Helonic

From Beacon Space


Come one, come all, come and see the Helionic, the City of the Future! Launching next year, it is the largest atmospheric vessel on this side of Beacon Space. Measuring 10 kilometers along and 3 across, and filled to the brim with the newest advances within Albescu-style bleed-tech, this massive zeppelin is the only luxury you need. Invest now, and be one of the first to enjoy our luxurious glass floor suite.
Advertisement from the first and last collaboration between Promethean Foundry and the Albescu family. The foundry would later close down and all assets auctioned off to Alfred Albescu for a pitiful sum. (985 ABA)

The City of the Future

Approximately 50 years ago, the ambitious engineers at Promethean Foundry, a collective of inspired crafters who sought to conquer the heavens, partnered up with the Albescu family to build a city-sized atmospheric recreation cruiser over Mos. A flying city clad in endless midnight, as it forever flies counter to the planet’s rotation. The result; The Atmospheric Recreation Cruiser Helionic.

A lot of the early criticisms of the Helionic, was the safety of its residents, so to reassure their wealthy patrons, the Promethean Foundry installed advanced hydroponics and intricate material printers in the depths of the ship, along with supplying it with autonomous mining and scavenging drones, enabling the Helionic to be self-sufficient for decades at a time. Thus the Helionic was rumored to be uncrashable.

The sunless city was supposed to be a city of luxury and wealth, a paradise for those with their pockets full. In order to take advantage and keep the money flowing, the Albescu family, the primary sponsors of the project, invested heavily in recreational establishments, like casinos, brothels, hotels, bars, water parks, among other more or less lavish experiences. This, along with the general uniqueness of the flying city, caused a heavy influx of tourists along with a healthy dose of desperates, looking to try their luck in paradise.

With the desperates came the criminals, and the criminals increased the need for security. Soon the light force of Albescu mercenaries wasn’t enough, and other groups moved in to fill the void. These groups didn’t want to play nice with the local authorities and the Albescu enforcers didn’t appreciate them on their turf. Thus, hidden in the shadows of the neon lights, gang wars erupted. To the average tourist, it was not obvious other than a slight increase in the already obscene prices, but for the residents it meant bribes, protection money and beatings in the street for moving through the wrong hallway. Casinos changed hands like the shifting tide, prostitutes were bribed and trained for information gathering, while sections of hydroponics grew bleed-enhanced drugs.

It was in this chaotic time the Shrine of Treasure entered the scene. Starting as a small charity sister branch of the Larkspur Combine, they sought out those in need and offered protection from the shootouts. The ones they saved then helped establish communications with several smaller gangs, especially those who only acted in desperation to survive.

Then the Shrine of Treasure established their first rehabilitation center and the addicts came to support them, and so it continued. Over the next seven years, the Larkspur Combine managed to quell the unrest, with only the former Albescu thugs left, who had used the newfound stability to expand their own territory.

While some incidents still happened, with the Helio-Albescu aligned gangs trying to expand into SoT secured areas, while the SoT chips away at the Helio-Albescu recruitment pool, a sense of peace could be felt across the flying city, as a status quo was established.

A status quo that was brutally shattered, in 1025, with the disappearance of the Albescu princess during a visit with her parents to view the family establishments.

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