Akairn //Colloquially known as "Akairn" based upon unpublished corporate documentation,
SVBU-4816-I is the first planet out from the Isere binary stellar complex, situated at a semi-major axis of approximately 2
AU, a sidereal rotation period of 48.76 standard days, and an orbital period of approximately 1.54 Galactic Standard Years. Akairn constitutes 0.054
M⊕ at 0.32
R⊕. While 4816-I is neither synchronously nor asynchronously tidally locked, its close proximity to the system's barycenter relative to Isere B leads to complications in its orbital period and elliptic; after approximately 3.9 Galactic Standard Years (approaching a 4:1 orbital resonance between Isere B and Akairn relative to the Isere A-B barycenter), Akairn is prone to considerable orbital instability, resulting in approximately eight months of tidal sheering forces pulling upon the terrestrial, causing not-insubstantial debris and gas emissions to pull from the planet, only to fall back to its surface upon the cessation of its resonance period.
Overall, Akairn is a blasted terrestrial lacking even the trace of an atmosphere; the single exception to this occurs once every four standard years for approximately 14 standard months as Isere B's gravitational forces bring forth debris and gas from the surface, only to be caught in low orbit around the terrestrial. This results in a considerable, psuedo-atmospheric haze above the surface of Akairn until its cessation. Upon the termination of this periodic instability, debris acted upon by Isere B begins its degrade back to the surface, resulting in Akairn's desolate and pock-marked facade - and a periodic reshaping of the same. Rich in iron and silicates, SVBU-4816-I is otherwise unremarkable, to the exception of speculated iseridium deposits. Both its proximity to Isere A-B and its periodic instability, however, has complicated any organized efforts to survey and prospect the planet for mining opportunities.
Generally ignored by the standard fare of the system's population, surface habitation - even in hazardous environ modules - would be difficult, if not impossible. Sub-surface habitation, according to corporate documentation dating to Draeva-Ishaik Heavy Industries' initial survey of the system, was not, however, ruled-out. Even so, geological instability caused by its periodic tidal sheering complicates such possibilities: significant sub-surface structural degradation and fracturing would pose significant hazards to any colonization efforts. This, however, does not deny the savage beauty of the terrestrial caused by these very same periodic calamities. Much of its surface is pock-marked with fresh, jagged craters and tidal calderas caused by the up-swelling of lower-density rock during its perihelion; this combination of splinter-like rock mouths and low, domed boils lend a unique portrait painted by an unforgiving, stellar artist.
Ihtol //Otherwise known as "Ihtol,"
SVBU-4816-II sits between Akairn and Samada's orbit at a semi-major axis of 3.75
AU, making it the second planetary body in the system from the Isere binary. Remarkably, Ihtol's sidereal rotation period is approximately 1.66 Galactic Standard Years, constituting almost half of its orbital period: 3.9 Galactic Standard Years. SVBU-4816-II's mass is approximately 0.84
M⊕ at 0.89
R⊕.
A veritable deluge of information has been collected regarding Ihtol, beginning initially with the first system surveys conducted during Project SAMADA. SVBU-4816-II possesses a notably thick atmosphere rich in hydrogen sulfides, carbon dioxide, and various titanic gases - leading to the slight purple coloration of its atmosphere. This high presence of titanic compounds, as well as silicate metalloids, is believed to be a consequence of Ihtol's geologic activity and surface volcanism. This, further, leads to the surface of Ihtol possessing a "tarnished silver" to "brass" coloration, a feature that, in accompaniment with its unique atmospheric properties, were marketed to potential investors in the initial phases of Project SAMADA as visible during the local winter months of Samada.
