Kalistan

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Spotlight on: Bozo River
Home of the 1st Fleet boasts is Very Much a Frontier Town
Bozo River, Grand Duchy of Ananto
October 15, 5559


Bozo River Docks, at Bozo River Combined Arms Training Center

At the very northern edge of the Anantonese Empire lies one of the newest, relatively speaking, cities in the Empire.  It was built from scratch, over a period of 2 years in the early 42nd Century, and has since then hosted various elements of the Kalistani Regular Navy, including the 1st Fleet of Kalistani Regulars.  It is also the home of HQRN, and serves as the pre-eminent combined arms live fire training facility in all of Seleya.  And the largest:  Bozo River CATC covers more than 1100 square miles in the sparsely populated Green County of the Grand Duchy of Ananto.

Though Bozo River is linked directly to Eveari, Kaliburg, and Dahriel far to the south, it is for the most part isolated from the rest of Kalistan.  This is both a blessing and a curse.  Kalistan is a modern, urbane, and highly connected nation, while Bozo River remains almost a time capsule from more than 1300 years ago.

The town of Bozo River, population 36,500 is very much a "military city".  It is home to more than 35 car dealerships, 50 bars, 23 tattoo parlors, a dozen strip clubs, including some that cater to specific tastes, and two elementary schools, a movie theater, ten shopping centers, an opera house, a High School and a local college.  "The town itself is pretty boring," said Sgt Melanie Gutierrez, who is permanent personnel at BRCATC.  "This is pretty much the closest thing we will get Island Side to a Hardship tour.  The Capital is just a few hours away by maglev, but otherwise, we may as well be on the moon.  There are plenty of things to do here, if you like drinking, getting tattoos and seeing naked women and men serve alcohol or singing.  It's kind of a wild place to live.  There are more prostitutes here than school teachers."

Most of the people who live in Bozo River are either connected with the Regular Force somehow, or make money by serving them things.  "We have some really good restaurants here in Bozo River," said Jonas Alfredson.  "People from all over the Empire end up here sooner or later, and many cooks who do different kinds of food can make a nice living catering to all the little preferences people from Dana have, as oppose to people from like Senvias have.  You probably won't find a more varied cuisine in one place anywhere in the Empire."  The people of Bozo River are fiercely loyal to the Monarchy, and the one pro-democracy protest that happened in Bozo River ended up being a voter registration drive put on by the Public Library in support of the Institutional Party.  Most people interviewed in the town during the height of the disorders echoed a common sentiment:  "Not in our City."

Bozo River is a sleepy military city, mostly occupied by Service Members, Veterans and those who sell things to them

It is difficult to paint Bozo River as much more than a town directly adjacent to a military base.  That said, there are a surprising number of different kinds of jobs there.  "A lot of the civilians in Bozo River work on base, usually as mechanics, maintenance or doing things like working in the PX," said SSgt Oscar Ribaldi, who overseas Mainside Motor T Supply.  "We ourselves use a lot of civilian couriers to stock parts for our humvees and stuff.  Since this base serves all three branches of the Regular Force, there are all kinds of jobs here that we need civilians to do, so, there is always work for people who want it in Bozo River, and because this town is kind of far away from everything, pay tends to be a bit higher in town too."

Just outside of Bozo River, there are plenty of natural areas for people to explore.  "The Green Mountain Foothills up here are wonderful to hike in," said Alfredson.  "I hike up North Mountain at least once a month when the weather is good.  You don't want to be going up there when it is raining and cold.  And a lot of these areas have some pretty dense forests if you like hunting.  There is great hunting not an hour's drive south of here, and laws being what they are, there are always plenty of animals in there to give any expert a real challenge.  And we have white water up in the hills too, and of course there is ocean kayaking and sailing off the point."

The Music Scene of Bozo River is fairly mundane.  "Well, so, a lot of bands that are past their prime often play here in Bozo River," said SSgt Ribaldi.  "They kind of cater to these Veterans who like that stuff.  Remembering back in the old days and everything.  It must be a military thing, because a lot of the young guys dig that stuff too.  That and kind of like country music?  There's not a lot of rock shows or electronic music up here.  But we can get that in Kaliburg when we're on liberty."

Bozo River is home to both the 1st Fleet, HQ Regular Navy and elements of the Regular Army who carry on garrison duties and oversee training on the ranges.  "We also have a known distance course, a MOUT facility, and two dry docks left over from the old Shipyard days.  We look forward to working with Kundrati to be able to ensure that their basing needs are met, and we have dedicated two Barracks facilities to their use on mainside.  Hopefully they will also use our Naval Air Station as well, and train on a regular basis with our Naval, Air, Ground and Militia units that frequent BRCATC."

Though Bozo River is essentially the polar opposite in many ways from its sister city Dulnerstaad, it still is a pretty town.  The culture is not as vibrant as say Dana or Kaliburg, but it has its own lifeways that have evolved into a routine over the centuries.  Natives of Bozo River are, for example, known for their punctuality and their inability to frighten easily.  "It leads to Bozo River residents getting a reputation as pranksters, in a lot of ways," said Gutierrez.  "A lot of local folk festivals involve getting people to do things that are somewhat dangerous, quite funny, and more than a little embarrassing.  But also, people from here are avid gamblers.  A lot of the bars have poker and blackjack in them, and there are boxing gyms and a horse track where people bet on ponies in the summer evenings.  People love to lose their money in this town!"

Ananto looks forward to the arrival of Kundrati in the coming months.  It will add yet another pastel layer to the collage of Bozo River.