ETI: The Belt

The Main Belt and the Kuiper Belt were settled predominantly by spacefaring people who were too independent to submit to the GEA rule. 

The original ancestors of today's Belters were the private transport owners who originally ferried settlers from Earth to Mars, often under the guns of GEA itself. This left them with a distrust for centralized authority of any sort and a general disdain for planet dwellers. Many of the earliest settlers were transhumanists, members of fringe subcultures invested in posthuman evolution, cybernetics, and artificial intelligence - all fields discouraged by the increasingly conservative and desperate government of Earth. The two trends of transhumanism and autonomy led to the creation of a small but fiercely independent society occupying the space between Mars and Jupiter and the much larger Kuiper Belt at the edge of the system. Many Belters also believe that living in space is not to recreate Earth, but instead to adapt to the new environment. 

Belter society is loosely divided between the residents of the large asteroid colonies, known as "Cities," and the nomadic inhabitants of the "Wilds." The major Cities are located on the asteroids of Vesta, Ceres, Pallas, and Hygeia in the Main Belt, and on Pluto in the Kuiper Belt. These colonies are home to about half of the Belter population, with nearly a million individuals living across the four Main Belt colonies alone. Each City is entirely self-governing, with its own unique political system and culture, though all are members of the loosely connected Belt League, which provides a forum for resolving disputes and coordinating trade. Life in the Cities is relatively structured compared to the rest of Belter society, with systems in place to provide basic services like food production, technological support, and social governance. City-dwelling Belters enjoy a degree of personal freedom unmatched in more centralized societies, but their lives are still comprehensible to outsiders. They are often seen as fiercely independent and somewhat eccentric, but still within the bounds of what most humans recognize as "normal."

Vesta: With a population of 700,000, Vesta is the largest and most industrious of the Belt colonies. It thrives as the engineering and shipbuilding center of the Belt, where every aspect of life revolves around productivity and innovation. The colony’s laissez-faire governance allows its residents to manage their own affairs, often through contracts and arbitration. The bustling corridors of Vesta are filled with cranky, highly competitive individuals who value independence and resourcefulness. While cutthroat competition is common, Vesta remains the Belt’s economic engine, providing essential goods and services for the rest of the Belt.

Ceres: Known as the "Breadbasket of the Belt," Ceres is home to around 550,000 people, most of whom work in its extensive underground hydroponic farms that produce much of the food for the Belt colonies. Ceres operates with a minimal government, where local councils resolve disputes, but individual farmers and traders manage their resources. Though the colony has a strong sense of community, competition over resource allocation and market access is fierce. The people of Ceres are pragmatic and fiercely self-reliant, taking pride in their role as providers for the Belt. Life here is rugged but communal, focused on survival in a competitive environment.

Pallas: The creative hub of the Belt, Pallas is home to about 300,000 residents who embrace a culture of artistic freedom and innovation. Governance is informal, with loose associations of influential groups forming as needed. Pallas is known for its thriving cultural scene, from radical art exhibitions to philosophical debates, and its residents live in near-total freedom. Though this makes Pallas a haven for creativity, it also means that failure is common and often harsh. The colony is a constant flow of ideas and experimentation, where those who succeed thrive in the colony’s vibrant, chaotic atmosphere. At the same time, those who can’t keep up must adapt or fade away. Other than creative pursuits, the residents of Pallas engage in all the usual trades, especially mining and ship repair.

Hygeia: The smallest of the Main Belt colonies, Hygeia has a population of 150,000 and is a highly secretive, research-focused colony. Governed by scientific councils, Hygeia’s residents enjoy an insular and quiet life, many dedicated to technological innovation and scientific discovery. While Hygeia is a hub for cutting-edge research, much of what goes on within the colony’s labs remains unknown to outsiders. The culture is one of merit and results—scientific failure is quickly discarded, and success is rewarded with resources and prestige. Though it lacks the chaos of Pallas or the competition of Vesta, Hygeia’s focus on progress makes it the intellectual cornerstone of the Belt.

Pluto: Far from the Main Belt, Pluto houses about 300,000 people who live under the peculiar governance of the "Silent Compact," a nonverbal form of decision-making born from generations of isolation. Plutonians are stereotypically quiet, introspective people who value personal space and independence above all else. Life on Pluto is rugged, with its residents acting as the gatekeepers of the Kuiper Belt and managing supply lines for the deeper reaches of the solar system. Outsiders often find Pluto’s silent, intuitive culture unsettling, but for the Plutonians, it is a way of life that ensures harmony in their isolated colony. Their self-sufficiency and strong sense of community allow them to thrive despite their distance from the rest of the Belt.

The "Wilds" refer to the vast, untamed regions of the Main and Kuiper Belts, where thousands of Belters live aboard individual, family-owned vessels, drifting between asteroids in search of resources. These Belters, often called Wilders, operate far outside the confines of the Cities, and their way of life is starkly different. Their vessels are small, highly individualized, and built for long-term survival in the harsh conditions of deep space. Wilders mine asteroids for precious metals, ice, and other materials, often living months or even years without contact with other humans. Many choose this lifestyle for its freedom, operating by their own rules and answering to no one. However, this has led to an almost mythic reputation among other societies. To City-dwellers and outsiders alike, Wilders are seen as mysterious, and sometimes dangerous—often portrayed as pirates, scavengers, or even cannibals in extreme cases. Their claim to the Trojan asteroids near Jupiter is another source of tension, particularly with the Saturn Federation, which views them as lawless marauders encroaching on its territory. While these portrayals are exaggerated, there is some truth to the image of Wilders as fiercely independent and unpredictably violent, making them both feared and admired by those who dwell closer to civilization.

Nobody knows exactly how many Belters there are, or even all the existing varieties. Most Belters are genetically adapted to micro-gravity, making them physically weaker than most humans, though a bit more agile. Many of the more isolated Belters have been so genetically or cybernetically modified as to barely qualify as human anymore. Indeed, given the heavy development of artificial intelligence in the Belt, some Belters may never have been human at all. This presents no real social difficulty regarding Belters; they are famously accepting of morphological differences. Most Belters tend towards quasi-libertarian philosophy bordering on solipsism, guarding their rights, territorial claims, and sovereignty with ferocious jealousy - indeed, only in the “Cities” are non-Belters safe. In the Wilds, it is best to either be in the company of friendly Belters or heavily armed. Non-belter vessels are often seen as a source of supplies, spare parts, and slave labor by less scrupulous Belters. Belters tend to be well equipped with newtech, and their vessels are both fast and well-armed, though designed for constant zero-gravity aboard.