Velar

Velar is the sixth and final major moon of Glau. As the second smallest of the major moons in Glau's system, Velar was likely starved of material by the nearby comically huge Tarsis, which stole enough material to sustain a major submoon in a stable orbit. Velar consists of approximately equal amounts of silicates and ices, and is likely differentiated into a rocky core & icy mantle. A layer of liquid water is likely present at the boundary between the two, which is probably sterile.

Velar is often viewed as the gateway to Glau's outer moon system, with the many small pockets of civilization scattered through its enormous hill sphere all linked by trade routes through Velar to the rest of the Federation.

Physical Characteristics

Velar is an odd color for an icy body in this zone of the solar system. This is either due to dust infalling from one of the outer moons, or an abnormal amount of brown clay mixed in with the ice. Velar is completely geologically inert, although it appears to have evidence of plate tectonics with large uplifted and rifted regions scattered across the surface. Dead subduction zones appear near the edges of these often times, forming some of the deepest canyons in the solar system, alongside clear rifting systems and evidence of former cryovolcanism.

Velar also possesses a subtle magnetic field, likely stimulated by Glau itself, extending to roughly five Velaran radii above the surface in most places.

Orbital Characteristics

Velar exists in a 2:3 orbital resonance with the significantly larger moon Tarsis, which stabilizes its orbit. Its low eccentricity and high distance means that tidal forces are relatively low, which is likely why the crustal thickening and shutdown of plate tectonics occurred. Like most moons, it is tidally locked.

Velar's orbit, while lying within Glau's magnetospheric bubble, is far beyond the radiation belts. Because of this, it is simultaneously blocked from Verda's solar wind and unaffected by Glau's dangerous radiation belts in the inner moon system, allowing it to reach a much higher population than the similarly sized Deion.

Civilization

Velar's surface holds ~3.91 billion people in various arcologies, domed cities, and small shelters scattered across the desolate surface, including a notable concentration of Verna near the sub-Glau point. The city of Aryl holds almost a third of these people, found near the equator and built under a large domed crater. Most Velaran cities extend fairly deep beneath the surface due to the relative ease of digging through ice, as well. Velar has several habitation stations in orbit, including a large spacedock orbiting at the L1 point linked to the surface via space elevator.