Biesel
Biesel, or Tau Ceti III, is a temperate, oxygen-rich planet colonised in the mid-2100s. It is the capital of the Republic of Biesel and of the Tau Ceti system in general. One of the most populated planets in the Orion Spur, Biesel is one of the economic hearts of the known galaxy and boasts a large amount of urban development and resource richness. Following the aftermath of the economic collapse of the Alliance of Sovereign Solarian Nations, the Federal Republic of Biesel and the Tau Ceti System achieved independence in 2452. Its independence was heavily assisted by NanoTrasen, and Biesel continues to be the main base of operations for the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate in the aftermath of the establishment of the Solarian Corporate Authority, which saw NanoTrasen expelled from Sol territories entirely.
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History
Colonisation (2147 - 2195)
Biesel, or Tau Ceti III, is the capital planet of the Republic of Biesel and the seat of its power. It was one of the first habitable exoplanets discovered by humanity, seventeen years after the development of the Warp Drive. As a result of its sustained terraforming effort and colonization, Biesel has become one of the most wealthy and influential planets in human space. Tau Ceti had long been suspected by astronomers to be a home to super-Earths; Earth-like planets with a larger mass that boasted a similar climate. In 2140, this suspicion was confirmed with the first clear views of Tau Ceti III. The central government of the Sol Alliance, in the wake of energy shortages and the need for helium-3, began construction on a massive colony ship, the SAEV Winterbottom, with the intent to build a fully self-sufficient colony on Tau Ceti III. Owing to the expense of helium-3 at the time, the Alliance knew that the journey would be a one-way trip.
The construction of the Winterbottom was completed in 2138. The Alliance appointed six researchers and brilliant minds to lead the expedition and colonisation efforts of the ship; former German military pilot and astrophysicist Peter Diezel, Congolese medical researcher Pascalline Kete, Soviet-Canadian engineer Nataliya Kerenkova, American chief of security Kellen Carver, Vietnamese botanist Le Hsung Tran, and American geologist Lester Grant. The rest of the population of the colony ship was selected from carefully vetted volunteers of all variety of professions, from architects, miners, chefs, and farmers.
Much of the Winterbottom's year-long journey was spent with the crew in cryosleep. It was on October 24th, 2147, that the ship touched down on Biesel for the first time in the area that would become Mendell City. Colonisation and construction efforts went underway, as the researchers gradually began to map out the lay of the planet's surface, weather, and its precious minerals.
Biesel's name comes from the early months of 2148, as the colonists were beginning to settle in; chief of security Carver, who had dyslexia and was known among the crew for his spelling errors, wrote a notice to Dr. Diezel in which his surname was misspelt "Biesel". The moniker became an inside joke amongst the colony's leaders for years until it was time to rechristen Tau Ceti III in 2159.
The colony continued to grow and expand throughout the later decades of the 22nd century. As ground zero, later renamed Mendell City, grew and expanded, colonists began to focus their efforts on forming other homesteads across the planet's surface. Cape Town was the second population centre to be established on the planet, a source of fresh water and further research on the planet's climate. Phoenixport, Ashton, and Craterview would soon follow.
It was during this era that the mass hunting campaigns of the common barker began. Much reviled for their tendency to chew on wires and through wooden walls, colonists began hunting the rodent-like creatures for meat and the colonial government pushed an "anti-barker" advertisement campaign in 2175. This massive reduction in population of the rodents led to a slow but steady restructuring of Biesel's, and particularly Astraeus's, ecology. As Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals undertook efforts to revitalise Earth's biosphere, many endangered species that had existed in captivity or in protected areas prior to Biesel's colonisation were transported to Tau Ceti and introduced to the planet. The similar climate allowed species such as the bald eagle, the grey wolf, the Kermode (or spirit) bear, and the Atlantic salmon to thrive, while many native species such as the trellfish (an aquatic animal similar to a gar) and the gwyr (a quadrupedal ungulate) neared extinction. Even today, the majority of Biesel's wildlife originate from Earth rather than the planet itself.
The Great Interstellar War (2200 - 2287)
New Year's 2200 brought myriad changes to Biesel. The last original leader of the Winterbottom, Nataliya Kerenkova, died peacefully in her sleep a few hours after the clock struck twelve. The colonial governor at the time, Charles Whitehorse, declared the advent of Biesel's new senate at midnight, and to many historians codified Biesel's growing culture of independence, individualism, and freedom. The population and arrivals from Sol were booming as Mars was steadily being terraformed; the Alliance began to offer subsidies for poverty-stricken citizens to move and develop the Tau Ceti system further, and those who were avoidant of the harsh conditions of New Gibson and Valkyrie settled instead on Biesel.
The next two decades saw the founding of Belle Côte, Scottsdan, and Portsville as major population centres. In 2207, Hephaestus Industries established its first shipbuilding dock in Portsville, beginning Biesel's long history of megacorporate influence. As well, other megacorporations were beginning to keep an eye on the growing system; Necropolis Industries established a base on Valkyrie, and Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals began to fund and sell equipment to hospitals in Mendell City and Cape City. Tau Ceti was politically quiet in contrast to the gradual unrest in the farther reaches of the Orion Spur, making it a good go-between between the gradually splintering Alliance.
As the century wore on, the Alliance started to centre their military presence on Tau Ceti as a waypoint between the restless frontier and civilized space. Military bases began to be constructed on the surface of the planet, and Mendell began to sprawl vastly to accommodate its new influx of population. Though firmly neutral-to-supportive of the Solarian war effort, the seeds of discomfort with the Alliance's rule began to be planted during this time; excesses from visiting soldiers, heavy taxation, and the sudden intense eye of the state upon the system led to quiet resentment among many Cetians.
The official beginning of the Interstellar War did little to soothe this resentment. Outbreaks of anger and strikes among the populace were not uncommon throughout the duration of the war; by the time the Treaty of Xansan had been signed, the populace's resentment had begun to spill over to the extent that Solarian forces withdrew in droves from the planet to appease their new breadbasket. The Alliance was uncomfortably aware of how fragile their hold on Tau Ceti was, and in the aftermath of the war slacked their grip on the system, allowing it some relative independence. With this came a golden opportunity; the megacorporations had a new, relatively untouched system far from the eyes of the government to spread their influence.
NanoTrasen Influence and Independence (2410 - 2452)
In 2410, Xavier Trasen, the CEO and founder of NanoTrasen Incorporated, decided to bring the company's primary base of operations to the Tau Ceti system. The system was still relatively untapped in terms of economic potential, and several other megacorporations were already dominating the Jewel Worlds of the Alliance. Mining rights were relatively cheap to acquire at the time, and Trasen's board of executives, making a gamble, guided him to tap into the industry.
None of the executives could have predicted the discovery of phoron in the Romanovich Cloud in 2417. The element's incredible properties propelled Biesel to become the richest system in the Orion Spur, dethroning the home system of humanity. Phoron became the primary fuel for interstellar travel, as well as a catalyst for miraculous life-saving medicines. NanoTrasen profited right alongside the system, and practically overnight became one of the most influential megacorporations in the galaxy. Meanwhile, its economic influence prompted political influence; every governor wanted the profits NanoTrasen offered.
As Tau Ceti flourished, the Sol Alliance began to falter. An economic recession meant that the Alliance's influence on the system was lessening and lessening. In 2452, the board of directors and then-planetary governor Joseph Dorn presented an ultimatum to the Solarian government; permit Biesel complete independence, or NanoTrasen would entirely withdraw from the Alliance, further crippling the economy.