The "Ihtol Lesion" (sometimes called the "Ihtol Hole"), believed to be either a volcanic caldera or the result of a comet impact in its later development stage, remains Ihtol's most noteworthy surface feature. Visible in its northern hemisphere, the massive terrestrial feature has an average diameter of 3,600 kilometers, and a radar-indicated depth totaling 2.8 kilometers. It is this very feature that has continued to periodically beckon potential colonists and free settlers to the planet; survival on the surface is, in fact, quite possible with hazardous environ modules and oxygen or exo-atmospheric equipment. Even so, the surface remains a largely desolate, metallic hellscape of volcanism and titanic acid rainfall. Notably, Ihtol is prone to so-called "iserititanic crystalline dust," a phenomenon in which titanic compounds bond with iseridium particulate cast-aloft into the atmosphere, forming dangerous, wind-driven clouds composed of razor-like, metallic flakes prone to degrading equipment and eviscerating less-substantial fabrics.
As such, despite its theoretical habitation potential, practical considerations and pitfalls have always inhibited serious colonization efforts. A single Draeva-Ishaik Heavy Industries' mining and research outpost was established during the earliest days of Project SAMADA, reportedly housing nearly one thousand personnel; this effort was abandoned within a standard year, however, due to near-continual hazards and mounting budgetary costs caused by the same. Since then, no known settlement has ever been established on Ihtol's surface, and following the system's effective abandonment to brigandage following the Great Betan Collapse, concerted efforts toward permanent settlement seem unlikely in the foreseeable future.
Samada //The planet
SVBU-4816-III - the eponymous "Samada" that heralds the system's infamy - is the third planet out from the Isere A-B binary complex, and is, by far, the system's most notworthy landmark - both due to its history and the Anchorage which orbits it. Samada is situated at 6.1
AU from the Isere System's barycenter, placing it just within the cusp of the system's natural habitability zone (a volume which stretches from approximately 6.05 to 13.25 AU, well into the Kehresei Belt). With an orbital period of 8.2 Galactic Standard Years, 4816-III possesses the longest local year of any of the inner system terrestrials; even so, its sidereal rotation period is a modest 26.04 standard hours. Samada's mass and radius, however, are relatively substantial compared to its inner system sisters, at 1.004
M⊕ and 1.16
R⊕, respectively. Samada has one natural satellite, Askora (
SVBU-4816-IIIa), and is home to the "orbisprawl" known as the "Samada Anchorage."
Despite what its presence within the Isere System's habitability zone might imply, Samada was never "naturally habitable." While 4816-III did naturally possess water, such was primarily sealed in small pockets within subterranean aquifers and surrounded by exceptionally dense rock formations - formations which, in time, were discovered to consist of substantial quantities of iseridium ore. Initially intending to utilize the system as a competing prospect to their rival mining venture, Sigyrus Excavations, it was during routine prospecting that this unique ore was uncovered; upon discovery of the iseridium element and its various allotropes - and, most importantly, the role such might play in accelerating the rate of terraforming operations (always Draeva-Ishaik's prized subsidiary division) - the first plans for Project SAMADA were drawn.
According to internal corporate documentation, Samada was intended to serve two purposes: both as an upper-echelon base of operations for the effective system-wide depletion of iseridium, and as a remote, luxury bastion for corporate elites and partners from across the Galaxy. The utilization of iseridium in terraforming operations was intended, in effect, to finance the latter, with Samada itself intended to serve as a flagship for the megaconglomerate's latest breakthrough in geo-engineering. Due to the Great Betan Collapse, however, this intended future never came to pass and, ultimately, Draeva-Ishaik and her partners abandoned the system entirely - leaving behind countless thousands of former employees in the process.
Overall, Samada is, first and foremost, a largely desert world. While several large, salt seas exist along the equatorial latitudes, these are all, primarily, artificial in nature and a consequence of terraforming and geo-engineering operations. The effects of Draeva-Ishaik Heavy Industries' terraforming, however, lingers in other ways. While strictly speaking, "habitable," in practice the local habitability of any given region is determined by the operation - or
in-operation - of remaining terraforming spires, with breathable atmosphere concentrated chiefly in ongoing production along the equatorial latitudes, and thinning as one approaches the poles. This, ultimately, was unintentional, but a consequence of a half-hearted automation process begun late in the life of Project SAMADA; simply put, the automated terraforming spires closest to the equator were given automation treatment by Kruger Armatures - a still extant robotics firm - while the rest were given under-budget contracts for automation by Jehei Technologies, or were simply never automated to begin with, now being derelict.
