Orbital Relay Keta-9

Orbital Relay Keta-9 is the primary setting of The Emerald Semaphore of Keta-9. It is a massive derelict communication structure orbiting just above the exosphere, once used for long-range interlink between Earth’s upper cities and outer relay networks.

Once a vital node in the planetary communication grid, the station fell into partial decay following the collapse of the relay consortium. Now partially automated and structurally unstable, Keta-9 serves as both a physical and symbolic graveyard of forgotten messages.

Structure and Layout

The relay consists of multiple interconnected rings and maintenance corridors. The lower zones, known as The Subsignal Corridors, are still powered by residual current loops, producing the flickering green light that earned the station its nickname, The Emerald Relay.

Upper sectors contain abandoned administrative offices and decayed transmission vaults such as the Glassloop Archives. These areas are accessible only through emergency routes charted by Cassian Merek and his salvage crew.

Role in the Story

Most of the film’s events unfold within Keta-9’s decaying compartments. It is here that Rohane Voss detects the first coherent pulse of the Keta-9 Semaphore and attempts to decode its structure.

Director Halver orders his security division to reestablish command over the relay, leading to a tense confrontation between corporate forces and independent archivists. The relay itself becomes a character — a decaying organism clinging to the last threads of communication.

Technical Design

Set designers used layered scaffolding and recycled industrial hardware to create the station’s appearance. The film’s cinematography relied on narrow light corridors to mimic decaying fluorescent lines, and the distinctive green hue of the relay’s internal glow was achieved using low-intensity sodium and filtered xenon bulbs.

Themes

Orbital Relay Keta-9 represents the persistence of forgotten systems and humanity’s dependence on obsolete technologies. Within the story’s allegory, the station functions as both cathedral and tomb: a monument to human connection decaying in orbit.