Date: Sat, 06 Jan 96 19:40:00 -0500
From: jeff.zeitlin@execnet.com (JEFF ZEITLIN)
Subject: RICE Paper JZ-03002: Nutema

RICE Paper #JZ-03002: Nutema

Nutema (Rhylanor: Spinward Marches/3112)
A864543-A N Ag Ni           822Re M3V   (RISS 1201)
g=1.0600 day=23:03:00; year=51d 00:29:05.37 std/53d 02:50:05.37 lcl
atmo=1.00, natural weather
temp=+6 (7/lat +27 to -43) (season -23 to +14, 16 deg lat)
daily temp range 15
Agri, Crys, Comp; AgriProd, Met, NonMet; Parts, Dur, Cons; Docs
Prog/Adv; Comp/Neut; Har/Xphil
Legal 3-34432, Tech AA-AAAAC-AAAC-BB-D

Nutema's claim to fame in the Spinward States is as an exporter of
meats and meat products that are without equal on any known Spinward
planet.  Everyone knows of dragon steaks by reputation, and many are
lucky enough to have had the opportunity to eat some in a luxury
restaurant.

The traveller to Nutema will notice a significant difference between
Nutema and the nearby worlds as soon as he debarks from his ship.
Starports on planets that have direct commerce with Nutema are all
strongly influenced by Vilani and Sylean attitudes.  They tend to be
orderly places, with a clear demarcation between administration,
security, and service personnel.  Not so on Nutema.  Administrators are
likely to be directly interacting with passengers and carrying bags or
teamstering cargo, service personnel shout out orders to each other
with abandon, and there are no security guards anywhere in sight.
That's not to say that your arrival will be chaotic.  The efficiency of
the Nuteman system is surprising, and you'll be ready to depart the
starport for the planet's surface within a standard day - including
processing by CHI (Customs - Health - Immigration).  The apparent lack
of security at Nutema Skyside (the _only_ starport at Nutema - there
are no "dirtside" facilities for starships) is also no reason for
concern - each and every Nuteman you see will be armed (an effect of
Nuteman attitudes toward government, and of the needs of the ranching
industry), and they all know how and when to use their weapons.

Nuteman Startown is right there in the Starport.  The organized chaos
of the port area extends here as well, with commercial, governmental,
and residential units intermixed in whatever way the various owners
felt was most immediately useful, and people doing whatever needs to
be done whenever it needs doing, without regard for whether they are
the "proper" person to be doing the job.  Note that although the
entire starport is considered to be the extraterritoriality zone,
Nuteman notions of what is right and proper are the ones that are
enforced, not those of the interstellar powers.  The result is a much
more anarchic atmosphere, where the cardinal rules are to look out
for oneself, expect others to do the same, and be careful to avoid
giving offense.  For this reason, travellers are advised to contact the
Imperial Tourism Bureau office before exiting their ship.  This office
has the de facto status of Consulate, but its ability to intervene on
behalf of an offworld citizen is limited.  The office maintain close
contact with personnel based planetside, and the traveller who
remembers to file an itinerary with the Bureau will find that almost
any unexpected problems can be quickly cleared up.  The exception to
this is encounters with the legal system, where the most that can be
done by the Bureau is to arrange for competent Nuteman legal
assistance, and "affairs of honor", where the Bureau's ability to act
is limited to ensuring appropriate medical attention and legal
assistance, or, in extreme cases, arranging for the traveller's body to
be shipped back home, along with timely and appropriate notifications
to next-of-kin and other designated persons.

Conducting business on Nutema is a matter of "let the buyer beware",
and of contracts where "every piddling detail" is spelled out in
full.  Regardless of the respective addresses of the parties to a
contract on Nutema, disputes over contractual matters are always
settled according to Nuteman protocols, which means plenty of
negotiation and arbitration, optionally assisted by third parties
(for a fee) before it gets to a Nuteman court.  The court will look
only at the language of the contract and the facts of the case;
"intentions" not spelled out in the contract count for as much as the
color of the sky - which is to say, not at all.  That's not to say
that Nuteman businessmen are out to fleece the unwary; rather, they
bend over backwards to ensure that any contract is fair to both
parties - doing otherwise is, in general, a sure way to get called
out in an affair of honor.

