The Floating City

The jewel of the colony is the gigantic floating city the Jupiters call home. From below, the city appears to be a giant gear with eight cogs. The outer point of each of these cogs is the connection point for an pair of enormous balloons. These sixteen balloons, along with the Jupiters' control of the weather, keep the city permanently aloft. The same weather control also ensures an easily replenished water supply.

On board the city, there are four distinct architectures. Three of them were planned when the city was built: the Nobles, Merchant, and Workers districts. The central Nobles' District is somewhat quaintly named, as there are as many newly rich families inhabiting it as their are members of any of the nobility systems in the entire British Empire. Nevertheless, it was designed for luxury, and luxury it has; the architecture is characterized by ironwoods, with bronze and gold leaf accents and specially treated roof tiles that sparkle in the sun. Surrounding it at a polite distance is the Merchant District, consisting of shops with homes overhead, made of the same sturdy ironwoods but with brightly painted accents, rather than leaf. The Workers' District, conveniently located flush up against the Merchant District (except for a few of the more fragrant industries, which are perched near the edges of the cogs), is made from cheaper materials but it no less cheerful to look at. Especially good use has been made of the plant life native to the planet, lending a metallic shine to their simple, sturdy apartment homes.

The fourth type of architecture known to the city is that of the truly poor. Given that transportation to and from the planet is expensive, those who find themselves impoverished rarely have the option of leaving. This has lead to some creative additions to buildings in the form of lean-tos and shacks constructed from the broken or discarded material of the city. There is very little concern shown for a comprehensive effect when constructing these temporary homes, and many of them are precariously close to the edges of the city and its precipitous drops. Nevertheless, passers-by confess there is a certain charm to the ingenuity of it all, despite the poor quality of the materials.