In the time of rifts, much of the city of Perth had been affected early by the devastation. Most of the survivors, together with all mobile or portable gear that could be obtained, gathered at the massive half-built military complex in Midland. The valiant sacrifice of a few SPBs and the desperate fighting by police, militia, army and volunteer units prevented the wholesale massacre of this group, and also gave the more scattered survivors something to head toward.

Despite their advantages, in the decade that followed hunger and disease took their toll and their numbers fell by 80%. At the end of that decade, the site had been fortified crudely but successfully, basic manufacturing was taking place, and food production had finally risen to meet the falling population. Those terrible first years are called "the Hungry Years", and in Midland cannibalism is considered an unpleasant but acceptable tactic to stave off starvation.

Unlike the better-equipped Kwinana more than a hundred kilometers to the south-west, which could be reached only with difficulty across the wretched ruins, Midland lay in the middle of a toxic, high magic, and monster-infested zone. The inhabitants of Midland were aware of Kwinana, but received little aid from that beseiged (but better off) enclave. In fact, columns of tattered refugees were known to be turned away by the Kwinanans; and for this the Midlanders hated them.

The ruins of Perth were from the first a haven for rift demons. As the sea rose, they moved inland, and the less built-up, more vegetated lands on the outskirts of the ruins were settled by thousands of orcs, goblins, and similar creatures. They fought each other, but they saw Midland as a fortification no doubt containing great treasure (which, in a sense, it did) and repeatedly attacked it, every few years, in great numbers.

The end result was a city of hardy warriors, grim, unforgiving people with harsh customs. Their difficult position was at first impossible for them to abandon. In later years they refused out of sheer bloody-mindedness to abandon the city. Ninety years ago their city was entered and sacked by the orcs; but the then protector escaped with a large proportion of his army, and two years later retook the city.

The city is not a member of the UAR, but supports it (as it provides useful information and protection in exchange for funds).

If the city makes anything, it makes warriors. The rangers, headhunters and grunts from the Protector's Guard are acknowledged some of the toughest, most tenacious troops in the region. Their training is brutal, and their esprit de corps is excellent.

Midland is sited on land which rises toward the east, where a river runs down into the shattered remains of the metropolis. The regeneration of the Earth has done much to improve the area, and it is now only the lands west of the city that are called the Great Badlands, a kind of desert filled with rubble, noxious vegetation, and monsters - mostly orcs.

East is mostly open ground for several dozen kilometers, with tall grass and scattered scrub. There is quite dense forest along the river, and tall hills at a distance. There is a fair bit of game, as well as wild horses, goats, sheep and cattle, and monsters. However, these regions are patrolled by Midland rangers, who hunt only what they need from the animals, but kill monsters mercilessly. They usually poison their weapons, so that a beast which escapes will not survive, and employ other tricks such as radio-beacon arrowheads.

The region is poor in minerals of a natural sort. However, the Badlands always have been a source of salvage - whether base metals, such as copper wire, reinforcing steel, and silver from photo paper, or machine parts, or even functional equipment. What can be easily taken was done so long ago, and now there are only a few well-financed, heavily armed salvage organisations "mining" the ruins.

The city lies on the main trade route to the north.

There is no local aboriginal tribe. The city, the Badlands, and the local monsters conspire to convince the aboriginals that there are greener pastures elsewhere. However, mutant rats are reasonably common; not all of them are dangerous, but concerted attacks (usually in ambush, at night) are frequent enough that the rats are feared and barred from entry.

To the east are the heavily guarded farms. Midland depends on labour-intensive farming, using forced labour. The defensive perimeters serve both to keep attackers out and prisoners in. The outermost perimeter is a earthen dike 20' high, which is rebuilt when the farms are expanded. The dike system also assists with irrigation, which is taken from the river and heavily dependent on weather. The dikes are topped with wire fences, which serve both as a barrier and a touch-sensor system. The fences are patrolled night and day by soldiers. Watchtowers dot the landscape, usually manned by 2-3 soldiers with a heavy weapon and a borg or PA suit.

The downtown looks pretty new. That's because it gets regularly burnt down, either by the attacking tribes or monsters, or by the soldiers who would prefer it not provide cover for attackers. When this is done, sometimes able-bodied inhabitants are collected and sent to the prison farms. There are only a few tough buildings in the downtown; everything else has a temporary look. Many of the inhabitants have burrowed into the earth rather than build above it. Midland's downtown is one of the most squalid places of misery in western Australia. There is a concealed entrance to the city sewerage network here; skilled characters who found it could use it to enter the city in secret.

The city is a rising series of walls and fortified buildings, all based on the huge ferrocrete base from the time of rifts. Much of it is evidently patches from battle damage, and some places are better defended than others. However, often a "weak spot" is not what it seems, and is instead a trap to draw in a major portion of an attacker, so that it can be destroyed by a concealed means of offense. Walls are at least 6m high and are constantly patrolled by soldiers on their tops and at the base. In many ways the city resembles a huge, sprawling, medieval castle. The heavy weapons on and behind the walls are a mixed bag, largely salvage or copies made of salvaged weapons. Many of the large projectile weapons have very limited ammunition supplies.