Beyond that caveat, doing business on Nutema is very much a social
activity.  Count on "working lunches" and "working dinners" in which
little work and much "schmooze" gets done.  Nuteman are willing to
exchange anecdotes about various occasions in their lives at the drop
of a hat; be prepared to do the same - Nuteman businessmen want to
"know who they're doing business with", and won't be satisfied with
the arm's-length relationship common on most worlds.  Also, it is
considered entirely proper on Nutema to address an acquaintance,
either business or social, by his/her first name, or by an unadorned
family name, omitting any titles or honorifics.  Deadlines are less
important than agreement on the essentials; expect that an attempt to
pressure a Nuteman businessman to be counterproductive.

Most business with Nuteman concerns can be conducted at the Starport,
and there are definite advantages to doing so - for example, no taxes
or import/export duties are levied on transactions at the Starport,
and many businesses receive subsidies from profits from berthing
fees, allowing prices on goods and (non-berthing-related) services to
be relatively low.  The down side is that many courtesies that are
provided free of charge at other starports are available only for a
fee at Nutema - shuttle service to the surface is one such.
Nevertheless, you'll be encouraged by your Nuteman business contacts
to "c'mon down and visit", and such a visit is not to be missed.

In spite of the hustle and bustle that you'll find at the starport,
and on the planet's surface, the pace of life on Nutema is relaxed.
Things get done "when they're done", and firm schedules are viewed
almost as an imposition on personal freedom.  You'll find that proper
care is taken on all matters, however, and that includes quick
completion of a task when appropriate.

Nutema uses two calendars and two clocks - one of each is synchronized
with the standard Imperial time measurements; the second calendar is
synchronized with the local revolutional periods. The second clock (the
"decimal" clock, in Nuteman terms) is a strictly Nuteman invention; the
Nuteman day is divided into 100 "centads", each of which is divided
into ten "mills". Each "mill" is thus 83 seconds long.  The Starport
operates according to the Imperial clock and calendar, as does the
local government in terms of financial matters and interaction with the
Imperium.  Most other matters are handled on the basis of the local
calendar, measured in local days.  Note that a local day, when
described using the standard clock, starts at 0000 (midnight) and ends
at 2302 - 2303 is the same as midnight, and starts the next day.  The
decimal clock starts at 000 (midnight) and runs to 999 - one minute
later, it is 000 again, and the next day begins.  The distinguishing
factor between the clocks is that decimal time is always written with
three digits, while standard time is always written with four; when
speaking, standard time is always suffixed by "standard" or "hours",
and times before 1000 are always pronounced with a leading "oh" -
"oh-six-hundred standard" refers to six hours after midnight; "six
hundred" refers to a time nearly eight standard hours later (13
standard hours and 50 standard minutes after midnight).  It is highly
recommended that the traveller become familiar with the decimal clock,
although many clocks on the planet give times in both the decimal form
and the standard form.

There is one shuttle port at each of Nutema's 82 cities, with
commercial air-raft (the "bus", in local parlance) or maglev service
from the shuttle port (Class F, universally) to the nearby smaller
towns and larger ranches, and commercial air-raft ("bus") and shuttle
service between the shuttle ports.  Most shuttle ports are also bases
for fleets of chauffeured air-rafts ("taxis") that provide reasonably
priced door-to-door service between any two points within a certain
distance from the center of the city, and generally to other nearby
cities as well. Travellers should note that the shuttle ports are not
considered extraterritorial.

Nuteman cities are compact conglomerations of buildings interspersed
with parks and other recreational open areas.  Zoning, per se,
doesn't exist, any more than it does in the Starport, but unspoken
informal agreements have resulted in most heavy industry (meat
processing and manufacturing, mostly) being concentrated, usually a
short distance away from the city proper, and most of the more
raucous forms of commercial enterprise are concentrated in the center
of the city, away from residential concentrations.  While almost any
needs within a city can be met within walking distance, each city is
home to at least one, and most likely several, enterprising
individuals or organizations that provide the visitor - or resident -
with transportation (like "taxis") to more distant parts of the city.

