Francia City

The founding city of Francia, the developing cold world of the Avante Star System. Since its humble beginnings, it has grown into a full fledged city with an extremely diversified commercial center. It is also host to Frostbite Base, the main presence of the SMDION on the planet.

All historical and societal development records are stored within the Francia City Administrative Building.

Francia City was founded in YE 30 when the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia began scouring overlooked planets from their rushed Northern Expanse projects. Originally, the cold world Francia had been neglected due to its uninhabitable conditions, and was at-first forgotten despite being claimed by the Democratic Imperium. On closer investigation, high concentrations of ice were found at its northern and southern poles, along with fertile soils lining the equator. Following the discoveries of potential economic opportunities, Point Francia was established as the industrial center and launching point for the goods to be provided by the agricultural and moisture farms that dotted the planet's surface. Wii Matsobuki, a small, opportunistic man, took the DION's commission to run the virgin project.

Within the first month, there were several complications that harrowed Point Francia. Native, undocumented creatures were a constant concern as they terrorized farmers or destroyed their equipment. Harsh weather conditions made it difficult for any warm-blooded Nepleslian to live comfortably. Even in the warmer equatorial ares, farmers found some of the 'fertile' soil to contain mutagens that turned their fruits and vegetables into rotted spore centers. Despite this, the settler-farmers of the planets persevered. They also bought several guns from the only gun retailer at Point Francia.

A year¹⁾ into the Francia Project, Director Matsobuki began politicking the Senate to investigate further potential in the planet's progress. After almost three months of back-on-forthing along with research summaries. The Francia Project expanded into a regional terraforming system, allowing the equatorial farmers a wider range of farm land, and increasing the planet's agricultural gains. Research also began to cure the soil of the mutagens that had been a constant concern for the past year.

Following an aggressive terraforming operation, which worked at a rather excellent pace much thanks to its Administrator, the Senate began to recognize Point Francia as an ideal place to put its next colony. In YE 32, the Democratic Imperium began constructive operations, planned and mapped by Director Matsobuki himself to lay out the beginnings of a small township. Mostly, developments included putting down roads and districts to properly organize the already established businesses for the Point's 3,000 residents. Following the commercial optimizations to the Point's design, other reservations were made for residential districts. Though, even the Director couldn't plan for the explosion that followed their official naming.

At the beginning of YE 33, a massive influx of colonists moved in to Point Francia, exponentially increasing the colonies' size. By just the first month, the town's planned residential areas had to be expanded, to allow the new population of 45,000 to live comfortably. With the new influx of people, came corporations and new businesses, setting down their stakes to take advantage of a large work-force and commercial base so far North in the Northern Expanse. Francia's growth was incredible, even to those who were expecting large numbers, and as a result Point Francia was renamed from its former Project assigned name, to Francia City.

In response the City's increased production, citizenry, and commercial concentration, the Senate deemed it fitting to finally place a military presence on the planet, especially in the time of war. However, due to incredible lack of equipment that even the crafty Director could not word his way to fix, the outpost they were given was bare bones. Luckily, it came with a financially-compensated unit of Marines. By YE 39 however, this has expanded into a full military base complete with its own spaceport. Meanwhile, the rest of the city had grown as well, spreading outwards and away from its original downtown and founding areas. Overall, its expansion has been dictated by the locations of new mining and industrial sectors that have opened up over the years alongside growing corporate interests.

Francia City and the planet finds itself overtly proud of both their planet and being Nepleslian, giving a deeper meaning to what it means to be from Francia within the Imperium.

Francia City contains a wide variety of folks from the early settlers to the recent colonials. There follows a list of terms to refer to some of the people who live there.

• Francian: the general name for anyone living on Francia, more specifically Francia City
• Frank: Franks are people who have been living in Francia City and Francia itself since the beginning of the Francia Project. They are often characterized by their tougher-than-Nepleslian demeanors, no-nonsense attitudes, and a quiet respect for the planet itself. Franks are arguably some of the toughest civilian Nepleslians in the Democratic Imperium, especially the Farmers.
• Farmer: Making up almost 10% of the population on Francia, Farmers are deeply respected by the city's populace. They provided the bread and butter despite the worst conditions imaginable, and are still doing it.
• Colonial: When the opportunity came to start new pages in their lives, the Colonials of surrounding systems flooded into the city. They Make up about 80% of the entire town
• Marine: Leatherneck, Devildog, and Jarhead. Those are names to describe the toughest of all Nepleslians in Nepleslian society. Marines are mostly welcome in Francia City, partly because they're tough, partly because they bring in a lot of money.

Most of the buildings that are from the time of the Francia Project are sleek, white, colony deployment buildings. Small businesses that came immediately afterward were set up in the unused military facilities, which were also white, but in blocky bunkeresque designs. After the city began to expand for the building populace, the 'Francian' architecture was adopted for all new structures, giving the city a refined, sleek feel, with blocky shapes to preserve the Nepleslian atmosphere. As the city has grown however, the buildings nearest the new industrial sectors have become more tightly packed together with less regard for appearance. For this reason, the city's aesthetics is on a sliding scale, with the preserved downtown area and upscale suburbs looking best, with industrial sector housing and streets being slum-like in appearance.

