Night City

The **Autonomous City of Night City**, often referred to simply as **Night City**, by its initials **N.C.**, is the second most populated city in the United States, and the most populated city on the Pacific Rim, with a population of 4,995,871 as of the 2020 census. The city sits upon what once was Morro Bay, and is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County. The city was originally established as Coronado City in 1994, by the city's founder, Richard Night.

Night City sits directly on the edge of the Pacific Ocean, on California's Central Coast. Night City sees several major highways pass through it. California State Route 1 runs along the coast of the state, and keeps true to this path through Night City. U.S. Highway 101 also runs north-south, although it runs around the eastern half of the metropolitan area. It is connected to the east by two major highways; California State Route 666, which joins I-10 on the way to Phoenix, and I-9, which runs through Bakersfield, Las Vegas, Colorado Springs, and Kansas City on its way to Chicago and Lake Michigan.

Night City is renowned as one of the most modernized metropolis zones in the world, leading the world in global financial institutions, technological innovations and exports, trade, and corporate headquarters of megacorporations, such as Arasaka, Militech, Petrochem, Biotechnica, Kang Tao, among others. The Port of Night City sits as one of the busiest in the world, alongside the Port of Los Angeles, and the two ports now make up more than 45% of the United States' imports traffic. The Port of Night City deals directly with the Ports of Tokyo and Incheon, thanks in part to the city's relationship with the Arasaka megacorporation.

Night City, despite occupying less land than the likes of Los Angeles, boasts a large population, with room for growth, thanks to an infrastructure pre-built for megacity-size populations. Multiple wide highways act as direct routes and bypasses, while the city's centralized areas are dominated with high-rise megabuildings, which are the prominent form of housing in the city. There are 12 megabuildings in the city, with at least one located in each of the city's 11 subdistricts.

## History

### Inception (1990-1994)

Richard Night, a successful businessman who, during the 1990s, was concerned by the violence and disruption of the impending Economic Collapse that spanned from 1994 to 2004, came up with the idea of a utopia safe from crime. He then founded a side company known as Night International, and began to plan an ideal new city — an environment that would be controlled and ultimately safe from the ravages currently tearing the world apart. His new city was to be completely planned, self-sufficient, and capable of holding off even the most determined criminals. It would boast planned neighborhoods dedicated to preserving the feel of different types of nationalities and cultures, as well as an ultra-modern corporate center that would stand as a shining beacon of enlightened capitalism. It was ambitious, far-reaching, and visionary in its approach.

Night secured an unheard amount of capital needed to finance the project. With the Collapse, many corporations had been looking to establish their own urban areas - controlled zones free of crime, poverty or debt. A place where governments would be corporate-run, allowing optimum zoning and no anti-business elements to interfere with corporate growth. Night's dream city was tailor-made for their purposes and so he provided the design and construction capacities. By 1992, Arasaka, EBM and Petrochem had all signed on with the project.

Richard Night sent scouting teams to the East and West Coasts of the United States, but it was a small article in the San Francisco Chronicle that caught his eye - the article described an incident of a post-holocaust horror that had taken place in a small town called Morro Bay, along the Central Californian coast. Night purchased the land where a ghost town now stood and began preparations. Aided by Petrochem, who had taken over the then-abandoned Dynergy power plant in the town and was already planning to set up an offshore port and oil terminal site. A leveraged USD$132 million purchase secured the remaining parcels.

Bankrolled by Merrill, Asukaga, & Finch, Night and Petrochem hired the Arasaka Corporation to remove the boostergangs and make the area a safe zone for construction. Further funds came from external investors lured to the project by the promise of lucrative building contracts and possible sources of extralegal income. In order to erase the stigma of the Morro Bay Massacre, the partnership renamed the land Del Coronado Bay, to make way for their new project of Coronado City.

By 1993, Coronado City required more terrain than what the geology of the bay had. The partnership leveled the surrounding hills and dumped them into the ocean as fill. They reshaped the bay in order that the formerly narrow sand spit to the west was widened to about 10 miles, and also re-dredged the harbor making it capable of porting the large ships needed to build the city, with the remaining dirt also ending up as fill on the western edge. There were also plans to build a station for the Planetran intercontinental maglev.

