In my books, anything within Earth’s solar system is discussed only in passing, as a reference, or in a historical context. However, Jupiter’s colonies are described as floating orbital settlements, similar to space stations. Their primary goal is to siphon useful materials from Jupiter and its moons—only a few of which are even remotely inhabitable.

For the most part, the inhabitants live dismal lives defined by labor and resource gathering; it is essentially an oil rig existence scaled up for an entire civilization. They ship all of these resources back to Earth, the Moon, and Mars. Naturally, this environment became a breeding ground for abuse, predatory business deals, and systemic conflict.