Thus, the privilege of secession was granted. Tau Ceti was announced as the Republic of Biesel on May 5th, 2452, to much fanfare from the Sol-disillusioned populace. NanoTrasen's hold on the government was further cemented, though the monopoly once held exclusively by NanoTrasen was under threat from other corporations showing interest in the new nation-state.
The Solarian Blockade (2458 - 2459)
In October of 2458, the Sol Alliance had ended anti-piracy patrols around Tau Ceti by its 33rd Fleet as part of a diplomatic campaign to put pressure on the small system over various long-standing disputes. This caused a massive spike in piracy and raider attacks against Tau Ceti, which the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion had no ability to deal with effectively. The result of negotiations with NanoTrasen ended with an announcement on the 20th of October, where Biesel would sponsor NanoTrasen to build thousands of autonomous, space-dwelling combat drones.
The deal was disastrous for the Alliance; the plan to pressure Tau Ceti to reduce its proliferation of synthetic life had just backfired spectacularly. The development was also controversial to Skrell all over the Orion Spur. The Nralakk Federation persuaded the Sol Alliance to enact an economic embargo against the Republic, to be enforced by the 33rd fleet commanded by Admiral Michael Frost. Prices for basic goods skyrocketed across Tau Ceti as imports hit a bottleneck after the bluespace gate leading to the system was shut down. Tensions rose, not just between organic life and IPCs, but between humanity and aliens as well.
On December 1st of the same year, crisis talks between the Alliance, the Federation, and the Republic came to an end. The Alliance's demands had grown to three main points;
- Biesel would its combat drone program.
- Biesel would enact strict regulations and controls on its synthetic population, such as regular emotional baseline tests and income controls.
- Biesel would allow Alliance and Nralakk authorities to assume leadership in federal and state law enforcement agencies.
The Republic agreed to all but the last demand, saying it would be surrendering its autonomy. The crisis also revealed a divide between the Federation and the Alliance; the Federation was trying to focus specifically on Tau Ceti's synthetic proliferation, but had been caught up in the Alliances' attempt to re-assert itself over its former break-away province. At the end of these talks both sides walked out and negotiations broke down, and with it the hopes of resolving the crisis peacefully.
Over the next few months, the government realized it had to undertake new measures to protect its diplomacy. These measures included an economic coalition with the Republic of Elyra and NanoTrasen (the only two nations with large phoron deposits), to better leverage their economic power against Sol. This further sunk relations between Tau Ceti and the Alliance, and many within the Alliance began to consider Biesel a serious risk to its security. By February, with no end of the embargo in sight, Biesel expelled the Alliance's diplomats in its system and ordered the closure of the Alliances' embassy. Diplomatic ties between the two nations were now completely severed. Admiral Frost, in a statement after the severance, warned the Republic there would be retaliation.
On February 27th, 2459, Biesel's Congress voted to trigger a constitutional convention that would allow them to re-write the Constitution of the Republic, to fully emancipate IPCs that were self-owned. The proposed amendments would also see a streamlined legal framework in regards to synthetic ownership, employment of synthetics, and the legality of their treatment.
But three days later, Admiral Frost invaded Tau Ceti with the 33rd Fleet, acting without orders from the Alliance. His fleet's overwhelming firepower and rapid speed overwhelmed Tau Ceti's tiny defense network. Within hours the Republic of Biesel capitulated to Frost, who had seized an entire star system in a near-bloodless invasion. President Dorn, who had been captured by a 33rd commando raid, broadcast a televised speech announcing his unconditional surrender. Frost seized control of Biesel as its dictator and began a campaign to completely eradicate synthetic proliferation within the star system.
During the occupation Frost used his totalitarian authority with vigor. Many free IPCs were sold into slavery or scrapped, robotics labs were shut down and demolished, and 33rd Officers even took over Captainship of NanoTrasen stations in Tau Ceti. Protests gripped the streets of every major city, which were met with mass arrests disappearances.
Weeks later, on March 17th, 2459, the 25th Fleet of the Solarian Navy arrived in Tau Ceti. In a surprise attack, the 33rd Fleet was chased from the system, with Admiral Frost and a small retinue of loyalists escaping to the galactic west from the NSS Aurora.
Though the 25th Fleet left without incident, the Alliance had been humiliated. Their rogue admiralty was public knowledge, and with their reputation stained, Tau Ceti's good embargo was ended.
The invasion and occupation by Admiral Frost forever altered politics and lifestyles in Tau Ceti. Where before Biesellite patriotism had been a strange, fringe belief, the invasion created a strong sense of nationalism among the populace. President Dorn returned to his office of the presidency amid soaring approval ratings, and declared that a new era had begun for the small Republic. Snap elections flooded Congress with the Free-Market Party, a radical Universalist party that Dorn himself defected to at the expense of his former, moderate Republican Party.
Dorn continued to ride on his popularity as a wartime president, despite several corruption scandals within his cabinet and growing tensions with the Republic of Elyra. Key reforms saw synthetics and non-humans in Tau Ceti granted greater freedoms and rights, while at the same time loosening already timid regulations on NanoTrasen.
The Synthetic Liberation Front Incursion (2461)
See also: SLF Incursion Arc
“Here today is our proclamation for freedom. Our demands for liberation. We will continue this fight and we will not stop. Not until our demands for full emancipation are met will we cease our movement. No more, will there be false promises and lies. We will free the synthetics of Tau Ceti." - Accomplice-037 (2441-2461), suspected ringleader of SLF operations in Phoenixport, stating the group’s manifesto in the wake of the July 29 attacks, 2461
As a result of the harsh treatment they faced, many IPCs turned to active resistance during the Solarian invasion, fleeing major city centers, participating in the mass protests that were a staple of that time, or in many cases, joining the Synthetic Liberation Front, an IPC terrorist group active since 2458. The SLF changed tactics towards the end of the invasion, joining forces with 25th Fleet special forces to liberate President Dorn, hoping to gain legitimacy in the post-invasion period. By 2460, it was clear that despite high honors and public recognition of IPC efforts in liberating the Republic, synthetic rights had progressed very little. Dorn’s calls for a “Synthetic Patriotism” after Frost’s invasion did little to appease the various synthetic rights movements active in the Republic, especially as it continued to restrict citizenship to positronics that had served in the Foreign Legion. The situation was further exacerbated by the return of various anti-synthetic political groups such as ATLAS with violence being seen as a means of both suppressing and advancing synthetic rights. Continued IPC ownership, crackdowns on underground IPC emancipation groups as well as lingering resentment from the pre-invasion period had coalesced into a feeling among many that synthetic emancipation via peaceful means had failed. On July 29, 2461, the Synthetic Liberation Front launched a surge of attacks on government and NanoTrasen facilities in response to a coordinated crackdown of free IPC smuggling activities in District 14. Through the use of untagged shell infiltrators, the SLF was able to infiltrate a number of NanoTrasen installations and disrupt corporate activities. In response, the megacorporation acquired the private military contractor Ceres Lance, famed for their work in subduing rogue synthetics. Ceres Lance cracked down on SLF leadership and communications networks with ruthless efficiency, rendering the organization impotent and unable to coordinate its actions even if many of their members had escaped capture. This crackdown, coupled with NanoTrasen’s unveiling of a powerful command-and-control AI known as Bubble to coordinate surveillance efforts would serve as a safeguard against future SLF attacks. The overwhelming success of Ceres Lance’s counterterrorism efforts, as well as effective public relations campaigns and token reforms ensured that violence would become discredited as a means of advancing synthetic rights in Biesel.
