Merchants of Bethesda

The MegaRegion of the Merchants of Bethesda, (epicenter formerly known as the Great City of Bethesda, the former Sovereign State of Bethesda's capital city), is a coastal port agglomeration located in the continent of Bethesda. As of 2368, the population of the MegaRegion of the Merchants of Bethesda was approximately 129 million inhabitants. Its administrative landmass is largely accepted to be 690,331 square kilometers, making it a populated region on Vex with moderate density.

The MegaRegion is owned and operated by a gigacorp cluster, each owning a one-third share of its constituents. The 3 gigacorps in the cluster are Frosche Limited, AzureLanesCorp, and PortoBanc.

History

The abolishment of nation-states at the cusp of the 24th century enabled private enterprise to absorb all functions of old world government. This led to the fragmentation of authority, and variation between regions that didn't previously exist. The members of the gigacorp cluster that own Merchants of Bethesda sought for consistent administration of its capital assets throughout the MegaRegion.

The crown jewel of both the City of Bethesda and its modern day MegaRegion continues to be its shipping port, Port Bethesda. It is generally accepted to be the largest shipping port in the globe, spanning 55 square kilometers in its entirety. Port Bethesda served as a gateway to the continent's agricultural and industrial output, along with being the connecting node between Eos and Vandorf. The present-day gigacorp cluster treats Port Bethesda with even higher care and reverence due to its critical importance to the continent and Vex's global economy.

Tyler Bleasse, a 19th century shipping merchant, established Port Bethesda to ship sugar cane effectively to the Eos Collective. Southeastern Rail built out a railway grid to effectively feed goods to the port from across the continent. Bleasse and Southeastern Rail's proprietor, Hugh Ultis, were under scrutiny from the Sovereign State of Bethesda due to possessing a perceived monopoly in their respective markets. When Ultis passed away on FY1980 Q2 D68, his will pledged 50% of Southeastern Rail to Port Bethesda in order to maintain continuity of the continent's infrastructure. His estate was also partially managed by his children, Heather Ultis and Spencer Ultis.

Christine Bleasse became her father's successor when she turned 35 at the turn of the 20th century, in the Sovereign State Phase (SSP). Her policies for Port Bethesda resulted in drastically increased shipping volume with the continent of Eos due to operating agreements with Eastbridge Logistics, an old world government-sponsored entity. The Eosites wanted to establish technology fabrication plants in the Sovereign State of Bethesda due to lax regulation surrounding manufacturing processes at that point in time. Eastbridge Logistics facilitated several of these negotiations between the government of Bethesda and hardware manufacturers from Eos. Subsequently, Port Bethesda became the de facto trade hub for most dealings between Bethesda and Eos.