Zellis

Zellis is the largest city in the FTSR, but also the dirtiest and most overcrowded. Zellis has a growing crime problem that grew out of the burgeoning black market; over the past decade, the rise in power of black market syndicates in Zellis has extended their reach into more sinister criminal activities and especially institutionalized corruption and bribery. The unsavory reputation that Zellis has acquired has led to further cuts in funding from the Council, who have no desire to see Federation money flow directly into the hands of organized crime. The Council hopes to quarantine the political corruption in Zellis, lest it spread to the other four Republics.

The Zellis Academy of Arts & Sciences actually lies just outside the city, in the suburban town of Wachak Bridge. Unlike most colleges in the FTSR, which are mainly technical and trade schools, the Academy is known for offering a more traditional liberal arts focus. Further outside the city lies the Flats, an arid salt-flat region where the Federal Army Corps trains under the most extreme conditions. The major industries of Zellis are transportation, consumer electronics, construction goods, and textiles.