Juno Station was the heart of the League/Confederacy border worlds. Independent, in high orbit over El Dorado in the Legendarium System, busy as hell, and considered one of the safest Freelance stations from Terran aggression because of its proximity to League space. It answered to no government while trading with all of them.
Destroyed February 12, 2695, during the events leading to The Fall.
Marius San Michels, a former League Ambassador, founded Juno and positioned it as a neutral hub on the League/Confederacy border. Close enough to League space to benefit from their patrols and trade, independent enough to attract Freelancers who wouldn't set foot on a League station.
It worked. The Legendarium System's central location in Freelance space made Juno a natural crossroads for commerce, entertainment, and the kind of deals that happen in bars where nobody asks too many questions. By the 2690s, the station was busier than ever, drawing traffic from the strong ties its administration had built with League ships that occasionally visited.
Former League Naval Officer, court-martialed for sacrificing a mission to save children. Whatever the League thought of her priorities, the border worlds respected them. An expressive prankster at heart who takes her role seriously when it matters.
Former Highlands Cluster Defense Force, ten years of meritorious service before a medical discharge. A hardass, but a good sort. Quinn ran station security with quiet competence, keeping Juno functional despite hosting pirates, merchants, intelligence operatives, and tourists in the same corridors.
Commander of Azeria Squadron, the station's fighter wing. Moskva Academy class of '80. A hardass who was formerly a party animal, the kind of transformation that usually involves a story nobody wants to tell at parties.
Son of the station owner. Led an anti-Confederacy revolutionary group on the station, and was manipulated by Zealot forces operating under cover on Juno.
The station's commercial and nightlife center. Site of a bombing by anti-Confederacy revolutionaries, part of a larger pattern of destabilization that nobody recognized in time.
A proper dive. Old tables covered in carvings and burns, broken monitors, cheap drinks, terrible food. The kind of place where people go to not be found. The Lyndri bouncers don't ask questions unless you give them a reason.
Lizbeth Locke confronted a Sphynx operative here in 2692. Forty-nine paramilitaries died. Gregorie Harkov met with Security Chief Quinn here in 2691, chasing intelligence leads.
Owned and operated by Skipp North, a League Intelligence agent whose cover as a bartender was comically un-subtle. North served drinks, gathered intelligence, and maintained the polite fiction that nobody knew what he was doing there. Everyone knew.
The station's green space. Home to the annual Yule Market and other seasonal events.
A popular tourist attraction where paying customers flew StarRacers around a course near the station. Best safety record of any comparable experience in Freelance space, until a pirate crew blundered into the course and killed Daniel d'Ardenne, brother of Walker d'Ardenne.
Station operations and administrative functions.
Primary docking and ship handling facilities.
Outer ring of the station.
The Legendarium System maintained a standard Confederacy Defense Fleet deployment:
The station also maintained its own fighter wing under Terra Rose's command. Azeria Squadron fielded at least three flights operating from the station's launch tubes.
On February 12, 2695, a Grey ship that had been scouting the Legendarium System attacked Juno Station and the Juno Exchange. Strategically timed. The Grey and their Zealot allies knew Captain Achenson's Spring's Endeavour and her escorts would not abandon six million civilians on El Dorado to die. By threatening to render the planet incapable of supporting life, they forced the Freelance forces to engage instead of proceeding to Tel'Erani, where the Terran invasion was already underway.
The station was lost. Its destruction bought the invaders the time they needed.
From Matt:
Juno Station is the setting of the forthcoming RFI Audio Drama limited series. We're going to meet several residents of the station and witness her end.