The failed terraforming of the planet, in combination with the abandonment of thousands of former Draeva-Ishaik and partnership employees, have turned the surface of Samada into a virtual bloodsport arena. Settlements exist, largely concentrated around still-functioning terraforming spires, but are held in tyrannical grip by tin-pot dictators and tyrants. The most prominent of these and, arguably, the most powerful, is Kojo Andewalli, whom possesses control of the Anchor: a manufacturing complex at the base of the orbital anchor for the space elevator which stretches from Samada's surface to the Anchorage. Beyond simply the Anchor, due to a tenuous partnership with the nominal claimants of both the system and the Anchorage, the Rhukhor, Kojo Andewalli controls vast swathes of Samada's surface - a control he maintains through his retrofitted fleet of previously-abandoned electromagnetic hovercraft - up to and including the former "resort metropolis" constructed by Draeva-Ishaik.
— Samada AnchorageWhile some say it is a blight, and others term it a haven, what is known is that the
Samada Anchorage is one of, if not
the, key landmarks in the whole of the Isere System. While never given a formal designation, and called variously the "Samada Anchorage," the "Anchorage," and the "Toroid" in Draeva-Ishaik corporate documentation, it has considerably grown - or degenerated - in the forty standard years since the Great Betan Collapse. Initially intended to serve as a ship port, luxury concourse, and space elevator hub for access to-and-from the surface of Samada, the Anchorage was never, itself, completed. While all tethers for the seven accompanying space elevators were strung and their associated anchors laid, only three were ever operational and equipped with orbital trolleys - to include the central, primary elevator mechanism. To date, only one - the central elevator - complex remains operational, though ultimately under the orbital control of the Rhukhor tribal confederation and surface-and-trolley control by Kojo Andewalli.
Since the abandonment of the station by Draeva-Ishaik Heavy Industries, and despite what such may imply, Samada Anchorage did not stop development. In the forty standard years since its dereliction, the Anchorage has grown through a tumorous process: derelict stations, satellites, and abandoned ships have, variously, been bolted, welded, and impact-welded into the central toroid - known as the "Old Anchorage" - to grow the fixture into a megastructure termed an "orbital sprawl," or "orbisprawl" colloquially. Though nebulously multi-tiered and cancerous in its architectural growth, the flat surface area of the orbisprawl itself approaches nearly 700,000 km² in size. A gargantuan labyrinth, the Anchorage is one of, if not
the, most densely populated structures in the Isere System - even when the uninhabited sections of the orbisprawl are included in calculation - with estimates of population density ranging from 150 to 300 inhabitants per square kilometer.
In terms of demographics, such have never been formally (or informally) subject to any form of census, though estimates range from sixty-five to eighty-five percent of inhabitants being human or human-in-origin, with the remainder being non-human. Of the human population, it is believed that some twenty percent are native inhabitants - those whom were original employees of Draeva-Ishaik and its partner ventures, or are their direct descendants. Regardless of origin or species, however, poverty is endemic and all-consuming aboard the Anchorage, even among those capable of eking a meager degree of comparative wealth. True wealth and power is heavily restricted, and primarily the privilege of notable criminal entrepreneurs or those in close-knit association to the same. The remainder of the population lives in various levels of squalor, re-purposing former stations or derelict spacecraft into interwoven, metallic catacomb-like cities that hang precariously above Samada's surface; for the worst-off - the non-human - even such a tenuous safety is a luxury, and their ever-constant marginalization often threatens their very existence to a degree of risk even greater than the impoverished and the desperate.
