The Factions

Haley's parents were both miners who came to Ceres for the chance at a better life. They were some of the first colonists to settle at Nueva Palenque. As the settlement grew up, new social challenges arose. Haley formed the Diana Network, named after the Roman goddess of crossroads. The network provides counseling, food and housing assistance, healthcare, job training and foster care services.

Haley is well respected among her peers and carries considerable clout among the people of Nueva Plaenque and the neighboring areas.

When MacKenzie first came to Ceres, he worked many odd jobs to support himself as a new settler and saw an inherent flaw in the system. Years later, he identified a successful business model creating temporary jobs for short-term hauls. His company, the Phoenixwalk, ensures workers are paid fairly and have the necessary support between jobs.

MacKenzie is seen as a revolutionary in the labor market and often praised for his fair, equitable treatment of all workers over profits.

Xavier came to Ceres with little more than the clothes on his back. He was quickly welcomed into one of the open communes of Ceres where anyone willing to exchange services or goods could find a home. He later founded Fresh Start, a political lobbying group that promotes egalitarism, hoping everyone on Ceres can find similiar acceptance.

Xavier is incredibly patient and non-confrontational, which is very helpful in conveying Fresh Start's ideals.

Charlie visited Ceres many times on tour before deciding to settle there. She is a founding member of the post-Terran punk band, Mass Solstice. Her lyrics have a considerable effect on influencing fans. She has used her fame to help fight against hunger, believing that any government spending on war and defense while their people starve is inherently wrong. Mass Solstice fills their concerts with people from all walks of life, which effectively spreads their message.

Shifty Charlie is the founder of post-Terran political punk on Ceres. Thousands of fans look to her for guidance.

Jane Nakagawa rose to fame when she won at Solswing, Ceres' independent film festival, for her docudrama about inequities in the educational system. Jane has the investigative talent of a journalist and the storytelling skills of an artist. One of Ceres' streaming services has given her a 24-episode series which has risen to the top of the charts.

While Jane can sometimes be seen as a snoop, her personality makes her seem unintrusive and trusting.

The Hermetic Order of Itokawa believes we find wisdom through the study of the earliest objects of our solar system, such as the asteroids. Morgan was raised within the Order and at a very early age, they identified him as destined to lead the group. As humans and celestial objects all come from the same material, Morgan espouses the belief that humans should treat all things as equal and in harmony. This belief has gained popularity as more of the solar system is explored.

The people of Ceres revere Morgan as a being wise beyond their years. Even those not in the order, look to them kindly and with respect.

Ryland was a gifted bartender who felt his art was wasted on the cruise ships within the Belt. Tired of serving the rich and famous, he bought a small hole in the wall on Ceres to serve the working people. His talent for being able to make amazing cocktails with the limited resources they had in the Belt made him well-known and well-liked. Ryland's bar, the Drift, sees people of all walks of life and is a place where everyone feels comfortable.

Ryland's warmth and easy charisma put everyone at ease. He has a gift for listening that people like to take advantage of.

Li was very popular on Venus, where she started her clothing line. However, their general xenophobia and isolationism made it difficult to expand. Li exploded onto the Belt scene with a carefully planned media campaign and a good deal of her found wealth. Ceres ate up the new and foreign styles that Li offered. Her designs have become so popular that her style is ubiquitous in everyday Ceres life.

Li is quiet by design. She gets everyone to hang on her every word by using so few.

Casey, as he is simply known, is the host of "Beyond the Unknown," the most listened-to underground wavecast in the Belt. No one seems to know where he broadcasts from, earning him the nickname "The Ghost." His segments cover stories that other media won't touch, and the listener call-in feature is especially popular. Callers share their wildest stories and theories, some of which may even be true.

Casey speaks calmly and in even tones. Most people who personally know him would call him rational and kind.

Lola Chizimu grew up in the hills of Hollywood, USA, Earth. Her bright intellect and incredible ability with numbers made her a significant fortune as a business manager to the stars. When approached for financing projects, she found that her gut was often right on whether to contribute. It became a game for her, and one that she was very good at. Eventually, Lola became bored with the same films and decided to try her hand on Ceres, where everything was new and exciting.