Midland has only two gates, the east and the west. They actually face south-west and north-east, serving the trade route, access for salvagers to the Badlands, and access to the prison farms. Security on the gates is not as technologically advanced as at most UAR cities. However, the hard-bitten troops of the Protector are vigilant, experienced, and cruel. The judicial system is usually handled on an ad hoc basis by whatever troops arrive on the scene to deal with a crime; amputations, executions, and being stapled to a door are all not uncommon. The most common of all sentences, however, is a custodial sentence in the prison farms - usually in blocks of 10 years.

The population of Midland is 100,000. The city resembles a medieval style inside as well, with all of the buildings having a fortified look, and because the level of advancement here is not as high as elsewhere. Crime comprises mostly property and crimes of violence - petty violence is usually ignored. The people believe in violence as a solution to many problems and grow up exposed to quite a lot of it. The city is quite crowded and sanitation is sometimes a problem. The only green spaces are private gardens, usually on rooftops.

70% of the population is human (16% oriental, 20% aboriginal, 36% white), 20% mutant animals, 6% dwarves and the remaining 5% other d-bees such as tritons, elves, eandroth, and simvan. There are no orcs or mutant rats; they may not enter the city on pain of death. White humans includes the Jacobites, a subgroup making up about 1% of the total population. Racial tension is non-existent among humans, because there is quite a bit for non-humans. Jacobites suffer no prejudice. Most of the population are hard-working, suspicious of non-humans and strangers, and opportunistic, but very supportive of the Protector. Attitudes toward the UAR are positive, but not very. Magic is accepted, but in some quarters is still thought to be suspect - for many years magic was fought, not fought with, here. 25% of the population have at least minor psionics; this too has become accepted.

Midland is a subsistence city. It has two advantages: the Badlands, as a source of salvage, and the trade route. The city still only just produces enough to eat, and most sometimes buy from elsewhere in the UAR. Their industry is limited to the production of body armour, weapons, and simple machines. Most people do not earn very much; entertainment consists primarily of alcohol, sex, and football. Wearing guns is unusual, and will attract attention (only the guard do that), but concealed weapons (guns under the counter, concealed knives, etc.) are very much in fashion. Midlanders believe in being prepared.

There is a fair bit of crime, in part because of the lack of investigatory abilities and organised law enforcement infrastructure. Crime in punished when it's detected, on the spot, in public, and only major cases are brought before the Protector. Punishment is harsh: long sentences to the prison farms, amputation, execution.

The city supports the UAR and there is a UAR representative here. Midland's interests are represented, along with those of a number of other independent settlements, by a special Senator who is appointed by the rest of the ruling council. The Senator has been a Midlander in the past, but is not currently so. There is a small detachment of UAR troops here also, but they fight only to aid in the defense of the city, or to protect the UAR representative. The ruler, or Protector, is a man called Mace. He has been protector for 18 years, a very long term indeed. Initially part of his popularity derived from the fact that the city's banner is a shield with a morning star across it, demonstrating both the protection of citizens and their strength in attack, but Mace is (for Midland) a benevolent dictator.

Mace has extraordinary physical powers. He wears dress armour all the time, and is usually concealed by a fearsome helmet. He is also the leader of the army, or the Midland Guard, as they are known, and has their respect and devotion. In battles, such as the assault by the evil wizard Chandra and his orc brigade, he leads from the front; he slew Chandra with his bare hands, and threw his body to the foot of the wall. He is an absolute ruler. There is no clear successor for him, should he die.

The city is divided into districts, called quarters, based on their distinguishing features. The downtown quarter lies outside the wall. The Lantern quarter contains the brothels, markets, and most taverns; it is the region frequented by visitors, and is best-lit at night, for much trade goes on after dark. The Guard quarter contains most of the barracks, the armory, weapons factories, and so on; it is heavily guarded and patrolled, and the inhabitants which are not Guard are mostly ex-Guard and their families. The Chain quarter is another guarded region, where the inmates of the prison farms sleep; it also contains the granaries, abbatoir, and other industries producing bad smells. The Gold quarter is occupied almost entirely by artisans, merchants, and the wealthy of the city. Lastly, the Protector's quarter contains, as you would expect, the Protector's palace and the city apparatus. However, it also contains the hospital, asylum and orphanage (all patronised by the Protector), the UAR representative's house, and so on. The Jacobite quarter is a city block in the Chain quarter.

Guard patrols do not check papers, but sometimes stop people and question them. Power comes from a large, elderly fission reactor. The Jacobites keep to themselves, as elsewhere, but they are not discriminated against, at least partially because the Protector supports them (though quietly). He is aware of the contributions they have made to the city in the past. One of the greater dangers in the city comes from offending or enraging the Guard; the Protector loves them as children, and all but the bloodiest behaviour is excused because of this, and because of their defence of the city.

One aspect of high technology which is found in Midland is an MOM laboratory. It lies inside the Protector's palace, and there is an unexpectedly high percentage of Crazies in the Guard (they tend to be stationed outside the city, but not always).

