5. Verdant mine

For this entry, I have used the extended spark table!

[Mine, Empty, Lawless, Converted, Prosperous, Life]

A typical site in the belt; a mine, encrusted in heavy duty, vacuum prof equipment for fracking, drilling and extraction. Something is wrong however; the shafts are sealed, the machines aged and inactive, the transponders are off. Neutron radiation readings indicate levels that are slightly hazardous to humans, the heat sensors report warmth leaking through the seems and airlocks, and the spectrometers detect stray oxygen… and chlorophyll.


Type: Mine

Function: Experimental greenhouse

Power source: Fusion reactor

Gravity: None

Size: 1 km diameter

Affiliation: Unknown

Population: None

Sells: Nothing

Buys: Nothing


This asteroid has been mined, fully depleted of precious metals and abandoned. While formally owned by the mining corporation, it has been converted into a zero-g garden by someone who has taken pains to introduce genetically modified lichen, fern and vines into the cavernous space within, creating a maze-like, three-dimensional jungle. The whole thing is lit and heated from within by massive UV lights, powered by an aging tokamak, leaking a hefty dose of high-energy neutrons into the facility. It has fuel (deuterium-tritium ice) to last years. The radiation means that any stay longer than an hour can have serious health effects.


Entering the asteroid requires the use of one of several airlocks designed for personnel, or pressurising a massive ore extraction shaft. All of the former are booby-trapped, triggering a deadly shrapnel burst (save to avoid heavy damage).


Whoever created this strange garden is long gone. The fuel can be looted (enough to fully fuel a handful of frigates), as can be the UV-panels. Traversing the jungle however attracts stealthy, foot long, venomous centipedes that have adapted to the environment very successfully. They seem be thriving in the small ecosystem, consisting of various large varieties of insects.


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