City Twenty Two

In 1804, Napoleon's army swept through Central Europe, dissolving the millenia old Holy Roman Empire. The German country would compete against Prussia for years to come, and grow as a nation and people. An empire was formed, and dissolved after the Great War, only soon to be united with the Third Reich in 1938. The citizens would celebrate, as the jackboots marched throughout Vienna. The occupiers were greeted with flowers and cheering from the crowds, whilst the familiar black emblem embalmed on the flag was hoisted up on top of Hofburg. Yet decades after, the citizens found themselves witnessing a different force of jackboots occupy their city. A different type of black emblem on top of Hofburg. This was not the Entente, Hitler, or any other nation for that matter. This was the Universal Union.

The days of the Österreich came to an end after the Seven Hour War. Though the country was almost unaffected, in contrast to their northern brother, the changes after would make it almost unrecognizable from above. However, it would be of note that despite the changes to the city, the Alps remained untouched. They would be lurking with most of the remnants of the Austrian Army, Italian forces in Tyrol, German Forces by Munich, Hungarian and Slovenian forces nearby the border, or any other NATO troops in the area. This included many American forces who ditched or hid many of their vehicles nearby, such as dozens of F-16s which can be seen littering the mountainside [A few crashed]. It is even rumored that some had been landed successfully deep within the Alps either halfway in large caves, in the shrubs/shade out of sight, or in concealed hangers within for future use.

Vienna was seen as strategically important, alongside with Budapest, in establishing a firm grip within the center of Europe. It would help to control the area surrounding the city, and as a supply hub. The two cities would interact with each other often due to this, and it wasn’t uncommon to see the markings of C22 airwatch nearby the outskirts of Budapest, and vice versa. It underwent numerous fortifications to the surroundings area, as to help establish a firm grip. Large steel walls would guard C22, with various gates located by the districts of the city. Some would try to tunnel under these to escape the city, with mild success in the end. But this was risky, and many who crawled out of the dirt perished if they had been caught in a searchlight.

Many of the nearby villages had been exploited for their natural resources soon after the Union arrived. They had a diversity of ores and minerals that would be valuable, such as the magesite and iron. Half of the people that had joined the Commissioned Workforce usually got sent to these mines, where the condition of the workers generally didn’t matter to the Overseers nearby; All that truly mattered was that the ore would continue to come out of them. In the end, most never saw the rewards as worth the effort. Instead, they got black lung or had their bones damaged/broken. Where did these extracted ingots go? Other than those that went locally to C22 for general use, the rest were compiled onto Razor trains to be shipped elsewhere. The exact destination of these minerals was unknown, however it is likely they went to various cities to build Union structures such as gates, walls, or even barriers.

The intricate railway network that the Austrians had built was put to good use by the Union. Most of the towns had been connected by the time the Seven Hour War started, making it easier to move cargo around. This was especially important when moving things from Southern Europe up North, or vice versa. Due to this, they were precious to the Union to keep intact. The opposite went for the resistance, who wanted to find ways to cut supply lines to any local depots. One of the resistance hotspots was the city of Graz, that had been abandoned when relocation for the citizens began. It was an important point for the railway network, and both sides say it as a key way to control supplies to the cities nearby. Despite an increased Overwatch presence to the area around the station, resistance would continue for some time to come.

Other than converted railways, many other buildings in Vienna were modified for the Union’s purposes. Many of the synths would be based around the old hangars, and provide support for the conscripts garrisoned nearby. The Vienna International Airport was made into a scanner factory for C22, and any other synthetics or airwatch personnel that had been selected to help reinforce the city. The Austrian Parliament was made into a Nexus, where Civli Protection officers were stationed, and local administrative figures would gather to make decisions for their city. The Kunsthistorisches Museum for fine arts was converted into a weapon and ammunition storage facility. Many of the cities century standing monuments and statues were toppled; the idea and values of democracy, freedom, nationalism, and liberty they represented no longer present.. Instead they were to be replaced by new ideals of the opposite. Control. Subordination. Despotism.

This was not Austria anymore...