### Construction (1994-2005)

In May of 1994, the construction had begun. Although Petrochem and MA&F were the major bankrollers for the Coronado Partnership, they weren't construction companies, a problem that eventually led to employ the workforce of the mob. The West Coast Mobs - such as the Mafia, Yakuza, and more - had maintained a stranglehold on heavy construction. They controlled the construction unions, the transport unions, and most of the governmental agencies in charge of construction licenses, environmental impacts, and other building necessities. The Mobs hoped that by investing a large amount of money in the Partnership, they would not only make a huge return on lucrative construction work, but also have the inside track on future gambling, prostitution, and drug franchises in the new city. However, Night's plan required the use his own advanced building techniques and materials; which excluded a number of established unions and construction firms controlled by the Mob partners, including his old associates - now known as Halsey, Ferris, and Skiv. This displeased them, and Night's further insistence that his new city would be safe and crime free angered them even more.

During the first four years of construction, there were daily threats against Night's life, and when the threats escalated to the level of sabotage and intimidation, he called in his corporate partners, who dealt with the issue swiftly and ruthlessly. However, despite his influence and his allies promising to deal with it, Night's luck ran out. On September 20th, 1998, he was shot and killed in his penthouse suite at the top of the newly constructed Parkview Tower. Night's killer was never apprehended, and in his memory, the newly appointed City Council officially renamed Coronado City as "Night City" in his honor.

A year after her husband's death, Miriam Night restructured Richard's company and founded Night's Foundation, with the primary goal to protect and promote her husband's vision of the perfect city. This foundation eventually reorganized and became known as Night Corp. During this, the mob bosses who had killed Richard began to appropriate most of the city. The next seven years were chaotic as the different powers battled for control of Night City.

### Power Struggles and State Abandonment (2005-2013)

By 2005, the mob had become the dominate force in the Del Coronado Bay area. The corporations established their strongholds in the outlying "beavervilles" and the newly constructed Corporate Plaza. Originally the corps had little interest in running Night City, and the City Council were unable to lead without them.

During the next four years, much of the city's government was replaced by corrupt mob-selected puppets. By selling contracts to their colleagues, setting up drug and extortion deals, and inviting the worst of the Collapse into the city, the mobs managed to turn a relatively clean, modern metropolis into an embattled war zone. Crime, drugs, prostitution, random violence, and cybernetic terrorism soon became the rule of law. By 2009, the name Night City had taken on a grim and deadly new meaning.

These were among the worst years for Night City, with more murders in that four-year span than there were for most cities in ten. The mob ruled the city with an iron fist, destroying anything in its way. Gang activity was at an all-time high during this period, with notorious gangs such as the Blood Razors or the Slaughterhouse making their debut. The number of unsolved murders documented by the Night City Police Department had risen into the thousands.

After four years of street warfare, in 2009 the Megacorporations around the city finally began to take matters into their own hands. From 2009 to 2011, during the period of conflict known as the Mob War, the corporations battled the underworld for control of Night City. Led by Arasaka-trained paramilitary troops in assault vehicles, fan tanks, and combat aerodynes - a wave of bombings, assassinations, and outright street battles descended upon the mob's ill-prepared cadres. When the smoke cleared, the corporations had utterly destroyed the mob's power base in Night City.

At the end of the Mob War, the corporations placed a puppet mayor in power and started cleaning up the rest of Night City. The newly elected City Council - faced with the return of chaos in the city - deputized corporate security forces and allowed them full authority within city limits. The corporate and city centers were cleaned out and restored to their pristine states. The other neighborhoods were also cleaned out and made livable again. The corporate draconian policies contributed to the city's chronic homeless problem. This ultimately put hundreds on the street as affordable housing was upgraded and used to house the troops the corporations needed to maintain order. In the following years, this situation eased as fewer enforcers and security teams were needed to keep the streets safe.

### Current Times (2013-present)

The decrease in violent crimes, and increase in megacorporation presence accelerated the city's population expanse, with the city blooming from a city of just under 1.5 million residents in 2010, to just under 5 million residents in 2020. Night City's crime rate, despite the advancements made in the city's infrastructure and resources, remain the highest per capita in the U.S, at a staggering 7.6% per 1,000,000 residents.

