Arcturus City

The City Design
The city is over 2500 kilometers in diameter. The city is divided into eight arcs, where the branches between each arc are a superhighway for ship traffic. These are basically large fifty kilometer wide trenches between each arc allowing the flow of traffic easily. This structure can be seen from orbit.

The city generally tends to get taller as you approach the center, it is thought that this design was planned as it allows for more reliable ground defense, because as you get into the city there is always another tier of defenses above you.

Arcturus city also has a single building in the center of the city floating above all the rest. It is not a mere building though, it is also a ship capable of intergalactic travel. This building was built during the Second Empire, and as the empire moved so did this building, it is the Capitol Building. Home to the throne of the Emperor and the meeting area for the Council of Lords. The building is designed much like the city itself and is thought to be partly the inspiration for the city's design. It is a single tower with eight piers extending outwards symmetrically. The building itself is about two and a half kilometers in diameter, though the center tower is three and a half kilometers high. The only way to access the Capitol Building is by a special transporter located directly in the center of the city below the Capitol Building. Any ships caught entering a fifteen kilometer radius around the Capitol Building will be shot down immediately. It is odd though, the building itself has gone through extensive upgrades over the past few years and has seen large conduit like pieces added to the exterior of the building. Some would guess that this will function as a weapon allowing power to flow directly from the core, through the piers and main tower to create a massive energy burst - though this is unconfirmed, for all we know it could just be decoration.

Below the Capitol Building is another large building, which serves only as a security checkpoint before anybody gets into the transporter to be transported up to the Capitol.

Around the Capitol Building's no-fly zone is generally the economic hub of Arcturus, thousands of ships constantly bustling into the ports, and depending on the time of day they are shadowed by the Capitol Building floating so high up. It is estimated that over a billion people pass through the city center each day for mere trade. Including the rest of the city, it is estimated that this number increases to about ten to fifteen billion people passing through the city each day.

Transport is provided by the city in two ways. The fastest way of transport is the beam, the main network for this beam travels along the city's trenches, however there are also some smaller subnetworks around the city. This allows for near instant travel between two points. Bystanders can witness your energized form pass by them (it simply looks like a bright flash.) The second, but slower way, is ship. While the city does not GIVE you this ship, it does allow you to use it for a day or two at maximum, however the longer you use it the more it costs, much like a taxi. This ship can fly at twenty percent of the speed of light while within the city.

Transport outside the city can happen multiple ways, either by a Relay, personal ship, or by ARCNET(Arcturan Transport Network). If you choose to take Relay, you can essentially travel anywhere in the known universe via wormhole generation, though this is one way without a programmed Arcturan Beacon. If you choose to take the personal ship route, recognize that all Civilian Ships must take a full inventory of their cargo and report it to the Arcturan authorities before leaving. However if you choose the final ARCNET route, it is assumed that you will be traveling to a Third Empire Occupied location. Generally this is used for planetary transportation, like to the City of Celestis for example, however it can reach much further distances like to Veknahal for example (It should be noted that this can also reach any Arcturan outposts, fortifications, cities, or any space stations anywhere in the known universe. It is provided as a SECURE means of transportation between Arcturan locations and is only available to Arcturan Citizens.)

Defense of the City
The city itself has a great shield, powered by large, kilometer high pylons at the edges of the trenches. These are highly energized and should be avoided at all times. Simply being near them can cause large plasma arcs to jump up to a hundred meters or more and strike you. However should Arcturus come under siege these pylons can be activated to cover the 2500 kilometer city in a large bubble shield which is practically untouchable. During such a defense the city would have the option of allowing intergalactic travel still, through any of the relays or ARCNET. Arcturan Government ships can travel through the great city shield without being affected, civilian ships are essentially trapped unless the government is willing to use all of the Relays to open one massive wormhole for them. This being said Relay travel by Beacon is prohibited except by Arcturan Military forces during this time.

The city also has a defensive fleet on standby, though this is nowhere near the size of the military fleets and is mostly just used as a police force.

History
The actual history of the city begins when the first groundwork was laid a decade or so after the Empire settled on Arcturus. By order of the Emperor plans for the city were created, and the city was built rapidly. Not by slave labor though, slaves would never be allowed in Empire's capital. The city has never been under siege, though it does have a yearly parade put on by the Arcturan Armada. A new legislation will be passed shortly determining whether or not to expand the city's borders, if it goes through it means desecrating hundreds of square kilometers in the hope of being able to build on the land afterwards.

Government Buildings
The only government buildings are centered around the Capitol building. As such it makes any legislation processes extremely fast and efficient, simply because of little to no travel time between each building. That being said the most important buildings are The Capitol Building, the Military Headquarters, and the Arcturan Science and Research Building. These while being the most important of the Government buildings does not mean that they are the only ones. There are actually hundreds of smaller Government facilities spread around the city, though they are much smaller regional control facilities mostly.

Popular Myths
It is a popular myth, and given the construction style of the city it is believable that should Arcturus come under true siege the Capitol building could descend into the center of Arcturus City and act as a sort of key by perfectly fitting into the design replicated by the branches of the city. At this point is is thought that with the Capitol as the key, and the entire city powering the Capitol Building, the conduits along the Capitol building would work as a superweapon designed to use the full potential of the 2500 kilometer city. If such a thing were to happen, the energy released would be great enough to not only destroy any potential target but the thrust created would push the planet out of orbit - which is why this myth is popularly disregarded.

Some less reputable sources claim that the center of the City was built over the Ruins of a building, a sort of citadel if you wish. It is said that this would fade in and out of existence from time to time, and it was always ageless. Whether or not this myth is true has yet to be tested, and it's rather hard to test it when only government officials are allowed within fifteen kilometers of the city center. Should it exist, if combined with the myth above it is thought that a quantum rip would be created, splitting the universe. Though again, this is only a myth and should not be taken seriously.