Francia is probably one of the more quiet hubs of life in the Democratic Imperium, and despite its growth and following changes, remains so. In its early years, traffic was mild, crime rates were low, and the temperatures usually ranged around 40F (4.44C) to 50F (10C). Snow wasn't uncommon, but it never piled on the streets too much, not since the Terraforming project in YE 31. Back then, there was a certain warmth that pervaded the place, making anyone who lived there feel safe and at home. This feeling still remains, but as the years went by, it's found less and less, being particularly absent in areas within and closely surrounding industrial, mining or corporate sites.

Now, traffic is moderate, crime rates are manageable and the temperatures typically range from 60F (15.5C) to 70F (21.1C), with snow only coming during the winter months where the temperature drops.

Francia City is organized into several districts to consolidate their businesses, mild industry, and thick residential populace. These districts meld and mesh around the central administrative district. Different districts also have different measures of authority and control, so as to properly manage their development and maintenance.

Located, nearest to the entertainment and shopping district, Frostbite Base takes up the majority of the district's space with its barracks, armory, and wide training field. On the edge of the city is the Frostbite Starport, which allows for Marines to make rapid deployment via a large tram system that connects the Outpost and its sub-urban starport.

The main military installation of Francia, it is bordered by a thick Durandium wall to conceal the activities of the Star Military, and discourage the bold. There are several barracks that line up over the ground, with a central command center at the very center of the property. On the east edge of the wall is the mess hall, on the west is the recreational area.

On the north end of Outpost Frostbite's walled outpost, is a raised-over-ground rail-station. Within the station are two lines for the Marine's to use to reach the station at the Frostbite Launching Area.

On the very edge of the city, so as to not to disturb the citizens of Francia City, is the Frostbite Launching Area. Here the Marines of the Star Military land and take off in shuttles to their orbital ships.

On the north side of the city is the populated Residential district, with medium apartments lining up against the inward areas of town and all the way out to its edges, where suburbs rise and grow. This district is placed on the side opposite of the Shopping and Entertainment district from the Military district. Though originally catering to inhabitants from all walks of life, its population primarily consists of the First Franks and their families, being primarily middle to upper class.

The Education system in Francia City has begun to mature, with several new schools opening to cater to the masses. Despite this, the First Five schools spread throughout the residential district are the most prestigious, having been originally made for children that had first settled the area. Though most of them were purely academic in the beginning, with very few if any extracurricular programs, that has changed. As the population grew, higher education came into play as well, with the very first following the traditional naming convention. All following schools however, do not.

In between the military and residential district, is the shopping and entertainment district, lined with various stores, bars, and places with items and services to satisfy almost any Nepleslian need. A number of mega-malls have opened outside Old Town, and cater to the growing masses.

A major hotspot in the S&E District is the intersection between Coldas Street and Hell Street, sometimes just called Coldas Hell. This crossing is known for its established shops. It is near the administrative district and in the area commonly called Old Town. The stores here are relatively well known and are considered a part of Francian history, and as a result of this, Old Town has remained well taken care of.

The political and organizational center of the city. Here are most of the administrative offices for not just the City's management, but increasingly large, growing corporate offices to manage the various on-planet business.

All roads going into the center Francia City end up at Imperium Circle at one point or another. The road rounds the four story Administrative Building where all the city's offices are located. Surrounding the circle are the executive office buildings set out for the major corporations and companies staking out plots in the city, along with local City services.

Despite being the most distant district from the city as a result of being placed and built closest to their necessary resources, it is the major source of economic power for Francia. Raw materials are extracted, refined and manufactured into goods for use on Francia, and export out and into the rest of the Imperium. From the center of Francia City itself, this district is only visible as a dark haze in the horizon.

Holding the majority of the new inhabitants of Francia City, its newer, constantly growing urban sprawl is often simply referred to as 'The Sprawl'. Though the most dense and tightly packed at the portions closest to either downtown Francia City to the north or the Industrial and Mining District, the appearances and conditions could not be any more different. Those closest to Downtown Francia are built tight and compact to be both cheap and efficient while retaining a reasonable standard of living and comfort. They cater to the lower middle and middle class that typically takes white collar jobs. Further south would be the pleasant suburbs inhabited by the middle and upper middle class. Even further south and either bordering or directly being built around the industrial or mining areas however, are the slums, filled with poor who find themselves working harsh and dangerous jobs to try and work their way up the social ladder.

Getting around Francia City is barely a hassle due to its small size in comparison to the other megalopolis cities of Nepleslia. Every street in town is accompanied by a sidewalk for foot travel, and most roads are wide enough for two-lane roads. Traffic is generally mild throughout most of the day, and is barely heavy during rush hour. There are, however a few modes of public transportation, with the more unpleasant parts of The Sprawl being the exception.

Mostly based in the residential district. The bus system in Francia City allows people to move from one edge of the city to the other, with out the use of cars. The buses usually make stops in the shopping and entertainment district and one in the administration district, before turning back to the residential district. These buses also make round trips to the Ursa Express.

Located two miles south, Grizzly Station houses the single train that links Francia City to the Francia's only medium-sized starport. Originally a method for travel for Farmers to enter into Francia point, the train now ferries people from starport to city eight times a day. It is now surrounded by the sprawl's northern edge, much to the annoyance of the residents there. However, since the starport came first, they well know they can't ask it to leave.

• This page was originally made by Kokuten on 2011/11/09 13:05.