Guardiola

Guardiola is the capital world of the Galactic Federation, and is also home to Black Tab International.

Before the Scream
Colonists of the Terran Mandate found a rather unique planet that was shrouded in an atmosphere of corrosive, toxic gases.

Such a planet would be near-impossible for a colony to inhabit; the corrosive atmosphere would strip conventional protective gear in a matter of hours, yet it was found that these gasses held many variations of elements within them that could be used to synthesise a number of different materials. In addition to this, it was also found that the native biosphere could be consumed by colonists, even if the taste was extremely sour or bitter.

Post-Scream
The Scream left the colonists with a grim reality. They could not remain upon their starships indefinitely, eventually they would run out of fuel and be forced to either crash upon Guardiola's surface, or land. Either one would spell death to everyone, unless they could find a way to resist the corrosive atmosphere on a long-term basis.

The colonists coated their ships with the best ablative solutions they could produce, and landed on the surface of the planet. Once there, they noticed that the corrosive gases were a lot more concentrated on the surface, and that they would need to keep their ships coated constantly, or risk having them melted within minutes.

The colonists found a solution to this problem with the development of the Colony Tower, a large tower that rose up to dizzying heights, kilometers above the surface of the planet. The Colony Tower was a self-contained colony, taking in the corrosive atmosphere of the outside surface, and using it as fuel for the colony's survival.

With this tower, the people began to thrive on Guardiola. No longer would the majority of people have to be under the constant pressure of being unable to breathe. Sure, there would have to be some people down on the lower levels in order to maintain the structure of the Colony Tower, but that was a small price to pay for the prospect of normal life.

Post-Silence
Guardiola were one of the few planets able to maintain spike-drives in the Post-Scream era, and those ships were the key to Guardiola's rise as a galactic power. Guardiola's ships spread far and wide across a few planets within the sector, and they made contact with quite a few new civilizations born during the many decades of Silence.

The colonists never forgot their roots as members of the Terran Mandate, and longed to return to their former glory, thus, they began making alliances with these new civilizations, eventually becoming the centerpiece of the Galactic Federation.

Their starships weren't the only busy ones, however. Industry on Guardiola was booming. The ever-growing population required more and more Colony Towers to sustain, their new allies were interested in the developments over the years, and Guardiola agreed to share them. Migration between the new Federation Worlds was bringing in all new kinds of trade, all kinds of new technologies were shared, and Guardiola grew and grew into the planet we see today.

Culture
The Colony Towers on the planet's surface are entirely closed environments. In order to move between the towers, citizens are required to use the public transport network maintained by the planetary government.

Due to the large population, the transport hubs are often overcrowded and, for the most part, space and seating upon public transport is more of an unofficial luxury. According to some sources, private transportation does exist, though it is rarely seen by the common citizen.

Status within a Colony Tower is determined solely by how high your residence is. The higher you are, the more affluent and prestigious you are.