Jemiyal is a mining colony, deep in Firenzi territory, where the climax of Ghosts of Innocence takes place.
Jemiyal itself is a rocky moon about ten miles across, orbiting an inhospitable "super-Earth" - a rocky giant cloaked in a crushing, toxic atmosphere. The moon was mined for its rich ores, then used as a base from which to plunder the rest of the system.
Mining activities are now concentrated on the asteroid belts and outer planets, while Jemiyal remains as a thriving - if rather rough - community of three million people.
Very little of the moon's surface is now visible, being covered in buildings: warehouses, refineries, industrial plant, and the accommodation and infrastructure needed to sustain its resident population and support the millions more nomadic workers scattered throughout the system. The building works extend deep into the core of the moon, fanning out from the network of mineshafts, forming a uniquely three-dimensional habitat.
Jemiyal has a less innocent side, which made it a natural destination for the renegades fleeing from Shayla and the Emperor: it was secretly equipped as a formidable fortress, the only base known capable of withstanding the combined might of the Empire's Sword-class battleships.
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6 comments:
A moon for a "hidey place". Cool.
This might be a bit silly, but the picture reminds me of the Death Star emerging from the planet's orbit to attack the rebel base.
Delores, for the man who has everything... :)
Kimberlee, not silly at all. Yes, there is an unfortunate resemblance. In the story, the crater is a significant feature of the moon (serving as its main dock) so I had to include it in the painting.
Cool. That would be a fun trip to the moon. :)
So as a fellow math nerd, did you calculate whether 3 million people could fit onto a moon that size? 10 mile diameter = 5 mile radius. Using 4(pi)r^2 gives me 314 square miles. That's just under 10k people / square mile.
I'm sorry. Believe it or not, some of my critique partners like it when I start asking these kinds of questions. If you've already figured them out, then so much the better!
Another great post!
--j--
Emily, wouldn't it just? :)
J, the island I used to call home had a population of 60k in 25 square miles, and that's nowhere near urban density. I figure a lot of the moon is rather like a good-sized city, and the inhabited layers go deep. So, yes, that sounds feasible to me. Good questions to ask though :)
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