a ghost robot world

.

Rivertown

RIVERTOWN – DISTRICT 99

Rivertown is on the edge of Palomar City just past the ports on the City sound. In 2027 the container ship, Ping Venture, ran aground on a sandbar. When rescue crews arrived they discovered over 300 illegal immigrants in the converted containers. Palomar City officials denied immunity to the immigrants and threatened to tow the ship back into the ocean. In a city still divided over the siege of District 10 a mere two years earlier, the Ping Venture became another high profile slap in the face to the City Council, which started a standoff between the immigrants on the ship, their supporters and the city. Three months into the standoff two container ships made a daring attempt to bring supplies to the immigrants, but both ran aground. Meanwhile the three container ships were welded side by side by those living at the edge of the city along with the abandoned immigrants, effectively blocking the water-way and creating a semi-floating island. A stalemate, lost PR battle and city-wide budget crisis led to the council finally dropping all demands.

Other containers past their primes also began to ‘mysteriously wash up’ next to the original three. The decks form the unstable foundation for the unending towers built from long-abandoned shipping containters, which creates a honeycomb-like micro-city. The entrance to Rivertown is a twenty-foot wide metal grate gang-plank that leads up to a rough hole cut into the side of the ping venture tanker. Due to its maze-like design Rivertown is the darkest District in Palomar City.

To date Rivertown is not officially recognized by the City, though unofficially it is known as District 99. No police, no STRC, no recognized district leader, no protection, every man for himself. This is the lowest level of Palomar’s caste.

Rivertown