Nemesis City

The **Free City of Nemesis**, better known as **Nemesis City (N.C.)** or just **Nemesis**, is an autonomous megametropolis located on the shores of Tranquility Bay on Earth. Built in the wake of the Lesson, the terrorist attack that destroyed Luna, by the Nemesis Group, it is considered a modern multicultural metropolis of the 25th century, overrun by corporations, corruption, organized crime and gang violence.

## Overview

Nemesis City has wide streets and dense urban skyscrapers which are home to tens of millions of residents. It operates as a city-state, officially owning the title of Free City, with the Nemesis Group managing all aspects of its government. The metropolis is considered a thrilling and exciting location to visit, as well as an interesting and vibrant place to live for those of means, and a hellscape to the city's disenfranchised. Outside of the city's bounds are the ferocious badlands of Old America, where vagabonds and exiles scrape out a living under the Nemesis Group's "desert tech" watchdogs.

## History

### Origins

#### Fall of Earth

Ever since the invention of the roemer drive in 2196, humanity has embarked on an aggressive campaign to colonise the stars, establishing the Settled Systems. In their race to leave Earth, humanity polluted their homeworld beyond repair: millions of lifeforms were wiped out by climate change, rising sea levels and near-complete environmental collapse. With Earth in ruins, the Great Migration led to most of the planet's population escaping to the extrasolar colonies.

Upon the ending of the Herschel Wars, the newly-created United Colonies needed to choose a capital: a planet that represented all of their goals, as well as create a sense of unity for a divided humanity; they thus chose the human homeworld: Earth. Decades of climate engineering repaired most of the damage that humanity had inflicted, attracting colonists back to Earth and undoing centuries of damage.

All of these efforts were undone in minutes when the Moon was destroyed during the Lesson; millions of shards of lunar debris rained down on Earth, flooding vast regions of the planet. The sudden reduction in tidal forces caused Earth's axis to tilt uncontrollably, triggering devastating earthquakes and other natural disasters. Billions died in a few weeks, and vast stretches of the world were submerged in water or lava. The Earth Directorate was thrown into chaos, and the planet's political influence was once again null.

All hope was apparently lost until the arrival of the Nemesis Group: a mysterious start-up that quickly rose to the status of a megacorporation. The Nemesis Group invested in Earth's repair; with their help, the seas were held back and climate engineering could resume. The Nemesis Group desired just one thing in exchange: their own city, free from outside government, that would become a modern multicultural metropolis; in short, the largest, most diverse city in Earth's history. With little choice, the Earth Directorate voted to grant the Nemesis Group this one demand. The Nemesis Group subsequently chose an area along the newly-formed Tranquility Bay, in what was once the American heartland, to build their city. The foundations of the new Free City of Nemesis were established in 2441, in the midst of the Great Galactic War.

## Geography

Nemesis City is located on the South Coast of the former United States of America, on the shores of Tranquility Bay. The bay itself is located in the north Gulf of Mexico and extends far into what was once the Gulf Coastal Plain, completely submerging most of what was once the deep south of the United States. The city proper is located approximately where northern Louisiana met Arkansas and Texas to the north and northwest respectively.

Nemesis City is located on the northeastern shore of Tranquility Bay, shown on the left extending north from the Gulf of Mexico
### Distribution

In the aftermath of the corporate wars, Nemesis City was mostly rebuilt and had maintained its autonomy. By 2474, the city was overrun with crime, its rate double than that of the rest of the Sol System's settlements. The homeless population had been a problem since the city was first populated, and in 2474 had risen by 300%. The city's total size was around 148,000 km², making it one of the largest settlements in human history. The city was divided into six districts — each with their own environment and denizens — and 16 official sub-districts; each district was dominated by at least a powerful gang.

## Government & Politics

Nemesis City is officially a democratic mayoralty with a corporate-controlled city council; unofficially, the Nemesis Group's board of directors holds absolute power. In mayoral elections, votes are cast via a Data Term using IdentiCard registration software, and the winner of an election is determined by a simple majority of the popular vote. The Nemesis City Council consists of 150 members, each of whom are usually backed by one of the Nemesis Group's subsidiary corporations.

## Infrastructure

### Transportation

Nemesis City hosts an extensive network of urban freeways and rapid transit networks. Getting from the city's various districts is seamless and effective, except for in districts where the infrastructure has been damaged. The Nemesis City Metropolitan Airport & Spaceport lies on the outskirts of N.C.

### Law enforcement and crime

Operating as an autonomous territory separate from the rest of Earth, Nemesis City's borders are patrolled by Nemetech, the Nemesis Group's military subsidiary. The Nemesis City Police Department holds jurisdiction over domestic security, although the personal security detail of the mayor is handled by a team of handpicked corporate huscle.