Lola is fun to be around and often the life of the party.

Wu Bai won their first engineering contest at age six with an AI-powered friend-bot. They became the youngest battle bot arena champion on Ceres. The Creepy Crawler, the Moonraker, and the Dust Derby are all champion bots invented and built by Bai. Everyone wants to be Bai's friend in hopes some of their luck and smarts will rub off. Bai loves their newfound celebrity status and never misses a chance to be interviewed.

Bai is energetic and insightful, but can sometimes ramble too much about technical details.

Hector found his first job on Ceres as a Flare Star Pictures apprentice. He was often getting into trouble, but managed to make his way up to a journeyman. Hector had many impressionable young apprentices under his control. Some called it a clique and others called it a gang. They were known for solving studio problems while using less than moral or legal methods, but never seemed to get caught. Hector now represents studio employees in the Moving Pictures Tech Workers Union.

Hector is a fast-talker who can work his way out of any trouble. He can be very convincing.

Kitty was a child star known for her role in the long run series, The First Miners of Ceres. She starred in a few well-known holovids such as, Galactic Story, The Messier Effect, and Return to Earth. She retired early from her acting career to focus on humanitarian efforts between Earth and Mars. For many years, she has served as the Ambassador for Mars on Ceres. She has found a home among New Hollywoodland and has settled nicely on the protoplanet.

Everyone she meets adores Kitty. She is patient, soft-spoken and a great listener.

Willie Jansen is Ceres' native son. His moms ran Ma's Chili Bowl, a staple of New Hollywoodland. Willie ran around the aisles of the restaurant from an early age, eventually working there as a teen, and taking over when his moms retired. All the big stars find themselves at Ma's after a long night of partying. Willie is always available with a hot cup of coffee, a friendly ear, and words of advice. What they don't know is that the business has been suffering for years and it only stays afloat by his careful curation and sale of hot celebrity gossip.

Willie is boisterous and welcoming. His warm affection creates a trustworthy environment. He is very good at hiding his secret.

Gavin pioneered the gravitational survey methods now considered standard practice across the asteroid belt. His early work identified the structural weaknesses in the Ceres gravity field and led directly to the design of the colony's stabilization network. He now leads the Applied Gravity Research division at CIT, and no major construction project breaks ground without his review.

Gavin rarely speaks at length. When he does, people stop what they are doing and listen.

Robin Prinyanka's generational wealth has assured that they were afforded all the luxuries offered in life. They went to all the best private prep schools, was accepted into historic Earth colleges, and had the startup funds to start their own business at the age of 21. Robin decided to go to Ceres where regulations were weak, laws were lenient, and the intellectuals seen as elite. Robin is a brilliant inventor and created the revolutionary solar drill rig, changing the trajectory of Ceres forever.

Robin is smug and insensitive. They know one word from them can make or break any inventor.

Corey Bieber, Esquire, spent decades on Earth arguing over intellectual property cases for major corporations. After suffering a minor heart attack induced by job stress, Corey decided to get a new lease on life by moving to the Belt. He packed up his family and booked a trip on one of the first colony ships. People often came to him to settle disputes, and so he made a second career of it. Corey continues to ride back and forth on colony ships acting as a qualified arbiter.

Corey believes everyone deserves to present their truth. He is methodical and can remove emotion from his decisions, without appearing cold or heartless.

Sebastian grew up within the hacking community of Mars. While his peers went after politicians and corrupt corporations, Sebastian focused on the banking institutions. He was very successful pulling small amounts of credit from multiple institutions to fund his lifestyle, until he nearly got caught. Sebastian fled Mars and landed in the Belt. He's made it his mission to never get caught again, and so far, seems to have perfected his skills. He is regarded as the number one person who could get you a look into any company's finances, for the right price.

Sebastian doesn't stand out in a crowd and can often be overlooked. He stays quiet, by design.

