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Kaldi Arabica

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Grand Chemex Chemical Engineer Triangulum Arabica Kaldi, often better known by his moniker "GCCETAK", or as simply "the Grand Chemex," is a member of House Triangulum and the current Governor of Cabina.  He is a biochemical engineer and coffee maestro. 

He ran on a platform of technocratic meritocracy, and firmly believes that Cabina can be a relevant factor in the sector. He is fairly liberal in his views, but is loyal to the Empire and his House, and his administration's focus is upon increasing the economy through educational initiatives, travel incentives, trade reinforcement, cooperation with the Empire, and refugee acceptance and rehabilitation.

Traits and Appearance[]

The Grand Chemex is overall very transparent and charismatic. He is an excellent debater, having often argued the merits of coffee to get funding. He is also somewhat egotistical, as was evidenced by outlining a campaign platform based on his initials.

He will admit he is not the most versed in politics, but has several advisers who are very capable political leaders, philosophers, and lawyers. He strives to consider all perspectives, and has built a coalition of scientists and experts to support his idea for a technocratic meritocracy.

He has slight bias towards increasing coffee trade due to his profession.

Early Life[]

Triangulum Arabica Kaldi was born on Cabina on the 30th of February, 3133, at the Pilgrim’s Gate Hospital for the Weary. But he was almost born not in a hospital bed, but on the icy expanse of the Cabina Arctic.

A month earlier, his parents, devout members of the Tapeinosi, one of the Repentant Faith’s more extreme sects, believed that it was vital they completed a full pilgrimage to Mugenjishi before their child was born, so as to ensure that their sins would not be passed on to their son. However, that full pilgrimage involves over a month of hiking across the Cabina arctic between Pilgrim’s Gate spaceport and Mugenjishi. Having started late, and not to mention dealing with a pregnancy, that the Grand Chemex’s mother would go into labor long before reaching the fabled temple city with its cathedrals of ice, was all but a fact from the onset. Still they went, and if it wasn’t for the evacuation shuttles run by the Pilgrim’s Gate Hospital, the Grand Chemex might not have ever made it out of those snowy planes. His parents were reportedly less than pleased with the forced evacuation interrupting their pilgrimage, and the incident would be the first of many conflicts between the Grand Chemex and his parents up until their deaths three decades later.

People familiar with the young Triangulum Arabica Kaldi told me that he went through a period of fierce rebellion towards his Repentant parents, at one time even flirting with joining the High Church priesthood, but that in his later life, especially following the death of both his parents, he has mellowed. Most locals who have known him intimately describe him as a “cultural Repentant,” someone who has absorbed much of the ethics of the faith due to his Cabinan upbringing, but has always remained aloof from any sect in particular or the Church of Humanity, Repentant at large. In addition, a large portion of his formative years were spent on Habitat One receiving the best Triangulum education his parents’ wealth and status could provide, and by all accounts the experience left him with a lifelong loyalty to his House, more so than to his parents or their faith.

Cabinan Coffee Years[]

After his education on the Triangulum homeworld, he nevertheless still returned to Cabina, joining the Triangulum community involved in efforts of planetary restoration on that world. He soon became a prominent member amongst not just the local Triangulum community, but the planetary restoration and scientific communities at large. An expert on coffee and coffee-related instruments, he spent several years working closely with the Eridanus Ankhayat family on their Coffea cabina project, before separating over creative differences.

During his research, he discovered that the Varrjac, an amphibious species native to Cabina and one of the few unmitigated success stories of the planetary restoration efforts, had a digestive tract with unique properties applicable to coffee production. When Varrjac consume coffee beans, they do not digest them, but instead ferment them in their stomachs before eventually ‘belching’ them back up. With the right diet, this process leads to some of the most exquisite tasting coffees in the sector, and those who have had the fortune (in both senses of the word) to taste it have declared they can never have any other kind of coffee ever again.

This process is completely unsuited for mass production, which was the main reason behind the parting of ways with the Eridanus Ankhayat family, who sought a more widely accessible plant. Striking out on his own, the Grand Chemex began to sell his Kaffea Arabica to a select clientele, primarily Triangulum, both on and offworld. Soon word spread, and he became the sole coffee supplier of some of the highest ranking members of the house, as well as an extremely select group of clientele outside of Triangulum. His discovery has made him unbelievably rich, and it is rumored that within his house, the Grand Chemex is considered the leading authority on coffee related matters.

