The Jovian Colonies or Jovian Belt was one of the first locations colonized by Terrans and the "third location" in the Sol system
Origins
The "outer planets" of the Sol system were long considered to be exploitable from a mining point of view but long term colonization was generally considered to be impractical by 20th and 21st century technology.
After the Cydonia incident and the Terran uplift in the 2050s, the Terran Federation made the Tunis Agreement between all member nations that the asteroid belt, the moons of Jupiter and the moons of Saturn, later referred to as the Jovian belt, would be exploited but that this would be done in a fair and equitable fashion
There was considerable political wrangling and corruption around this issue and even some military posturing but thankfully no armed conflict between nations ever took place in the Jovian belt.
The first permanent bases in the belt were built in 2058 and the first permanent settlement was built on Titan in 2074.
Location
The Jovian belt begins in the asteroid belt which divides the "inner worlds" from the "outer worlds". It then extends to the moons orbiting Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus
With advances in technology and improving range and reliability of FTL technology, these outposts were no longer considered remote but remain very hazardous environments due to issues with gravity wells, radiation, micro-meteorites and other hazards.
Wealth of the Belt
The belt's wealth has always been in mining. Heavy metals and minerals were mined from asteroids and moons whilst helium and hydrogen was mined from the gas giants
This led to the belt becoming a source of huge wealth and even as of 2540, the Jovian belt is disproportionality wealthy. The access to other asteroid belts and moons has reduced its huge financial clout but it remains a wealthy set of small colonies.
Demographics
As of 2545, 201,000,000 people live in the Belt
- 189,000,000 Terrans
- 16,000,000 Indirians
- 2,500 AIs
- 2,000 other aliens
Government
The Jovian belt was initially set up as an "administrative province" of the Terran Federation and its top executive, the Administrator, was appointed by the Federation Senate.
In the 22nd century the Jovian belt was allowed to elect one senator to represent it but generally suffered from disenfranchisement.
After the collapse of the Terran Federation, the Jovian Belt continued to be led by the Administrator who was now instead appointed by a council of the different governors, mayors and leaders of the Jovian system
During the days of the Confederate Union, the Confederacy appointed a Coordiantor to oversee work between the Jovians. This title was retained even after the post fell into disuse after the fall of the Union and Karkouri occupation.
The Jovian Belt was part of the
The Terran Empire and nominally ruled by the Empire itself, generally by House's Solarin and Valane.
After the fall of the Terran Empire, the Jovian belt remained independent but nominally allied to both Earth and Mars. It was often a source of tension between the two other major powers in the Sol system due to their affiliations with the Republic and the
The Antares Federation
Governor of the Jovian Colonies
- 2550-2555- Eliakim Gould - Valiant
- 2555-Present-Roshaun Levar -Valiant
Crime and Piracy
Due to the huge amount of space and number of asteroids and other gravitational terrain, the belt has always been home to pirates, smugglers and renegades.
The Black Dragon Yakuza also has influence over organized crime on Jovian worlds.
Important Places
Titan
The largest individual "world" in the Jovian belt, Titan is home to sixty-one million people and is the de-facto capital of the Jovian Belt. Titan is home to six major settlements and more than a dozen more minor settlements. Life on Titan is hard and quite expensive due to the high mooring fees and the need to protect the planet's settlements from volcanic action and radiation.
Titan was partially terraformed but remains incredibly cold and it is not possible to walk on the surface without a suit as the temperature on the surface rarely reaches above -60 degrees.
Each of Titan's city's elects a mayor and Titan also elects a legislature and its own Administrator.
Ganymede
The second largest individual world, Ganymede is home to twenty-five million people and is a primary mining hub, sitting in the mid-point between the asteroid belt and the edge of the outer planets. Ganymede is generally still expensive to live in despite excellent
Ganymede was partially terraformed but its cities and settlements remain domed, though a dome breach would not be instantly fatal for the citizens within.
Ganymede elects an Executive Council from the various city and settlement councils.
