Coriolis
The Coriolis station was constructed from the corpse of the arkship Zenith that arrived in the Third Horizon some 60 cycles ago. Portions of the Zenith’s components and gear were taken by the Quassar family down to the Monolith on Kua, and some went with the Draconites when they broke the chain of command onboard and vanished into the void. Left in the remnants were the seconds-in-command, the Yriedes clan, and the newly awoken colonists who together formed the Consortium. Coriolis was constructed as a signal to the entire Horizon that a new era was dawning – and because it was a practical use of the Zenith’s cadaver. The leftovers became the Net, the reloading port that floats outside the station. In a show of Zenithian fellowship, Coriolis was parked
in a geostationary orbit above the Monolith, with the Spire pointing towards the top of the black column below.
The Ring of the station is huge, and running along its whole extent is the Promenade, the bustling street of boutiques and shops that characterizes Coriolis. The Promenade is best accessed from one of the four plazas located where each of the four spokes connect to the Ring. Taking a taxi or a grav chair is an excellent way to get there, if you can pay. The Promenade is usually very crowded, making grav chairs, rickshaws, or walking the best modes of transportation.
The Ring is very obviously a place mainly for commerce, but the Core houses both several important administrative functions and a rich life of culture and entertainment. The Core is also open and airy in comparison to the tight, crowded spaces of the rest of the station. The Core Plaza is located in the heart of the station, open all the way up to the lower levels of the Spire.
The Spire is altogether different from the rest of the station. There is more open space, more light, and less people here than in the Ring or the Core. The ceilings are higher, the ventilation systems make sure the air is fresh and dry, the holo sky is brighter here than down below, and the street lights in the narrow streets keep the shadows away. The Spire consists of some two hundred floors. The lower ones are numbered from 1 upwards, while the higher levels have fancy names like Therr, Ardha, Lunah, Afridate, or Alkamarra, which is the top floor where Alkamaar's Restaurant can be found. The lower floors are usually a more or less controlled chaos of corridors and streets running between markets, recreational facilities, shopping centers and other public places. The station’s commoners reach the Spire via elevators from the Core that run up to the lower floors. To get even farther up, one has to change elevators or, as the wealthy do, continue in a comfortable grav chair or palanquin through private shafts that lead upwards.
The Net follows Coriolis like a shadow. Its spindly and seemingly fragile construction is actually the Zenith’s old skeleton, nowadays supporting commerce rather than an actual ship. From afar, the Net appears as a strange jumble of light and dark shapes against the starlight. A steady stream of spaceships come and goes, and as one comes closer, the enormity of the Net becomes clear. The old “ribs” of the Zenith, metal beams several kilometers long, act as an outer perimeter, but during the 50-odd cycles since the completion of Coriolis, the Net has been rebuilt, expanding, and breaking down in different sections at the same time, which makes the borders of it all far from clear. At the intersection of the beams are hubs of docks, loading ports, and service stations. Heavy freighters bearing the logo of the Consortium rest against the beams while their precious cargo is redistributed onto smaller vessels to be taken down to Kua. Banged up free trader ships glitter like tiny pearls in the dark as the welders mend the damages from their last trip. Stevedores in exos move across the ships and the beams in a never-ending dance.
The Ring of the station is huge, and running along its whole extent is the Promenade, the bustling street of boutiques and shops that characterizes Coriolis. The Promenade is best accessed from one of the four plazas located where each of the four spokes connect to the Ring. Taking a taxi or a grav chair is an excellent way to get there, if you can pay. The Promenade is usually very crowded, making grav chairs, rickshaws, or walking the best modes of transportation.
The Ring is very obviously a place mainly for commerce, but the Core houses both several important administrative functions and a rich life of culture and entertainment. The Core is also open and airy in comparison to the tight, crowded spaces of the rest of the station. The Core Plaza is located in the heart of the station, open all the way up to the lower levels of the Spire.
The Spire is altogether different from the rest of the station. There is more open space, more light, and less people here than in the Ring or the Core. The ceilings are higher, the ventilation systems make sure the air is fresh and dry, the holo sky is brighter here than down below, and the street lights in the narrow streets keep the shadows away. The Spire consists of some two hundred floors. The lower ones are numbered from 1 upwards, while the higher levels have fancy names like Therr, Ardha, Lunah, Afridate, or Alkamarra, which is the top floor where Alkamaar's Restaurant can be found. The lower floors are usually a more or less controlled chaos of corridors and streets running between markets, recreational facilities, shopping centers and other public places. The station’s commoners reach the Spire via elevators from the Core that run up to the lower floors. To get even farther up, one has to change elevators or, as the wealthy do, continue in a comfortable grav chair or palanquin through private shafts that lead upwards.
The Net follows Coriolis like a shadow. Its spindly and seemingly fragile construction is actually the Zenith’s old skeleton, nowadays supporting commerce rather than an actual ship. From afar, the Net appears as a strange jumble of light and dark shapes against the starlight. A steady stream of spaceships come and goes, and as one comes closer, the enormity of the Net becomes clear. The old “ribs” of the Zenith, metal beams several kilometers long, act as an outer perimeter, but during the 50-odd cycles since the completion of Coriolis, the Net has been rebuilt, expanding, and breaking down in different sections at the same time, which makes the borders of it all far from clear. At the intersection of the beams are hubs of docks, loading ports, and service stations. Heavy freighters bearing the logo of the Consortium rest against the beams while their precious cargo is redistributed onto smaller vessels to be taken down to Kua. Banged up free trader ships glitter like tiny pearls in the dark as the welders mend the damages from their last trip. Stevedores in exos move across the ships and the beams in a never-ending dance.
Coriolis! Jewel and beating heart of the Horizon, cradle and holy shrine of the Zenithian civilization. Only the Icons themselves can outshine this, the most glorious wonder under the stars.
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