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The planet Tarth is a glittering jewel in the dark night of space. The brilliant colors visible here are created from networks of shields encompassing the cities. The harmonics of the varied frequencies alter the wavelength of color, turning the rich forests and rivers into bright green and vibrant gold. Once inside the outer shields around the planet, the appearance returns to normal blues, greens and browns. Ships entering the guarded space are subject to boarding and destruction without proper passcodes.
Tarth City [not visible in this picture] numbers 40 million people divided into 153 districts of about 260,000 residents each. A twelve-block-wide park bisects the entire city, providing greenspace and recreation. The transportation system is the most advanced in the empire, and hustles commuters on round-the-clock shifts throughout the city. Ground traffic is permitted only with special license and is granted only for specified times of the day. Public travel is nearly all via tube trains, which wend their way beneath the city in tunnels, and crawl up the sides of and into massive skyscrapers. Buildings in the business districts are slender towering structures that spear the clouds.
As an example of the city's advanced transportation and public event capabilities, Destine Pietan Stadium can hold up to 65,000 people, and has a ticketing, entry and egress system which accommodates up to three shows daily. There are never lines, waiting, or crushing crowds. Tarth City is the showcase city of the empire.
