Belter (Niven)
Encyclopedia
In Larry Niven
's fictional Known Space
universe, a Belter refers to a resident of the Asteroid Belt
around Sol
, sometimes known as the Sol Belt to differentiate it from Alpha Centauri
's Serpent Swarm.
Rugged and highly individualistic, Belters make their living by mining the ore
s from the asteroidal rocks. Belters inhabit the main belt, trojan asteroids of the outer planets, centaur
planetoids and NEA's.
Transient by nature, the only home they typically own is their pressure suit, and perhaps their singleship. As a form of heraldry
, Belters decorate their skintight suits
with elaborate (and often expensive) torso paintings. Most Belters, male and female, sport what is known as the Belter Crest: shaving their heads on the sides, leaving a strip of hair down the center resembling a mohawk
. However the hair in the back may be of any length, particularly for women.
In lieu of (or perhaps in addition to) a wake for their dead, Belters have a custom known as the ceremonial drunk. When a Belter dies, his or her close friends will typically get intoxicated (either alone or in groups according to one's nature or circumstance) and reminisce about the deceased.
The Belt Government collects a 30% tax
on all cargo
sold within the belt. However one can avoid paying the tax by smuggling
one's cargo to an Earth facility, which collects no taxes. The caveat
is that, if one is caught smuggling by the Belt police
(known as goldskins due to the color of their spacesuits), one will forfeit all of one's cargo to the Belt Government. To a Belter, smuggling is considered "illegal
but not immoral
". It is considered equivalent to a parking violation
on Earth. If caught, one simply pays the fine and that is the end of it.
According to the novel Protector
, the Belt government is a meritocracy
; Lit Shaeffer
was chosen for a leadership position by aptitude test, and "worked [his] way up".
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
's fictional Known Space
Known Space
Known Space is the fictional setting of some dozen science fiction novels and several collections of short stories written by author Larry Niven. It has also in part been used as a shared universe in the Man-Kzin Wars spin-off anthologies sub-series....
universe, a Belter refers to a resident of the Asteroid Belt
Asteroid belt
The asteroid belt is the region of the Solar System located roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter. It is occupied by numerous irregularly shaped bodies called asteroids or minor planets...
around Sol
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
, sometimes known as the Sol Belt to differentiate it from Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri is the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus...
's Serpent Swarm.
Rugged and highly individualistic, Belters make their living by mining the ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
s from the asteroidal rocks. Belters inhabit the main belt, trojan asteroids of the outer planets, centaur
Centaur (planetoid)
Centaurs are an unstable orbital class of minor planets that behave with characteristics of both asteroids and comets. They are named after the mythological race of beings, centaurs, which were a mixture of horse and human...
planetoids and NEA's.
Transient by nature, the only home they typically own is their pressure suit, and perhaps their singleship. As a form of heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
, Belters decorate their skintight suits
Space activity suit
A space activity suit or mechanical counterpressure suit is an experimental spacesuit which applies stable pressure against the skin by means of skintight elastic garments. The SAS is not inflated like a conventional spacesuit: it uses mechanical pressure, rather than air pressure, to compress the...
with elaborate (and often expensive) torso paintings. Most Belters, male and female, sport what is known as the Belter Crest: shaving their heads on the sides, leaving a strip of hair down the center resembling a mohawk
Mohawk hairstyle
The mohawk is a hairstyle in which, in the most common variety, both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair...
. However the hair in the back may be of any length, particularly for women.
In lieu of (or perhaps in addition to) a wake for their dead, Belters have a custom known as the ceremonial drunk. When a Belter dies, his or her close friends will typically get intoxicated (either alone or in groups according to one's nature or circumstance) and reminisce about the deceased.
The Belt Government collects a 30% tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
on all cargo
Cargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
sold within the belt. However one can avoid paying the tax by smuggling
Smuggling
Smuggling is the clandestine transportation of goods or persons, such as out of a building, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations.There are various motivations to smuggle...
one's cargo to an Earth facility, which collects no taxes. The caveat
Caveat
Caveat , the third-person singular present subjunctive of the Latin cavere, means "warning" ; it can be shorthand for Latin phrases such as:...
is that, if one is caught smuggling by the Belt police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
(known as goldskins due to the color of their spacesuits), one will forfeit all of one's cargo to the Belt Government. To a Belter, smuggling is considered "illegal
Malum prohibitum
Malum prohibitum is a Latin phrase used in law to refer to conduct that constitutes an unlawful act only by virtue of statute, as opposed to conduct evil in and of itself, or malum in se. Conduct that was so clearly violative of society's standards for allowable conduct that it was illegal under...
but not immoral
Malum in se
Malum in se is a Latin phrase meaning wrong or evil in itself. The phrase is used to refer to conduct assessed as sinful or inherently wrong by nature, independent of regulations governing the conduct...
". It is considered equivalent to a parking violation
Parking violation
A parking violation is the act of parking a motor vehicle in a restricted place or for parking in an unauthorized manner. It is against the law virtually everywhere to park a vehicle in the middle of a highway or road; parking on one or both sides of a road, however, is commonly permitted....
on Earth. If caught, one simply pays the fine and that is the end of it.
According to the novel Protector
Protector (novel)
Protector is a 1973 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe. It was nominated for the Hugo in 1974, and placed fourth in the annual Locus poll for that year....
, the Belt government is a meritocracy
Meritocracy
Meritocracy, in the first, most administrative sense, is a system of government or other administration wherein appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned to individuals based upon their "merits", namely intelligence, credentials, and education, determined through evaluations or...
; Lit Shaeffer
Lit Shaeffer
Charles Martin Shaeffer is a fictional character in Larry Niven's Known Space universe.His nickname is "Little" Shaeffer and is known to most of his friends simply as "Lit"....
was chosen for a leadership position by aptitude test, and "worked [his] way up".
External links
See also
- Flatlander (in-universe term)Flatlander (Niven)Flatlander is a 1995 collection of stories by Larry Niven, all set in Known Space. It is the definitive collection of all stories by Niven about ARM agent Gil Hamilton....
- Crashlander (in-universe term)CrashlanderCrashlander is a fix-up by Larry Niven published in 1994 , set in his Known Space universe. It is also a term used in the Known Space universe-Crashlander :...