Troja
Localized Phenomena
Troja actually consists of 2 asteroids, known simply as Troja Alpha and Troja Omega, locked in close orbit (about 423 miles) of each other as they rotate around the sun in sync. To keep these two asteroids permanently linked and to allow easier travel between the two planetoids, a great feat of engineering and construction has been accomplished in the form of a bridge being erected. Over the coarse of several years beginning in the 2160s, a series of massive alloy cables were constructed to connect both asteroids, after their indivual rotations had been stablized so that the same sides were always facing. The cables are around 30 feet in diameter and span the entire 400+ miles between the two celestial bodies. Where the cables are connected to the rock of each asteroid, large holes were bored into the ground, with a sereries of hydrolics and springs connected to both ends of each cable to allow for some play when their orbits slightly increase or decrease. The 8 cavles are arrayed in a circualr pattern around a central point in which a traffic hub is located. Travel using these cables is accomplished by specialized car-like vehicles that clamp around the diameter of the structure and use several inward facing magnetic wheels to propel themselves up and down the entire length. Typically half of the cables are running passengers one way while the other half operate in the opposite direction. 2 cables are kept free of civilian traffic at all times as they are used for military and VIP transport only. In an emergency or in the case of attack, all cables are switched to this priority.
Natural Resources
Troja consists of mostly regolith, just like most asteroids, but is also comprised largely of various kinds of ice. Much of the ice was mined for drinking water and oxygen over the years, but this activity was greatly reduced to only a gradual extraction of these chemicals to not totally deleplete the asteroids' resources as well as to prevent their physical size from being reduced too much.
History
Originally used as a temporary PANGEA asteroid mining outpost located in the Jupiter Trojan asteroid cluster, Troja grew greatly until it became a central hub for mining and trade in the area as the largest celestial body within many thousands of miles. Due to its close tiers to Earth, travel was not restricted between the colony and her home planet, and gradually people began to escape to the twin asteroids under the guise of starting up mining careers. Eventually PANGEA noticed this behavior and started to crack down on the colony, leading Troja's hardy miner population to eventually take up arms and declare independence. After a very brief conflict with local forces, this was achieved as PANGEA had not accounted for the amount of people on the asteroids that had risen up (this was partially due to the fact that many people were not registered there officially and thus her population was greatly under inflated, leading to a reduced security presence than what should have been required). Due to its great distance from Earth, the inherent difficultly of waging such long-distance wars, and other factors occupying PANGEA's attention on Mars, Troja was left to its own devices after this initial incident, and remains an independent militaristic nation to this day as the Trojaran L5 Alliance, comprised of a series of liberated mining colonies in the Trojan asteroid cluster, all centered around Troja herself.
Alternative Name(s)
Troja Alpha, Troja Omega, 617 Patroclus
Type
Asteroid
Owning Organization
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