Merakis

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## Book Scenes

* Merakis, a moon, dubbed The Temple World
* The Temple World is fully described in book 1, Renegade, when Phoenix Crew visits this sacred moon to uncover background and motivation for the murder of Captain Pantillo:

> “Which leads us to Merakis, the spiritual centre of that old empire. If we’re going to drop in on Heuron unexpected, we’ll need all the information we can get first. The Captain pointed us at Merakis, where all the Spiral’s stories begin and end. First things first.” (R-18)
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* Phoenix Company marines encounter Chah'nas and Tavalai on the nearby observation station, Eve.

## Location

* technically a moon, but its environment is somewhat habitable:

> “The system was centred by a pleasant F-class star, but had a paired red-dwarf binary in deep orbit — three stars total with the two little dwarves doing a twirling dance about the rest. Merakis was the third and largest of five major moons about a huge gas giant in the star’s habitable zone.... Merakis itself was barely habitable, with thin atmosphere and mild gravity, though it had been alive once with a benign and undramatic ecosystem.” (R-19)
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* the sacred moon Merakis is located in Merakis system. The moon (including the Meridian and Eve) are the only reason people come to Merakis system.

* currently located in human space, who won it from the tavalai just before the Triumvirate War concluded. Fleet immediately banned travel to Merakis: “We only just got it last month, when Kalida fell. Big push, caught the last tavalai there by surprise. And Fleet’s said no one’s allowed in since, everything’s restricted. Big rumours about secret Fleet missions there, but no one knows for sure.” (R-14)

## Temple World

* Merakis is an ancient place sacred to every species

* A temple was built on Merakis by the ruler of each galactic Empire, including the Ancients, who built Meridian. “Merakis became a symbol of control, the unofficial seat of power. Whoever had it, the legends say, controls the galaxy.” (R-14)

* Treasured by all organic species throughout Spiral history, beginning with the Ancients 3 million years ago

* Circa 50,000 years ago the Fathers built an O’Neil Cylinder near Mirakis, named Eve, for observing and honoring the moon / temples

* deeply treasured by the tavalai, who venerate all old things

> Erik knew of the Spiral Progression. It was what Merakis was famous for —- a succession of temples and monuments, built by each successive ruling race. Together, those monuments told the history of the Spiral, from the Ancients to the Fathers, skipping the hacksaws (who had no interest in monuments) to the parren, then the chah'nas, then the tavalai. And now, perhaps, back to chah'nas again. Was this why Fleet had allowed the chah'nas back first?" (R-20)
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## The Ancients’ Meridian

* “The Ancients’ Meridian was only a kilometre away. It was the reason all these other monuments were here, the one that had started the whole Spiral Progression on this world. Trace felt almost guilty for her eagerness to head this way, and ran easily in the low-G, as suit comp readjusted armour tension for more give in the joints. Closer, and the low arcs of stone resolved more clearly. Three semi-circular bands, or arches, in ascending angles above the horizon. Meridians, of a sort.” (R-20)

* **The Ancients** - Lived 3 million years ago. Little is known, but they were fascinated by Merakis (R-19) and built the Meridian on Merakis. Today, cultists believe all species came from the genetic seeds the Ancients scattered across the galaxy. (KV-21)

> "Merakis —— for reasons unknown to anyone —— had found the favour of the Ancients, a fact that had in turn made it a magnet for every spacefaring species to rise to prominence in this part of the Spiral." (R-19)
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## The Fathers Built Eve

* At least 50,0000 years ago, the now-extinct Fathers built a huge stationary observation ship, named Eve, near Merakis.

>  "Eve was an archaeological treasure. Humans called it an O’Neil cylinder, but the Fathers had built it forty five thousand years before Gerard O’Neil was born. That made it the oldest structure of its size in the known galaxy. The Fathers had been nearly as fascinated by Merakis as the tavalai were today, and unable or unwilling to live on its surface, they’d built this huge, rotating cylinder nearby." (R-19)
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* Eve is about 15 kilometers long by 5k wide

## More Info

Spiral History brief by Joel Shepherd: https://www.facebook.com/joelshepherdauthor/posts/here-is-some-background-on-the-world-of-the-spiral-wars-i-was-thinking-of-puttin/702709516531021/