Hydro Hegemony

How It Started

After the Collapse, the city’s water failed piece by piece. Rain burned skin. Old wells pulled up poison. People boiled water and still got sick. Most of the city stopped trusting anything that came from the ground or the pipes.

Small groups of former utility workers tried to keep the system running. Most of them died or were driven out. One group held on.

Valve was part of that group. Before the Collapse, he fixed pipes and filtration units. He knew which plants still worked, which pumps could be restarted, and which lines were beyond saving. When the city government fell apart, he and a few others took control of one filtration station to protect their families.

At first, they gave water away. That did not last. Crowds formed. People fought at the gates. Armed groups tried to take the plant by force. After the first real attack, Valve made a choice.

Water was the only thing keeping people alive. Anyone who controlled it would be a target. So it could not be shared freely anymore.

From then on, Valve’s group guarded the plant, fixed what they could, and pushed outward. They took reservoirs. They reconnected pipes. They put guns on the gates. They charged for water, not just in goods or labor, but in obedience. Over time, people began calling them the Hydro Hegemony.

What They Claim

The Hegemony says they keep clean water flowing in a city where most water will kill you. They say that if access is not tightly controlled, the system would collapse in days. They argue that riots, sabotage, and disease would destroy what little remains of the network.

Whether that is true or not does not matter much anymore. Most of New Vance depends on them to drink.

Valve

Valve runs the Hydro Hegemony.

He does not hide in offices. He walks plant floors. He checks filters. He visits crews in the field. He wears a reinforced work harness instead of a uniform and carries old tools that are now also weapons.

To his people, Valve is proof that skill and force still matter. To everyone else, he is the man who decides whether your taps work tomorrow.

How the Hegemony Is Organized

Each major water plant or reservoir has a Foreman or Forewoman. These people manage both technicians and armed guards. Their job is simple: keep the water flowing, keep people in line, and prevent unrest.

If a facility fails, its leader is removed or sent somewhere worse.

Below them are the Lines. A Line is a mixed group of workers and enforcers assigned to a specific area. The workers keep pumps, filters, and valves running. The guards protect them and enforce Hegemony rules.

Lines patrol pipe routes, inspect connections, and collect payment at water kiosks. They also decide when a block is being “difficult.”

Clerks track who gets water and who does not. They record usage, shortages, and payment. They decide which areas get cut first when water runs low. These records go back to Valve.

Nothing about this system is loose. Every failure is traced to someone. Every problem has a name attached to it.

Everyday Life Under the Hegemony

The Hegemony controls most filtration plants, pumping stations, street taps, and main pipes in New Vance. Large storage tanks sit behind fences and concrete walls. Armed guards watch them at all hours.

Most people get water from kiosks. These are clean, bright structures on street corners and inside markets. You bring a card or chip. The kiosk releases a set amount of water. Guards watch while it happens.

How much water you get depends on where you live and how well your area behaves.

Neighborhoods that cooperate get more. Neighborhoods that hide illegal taps or interfere with patrols get less. Some families walk away with barely enough water to drink, nothing left for cooking or cleaning wounds.

Payment takes many forms. Some pay with goods or labor. Others pay with information. People who report illegal wells or rival operations often get better access for themselves and their families.

The Hegemony also makes deals with other factions. The Citadel Council trades protection and paperwork for steady water. The Solar Guardians trade power for access to key sites. Even criminal groups sometimes make quiet agreements to keep their areas supplied.

When the Hegemony turns a valve, entire districts feel it. A disagreement with local officers can mean dry taps the next morning. A favor from Valve’s office can stabilize a settlement in days.

Enforcement and Punishment

Any attempt to bypass the system is treated as a serious crime.

Illegal wells, hidden filters, and unauthorized taps are destroyed when found. Crews cut pipes and weld them shut. Equipment is seized. People involved are often arrested.

Nearby blocks may also have their water reduced, to make a point.

First-time offenders may lose water access for a time or be forced into dangerous repair work. Repeat offenders are exiled from controlled zones or have their homes and workplaces targeted. In rare cases, people are executed as a warning.

The Hegemony also sabotages rivals. Independent water systems fail without clear cause. Pumps break. Intakes foul. Storage tanks leak at the worst moments. The Hegemony denies involvement, but no one is confused about why it happens.

Conflict With Other Factions

Most conflicts stay quiet. The Hegemony prefers it that way.

They argue with the Citadel Council over supply cuts. They clash with the Solar Guardians over control of key wells. They hunt black-market couriers when illegal water starts moving too freely.

They do not rush into open war. They do not need to. Anyone who cannot secure clean water will eventually bend, leave, or die.

Image and Influence

The Hegemony looks clean and professional. Workers wear matching uniforms. Kiosks are well lit. Signs list rules and health warnings.

Behind every kiosk stand armed guards.

Behind every “maintenance delay” may be a punishment.

Community leaders often keep their positions only because they can keep water flowing. They balance the needs of their people against Hegemony demands. In return, they sometimes get extra water during crises.

The Future

Without the Hydro Hegemony, much of New Vance would lose access to clean water. Disease and unrest would spread fast. At the same time, their control blocks any shared or fair system from forming.

Some groups try alternatives. Solar stills. Portable purifiers. Old plants beyond Hegemony reach. None of them match the Hegemony’s scale.

Valve knows this. He invests in repairs, expansion, and training. He has no plans to loosen control.

As long as water decides who lives, the Hydro Hegemony will decide who drinks.