Sector One was vastly different from the other sectors.
Rather than one unified territory, it was a sprawling network of connected cities filled with mercenaries, smugglers, strays, hustlers, and independent Espers and Guides trying to survive however they could.
Unlike the polished upper cities controlled by wealthy families and government officials, Sector One was rough around the edges.
But alive.
The streets were louder. The people harsher. The systems far less controlled.
And unlike the CEA or the Old Blood faction, many organizations here belonged to what people called the Free Factions. Groups of Espers and Guides who rejected centralized control and instead operated under their own rules and hierarchies.
Even the Rift Bureau here functioned differently.
Instead of answering to one massive authority like the CEA, the bureau was funded directly by the cities themselves, handling rift suppression, extermination missions, and city protection with far more freedom.