Enok was always good with technology, especially with mechanics and automation. His first job out of school was as a shuttle mechanic until his boss realized his talents were not being fully used. They put him in charge of automating the original Ceres space dock. Enok worked aside engineers, AI programmers, mechanics and others to build the first fully AI-driven space dock. He helped create, Space Dockers Inc., the premiere provider of automated space docks in the asteroid belt.

People love to work with Enok because he is always upbeat and positive. This is a good thing, since he lives to work

Rose operates a full-service travel and logistics consultancy whose official offerings are impeccable. Her other services, available only to vetted clients, can move people and cargo through channels that do not appear on any manifest. She maintains working relationships with docking authorities and customs officials from the inner planets to the outer Belt.

Rose is endlessly gracious and entirely impossible to pin down on anything that matters.

Kaiti grew up on the Ceres Institute of Technology main campus. Her parents were both prestigeous, tenured professors of the insitution. As she entered her teen years, she grew frustrated with the elitist attitude of the students and employees. Kaiti, along with a group of fellow CIT dropouts, embarked on a mission to repurpose discarded technology found on campus. Their goal is to redistribute these resources to the less fortunate denizens of the streets of Ceres.

Kaiti is patient and kind. She believes everyone has a chance to rise above their station and does whatever she can to live by this tenant.

Jalex Alesse began life as two separate individuals, but underwent an extremely dangerous and illegal procedure on Mars to combine their minds. Unfortunately, only one body survived. The neural link held, allowing them to trade control of the surviving body. The Martian police discovered this crime, but Jalex Alesse was two steps ahead of them. They took off for Ceres on the first available ship to avoid prosecution. They now live on a small private station they built themselves, claiming it as a free and sovereign state.

Engaging with Jalex can be disorienting. They finish each other sentences and often argue with one another in the middle of a conversation.

Pickles is an unknown quantity. They seem very sweet and kind on the outside, but can have a mean streak if you cross them. Pickles arrived on Ceres aboard a Taxi Union ship and since that day has been doing the Union's work. Their towering presence and skill in intimidation usually gets the job done.

Pickles is professionally pleasant and genuinely terrifying. The combination is highly effective.

Shakti held many roles on Ceres including novice miner, a skilled quantum mechanic, a restaurateur, and even a hotel manager. She was popular among everyone she worked with and was elected by her peers to the Consortium. Given her experience, Shakti took on the task of shaping labor policy with a commitment to fairness. But as the influence of various stakeholders grew, some resorted to bribery to sway decisions in their favor, and Shakti found herself succumbing to corruption. Now, she revels in the art of manipulation, pitting factions against each other to maximize her personal gain.

Shakti maintains the demeanor of a sweet person, usually never showing her true colors.

Spectertainment, a thriving independent network specializing in travel content, was established by Hollis to showcase their journey from Earth to Mars and eventually Ceres through entertaining travel vlogs. Hollis' witty humor and sardonic commentary resonated with viewers, and their voyage gained massive popularity, especially after a thrilling victory at a Ceres casino followed by a night of extravagant spending. In response to the demand, Spectertainment is expanding its offerings to include travel itineraries in exchange for participation in their reality show.

Hollis is unforgivingly sarcastic, and their dark humor sometimes confuses others.

Shaheen Khan made an honest living as a short-distance taxi driver, but the fees, regulations, and the dealing with people proved to be less than ideal. Faced with these challenges, he shifted his focus to a more profitable venture—transporting contraband throughout the Belt. Staying off the authorities' radar, Shaheen specializes in discreet, short-distance runs, and employs strategic bribes to ensure smooth operations.

Shaheen's effortless charisma enables him to charm even the most suspicious individuals.

Jeda, once a low-ranking peace officer, stumbled upon Riker Castillo, a notorious thief, during a robbery. Rather than turn him in, she saw an opportunity to form an alliance and dismantle their mutual adversaries. Partnering with Riker, she climbed the ranks, effectively eliminating his competitors. She chose to infiltrate the union, granting her greater control over which peace officers received protection and which were left exposed.