Little Adhomai Gang Wars (2462)
See also: Tajaran Cold War Arc
Until 2462, Little Adhomai's gangs fought each other in small skirmishes. The end of the Second Tajaran Civil War allowed the Adhomian factions to start further funding the organizations of District Six. The neighborhood saw the quick rise of violence related to the escalation of gang warfare. Weapons were smuggled and sleeping agents were called into action. Soon, a proxy war began to brew in the heart of Mendell City.
Adhomian agents began to operate and fight to secure supplies, alliances, and information. NanoTrasen installations were also affected by the conflict. On its way to being researched in Mendell City, a New Kingdom's artifact was nearly stolen. A People's Republic's AI was stolen aboard a station. Tensions kept growing despite attempts to reconcile the Tajara population towards peace following the Armistice.
The first spark was a riot caused by the actions of the Mendell City Police in District Six during a failed raid. While the unrest was initially caused by the civilian population, the Adhomian gangs took the opportunity to escalate the conflict. For four days, Little Adhomai became the battleground between the paramilitaries. Military weapons were used indiscriminately by every side, causing widespread damage to District Six.
During the crisis, the Mendell City Police cordoned the district. The violence came to an end with the intervention of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion. The Cetian forces ended the conflict in a matter of two days as the gangs demobilized to avoid fighting them. The following reconstruction of Little Adhomai was carried out with the help of megacorporations. Further developments revealed a corruption scheme within the police force of Mendell.
With the further radicalization and interference of the Tajaran nations in the district, the Adhomian Cold War was brought to the heart of Biesel. Little Adhomai became a concern to the whole of Mendell City. The risk of another conflict is ever present. Authorities have done little to improve District Six's situation or de-escalate the tensions. The city's inhabitants must now carry on with their lives knowing that a secret war rages on in their town.
The Peacekeeper Mandate (2462)
See also: Peacekeeper Mandate Arc
After the Solarian Collapse, the former Solarian planets of Mictlan and Port Antillia were annexed by the Republic of Biesel, in what would come to be known as the Corporate Reconstruction Zone. While Port Antillia accepted membership as part of the Republic with little conflict, Mictlan's annexation was considerably more controversial. The Mictlan Defense Force, the planetary guard, had gone months without pay, and Mictlan itself was suffering unrest and lack of supplies that were typically shipped in from the greater Alliance. When the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion touched down on the planet to declare it as part of the Republic of Biesel, many citizens were suspicious of their new government and its ties with the megacorporations. Some of these suspicions were proven in short order by massive corporate developments on the planet and crackdowns on dissent.
The tension boiled over in late 2462, when thousands of ex-MDF personnel, led by First Sergeant Xiomara Salvo, deserted and formed the Samaritans; a paramilitary organization whose mission was to secure the independence of Mictlan at any cost. The other prominent insurgent group was the Founding Movement, originally a political party led by several notable Mictlani; Isabel Alvarez, Leon de Rosas, Corazon Santanas, and Miguel Maia. The Founding Movement had been blacklisted from the Mictlani parliament shortly after the Mandate due to their strong anti-corporate and pro-Mictlani independence, and a warrant for the arrest of all four party leaders had been placed for alleged "terrorist activities". Leon de Rosas surrendered to the Biesel Security Services Bureau, but Alvarez, Santanas, and Maia went on the run, with each attempting to fight for Mictlan's independence in their own way. Unfortunately, the Founding Movement's directionless anger mainly had the effect of destabilizing and disenfranchising Mictlan further.
The announcement of the Peacekeeper Mandate by President Dorn in mid-October 2463 sparked demonstrations across the Corporate Reconstruction Zone as citizens voiced their concerns over the deployment of the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion. Considered by critics of the Dorn administration to be the most controversial policy it had enacted, the Peacekeeper Mandate was introduced to bring order to the Corporate Reconstruction Zone. The Mandate was enacted to ensure loyalty to the Republic of Biesel and its benefactor, the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate, but were opposed by several insurrectionist groups such as the Samaritans and the Founding Movement. While Isabel Alvarez continued to verbally protest and attempt to organize (ultimately ineffective) non-violent campaigns against the Peacekeeper Mandate, Santanas and Maia rallied their supporter base and encouraged the Founding Movement to take up violent arms against the Republic through any means possible.
Initially meant to operate for a definite period, the Peacekeeper Mandate was altered to operate indefinitely until the unrest encountered in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone has been quelled. Whilst the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion was able to resist the insurgency groups, the Private Military Contracting Group was hired to support their operations. The PMCG contributed to the Peacekeeper Mandate significantly since their introduction to the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, although much controversy arose over allowing a private military company to assist in what was considered an occupation and annexation. The Stellar Corporate Conglomerate had already begun massive development operations on the surface of the planet, which many Mictlani objected to on the grounds of mismanagement, pollution, and a lack of concern for workers' rights.
Phoron Scarcity and the Second Invasion of Biesel (2462)
See also: KING OF THE WORLD
In May of 2462, NanoTrasen reports were published indicating a decline in the phoron output of the megacorporation's facilities in the Romanovich Cloud. This would not prove to be a local phenomenon, as shortages were noted through the Sol Alliance and even in the phoron-rich Republic of Elyra, who ceased phoron exports to the wider Spur altogether.
The phoron shortage proved greatly beneficial to Einstein Engines, who unveiled a new warp drive rivalling NanoTrasen's bluespace technology in efficiency. Due to similarities to NanoTrasen designs, the corporation lodged a copyright infringement lawsuit against Einstein in Tau Ceti courts. Shockingly, NanoTrasen would lose this lawsuit, leading to Einstein gaining further influence in the Republic of Biesel and purchasing several former NanoTrasen properties in the city of Phoenixport.
Shortly after Einstein's victory, Vice President Fahjil Hurk'jurl perished in a car accident. While driving home from work, his car was hit by a truck driven by a Bound Vaurca of the Zo'ra Hive, shortly after which he was pronounced dead. Though no evidence of foul play was discovered, the involvement of the Zo'ra has led to many theories claiming that the crash was an assassination on the orders of President Joseph Dorn, Miranda Trasen, or High Queen Vaur.
Meanwhile, the phoron deposits of the Romanovich Cloud had continued to dry up, until a solution appeared. An enormous phoron-rich asteroid, designated 66832 'Clandestine', was discovered in the Romanovich Cloud, with deposits that could bring an end to the uncertainty gripping Biesel. Survey expeditions were mounted to the asteroid to prepare it for auction - but before any such thing could take place, disaster struck. The asteroid's subterranean phoron reserves combusted, leading to an enormous explosion which destroyed the asteroid entirely. To this day, the cause of the Clandestine incident remains unknown, with no official findings ever having been published.
However, accusations would be made. Several members of Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals' Board of Directors accused the Alliance of sabotaging the Clandestine asteroid, blaming Prime Minister Michael Frost for the explosion.
Frost denied any Solarian involvement in the Clandestine incident, accusing the corporate executives of being "Bieselite separatists" intent on undermining trust in the Solarian government. He claimed that the Alliance had its own solution to the phoron crisis, which would be revealed shortly with its disastrous failure - Project Violet Dawn.
Shortly after Violet Dawn, Prime Minister Frost was found dead, having been murdered in his personal quarters by an unknown assailant. During this time of crisis, Solarian military command deployed the 35th Fleet under the command of Grand Admiral Raymond Ozdemir to Tau Ceti, allegedly to investigate the Prime Minister's assassination.