While warlords control the surface of Samada, the structure and hierarchy of control within the Anchorage is decidedly nuanced and complicated. The Rhukhor tribal confederation maintains two different yet interconnected regimes: their control of the orbit of Samada and Askora, to include the Anchorage, is virtually uncontested, resulting in a ferociously restricted travel envelope in proximity to the Anchorage, veering from which almost always results in destruction of the errant vessel or its sacrifice to Samada's atmosphere; aboard Samada Anchorage itself, however, while the Rhukhor maintain nominal control of the whole of its bulk, the practicalities of controlling its populations and the logistics of an ever-growing, cancerous megastructure complicate matters considerably.
From their base of operations in the Old Anchorage - to include the central elevator complex - and surrounding regions, the Rhukhor hold nominal dominion over the Anchorage, with inhabitants - both individual and by association - owing custom to their protection rackets, less they risk intimidation or violence. As a practical course, however, the Anchorage is largely divided between competing (and occasionally cooperating) interests, criminal enterprises, and inhabitant associations which form nebulous gang territories and psuedo-fiefs, each allowed some degree of autonomy, assuming their existence is known and to be tolerated by the Rhukhor. As such, control is not absolute, and holes exist; even so, those foolish enough to not heed the demands and place subservience of their interests to the Anchorage's nominal masters are routinely prone to discovering certain brutal practicalities of their own.
— AskoraSVBU-4816-IIIa, otherwise known as "Askora," is Samada's sole natural satellite, and is located approximately 0.003
AU from its parent planet - constituting a semi-major axis of approximately 448,794 kilometers. Synchronously tidally locked to 4816-III, Askora has an orbital period and rotation period both equaling 34.3 standard days. Compared to Samada, Askora is miniscule, with a mass of 0.016
M⊕ at a meager 0.26
R⊕ (1,656 km).
Despite its orbit of Samada, Askora has never played a significant role in system development - a fact brought about, largely, as a consequence of its relatively low industrial value. Possessing only a tenuous magnetic field composed almost entirely of localized, crustal magnetization, and virtually no atmosphere, permanent settlement and terraforming operations were excluded early in the lifetime of Project SAMADA. Much of Askora's surface is composed of inert silica, calcium oxide, and exceptionally brittle iron-based compounds; its internal composition is equally unimpressive, being only partially-differentiated and consisting of a predominantly brittle iron crust, a semi-solid decay-heated mantle composed chiefly of iron and trace amounts of alumina and tungsten, and lastly a solid iron core.
While the overall lack of sub-surface resources certainly played a role in SVBU-4816-IIIa's general dismissal as an appreciable boon for system development, it was not the sole strike against the satellite. Due to gravitational resonances brought-about by tidal forces between Isere B, Askora, and portions of the Kehresei Belt, 4816-IIIa is prone to periodic debris strikes; standing as a monument to such is the surface feature known as the "Iron Eye": a substantial crater formed approximately eighteen million standard years ago from a comet impact brought into the inner system due to gravitational resonance. The feature, measuring at a radar-indicated depth of 984 meters, exposed a significantly large, sub-surface deposit of iron oxide, lending the pock-marked southern hemisphere of Askora an apparent gaze.
Disregarding such hazards, soon after the initiation of Project SAMADA, internal documentation indicates that Jehei Technologies attempted to establish several ansible relays near the northern pole of Askora, believing crustal magnetization in the region would assist in superluminal communications propagation and help inhibit radiation damage. Three autonomous relays were eventually constructed, but never reached commercial viability; soon after completion, initial tests revealed that the localized magnetization of sub-surface, ferrous metal deposits were not sufficient to inhibit stellar radiation. The three installations were subsequently abandoned, serving as the last known attempt to exploit Askora, leaving the natural moon to serve as little more than an aesthetically appealing sight in the Samadan night sky.