The Inflatable Doll. On the edge of the Chain and Lantern quarters is the Inflatable Hostess, an expensive den of iniquity. Most vices can be satisfied there. They make regular payments to the local Guard, and are not bothered by them, so long as they keep a low profile. The place is also the preferred hangout of the Pneumatic Ninjas, an all-girl gang of vicious Marilyn Monroe lookalikes. The Ninjas are the closest thing to a snatch gang in the city, which they keep secret; they have an alliance with Doc Eichmann's, the only chop-shop in town.

Doc Eichmann's. The city's only chop-shop. Not capable of doing full conversion, it is nonetheless well-equipped, and can do repairs, implants, and limb replacement, as well as necessary medical treatment. Run by Doc Eichmann, an unscrupulous man who often makes customers "disappear" if they have no friends. He obtains parts from the Pneumatic Ninjas, and they have an understanding. Prices are good, 20% below standard, but not lower since he has no competition.

Unbeatable Arms. A weapons and armour dealer specialising in end-of-model runouts, hardly-used second-hand gear, and take-it-off-my-hands-its-a-bargains. Gear is 10-40% below cost, always used, sometimes unreliable or damaged. Rarely has vehicles or PA, but can get borg armour. The owner, Yngle, has an headjack, and there are a dozen or more pop-up rifles concealed around the building, all of which he can control if needful.

The Beetle. Under the preserved head of a fury beetle is the preferred hangout of the experienced and veteran warriors, not all of them from the Guard. This place lies in the Guard quarter, naturally. It's a quiet place with a training courtyard behind it, and the patrons do not like loud-mouthed visitors. The bartender has no legs, and is well-liked by all.

Chalcedony is a 4th-level dwarf headhunter, now an FC borg. He has joined the Midlands army in order to pay off his cybernetic conversion (5 years), and because of his experience will quickly make sergeant. IQ 14, ME 18, MA 17, PS 26, PE 20, PP 20, PB 9, SPD 132, HP 35, MDC body 280, head and arms 90, legs 150. Styling is dwarflike, so only human height, and squat. The face is a chinese-style demon mask. Weapons include a P-beam forearm blaster on each arm, and he carries a Webley Havoc .50 assault rifle.

The Pneumatic Ninjas are a Midlands gang of Marilyn Monroe lookalikes, mostly augmented or powered in some way. They are involved in a variety of crime activities and are old friends of Chalcedony. They are 40 in number, about 1/3 augmented, 1/3 psykers or magically active, and the rest are city rats or headhunters.

Merredin is a 4th-level crazy-juicer experiment and member of the Pneumatic Ninjas. Originally a crazy, her head was transplanted onto the headless body of her friend Mina, a juicer. The drug harness is cybernetically implanted. PS 32, PP 24, HP 60, SDC 470. She has 30 ISP and the psychic powers of sixth sense, nightvision and levitation. She has torso cyber-armour (50 MD), a bionic lung and retractable vibro-blades in both forearms (she has WP paired knife). Other gear includes an armoured bunny suit (30 MD) and a Desert Eagle .44 magnum pistol loaded with HEAP rounds (3D6x10 SDC or D3-1 MD).

Marjorie is a 3rd-level mutant human (80 MDC) and member of the Pneumatic Ninjas. Her super-powers are magnetism, electric bolt, and extraordinary PE. She can control (i.e. prevent firing, aim and fire independently, redirect flechettes in flight) railguns and ion or particle beam weapons up to 100m distant.

Rachel the Relic. AKA Rachel Hussar, Ace. Mutant, 10th level. 5'6", 120 lbs., elbow-length, matted, gray hair, brown eyes, 130 years old, unprincipled. IQ 15, ME 9, MA 11, PS 14, PE 15, PP 13, PB 11, SPD 14, HP 45, SDC 180. Invulnerability, teleport.

Cryptography 98, laser 98, optics 98, radio 98, scramblers 98, satellite 98, TV/video 98, computer ops 98, programming 98, elec engineer 98, surveillance 98, computer repair 98, robot electronics 50, robot mechanics 50, locksmith 50, car 98, motorcycle 98, advanced math 98, basic mechanics 75, forgery 75, sing 75, HTH martial arts, prowl 98, swim 98, survival 98.

Wears grubby tracksuit, dirty black raincoat, tattered black leather gloves and a shapeless rucksack, holding a blanket, filter mask, scraps of food, water bottle, a knife, and an aged leather mask.

Rachel lives in the Midland downtown quarter and appears to be an ancient, doddering bag lady. However, she was once a superheroine, a member of a nameless WA super team. Her expertise was in rescue, as she did not like to fight. Since those days, she has seen all her friends die, and many strangers besides, most of them innocent. The time of rifts unhinged her, leaving her with a fear of cleanliness, of permanent living places, and monsters. She is schizophrenic, but largely her mental illness is the result of untreated trauma and loneliness. Even the other bums avoid her. Despite her aged appearance, her invulnerability has given her the strength, health and agility she had at 30.