Solar System · ringed giant & Ringport
Saturn
The last stop before the rest of the galaxy.
Saturn is the jewel of the outer Solar System: a golden gas giant with no surface to stand on, wrapped in rings of ice wide enough to swallow worlds. Beside those rings spins Ringport, a giant wheel station and the Solar System's front door. Every ship leaving for the wider galaxy queues at its gateway beacon, and every ship coming home passes back through.
The wheel spins for gravity, its rim lined with gardens, homes and hotels. It is the most cosmopolitan place in the system: a hundred species, a thousand languages, and one very long queue.
Ringport was built to keep the Solar System safe. Its sensors watch every ship that arrives from the wider galaxy, and its crews are trained to spot trouble before it ever gets near Earth.
It is also a wonderful place to live: gardens on the rim, cafés overlooking the rings, and a festival every time a long-lost ship comes home.
Atmosphere
Inside the wheel: Earth-like gravity, green parks, a constant hum. Outside: Saturn's rings, close enough to touch.
Local quirk
'See you at the Ring' means 'see you when you get home'.
Regions · proposed names, not locked canon
The Rings
Billions of chunks of ice, from dust grains to house-sized boulders. Ring-skimming is a sport, a job and a terrible idea.
Ringport
The rotating gateway station where every ship leaving for the wider galaxy queues, and every ship coming home is welcomed.
The Rim
The outer ring of the wheel: parks, homes and the famous Ring View cafés.
Gateway Beacon
The control tower that clears ships in and out of the Solar System.
The Hub
The zero-gravity centre, used for docking, cargo and slightly dizzy parties.
Homecoming Hall
Where returning crews are welcomed with music, food and a very large banner.
Hazards
- ▲Ring debrisFragments of ice and rock drift close to the station.
- ▲Docking queuesLong and slow. Bring a book.
- ▲Spin sicknessThe wheel's rotation can make first-timers dizzy.
Visitor tips
- ✦Look out the window, not at your feet.
- ✦Ring the Beacon bell when you leave.
- ✦Get Mrs. Pell's biscuit.
Local life
- ●Station crews
- ●Travellers of a hundred species
A day on Saturn
The wheel turns once every couple of minutes, and the rings sweep past the windows as it does. Breakfast with a view of Saturn is normal here.
The Gateway Beacon flashes as each ship is cleared. Children count them and make a wish on the hundredth.
Locals & customs
Beacon Chief Tavi Orun
Controls traffic in and out of the Solar System. Calm voice, sharp eyes and a favourite mug.
Mrs. Pell
Runs the Ring View café. Every crew that leaves gets a free biscuit for luck.
- ◆Every ship that leaves rings the Beacon bell.
- ◆'See you at the Ring' means 'see you when you get home'.
- ◆Homecoming crews get the first slice of cake.
Legends & history
The Ship That Came Back
Ringport's oldest story is about a ship that left for the far side of the galaxy and was never heard from again.
Two hundred years later, it came home, crew and all, with no idea how much time had passed. There's a banner for them still.
Crew log
“Best biscuits in the Solar System. I've left Ringport eleven times just for the biscuit.”
“Good station. It spins nicely.”
Story seed · in development
Return to Sender
A package arrives at Ringport addressed to Earth, from nobody. It ticks. It also hums show tunes.
The ticking package is a gift. Opening it safely means finding out who sent it, and why they think Zamfyr owes them a favour.
Earthward stakes
Ringport is where threats from the galaxy are first spotted, and first stopped.
Onobo packs
Science inspiration
Saturn's rings are real; rotating wheel stations are a real engineering idea. Ringport is fiction.
NASA: Saturn