Machines Making Machines
"Not many even of the inhabitants of a manufacturing town know the vast machinery of system by which the bodies of workmen are governed, that goes on unceasingly from year to year."
- Intent: To give Antipater a mailing address and codify his presence on Jaemus.
- Image Source: Orion's Fortress by Pratik Kulkarni - edit by me
- Canon Link: Jaemus, Obtrexta Sector
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: The Empire
- Music: Dune: Part Two - Harkonnen Arena, Hans Zimmer
- Quote: Life in the Iron Mills, Rebecca Harding Davis
- City Name: Diadochron
- Classification: Metropolis, Administrative Center
- Location: Jaemus
- Affiliation:
- Jaemus Directory (Moff Antipater)
- Iron Sun Intelligence
- Dark Empire
- Population: Moderate (4,850,000~)
- Demographics: Predominantly Human, with various Braxant Run species interspersed
- Wealth:
Low. The majority of Diadochron's industry was state-owned and geared towards the efficient provision of amenities and welfare to its inhabitants. Diadochron had a high development index compared to the rest of the galaxy, but its citizens tended not to have much in terms of personal wealth.
- Stability:
Extreme. Citizens were implanted with identity chips and heavily monitored through a variety of channels. Advanced surveillance algorithms identified dissenters well before they could act… With an acceptable margin of error. Security droids, patrol troopers, and checkpoints were ever-present. A mixture of fear and contentment was sufficient to keep citizens compliant, if not loyal.
- Freedom & Oppression:
The citizens of Diadochron were free to leave, but not much else. They enjoyed no legal protections for speech, privacy, and political organization. All government offices were filled by appointment rather than election. An all-encompassing surveillance apparatus bore down on every facet of life in Diadochron. Ultimately, citizens could live privately as they saw fit, but any bend towards subversion would subject them to harassment and or exile at the hands of the Directory.
Citizens were guaranteed education, medical care, employment, and housing. Primary and secondary education were compulsory. Higher education was readily available to those who desired it. Citizens could travel as they saw fit, but could face difficulty returning depending on where they had gone and for how long. Personal vehicles were regulated and usually only permitted for state functionaries.
Citizens could be detained, investigated, or searched at the discretion of the Directory. Citizens were entitled to trial by jury with legal defense provided by the state. For-profit legal representation and self-representation were prohibited. Capital punishment was outlawed. Forced labor was outlawed. The maximum length of time an individual could be imprisoned was 30 years.
Labor unions were state-controlled. Private enterprises were tightly regulated and could not exceed certain scopes. Profit-sharing among all employees was mandatory for private enterprises. A four-day work week was enforced for both public and private employees. In addition to their income, all citizens were issued a quarterly stipend from the profits generated by state-owned industries.
- Description:
For some, life under the watchful gaze of the Control Ziggurats was oppressive and claustrophobic. For others - especially those left destitute and miserable in the wake of the Empire's collapse - they were more than happy to trade away abstract liberties for material safety, comfort, and purpose.
Diadochron was a charmless city of uniform, austere tenements and skyscrapers arranged precisely into square grids. Its climate was temperate year round, though it rained frequently and the sun was a rare sight at the best of times. The surrounding environs were heavily forested. If nothing else, the environment was at least amenable to public parks, which were common throughout the city.
Diadochron was the seat of power for the Jaemus Directory, an Imperial Remnant under the leadership of the Moff Antipater.
Administrative Zone: The cold heart of Diadochron. The Administrative Zone was shielded by a towering defensive wall, bristling with a variety of security measures. This zone could be accessed only via air shuttle and a few heavily guarded subrail lines. Even compared to the rest of Diadochron, it was a dour place.
The interior of the Administrative Zone was a grid of ominous Control Ziggurats: massive, black-metal pyramids which towered over Diadochron's skyline. Within each ziggurat was a tightly-packed labyrinth of offices and data-processing centers, all engaged in the ceaseless work of precisely steering the ship of state. Despite recent advancements, many Control Ziggurats were still inert by 900 ABY.
Subrail System: The districts of Diadochron were connected by a network of subterranean railcar tunnels. All railcars were automated and controlled remotely by a purpose-built artificial intelligence unit called the Conductor. The Conductor was rumored to hear everything even uttered in its railcars and, for that reason (among others), the subrail was eerily quiet even at peak hours. Subrail stations were kept meticulously tidy and were barren of décor aside from state propaganda and local bulletins. Otherwise, they were quite comfortable.
Industrial Zone: Diadochon's industrial district was a modest collection of automated factories. Their primary exports included Iron Sun Intelligence products, electronic components, and various bootleg retail products. Some factories were leased to various organizations and produced everything from heavy agricultural machinery to war materiel. Diadochron's sprawling primary spaceport was at the heart of the Industrial Zone.
Habitation Zones: The rest of Diadochon was composed of 12 mixed-used habitation districts. Large, blocky apartment megaplexes interspersed with parks, commercial plazas, entertainment venues, and other leisure centers. All necessary amenities and services could normally be found within a short walking distance of one's residence.
- Deflector Shield Array
- Audio/Video Surveillance Network
- Listening Posts
- Militarized Security Forces
- Personnel: Army Troopers, Patrol Troopers, Battle Droids, Surveillance Droids
- Hangars: TIE Strikers, HAAGx Heavy Assault Atmospheric Gunships
- Garages: AT-STs, Imperial Troop Transports
- Security Checkpoints
- Ray Shield Traps
- Repulsorlift Jammers
- Retractable Defensive Emplacements
- Including turbolasers, laser cannons, and anti-personnel turrets
The city of Diadochron was the pet project of a cabal of Imperial engineers during the waning days of the New Empire. It was envisioned as an entirely automated city: one that would serve as the blueprint for several Imperial colonies to be established on underdeveloped but resource-rich worlds.
Funding for the project stagnated in the early days, due to war with the Galactic Alliance and general regime instability. The project was reduced in scope and eventually abandoned. By the time the Empire fully collapsed, Diadochron was a shadow of its intended purpose.
It was nevertheless chosen as the seat for one of the pretender-Moffs of the Obtrexta Sector, who formed their own Imperial successor state. That state quickly lost ground to a variety of secessionist movements and rival warlords until only the city of Diadochron – and some of the surrounding region – remained. Eventually, the renegade planning droid Antipater seized control of the government in a short, brutal coup, taking the presumptuous title of Moff.
As of 900 ABY, Diadochron remained little more than an embattled city state, buoyed only by off-world trade agreements and Antipater's cunning.
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