Europa
Initially established as a science and military outpost, Europa has never been an easy place to live and is home to around ninety-thousand people living deep underground to survive the lethal cold and radiation.
Europa's huge well of frozen water has often been a resource in the belt, though it is not as vital as it once was due to advances in technology.
No life has yet been found in Europa's frozen seas but there remains a school of thought that there may be primitive life deep in the seas.
Io
Storm racked Io is one of the hardest places to live on the belt but is still home to around seventy-five thousand hardy souls who prefer to live where they are generally off the grid.
Somewhat rough and tumble, though no longer totally lawless, Io is a strange planet and many of those that spend time there report back the eerie soundscape of the storms and gravitational stress above them.
Calisto
The third largest "world" in the belt, Calisto is home to around forty million people. Despite the apparent hostility of the planet, Calisto was partially terraformed, with the planet now having a breathable if very cold atmosphere. Life on the surface is only possible with heated environment suits
Calisto is home to five major cities and dozens of smaller settlements including many that are based under the water of the deep Calistean ocean.
Calisto is often considered one of the easiest planets to live on and enjoys lower housing, berthing and settlement prices than many of the other worlds.
Thebe
Thebe was initially set up as a science outpost and then later an intelligence base, rumored in fact to be the location of "the Nest", the legendary base established by the Federation's IIS.
Thebe is home to around forty thousand people who live in underground bases. Thebe is generally considered to be a hostile place to live.
Metis
Metis is a small, irregular shaped moon that orbits close to Jupiter. Due to the levels of radiation that affect the planet, it is colonized by well shielded underground bases. Despite this, it remains a popular place and is home to around a quarter of a million people.
Due to Metis's close orbit to Jupiter, its a superb location for hydrogen mining.
Metis once had a violent and lawless reputation but VENTRISS UDC pacified the colony in 2201 with PMCs and bounty hunters.
As of 2545, VENTRISS UDC still have a lot of control of the colony there.
Mimas
The small moon of Mimas was settled as a military outpost during the days of the Federation but later sold off and turned into a private colony. It was first colonized by a Christian fundamentalist group known as the "Lambs of the Prophet" but after they mysteriously disappeared, the colony was sold on in an estate sale to various corporations
As of 2545, Mimas is home to around a million people who live underground. Mimas is known for its incredible panoramic views of Saturn and the other Jovian colonies and is considered by some to be the cultural hub of the belt
Mimas elects a planetary legislature and its own Prospector-General, an archaic title that has responsibilities somewhat like those of a planetary governor.
Tethys
Tethys is a largely ice based moon and was initially colonized to provide water-ice for consumption of those living out in the belt. With advances in technology, Tethys went through a long, slow decline until the 2440's when it was taken over by Allied West as a research base.
Tethys is home, as of 2545, to around a million people and nearly 90% of them work directly or indirectly for Allied-West, making it a company town.
Tethys towns are carved deep into the planets ice and there is some truly spectacular archeology on the planet.
Tethys elects its own legislature but they are generally subordinate to the Administrator appointed by Allied-West.
Rhea
Rhea was colonized in the 2100's as a mining outpost and later partially terraformed, giving it a thin, very cold atmosphere. Life on the surface is still impossible without an environment suit due to the cold.
Rhea is home to around fifteen million people and Rhea is considered one of the cheaper places to live in the belt. Rhea is also the "liberal heart" of the Belt, home to a number of charities and not-for-profits that help keep settlement prices and berthing fees down
Rhea elects a planetary legislature but does not have a governor.
Ceres
A large, stable asteroid, Ceres was partially hollowed out by miners and turned into a settlement for miners and traders. Once very much lawless and a pirate base, it was pacified by the Federation Navy in 2113.
Ceres is home to a million hardy souls who live in difficult, often cramped circumstances. Despite this, Ceres is a place to make a fortune as it gives direct access to mining in the belt without long transits to other worlds.
Ceres was given a stable spin, giving it gravity and has some shielding that protects key areas on the surface.
Ceres elects a council of "select-men" who speak for the colony but the government of the colony is very weak
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