mottle
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City Forty-Eight
Status: <:: Stable ::>
"The City of Isles"
City Forty-Eight is an archipelago with it's most major urban center hosted in Valletta. The city dedicates a network of provincial settlements with populations averaging in under the thousands after the Combine's annexation of the island. The city only host a small garrison of Civil Protection functionaries as well as a small element of Overwatch soldiers supplied from LEGION 'GLADIUS'. The neighboring island of Gozo has been quarantined due to the onset of aquatic Xenian lifeforms such as the Seasquids, leeches, and most notably the extremely dangerous Ichthyosaur.
History
Malta was first inhabited in 5900 B.C. by farmers whose impractical agricultural methods devastated the island's soil which caused it's collapse in 2350 B.C. The island was conquered by the Phoenicians in 700 B.C. until they fell to the mighty Roman Republic centuries later. The island went through a gradual stage of various feudal rulers until it was eventually occupied by the French Republic. Months after the occupation, the Maltese rebelled and push the French out of their country in the 1800s. It eventually become a de facto colony with the British Empire with it's island serving as a naval base during World War II. The island eventually became independent as part of the Commonwealth in 1964 and then a republic in 1974.
In the early 2000s, the Resonance Cascade opened a network of portals which engulfed many nations of hostile Xenian creatures. The island of Malta was on the brink of starvation and collapse due to aquatic alien lifeforms consuming the native sea creatures at alarming rates. The island of Gozo was impacted immensely by the Xenian creatures and many if not all the citizens in the neighboring island perished.
In May of 2004, Malta was attacked by the Combine Empire through both sea and air capabilities. The island's military served no chance to repel the invasion and were swiftly defeated. By the end of The Seven Hour War, the island had only less than 50,000 civilians still living in the city limits of Valletta. The city was given a new chance by the Combine and received various imports and quality of life changes to improve the city's infrastructure. Unbeknownst to many, the Combine established their dominance in Malta to secure the limestone resource in order to satisfy the growing administrations taste for civilized architecture and to fortify the city as an impenetrable staging fortress for the Combine's naval expeditionary.
On November of 2006, The island's local resistance helped resettle the defeated forces of the 173rd Airborne Brigade famously known as the "Sky Soldiers". After the battle of City Thirty-Two, many soldiers and freedom fighters retreated from the Italian peninsula. A portion of the brigade successfully commandeered boats in order to travel to City Forty-Eight. Unfortunately many of the small vessels were destroyed by the Combine's naval forces before arriving to shore. Only a handful of sails navigated by Captain Caleb Tate were successful in linking up with the local resistance to hide from the Combine's preying eye. The evacuated forces bolstered the local resistance's organization and have become more effective in thwarting the Combine's influence within the island.
In the late 2010s, the city of Malta has faced a population decline due to the Combine's restructure of military and civilian assets within the island. Over thousands of Maltese and foreign citizens have been relocated throughout the world. This effect has allowed the Combine to gradually increase their military hold within the island and squash out the pestering Resistance now known as the "Island Hoppers".
In the recent years, the city has endured hardship through it's occupation by the Combine Empire. It still remains a viable naval stronghold for the Combine Empire. It's city only averages about 200,000 citizens but has been steadily declining in order to transform the city into a more militaristic sea fortress. The "Island Hoppers" is still a significant threat by the local functionaries and Overwatch of the island. Nonetheless, it is one of the more safer archipelagos in the world.
Hostile Fauna
The Leech is an organism native to waters of Xen and is now commonplace in the oceans of Earth. The Leech is the one of the sole culprits in the decimation of Earth's aquatic ecosystem. The Leech attacks in groups similar to piranhas by tearing it's prey to shreds in order to consume effectively. The Leech is deadly to almost all land and sea creatures on Earth but is also prey for the larger alien sea lifeforms such as the Seasquid and the Icthyosaur.
The Icthyosaur is the one of the most dangerous sea creatures native to their home-world of Xen. The Icthyosaur like many other Xenians were transported to Earth after the Resonance Cascade. The Icthyosaur is fast and vicious underwater with the capability to launch itself dozens of feet in the air to devour unsuspecting prey on the land. The Icthyosaur is identifiable by it's loud groan as well as it's audible pings which many ecologists allude to the creature utilizing sonar to detect prey.
Credits to @Pawlu for his contribution of images and information pertaining to City Forty-Eight.
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