Night City's more northern districts have proven to be the safest districts to be, but have become more expensive as a result. The expansive presence of Asian megacorporations, such as Arasaka, Kang Tao, and QianT, have lured in a large contingency of Asian diaspora, most of which being Japanese, which has had a knock on effect in the city's urban makeup.

The city has become the central location for research and innovation, with the first pieces of cybernetics and synthetic organs being developed within the city, in addition to revolutionary security technologies and strategies.

## Geography

Night City is located on the West Coast of the United States in Del Coronado Bay area, Night City was granted Autonomous City status in 2015, giving the city nearly the same level of power as the state of California itself, without granting the city its own representation in the U.S. government. Nearby city travel ranges from 4 to 6 hours to San Francisco and Los Angeles, depending weather, traffic, and other interferences.

After the rebuild stage, the city's location remained largely the same, with slight differences it the landscape around it. Night City is surrounded by the Badlands region, which is mostly unpleasant, however due to the protein farms of Biotechnica the south side is considered not as bad as the eastern part of the region.

### 1990 Redistribution

After buying out the terrains of Morro Bay and its surroundings, Richard Night begun to construction of his city by first rearranging the terrain. Keeping with Night's vision, Coronado City was originally divided into neighborhoods - each with a different architectural style and theme - much like the original Disneyland park. Night hoped to bring in a vibrant multi-cultural population attracted to each neighborhood.

### 2020 Redistribution

With Richard Night's death, the then renamed Night City disintegrated into a hodgepodge of competing districts, savaged by gangs, and later controlled by domineering megacorporations. Besides the neighborhoods, the city was also surrounded by larger suburban areas. Land shape in itself remains the same as when the city was originally incorporated.

### Climate

Night City's Northern Californian location gives it one of the most pleasant climates in the Western part of the NUSA. Normal temperatures range from the mid 80°F to low 50°F (26°C to 10°C), with misty white fog blanketing the City in the early mornings and evenings. Night City receives around 21 inches of rainfall each year. Of this water that drops, around 16% contains toxic chemicals which is higher than the current government standards for the United States produced vehicles, clothing, and food. On average, if a person's vehicle and clothing are rated above SP 6, adverse effects (staining and ablation) will be negligible.

When one visits Night City, they should wear light to medium weight clothing, with a light armor jacket or ballistic-cloth overcoat which is optional. A filter mask and supplemental oxygen are highly recommended as well, this is a hedge against inversion smog and acid rain fog. That being said, acid-proof slickers, umbrellas, and air masks are readily available from the sidewalk vendors or smaller street stores during a smog warning periods. The average cost of these items can range from $40 to $70.

## Government and Politics

Night City is a democratic mayoralty with a corporate-controlled city council. In mayoral elections, votes are cast via a dataterm using IdentiCard registration software, the first city in the U.S. to allow votes strictly via electronics, and the winner of an election is determined by a simple majority of the popular vote. The Night City Council consists of 100 members, each of whom are usually backed by one of the top ten largest corporations present in Night City.

### Night City Mayor's Office

Mbole Ebunike is the current mayor of Night City, having been elected for a third time in 2020. Ebunike was first elected in 2012, and then was re-elected in 2016. As mayor of Night City, he oversees the Treasurer's Office, the deputies to the mayor, and directs the heads of the city's departments, including the NCPD. He or she is the city's highest governing representative. They have the power to appoint department heads and commissioners as well as remove public officials from office.

The city's system of governance is based on the authority of the mayor in cooperation with the City Council. Part of the mayor's proposals are subject to approval from the council.

Each mayor is entitled to bringing in their own personel, including a vice-mayor. The current vice-mayor of Night City is Garven Haakensen.

### Night City Council

The Night City Council is one of the ruling bodies of Night City. Its 100 members are elected along neo-democratic lines by the then largest corporations headquartered in the city.

The city's system of governance is based on the authority of the mayor in cooperation with the Night City Council, as such, part of the mayor's proposals are subject to approval from the City Council.

