Cinder
Industrial or Resource · Volcanic Moon
A scorched mining body in the inner Grasp, worked by heat-hardened machines where permanent crews cannot safely remain.
Overview
The Record
Cinder extracts material from ground too hot and unstable for an ordinary mine. Heat-hardened autonomous machinery cuts, gathers, and moves the usable output while Kharadi foundries receive the result. The body matters because machines can work where a permanent settlement cannot be maintained.
No one lives on Cinder permanently. About 1,200 technicians serve in rotation from shielded modules, descending only for repairs, inspection, and oversight that cannot be completed remotely. Most shifts are spent reading machine reports and preparing a brief intervention. Corrosive vapor plumes can coat exposed equipment without warning, so a delayed task may be safer than a hurried exit through an active vent field.
Cinder is a Kharadi holding managed remotely by foundry authorities. They set extraction quotas, deploy machinery, control access, and decide when a technical rotation is justified. The service modules do not form a local government, and technicians gain no claim from maintaining the works. Authority remains with the offices that can stop the machines from orbit.
Political Relationships
Standing
Standing at a Glance
- Civilization Status
- Uninhabited
- Heraldic Standing
- No Unified Mark
- Principal Power
- Kharad
Cinder is a Kharadi industrial holding managed remotely by its foundry authorities. They control extraction quotas, machine deployment, and access to the body, dispatching technical crews only when maintenance cannot be performed from orbit.
Physical Characteristics
Ground and Sky
- Diameter280 km
- Mass0.000002987 Earth masses
- Gravity0.01 g
Cinder has only a trace atmosphere, formed temporarily by sulfur, sodium, and mineral vapor released from its active vents. These plumes disperse quickly but can coat nearby machinery with corrosive deposits. All service shelters are sealed and shielded, remaining unoccupied except during scheduled maintenance rotations.
Orbit and Time
Path Around Oranth
- Orbital Order12
- Orbital Radius300,000 km
- Orbital Period0.613 days
- Rotation14.71 hours
- Inclination0.04 degrees
- Eccentricity0.007
Cinder is tidally stabilized with its long axis held toward Oranth. Its rapid orbit carries it through frequent eclipses, while its proximity to the giant exposes the inner face to intense reflected light and thermal radiation. Mining systems follow programmed heat and maintenance cycles rather than the local pattern of daylight and darkness.
Travel
Travel Notes
Approach only under foundry-authority clearance and a current plume forecast. Corrosive vapor, intense heat, and autonomous machinery can close the assigned route before a vessel completes transfer. Visitors remain inside the shielded service modules unless their work order requires exposure; an open maintenance zone is not permission to enter an active machine field.