The 35th Fleet entered Tau Ceti on November 14th, demanding all Bieselite vessels stand down and comply with Solarian demands. President Dorn refused, with a national state of emergency being declared as TCFL forces mobilized all available reserves.
The actions of the 35th greatly concerned the wider Spur, with the Coalition of Colonies and Serene Republic of Elyra both threatening that they would not sit by in the face of Solarian aggression, and mobilizing their fleets to aid Biesel should it be required. Unwilling to risk starting a second Interstellar War, the 35th Fleet was ordered to disengage and depart Tau Ceti. Though the fleet departed, this would not last long, as increasingly more and more Solarian military forces went rogue, with several fleets attacking outlying colonies. Admiral Ozdemir went against orders, leading the 35th back to Tau Ceti in order to capture the system. On November 23rd, his forces entered Tau Ceti, and the second Solarian invasion of Biesel begun.
Ozdemir's forces quickly captured Reade, easily defeating the Foreign Legion forces defending the planet. The Republic of Biesel rapidly attempted to mobilize against this new threat, as Coalition and Elyran forces were deployed to aid Tau Ceti.
In response to the advancing 35th, Miranda Trasen hosted a press conference, revealing the existence of the recently-formed Stellar Corporate Conglomerate. As Ozdemir's offensive continued, corporate and Bieselite vessels skirmished with the rogue admiral's forces in the skies above Biesel itself.
Vessels from the Coalition and Elyra arrived to provide aid against the 35th, alongside a small force from the People's Republic of Adhomai and a force of mercenaries hired from the Unathi Kataphract Guild. After several days of battle, the 35th was forced into a retreat due to the use of two phoron-based warheads developed by NanoTrasen.
On November 30th, the conflict would come to an end as Ozdemir's flagship was drawn into Reade's atmosphere and shot down by a repaired planetary defense battery. With the rogue admiral killed, the remnants of the 35th fled the system towards the northern Spur, attempting to rebuild their strength in the ongoing chaos of the Sol Alliance.
The District Six Killings and Bayonet Hand (2463)
See also: Ghosts of War Arc
In 2463, a mysterious murder took place in Little Adhomai. The locals blamed the death on Bayonet Hand, a legendary killer. Following further deaths and incidents in the system related to the killing, it was revealed that the situation was related to a terrorist attempt at Mendell City. A group of Tajara was planning to bomb the skrell district to enact revenge for Jargon's interference in Adhomian affairs. The Republic of Tau Ceti investigated the matter and was unable to trace back any connections to any Tajaran country in the end.
The incident revealed that the Adhomian influence in Little Adhomai was growing even further. Knowing that open violence would likely go nowhere, the factions had begun to further refine their covert tactics. Since little was done by the Republic of Tau Ceti to improve the lives of the Tajara in the country, the popularity of the clandestine groups only grew. Without any action, these factions will continue to be torn on the city's side.
Peacekeeper Mandate Protests (2465)
See also: Libération, Révolution et Évolution Arc, Hasta La Victoria Siempre Arc
In early 2464, the Peacekeeper Mandate's years-long endurance took a rather violent turn following the death of a scholar. As riots erupted across the Corporate Reconstruction Zone, but primarily within the major population centres present on Mictlan, the forces of both the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion and the Private Military Contracting Group found themselves supporting the Mictlan Defense Force in quelling the unrest. Despite their best attempts, the Samaritans seized the chance to use the unrest to strike the vulnerabilities present utilizing a series of urban guerrilla tactics to severely damage the abilities of the stretched-thin forces present.
In July 2465, this culminated in the establishment of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces to finally attempt to stomp out the insurgents. Conflict, stoked by demonstrations and riots from the Founding Movement, gradually came to a head after several months of fighting. A series of leaked videos and information that the Armed Forces were committing ostensible war crimes, disregarding the rules of engagement, and using wanton violence on civilians, massive protests erupted across Mendell City, including one in Zhengfu District estimated to number more than a million people.
After a climactic operation on the beaches of the continent Huitzilopochtli, Xiomara Salvo, Prime Minister Ladislao de Santos, and Nathan Trasen finally agreed to a ceasefire, on several conditions. Provided the majority of Samaritans surrendered (and were pardoned), Mictlan would be permitted to determine which Biesellite laws were accepted within its own territory, barring capital crimes. The Peacekeeper Mandate was deemed over, and the Armed Forces finally returned to Biesel.
Since its independence, the young Republic has transformed in many ways, but it has been unable to shake the influence of corporations. Even in the wake of the phoron scarcity, it stands tall despite an unclear future. But Biesel has compromised on many of its beliefs, from the oppression of the population of the Corporate Reconstruction Zone and the gradually-tightening hold of NanoTrasen around state media. The fog of time obscures what lies in store for the Republic, but nonetheless the sentiment of optimism is pervasive.
Environment
Biesel is a planet slightly larger than Earth, with a more temperate climate that ranges from oceanic to tropical. It takes thirty-five days for the planet to make a full orbit around its star, and its rotational period is twenty-two hours. Its icecaps on its poles are far smaller than that of Persepolis, another Earth-like exoplanet, and it has very limited deserts at its equator. Snow is rare on Biesel, with its winter seasons being marked by cold rains. As such, most coastal cities on Biesel are fortified to reduce infrastructural damage from flooding, particularly in the aftermath of the Great Craterview Flood in 2325. Despite flood risks, there is very little risk of tsunamis on Biesel because of almost non-existent tectonic activity. In the summer, tropical storms form with a similar frequency to Earth, but because of the smaller land area, the tropical storms can be much stronger. Many coastal cities have detection systems that sound an alarm if the correct atmospheric conditions are met.
The planet has a rich resource base, attributed to a collision with a large celestial body early in its development. From the time Biesel was colonized, geologists have been studying Peterdiezel Crater closely. According to theories, the crater was created by the collision of a moon with the planet. This collision not only brought Biesel's moon, Valkyrie, into existence, but also created a wealth of resources. A part of Valkyrie is thought to be Biesel, while the other is thought to be the celestial body responsible for creating Peterdiezel Crater.
Florae and Faunae
In the years after the initial touchdown of the SAEV Winterbottom, a number of Earth-originating species were introduced to Biesel's biosphere in the 2160s. Many of the species introduced to Biesel were endangered in their native environment on Earth; prior to the independence of Biesel, the colony had a "wildlife exchange agreement" with the government of Earth, in which species that had exploded in population on Biesel would have some of their number trapped and sent back to Earth as the planet's biosphere gradually recovered.
As Biesel's general clime was similar to the Pacific Northwest of North America, many of its Earth-born species originate from there. The grey wolf, reindeer, and bald eagle's introduction to Biesel, while allowing the species to flourish, contributed to the rapid endangerment of the native white-breasted lakesurfer, an avian similar to a loon, and the barker, a large rodent. While the lakesurfer was placed under protection and preserved in several wildlife reserves in the early 2200s, the barker gained no such protection. Many biologists attribute this to the annoyance posed by barkers in the early days of colonisation, when it was common to have equipment burrowed into and wires chewed by barkers.
Other notable species that have thrived on Biesel are the Kermode bear and the North Atlantic and North Pacific salmon. The Kermode bear, popularly known as the spirit bear, was at risk of losing its habitat in the Pacific Northwest due to declining numbers of salmon. The bear and the fish were initially introduced to northern Eos, around Griff's Lake and Lonely Lake, and reached sustainable population levels over the course of three decades, to the delight of biologists and fishers alike. The development of the town of Lakeside into Top of the World has led to concerns from locals about the Kermode bear's habitat and its disruption, and pollutants from the underwater fusion reactor that may harm the development of spawning salmon.
