Keystone
Behold, my greatest creation!
Orbiting around a gas giant in the system of Pléimos, the space station is a beacon of peace in the chaos. Amidst the two inhabited planets and four space stations revolving around the white dwarf, it is the only neutral ground. For ages, it managed to avoid getting engulfed in the turf war that plunged the system into turmoil. Thanks to its reputation, it has now become a near-universal middle ground, where corporation representatives, political leaders, and academic chairmen meet in relative safety. According to many, this peace is only possible due to the influence of the station's harbourmaster, a man known as Antinuous.
Foundation
The station is the most recent of Antinuous' ventures, as its construction began in 46687, less than 500 years ago. At the time, Pléimos was already the theater of bloodshed and frigate skirmishes. It was at the epitome of the violence, which culminated in the vitrification of Astyana II, the third inhabited planet back then.
The situation was intricate from the Canticles' point of view. The conflict had reached a scope worthy of an Inquisitor, but at the same time, their enemies had no stronghold and no physical representation. Inquisitors are sent to purge whole planets of infidels and were not suited to do the meticulous work of busting criminals hidden among the otherwise pious population. Yet, rumors had it that they were ready to elevate the innocent people to martyrdom.
Antinuous has lost it! Launching a project this big in a system that will soon be reduced to ashes!
However, at the general surprise, the current governor was replaced by a new one, much younger. After a series of drastic measures and a few examples, things stopped escalating. The bold bet of Antinuous had paid off as he inaugured his station in the year 46691. It was one of the greatest stations of then, with its immoderate proportions and title as the most populated station.
A record-breaking spaceship
578 kilometers wide and 785 kilometers high, this titan is only dwarfed by the biggest moons of the gas giant it orbits around. Its look often comes across as absurd and impractical, as it seems like Keystone is made of tens of thousands of gigantic metal rods fused together. As a result, the station has a lot of long hallways and the path to get from one place to another is way longer than the apparent distance. More than an architect's fancy, this strange organization has proven its efficiency in blocking boarding attacks. Potential attackers would need to clear several kilometers worth of hallways before reaching another compartment, giving plenty of time to the station's authority to set up defenses.
This, and the harbourmaster's reputation, explains how the station remained sovereign for so many centuries, while the dominant power in every other inhabited place in the system shifted several times. At the same time, Keystone also holds the records of crime and blasphemous events. Since even the law of the Canticles doesn't pervades the station and the chaotic tendency of Antinuous himself, the rule of law is close to nonexistent there. The port authority merely watches for actions that would collide with their own agenda.
Demography
Steadily approaching 10 million permanent residents, the main part of Keystone's population is made of visitors, commercials, criminals on the run, or temporary refugees. Taking everyone into account, the full population is two to three times the permanent one, clocking between 21 and 28 million people. The station's logistics and governance account for 10,543 people, while the port security has a militia of 80,080 soldiers.
Despite the high mortality rate, the station prides itself on having state-of-the-art medical infrastructures, and one of the best access to medical treatment. It is however lacking on the educational side, leaving this burden in the hands of small self-organized communities.
What do you mean, species proportion in the station? I harbor people, not statistics.
In every world, every city, a species is overrepresented among the population, whether by political design or settler effect. However, despite the absence of ethnic counting, it is clear that this dominance, if it exists, is very slight in Keystone. About every kind is visible in the large halls, and humans are not a more common sight than any other species, despite Antinuous being one.
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