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Saturn (Sol VI)

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about nine times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 times more massive. Even though Saturn is almost as big as Jupiter, Saturn has less than a third its mass.

There are no inhabitants of Saturn itself. Instead, its entire population is concentrated on its moons - of which Saturn has plenty. Iapetus and Enceladus are home to the majority of Saturn’s population, with the remaining 158 moons (or moonlets) having smaller populations.

Historically Saturn, due to its geographical location and physical nature as a gas giant, was exclusively used as a navigational helper and later outfitted with a waystation on Titania for traffic in and out of the inner Solar System.

However, as time moved on and humanity continued to colonize more and more planets both within and eventually outside our system, its needs for resources and materials also increased which put Saturn into a unique position due to its most noticeable feature: the Rings of Saturn.

Even today Saturn’s rings remain largely untapped. The furthest expeditions have ever ventured was close to the “Encke Gap” in Saturn’s A-Ring -- the outermost and largest of Saturn’s bright rings, seperated from the rings further i by the Encke Gapn. Tens of thousands of kilometers of untouched resources remain, waiting to be prospected and acquired for the Alliance. But the rings are a dangerous place: success demands precise navigation and proper equipment to thrive in the rings., and he harsh conditions have resulted in countless destroyed or abandoned vessels which now drift in the vast expanse of Saturn’s rings. This level of danger has led to a small salvaging industry built around the ring-mining industry, with plucky -- or desperate -- salvage vessels diving into the rings to cut apart the drifting hulks of unlucky vessels and, sometimes, recover their crews. The rings are naturally also well suited to keep secrets - be it people or things that need to be hidden for whatever reason, with rumors of the Navy having secret facilities deep in the rings having persisted for decades in bars and dockyards across the Alliance.

Enceladus

Enceladus is the sixth-largest moon of Saturn, measuring only about one-tenth the size of Jupiter’s largest moon, Titan. It is the most populated of Saturn’s moons, and was terraformed in a manner similar to Callisto by the Organization of American States (OAS) as a contrast to Pluto. Though originally intended to be a climate refuge for the residents of North and South America, the slow pace of its terraforming and relatively late time at which a Galatea Platform was available — in the 2250s, shortly after Callisto — combined with the start of the Second Great Depression in the 2260s led to the project becoming an Alliance-led venture in the later 23rd century, with the first colonists landing in 2287. In the decades since it has achieved success as a productive and prosperous, if unspecialized, Solarian world. Despite its delays the terraforming project is seen as highly successful due to layers of ice on the moon's surface helping to "jump start" the eco-terraforming process. Today, Enceladus is considered a terraforming success, boasting forests, oceans, and striking blue skies, with Saturn and its rings forming one of the most unique backdrops in the universe.

The residents of Enceladus are known as Enceladians, and can — despite the Alliance bailing out the OAS — mostly trace their origins back to North and South America, with the current residents carrying on much of their Earther traditions. Enceladians are said to be the closest one can get to Earth without visiting it, and many tourist traps constructed in “old Earth style” are found in its cities and towns. In recent years it has become a major destination for resettled Martian refugees, which has led to conflict with the local population. Unlike Earth and Mars, there is no great love — or unity — between the red planet and the moon.

Unique in the Sol System, Enceladus has a rotating capital which changes its city of location every five years.

Enceladus Station

A notable feature of Enceladus is a large orbital station which predates its terraforming. Known as Enceladus Station, or E.S., it is the largest non-moonbound population center in Saturn's orbit and is home to many of the miners and voidfarers attempting to strike it rich in Saturn's rings. Independently operated by the Orbital Corporation of Saturn, E.S. exists in a symbiotic relationship with its moon, and forms a de facto industrial zone for Enceladus with its large dock facilities and orbital refineries that process literal kilotons of materials from Saturn's rings every day. Due to the sheer amount of materials harvested here the people of Enceladus take great pride in their work: they do not view themselves as mere miners or blue-collar workers, but rather as a crucial force driving the Alliance’s industry forward. Today, E.S. s an immense structure which has far outgrown its original, mid-23rd century foundation. It is a hollow, cigar-shaped station which provides not only docks, repair facilities, refineries, and warehouses but also living spaces, entertainment, and — for those who can afford it — even some luxuries, such as spas and a one-of-a-kind resort operated by Idris Incorporated. Most ring-miners spend a few weeks diving into the depths of the ring system before taking time off on E.S. or the moon. However, since most miners are independent rather than contracted under a larger corporation, work cycles can vary greatly -- particularly unlucky miners may be "voidborne" for months on end.

Iapetus

A sparsely-populated closed moon of Saturn home to many government research outposts, Iapetus is most known for its unusual coloration and geography. The moon is divided between lightly-colored regions (Roncevaux and Saragossa Terra) and a darkly-colored one (Cassini Regio), providing a striking image from orbit and the planet’s nickname of the “Shrouded Moon.” Perhaps most striking is its massive equatorial ridge, known as the Shackleton Range, which rises as high as 20 kilometers into the air. It is the only moon in the Sol System where access is limited by the Solarian government, which requires a background check be performed on any potential visitors due to the moon’s many research labs. Longstanding rumors claim the Solarian government has black sites — clandestine research facilities and FTL-capable weapons of mass destruction — hidden in the Range, away from the eyes of the public, foreign powers, and the press. It is the outermost of Saturn's large moons -- far enough from the rings to make mining and salvage pointless, and perfect to keep it out of the way of the curious.

Prior to becoming a closed moon Iapetus was a minor waystation and scientific outpost, and marked as a potential candidate for terraforming by the Alliance's Galatea Project. Budget shortfalls led to it being struck from the list of Galatea Project candidates and advancements in interstellar travel reduced its effectiveness as a waystation. When its labs shuttered due to their experiments -- attempts to stabilize Earth's then-chaotic ecosystems with algae -- failed, the moon was almost abandoned. However, the Solarian government purchased the abandoned facilities shortly after the Interstellar War's end and began a project of rapid construction on the moon. Few lights are visible on Iapetus' surface, with most of its facilities being far underground and its settlements being relatively small outside of Lamures.

Residents of Iapetus are known as Cassinians after Cassini Regio, where the moon’s population is concentrated. Most are employed by the Solarian government, which has long opposed private investment on the moon aside from limited facilities needed to support its permanent population. The Cassinians are a secretive and reserved people who tend to keep to themselves, and often come off as standoffish. They have long formed a significant part of the Solarian security apparatus, with many SIIB officers originating from the shrouded moon. A popular Solarian joke claims a Cassinian and the similarly reserved Visegradi placed in the same room can go for months without saying a word to one another.

Iapetus’ capital is Lemures, located in the Cassini Regio. The capital derives its name from a Roman term for the restless dead, and has been taken by some as a jab by the population towards their reputation as a black site.