Lunar High Republic

History: History: Most of the history of the Lunar High Republic is to be found in the document regarding the History of the Solar colonies, for it has always been a key political player. It was the first extraterrestrial colony settled by man, and it is very proud of this fact. If the orbital and L-5—L-4 stations are included, it has the second-highest population in the state. It has the greatest influence on the Colonial Charter Board, which is headquartered here. For the last generation, though, it has been losing much prestige to Mars, which has more people and more money. It is best likened to the fading British Empire in the early part of the twentieth century. Some of the highllights of Luna include:

Finn City (Ice Station Luna):
The oldest space city on a planetary surface. It is the primary source of water on the moon’s surface. Most fusion power is created here and trasmitted through surface lines to the other cities. No fusion-powered craft have been allowed to land near the Ice Station for over a century. The colonists fear that a fusion accident could sublimate the ice in the crater and cause it to sublimate away into space. The location of Finn City is shown at right.

Copernicus City:
The largest city on the moon. Copernicus is the home of the Colonial Charter Board, as well as the Luna Zoo, a habitat dedicated to preserving for posterity some of the more unusual animals to have been successfully transported to space, including: Rabbits, monkeys, chickens, cattle, dogs and cats, many species of bird and fish, as well as some dolphins. The zookeepers at Copernicus also have many more species as frozen zygotes and embryos, originally intended for scientific study, now held in perpetuity for the eventual use of future generations. This “gene bank” is greatly desired by Mars, who would like to engineer animals capable of surviving the harsh Martian conditions.

Tranquility Base:
Sight of the first manned landing on the moon, it is also the location of the Museum of Space Exploration..

People: Selenites, Republicans (Loonies)
The people of Luna tend to be reserved and friendly, but many are a bit snobbish. There is a lot of old money on the Moon and much attention is paid to things like family bloodlines. A custom arose after the Airlock Revolution. Some of the heroes of the war were granted knighthood to recognize their heroism and bravery. Knighthoods are granted by the High Republican Senate to this day in recognition of high achievement in battle, the arts or science. Usually 5 titles a year are granted.