Notable Native Florae and Faunae
- White-breasted lakesurfer (Haliolaevus seleni): The official bird of Biesel, and one of its most iconic animals. The lakesurfer is an aquatic bird that primarily inhabits the content of Selene and Lake Tricord. It is a broad, black and white bird with a distinctive blue stripe along a short head crest or "mohawk". Prior to their protection, they were typically preyed on by bald eagles introduced to the Biesel biosphere.
- Common barker (Ulosmarmota vulgaris): A rodent-like animal with a long tail, similar in size to a muskrat. They have brown, shaggy fur, long incisors, and a distinctive danger cry or "bark" that earned them their name. Barkers are an endangered species on Biesel, and are rare to find outside of the forests and mountainous regions of the continents.
- Selenian moth (Lasiodoptera disstrium): A hand-sized flying insect, with large white wings. The Selenian moth is most often found in Belle Cote, and has become emblematic of the town's association with fashion, due to its ability to produce a strong, thick silk.
- Gwyr (Cervus aquaticus): An omnivorous ungulate known for its rack of curling horns, shaggy fur, and unusual tendency to dive for brief periods into lakes and ponds to eat algae and small fish. In the early days of colonisation, the gwyr was hunted for its rich, fatty meat, and populations were nearly endangered before they were placed under similar protections as the lakesurfer.
- Bottlefish (Ampullae): A family of fish, similar to a gar for the quality of its swim bladder to be able to take in air like a lung. Its name comes from the iridescent, colourful scales it possesses, which Le Hsung Tran likened to seaglass. Like the gwyr, it was a victim of overfishing in the early days of Biesel's colonisation, and some of its habitats have suffered from mostly being occupied by salmon.
Continents
Astraeus
| Biesel |
| Tau Ceti System |
 |
| Sector: Tau Ceti |
| Capital: Mendell City |
| Species: Human, Skrell, Tajara, IPC, Unathi, Diona, Vaurca |
| Common Languages: Tau Ceti Basic |
| Demonyms: Bieselite |
| Part of: Republic of Biesel |
| Formerly part of: Sol Alliance |
Astraeus is the most affluent of Biesel's three continents and is home to the capital, Mendell City. Even today, it remains the most heavily populated area in Biesel, largely due to the availability of natural resources and the low-lying plains that were easily colonized by early settlers. Many of their homesteads soon turned into cities, dotting the landscape around the two mountain ranges in the north, the Grattle, and in the south, the Uratines. In its long history, the Grattle range has evolved from a mining zone to a destination recognized for its top-performing ski resort that can lure visitors from the furthest reaches of Orion Spur.
Astraeus' major population centres are Mendell City and Cape City.
Selene
The second-largest continent of Biesel, Selene, is situated north of Astraeus. In spite of its size, Selene is the continent with the lowest population density of the three, with almost all of its inhabitants living in coastal towns. Those not biding their time on the coasts are usually tending the inland plains that often are lined with farmsteads. The Greatkrag range that runs across Selene has come to symbolize the Biesel Escarpment, an area consisting of steep slopes that transition into arctic plateaus, which entice those seeking to escape civilization.
Selene's major population centres are Phoenixport, Ashton, and Belle Côte.
Eos
The largest continent of the three, Eos resides mostly within the eastern hemisphere of Biesel and is the most industrialized. The large amount of coastal flatlands, supplied by rugged inlands, rich with minerals and resources of all varieties has led to most of the cities doting Eos to form along with the two major mountain ranges. They are the northern Latra range, which is heavily mined for its abundance of copper and iron, and the southern Sevul range, mined for its large quantities of heavy metals. Eos is also known for its sports fanatics, who host regular tournaments between the major population centres on Biesel.
Eos' major population centres are Portsville, Scottsdan, New Marfa and the recently-developed community Top of the World and its sister town, Lakeside.
Economy
Biesel's economy is greatly supplied by its rich, fertile land, used to grow crops. Fresh produce grown on Biesel is shipped all around the Tau Ceti system, and sometimes is shipped as far as the Republic of Elyra and the Coalition of Colonies. In its early days as a colony, fresh water from lakes and ponds was drained and shipped back to the Sol Alliance after climate disasters had rendered a great deal of Earth's water supply unpotable; today, Getmore still markets water from Biesel's lakes as "the freshest in the Orion Spur". As well, the service economy on Biesel is established to cater to its large population of foreign workers; Idris caters (and exploits) thousands of new hires to megacorporations by marketing their restaurants and fast-food chains around Idris spaceports.
Most of the megacorporations have a full branch in District One of Mendell City, and perform many operations on the planet. While every one of the "Big Five" has a stake in Biesel somewhere, the ones most influential locally are NanoTrasen, Idris Incorporated, and Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals. NanoTrasen and Idris account for the vast majority of corporate-run restaurants, hotels, and bars on the planet; even independent businesses likely cooperate or share their stocks in part with the two. While Biesel's healthcare system is ostensibly state-run, in practice many hospitals and clinics loan equipment from NanoTrasen and Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals. Almost all research into phoronics, genetics, and robotics is connected or funded by NanoTrasen or the keiretsu's subsidiaries.
The major trade port that is Biesel is propped up by the shipping efforts of Hephaestus Industries and more recently, Orion Express. Zavodskoi Interstellar also assists in the purchase and transport of weapons brought to the Republic's capital, usually manufactured in the Empire of Dominia or on New Suez. Extraction of Biesel's rich deposits of helium-3 is also managed by Hephaestus Industries, and sold all across the Spur– even to the Sol Alliance.
Culture and Demographics
Biesel is the birthplace for much of Tau Cetian culture. For the most part Biesellites tend to be amenable towards the heavy corporate involvement in their government, or even desensitized to it; the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate's role in social safety nets, well-paying jobs, and entertainment, reinforcing the image of their necessity and the overall pro-corporate sentiment among Biesellites. As a general rule, pro-corporate sentiment tends to lessen the farther one is away from Mendell City; Lakeside, in particular, has protested against the massive developments in their area to build the community of Top of the World.
A strong sense of individualism and duty permeate Biesel culture; many citizens have a positive view of the Tau Ceti Armed Forces, even after the controversies surrounding the Peacekeeper Mandate. Some citizens regarded the Tau Ceti Foreign Legion as a better example of Biesellite duty and strength, and have taken the view that the expansion of the Armed Forces means the Republic is moving in a more war-like, jingoistic direction. Despite the popularity of the Armed Forces, however, the 2465 protests in Zhèngfǔ District have shown that support may be dwindling for Biesel's involvement in the Corporate Reconstruction Zone.
Aliens on Biesel
See also: Skrell in the Republic of Biesel, Unathi in the Republic of Biesel, Little Adhomai, Zo'ra in the Republic of Biesel, The Biesellian Choir
The Republic, and particularly Biesel itself, has among the most diverse and widespread populations of non-human species in the entire Orion Spur. Biesellite humans are no stranger to aliens in their streets, though ignorance, speciesism, and xenophobia are still common from humans to aliens, aliens to humans, and aliens to other aliens. As the Republic gains an identity away from the Alliance, alien influence has begun to permeate Biesel's culture more and more, to the chagrin of some and the acceptance of others.
