Scrapyard

High in orbit over Evermorn, the small artificial moon known as Scrapyard looms as a graveyard for redirected orbital debris and long-since decommissioned space vehicles and infrastructure. Known primarily for the somewhat lawless nature of its inhabitants, those with deeper knowledge understand that the planetoid also plays an important role in the planetary defense and on-orbit infrastructure of the Cobalt Protectorate.

Geography

Scrapyard is, as the name implies, not natural formation. Over the centuries, as debris from space missions accumulated in orbit and would-be meteors were redirected from Evermorn's surface, it was decided that all of these potentially dangerous projectiles should be gathered up into one place for future repurposing and study. What was originally an icosahedral 'cage' for debris in a graveyard orbit eventually accumulated enough mass that it acquired a noticeable gravitational field. This was actually fortuitous, as it began to exhibit the properties of a 'shepherd moon,' helping to gather Evermorns orbital debris cloud into an invisible ring (as one might find around a gas giant) for even easier collection.
The original icosahedral lattice was later partially hollowed out to create a planetary fortress at the core of the moonlet. This station contains a titanic laser array designed to be used in the defense of the star system from various kinds of threats, including R-bombs and approaching hostile spacecraft. Asteroid stations in the periphery of the system now largely account for this role, having a better temporal gauge of incoming threats, but the Scrapyard fortress remains as a second-line of defense in keeping with the Protectorate's love of defense in depth.

Ecosystem

The surface junk layer of Scrapyard is almost completely devoid of atmosphere, as the moon lacks sufficient gravity to hold most gasses. Instead, a constant halo of fine dust 'blows' around, actually following low-energy orbits or parabolic arcs before eventually settling down to become part of the ever-shifting metal-rich soil. Any actual life on Scrapyard takes place within landed spacecraft, Cobalt Knights outposts, or various tramp compounds assembled from general purpose modules and old space station nodes.

Natural Resources

Early on, specific patches of the growing moonlet were established as dumping grounds for radioactive materials, which were subsequently buried to form warm decay cores. The Cobalt Knight planetary fortress at the core of Scrapyard uses this heat, the charged particle radiation from certain types of waste, and upcycled starship fusion reactors to charge massive capacitors in preparation for the day that the fortress' large laser array will have to be fired. In such an event, the huge volume of surrounding scrap will provide excellent ballistic and radiation protection as well as make for an ideal heat sink.

Tourism

Scrap generally accumulates on the surface of Scrapyard faster than it can be reprocessed, creating a boomtown-like atmosphere for salvagers just starting on their carreers. The moon's ever-changing surface and 'messy' appearance to multispectral scope have turned it into a haven for smugglers and criminals of all stripes, though there remain legitimate business interests there as well. Scrapyard is not generally regarded as a 'beautiful' place, though it sometimes attracts artists looking to repurpose its materials or to take in the hauntingly post-human vistas its terrain offers.

Type

Planetoid / Moon

Owning Organization

Cobalt Protectorate