Here's a shot at one of the FenWiki stub pages that I promised to flesh out. It could use a few more ideas. Mind the wiki markup...
The [[Pulper] city of '''[[Helium]''' is located on the northern rim of '''Valles Marineris''' near '''Ophir Labes''', on '''[[Mars]'''.
Helium is the most cosmopolitan of the Martian cities, partly because there aren't enough Pulpers to fill an entire city and partly because the Barsoomian subfaction pulled out all the stops in creating ''the'' ultimate fantasy Martian experience.
==History==
Helium was founded in late 2010 by sword-and-sandal [[Pulpers] who saw their chance to live out their dreams in a big way. They took their city's name from the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but don't limit their lifestyle to just those works - while the city is inhabited by Fen who live the crystals-and-togas lifestyle, it's also inhabited by Fen who dress and act more "normally".
The city was built on the edge of Valles Marineris because the Pulpers hoped the [[Mars Terraforming Project] would flood Valles Marineris and create a "Grand Canal" for them that way. (The Hellas-to-[[Port Lowell|Port-Lowell] Grand Canal project upset the city founders when they found out about it.)
==Neighbourhoods==
Helium is a city composed of soaring towers, the tallest (at 500 m base-to-top) and oldest being the '''Jeddak's Tower''' in the city's center. Originally a multi-use structure, the Jeddak's Tower has become the administrative and commercial hub of the city. Offices of note in the Jeddak's Tower include the Helium City Hall (at the top of the spire), the Helium Police DepartmentThe Helium Police Department works well with the [[Space Patrol]. Its Chief Inspector is [[Natsuko Aki], who is definitely ''not'' a Pulper; the (small) local [[Boskonians|organized-criminal element] go out of their way to avoid drawing her attention., the Helium Opal Exchange (which serves as a broker for [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/29 ... discovery/ Martian opals] mined from the floors and walls of Valles Marineris), Okar Guide Services and Orange Planet (two tour-guide businesses).
West of the Jeddak's Tower foo - need some ideas here, but remember there's the end of a peninsula to worry about
South of the Jeddak's Tower is the main residential and commercial zone, where the majority of the city's inhabitants live, work, and play.
The city's hydroponics farms are located to the east of the Jeddak's Tower, where they have room to expand along the Valles Marineris as the city grows. The city's [[Juvies] tend to live in this part of town, happy to remain "farmers in the sky" and stay out of city politics as much as possible.
The city's light industry is located north of the Jeddak's Tower, the farthest it can be placed from Valles Marineris and still be in the city. Many of the industries cater to the shipbuilding trade - while the companies aren't as big as their counterparts in [[Utopia Planitia] or [[Mos Eisley], they do a good business serving the ships registered out of Helium's aerospace port. Helium is also foo - need some ideas here
Further north is Helium's aerospace port, which is relatively large for a Martian facility and overdeveloped for the city's current needs. As a result, hangar feesTie-down service is also offered, but it is not recommended due to the severity of the Martian sandstorms. are among the lowest on Mars; this attracts Fen with small bank accounts and large shipsSuch as [[Ramona Jackson] and ''[[Avril Arrow]''. It has also attracted Operation [[Great Justice], which maintains a sizable naval depot at Helium.
A light-rail passenger line runs exactly north-south from the aerospace port to the edge of Valles Marineris, with a stop in the base of the Jeddak's Tower. This line has become the base line for the city surveyors' maps of Helium.
The '''Jedwar's Tower''', currently under construction, is located exactly 75 miles due north of the Jeddak's Tower. It is intended to become a twin to the Jeddak's Tower and the hub of "Lesser Helium", with the current city of Helium being renamed "Greater Helium" and the light-industry sector movedPossibly by turning it briefly into Unreal Estate from Greater Helium to Lesser Helium. There are some concerns whether there is any current need for a twin city to Helium, but the city founders have always taken the long view.
==Stories==
Helium is one of the cities mentioned in ''[[Captain's Blog].''
