Cydonia City
Cydonia City was a major Terran city and the capital city of Mars
Origins
Cydonia was the first landing spot for manned missions to Mars but not the first place to be colonized. A scientific mission was set up at Cydonia to observe and study the Cydonian pyramid. A larger settlement was created around ten miles away on better ground and a temporary landing pad was set up to aid landing and take off of operations. The Cydonia settlement grew rapidly as the primary Martian downport, as well as being close to several high yield mines, though not as initially valuable as the Pyramid or Bradbury mines. By the 23rd century Cydonia City had become a massive corporate and economic centre and by the 24th century it was the largest and most modern city in the entire of Terran space.Location
Cydonia lies in the planet's northern hemisphere in a transitional zone between the heavily cratered regions to the south and relatively smooth plains to the north. Some planetologists believe that the northern plains may once have been ocean beds,and that Cydonia may once have been a coastal zone. It is in the Mare Acidalium quadrangle.Demographics
As of 2520, Cydonia City is home to more than forty million people. The 2515 city-census showed the breakdown of the city population at:- 38,200,000 humans
- 2,000,000 Indirians
- 2,250 AI's
- 5,750 other aliens
Government
Cydonia City is governed by a city council and a separately elected Mayor of Cydonia. City councilors are elected to a five year term and are elected on the same ballot as the Colonial Legislature and, therefore every ten years they are on a so-called "Super Ballot" with votes on Lt-Governor, Attorney General, Mayor and City-Council. Cydonia City Council elects one hundred and fifteen councilors, of which nineteen are then elected internally to the Executive Committee which has most of the deal making power. However, the city budget and other major items require a vote of the full council. The Council members are from all walks of life but many are retired and from either the business community, journalism, law or the city's unions. Most run as part of a major party "ticket" but some are also elected as independents or on purely city-wide party's. The Mayor of Cydonia is elected to a five year term and is the Executive overseeing the government of Cydonia City and is therefore one of the most powerful and recognizable politicians on Mars. They have veto power over all bills in the city council and also can pass limited executive orders. They also attend many charitable events and control a huge number of appointments, including some that are done without the need for council approval. This means that a Mayor of Cydonia city can reward their alliesList of famous mayors
- 2330-2340 - Kyuzo Miyahara - AIS
- 2340-2345 - Johnston Morrow - Federalist
- 2345-2355 - Dominic Tolliver - Independent
- 2355-2365 - Ryu Hasegawa - AIS/Independent
- 2365-2375 - Bryce Kurtwell - Federalist
- 2375-2390 - Cornwall Whirry -Independent
- 2390-2400 - Lord Slater Dunwitty - Independent
- 2400-2410 - Kentos Axxelson -Independent
- 2410-2415 - Florence Hawland -MDU
- 2415-2420 - Dreyse Avander-Slade -Independent
- 2420-2425 - Lord Morris Cavendish -Independent
- 2430-2440 - Lord Creyll van Leuwann -Independent / Centrist
- 2440-2445 - Bridgit Wilkerson - MDU
- 2450-2455 - Nancy Kruise - Centrist
- 2455-2465 - Bridigt Wilkerson - MDU & MWP
- 2465-2470 - Lord Lucas Tremblayn - Independent
- 2470-2475 - Ocham van Neys - Independent
- 2480-2490 - Saoirse Karnes - MDU
- 2490-2495 - Ruvinder Wadham-Singh - Centrist
- 2495-2500 - Vikram Wilcox - MDU
- 2500-2510 - Tamina Karnes -MDU / Independent
- 2510-2525 - Ayako Vance-Honda - Independent
- 2525-2530 - Tyler Cartwright - MDU
- 2530-2535 - Dr Ithar van Norvald - Vishnu Elpis
- 2535-2550-Dr Sanjay Hopper - Justice & Peace
- 2550-2565-Marnie Buxton - Vishnu Elpis
- 2565-2580-Casper Sorrell -MDU
- 2580-2590-Mackenzie Harrell -Vishnu Elpis
- 2590-2600-Bart Garrigan -MDU
- 2600-2610-Carney Morris -MDU
- 2610-2620-Naveen Padhya - MDU
Cydonia Police Department (CPD)
The Cydonia Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Cydonia City and has more than one hundred thousand sworn members. It has jurisdiction over most areas in the city but there are some areas that fall under direct corporate control, military control or government control. The head of the Cydonia PD is the Commissioner and they are appointed by recommendation of the Mayor but require a vote of the full council. The Cydonia PD is known for its huge operating budget and its use of technology such as drones, skimmers and even autonomous robot officers (RAFT Officers).Economy
Cydonia city is home to a huge number of major corporations and is considered by most to be the financial and economic capital of the Terran people. Nearly all major corporations have an office, if not their corporate HQ in Cydonia City in the "Commerce City" district. As a result of the political power that the corporations hold, there are very strong legal defenses for the corporations operating in Cydonia City, including some limited "legal separation" that means that the Cydonia PD do not have jurisdiction in their territory (though this can be rescinded). The Martian Attorney General can also withdraw this by executive decree. This has been hugely criticized for putting the major corporations above the law.Bank of Mars
