Rhea
A moon of Saturn and the ninth-largest moon in the Solar System. It is the smallest body in the Solar System for which precise measurements have confirmed a shape consistent with hydrostatic equilibrium. Home of the Rheanite - {Loxodons} it is the second most populace moon in orbit of Saturn and is the seat of the planets Gate.
Originally the seat of the systems largest water mining conglomerate Frost Miner LLC, Rhea has kept a fusion of a republic and a corporate structure. The elected body, the Board of Directors is responsible for naming positions like CEO, CFO, ect that actually run the government. Less as a legislative force but one that selects and boots leadership. Rhea's government as such has some hallmarks of business and Frost Miner still exists as it's chief state owned company. Leading some to suggest it is the systems only (admitted at least( For-Profit government with its citizens as its shareholders.
Most people on the planet live underground in subterranean cities and towns, thus the moon has taken on more of a mega-station structure. Still it remains the fifth most populace world within the Celestial Connection and it's water production is key for the self sufficiency of the CC and many non-water rich worlds.
Originally the seat of the systems largest water mining conglomerate Frost Miner LLC, Rhea has kept a fusion of a republic and a corporate structure. The elected body, the Board of Directors is responsible for naming positions like CEO, CFO, ect that actually run the government. Less as a legislative force but one that selects and boots leadership. Rhea's government as such has some hallmarks of business and Frost Miner still exists as it's chief state owned company. Leading some to suggest it is the systems only (admitted at least( For-Profit government with its citizens as its shareholders.
Most people on the planet live underground in subterranean cities and towns, thus the moon has taken on more of a mega-station structure. Still it remains the fifth most populace world within the Celestial Connection and it's water production is key for the self sufficiency of the CC and many non-water rich worlds.
Geography
- Mean radius 763.8±1.0 km
- Surface area 7337000 km2
- Mass (2.306518±0.000353)×1021 kg
- Mean density 1.236±0.005 g/cm3
- Surface gravity 0.264 m/s2
History
Rhea was developed with a lease to Frost Miner LLC with the explicit goal of shipping massive quantities of ice for the terraforming efforts throughout the system. Acting both as a mine during it's construction and a hub for mining stations throughout the ice rich rings of Saturn. Despite not being a habitable or even remotely terraformable, Rhea attracted a vast quantities of colonist attracted by Frost Miner's excellent employment offers and substantial pay. It was an economic boom that would meet its end not by, as many feared, the end of the line in terms of Terraformable bodies, but with The First Wave.
When the first wave hit, Rhea was ,much less attractive than Titan to the Xenophage. Still several stations had to be quarantined and collapsed, hopefully sealing the Xenophage and infected away in tombs of ice. The large issue would be starvation as Rhea relied on food imports and external resources. Several stations were shut down for power needs. Food was rigorously rationed. Artificial gravity toned down to dangerous limits leading to the famously bloated "Elephant-like" appearance of the Rheanite - {Loxodons} people. The Company took complete control of the local government, though survival not profit became the goal.
Yet, with the corporations owners, now presumed dead somewhere in the orbit of Neptune, corporate ownership become something shared with all former employees turning into something of a, deeply plutocratic for sure, republic. This transition likely was not as peaceful or as "generous" as the Rheanite people claim it was, but the democratization was much more so than neighboring Titan.
However, Saturn, ice rich as it was, still lacked many of the resources and needs earth once provided. Post wave competition among the survivors became fierce as Rhea and Titan fought over what they could scavenge throughout the rings. This turned from tension to cold war to hot war, one Rhea was ill equipped to handle. It is with immense luck that Rhea came into contact with the technologically advanced and comparably better off Jupiter Compact and immediately pressed to have a gate built over the moon itself. With it constructed, a local Saturn issue became an inter-planetary one, and the war for the moons of Saturn ended with the power sharing organization known today as the Celestial Connection.
Modern Rhea remains unique. Something of a fusion between a Kleptocracy, Plutocracy, and Megacorp, wealthy, and trade driven. Rhea among the CC tends to push for economically aggressive policies and is a bit of a wild card among the member states.
When the first wave hit, Rhea was ,much less attractive than Titan to the Xenophage. Still several stations had to be quarantined and collapsed, hopefully sealing the Xenophage and infected away in tombs of ice. The large issue would be starvation as Rhea relied on food imports and external resources. Several stations were shut down for power needs. Food was rigorously rationed. Artificial gravity toned down to dangerous limits leading to the famously bloated "Elephant-like" appearance of the Rheanite - {Loxodons} people. The Company took complete control of the local government, though survival not profit became the goal.
Yet, with the corporations owners, now presumed dead somewhere in the orbit of Neptune, corporate ownership become something shared with all former employees turning into something of a, deeply plutocratic for sure, republic. This transition likely was not as peaceful or as "generous" as the Rheanite people claim it was, but the democratization was much more so than neighboring Titan.
However, Saturn, ice rich as it was, still lacked many of the resources and needs earth once provided. Post wave competition among the survivors became fierce as Rhea and Titan fought over what they could scavenge throughout the rings. This turned from tension to cold war to hot war, one Rhea was ill equipped to handle. It is with immense luck that Rhea came into contact with the technologically advanced and comparably better off Jupiter Compact and immediately pressed to have a gate built over the moon itself. With it constructed, a local Saturn issue became an inter-planetary one, and the war for the moons of Saturn ended with the power sharing organization known today as the Celestial Connection.
Modern Rhea remains unique. Something of a fusion between a Kleptocracy, Plutocracy, and Megacorp, wealthy, and trade driven. Rhea among the CC tends to push for economically aggressive policies and is a bit of a wild card among the member states.
Tourism
Rhea is actually quite popular for tourist looking to see Saturn and her Rings. Many come through its gates, and the business minded Rheanites have built many luxury stations that offer premier surfaces and tour rides through the densest parts of the rings. Yet Few stay on the ice Moon itself, partially by Rhea's tourism industries own design, trapping people in those secret money sinks that are those famous luxury stations. The phrase Space Vegas has been uttered a few times.
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