Belt Hazards (IF)

Travel Hazards in the Belt

Contrary to popular image, the Belt is not a crowded minefield of natural asteroids. The rocks are widely spaced, their orbits well-mapped, and their movements predictable. The real dangers are human-made.

Early mining was careless. Unbagged tailings, slag, and regolith dust were ejected into space, where sunlight, outgassing, and micro-impacts slowly pushed them into unpredictable paths. Partially mined asteroids can tumble or shed debris, making their motion harder to forecast. The Icarus Fall left derelict trusses, mirrors, and collector fragments on eccentric orbits — dangerous to approach and harder to track against the background.

Debris density in most of the Belt is low enough that navigation is straightforward with careful observation and current charts. High-traffic mining regions, however, form Dirty Zones where constant scanning is mandatory. Crews rely on repeated visual sweeps, with expert systems flagging anything accelerating or trending to intercept. Locals know the patterns; outsiders get cut.

Dirty Zones, Protocols, and the Corridor Everyone Knows

Dirty Zones (DZ)

Map tiles published on local nav grids (updated hourly). Expect untracked slag clouds, tailings plumes, tag-loss cargo, and tool swarms. Tiles are labeled like DZ–Vesta–19 or DZ–Europa–03. Entering a DZ without filing posture is grounds for insurance denial.

Visual Sweep Protocol (VSP)

Mandatory in DZs and around accelerators. Minimum standard:

• Full-sphere manual sweep every 6 minutes per watchstander, alternating parallax baselines.

• Cameras at two focal lengths; shutters synced to strobe beacons to kill glare off mirror shards.

• Plot anything with non-ballistic drift; mark and hail. If no squawk, burn to widen CPA.

• During Stormwatch Amber/Red, double sweep rate; disable long-range radar that blooms in junk; go optical-first.

The Ashlane (infamous corridor)

A shortcut between the Vesta bulk arc and the Europa free lanes. Clouded by decades of Vesta slag and shot-can frosting. Fast and quiet if you hug the plane; lethal if you pop above it. Earthforce escorts refuse it; smugglers love it; insurers void you if your flight plan crosses ASH-L without an approved VSP log. Everyone’s lost a friend there.

Accelerators and Recoil Quotas

Accelerators mounted on asteroids create their own quirks. Each shot imparts recoil to the host, slowly altering spin or orbit. This is predictable and countered with thrusters or shot scheduling — until someone cuts corners.

Recoil Quotas

Station charters include a recoil budget per ephemeris window (daily/weekly). Exceed it and you’re out of charter until you null the delta. Port masters audit by beacon array; fines are automatic; repeat offenders lose rail slots.

Counter-Thrust Compliance

Every mass driver must publish counter-thrust plans with shot notices. If your CM drift breaches the envelope, Range Safety can shutter your rail and freeze your escrow. Crews call it “kicking your own ladder.”

Sabotage Hooks

One unscheduled heavy shot can push a rock outside its envelope. Do it right before window close and the station burns precious reserves to re-box the orbit — or eats a shutdown. Belters have a word for this: recoil-poisoning.

Practical Pilot Notes

• Outside DZs: chart, watch, and you’re fine. Inside DZs: treat every glint as a bullet.
• Mirror shards will bloom your sensors. Use strobes and short exposures; never trust a bright return in a dirty tile.
• If your VSP log is sloppy, ports can deny you, and courts will side with them.
• Passing an accelerator: hail Range, request current recoil and drift; if they won’t answer, give it a wide berth.