Tīnarā and Stjarnaby

The planet Dynae has two major stations in its orbit. They function like city-states and are considered the heart of the modern Tahora Whai and serve as the capital of the Kikorangi o te Tahora Whai.

Foundational Structure

The sister stations were constructed before the development of the Vāk and Erinaa which make the Tahora Whai tick. They are an Old Dynaean venture built during one of the few lulls in the planet’s long-running conflicts.

A central spire houses the municipal facilities that power the station. Power, waste treatment, cargo, and void farms are all located along this central tube. Docking bays at the poles of the spire accommodate the colossal MearSkippers used by Transport Unions. Through this port a majority of the bulk goods travel through the station. Down the length of the spire several smaller auxiliary ports allow direct access for smaller vessels to moor. A multi-track maglev rail system connects these facilities together.

Connected to the spire are spoke-like lifts accessible via the maglev rail. These lifts radiate outwards to five large habitation rings that spin around the central axis of the station. The rotation of the rings provides a strong onwards force that is felt as an artificial gravity. Rotational speed varies from ring to ring with some as low as 0.4G up to 1.3G depending on its tuning. Higher speeds, and thus increased force are avoided to prevent excess strain on the station’s infrastructure. The rings rotate in alternating directions preserving angular momentum so that the station does not fall into an uncontrollable spin and drop out of orbit.

Each habitation ring has at least one main corridor or ‘street’ that visually curves upward following the circumference of the ring. Lined with a mixed-use development of workshops, retail spaces, and homes along with communal spaces and basic services, each ring is a self contained neighborhood. By design, most residents should not need to leave their local ring to live their lives. However, if one needs to go to another ring or another part of the station, the lifts and mag-lev rail provide rapid transit opportunities through the core spire. Supplemental shuttle services can also ferry people and goods from across the station from small peripheral docking bays.

Following the development of the Vak and Erinaa, the two stations have added a unique Whai augmentation to the station: pair of Erinaa Relay Facilities to enhance the local link connections. Enclosed within a protective shell, a small Teuthemi Leviathan is connected to each station as a living part of the machine. The tahora’s songs are synthesized to amplify the signals of the Tahora Whai’s neural links. These two whales are revered and cherished by the Whai. The tahora of Tīnarā is named Kahurangi and Stjarnaby’s whale is known as Anahera.

Tīnarā

Population - 450,000

Leviathan - Kahurangi

A city in the sky, Tīnarā is the largest single settlement in Teuthem space. While the exact population count is not tracked, almost half a million people are presumed to reside on the station. It was once a stepping stone from the spaceport on the old Dynaean capital and the exodus from the surface during The Final Discordance and the Great Cataclysm resulted in the expansion of the station into a fully fledged settlement.

Of the two Dynaean orbital stations, Tīnarā had always been the more populous, but during the post-cataclysm evacuation, it was rapidly expanded to meet the massive influx. The expansion was undertaken at such speed and scale that most artificial gravity rings and mechanisms were bolted in place to prevent internal forces of the structure from literally ripping itself apart. Less than five percent of the modern station’s living areas currently have artificial gravity. The majority of the station consists of ships and containers permanently fused and welded in place. A labyrinth of corridors and peripheral wings form a hive-like structure within Tīnarā. The warren of tunnels and interconnected rooms are notoriously difficult to navigate for non-locals but are thought to be easily defended in the unlikely case of a military incursion.

Stjarnaby

Population - 200,000

Leviathan - Anahera

This sister station of Tīnarā orbits Dynae an average of 80 km (50 mi) higher. In contrast to Tīnarā, Stjarnaby was gradually expanded rather than haphazardly cobbled together. The spire was safely extended to accommodate four extra rings (up to a total of nine) and original rings were enlarged into triple-street rings. Additional infrastructure improvements accommodate the increased strain and demands upon the structure. Visitors to Dynae are encouraged to dock at this more logically laid out and carefully planned station. The higher space station is more spacious and less cluttered than its sister station; although local Whai complain that it lacks some of the flavor and spirit.