OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Expand Etti IV by establishing a new location.
- Image Credits: [HERE] [HERE] [HERE] [HERE]
- Canon: n/a
- Permissions:
- Saotome Foundry & Saotome Runabout Mk. II [HERE]
- Links:
SETTING INFORMATION
- Structure Name: Akira Tower
- Classification: Shopping plaza
- Location: District 7, Mondder, Etti IV
- Affiliation:
- Accessibility: Akira Tower is broken into four vertical zones, each one more secured than the previous.
- Zone 0 consists of the bottommost kilometer of the structure and is largely unpoliced. Espo patrols are sparse and CorpSec's presence is minimal, resulting in vigilantes known as Ronins taking charge of law enforcement and criminal punishment.
- Zones 1 and 2 are open to the public and require little to no official identification or clearance to access. CorpSec maintains proper patrols, stations, and even small detainment cells on some floors. Crime is much lower here than in Zone 0.
- Zone 3 is considered accessible by VIP access only. Business partners, corporate officers, and city officials make up the majority of Zone 3's patrons. CorpSec maintains a high level of activity here. Official credentials are required to access these levels.
- Description: Akira Tower is the most prominent building in District 7, and arguably across all of Mondder. Even with an entire kilometer of its full height below surface level, Akira Tower is the tallest building in Daybreak Heights. Its neon exterior can be seen from across the entire district, containing within hundreds of levels of shopping centers, boutiques, food courts, arcades, holofilm theaters, corporate offices, and more.
POINTS OF INTEREST
- KILOMETER-1: Level 1 to 349 (Zone 0).
- K-1: Short for Kilometer-1, this section of Akira Tower's monstrous footprint is actually entirely below surface level. It extends into the planet's Midnight Zone and encompasses most of the Zone 0 levels. At its furthest point, K-1 is little more than maintenance closets, electrical hubs, cooling stations, and breakrooms for the dredges who keep Akira's neon veneer nice and shiny.
- STAFF HOUSING: Low-icome, shoebox housing blocks reserved for Akira Tower's maintenance staff. Technicians, custodians, traffic controllers, shuttle pilots, and more make up this resilient population of reluctant workers. Loose patrols of Espos make their rounds on these levels, though more frequently as housecalls rather than dedicated patrols.
- AKIRA SQUARE: The original free market from which Akira Tower ascended is still alive and well, despite being tucked away in the lowest navigable levels of the building. Akira Square is full of locally owned boutiques, diners and cafes, modshops, and clubs. This portion of the tower receives considerably less security coverage from the Espos, and rarely -if ever- is protected by private security firms. It's more of a free-for-all where neighboring business take care of each other, or not at all. A cell of vigilantes calling themselves the Ronins take the law into their own hands, for better or worse. They can be territorial.
- LOWER PROMENADE: Level 350 to 850 (Zones 1 & 2)
- SHUTTLE TERMINALS: Akira's towering height allows it to not only be accessible at ground level to pedestrians, but also via speeder or shuttle. In partnership with Saotome Foundry, Akira Tower circulates thousands of customers every day through dedicated shuttle terminals. Extensive use of the reliable Saotome Runabout Mk. II airspeeder ensures that visitors are transported safely and hastily to and from Akira Tower. Terminal stations are located every 25 floors beginning with level 375 and ending on level 850.
- GNASHERS: Despite their cultural tendency toward haughtiness, even the affluent Rakririan aren't immune to the allure of Akira Tower's reputation as a credit-raking hotspot. Offering the unique culinary experience of traditional Rakririan cuisine, prepared by a kitchen staff of all-Rakririan chefs, Gnashers is a popular eatery among upper middle-class Ettians.
- MUSEUM OF ETTIAN HISTORY: Perhaps one of the only scholarly museums with public access in all of Mondder, the Museum of Ettian History is a natural history and science museum located on level 803.
- BRAGGING RIGHTS ARCADE: Situated on the cusp of the Lower and Upper Promenade's division level is the famous Bragging Rights Arcade. Vibrant neon lights and a cacophony of bleeps and bloops welcome gamers of any age and skill level into its doors, where they find inside a near-endless source of entertainment.
- UPPER PROMENADE: Level 851 to 1330 (Zone 3)
- DARKSTAR LOUNGE: Located on level 1300, the exclusive DARKSTAR LOUNGE is Artemis Tau's latest playground. It's one of the few public spaces on Etti IV that the illustrious Direx can be spotted without an entourage of armed CorpSec agents, but don't be fooled, her watchdogs are everywhere. Darkstar is a premium club with an invite-only membership that can be easily bought with enough credits or vertices. The majority of Darkstar's floorspace is dedicated to a glass-bottom dance floor from which partiers can see below to the lower levels where citizens shop beneath them. A circular bar is located on the north side of the club, and behind it are various private rooms reserved from meetings ranging from corporate to personal.
- JADE RABBIT BATHHOUSE: Saunas, massage parlors, and private consultation chambers take up the majority of level 1310 under the trademark of the Jade Rabbit corporation. This level of the Upper Promenade is a man-made paradise for Corpos, clients, and affluent citizens who come to unwind or talk shop.
SECURITY
High: A permanent CorpSec presence in Akira Tower ensures that constant security coverage is maintained. Patrols of Espos are complemented by private security forces who keep a lookout for shoplifters, slicers, and disorderly visitors. Physical altercations are handled by on-duty officers, and while citizens typically enjoy uneventful shopping trips to Akira Tower, they are always under the watchful eye of the Corporate Authority. In the lower levels, vigilantes branding themselves as the Ronin keep crime in check as best they can.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
Akira Tower is an iconic edifice on Etti IV, standing as a testament to the planet's rapid urban development and architectural ingenuity. Its origins, though debated, are generally agreed to trace back to Akira Square, an open-air marketplace that existed approximately one kilometer beneath the current surface. The marketplace was a bustling hub of commerce and culture, attracting traders, merchants, and visitors from various parts of the galaxy. Over the years, the demand for more space and the need for vertical expansion led to the gradual transformation of this vibrant square into what is now the majestic Akira Tower.
The transition from Akira Square to Akira Tower was neither swift nor straightforward. It involved decades of construction, engineering marvels, and innovative design. Initially, small structures began to rise around the marketplace, creating a multi-layered environment. As Etti IV's population grew and the ecumenopolis expanded, these structures were extended upwards, eventually merging into a singular, cohesive tower. This vertical growth was driven by the planet's limited horizontal space and the necessity to house an ever-increasing number of businesses and residences. Architects and engineers had to overcome numerous challenges, including structural integrity, resource allocation, and the integration of advanced technologies to support the tower's escalating height. These facilities were pushed further down, shifting into the lower levels as the tower grew.
Today, Akira Tower stands as the tallest commercial structure on Etti IV, symbolizing the planet's relentless drive towards progress and modernization. It houses a myriad of offices, retail spaces, entertainment venues, and residential units, making it a microcosm of the larger ecumenopolis. The tower's design is a blend of futuristic aesthetics and functional brilliance, featuring advanced sustainable technologies and state-of-the-art facilities. Despite its towering presence, remnants of its humble beginnings as Akira Square are still preserved within its lower levels, serving as a poignant reminder of the tower's storied past and the remarkable journey from an open-air marketplace to a soaring architectural marvel.