Kuiper Belt
Dust coated the city like snow. Those who could work, did. The quarry had dug out the foundation of their home out from under them. Now they lowered themselves down into the pits where their houses used to be. There, among ice-seamed rock, black oortite beaded like blood.
The Kuiper Belt is the last band of life that curls around the Sol System. Like the inner Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, the Kuiper Belt is a field of asteroids. Unlike the Asteroid Belt, the Kuiper Belt is far larger, and hosts several dwarf planets. It is icy compared to the belt, with asteroids consisting of volatile frozen gas rather than solid rock.
The Kuiper Belt is primarily populated by Humans and Kara. They find themselves led by an aristocracy of officials. Like a mark of the past, Mori and Oceanids are overrepresented in the bureaucracy.
Colonial Past
At the height of the Mercurian Imperial Project, the empire of Mercury extended from the tiny distant planet by the sun all the way out to Pluto. The Imperial Project seeded the first colonies of the Kuiper Belt. As the colonies grew they soon realized how easily Mercurian influence was eclipsed by its older adversaries. Neptune's presence ripples through the Kuiper Belt. The dwarf planets hide in her resonance to avoid gravitational capture. It is no coincidence that the orbit of the dwarf planets take them come closer to Uranus than they ever do the icy giant. When the Trident Empire joined the interplanetary scene, it quickly spread through the Kuiper Belt to establish its domain. Today the former colonies of the Trident Empire are known as the Outerreach. Although the term is often used to describe all the settlements in the Kuiper Belt, Pluto has never been part of the Outerreach.
Late Spacefaring
Mercury founds the first settlements in the Kuiper Belt
Imperial Era
Trident Empire conquers most of the Belt
Revolution
Starting with the Easter Revolution on Makemake, Pluto soon follows with its own war of independence.
Outerreach
The Trident Empire creates the Outerreach, granting independence to all former territories.
Precarious Present
The inhabitants of the Kuiper Belt live on the edge. Often forgotten by the planets, they become easy prey. Dictatorships are propped up by foreign corporations and conglomerates. In the chill of the Oort Cloud, hostile militias, piracy, and cults to Oortic entities threaten the safety. Renewed interest in Oortite has led to the reopening of old mines, as well as a search for new veins. Open quarries are carved out in populated areas, displacing and poisoning local communities.| Outer Space | ||||||||||
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Notice: This article is a stub. It may be expanded later!
I'm looking forward to reading the fleshed-out version, whenever it might come. The Oort Cloud is so scary!
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