Moria

The homeworld of Carol Fuhrman. It does not tilt on its axis, and therefore only has one season, constantly hot and dry. Moria is a mining planet, with underground tunnels and cave-cities. Its culture prohibits music, even down to knowledge of music, though illicit recordings slip through the cracks anyway. Poetry is not illegal on Moria, though it is highly restricted.

Moria's capital, where Carol lives with her aunt, uncle, and cousin, is known as Refinery, which is regulated by the Commissioner.

There are at least two Reformatories on Moria.

Morian Culture:

Morian culture is very dull and practical. Anything that encourages imagination or dreaming is either prohibited or severely restricted. Morians do tell stories, but they are about how "Reliable Jack" and "Clever Jill" get ahead in life because they worked hard. The planetwide motto is "get it done, get it right, get it now." Emotions are not to be displayed in public; nor are signs of weakness, such as fatigue.

Morians keep very much to themselves and do not care for anything that disrupts the status quo, including exploring space beyond their world. However, they do have at least one starship that has left Morian orbit, called ''Balrog. ''Many ships do remain within Morian orbit, however, mostly automated drones, shuttles, and small flyers.

Orbital Control officers are necessary for watching those ships that are within Morian orbit, and checking registrations to be sure any ships that come from elsewhere to dock within Morian space remain in compliance with their laws. Morian orbital control officers are held to even more stringent standards than the general public; extraneous noise and movement are strongly discouraged, and yawning is a sign of fatigue, which is "dangerous" and could get an officer relieved of duty for the day if noticed - or perhaps forever. Orbital Control officers include Layna Ghavouri, and Ms. Marina Rushfeld, her supervisor.

Prohibition of Music:

The prohibition of music on Moria was due to the meddling of an unscrupulous politician in the early days of Morian colonization, who became planetary president. He was skilled in sonic manipulation, and used music to deliver messages to his people. At first it had all been relatively tame things, meant to keep spirits high and keep the peace. Eventually his power went to his head, and he began using music for subliminal messages to praise him and keep him in power forever. A tone-deaf staffer in his government realized what the President was up to, convinced others, and they had sought him out. The President's term ended abruptly and he was never heard from again. Subsequently, music was banned in order to reassure the people that nothing like that could ever happen again.