It's up, with one joke entry cut, one disagreement with previously-established canon fixed, and quite a bit of description. (The "
http://fnord.sandwich.net/fenwiki/doku. ... belt
tart]Main Belt" page isn't a stub any more.)
Considering how much I added, I'll post the page here as well - kibitzing is still welcome. Sorry about the wikicodes.
(Edit: Each asteroid's brief description has a full set of links to relevant wiki pages - this is to ease each description's use as a seed for a full-page entry, such as the one that Pallas already has.)
~~NOTOC~~
====== The Main Belt ======
{{ :gazetteer:places:belt:ceresvesta.jpg}}Popularly known as the Asteroid Belt, the Main Belt is nowhere near as crowded as popular space-opera would have one believe. One can stand on almost any asteroid and not see any other asteroids without using a telescope, barring Fen interference.
This relative isolation of each Main Belt object, combined with the relative ease of travel between them as a group, makes the Belt an ideal location for minor factions and rugged individualists to establish homelands away from the 'Danelaw and the largest factions. Most of the largest factions also maintain bases in the Belt for the convenience of their members travelling through the area. And while nobody would call the [[gazetteer:factions:the_wizarding_world|Potterites] "minor", they have chosen to place their main base in the Belt.
===== Places of Interest in the Main Belt =====
There are literally tens of thousands of known asteroids in the Solar System; far too many to list here. While most of [[%[link=http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/NumberedMPs000001.html%7Cthe]http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/lists/Nu ... 1.html|the] first five thousand asteroids discovered] have names, many don't yet have even a token presence. The asteroids that have been settled were chosen either because they're large (although **511 Davida** and **704 Interamnia**, two of the six largest asteroids in the inner Solar System, still haven't been settled permanently), or because they have names that caught someone's interest.
==== 1 Ceres ====
Ceres is the largest body in the Main Belt, and the only one to gain the status of dwarf planet. It is also is home to **Port Ceres**, a frontier town best known to visitors as a "truck stop and diner" facility. No one faction has control over Ceres; instead, it's administered by a democratically-elected council.
The [[gazetteer
ports:astroball] team Belt United is based out of Port Ceres.
==== 2 Pallas ====
[[Pallas] is home to the **Principality of Laputa**.
==== 3 Juno ====
Like Ceres, Juno is home to a well-known "truck stop and diner" facility. Unlike Ceres, **Juno City** is inhabited primarly by [[gazetteer:factions:Belters]; not the ones who mine asteroids, but those who provide services to the miners.
==== 4 Vesta ====
During the early days of Fen expansion into the Solar System, the [[gazetteer:factions:independent_faction|Browncoats] and [[gazetteer:factions:Heinleinians] argued over who was entitled to [[..:jupiter
tart#ganymede|Ganymede], based on their fandoms' pre-handwave fiction. (The [[gazetteer:factions:interstellar_alliance|Fivers] eventually got the two groups to share.) The Asimov fen saw this, acted quickly to claim Vesta as their own, and built the first post-secondary educational institutions in space: the **Vesta Institute of Biochemistry** and the **Vesta Institute of Robotics** teach the two scientific fields most associated with Prof. Asimov. Well-known Senshi geneticist [[chars:Leda Swansen] graduated at the top of the first class through VIB's genetics program in 2010.
==== 10 Hygiea ====
This is the busiest asteroid in the Main Belt, thanks to the [[gazetteer:factions:the_wizarding_world|Wizards] choosing it as the home for their main facility, **Hogwarts**.
==== 74 Galatea ====
It's an open secret that the **Metropolis Project** is headquarted on Galatea. This homeland for AIs is protected by the Space Patrol.
==== 125 Liberatrix ====
A very few victims of the [[gazetteer:handwavium:Catgirling Machine] have been able to return to their old lives. Others have chosen, or been forced, to leave everything they ever knew on Earth and take up residence in space. The single largest expatriate catgirl colony is **Liberty**, on asteroid 125 Liberatrix. As yet, the severe gender imbalance (biologically, 100% female) has not caused problems, but many [[gazetteer:factions:united_federation_of_planets|Trekkie] and [[gazetteer:factions:the_wizarding_world|Potterite] sociologists fear that it's only a matter of time before the Interwave echoes with the cry "Liberatrix Needs Men!"
==== 342 Endymion ====
The [[gazetteer:factions:crystal_millennium|Senshi] have maintained an official outpost on Endymion since SOS-Con. There have been unofficial Crystal Milennium outposts in the Belt for years (such as the one on 2462 Nehalennia), but this is the one where all travelling Senshi can be sure of a warm welcome, no matter their subfaction.
==== 388 Charybdis ====
This asteroid has yet to be settled permanently, but it served as the staging point for the last major offensive in Operation [[gazetteer:government:Great Justice].
