Cloud City
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Located high in the atmosphere of the gas giant Bespin, Cloud City is a vast aerial station, that juxtaposes the industrial complexes of a Tibanna gas refinery with the amenities and architecture of a luxury metropolis. During the Galactic Civil War it was associated with Baron Administrator Lando Calrissian and became a haven for Rebel and criminal activity, but since the Treaty between the Empire and the Alliance of Free Planets, Cloud City has become the unofficial "business capital" of the Greater Javin, which is being gentrified as a replacement for the now inaccessible Corporate Sector.
The current political leader of Cloud City is Baroness Administrator Sanya Tagge. The Moff of the Greater Javin, Ceto Rübezahl, maintains a permanent presence. The city is also home to a number of individuals who straddle the line between legitimate business and criminal enterprise, including Ambassador Wrath, Emelie Shadowstar, and Sanis Prent.
Cloud City is a significant roleplay setting on theholo.net, and has it's own forum - Bespin: Cloud City - among the Star Wars Homeworlds.
History
Cloud City was commissioned in around 400 BBY by Ecclessis Figg, designed by engineers from the Incom Corporation and built by an immigrant Ugnaught labour force. During the Clone Wars, the city was attacked by the Confederacy of Independent Systems in an attempt to disrupt the Republic's access to tibanna gas. The city was occupied by the Separatists for a short time, but was eventually liberated.
Under the Galactic Empire, Bespin's tibanna operation was too small to earn the planet significant notice, allowing it to be used as a haven by members of the fledgeling Rebel Alliance. After the Battle of Hoth however, the Empire garrisoned the station, and the rebel Baron Administrator Lando Calrissian was removed from power. Shortly before the Battle of Endor, the Alliance attempted a coup, but the Imperial garrison was able to withstand the Rebel forces leading to a stalemate; both sides expected reinforcements, but the heavy losses for both sides at Endor made that impossible. Food and medical supply shortages led to widespread rioting and looting, forcing the Rebels and Imperials to negotiate a ceasefire. While the Empire legally retained power, rebellion and underworld activity on the city persisted, particularly in Port Town, allowing numerous Jedi to reside in secret on Cloud City.
Following the appointment of Miranda Tarkin as Empress of the Galactic Empire, Sanya Tagge was appointed Baroness Administrator.
By 10 ABY, Ceto Rübezahl had become Moff of the Greater Javin and, after the Starkiller Crisis and the subsequent Treaty forced the Empire to concede a considerable amount of territory to the Alliance of Free Planets, Tagge and Rübezahl set about gentrifying Cloud City and the surrounding space, hoping to cultivate a replacement for the Corporate Sector - which had been separated from Imperial space - with Cloud City as it's hub.
Geography
Cloud City floats at an altitude of 60,000 kilometres above the core of Bespin, and stands at 17.3 kilometres tall with a 16.2 kilometre radius.
It consists of 392 levels as well as a plaza ("Level Zero") in the upper surface, and is home to nearly six million sentients.
| The Tourist District features a number of luxury spas, restaurants, casinos, museums, and fashion boutiques, some of which extended upwards above the city's main superstructure. The Administrator's Palace was the seat of the Baroness Administrator's leadership, while the Kerros Tower served as Cloud City's main air traffic control facility, and the headquarters of the Bespin Wing Guard.
The Cumulus casino is one of the largest and most upmarket in the city, located on Level 1. Several other hotels and casinos like the Grand Bespin Hotel, Holiday Towers, Trest Casino, the Yarith Bespin, the Floating Fish; as well as other venues like the SkyCenter Galleria amusement park are in the Tourist District as well. The Figg & Associates Art Museum displays artwork from across the galaxy, with a particular emphasis on artists local to the Greater Javin, and is a popular venue for parties and gatherings of Cloud City's political and financial elite. Okar the Fabulous has a fashion boutique, OKwear in the Tourist District. The Downtown Plaza was the site of rioting following the death of Emperor Palpatine. |
| The Residential District consists of the larger and more upscale housing areas for Cloud City's wealthier permanent residents, as well as apartments available for short term lease for longer term visitors. Emelie Shadowstar, Atton Kira, Ambassador Wrath, Skylar Trezen, and Okar the Fabulous all own apartments or suites on these levels. |
| The Administration District or Administrative Levels hold offices for Cloud City's administrative staff, and for businesses and corporations operating from Bespin. The Baroness Administrator's office is located on Level 105. Ceto Rübezahl maintains a suite of offices on behalf of the Greater Javin Corporate Authority. Elysian Acquisitions, owned by Emelie Shadowstar, has offices here; as do several businesses owned by the Rath Cartel. The city's main hospital facility, Cloud City Central, is located within the Administration levels. |
| The Starport District, better known as Port Town, these levels are made up of the city's privately owned industrial areas, and is a haven for much of the city's smuggling and underworld activity. Several casinos and drinking establishments aimed at a slightly less wealthy and/or more disreputable clientele are located on these levels, including the Royal Casino run by the Tenloss Syndicate; the Cloud 9 Bar & Grill; and the nightclub Elysium owned by Elysian Acquisitions on behalf of The Exchange.
