=Vesta (4 Vesta)= 
**Allegiance:** Independent
**Primary Languages:** Arabic, Hindi, Russian
**Population:** 250,000
Vesta itself is the second-most massive asteroid in the [[Main Belt]] and the largest unaligned independent polity here. Dotted with a handful of [[Beehives|beehive]] and [[Domes|dome]] habitats, the largest colony of this mini-state is Vesta Prime, a [[Cole bubbles|Cole bubble]] made from a smaller asteroid that was then towed into Vesta’s orbit.
Vesta operates with a transitional economy and is run by a rudimentary parliamentary cyberdemocracy. It is home to a number of non-[[Planetary Consortium|Consortium]] and non-[[Extropians|Extropian]] hypercorps that have banded together for common purpose, ﬁnding value in having their own independent domain. Chief among these is [[Starware]], which operates a massive shipyard facility in an opposite orbit from Vesta Prime. This station is one of the major providers for ships in the outer system, as Starware sells to everyone, from the [[Jovian Republic|Jovians]] to the [[Titanian Commonwealth|Titanians]].
Vesta serves as a major stopover point for cross-system traffic, and numerous hypercorps provide repair, reﬁnery, and “gas station” services to ships in need of resupply. Mining is also a major industry here, with numerous mines delving into the protoplanet’s differentiated mantle in search of nickel, iron, and valuable metals.
One thing the local miners, vacworkers, and other laborers like to gossip and speculate about is the “Dweller.” Presumably an ultra-wealthy oligarch, the Dweller bought out an intact mining settlement in the Rheasilvia Crater that dominates Vesta’s South Pole and transformed it into a private underground estate. The surface and space above this private habitat are strictly guarded by automated defensive systems. Ships irregularly come and go from the Dweller’s abode, but none of them ever stop in at Vesta’s other stations.

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