==== 476 Hedwig ====
The [[gazetteer:factions:the_wizarding_world|Potterites'] most noticeable contribution to the Interwave communications system is **Hedwig**, the single largest communications node in the Solar System. The station covers over half the surface of 476 Hedwig, with private residences and a small dock covering the rest of the asteroid's surface. The station's power plant is buried deep within the asteroid's core. Hedwig was never attacked during Operation [[gazetteer:government:Great Justice], most likely because both sides used it to relay heavily-encrypted battle plans.
==== 498 Tokio ====
Better known as the **Village of Hidden Asteroid**, Tokio is the [[gazetteer:factions:Ninja] faction's home base. It's also home to two restaurants listed in the Fenspace [[gazetteer:Travel Guide]: **[[gazetteer:companies:Ninjaburger]** and **[[gazetteer:travel_guide#the_dancing_shinobi|The Dancing Shinobi]**.
==== 519 Sylvania ====
Rather than risk widespread ecological catastrophe from experiments gone horribly wrong, the [[gazetteer:factions:Belters] decided to give title to a single asteroid to The Jason, on the understanding that he wouldn't experiment anywhere else. 519 Sylvania is the asteroid they chose. Rumors say you can already see "bonsai sakura" on the asteroid's surface if you look hard enough.
==== 991 McDonalda ====
When a 'Daneside entertainment company claimed 4017 Disneya, Fenspace's preeminent fast-food chain decided to prevent what they thought was an obvious threat to their operations. The **[[gazetteer:companies:Ninjaburger] Drive-In** was established as "a preemptive strike against dishonorable gaijin competition" on 991 McDonalda, and has grown to become the largest single fast-food outlet in the Solar System. Rumors that there are vast soy plantations (or beef cattle ranches) hidden within the asteroid's interior, or that most of the traffic to and from the asteroid is made up of delivery-genin instead of paying customers, are neither confirmed nor denied by Ninjaburger.
==== 1130 Skuld ====
There is absolutely nothing on Skuld, except a single marker beacon claiming the entire asteroid as [[chars:Sora Hasegawa]'s private property. This claim is enforced for various reasons by the [[gazetteer:factions:Belters], the [[gazetteer:factions:crystal_millennium|Senshi], the [[gazetteer:government:Space Patrol], the [[gazetteer:companies
tellvia_corporation#the_stellvians|Stellvians], and the [[gazetteer:factions
oviet_air_force|VVS].((In most "Next-Gen" settings, asteroid Skuld will become Ms. Hasegawa's private residence, an informal home base for fans of Kosuke Fujishima's works, or both.))
==== 1186 Turnera ====
Nobody could believe that the sexist white-supremicist "Sons of Turner" [[gazetteer:factions:Boskonians] could be so blatantly obvious as to put their home base on 1186 Turnera. They were wrong. Turnera was captured during Operation [[gazetteer:government:Great Justice], and its commanders arrested, by the all-female task force //Tango Shoes//.
Other than an occasional and very temporary use as an emergency landing point for vessels in distress, the domes on 1186 Turnera have been abandoned ever since while the remaining Sons of Turner try to regain possession of them.
==== 1247 Memoria ====
All factions have agreed that nobody shall ever live on Memoria. The entire asteroid has been set aside as a memorial park, first to commemerate those who fell during Operation [[gazetteer:government:Great Justice], and later for all others who have passed on while in space.
==== 1405 Sibelius ====
The [[gazetteer:factions
andelions] have a number of outposts throughout space, but the one on Sibelius has become the largest and most-often-visited.
==== 1625 The NORC ====
This asteroid is home to the 'Danelaw base furthest Out. The //[[ships:Stingray]// and her sister ships have a resupply and logistics base here, which includes a massive computer complex with as much computing capability as the original NORC((Naval Ordnance Research Calculator)).
Civilian traffic is occasionally allowed to land on The NORC at the discretion of base Commander McHale, but usually traffic is restricted to USN vessels.
==== 2090 Mizuho ====
Most [[gazetteer:factions:Belters] realize the importance of a good education, and this is where they chose to locate their first high school. 2090 Mizuho is home to **Kizaki High School**, the first Japanese-style high school in the Main Belt. Kizaki High School is open to all students aged 15 to 17, and many of its graduates continue their education at one of the Vesta Institutes.
==== 2138 Swissair ====
The 'Danelaw corporation that lent its name to this asteroid have claimed and colonized it, using it as a mass-transportation hub. There isn't yet enough traffic to make the **Swissair Spaceport** profitable, but the corporation has decided to take the long view, hoping that being the first to provide this service will give them an advantage in future decades.