Market Row was once a flight corridor leading into the heart of Cloud City, but by the time of the Galactic Civil War had become a bustling market where anyone could allegedly acquire anything they needed, legal or otherwise. A number of private docking bays are located in Port Town, including one owned by Atton Kira and frequently used by Vittore Montegue. |
| The Worker's District or Mining Quarter is home to low cost and low quality housing for Cloud City's industrial workers. A high population of Ugnaughts lives in this part of the city. The Bespin Mechanics Union had a meeting hall here, as well as another in Ugnorgrad on the Ugnaught Surface. The Trauma Center is a hospital catering for industrial accidents, but is also favoured by residents of the lower levels who do not want the cause of their injuries to be scrutinised. |
| The Industrial District is where most of Cloud City's production industry is located. Because of it's aerial isolation, Cloud City has an extensive recycling infrastructure, to extract usable raw materials from broken droids to sentient waste. Ubrikkian Repulsorlift Manufacturing, which produces the Talon I Combat Cloud Car for the Bespin Wing Guard, is located here. |
| Levels 1-50
Levels 281-370
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| The city's lowest levels - nicknamed the Machine District - are dedicated to operating and powering the 36,000 repulsorlift engines and tractor beam generators that keep the city afloat and in position. The city's main reactors are located on these levels, though many of the casinos, corporations, and factory complexes generate their own power locally. |
Hierarchy
Nominally, Cloud City is ruled by the Baron Administrator: a position that began with Ecclessis Figg at the city's construction. The Baron - or currently Baroness - Administrator controls Figg & Associates, the corporation that owns the Cloud City platform and many of it's businesses; and has direct control over civil organizations such as Cloud City Control and the Bespin Wing Guard.
The businesses and workers of Cloud City are represented by two other government bodies. The Exex represents the owners and major investors in Cloud City's corporations and businesses, in a manner similar to the Direx Board of the Corporate Sector. The Parliament of Guilds meanwhile represents the various workers in Cloud City's industries, and oversees the safe and lawful operation of everything on Cloud City.
Due to the current Administrator's affiliations, Cloud City is currently a loyal subject of the Galactic Empire, and is protected by an Imperial Garrison stationed in the city.
Administration
Most of the Baron Administrator's executive power is exercised through the Cloud City Control agency. This body is responsible for providing Cloud City with security and law enforcement, as well as orbital and air traffic control. It's major component is the Bespin Wing Guard, which serves as both a security force and a defensive militia for Cloud City and Bespin. The Storm Guard meanwhile is a meteorological agency, tasked with ensuring the health and safety of Cloud City's citizens in the face of Bespin's sometimes dangerous and unpredictable weather.
Most of Cloud City Control's operations are coordinated from Kerros Tower. Offices for the Administrator's support staff are found in the Administrative District on Levels 101 through 120.
Underworld
The government authority of Cloud City is subverted by a number of criminal groups.
The Black Sun Syndicate operates at least two of Cloud City's casinos (Cumulus and Holiday Towers), using them as a front for their various smuggling enterprises. The Tenloss Syndicate has recently acquired the Royal Casino for a similar purpose, though Tenloss' criminal activities skew towards trafficking, extortion, and other far worse crimes. The Exchange is an information broking network, that uses Elysian Acquisitions and the Elysium nightclub as a front for it's operations, which mostly exploit legal grey areas. The Rath Cartel operates the Trest casino, and owns a number of corporations (including Ubrikkian Industries and Czerka Arms) that have industrial operations on Cloud City; while the Cartel is not overtly criminal, it is owned by a Hutt, so is hardly legal either.
Miscellany
For more information, visit the Cloud City Roleplay Group or the Cloud City forums.
Corporations
Manufacturing
Shipping & Transport
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Hotels & Casinos
Clubs & Venues
Bars & Restaurants
Stores & Boutiques
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