Kehresei Belt //The
SVBU-4816 Circumstellar Debris Complex - otherwise known as the "Kehresei Belt" - is a comparatively dense field of nebulous gas, dust, asteroids, comets, and artificial debris stretching from approximately 9 to 15.8
AU between the orbits of Samada and the super-jovian Aesis; the Belt's average depth stretches at a radius of 1.8 AU above-or-below the system's orbital plane, with its greatest prominence exceeding a radius of 2.62 AU. According to systemic research during Project SAMADA - largely based upon its positioning, debris density, ring prominence structures, and gravitational resonance - the Belt is believed to have been the consequence of at least two
disrupted planets - or a disrupted planet and an orbiting moon or planetoid partner. Due to its density, the Kehresei Belt is further home to an exorbitantly high density of artificial debris - stations, asteroid mining complexes, and spacecraft - that has accumulated, either due to salvage operations or overt hostility, since before Draeva-Ishaik Heavy Industries' initial entrance into the Isere System.
While the Kehresei Belt is a predominantly structurally-homogeneous circumstellar debris field, two features - one situated with a semi-major axis of 11.09 AU, and another at approximately 13.46 AU - consisting of abnormally dense regions of multi-kilometer asteroids and debris form the "Kheresei Rings" within the Belt itself. The most substantial of these features, and the outermost visible ring, rises above the orbital plane to a height of nearly 3 AU, constituting one of the most significant obstacles in terms of intra-system traffic along Isere A-B's ecliptic. The "Inner Ring," while substantial, is comparatively diminutive, and is believed to have either been a planetoid or orbiting moon that was sheared by gravitational effects from the super-jovian Aesis during the same event as its former parent body which now constitutes the "Outer Ring."
Believed to largely be a consequence of these gravitational forces, the Belt is abnormally dense when compared to circumstellar features in similar systems. While much of its mass constitutes gas and particulate matter, larger asteroids and planetesimals are not a rare sight. The presence of such terrestrial features have prompted industrial prospecting since the earliest days of Draeva-Ishaik's habitation in the system, resulting in various mining derelicts ranging in size from five-man outposts to small, hundred-personnel dug-outs littering the Kehresei Belt in exceptionally high numbers. Resources include the standard fare of carbonaceous minerals, hydrogen, water ice, methane, and innumerable silicates; uniquely, however, in conjunction with a relative abundance of iseridium allotropes, the Belt also contains an abnormally high quantity of acanthite, argentite, and other silver-rich sulfide ores. A significant presence of gold-rich electrum was also noted in corporate documentation, though not to the same levels of abnormal abundance as Isere-native silver deposits.
In addition to its substantial population of significant terrestrials, however, the Kehresei Belt is home to innumerable hulks, derelicts, abandoned or incomplete stations, and wreckage beyond reckoning. Most are little more than portions, picked-over by salvors and brigands for their parts or for material scrap; more substantial segments of vessels and stations, however, are not a rarity. In addition to freighters and stations left behind in the abandonment of the system, many more contemporary remnants remain testament to the nigh-perpetual inter-factional conflicts and reavings that take-place within the Belt's boundaries. Due to this, in combination with the ever-shifting asteroid masses within the debris complex, travel through the Kehresei Belt is notably risky, with in-person "guides" often being relied upon to act both as navigation consultants and as liaisons with the various parties which run extortion rackets for wayfarers seeking to transit the maze-like field.
Aesis //The phenomenally massive
super-jovian SVBU-4816-IV, also known as "Aesis," is the first of the outer planets, orbiting Isere A-B with a semi-major axis of 20.8
AU, and is the first gas giant outward from the Kehresei Belt. Despite Aesis' comparatively small radius of 1.08
R♃, it possesses a gargantuan mass of 48
M♃ (≈0.046
M⊙︎) leading to an exceptional density. SVBU-4816-IV's orbital period lasts 51.7 Galactic Standard Years, though its sidereal rotation period is the shortest within the Isere System, lasting only 9.16 standard hours - though, both due to its size and gaseous nature, the upper atmosphere of Aesis is subject to differential rotation at varying angular velocities. Though possessing numerous natural satellites and orbiting planetesimals - to include several virtually-invisible gossamer rings - only three of Aesis' moons are of substantial consequence: Niikos (
SVBU-4816-IVa), Jaurkos (
SVBU-4816-IVb), and Eiss (
SVBU-4816-IVc).
