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Author's Note: I apologize for uploading this so late after the end of the story, I forgot I had written it until a friend of mine reminded me about it. It's not too much, but I hope you'll enjoy it regardless. A bit more info than the epilogue went into, and some information on a character who seemingly disappeared on a bus in the main story.
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Introductory Guide to Windham City
Located in the Klenot Nebula on the planet Reach, Windham City is the capital city of the United Confederation, and their largest economic, cultural, and political center. Located in Reach's Zyr Ria, a massive drowned river valley, it is built along the region's varied shorelines and has quickly grown to encompass over 18,000 square kilometers of land, the majority of which lies on the Enuton Peninsula. It's current population is over 43 million individuals per 2210, and hasn't shown any signs of wavering growth since its establishment in 2188. One of the fastest-growing metropolitan centers to rise from the ashes of the Reaper War, it is home not only to the United Confederation Congress, but to megacorp Mjölnir Titanworks. It alone is responsible for nearly a third of the city's annual revenue, run from their corporate headquarters, The Shard.
Flanked by the mountains in the distance, the city is built using modern techniques and developed with the needs of all Confederation species in mind. The usage of skycars or other flying vehicles are highly restricted for the safety of Raloi citizens, and to reduce noise and air pollution throughout the city. Most transportation throughout the city is handled by a robust public transit system run by a large series of interlinked V.I. systems called ADA, including automated taxis, trams, and an underground metro system that stretches far past city limits to outlying suburbs. ADA also handles the majority of the city's maintenance tasks, including power generation, water/waste management, and trash cleanup.
(ADDENDUM: In reality, ADA, known privately as EDI (Enhanced Defense Intelligence), is an A.I. originally developed by Cerberus for the SSV Normandy as part of the Lazarus Cell. Her blackbox was eventually recovered by the Confederation, and after a long period of controlled growth she was asked to, and agreed, to serve as a member of the City's administrative team under the assigned pseudonym ADA. In addition to her public tasks, she also manages the city's defensive systems, and helps coordinate data for the WPD. Despite the Confederation's acceptance of A.I. technology, she has chosen to portray herself as a V.I. due to the nature of her creation. Her blackbox, core, and processors are stored in a hardened location with physical connections to all core city systems.)
Though the Confederation maintains a garrison of their own soldiers in the city, it only handles security for governmental buildings and foreign dignitaries in most cases. All other civilian-level law enforcement is handled by the Windham Police Department, or WPD for short. Similar to the Council's C-SEC, it's a highly regimented law enforcement agency utilizing state-of-the-art weapons and technology to maintain peace and order. Many races make up the WPD, including many former C-SEC officers and Confederation soldiers. Despite the city's size, it has one of the lowest crime rates in Confederation space, with a murder rate of less than 6%. Civilian ownership of firearms for self-defense and personal recreation is encouraged, and many public programs exist to train citizens in the training, usage, and safe handling of these weapons.
In addition to its active nightlife and robust entertainment scene, the city holds large celebrations for both Confederation Day, March 5th, and Victory Day, November 20th. On Confederation Day, large parties and public celebrations are held to commemorate the anniversary of the United Confederation's founding, ending with a famous fireworks display deployed from the tallest buildings in the city. On Victory Day, a city-wide period of silence is held at approximately 4:52 PM, the moment the Crucible fired and destroyed the Reapers, ending the genocidal conflict across the galaxy.