Elysium
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The Elysium nightclub is one of Cloud City's newest and hottest nightlife venues. It was founded by Emelie Shadowstar as an investment property for Elysian Acquisitions, and is operated on her behalf by Atton Kira.
Located in Port Town, one of the seedier districts of Cloud City, Elysium caters to a more rough and rebellious clientele than the more upmarket casinos and nightclubs in the Tourist District. It relies both on an abundant populace of residents who are not catered for (and in some cases not welcome in) venues on the upper levels, and on exploiting a fear of missing out among the more fashionable visitors to Cloud City, who are willing to "brave" the lower levels in order to be seen in such an edgy environment. Though not deliberately a casino, Elysium's licence from the Cloud City Gambling Guild does permit the venue to host both organized and spur of the moment gambling, without the rigours and oversight of other casinos.
Elysium also serves as a front for The Exchange, allowing a venue for the organization to meet with contacts and clients without arousing suspicion. The Underworld, a key hub for the Exchange's information network, is located in a hidden sub-basement beneath Elysium.
History
Prior to 10 ABY, the site that became Elysium was an unassuming warehouse in the Port Town area of Cloud City. During that year, information broker Atton Kira struck a deal with smuggler and businesswoman Emelie Shadowstar, which became the basis of a criminal information network they chose to call The Exchange. Though Kira had an existing network of informants and data feeds that he had cultivated over the past decades, Shadowstar's involvement provided a better face for his activities, and the potential for expansion into trading in more than just information. With Kira as an "investor", Emelie Shadowstar founded Elysian Acquisitions as a legitimate front for their information broking, smuggling, mercenary work, et al. Elysian Acquisitions in turn acquired the warehouse in Port Town, and began converting it into a nightclub. As part of the construction and renovations, The Exchange established "The Underworld" in a concealed sub-basement: a facility that could act as an information hub for their network, allowing the slicer Sadie K'Vesh unlimited access to the Exchange's network and resources.
By 11 ABY, Elysium was a thriving venue, deliberately branding itself as an edgier alternative to the "classy" clubs and casinos of the Tourist District. Elysium focused on being loud and affordable, with theme nights and live music from less mainstream bands, occupying a niche that most of their competitors didn't see as worth the time and effort. More importantly for the Exchange, Elysium's loud and crowded nature provided a useful distraction, allowing important deals and meetings between the Exchange or Elysian and their clients to take place with a greatly reduced risk of being seen or overheard. Elysium also provided an opportunity for money laundering, with liquor sales over- or under-reported to help bury transactions of a more illicit nature.
Miscellany
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The Underworld
Accessed via a concealed door in the Elysium stockroom, "The Underworld" is a data hub for The Exchange's information network, and the de facto base of operations for the organisation. It was designed to allow Sadie K'Vesh, the Exchange's primary slicer, access to the complete Exchange datanet. The Underworld has significant processing power, capable of scrubbing through multiple data streams at once, and performing sophisticated analysis and cryptography. The facility exists entirely off the grid, and boasts significant cyber-security to prevent detection. With the Greater Javin Corporate Authority investing significantly in reinforcing the communications services to Cloud City to cater for an increase in executive clientele, The Exchange has been able to covertly tap into the new comm networks at a foundational level, further expanding their reach and access.
