Selene Prime

Selene Prime: The Gilded Cage in the Void

Overview
Selene Prime is the solar system’s most exclusive and oppressive address: a heavily fortified domed city on the Moon, governed by the corporate consortium Helios Orbital. It is a vital hub for off-world industry and a gilded playground for the hyper-elite, where the very air is a currency and freedom is a carefully managed illusion.

History & Governance
Established in the 2060s as a joint venture, Selene Prime was swiftly consolidated under the sole control of Helios Orbital by the 2080s. The city is administered with ruthless efficiency by the Lunar Wardens, Helios's private security force, who enforce corporate law with zero tolerance for dissent. Their mandate is simple: protect the asset and its revenue streams. Order is maintained not through justice, but through cost-benefit analysis.

The Oxygen Economy
Life in Selene Prime is defined by a single, inescapable fact: nothing is free, especially air. The city operates on a rigid Oxygen Credit system. Every breath is metered, taxed, and traded. Wages are paid in credits, rent is paid in credits, and debt is a biological sentence. Falling into oxygen debt doesn't lead to eviction; it leads to suffocation as your residential sector or suit’s life support is remotely deactivated. This makes oxygen—along with recycled water—more valuable than any traditional currency.

Layout & Districts
Under the vast transparent dome, the city is a monument to corporate hierarchy.

  • The Apex Spire: The central, towering structure housing Helios Orbital's executive suites, luxury hotels, and zero-gravity entertainment venues. Here, the elite breathe easily, insulated from the struggle below.

  • The Meridian Galleria: The mid-level commercial and residential district, home to technical staff and mid-level executives. Life here is a constant, anxious calculation of credit flow.

  • The Sub-Selenian Tunnels: A network of industrial tunnels and abandoned mining shafts that snake beneath the city. This is the domain of contract laborers, indentured miners, and a burgeoning black market that trades in illicitly siphoned air and water. It is a dark, dangerous, and claustrophobic underworld.

Role in the 2097 Conflict
Selene Prime is the crown jewel of Helios Orbital and the ultimate symbol of corporate exclusivity. Its control of the oxygen economy makes it a powerful lever over the entire off-world landscape. Rivals like Arasaka and White Tiger Inc. are locked in a constant cold war with Helios, desperate for a piece of the lunar pie. For everyone else, Selene Prime represents a stark choice: accept a life of indentured servitude for a chance to breathe, or remain on a dying Earth. It is the pinnacle of human achievement, and its most profound prison.