Cydonia is also home to the Bank of Mars, the most powerful and influential financial institution in Terran space. The Bank of Mars (Technically the Third Bank of Mars) sets the base interest rate and can grant credit and loans to various entities. The Bank of Mars is independent of the Martian government but does work closely with the office of the Lt-Governor.Culture
Cydonia is legendary for its rich cosmopolitan culture. Cydonia is home to a huge number of cultures and creeds and a with a population of more than 40 million, it can be crowded and a rather intense place to visit. Cydonia is famous for the excellent quality of the food. Even street vendors are forced to up the standards of their food and ingredients due to the intense opposition and critical nature of the average citizen of the city. Cydonia has a very rich media presence and many top shows are produced in the city. Cydonia is also home to major theaters, art galleries and cinema complexes.The Black Dragon Yakuza
The Black Dragon Yakuza have had an interest in Cydonia City for hundreds of years and its considered one of their richest and most important territories. The Black Dragons are involved in importing drugs, weapons and prostitutes to Mars, as well as various other criminal schemes. This has led to spikes in the crime rate within the city, peaking with the clashes between Yakuza clans such as the Toyotomi - Hamada war in 2381, which saw nearly two hundred homicides across a two year period. The Cydonia Police Force has spent a huge amount of resources in battling the Yakuza, reducing their influence within the city and trying to keep the streets safe. Since the 2460s, the Yakuza have enforced an unofficial truce, keeping crime off the streets where possible and keeping drugs away from schools and children. They have also generally kept the murder rate down as low as possible.Other Criminal Gangs
Cydonia City has many other criminal gangs, ranging from the various street gangs in the rougher neighborhoods and Spires all the way up to organized "crime families" such as the Van Luyten's or the Carnaezi's. These gangs often conflict with each other over influence and territory but are generally not considered a huge problem on the scale of the Yakuza Some gangs refuse to work with the Yakuza, with "Poppa" Edric van Luyten famous for taking the Yakuza on in the 2490s until his disappearance and assumed murder in 2501.Serial Killers
Due to its huge size and urban sprawl, Cydonia has seen a few prolific serial killers stalk the city, though most were swiftly brought to justice. The so called "Red Shrike" cases of the 2460's saw sixteen young women killed before the killer was captured in a joint operation between Bradbury PD and Cydonia PD. Cydonia City PD maintains an active "Special Cases Department" operating out of Building Nine of Police Plaza, whose unofficial mission is to combat serial killer or mass murder cases.Infrastructure
Cydonia has an excellent infrastructure ranging from monrail, automated and driven taxis and travelators. Whilst much of the public transport is provided at cost or even free of charge, due to the size of the city it is prone to gridlock and it can take upwards of nine hours to travel all the way across the city, not taking into account gridlock and delays. The city is also home to a very large number of private shuttles. There are many webcast applications to allow people to share shuttle rides as individual trips tend to go for around A$2,000. Cydonia has excellent schools ranging from massive "Super High Schools" catering to twenty thousand students to "pod schools" that are built into huge spire skyscrapers and cater to just the students on a few floors. The famous and prestigious Cydonia College is on the outskirts of the city. Cydonia is home to a huge number of hospitals and these range from elite hospitals like Sacred Heart and Lady Marwood to sprawling corporate mega hospitals owned by Proteus KP or VENTRISS UDC .Sports
Cydonia City is home to three major airball teams who are hugely popular. The Cydonia Red Devils playing out of Terrance Park are the oldest city team and were founded in 2399. The Red Devils fan base are generally drawn from the city's working class and lower middle classes. The Red Devils had a long period of dominance in Airball in the 2440's but have struggled to stay competitive. The Cydonia Hawks are the second oldest team and play out of the Allied Mercantile Park. The Hawks were founded in 2425 and were in the shadow of the Red Devils for decades until they took on major corporate sponsorship from Allied West. The Hawks are now only 30% owned by Allied West and theri fans are often from a more affluent part of the city. The Cydonia Rangers were founded in 2461 and now play out of Wishaert Park. The Rangers have become a hugely successful team due to their ruthlessness and pragmatism. They have never been able to compete financially with the Hawks but are far more willing to let older players go and use young, untested players. In addition to Airball, rugby and baseball are popular sports in Cydonia City, with the Cydonia City baseball league professional since 2360. MMA, sumo and kendo are all popular sports too and the Cydonia Sumo Hall is home to the city and planets top combat sports and seats over one hundred thousand people.
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