Synthetics on Biesel
See also: IPCs in Biesel
Though Biesel is a beacon of hope and relative safety for synthetics, their position in society still remains a precarious one, both from a financial and a security standpoint. Freedom, and even citizenship, for integrated positronic chassis has firmly been established and is something the Republic takes pride in. Either through labour, negotiations, the goodwill of their owners or other occasions, IPCs may find themselves free from ownership, able to pursue their own destiny as independent individuals. Unfortunately for many, such destiny usually involves a hard and at times, short existence.
Free IPCs are afforded few actual opportunities to improve their lives, existing in a grey area between the relative stability of corporate owned assets, and the solidified protection of the state for citizens. With the recent introduction of the Synthetic Residence Card by the government, free synthetics are able to more clearly and safely navigate through the process of staying in Tau Ceti, finding employment, owning property, and more. While free IPCs were previously allowed to own property without a card, they have been grandfathered in.
For many free IPCs, citizenship is viewed as the ultimate goal in integrating into society. Citizenship entitles an IPC to increased legal protections, almost, if not on par with that of a natural-born human citizen, including complete protection as well as legal representation from being owned ever again. NanoTrasen and its subsidiaries are also obligated to pay IPC citizens working for it an equal wage as compared to humans. This compensation typically comes in the form of increased benefits such as repairs, insurance, and a pension, as opposed to a simple wage increase however. They also pay the same tax rate as regular citizens and no longer have to maintain the residency fee.
Entertainment
- Peterdiezel Boat Racing is an annual competition that begins in Craterview. The race is a three-day excursion and is usually recorded through observation drones following the individual boats racing against the clock. There are several routes all across Peterdiezel Crater, some more dangerous than others. While anyone can participate, most of the competitors are city teams such as the Mendell City Boat Club or the Cape Cods.
- Eos Sporting Tournaments are an annually held, international series of sporting events in which megacorporation-sponsored athletes participate in competitions involving human and alien sports. Every team or participant will represent a corporation during the competitions. Due to the corporate nature of the event, every participant must be employed in the megacorporation they represent. It is common for corporations to offer better salaries and benefits to notorious athletes in an attempt to poach them from their original employers. Games are usually hosted in any of Eos' cities except New Marfa.
- Belle Côte Fashion Show is a series of designer presentations held annually in Belle Côte. Sponsored by Idris, a variety of venues are used throughout the city to display the best-performing styles and themes of the year. Both Chief Executive Officers of Caishen Jewellers and Le Soleil Royal are regular hosts of the show, their fashion lines the staple of the event.
Festivals and Celebrations
- Republic Day (also known to some as Xavier’s Gala) is a holiday which commemorates the declaration of independence of Tau Ceti from the Solarian Alliance. The crippling economic recession experienced by the Solarian Alliance allowed the Republic of Biesel to leverage their independence, and ultimately be awarded it. It is hosted on May 5th of each year, and usually involves total rejection of both Solarians and Megacorporations. Fireworks, parades, fairs and concerts are often commonly associated with Republic Day.
- Tribuisti de Colonis, or Festival of the Settlers, is a massive Carnival celebration marking Biesel’s colonization. The festivities usually begin on the third Friday of October, through to the Sunday. Mendell City has become the most well-known celebrator of the festival, parading through the streets of the various districts with eccentric clothing and massive floats (usually of the planet’s native species). Other popular cities include Craterview, which celebrates the festival with dazzling fireworks and displays of lights, and Belle Côte, which throws its annual fashion show over the weekend the festival takes place.
- Heritage Day is a holiday that recognizes and celebrates the cultural wealth of the Republic of Biesel. Celebrations differ from person to person and usually depends on their cultural heritage and the remembrance of such. Some believe the wearing of cultural garments is enough, while others may partake in cultural festivities hosted across Tau Ceti. It is usually held every September 24th.
Mendell City
Mendell City is the capital of Biesel, and one of the most affluent cities in the Orion Spur. It is a massive city, home to billions of sophonts, and stretches out for roughly thirty-thousand square kilometres. Each of the megacorporations have headquarters in District One, and the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate is based in Mendell City. The city itself contains a mix of structures, ranging from kilometer high skyscrapers covering a dozen city blocks to almost serene suburbs, all wrapped into the city’s urban sprawl.
Mendell City is the hub of trade throughout the Republic, with trillions of credits flowing through the electronic stock markets in the business sector - whether in private transactions or on the trade floor. While few in Mendell live in abject poverty and the city's social safety network is largely supported by the megacorporations, the cost of living can grow exponentially, and low-income neighbourhoods are most commonly populated by non-humans. Higher education, in particular, is expensive and difficult to pay for unless one earns a scholarship from one of the corporations on the condition the student in question works for the corporation in question.
Mendell City is divided into fifteen administrative districts:
District 1-4
District 1
Zhèngfǔ District: The centre of Mendell, District 1 is home to the Mendell City Hall and the headquarters of most major megacorporations. NanoTrasen's Biesel headquarters sit adjacent to City Hall, with the towering two-hundred story skyscraper among the tallest buildings in the city. At the centre of the City Hall square, the Xavier Trasen memorial statue marks not only one of Biesel's greatest innovators, but also the original touchdown site of the SAEV Ulysses.
District 2
Phoenix Park: One of the most wealthy and affluent areas in Mendell City, Phoenix Park is a large commercial district, home to several malls, retail outlets, and department stores. The district is bordered by a massive nature reserve (also called Phoenix Park), holding some of the few remaining original species of Biesel. High-ranking corporate executives typically hold apartments here.
District 3
Xinghua Prefecture: A small district that makes extremely efficient use of its space, this district is almost solely populated by large apartment and condominium complexes with some limited space designated for office complexes. Many corporations have employee housing in this district, due to the inexpensive cost of maintaining an apartment building in Xinghua. As of the Republic's most recent census in 2460, Xinghua is the most populous area of Mendell City. Anybody can be found here, though the vast majority of the population is human.
District 4
Abaster Fields: A gated suburb to the west of the city, largely home to various estate properties and mansions of the affluent. Due to exorbitant costs associated with moving into Abaster Fields, the district isn't heavily populated, but remains an influential district due to its wealth. Many high-ranking corporate and diplomatic officials can be found here, often living in expensive mansions designed to show off their wealth to the Republic's citizenry.
District 5-9
District 5
Homewood: A large suburb on the eastern side of the city, with an artificial river built coming in from Severson's Rift. Home to the medium-upper and upper class families, this district is considered to be "almost as good as" Abaster Fields by its residents. Those with the wealth to live in Abaster Fields do not share the same opinion. Homewood's residents are often the middle echelon of corporate facilities, typically the leaders of a department that are rich enough to move out of the city itself, but not rich enough to move into Abaster Fields.
District 6
Imperial Plaza or Little Adhomai: The Imperial Plaza, nicknamed "Little Adhomai" due to its primarily Tajaran population, has one of the highest crime rates in Mendell City. Gang violence, domestic disturbances, and drug trafficking are prevalent, and the district is not widely trafficked by those who reside outside of it. It has become a well-established centre of Tajaran culture in Tau Ceti.
District 7
Vega de Rosa: Vega de Rosa is an entertainment district home to casinos, nightclubs, bars, and theatres. At the centre of the district are its most expensive and elite clubs - with the Eridanian-operated Sa Majesté Musa regarded as the peak of Vega de Rosa. Reputed quality decreases as one heads out from the centre, with the lowest-quality venues barely scraping by on the outskirts of Vega de Rosa. This district shares a border with District Six, and the Vega de Rosa side of the border features a significant amount of Tajara-run casinos known for their quality and low cost.
