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| Eden City
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Temperate
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Barren; urban
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Human
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Various
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Basic
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19,016,456
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Lommite
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Tarentum
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Eden City is the capital city of Yridia IX, a sprawling metropolis housing over 19 million citizens. It is one of the most active trading centers in the Minos Cluster, serving economic as well as corporate interests to the Yridia system and to Tarentum. Eden is divided into seven districts, all distinctly different, and subsequently is the home of immense criminal activity and corporate manipulation.
History
Establishment
Yridia IX, where Eden City is situated.
Eden started as a simple starport when miners colonized Yridia IX, meaning to find lommite in the asteroids proximal to the planet. As small corporations grew around the port, the costs for selling the lommite and transporting it began to cancel each other out, making it difficult to make a profit. This changed during an economic depression that occurred in the cluster, and the Minos-Mestra Corporation was eventually divided and sold to regional holders. Soon, the many corporations set up around the port arranged for supporting residential and entertainment areas, and people from all over the galaxy began to travel to and settle around the starport.
For a long time, Eden was mainly the home of smugglers and served more as a fringe haven for them to continue their illegal business proceedings. However, with the growing economy and trade, the city swelled to an impressive population of 9 million people in the early years after the Battle of Yavin. Due to the growing need for an organized infrastructure and regulated city boundaries, Eden was divided into seven major districts but continued to sprawl as its numbers increased. At the same time, the formation of the districts began the ever growing rift between the rich and the poor that dwelled within Eden.
In 14 ABY, the Exodus took place, and in 19 ABY, the Yridian Revolt began only to be quashed by Tarentum. It was during those five years that Clan Tarentum seized full control of the Yridia system, adding their influence into the most major city that Yridia provided. Due to the effects of prosperity as well as the clan's massive military operations, the population nearly doubled over the next fifteen years. The clan also worked to include a Governor to head Eden and Yridia IX as a whole, as well as secretly collaborate with criminal families to make sure they could receive military supplies efficiently without having to travel too far.
Several years later, Yridia IX would face another change of government after suffering through a brutal recovery, becoming a core planet for resources and commerce when the Yridian Kratocracy was created in 27 ABY. Since then, Eden City has been an incredibly lucrative metropolis, but not without its crises. Its crime levels still remain considerably high, and it is seen as a city with corrupt, sinful influences. Even so, its place in the Yridia system is a crucial one, as it provides a suitable place for major trade, importation, exportation, and commerce.
The Eden City Tragedy
In 25 ABY, Eden City faced massive recovery costs due to a PCL 27 freighter crashing on Yridia IX's surface, killing thousands and destroying large portions of the city districts. The crash took place on a day in which Eden's sovereign Tarentum came to discuss fiscal matters with the city's implemented government. Twenty-five percent of District III was completely destroyed, while around five to ten percent of other districts bordering District III was also annihilated.
Most of the city damage was caused by the freighter's explosion, triggered from the impact. Ultimately, patches of Eden City have become dangerous radiation zones, due to the nuclear atmospheres created by the explosion. Already civilians have begun to suffer side effects of the radiation, if not already suffering the burns from the flames caused by the crash. Several survivors who lost their homes that day have been transported to other districts, where emergency houses and quarters have been set up to accommodate them.
The day of the Eden City Tragedy also marked a change in government, with Governor Eduardo Griffin being overthrown amid the destruction and the chaos. The next governor. Stanson Rend, declared Eden City in a state of emergency, as well as placed the civilians on high surveillance due to the suspicion that the freighter crash was pre-meditated. All the while, memorials were crudely constructed and erected to commemorate those who died from the attack, and since then, the day has officially been made into a day of mourning.
Districts
A diagram of Eden City's districts.
Eden City is divided into seven districts, all with their different outlets and perks. They are also vastly different in terms of wealth distribution, which adds to the rifts between the rich and the poor.
District I
More commonly known by citizens of Eden as the "Uptown District," District I is the most lucrative and affluent in all of Eden. Many rich folk gather in this district, and it is considered to have the finest to offer in financial institutions, big companies, and lofty entertainment businesses and restaurants. District I also houses the main buildings of Eden's local government, and it is located closest to the starport, offering the wealthy and as well as government officials exclusive access to traveling and commerce. The Uptown District is influenced by several criminal syndicates, all using economic ties to Tarentum.
District II
District II is relatively close to District I but does not house as much in terms of business or entertainment. District II is more of a headquarters for smaller and slightly less lucrative businesses, many of which pertain to local commerce, construction, information distribution, and other companies working mostly on local finance and insurance. It is also home of the main police force, mostly made up of citizens who are carrying out their requirement of eight years' service in the Yridian Civilian Defense Force.
