The Far Side

The Far Side refers to the uninhabitable hemisphere of Chellok that permanently faces away from the planet Sekora due to tidal locking. Most astronomers and geologists agree that some combination of the extreme gravitational and magnetic forces exerted by the gas giant Sekora and properties of semi-solid core of small moon itself have resulted in the asymmetrical formation observed on Chellok, i.e. a pleasantly hospitable near side and a frozen and uninhabitable far side.

A photograph of the far side surface taken from orbit shows patches of different frozen elements.

Differences

The immense gravitational and magnetic forces that the gas giant Sekora exerts on the small moon have resulted in the extreme differences between the inner and outer hemispheres. Although Chellok's mass is chiefly composed of lighter elements, the tidal forces have pulled the heavier elements towards the inner hemisphere and caused enough heat to create tectonic activity resulting in a large continent surrounded by a fresh-water ocean. Sekora's tidal forces also pull Chellok's thin atmosphere toward the planet resulting in enough air pressure on the inner hemisphere to allow for for habitation but requiring pressurized suits, vehicles, or structures in order to survive on the far side.
Chellok's ocean forms a ring around the continent and gets deeper as one travels further from the coast, as expected. However, as one approaches the edge of the hemisphere the ocean rapidly loses depth as the dense rocky continental crust is subducted under the lighter icy crust of the outer hemisphere. The ocean floor beyond the subduction zone is actually frozen water. At the hemisphere line, the far side begins. At this point there is not enough reflected light from Sekora, Sekorashine, nor air pressure to maintain liquid water. A ring of water ice, opposite of the ocean propogates for several kilometers into the far side before even lighter elements freeze solid.
The far side is a jagged frozen wasteland. In direct starlight, the surface elements boil and sublime sometimes in violent expulsions and eruptions. These eruptions replenish Chellok's thin atmosphere and the faint poorly defined ring that highlights Chellok's orbit and barely backlights the dark side of Sekora at night.

Exploration

Early Sugran inhabitants lacked the means to observe the far side from orbit, but did explore and map closer regions. After first contact and the successful establishment of peaceful inter-species relations, the Sugran maps and knowledge of the far side was shared with the early human settlers. Although humans had used telescopes to map the far side from Prakyun, once on Chellok the Sugran naming conventions became the norm. Even today, humans refer to regions, formations, and features by their Sugran names.

Potential

The far side contains high concentrations of rare isotopes of elements rare on Prakyun, specifically Helium-3, which is the primary fuel for nuclear fusion generators and engines. Abundant as it may be, extracting it is anything but simple. The main problems to overcome include:

• lack of a breathable atmosphere
• extremely low temperatures
• explosive boiling and sublimation
• traversal and transportation—the surface is ice and the atmosphere is too thin to generate enough lift for powered flight

A few human organizations, primarily the nation of Delos, have undertaken semi-successful He-3 mining operations with the use of traditional rigs, drones, and human operators and workers. The mining is extremely hazardous and there have been almost as many catastrophes as there have been successful operations. The value of and demand for Helium-3 however, have made the risk and its accompanying disasters worth the reward.
The Torgathian Sugran operate massive mobile refineries that scutter across the volatile surface of the far side. This is a high risk enterprise however, as direct starlight can lead to unpredictable sublimation that can destroy or cripple ships and/or these mobile refineries. In darkness, temperatures can be so low that these refineries must activate protective heat shielding; however, this technology has not been perfected and can sometimes lead to refineries melting themselves into the surface, never to be recovered.
More recently the Sugran of Gurrat have been the first to successfully operate a new type of orbital Helium-3 rig. First, the base of an extraction rig frame is launched into near-Chellokan orbit. The rig is then constructed in orbit, essentially a space station. Finally the rig is tethered to the surface of the far side at the mining location. This method eliminates the dangers of having to transport He-3 across the surface, but it is still not completely free of calamity. Orbital rigs and especially their anchoring tethers are not as mobile and are therefore slower to react to sudden changes in the volatile far side environment.

"Sohmthen'z norai. Tuh much taim'z by gohn. Dis aiz da farsid. Wey shudno wait eyvin won mor minut." — last recorded transmission of Horb Truma of Porvin, captain of the first human expedition to explore the Far Side

An outcropping at the edge of the far side looking back towardsDelos

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"Look to me now! How does the human say? To do something right you must do it yourself." — Akis Blad, First Consul of Gurrat, at the opening ceremony of the first successful orbital rig