Cabina Governor Election of 3200[]

See article: BREAKING NEWS: Final Candidates for Cabina Governor Present Themselves! (Twitter link)

With the dissolution of The Church of Humanity, Repentant, the resignation of the current governor, and the growing crisis and chaos on Cabina, the Grand Chemex decided it was time to do more than produce coffee for the few. He vowed to serve all of Cabina, and through serving Cabina serve his House, the Empire, and the soon-to-be-elected Emperox. Kaldi believed that what Cabina needed at this juncture -- alongside its cultural ethos of acceptance and openness to immigration -- was an emphasis on meritocracy and technocracy (putting the most qualified people into the position of power), and a focus upon greater cooperation with the Empire.

The governor's campaign kick-off event was in Mugenjishi, where he presented his plans alongside famous luminaries of the local and planetary Triangulum community such as Pendergarden Astoria, better known colloquially as Ms. Owly of Owletown. Announcing his platform as GCCETAK, the press release summarized it as follows:

"Under the guidance of Grand Chemex Chemical Engineer Triangulum Arabica Kaldi, the planet of Cabina will see unrivalled progress, and all who work hard will get what they deserve. No longer will the government be a clique of clergy. The Grand Chemex Chemical Engineer will ensure that the most qualified people are put in the positions they are most qualified for. We will reach out to the best and brightest, not only on the planet but in the entire sector. Our Empire is in need of rebuilding, and we on Cabina can lead the way forward! And the way is the GCCETAK platform: Growth; Cooperation; Clean Up; Embrace; Trade; Acceptance; and above all Knowledge.”

A more detailed outline of his platform was later released as follows:

G - Growth -- Scientific and economic prosperity leads to a more stable and relevant Cabina.

C - Cooperation -- Cooperation with the Empire and its Houses leads to more growth and prosperity.
C - Clean Up -- Cleaning up the mess left from the fallout of the STO war cements the dedication of Cabina to the Empire and sector.
E - Embrace -- Embrace the non-humans (not synthetics) as capable of alleviating the crises and growing Cabina.
T - Trade -- Cabina has a vast capacity for trade and exports some of the most sought after teas and coffees in the sector; use this to grow.
A - Acceptance -- Continue to espouse the ideals of openness and fairness; let any who seek refuge come to Cabina and offer them our support and acceptance.

K - Knowledge -- Cement our leaders as the most knowledgeable and place an emphasis on education and future generations.

After an exceedingly close race, the Grand Chemex, by the narrowest of margins, was elected as the next Governor of Cabina. Though considered closer to the "coffee camp" than the "tea camp" power block, the Grand Chemex was neither Ankhayat Coffee's nor Cabina Cups Tea’s preferred candidate, and many understood his election as a rebuke to them both by the local Cabinan noble community. In addition, he received much support from those parts of the Cabinan community who wished for more focus on the planet restoration efforts. His GCCETAK platform, with its focus on rebuilding, progress, and proper integration with the Empire and the imperial community, struck home for many. The Grand Chemex’s promise of turning Cabina from a backwater into a vanguard of imperial science and progress seemed to have resonated in particular with those tired and weary of continued conflict.

Actions as Governor[]

The Grand Chemex's first actions as governor were to call for an end to the Cabina Cups and Ankhayat Coffee conflict. He announced his intention to appoint representatives from both tea and coffee interests onto an economic advisory board, and called for the heads of Cabina Cups Tea Company and Cabina Coffee Company to meet with him personally to begin discussing their differences. He was instrumental in the meeting as which these groups -- along with the a consortium of Cabinan charities -- signed a series of compromises and agreements that formed the basis of SERAPH.

The governor also addressed several instances of Cah-Binn activity that attracted undesired attention from the Empire, and authorized the creation of a Planetary Restoration Supervisory Board with qualified human engineers, sociologists, and constables as members.

Controversies[]

Some residents of Cabina accuse the Grand Chemex of including pheromones in his coffee and using TL 5 radio broadcasts to hypnotize people into supporting his run.

Mentions in the News[]

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