District III
A strictly middle-class section of Eden, District III is mostly known as a residential area. It has earned the nickname, "The Working Man's District," as many employed civilians such as merchants, mechanics, shopkeepers, and local businessmen flock to the district in order to raise families. Many residents of District III can be seen as attempting to live good, honest lives, though the influences of both the wealthy side and the poorer side of Eden permeate the borough's boundaries. It is not surprising, as District III is bordered by both the uptown districts as well as the slums and the "Alien District."
District IV
District IV is home to many underground fighting rings, where civilians even bet on death matches.
District IV, bordered by four of the other districts, is Eden's prime entertainment sector. Many of its safe, legal businesses include the main music industry, restaurants, clubs, dive bars, and casinos. Swoop racing is a common spectacle, and card games such as sabacc are overwhelmingly popular. At the same time, District IV is also the home of nearly all the illegal entertainments in the metropolis. It is notorious for its brothels as well as its underground fighting rings, in which several citizens will gamble, drink, and bet on death matches as many others become brawlers. District IV is a haven for several drug dealers, many of whom are connected to larger criminal organizations. Many people refer to the district as "District Sin," or "Sin" for short, when traveling there.
District V
District V is one of two districts that are directly affiliated with the slums. Right next to District IV, it houses several criminals as well as gangs that attempt to claim parts of the district as their own. There is not much else to say about it besides its criminal influence, and many times Yridian military forces are called there to stop occasional riots.
District VI
Proximal to District III, District VI is the primary place for criminal organizations to form and is on the opposite side of the city from the main port. While some of these organizations are shoddy renditions of groups desiring anarchy, some legitimate criminal families reside in the slums. Most of them are led by those wishing to grow in power and earn favor with Tarentum's leaders, but most of the time, they merely resort to underground rivalry with families close to them. Unlike District V, civilians of District VI tend to avoid the wrath of military forces, instead housing a majority of Yridia IX's recent immigrants.
District VII
Known as the "Alien District," District VII is home to many civilians who mean to maintain their cultures within a secluded, self-sufficient community. It is the home of many different markets, some bordering on black market businesses, and remains separate from the rest of the city in terms of its economic functions. Few wander out of the Alien District into the other districts.
Government
Eden City was once part of the Principality of Yridia, once working as a participatory democracy before Tarentum took control of the Yridia system. It is now led by a Governor who is approved by the Prince of Yridia. While not simply a puppet used by the house, the Governor is usually influenced by Tarentum's desires and caters to the house's wishes in order to earn more profit and recognition. This gives many the impression that the Governor is merely a well-paid figurehead, even though he does have some say in the city's operations and functions. Besides a governor, representatives are appointed to a rather manipulated Parliament from each district, while some citizens are named ambassadors and frequently travel to Taras on Yridia II to discuss political matters.
Almost a hidden part of the government, one criminal family known as the Rends once highly influenced the structure of politics and business in Eden. As Tarentum was attempting to be as inconspicuous about its military proceedings as possible, it would occasionally rely on members of the family to provide it with information as well as access to rare gasses, ammunitions, and other supplies that the house needs. It was through these business proceedings that the main family was allowed to function as the biggest in Eden, earning its place in the higher district and being able to control some of the gambling and loan sharking due to Tarentum's turning a blind eye as a reward for the family's contributions. The criminal family recently assumed even more power due to its leader, Stanson Rend, working as the city's governor for some time, and had gained even more presence after Rend became the first Ethnarc of the Yridian Kratocracy, now known as the Yridian Theocracy. Now, however, several crime syndicates have emerged and control various aspects and parts of the city, leaving the Rends in the dust especially after Stanson Rend's exile.
From 27 ABY to 30 ABY, the feared unit known as the Reckoners, a battle team that once hailed from the now closed House Kaerner, established its base in the metropolis and became the newest addition to the government's law enforcement. The Reckoners worked directly under Tarentum's Prince, the Ethnarc, and Eden's governor, acting as a special police force and carrying out assignments that the Yridian Civilian Defense Force could not handle itself. However, unlike regular police, the Reckoners maintained an aura that would please any Dark Jedi, striking fear into the hearts of several civilians who may dare to go against the set rules of the city. Their skills in assassination, interrogation, and brutal execution gave them notoriety as a shadowy, sinister unit that could swoop down like a hungry vulture upon unsuspecting prey.