## Economy

### Business sectors

The business sectors of Night City include manufacturing industries, international trade and commerce, information services, electronic technologies, security services, and so on. While cities like Tokyo, New York City, or Singapore have been overrun by corporations by the 2000s, Night City was the only city in the world that was built by the corporations. Some of the biggest megacorporations in the world contributed to the construction of the city and many were located in the Corporate Center as of 2020.

#### Corporate presence

The following were some of the leading corporations that helped construct the city, but it's just a few of the ones that still operate in Night City. The city is overrun by many corporations and businesses, some of which are exclusive to Night City. Without the official aid of U.S. government or the State of California, Night City is a neutral zone that sees little interference from the outside. Night City's biggest ally is Arasaka, which keeps the city running and protected.

#### Coronado Partnership

* Arasaka
* Euro Business Machines (EBM)
* Merrill, Asukaga, & Finch
* Night International (now Night Corporation)
* Petrochem

#### Post-founding notable corporations

* Biotechnica
* Kang Tao
* Kendachi
* Kiroshi Opticals
* Militech
* Orbital Air
* SovOil
* Trauma Team International

## Sports

Night City, on its inception, did not initially plan on becoming a sports hub, with both San Francisco, and Los Angeles being within a 4 hour distance of the city. However, as the city's population skyrocketed, the popularity, and support for local sports teams, grew. The largest sports facility in the city is McCartney Stadium, which hosts professional football, baseball, and track and field. An additional stadium, Arasaka Arena, is located just outside of Night City in Sierra Sonora. That stadium has improved infrastructure, and has been used recently as a motorsports arena, with American automotive brand Dodge sponsoring the venue when it is set up for racing events.

### Football

The Night City Rangers represent the city in the National Football League, and came into existence upon the closure and sale of the Houston Texans in 2011. The team plays in McCartney Stadium, and utilizes all of the stadium's 75,000 spectator capacity. As of the 2021-2022 NFL season, the Rangers have been to the playoffs four times in 11 years, but never further than the Divisional Round. The team sits in the AFC West, being placed in the division alongside the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs.

Additionally, the city also hosts the Night City Demons in the United States Football League, who play out of the nearby Arasaka Arena. The team began play in 2021, and made it to the USFL Championship game before losing to the Michigan Panthers.

### Soccer

Night City has a prolifically fervent soccer fandom, and in 2024 will become the 32nd team to join Major League Soccer. The team will join the western conference, alongside Los Angeles Football Club, Los Angeles Galaxy, and San Jose Earthquakes. The team's identity has not been formally established, but it will be the primary full time tenant of the Arasaka Arena.

### Baseball

The Night City Masons represent the city in Major League Baseball, becoming the series' newest expansion team in 2020. The team plays out of McCartney Stadium, which converts from artificial football turf, to baseball in less than 6 hours if needed. The team has yet to reach the MLB post season, but has begun to garner attention for its increasing rivalry with the Anaheim Angels.

### Basketball

Basketball was one of the first sports to be introduced into Night City. However, it has also become the only major sport in the city to not become a city for major league competition, with the National Basketball Association yet to offer the city an invitation into the league, or even propose an expansion. The Night City Lasers is a part of the Premier Basketball League, the third tier of the American basketball ladder. In 2024, the team's ladies side will join the WNBA, being the first major league women's team in city history. A new indoor arena is being built in Wellsprings on the coastline for the team.

### Motor Racing

Racing has become increasingly popular in Night City, with the city being the top city in the state of California to consume racing media. Arasaka Arena, built in 2019, has the capacity to transform into a short oval venue, with Dodge sharing venue entitlement sponsorship for those events. As a racing venue, the arena is known as Dodge Raceway, and is currently used by the GTPlanet Fandom Series. In 2022, the venue will also add the AT&T Champ Car World Series to its portfolio, with both events at the arena already sold out.

A street circuit event has also been proposed, which would see a layout wrap around Wellsprings, and part of the Glen. City Council has deferred on voting for it two years in a row, in 2021, and 2022, as it works on infrastructure and projects in those areas before considering the event.