Since initial surveys of the Isere System began, Aesis has held something of a mystique, both due to its size and its brilliant coloration. Though composed mostly of hydrogen, Aesis' upper atmosphere contains trace elements of lithium and titanic compounds, lending to a dull, almost pastel violet coloration, broken and clouded only by the intense storms and eddies which mar its atmosphere. Beneath its comparatively idyllic surface, SVBU-4816-IV is an ever-broiling mire of hydrogen, helium, neon, and methane; this hellish layer, due to immense pressure and density, is known to experience neon and diamond rain - a consequence of methane compression. Even deeper still, a significant "mantle" of Aesis' sub-surface structure consists of exceptionally dense metallic hydrogen in a fluid, convective boil at both extreme temperatures and astronomical pressures. Though unconfirmed, it is believed that 4816-IV's inner core consists of a rocky, super-terrestrial composed chiefly of ammonia ice, rocky debris, and is theorized to potentially be coated in an exceptionally thin "outer crust" of supercitical osmium.
Due to its exceptional quantities of hydrogen, Aesis - along with its innumerable planetesimals - has been a target of fuel extraction since the earliest days of Project SAMADA. Fusion fuel extractors, concentrators, and refineries of various sizes and scope hang in orbit above the super-jovian's surface, occasionally falling from orbit only to be consumed by the pastel clouds below - presumably to be burned and crushed by the immensely disastrous environment Aesis maintains. Though most have long-since been abandoned, a number of small outfits still maintain a handful, willing to provide fuel in exchange for a steep sum. Beyond this, Aesis saw little in terms of development, with the most noteworthy additions to its orbital coterie being a number of superluminal communication relays installed by Jehei Technologies, seeking range potentiation benefits from the uniquely potent electromagnetic field SVBU-4816-IV produces.
— NiikosThe closest natural satellite to Aesis is
SVBU-4816-IVa, otherwise known as "Niikos," with a relatively minuscule semi-major axis of 1.826 million kilometers (≈0.012
AU). Due to its extreme proximity to its massive parent, Niikos is subject to synchronous tidal locking, with its orbital period of 55.1 standard hours matching its rotation period. SVBU-4816-IIIa, in addition to being closest moon to its parent, is also the smallest in both mass and radius: 0.015
M⊕ and 0.29
R⊕ (≈1,849.7 km), respectively.
To describe Niikos as a "hellscape" would be an understatement, if not outright flattery of its ashen wastes. Possessing only a tentative atmosphere composed chiefly of sulfur compounds, carbon dioxide, sodium chloride, and trace amounts of oxygen, the prospect of habitation, regardless of method, was never a serious one during the height of Project SAMADA. Sulfur compounds - namely sulfur di- and monoxide - make-up the majority of Niikos' thin atmosphere by benefit of its extreme volcanism, a consequence of its rampant
tidal heating. This very same volcanism defines Niikos' surface, which is composed chiefly of ashy pyroxene silicates, sulfur, and - conversely - great swathes of frozen sulfur dioxide. The high presence of sulfur and pyroxene, overall, lends rusted, ashy tones to SVBU-4816-IVa's surface, though such is often broke by great swathes of pearly-white, frozen sulfur dioxide intermixed with sulfurated pyroxene mineral deposits.
