesiarchy on whether such deviation from standard practices should be allowed. Of course the fact that the ecclesiarchy recieves more donation money from Kinteros than any other world in the Sector ensures they let it be (they also recieve a large amount of knowledge on the sector nobility, as the temple prostitutes inevitably learn many secrets their clients let slip).

• Technology: [V - Good] Tourists here can expect the most luxurious living conditions and public services.
• Military: Kinteros' PDF - operated by the Administratum on the planet and funded by taxation - consists entirely of orbital defences platforms, stations, and aircraft wings that keep Kinteros' orbit extremely secure. It's lush, well-provided cities are tempting sites for raiders, but enormous attack craft wings deter all but the most foolish of raiders who inevitably meet a swift end under waves of bombers and fighters. Aside from its orbital stations Kinteros has no void assets to speak of, but its heavy trade & tourism lanes are well patrolled by the Imperial Navy. On the surface however the only official armed forces are the KPF and the KSP. However there are a large number of mercenary units on Kinteros hired and commanded by the various private corporate interests, in order to provide security to their own facilities and territories, and in the event of an invasion they would likely be the core of the planet's surface defences. While primarily urban infantry, these mercenary units can have all kinds of advanced military machinery at their disposal including tanks and aircraft.
• Strategic importance: [Minima] Kinteros is little more than a playground, and its loss would have no strategic consequences beyond the loss itself. However subsequent (and likely severe) demoralization in sector nobility could create other problems.
• Loyalty: [Imperial 72%] The average citizen is loyal and good, despite debauchery that would be considered obscene on other worlds being held as normal here. However a few places in Kinteros' shady underground delve into extreme - and illegal - excesses, and the local government constantly works to seek out and purge these practices that could ruin their valuable reputation if allowed to persist. The worst known crimes can be small bands of bored, amoral nobles that have been known to kidnap, rape, murder and even cannibalise citizens they prey upon (and not necessarily in that order).

Notable locations

Most of Kinteros' civilisation is built between the tropics, where the weather is sunny and warm all year round. Numerous large cities occupy this band of the planet, built near the coasts and on large rivers - and each one has a large orbital station in geosyncronous orbit above that serves to process tourists. Outside of these cities are various types of relaxing holiday resorts built in various types of climate, varying from chilly snow resorts near the poles to scorching beach resorts on the equator. Some of the more notable locations are:

• Gallora - The capital city of Kinteros and its largest metropolis, built around a large river near its exit to the ocean. Gallora plays host to millions of wealthy tourists every month, offering the kinds of thrills and entertainment that simply cannot be found elsewhere (at least not legally). Some of Gallora's most degenerate patrons are often wealthy nobles who would claim to be models of piety on their puritan home planets. Home to dozens of massive entertainment & sports arenas, hundreds of opulent hotel/casinos, and thousands of restaurants, clubs, bars and brothels, Gallora is the entertainment capital of the sector (a tagline used only too frequently by Kinteros itself). Some of the more notable locations in the capital are:
  • Planetary Palace - This large facility houses the planetary bureaucracy and book-keeping departments and is a relatively muted affair as far as planetary palaces go, since the official Imperial government is little more than a babysitter for the entertainment conglomerates.
  • The Promenade - A large main street that runs along the riverbank. The Promenade is home to the largest, oldest and most famous hotel/casinos on Kinteros such as the Deus Grand, the Imperia, and Sappho's Palace. A glittering endless street of holographic lights and spires that climb towards the sky, where entire Dynasty fortunes can be won or lost on a single wager, The Promenade is the pulsing heart of Gallora.
  • The Expositions - This massive plaza houses several expo arenas where entities from across the sector advertise their wares & services to the concentrated wealth of Kinteros' tourists. Luxury technology providers and mercenary corporations of all kinds (so long as they're Imperium-sanctioned) can always be found here.
  • Belisarius Arena - An enormous stadium capable of housing almost a quarter of a million spectators. Belisarius Arena hosts the biggest sporting events such as the Sector Scrumball tournament and other such frivolities that only the wealthy can afford to spend money and time on.
  • Medical District - As the party capital of the Sector, Gallora has more than its fair share of foolish nobles requiring treatment for substance poisoning, injuries sustained from intoxicated brawls, and (particularly amongst older tourists) stress-induced conditions. However this district is also home to extensive facilities that provide cosmetic surguries of every kind imaginable to those with the money to pay for them. These advanced facilities are operated by skilled Biologis Techpriests who earn large amounts of money for the Adeptus Mechanicus with their services, though the true benefit for them is acquiring favourable trade deals with some of the wealthiest clients. With their arcane sciences they are capable of cloning customised body parts and whilst the most common procedures are basic figure augmentations many choose for far more extreme body modifications. Additional limbs, synthmuscles, waterbreathing lungs, and even bestial adaptations such as tails, forked tongues, fur, and at the most extreme end entire limb replacements (such as replacing the legs with a scaly, finned tail) are all possible so long as the exorbitant fees can be met. However the vast majority of the citizens of the Imperium see such procedures as a practically heretical perversion of the human form, so those who have undergone the more excessive body modifications only find any acceptance on Kinteros itself.
  • Justice District - Located near the centre of the city. This place houses the large offices of the Kinteros Secret Police along with the planet's contingent of Adeptus Arbites, who work closely with the KSP as the crimes of tourists can all too often breach Imperial as well as local law. As the KPF have little to do with true law enforcement beyond petty crimes, they have multiple smaller stations throughout the capital. The Justice District serves to entertain as well, and condemned criminals imported here so they may be used for the entertainment of tourists. Executions - both public & private - along with bloody arena games turn a profit from those condemned to death, while lesser lawbreakers may be subjected to legal enslavement and sale to private buyers. Naturally, Kinteros only imports the finest criminals from throughout the sector.
  • Mask District - A fairly small district concealed behind mercenary-guarded checkpoints and vision blocking panelled walls, the Mask District is where nobles engage in the most sybaritic excesses without fear of identification as - true to the district's name - all tourists wear face-covering masks here.
• Calenavos - A scorching hot tropical beach resort that is extremely popular with tourists seeking rest and relaxation. Located in the same region is a large recreation home for members of the Imperial military suffering from severe shell-shock.
• Fort Emryz - A massive PDF fortress located near Gallora. Fort Emryz is a massive barracks, airbase and anti-orbital weapons platform. Capable of deploying multiple wings of fighters and bombers that can strike any ship in low-orbit, along with enormous banks of defence lasers and missile launchers, Fort Emryz is the bane of many raiders that might otherwise have a go at the bounty of loot Gallora offers.