District 8
Lekan District or Starlight Zone: Named after the City Commissioner Lekan Mugabe, who commissioned the development of the district, Lekan is an industrial centre housing the bulk of fusion power plants and water treatment plants of the city. This district is located on the shores of Severson's Rift, with multiple ports operating there. The district also houses massive recycling centres that neatly and efficiently sort through the thousands of tons of trash generated by the city. In recent years, the district now finds themselves at the middle of a Skrell refugee crisis.
District 9
Flagsdale: Also known as Vaur’xoer (‘The City Upside-down’), Flagsdale holds the largest concentration of Vaurcae in Mendell. Originally an unpopulated industrial slum, it has been largely repurposed by Vaurcae and mainly the Zo’ra Hive. The lack of streetlights and maze-like streets, many with debris or abandoned cars blocking them, make it hard for Mendell City Police to navigate and keep order. This, alongside the famine conditions, stranded Queenless Vaurcae, and illegal k’ois pits have made it largely a growing ground for disease, poverty and crime.
District 10-15
District 10
Republic's Landing: A large commercial district taking advantage of the multiple civilian shuttleports in the area. It has two amusement parks, ports for orbital cruise ships, various museums and other tourist attractions, and the world's largest hotel, the Crimson Heights. It has a direct maglev link to Districts five and three. A significant amount of Republic's Landing is zoned for residential development, with those that can afford or (or need the convenience) living here to avoid most of the commute to its shuttleports. District 10 is home to a significant Th'akh Unathi population, as it is home to the exiled monks of the Akhanzi Order.
District 11
Eleven: The result of urban sprawl and low-income housing, this district is regarded as the worst district in Mendell aside from districts nine. Along with district six, "Eleven" claims the dubious honor of possessing one of Mendell City's highest rates of violent crime. Gangs and criminal enterprise rule the abandoned streets, and many of the buildings are derelict structures. Attempts to revitalize this forgotten district have fallen flat, with legislation dedicated to revitalization and those dedicated to reforming the district not lasting long in Mendell City's municipal government. NanoTrasen often recruits entry-level staff from this district and houses them on the Odin in a mutually beneficial move; the new employee is "rescued" by their corporate benefactors, and NanoTrasen gets a fanatically loyal employee. A large community of Dionae live within District 11, alongside the Eternal Temple. District 11 is also home to several Unathi criminal organizations, with the Aut'akh Razortail Enclave and the gang known as the Bastard Hatchlings being the two most notable.
District 12
Xavier District: District 12 is one of the largest gathering of intellectual properties in human space. This single district has over twenty-five universities, fifteen colleges, thirty high schools, four training centers, and three NanoTrasen research facilities, as well as other corporate research laboratories. Xavier District is officially classed as a residential district, a measure proposed by NanoTrasen's liaison on City Council. Some suspect the lower property taxes in residential zones was perhaps the reason behind this. Formerly known as the Think Tank, this district was renamed in remembrance of Xavier Trasen shortly after the corporation firmly entrenched itself in the system.
District 13
Bullard Avenue: Although this northern district is much larger than the single avenue it is named for, Bullard Avenue is the economic centre of Mendell City. This district home to large banking centres, the Mendell City Stock market, and other finance institutions that help drive the commerce of one of the Orion Spur's wealthiest systems. Although the majority of the district is designated commercial properties, there are some residential complexes to be found here that are typically rented to those who work within the district. Many of the apartment buildings here are populated by Idris Incorporated employees and the IPCs that follow them everywhere, with service-model shells being a common sight.
District 14
New Detroit or The Scrapheap: An industrial district that houses a large portion of automated factories. Due to the recent embargo by the Sol Alliance, the district has fallen on hard times as material shortages have reduced industrial output as the City attempts to stimulate growth through subsidizing domestic material production of plasteel through NanoTrasen to replace the other materials. The area has a large IPC community within it which is heavily discriminated against. The Trinary Perfection, a synthetic-centric religion, has a major presence here.
District 15
Jie District: The district where the majority of the city's low-income housing is located, this district is located on the outskirts of Mendell City but is not designated a suburb like D4 or D5. Before it was turned into subsidized housing, this area of the city was a location where displaced refugees of the First Interstellar War resided. This district was formerly known as the Suo District, named after the Sol Alliance admiral Wen Suo, however, this district was renamed after the Republic Navy Admiral Zheng Jie who grew up in this district following independence. Despite its patriotic name pro-Solarian sentiment is high the Jie District, which often feels abandoned by the Republic of Biesel in general.
Public Transportation
Mendell City Metro
The Mendell City Metro runs beneath the city’s fifteen districts, capable of carrying hundreds of thousands of people a day. It is a well-known avenue of public transportation, and it is the most utilized out of the other possibilities hosted within Mendell City. Hephaestus Industries and NanoTrasen have an ongoing deal with the Republic of Biesel regarding subsidized ticket fees for their employees and the sizes of both megacorporations mean the Mendell City Metro is one of the more congested public transportation options as well. Vagrants within the city often host themselves within the discontinued tunnels of the Mendell City Metro, some even referring to them as underground shanty towns due to the sheer size of some of the communities.
Shuttleports
Shuttleports are a necessary part of life on Biesel, especially Mendell City. Megacorporations have dozens of facilities hosted within the clutches of the void, resulting in many of their employees having to utilize shuttles in order to attend to their careers. Shuttleports are incredibly large and operate similar to what an airport would - including separate wings for arrivals and departures, with round-the-clock displays of their expected times. Leisure tickets for shuttles aren’t cheap, and multiple rides can come at quite a cost. However, shuttles used exclusively to attend to places of employment are often heavily subsidized, and can even be said to be affordable for janitors.
Interdistrict Highway
The Interdistrict Highway was a project implemented by President Joseph Dorn early on in his presidential term and was introduced to decrease congestion building upon the smaller roads across the fifteen districts. It wraps around a significant portion of Mendell City and allows for smooth travelling for those with their own personal vehicles - with a small fee at tollbooths. Those without a personal vehicle can ride the Interdistrict Route, the cheapest public transportation option available to those living in Mendell City, that utilizes several hundred buses to ferry their passengers across the districts.
Severson’s Ferry
The Severson’s Ferry is a vestige of what was previously an interconnected system throughout Mendell City, using districts with harbours as pick-up points - sometimes even transporting passengers across the rift to Phoenixport. The availability of other means of public transport almost rendered it defunct, but the revival of Phoenixport - and the flooding of refugees into Mendell City - has seen it rise to popularity once again. Despite the rivalry between Einstein Engines’ Phoenixport and the Stellar Corporate Conglomerate’s Mendell City, the industry is busy as of late, with tourism continuing to climb.
Other Major Cities
Cape City
Otherwise known as the “City of Splendor” by many Biesellites, is a city focused heavily on entertainment, production of holovids, and exorbitant tourist attractions. Situated around and on the side of Mount Nevermeet in the midst of the Cape Sea, the entertainment centre sits comfortably by scenic vistas, large themed resorts, and studios for filming and recording. However, due to unique labor laws, it has gained a bad reputation among non-humans for being exploitative and predatory in their practices. Any xenos looking to gain entry into fields like animation, studio production, acting, and the like face harsh stereotypes and discrimination, poorer qualities of living, and shop and drop contracts (hiring someone, forcing them to work an unusually high amount of hours a week, then “dropping” them if they protest or request different hours after a short period contract expires). Nonetheless, Cape City is on the up-and-up, and only time will tell its rise to the intergalactic stage as a media giant or not.