When you visit a Nuteman restaurant, you'll be steered toward some of
the more exotic "special of the day" dishes, almost none of which use
dragon meat.  They're all good, but if this is your first visit to
Nutema, ask for "a slab, dressed", regardless of whether or not you
see it on the menu - it's available, and they'll be happy to prepare
it for you.  Even if you've had dragon off-planet, you're in for a
treat, and you'll realize that you've never really eaten dragon
before.  You'll get a slab of dragon, five centimeters thick and
easily twenty centimeters across, either grilled or roasted (your
choice), the latter in its own juices, served with a collection of
native fruits and vegetables.  The particular assortment of fruits
and vegetables varies, depending on the time of year.  Nuteman drink
beer with their dragon, and almost nothing else, but order an off-world
brand if one is available (usually) - by almost any standards, a native
Nuteman beer is as bad as the dragon is good, and even the Nuteman
drink it only to prove that they can.

Dress on Nutema is a matter of practicality, especially given the
climate.  Most of the time, ranch staff will wear a "body sleeve"
(really a space-suit liner) for routine work around the ranch,
getting into combat armor when direct action against one or more
dragon is needed.  In the cities, more attention is paid to "style",
but again, practicality rules - the long, flowing garments frequently
seen among Vilani traditionalists are nowhere to be seen on Nutema;
neither are the ruffs and frills of the various noble courts and former
noble courts.  In general, Nuteman expect their clothes to be quite
comfortable and to stand up to "normal wear and tear" for whatever job
they expect to be doing - generally no more than that, but certainly
nothing less.

Organized sports are arguably the most popular form of entertainment
on Nutema, with free rugby (rugby in a zero-g field) and baseball
being the most popular spectator sports, and baseball being the most
popular participatory sport.  Most Nuteman can throw, hit, and catch
competently, and a "pick-up" baseball game is almost compulsory at
any large social gathering.  There are "company leagues" all over the
planet, but no professional baseball organizations - the Nuteman feel
that it would spoil the sport, and the only reason they tolerate
professionals (many of whom are former offworlders with experience)
for free rugby is because of the cost of the zero-g facilities.  Other
sports are not unknown on Nutema; generally favored are football
("soccer" in the local dialect) and an amorphous form of seemingly
violent entertainment called "rodeo" which seems to have no fixed form.
Most of Nutema's limited habitable land area (basically the tropical
zone around the seas - most everything outside it is tundra or worse)
is devoted to its primary industry, dragon ranching.  No matter which
shuttle port you are headed for, your shuttle's route will be within
easy sight of a dragon ranch. One look at a herd of dragon will explain
why Nutema allows heavy military equipment to be owned and used by
private citizens - it takes a tank and its weapons to make an
impression on a 25-tonne beast, and when that beast, or a herd of them,
is angry or confused, and stampeding, not even a tank can hope to do
much.  In order to manage the herds, each of the ranchers maintains
enough manpower and equipment to outfit a crack mercenary unit or
three, and keeps both in top condition.

The government provides three, and only three, services:  It
maintains the starport and the shuttle ports, it provides command and
coordination for planetary defense (with the ranchers providing the
heavy equipment, and the population at large providing the manpower
and infantry equipment), and it provides criminal and commercial
justice services, including the Nuteman Marshalls, whose sole purpose
is to investigate allegations of criminal acts and bring the accused
to justice - they are not a patrol force in the traditional sense of
a police department.  The basic philosophy of all Nuteman with
respect to crime and justice is that the individual is responsible
for maintaining his honor, and his own safety and that of his
property, and may take any action he deems fit to protect them - but
if in doing so, he becomes a danger to his neighbors, they have the
same right to protect themselves against him.  This extends to
protecting the planet itself, which is why the government does not
maintain a standing army (nor would it be allowed to by the Nuteman -
they take the position that a government that maintains a standing
army has no checks, other than its own ethics, against oppressing its
own people, or aggression against others), and is indirectly why
taxes are absolutely minimal on Nutema (a government that is kept
poor doesn't have the money to spend on standing armies - only on
what the people feel they need from the government).