Everyone knows Jeda can have a dark side and angering her can mean losing all protection.

The Oza family made a name for themselves as one of the first family businesses to transport prisoners to the Mar penal colonies. They used the prisons as recruiting grounds for establishing a criminal network. The family set its sights on Ceres and instituted a long-term plan. Minerva was given the best education in public health and migrated to Ceres to infiltrate her way into the established government. While she is highly qualified for her position as the head of Ceres Health Services, her first loyalty is to her family.

Minerva is ambitious and can sometimes come off as too forceful with her thoughts and opinions.

Ronny Mcculloch started their career as an office manager at the Consortium. In the face of a widespread economic downturn that threatened the collapse of the entire colony, Ronny’s remarkable ability to achieve significant success with limited resources, unite diverse stakeholders, and anticipate needs and provide solutions earned her recognition as a strong leader during this tumultuous time. After the economy righted itself, Ronny took a position as ombudsman, where they assumed the responsibility of bringing together the public and the Consortium, ensuring that regular citizens have a voice within the organization.

Ronny is a fun person to be around. Their positive attitude brings a great energy to any room they enter.

In the early days of the Ceres colony, Earth countries rushed to stake their claim on numerous asteroids in what later came to be known as The Main Belt Rush. Unfortunately, this hasty land grab often resulted in the death of colonists. In response, the now unified Earth United Nations agreed to honor all existing familial claims and to cease creating new ones. Alfie-Jay's family struck platinum, a priceless resource for space travel, during this tumultuous period. As a modern-day lord of his asteroid, he now distributes mining rights to others and lives a lavish lifestyle in his platinum tower.

Alfie-Jay is a cool and collected fellow, but his platinum fortune affords him with an unapologetic love for the finer things in the cosmos.

Saba came fully into her psychic abilities after a shuttle craft accident left her in a coma. Upon awakening, she found that she could accurately predict wide ranging financial trends. She used her ability to become exceedingly wealthy and buy herself a peerage title on Earth. However, all the money in the solar system would not be able to buy her the respect and reverence she expected. She moved to Ceres and marketed herself as a financial advisor to the rich and famous, making her well-liked in the Belt.

Saba is eccentric. She has no filter when she speaks and often talks of wild or unexplained things.

Kieron was born in Ireland on Earth and raised by his uncle, a devout follower of the once-prominent Catholic faith. Kieron’s strong devotion led him to join the seminary as a young teen and quickly made himself indispensable due to his skilled recruiting techniques. Once reaching full priesthood, Kieron rapid ascent through the ranks made him the youngest cardinal in centuries. He was recently reassigned to Ceres as an official representative of the Church within the entire asteroid belt. His goal is to turn as many as possible to the faith since he stands as the sole legitimate authority in the region.

Cardinal Higgs exudes an air of unwavering conviction, and his assuredness could convince nearly anyone.*

Haven grew up hearing inspiring stories of heroism and dedicated service from his family who maintain the law and order of the protoplanet colony. His desire to become a peace officer certainly stemmed from this deep-rooted family tradition. It was not until after his passing the officer’s exam, that his grandmother explained just how important their legacy was. During the founding of Ceres, his great-grandfather discovered a deep seeded corruption within the burgeoning law office and established a secret internal office to fight corruption. Haven was intrigued but saw this as a reason for his family’s meager means and unpopularity. Instead, he uses his role in the office to keep the most corrupt protected and his pockets lined with credits.

Haven is extremely witty and sarcastic. His dry humor sometimes turns folks off, but he’s quick to win them back over with charm.

Dr. Terrell is a visionary leader in the realm of space education as headmaster of the Ceres Academy of Asteroid Mining (CAAM). Her enthusiasm and revolutionary teaching techniques have fostered the newest generation of miners, mineralogists, and mechanical engineers. Beyond the classroom, Naveed spends countless nights and weekends working on her own research in the field. Her groundbreaking findings combined with the control of her loyal students, has made her a strong leader in the industry.

