Gillian

The innermost moon of Rellis, Gillian is one of the smallest objects in the solar system. The asteroid is home to the Arkaris Shipyard, as well as one of the first asteroid habitats built by Teralla's colonization efforts.

Physical Characteristics

Gillian is most famous for being one of the smallest relevant bodies in the Verda System. It is so small that any surface base can be easily be spotted from high orbit around the moon, and its low gravity means that landing approaches are much closer to docking in practice. The moon's close proximity to Rellis results in enormous tidal forces to be inflicted upon its structure, causing a number of cracks to form. As it orbits beneath the synchronous orbit of its parent, these forces will only get worse as Gillian approaches the planet until it is torn apart.

History

While the Kesstra never properly explored the Rellis system before their fall, Gillian was the first stop of the Alorath on the road to colonizing and terraforming Rellis. It was landed on by Alorath before the first Rellis landing, and became a forward operating base for further operations and studies. It later became the main trade hub for the Rellis system due to the ease of approaching and landing on the asteroid as well as the preponderance of minable resources in its structure.

As trade increased, the need for Rellis to export goods to other colonies made Gillian put effort into constructing a trade and military fleet. This led to the Arkaris Shipyard, a series of automated shipyards which construct, repair, and commission all manner of ships.

Throughout this time period, Gillian saw more and more permanent residents, and the small forward operating base spread to cover the entire moon, becoming a world within it's own right. The Arkaris Shipyard soon began its largest operation yet, assembling large parts of the purpose-built fleet for Project Egress which would go to evacuate the area affected by the impending Athos Supernova. While the project was not a total success, it saved hundreds of millions of people from several planets from the supernova in 41 AC. After Project Egress ran to a close, Arkaris Shipyard's operations scaled back somewhat, returning to normal operations and building VFSS exploration ships and normal cargo vessels again.

During the Falacian Cold War, there were many points when military production was ramped up again, producing heavily armed starships. While an actual war with the Falacian Dominion never occurred, the ships were built and they proved incredibly useful with the beginning of the War of the Broken Bow in 138 AC.

During the war, the Arkaris Shipyard continued building impressive numbers of ships, and was heavily defended. A key objective of the Daxanir Offensive, when the forces of the Alliance of Five broke through the Yazera Pact blockade of the Szalana Wormhole, was to destroy the Arkaris Shipyard as well as many other key shipbuilding installations. Unlike the earlier bombardment of Doresyl, the advance warning gave them a chance to assemble a defense fleet at Rellis, which successfully held off the Alliance forces.

When the introduction of the Void changed the course of the war, the shipyard continued assembling starships in increasingly rushed manner, bolting any parts they had on hand together to make a spaceframe that technically functioned and was able to shoot at things. The abrupt alliance between the Yazera Pact and the Alliance of Five also led to an exchange program of engineers from both sides, and tensions sometimes flared due to the severe damage that Alliance forces caused before contact with the Void.

Today, Gillian is scaling back shipyard operations and returning to a peacetime life, with the threat of the Void gone for good and military action from the now-friendly Alliance nations unlikely.

Population

The population of Gillian is smaller than many of the other bodies in the Verda System, at around only a million people. Much of this population lives in huge skyscraper complexes that allow for relatively comfortable living, with environmental floors that simulate Teralla-like environments.

The population of Gillian live in a giant airtight city, some living in the interior of the asteroid, and others sprouting up over the surface. The living conditions of of the city are considered to be of high quality. Residents are encouraged to grow plants and flowers in order to make the city more comfortable and less harshly artificial. Communal living has become a key component of Gillianian life, with very little alternative being available due to the asteroid's small size.

The largest source of employment on Gillian is of course the Arkaris Shipyard, which drew much of the current population to the moon.

Surface Features

Being such a small body, Gillian's surface has fairly little differentiation. However, it is also pockmarked with large craters due to its lack of geologic activity, one of which was fully drilled out to provide an entry point to the large city beneath the surface.

Aside from the craters, Gillian is blanketed in very dark dust mostly on its leading hemisphere due to the rings that the asteroid orbits within. This is essentially the only remotely interesting thing about this moon.