The maintenance of honor effectively mandates honesty and respect
between individuals; dishonesty or disrespect can be (and in the
opinion of most Nuteman, should be) construed as an attack on the
honor of the person lied to or treated with disrespect, and that
person has the right to demand satisfaction, in the form of a duel,
either to blood or death, depending on the perceived severity of the
attack.  A challenge to a duel is not given lightly, and refusal to
accept is tantamount to openly acknowledging that one knowingly
attacked the honor of the challenger.  Duels are always performed in
public, with witnesses; this is a courtesy to the Marshalls to ensure
that any death is in fact identified as an affair of honor.  If the
offense was severe enough to warrant a death challenge in the opinion
of the challenger, refusing to accept the challenge can, and probably
will, cost the refuser his life. One can avoid the necessity of
responding to challenges by wearing an orange-and-black armband
(available at the starport, or at any weapon shop), but this also
marks the wearer as a "second class citizen" who does not feel that
his honor is worth defending.  Such individuals are generally treated
poorly by other Nuteman, but having renounced duelling, or indeed any
"civilized" recourse to infringement of their rights, they have no
real recourse against such treatment.

Except when their honor is offended, the people of Nutema are open
and friendly, and the visitor who interacts with them openly and
honestly will have no trouble acquiring a "friendly native guide" who
will, almost certainly, invite the visitor to a party, or to dinner
with his (the native's) family, or to see a branding or butchering
out at a ranch, or to some other form of friendly and informal
entertainment. You'll also have no trouble getting your guide's
opinions on the best places to eat and the best places to stay - but
be warned, if your guide is one of the ranchers, you'll be invited to
stay with him "out at the ranch", and "no" in any form is not an
acceptable answer - unless you take him to meet the friend or
business contact that you've already arranged to stay with.

In order to avoid inadvertent offense, it is advisable for the
prudent traveller to be aware of certain basic philosophical
decisions that the Nuteman have made with respect to governance, and
the effect on the society that those decisions have had.  Attention
has previously been drawn to the custom of duelling, and the
perceptions of personal honor behind it.  Defense of property and
personal liberty is taken at least as seriously as defense of honor;
a Nuteman will not hesitate to take strong, decisive action in the
event that he believes that his property is being stolen or damaged;
nor will he hesitate to act against anyone who attempts to restrict
his "essential liberty" (which is generally taken to mean that a
person can not be prevented from doing as he pleases, save that any
such actions may not interfere with the similar right of another).
It is for this reason, as well as for the defense of honor, that all
Nuteman go armed, and there is a general belief that a person who is
not armed is one who is not willing to defend his "essential liberty"
or honor, and is not therefore worthy of being treated with the
normal courtesies.  The visitor to Nutema is advised to get some
rudimentary training in armed self-defense (if he/she does not
already have such knowledge), and to purchase a weapon, before
descending to the planet's surface; both may be obtained in startown.
In addition, each shuttle port, and most towns, have at least one, and
usually several, weapon shops where the citizen or visitor may purchase
weapons or have weapons checked, cleaned, and repaired.

An interesting effect of the minimalist philosophy with respect to
government, plus the strong respect for individual liberty, has led
to a governmental organization that would appear, at first glance, to
be so totally unwieldy as to be ineffective at anything.  The basic
assumption seems to be that any government with sufficient power
unchecked will become oppressive relative to those it governs.  As a
result, the government is divided against itself, with each branch
having powers over the other two.  In addition, as perhaps the
ultimate check on the powers of government, there is a power vested
not in any official of the government, but individually in the people
of the planet:  The people may respond to perceived excesses by most
government officials in the same manner as they would respond to any
offense against their "essential liberties" or their honor. Also, the
only check on this power is that the person so acting may only be
convicted of an illegal action if the effect of the action on the
government official is "in nature excess of what response such
official was deserving of".  It is instructive to note that death is
not normally considered by the courts to be an excessive response to
proposals to impose general and broad taxes or licensing fees.
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