Earth Capitals
If one had suggested before the Seven Hour War that an alien empire could construct a tower-like structure thousands of meters high in the center of a major city almost overnight, such an idea would have been dismissed as mere science fiction. Even following humanity's first encounters with extraterrestrial life and subsequently, The Combine, the sudden appearance of an entire fortress in the heart of a populated city would have seemed impossible.
Yet as the year entered early-mid 2005... this became reality.
Within the City of Atlanta, or now commonly known to the general public as City One, the first Citadel came in a blinding flash of light, straight down from a portal from the sky. Its appearance marked a significant shift in the Occupation. Until this point, the Combine had relied primarily upon surviving human infrastructure, temporary military installations and checkpoints, scattered synthetic forces and a variety of early technology to secure their control. But the arrival of a massive skeletal spire represented something far more permanent. A beacon of absolute authority and control.
City One quickly became the primary example of absolute authority on Earth. Over time, the importance of the City grew beyond that of many other existing and conventional Urban Centres of its time, becoming recognized as the Administrative and political beating heart of Combine Control Region 01. While Earth would eventually obtain additional and numerous Regional Capitals, City Seventeen- otherwise known as the City of Varna, would eventually become known as the mainstay Capital of Earth- despite its lack of a Citadel... for the time being.
Naturally this meant it would not remain alone for long.
As the Occupation further expanded and covered more and more of the Planet, additional Citadels were established and dropped in across strategically selected regions of the planet. Each became the center of a major Administrative territory, and each linked the Military, political, industrial and population control under a singular command structure. Eight major Capitals are currently recognized as the principal centers of Combine Authority on Earth.
Among these are:
City One, formerly Atlanta - WIP Desc
City Eight, formerly Toyko - WIP
City REDACTED, formerly REDACTED - WIP
City Thirty-One, formerly Sydney - WIP
City Fifty-Six, formerly St. Petersburg - WIP
City Sixty-Two, formerly Kinshasa - WIP
City Eighty-Nine, formerly Buenos Aires - WIP
Each Capital serves as the core Administrative heart of its respective Region, overseeing multiple Sectors, Urban Centres and territories within its assigned zone. The territories controlled by these Capitals vary significantly in size respective to their continents and within each region, exists the Sectors. Some Sectors encompass multiple nations or major portions of a continent, while others are divided according to population density, industrial importance, geography and purpose or strategic necessity. National borders, once the foundation of Earth's political order, hold little relevance within this new system.
Furthermore, the Citadels built in each Region form the foundations of a planetary network of Control.
In its current state, this network remains incomplete. Despite this fact, the Citadels already provide the infrastructure necessary to support localized Suppression Fields, Long-range communication and the newly established and growing Overwatch Central Intelligence Network- otherwise known as Overwatch AI and / or Dispatch.
But naturally, the Citadels aren't just oversized network towers. Each of them provide housing for Combine forces such as the Synthetic Arm; they act as Administrative centers, complex military installations and synthetic factories, communication hubs and also as technological anchors for the Occupation itself. A Capital may govern millions across massive territories, but the Citadel ensures the Combine have ultimate authority and ensures all remains connected to the wider network.
As time passes, these citadels will further be built up by the Combine. One day these skeletal structures will become true symbols of absolute victory on the Combines behalf. A sign that no Rebellion could ever succeed...
General Terminology to note
When it comes to overviewing Regional Capitals, Sectors, cities and so on, it is important to at least know how the system works. The Combine in its early stages divided the planet utilizing the old continental system, converting names like what was once "North America" to simply "Region 1".
Spherical Sector 314 - Refers to the entirety of Earth, its the Combines numerical designation for this world.
Region - A Converted continental name into a mere Regional and numeric designation.
Sector - Within Regions themselves, splits the region into multiple and more manageable "zones" that help with governance and administration of all kinds.
Urban Centre Control Zone - An area in which an city has authority/control over. It can change overtime by either expanding or declining based on the cities wants, needs or inability to hold their controlled land.
In terms of Cities, you have:
Regional Capital - The capital of a region, all these cities have a Citadel present.
Sector Capital - Rare and not always needed, some cities can be given Sector Capital status by their appropriate Regional leader. Its not a common tag given not all Regions use it, only made for larger and more populated Regions.
Urban Centre / City - Naturally, it is a City. Directly assigned to its Sector and/or Region.
Terminal - A main point of transport either for relocation, transport and other logisitical requirements. Governed mostly independently from their respective Regions.
For more information into their setup, hierarchy and general operation, you can find the information here: WIP
Deep Dive into each Regional Capital as of 2008
City One, North America - Atlanta
WIP
City Eight, East Asia - Tokyo
WIP
City REDACTED, REDACTED - Paris
WIP
City Thirty-One, Oceania - Sydney
WIP
City Fifty-Six, Europe/Asia - St. Petersburg
WIP
City Sixty-Two, Africa - KInshasa
WIP
City Eighty-Nine, South America - Buenos Aires
WIP
City Seventeen, Spherical Sector 314 - Varna
A Unique city that is not listed as a "Regional Capital" but instead is recognized very publicly as the current and forever more Capital of planet Earth. It is home to the largest military force the Combine has to offer and was one of the last cities to ever receive a Citadel dropped into its near center.
WIP
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