As noted, volcanism is constant on Niikos, though due to neither inherent tectonic activity nor substantial radioactive decay, but instead due to the immense gravitational force of Aesis resulting in tidal heating. Between sulfur-blasted fields and great, networked striations of frozen sulfur ash, great shields hundreds of kilometers in diameter rise from Nikos' surface, spewing soot, ash, and pyroclastic flows into space. Lava flows - composed of molten material brought from deep within the moon's myriad magma pockets - are not uncommon, though they are often obscured due to the great, mushroom-shaped pyroclastic plumes that accompany them. While this relatively calm form of volcanism is most prevalent upon 4816-IVa, one notable exception is a conical structure known as "Niikos' Phyre": a great volcano rising approximately eighteen kilometers up from Niikos' surface and prone to periodic, explosive eruptions. This great, volcanic monolith is noteworthy not merely for its size, however, but also its relatively predictable eruption cycle: once approximately every 2.5 Galactic Standard Years, Niikos' Phyre erupts explosively, spewing molten debris, sulfur compounds, and rapidly-cooling orthopyroxene lava into space, creating a sooty-red trail which rapidly spirals back to 4816-IVa's surface, dubbed colloquially as "Niikos' Mane."
Niikos' was never prospected for potential colonization, according to internal corporate documentation, due primarily to both its infernal landscape and only nominally-present atmosphere. Interestingly, however, SVBU-4816-IVa was discussed as a potential candidate for shatter-mining in the Isere System, though the former Aehiran moon of Konost ultimately won this disastrous lottery. Draeva-Ishaik Heavy Industries' documents detail that while substantial methane, iseridium, and silver deposits may dwell deep below Niikos' surface, the costs of cracking its bulk were simply too prohibitive without a substantial likelihood of reward. Less-competitive mining operations working in partnership with Draeva-Ishaik during Project SAMADA entertained the idea of large, surface-based mining operations, but such initiatives ultimately never materialized.
— JaurkosSecond natural satellite out from Aesis,
SVBU-4816-IVb (also known as "Jaurkos") orbits its parent at a considerable semi-major axis of 0.026
AU (≈3.9 million kilometers); constituting 0.84
M⊕ at 0.94
R⊕, Jaurkos is also the largest Aesisean satellite, both by mass and radius, as well as the largest and most massive moon in the Isere System, approaching Samada itself in size. Synchronously tidally locked, SVBU-4816-IVb's orbital and rotation period both equal approximately 7.1 standard days.
Since initial surveys of the Isere System, Jaurkos posed problems in terms of understanding its initial formation, development, and how it came to orbit its parent, Aesis. Its size, first and foremost, proved decidedly problematic when compared to both Niikos and Eiss, the other substantial satellites in its orbital neighborhood. Whereas Niikos and even Eiss, despite the latter's malformation, are clearly native to their orbital system, Jaurkos' size seemed too massive to have naturally formed around Aesis without other, contributing factors. Due to its size, Jaurkos was initially surveyed as a secondary candidate for terraforming in the Isere System; though sub-surface analysis, the Aesisean magnetosphere, and a complete lack of an atmosphere ultimately resulted in the abandonment of this idea, spectrum analysis of the moon during this period divined Jaurkos' formative nature: chiefly, its make-up is remarkably similar to debris bodies in the Kehresei Belt, indicating that Jaurkos was likely one of the largest amalgams of debris following the formation of the Belt, eventually resulting in its capture and further consolidation within Aesis' orbital envelope.
Being of similar composition to Kehresei bodies - silicates, carbonaceous minerals, methane, water ice, and a matching high presence of silver - Jaurkos remains something of a "composite" planetoid. Not unlike its sister Niikos, Jaurkos is subjected to tidal heating from Aesis' gravity; unlike Niikos, however, Jaurkos has a largely undifferentiated sub-surface structure due to its comparatively "young" age, resulting in the moon appearing more as many distinct chunks of hydrated rock held together by their combined force of gravity. Beneath its crust, 4816-IVb's peculiarities only grow; unlike many geologically active terrestrials, Jaurkos lacks both an internal dynamo (and therefore lacks its own magnetosphere) and a molten rock mantle. Instead, Jaurkos' "mantle" constitutes a gestalt "slush" of silicate rock, silver-rich ores, water ice, and
methane clathrates. Due to its make-up and subjection to tidal heating, 4816-IVb's surface plates are prone to violent lifting and geologic quakes, resulting in massive plumes of freed methane and frozen clathrates being launched into the vacuum of space.
