The Eighth Terrace District of First City

“Where the air is thin, the money thick, and the walls invisible.”

— Anonymous

The Eighth Terrace is one of First City’s wealthiest elevated districts, perched on a reinforced arcological shelf overlooking the Seven Streets of Silk far below. It is a controlled ecosystem of curated luxury, isolated from the dust, heat, and chaos of the city.

Residents call it a “terrace,” but outsiders call it:

• “The Green Crown,”
• “Upper Heaven,”
• “The Terraces of the Untouchable,”
• or more bitterly, “The Garden Above Hunger.”

Its defining characteristics:

• lush hanging gardens
• three domed microclimate parks
• bamboo-lined walking paths
• ornamental shrubs imported at obscene cost
• silent drone patrols
• zero tolerance for non-residents

It is the largest patch of green near the New Delhi Arcology, and one of the few places on Chendiuria where wealthy colonists attempt to replicate pre-Exodus Earth luxury.

DISTRICT FEATURES

1. The Hanging Gardens

Massive cantilevered gardens spill green down the district’s terraces, containing:

• date palms
• juniper stands
• manicured cedars
• bamboo groves
• ornamental vines grown along carbon-ribbed trellises

They are maintained by AI irrigation networks, moisture-retaining soils, and imported organic compost.

2. The Terraced Parks (Domed & Protected)

The Katharéios Conservatory

The largest dome. Controlled humidity. Faint misting. Rare eucalyptus. Residents walk here after midday heat to “clear the lungs.”

Palmetto Sphere

A palm-heavy biome with low ponds. Popular for morning tai-chi and sunset strolls. AI drones monitor all biometrics; non-residents are “redirected” instantly.

The Orchidarium

Closed to all except district homeowners and their families. Contains experimental hybrid orchids genetically modified to survive Chendiuria’s thin atmosphere.

Each dome has:

• Human guards at the physical gates
• silent, spider-leg microdrones patrolling greenery
• facial recognition tied into First City’s central AI, Al-Medina
• resident whitelist access only

A resident can explicitly allow a guest, but no one ever does.

3. Transportation & Atmospherics

• Wide walkways, polished Ceracrete
• Treadmill-like moving sidewalks, smooth and quiet
• Holographic art sculptures hover at intervals
• Soft instrumental ambient music, curated monthly by a residents’ aesthetic council
• ABSOLUTELY NO ADVERTISEMENTS
• No commercial drone traffic allowed

Even the air smells different here—filtered, cool, faintly floral.

TOP FIVE MOST FAMOUS RESIDENTS

1. Lady Rivka Solon – The Silk Heiress

Age 163 (third-generation anti-aging regimen)
Industry: Textiles & Synthetic Silk Supply Lines
Notable For:

• The Solon family holds exclusive distribution rights for imported Martian silk in First City.
• Rivka chairs the Eighth Terrace Purity Council which decides which plants, art pieces, and even residents are “aesthetic enough” to remain.
• Rumor: She bankrolls a private dueling club for the ultra-rich using TZD blades.

2. Dr. Nazaré Omoruyi – Xenobiologist Emeritus

Age 224
Former BuCol field researcher
Notable For:

• Authored seminal works on pre-colonial Chendiurian megafauna.
• Retired early after a cliff stalker nearly removed his arm.
• Keeps a personal greenhouse of illegal off-world orchids protected by an autonomous defense system more advanced than the district’s own.
• Has a long and quiet rivalry with Governor Jhanae Afolayan.

3. Selene Hwa Patel – Subnet Architect

Age 51
Occupation: Lead Architect for First City’s public AI systems
Notable For:

• Designed the facial recognition mesh used by the park drones.
• Wealthy enough to avoid the political networks she helps run.
• Has an illegal prototype AI companion hidden in her home classified as an “unregistered emergent.”
• Known to attend Seven Streets duels anonymously in holographic disguise.

4. Ardan Vex – Ex-Duelist, Retired Champion

Age 72
Notable For:

• Winner of 213 sanctioned duels before dueling was outlawed on Chendiuria.
• Lost his left lung and spleen in the last duel, retired, replaced both with cybernetics.
• Known for his collection of TZD weapons, including the Saint of Blades (formerly owned by his mentor).
• Hosts ultra-private soirees where wealthy elites gossip about arcology politics.

5. Jyoti Shankar – Governor Afolayan’s Quiet Ally

Age 98
Occupation: Import-Export Magnate
Noteworthy Because:

• Handles off-world shipments arranged by Governor Jhanae Afolayan, including rare minerals, biocodes, and restricted medical nanites.
• Quietly houses political refugees in exchange for favors, though only those with serious leverage.
• Owns a personal anti-drone countermeasure system (illegal, but no one interferes).

The Artisan Cyberdoc of the Eighth Terrace

Dr. Malika Serrat – “The Orchid Mechanic”

Age 102
Specialty: Subdermal aesthetic implants, luxury cybernetics, stealth augment repairs
Clinic: The Orchid Mechanic Atelier

Clinic Features:

• Located behind a bamboo-shrouded crystal façade
• Holographic koi swimming under the walkway
• Appointment-only, no walk-ins
• Interior resembles a luxury tea house
• AI medical assistant: MEDEA-9, emotionally responsive
• Known for:
• jade-lattice bone reinforcement
• dermal glow filaments
• neural pain-dampers for wealthy addicts
• specialty augmentation “untrace profiles” to foil recognition drones

She refuses to treat non-residents unless bribed with something rare, illegal, or morally ambiguous.

She would instantly recognize Asteria’s influence if she scanned Adi after her latest upgrades.

FOUR OTHER NOTABLE SHOPS

1. The Silver Breeze Perfumerium

High-end perfumery blending scent-microbeads with micro-misters. Products cost more than most First City residents earn in a year.

2. Eighth Terrace Rare Teas & Minerals

A boutique offering tea leaves grown in Martian microgravity, steeped with trace minerals imported from Europa.

3. ViridiLux Holo-Gallery

Displays interactive holographic art curated to shift with viewer mood. Artists are flown in from Mars, Luna, and Titan.

4. Laureline’s Crescent Forge

Tiny artisan workshop specializing in TZD jewelry (permitted as art objects). The owner, Laureline Vasco, has a quiet discount arrangement with rich duelists.

FIVE BUSINESSES IN THE AREA

1. The Glass Pavilion Spa

Offers nanobot exfoliation, synaptic massage, and silk-wrap rejuvenation therapy.

2. Cedar & Salt Lounge

An elite whiskey-sake fusion bar with 600-year-old white oak Earth barrels.

3. The Quiet Step Salon

Soundproofed, plush, staffed with stylists trained on Luna. Enhances hair with microfilament shine boosters.

4. Jadeloom Tailors

Specializes in tailored clothing integrating smart fiber and holo-thread. Resident clientele only.

5. Bamboo Sky Reading Rooms

A hushed, domed library reserved for Eighth Terrace residents. Reading materials include rare physical books under environmental stasis protection.

CULTURAL AND SOCIAL DYNAMICS

• Snobbery is institutional, not personal. Non-residents are seen as “dust walkers.”
• Outsiders entering without escort receive escalating warnings from patrol drones.
• The district council votes monthly on:
• new plant species
• new art
• new residents
• and “unwholesome elements” to ban

Even wealthy First City outsiders resent the place.