Upper Limits (Deep City)

The Upper Limits are the topmost subsurface layers of Deep City on Mallikai III, situated just below the planet’s surface. Though technically part of the Deep City megastructure, the Upper Limits function as their own societal zone, home to billions of working-class families who maintain the infrastructure that keeps both Deep City and Surface City alive.

Unlike the oppressive danger of The Depths, the Upper Limits are relatively safe—crowded, industrial, dimly lit, and often underfunded, but fully inhabited and socially cohesive. Most legitimate commerce, public services, and non-illicit entertainment available beneath the surface exist here.

Overview

The Upper Limits are sometimes called “the middle home,” occupying the narrow societal gap between the dangerous machinery levels below and the affluent, sunlit districts above. Families here live in:

• compact modular apartments
• stacked residential blocks
• communal walkways
• low-gravity recreation domes
• district-run schools and clinics

The zone is a patchwork of old industrial structures converted into living spaces, mixed with newer civic buildings constructed during modernization cycles.

Social and Economic Life

Residents of the Upper Limits form the backbone of Mallikai III’s labor force. Most adults work in Surface City as:

• janitors
• public servants
• domestic staff
• maintenance crew
• low-ranking military personnel
• technicians
• engineers
• scientific aides

Because wages are modest and sunlight exposure is expensive, daily commutes to Surface City often involve:

• long elevator ascents
• mag-rail tubes
• security checkpoints

Many workers leave before dawn and return after dusk, meaning their children live most of their youth without ever seeing the sky.

The Sixteenth Sun Tradition

Due to economic limitations, many families save for years to bring their child to Surface City on their sixteenth birthday—a cultural rite known as The First Sun, or Sunrise Day.

For many Upper Limits youths, this is:

• the first sunlight they ever experience
• a major life milestone
• a symbol of hope
• sometimes overwhelming to the senses

Ceremonies often include:

• communal meals
• district-wide celebrations
• symbolic lantern extinguishing

Some families cannot afford the trip at all, contributing to significant social divides within the zone.

Education and Childhood

The Upper Limits maintain several working-class schools operated by Deep City civic administration. Children learn:

• surface etiquette
• hazard awareness
• mechanical literacy
• basic engineering
• communal responsibilities

Recreation includes:

• zero-gravity domes
• climbing structures built into old maintenance shafts
• low-light athletic fields
• communal holo-theatres

Children are warned strictly about venturing downward—those who approach the lower maintenance tunnels risk encountering fauna or rogue machinery.

Culture

The Upper Limits have a strong community identity shaped by:

• reliance on one another
• multigenerational labor traditions
• pride in keeping Mallikai III running
• resilience under economic strain

Common cultural elements include:

• brass-crafted sun symbols worn by children
• lantern festivals marking reactor maintenance cycles
• murals depicting the distant Surface City sky
• inter-district celebrations when a family earns enough for a First Sun trip

While not wealthy, Upper Limits districts are renowned for their solidarity and kindness toward neighbors.

Infrastructure

The Upper Limits border the threshold between habitable Deep City layers and the dangerous lower machinery zones. Key infrastructure includes:

• ventilation megatunnels
• water filtration branches
• service rails connecting to Surface City
• emergency shelters
• low-power artificial skylight panels

Light levels vary widely; most districts exist in permanent twilight to conserve energy.

Relationship to The Depths

While the Upper Limits are nowhere near the horrors of The Depths:

• the zone occasionally experiences tremors
• distant roars or vibrations rise from below
• some vents must be sealed due to incursions from fauna
• old emergency protocols remain active

Weaponized maintenance mechs pass through regularly on their way deeper into the machine layers.

Children are taught early: “Upward is life. Downward is death.”

Relationship to Surface City

Residents often aspire to move upward into Surface City, but:

• cost of living is high
• sunlight licensing is restrictive
• surface housing is limited

Most Upper Limits families remain intergenerationally in the zone, forming stable, tight-knit communities.

Surface City depends heavily on Upper Limits labor, creating both economic reliance and subtle class tension.

Crime and Safety

Crime exists but is moderate due to strong community oversight. Issues include:

• black-market resource trading
• illicit brightness stimulants
• gang recruitment of unaccompanied teens
• occasional disappearances due to vent trespassing

Illumination is the primary safety tool—dark corridors are avoided instinctively.

See Also

• Mallikai III
• Deep City
• The Depths (Mallikai III)
• Kantikor
• Troll (Mallikai III)
• Sluggo