Naveed is a very strict individual. She speaks in a short, succinct manner and has little time for small talk.

Stan Dolnik is the undisputed champion of high-stakes asteroid climbing. He practically invented the sport right out of high school (one of the first graduating classes outside a colony ship). He has gained a great following among his massive audience across the solar system. His cult following makes any endorsements carry heavy weight, especially among young adrenaline junkies of the Belt. He's never seen alone and always has a group of roadies following him on his travels.

Stan is highly competitive and always seeking the next step. His dangerous actions are only tempered by his calm demeanor.

Zenobia built her empire on other people's trash. She collected the space junk that everyone said wasn't worth it. But through careful salvage operations, knowing who needed what, and where to find the greatest wreckage, she now owns the largest space junkyards. She has since moved into cleaner operations. That is, cleaning money. Zenobia isn't picky on who she will serve, as long as they don't double-cross her or turn her in.

Zenobia is genuinely cheerful. She finds the fact that her operation is an open secret absolutely hilarious.

Kemp's family includes a long line of military service on Mars, though her father retired to Ceres when she was still a little girl. As an adult, Edita used her strategic mind and family contacts to work her way up through the military industrial complex. As head of Sol Corp, Edita has secured the single largest defense contract with the Ceres Consortium and is responsible for nearly 60% of the personnel who protect the Main Asteroid belt. She hires top scientists to ensure their weapons technology are the best in the system.

Edita is direct and to the point. Her disciplined demeanor can be off-putting, but she can be trusted to tell the truth.

Bart spent decades terrorizing the Belt shipping lanes through ruthless piracy. However, when it came time to retire, he decided to change careers instead. He joined the L.A.S. Corp as a corporate raider. He attacks companies just like he attacked other ships, but now through contracts, stock, and debt. He revels in hostile takeovers and is needlessly brutal in pressuring companies to follow his leadership.

Bart can be an easygoing person, as long as you aren't across the negotiating table from him.

Danai and the Torres family cruised between asteroids on the Luna Errante, the most feared pirate ship of the Belt. She grew up learning all the tricks of the trade. When a particular loot sell-off went bad, Danai turned away from the family business and settled on Ceres. Her deep familiarity with colony ships and asteroid settlements led her to study the communities she once preyed upon, becoming one of the Belt's most respected ethnographers.

Danai speaks quickly, but firm. She carries a persuasive tone that makes people feel at ease.

Mateo Somerset was one of the first established news broadcasters on Ceres. Everyone grew up listening to Mateo in the Morning. He has since shifted to more serious journalism with his intense one-on-one interviews. Mateo asks the hard questions and goes where no one else seems willing. However, he has outlasted everyone else by being balanced and fair in his coverage. Everyone looks forward to Mateo's specials, and they are the talk of the Belt the next day.

Mateo has the easy charm of someone who has been invited into every home on Ceres. He listens closely, smiles often, and never asks a question by accident.

Lilah's grandmother is a classical opera singer on Mars. Lilah was determined to follow in her footsteps. She entered Orion's Rising Stars Competition and won as champion for three seasons. Her agent felt she would be more successful as a pop star. Lilah's dream of being a household name across the planets became true after her single, "Gotcha Now", reached the top 10 on Earth, Venus, Mars and Ceres. Lilah regularly travels across the system performing, but recently settled down in a brand new, multi-million credit estate.

Lilah must always be the center of attention. She will do and say anything to adjust the spotlight on her.

Soloman Zuma has seen some things. His parents belonged to a farming commune on Earth dedicated to living a simple life. His escape from the commune came when he joined Earth's military. He saw action during the Martian Water Conflict and endured severe injuries in the Cydonian Civil War. Fortunately, his life was saved through crucial surgery at the Mathilde base in the Belt. Opting for retirement, Soloman made Ceres his home. He is one of the oldest surviving colonists, and there are those who whisper he may not age at all.

Soloman is grizzled and laconic. People deal with him because he has been here since the beginning and he knows where everything is buried.