In spite of its unique hazards and lack of an atmosphere, Jaurkos served as an outer-system partner to Samada in terms of Draeva-Ishaik Heavy Industries' development of the system. Several large mining operations and subsequent colonies were established on its surface, with its population reaching a height of approximately twelve thousand personnel by late 19.7400 GSY. In mid-19.7500 GSY, during the first signs of trouble indicating the approach of what would become known as the "Great Betan Collapse," Draeva-Ishaik mining personnel upon 4816-IVb engaged in a number of labor strikes, eventually culminating in a general strike stretching across the entirety of the colony and most of its residents. In response, Draeva-Ishaik, knowing that their personnel relied on their logistical support, simply withheld such; with supplies nearly depleted, in early 19.7600 GSY, the striking personnel on Jaurkos capitulated. Within days, the entirety of the colony was forcibly evacuated by Draevia-Ishaik security sub-contractors, resulting in several incidents of violence and rioting, with the colony itself to be left derelict even before the Isere System itself was formally abandoned.
While several other, smaller labor colonies remained on Jaurkos, operated mostly by Project SAMADA partners, all were subsequently abandoned with the system itself. In most instances, equipment, ore undergoing processing, and even unneeded transport shuttles and freighters were left where they sat. Refineries, methane processing plants, and all manner of colonial landscapes are visible from orbit across portions of the southern polar regions of Jaurkos as a consequence. Now such abandoned properties serve little further purpose than to collect silver dust and to serve as periodic hideouts for vagrants, criminals, and refugees.
— EissThe farthest substantial moon in Aesis' orbit,
SVBU-4816-IVc (colloquially "Eiss") has a lengthy semi-major axis of 0.05
AU (≈7.5 million kilometers); 4816-IVc is also the smallest of the considerable Aesisean moons, with a mass of merely 0.01
M⊕ and an approximate radius of 0.14
R⊕. Like its orbital siblings, Eiss is synchronously tidally locked, meaning both its orbital and rotation periods are approximately equal at 19 standard days; due to its malformed shape, however, Eiss' rotation period fluctuates periodically based upon gravitational resonance. This is further complicated due to SVBU-4816-IVc's
retrograde orbit.
Aside from its irregular shape and orbital properties, only the most basic of information regarding Eiss' composition and sub-surface structure is known. SVBU-4816-IVc's surface is composed primarily of silicates, carbonaceous minerals, and frozen carbon dioxide - similar to many, much smaller bodies in orbit around Aesis. Internal structural properties are not known, though internal corporate documentation originating from the earlier Project SAMADA period indicates that 4816-IVc is believed to have an undifferentiated or only partially-differentiated sub-surface structure; Eiss does not have a magnetosphere, and is believed lack the core dynamo mechanism required to generate one.
Otherwise unremarkable throughout the history of the Isere System, Eiss became an emergency re-fueling and organizational point during the abandonment period of the Great Betan Collapse. At some point during late 19.7700 GSY, according to corporate documentation, a megafreighter sat in orbit around Eiss; cargo and manifest details indicate the vessel contained "residential and household supplies." For reasons unknown, the megafreighter - its name and contractor long-since ablated - was left in orbit, only to eventually decay and crash into Eiss' surface. The eight kilometer-long vessel's shattered hulk remains along the approximate equatorial region of 4816-IVc, many of its containment and storage modules shattered, and apparently devoid of most, if not all, of its contents.