==Notes==
{{places}}
[[Category
laces in Fenspace]
[[Category:Mars]
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
The [[Pulper] city of '''[[Helium]''' is located on the northern rim of '''Valles Marineris''' near '''Ophir Labes''', on '''[[Mars]'''.
Helium is the most cosmopolitan of the Martian cities, partly because there aren't enough Pulpers to fill an entire city and partly because the Barsoomian subfaction pulled out all the stops in creating ''the'' ultimate fantasy Martian experience.
==History==
Helium was founded in late 2010 by sword-and-sandal [[Pulpers] who saw their chance to live out their dreams in a big way. They took their city's name from the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but don't limit their lifestyle to just those works - while the city is inhabited by Fen who live the crystals-and-togas lifestyle, it's also inhabited by Fen who dress and act more "normally".
The city was built on the edge of Valles Marineris because the Pulpers hoped the [[Mars Terraforming Project] would flood Valles Marineris and create a "Grand Canal" for them that way. (The Hellas-to-[[Port Lowell|Port-Lowell] Grand Canal project upset the city founders when they found out about it.)
==Neighbourhoods==
Helium is a city composed of soaring towers, the tallest (at 500 m base-to-top) and oldest being the '''Jeddak's Tower''' in the city's center. Originally a multi-use structure, the Jeddak's Tower has become the administrative and commercial hub of the city. Offices of note in the Jeddak's Tower include the Helium City Hall (at the top of the spire), the Helium Police DepartmentThe Helium Police Department works well with the [[Space Patrol]. Its Chief Inspector is [[Natsuko Aki], who is definitely ''not'' a Pulper; the (small) local [[Boskonians|organized-criminal element] go out of their way to avoid drawing her attention., the Helium Opal Exchange (which serves as a broker for [http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/10/29 ... discovery/ Martian opals] mined from the floors and walls of Valles Marineris), Okar Guide Services and Orange Planet (two tour-guide businesses).
West of the Jeddak's Tower foo - need some ideas here, but remember there's the end of a peninsula to worry about
South of the Jeddak's Tower is the main residential and commercial zone, where the majority of the city's inhabitants live, work, and play.
The city's hydroponics farms are located to the east of the Jeddak's Tower, where they have room to expand along the Valles Marineris as the city grows. The city's [[Juvies] tend to live in this part of town, happy to remain "farmers in the sky" and stay out of city politics as much as possible.
The city's light industry is located north of the Jeddak's Tower, the farthest it can be placed from Valles Marineris and still be in the city. Many of the industries cater to the shipbuilding trade - while the companies aren't as big as their counterparts in [[Utopia Planitia] or [[Mos Eisley], they do a good business serving the ships registered out of Helium's aerospace port. Helium is also foo - need some ideas here
Further north is Helium's aerospace port, which is relatively large for a Martian facility and overdeveloped for the city's current needs. As a result, hangar feesTie-down service is also offered, but it is not recommended due to the severity of the Martian sandstorms. are among the lowest on Mars; this attracts Fen with small bank accounts and large shipsSuch as [[Ramona Jackson] and ''[[Avril Arrow]''. It has also attracted Operation [[Great Justice], which maintains a sizable naval depot at Helium.
A light-rail passenger line runs exactly north-south from the aerospace port to the edge of Valles Marineris, with a stop in the base of the Jeddak's Tower. This line has become the base line for the city surveyors' maps of Helium.
The '''Jedwar's Tower''', currently under construction, is located exactly 75 miles due north of the Jeddak's Tower. It is intended to become a twin to the Jeddak's Tower and the hub of "Lesser Helium", with the current city of Helium being renamed "Greater Helium" and the light-industry sector movedPossibly by turning it briefly into Unreal Estate from Greater Helium to Lesser Helium. There are some concerns whether there is any current need for a twin city to Helium, but the city founders have always taken the long view.
==Stories==
Helium is one of the cities mentioned in ''[[Captain's Blog].''
==Notes==
{{places}}
[[Category
laces in Fenspace][[Category:Mars]
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012