Heavy Gear: "The City of Three Ravines"

Coronado (TN 1939)

Coronado sits in an ancient river valley about 250 kilometers from the CNCS city-state of Red Sands. The center of the community is dominated by the junction of three long-dry river beds, running from the city center to the west, northeast and southeast. This conjunction gives Coronado the nickname "The City of Three Ravines." The center of Coronado is also dominated by Trinity, a large oasis tower which houses the government offices of the city-state and the surrounding county. Most of Coronado's arts and cultural centers are within just a few blocks, making the tower and its vicinity the heart of the city-state. Trinity provides life for Coronado in another important way - an underground river that taps into the MacAllen network was discovered during the tower's construction, and this river provides much of Coronado's drinking water.

The rest of Coronado's geography is likewise shaped by the flow of water. Coronado's South Hills are crisscrossed by smaller valleys through which small brooks still flow and provide water to local residents. The North Hills area is a series of mesas that had once been flood plains, and is home to many small farms and ranches. This area is also known to many locals as "The Plain of Planes," as the North Hills are also home to Kearny Field, the largest and best equipped Badlands airport outside of Peace River.

Coronado is a unusual community for the Badlands, and indeed for Terra Nova, as its primary industry is aircraft production. It was founded in TN 1787 by John Cabrillo, a Mercantilist shipping company executive who wanted to start his own air freight service. Cabrillo wasn't content to make do with other people's products, however, so in the mid-1780's he commissioned a series of geological surveys, to find a site for an aircraft factory with large deposits of the metals he needed to build his own planes. A site fulfilling his requirements was found in TN 1786, and the following cycle he established Coronado Aerospace and the city-state of Coronado on the same day.

Aerospace manufacturing still dominates the Coronado economy. Coronado Aerospace and other firms produce parts and subassemblies for Northern Guard aircraft, such as Orca and Goliath transports, while other companies specialize in providing "floaters" and other robust designs to the Badlands market. Since the War of the Alliance, however, Coronado has become an important production center for light armored vehicles. Banzaidyne's variants of the classic Piranha armored car chassis have been strong sellers since the company began producing the vehicle for Coronado's 23rd Armored Cavalry Regiment ("The Hong Kong Crusaders"), an international peacekeeping unit which usually operates in the Badlands. (For more on the Hong Kong Crusaders, click here.)