Valeria - Port Aurora
The ancient twin cities of Valeria and Port Aurora form the largest city on Terra Nova. Surrounded by a dense saguaro forest, they are the meeting place of three rivers: the Madras, the Sitka and the Thorn, which continues on toward Lake Aurora. Residential and commercial Valeria spreads to the west of the Thorn, while industrial Port Aurora lies to the east. The two cities are linked by a variety of transport links, but the most well-known is the huge Twin Cities Bridge.
In the days of Reconstruction, the twin cities fought several brutal wars and it was a peace treaty between the two that led to the creation of the NLC. After suffering heavy damage during St. Vincent’s War, the city was rebuilt into a truly grandiose capital. From this time forward the twin cities were generally referred to simply as Valeria, much to the chagrin of Aurorans. St. Vincent’s Square, the nerve center of the CNCS, is situated on a bluff overlooking the Thorn and Madras. It features several significant buildings: the Chambers of the Inner Council (CNCS legislature), the House of Congress (NLC legislature), the Supreme Court of the CNCS and the Presidential Palace of the NLC.
Radiating outwards from St. Vincent’s Square are Valeria’s eight grand boulevards. Forming concentric rings around St. Vincent’s Square are six parkways. These 14 main arteries divide the city into numerous districts: central districts consist primarily of government buildings and residences for civil servants; middle districts are commercial and industrial zones; and outer districts are divided between residential and agricultural regions.
On the outskirts of the city lies the spacecraft landing facility itself. The gantries, launch pads and other equipment are visible from certain neighborhoods. The Port Aurora Spaceport has recently been brought back on-line as a launch facility for the Northern Guard Space Service. The city-state’s airport is also nearby as is the CNCS military headquarters.
Although it is quite pleasant to live in and easily accessible, Valeria is far from defenseless. As the nerve center of the Norlight Confederacy, Valeria is well protected against attack. Defensive works are placed between districts, but most are fairly inconspicuous. The most visible fortification is the great wall which surrounds the city. Although armored doors can be used to block the many gates in the wall, they are open most of the time. Most of the city-state’s agricultural lands are located just outside the wall, beyond the shanty-towns that have cropped up there over the years.
An extensive network of air and space-defense weapon systems are concealed in the wall and in underground bunkers in the city’s vicinity, making it almost invulnerable to a direct air attack (during the war with Earth, the defense system prevented the destruction of the city more than once). In addition, Valeria is home to several military bases that house both Norlight and Northern Guard troops.