Jupiter

The Jovian system was originally developed as a way station to the outer planets during Earth's early years of space colonization. The Terran Defense Force has since modernized its operations near Jupiter to supply its vessels and outposts outside the Sol System, such as Providence Station.

New Horizons montage - Jupiter and Io in 2007
Credit: NASA/JHUAPL

Logistics Support Area Zeus, located at the Sun-Jupiter L1 Lagrange point, supplies Terran Navy vessels and facilities outside the Sol System such as Providence Station. Unmanned mining vessels traverse the Jovian system as they harvest ice from trans-Jovian asteroids and rendezvous with LSA Zeus, which produces perishable food items and oxygen in addition to supplying water. The Mars Terraforming Corporation operates near the Jupiter-Sun L4 and L5 points, nudging water-ice asteroids into controlled collision courses with the red planet in order to increase its water supply.

A small outpost on Callisto mines frozen oxygen from beneath the moon's surface. It once served to resupply ships bound for Saturn and other outer Sol System destinations. The ships could then swoop past Jupiter, collecting a gravity boost as they accelerated out of the Jovian system. Today, it delivers the frozen oxygen to LSA Zeus.

Europa, as imaged by NASA's Galileo spacecraft
Credit: Galileo Project; JPL; NASA; reprocessed by Ted Stryk

Beliefs that Europa might harbor life suffered a setback when the Eurasian Space Agency's Nicolaus Copernicus probe landed on the moon in 2064 and could not find any signs of life. The moon's proximity to Jupiter discouraged manned exploration or exploitation: Europa's orbit carries it through highly charged portions of the Jovian magnetic field, and the resulting radiation exposure would quickly prove fatal to human explorers. In addition, Europa lies deep within Jupiter's gravity well, making trips to and from the moon problematic.

However, these hurdles did not stop the Al'Tari, who fled concentration camps on Luna in 2126 to establish an independent colony beneath Europa's surface. The Al'Tari used trans-dimensional gates to carve out expansive caverns several kilometers in the moon's subsurface ice and introduced lifeforms genetically crafted to thrive in the harsh environment. The largest cavern in the complex housed a landing bay for small ships and an open area for incoming trans-dimensional thresholds. Other areas included living quarters, research areas, common spaces and gardens. The Al'Tari vanished 14 years after establishing the colony, leaving no trace except for the empty network of caverns they had once called home.