==== 2244 Tesla ====
The [[gazetteer:factions:Foglios] maintain **New Hong Kong**, a travellers' aid base found on 2244 Tesla. The resident population is split evenly between the faction's //Buck Godot// and //Sparks// subgroups; the former are New Hong Kong's public face, while the latter maintain the base's systems. Unlike many such bases, New Hong Kong is open to anyone regardless of faction (or lack thereof); visitors are warned that There Are No Laws On New Hong Kong.
The Sparks also maintain an emergency slip for the //[[ships:Sol Bianca]// on Tesla. It is unknown whether [[chars:The Professor] has ever used this facility.
==== 2277 Moreau ====
Better known as **Monster Asteroid**, 2277 Moreau is the satellite campus of Vesta Institute of Biochemistry's College of Retrogenetics. Visitors are welcome, but must sign personal-injury waivers.
The **[[gazetteer:travel_guide#kahiki_tiki_supper_club|Kahiki Tiki Supper Club]** is Monster Asteroid's best-known restaurant. It has received a three-star listing in the Fenspace [[gazetteer:Travel Guide].
==== 2309 Mr. Spock ====
The [[gazetteer:factions:united_federation_of_planets|Trekkies] know that this asteroid wasn't directly named after one of their source fiction's characters. They don't care; it's too good a name to pass up. The **Starfleet Academy Main Belt Campus**, the FedFen's advanced-piloting-techniques school, is found on 2309 Mr. Spock.
==== 2462 Nehalennia ====
The Dark subfaction of the [[gazetteer:factions:crystal_millennium|Senshi] have had a small, insular settlement on Nehalennia since before the founding of [[gazetteer:places:venus:Crystal Tokyo]. They claim the other Senshi are too pollyannaish for their tastes, and they prefer to be left alone.((In reality, the Nehalennia "Dark Senshi" are actually "Dark Kingdom" [[gazetteer:factions:Boskonians], and the settlement is one of the waystations of the thionite trade that was missed during Operation [[gazetteer:government:Great Justice]. Anyone who discovers they've given sanctuary to at least one known zwilnick would be able to connect the dots...))
==== 2579 Spartacus ====
While Spartacus is uninhabited, it is often treated as a minor and unofficial [[gazetteer:companies
tellvia_corporation#artemis_corporation|Artemis Project] base because OV-103 //[[ships:the_three_graces|Discovery]// keeps visiting it.
==== 2700 Baikonur ====
When the [[gazetteer:factions:Soviet Air Force] announced the [[gazetteer:places:beyond
elta Pavonis] expedition in 2013, Commander Fnord expressed concern that it might have been seen as them cutting and running from Operation [[gazetteer:government:Great Justice]. In order to allay that concern, the [[gazetteer:factions:the_wizarding_world|Wizards] and [[gazetteer:factions:Belters] spearheaded an initiative to present asteroid 2700 Baikonur to the VVS as "a gift from all of Fenspace".
The VVS have yet to annouce what plans, if any, they have for their new territory.
==== 2709 Sagan ====
The **Handwavium Propulsion Laboratory** ([[gazetteer:companies
tellvia_corporation#artemis_corporation|Project Artemis]' main research base) and shipyard **Ley** (Artemis' main shipbuilding facility) share space on 2709 Sagan. Satellite campuses belonging to Harvard, CalTech, Oxford, and Queens (Kingston, Canada) are also found here; they all specialize in astrophysics studies. The remainder of the asteroid's surface is covered with and residential and agricultural-use domes.
==== 3325 TARDIS ====
The [[gazetteer:factions:Timelords] have claimed 3325 TARDIS as their home base. Unfortunately, they lack the resources to develop it properly, and so the single dome on the surface is not very roomy.
==== 3869 Norton ====
Rumor has it that the [[gazetteer:factions:Erisians] have a major base on or inside of asteroid Norton. Nobody ever admits to finding any structures there, though.
==== 4017 Disneya ====
While this asteroid is still undeveloped, it has been claimed by the Disney Corporation.
==== 6565 Reiji ====
**Pirate Island** is the home base of the Space [[gazetteer:factions
irates], and was a major staging point for anti-Boskonian operations throughout Operation [[gazetteer:government:Great Justice].
One of Pirate Island's best-known drinking establishments is **[[gazetteer:travel_guide#the_drunken_harlock|The Drunken Harlock]**, the Belt's only authentic dockside bar.
==== Stations ====
Asteroids aren't always found where somebody wants to put a facility. These ships and stations are usually, if not always, found in the Main Belt.
* //[[ships:Hephaestus]//
* //[[ships
rometheus Forge]//
* [[gazetteer:companies
tellvia_corporation#artemis_corporation|Project Artemis] Research Station //Chawla// - 120° forward of 2709 Sagan
* Project Artemis Research Station //McAuliffe// - 120° behind 2709 Sagan
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
![[Image: smile.gif]](http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/smile.gif)