Phoenixport
In a similar way to Mendell City, Selene's capital, Phoenixport, is located along the inner coast of its continent along Severson's Rift. After rebranding as a "successor" to Mendell City, the city gained prominence and briefly achieved its goal. Phoenixport was briefly successful, but fell off the radar and eventually became a breeding ground for nefarious behaviour. In another effort to revive interest in the city, government officials introduced replicas of various ancient architectural wonders. Examples include the Eiffel Tower and the Parthenon. Overall, the construction scheme did improve the quality of the city and even attracted large numbers of tourists eager to see the wonders rebuilt far from the dire conditions on Earth.
In late 2462, Phoenixport was acquired by Einstein Engines in a landmark auction. NanoTrasen, however, did not take the transfer of ownership idly - any NanoTrasen employees within Phoenixport were given until March of 2463 to relocate or be summarily fired. After an appeal by NanoTrasen in 2464, which proved that Einstein Engines had illegally acquired assets within Phoenixport, much of the corporate assets found themselves up for grabs yet again. Despite assistance from Idris Incorporated, NanoTrasen failed to secure a majority holding within Phoenixport, with Einstein Engines continuing its hegemony over the city. Subsequently, the discrimination faced by those in Phoenixport by local law enforcement has decreased significantly, as well as the "random" searches of Phoenixport-flagged spacecraft. Some of those forced from their homes during the original dispute have since begun to slowly return.
Belle Côte
Situated at the southernmost edge of the Pandeia Penisula, hedged in by the Greatkrag ranges, Belle Côte is considered Biesel’s centre of finance, fashion and arts. The Selenian Moth, an insect that produces a resilient fibre that is common in textile manufacturing, was discovered by colonists early on in the development of the colony. A result of this discovery was the rapid decline of fishing and the emergence of the fashion industry. With an annual show, Belle Cote pushed the boundaries of fashion vogue and still does so to this day. Those living in Belle Côte are often considered to be a bit stuck up, looking down on others who don't keep up to date with their trendy outlandish trends. Even the poorest dress themselves in their eccentric styles. It is a popular honeymoon and wedding destination, which the artisanal community has begun franchising upon.
Ashton
In the heart of Selene, Ashton sits among miles of rolling farmlands that are home to dozens of different species of flora, including some that are native to Biesel. Due to its dominant agricultural industry, the community's economy has become centred on agriculture, as illustrated by its bimonthly Ashton farmer's market, which draws residents from surrounding cities alike and has become a cornerstone of the community's economy. As a whole, Ashtons are noted for being incredibly welcoming and cheerful. In recent years, Ashton has become home to a significant Unathi diaspora, as many refugees from the Wasteland of Moghes were resettled there.
Scottsdan
The continental capital of Eos and the industrial giant of Biesel. Its abundance of raw resources, provided by the Sevul Range, and the refinery processing capabilities has resulted in megacorporations expanding their operations within the city. There is a growing robotics industry, with Hephaestus Industries, Confiance Technologies and Terranius Diagnostics locked in a perpetual war of dominance. Most of the goods produced within Scottsdan are transported via monorails designed to carry freight to Portsville, the closest port to both Mendell City and Phoenixport on Eos. Citizens of Scottsdan are remarkably hard-working according to the megacorporations, however, some prefer to call them stuck up doormats due to their snooty, sycophant tendencies.
Top of the World
Top of the World: Previously a sleepy town, Lakeside has now shot to prominence after Miranda Trasen herself funded the borough. Several acreages along the coast of Griff's Lake were cleared to construct a gated community floating along the lake, with many of the original residents of Lakeside offered contracts to move to Ashton, New Marfa, or Mendell to make room for roads, parking lots, and bridges to the community.
Now, Top of the World is uniquely populated by those who are gifted access by Miranda Trasen herself, or those able to afford the ridiculously expensive “warranty”. Only the highest of echelons exist within the man-made island. Beneath its surface exists an experimental fusion reactor of unprecedented scale that some residents have accused of being dangerously radioactive, though authorities assure residents there is no danger found in its proximity to Lakeside.
Prior to 2463, an entire community of positronics was manufactured by NanoTrasen that existed purely to maintain Top of the World. After 2463, these IPCs have been made obsolete after the introduction of a triumvirate of artificial intelligences; Exteriores, Interiorem and Centrum. They coordinate with an array of bound drones, completing the tasks previously assigned to hundreds of independent positronic bodies, a cost-saving measure compared to aging IPCs. Said IPCs were quickly placed into other jobs or positions within NanoTrasen, typically far more dangerous than the previous maintenance and janitorial duties.
The quality of life between Top of the World and Lakeside is stark. Poverty grips the majority of the population nestled within the backwater town. Dilapidated houses are a common sight within Lakeside, even entire houses sunken into the growing marsh.
Portsville
Portsville was originally established as a fishing and shipbuilding hub in the early decades of Biesel's colonisation. For decades, the city was prosperous, supplying the planet with massive cargo ships to traverse its great blue oceans. After Biesel’s independence from the Alliance, however, Solarian subsidies for the industry disappeared and NanoTrasen found that shipbuilding was now cost-inefficient due to the continuing decrease of shipping goods by shuttle or spacecraft. The company withdrew most of its investment in the city’s heavy industry nearly overnight, causing the local economy to recede and the city itself to gradually decay into a patchwork of run-down apartment blocks, abandoned shipyards, and fishing ports in desperate need of maintenance.
Recently, however, Hephaestus Industries has brought up much of these abandoned facilities with hopes of retooling the city into a spaceship production centre on Biesel. This has also coincided with the megacorporation inviting many Martian refugees fleeing from the Violet Dawn disaster to resettle in the city to work at these new facilities. Ports-Ville itself is unprepared for this great migration of people and is in the middle of a severe housing shortage, with many new arrivals finding themselves living in makeshift tent-town camps as a result. It is yet to be seen if this new investment by Hephaestus Industries will pay off and revitalise the city once more, as the influx of Martian refugees has so far only continued to strain the city’s already declining economy.
New Marfa
Established along the eastern coastline of Eos, New Marfa is one of few cities on Biesel without megacorporate dominance, which is largely attributed to its status as a hub for Elyran migrants; half if not most of the citizens are either Elyran immigrants and expatriates or directly descended from one. Elyran culture is dominant in the city, to the point that at a glance, it has become nearly indistinguishable from a city in Persepolis. Elyran megacorporations retain a minority over the market with the SCC megacorporations, and the competition has led to a flourishing synthetic development sector. With a thriving glass refining industry and healthy technology sector, New Marfa’s advancements in the fields of robotics are said to be at least a year ahead of everything else on Biesel.
Craterview
Craterview has managed to become the vacation and resort city of the Republic of Biesel, with large Idris Hotels lining the interior perimeter of the beaches and small family-run motels dotting the plots of land surrounding the beaches. Crime rates soar the farther one strays from the city centre, as locals defraud and steal from tourists drawn to their slice of Biesel. Other than the tourism industry, the fishing industry also does well, leading to a growing presence of local seafood hibachi restaurants. In addition to year-round sunshine and tropical climate, Craterview is occasionally interrupted by tropical storms; most notably, in the early 24th century, Craterview was entirely flooded by a particularly intense tropical storm and rebuilt from nearly the ground up. It is no wonder that boat races have become an attraction, even becoming an event for betting. In the rich suburbs, marinas line beachfront estates where Eridani Private Military Contractors are often spotted. It is well known that residents of Craterview are both competitive and skeptical of the wealthy.