The Slodi Clan

The Slodi Clan control a relatively large section of the asteroid belt in the Tyrfing System. Many of the belters that work for them claim they were tricked into large debts that they can never repay. The Slodis enforce their control ruthlessly, trusting no one outside of their extended family. The head of the Slodi Clan is Bera Viggodotir Slodi, reputedly a dangerous psychic.

The Slodi Family Timeline
 
996                  Slodi Clan arrives in Tyrfing

The Slodis arrived in Tyrfing with a jump tender and 4 50ton mining vessels.

997 to 1020     Slodi mining in Tyrfing

During this period the Slodi Clan slowly expanded their operations throughout the belt

1021                The big strike

This was the year of the big strike, an asteroid with a very pure ore deposit.

Burning out an enclosure in an asteroid.

1024                Slodi habitat construction  

With the wealth from the big strike the Slodis started construction of a large habitat

1029                Slodi habitat  finished

After five years the Slodi habitat was finished and the Slodis moved more into management and agriculture – selling food,air and water to belters

1054               The Opening of the enclosure

This year saw the opening of the enclosure to belters, along with many outlets for entertainment and supplies. The Slodi habitat became in effect the equivalent of a small mining town

1057               The first blight

Three years after opening the enclosure to outside, the Slodis suffered the first of many blights. The crops died and the soil became unworkable. The enclosure was opened to vacuum and cleaned and the soil removed of infestation. After the enclosure was restored entry was restricted once more

1062               The second blight

Despite the restrictions on entry to the enclosure itself, there was a second blight, this one worse than the first. The enclosure rapidly became overgrown with fungus and the air thick with spores.

She can read your mind like a magazine,
She sees where you're at,
She knows what you mean,
She's got all the secrets that you'd rather keep...

Image by Nicolas Kudeljan

1063               Bera Viggodotir Slodi born

Conceived during the second blight, Bera's DNA was affected by alien fungal spores and she developed a prodigious psychic talent.

1075               The last blight

Many blights followed. Eventually the enclosure was fully cleaned down to the rock face and that melted with concentrated beams of light from the sunlight collecting mirrors until nothing organic remained. Fresh new topsoil was imported at great expense and finally the enclosure was free of infection.

1076 to 1085  The decline

The blight years depleted the Slodis finances considerably and they never recovered. By this time more asteroid habitats had been created, including the much large Niflhel Station, which was run more fairly to its inhabitants than the Slodi habitat. With competition from other habitats, the Slodis could not charge such high prices for basic provisions. In addition, partly due to the Slodis prices, belters had become more self reliant in producing basic food and air using small automated bio-enclosures.

1086               The start of Bera's reign

Bera became the head of the Slodi clan following the death of her father, her brothers deferring to her will (and psychic abilities). The clan started enforcing it's will on nearby belters. Those offered supplies on credit terms suddenly found themselves deep in debt to a vicious organization that claimed ownership on all they mined.

1115                Now

Ragnar Ivaldssson Long comes into possession of an asteroid recently acquired by the Slodi family and everything goes pear shaped.

The Slodi Asteroid

 
The asteroid is approx 1km long with a diameter of 450m. The enclosure is 600m long with a diameter of 280m. The period of rotation is 42 seconds giving a gravity equivalent to 0.33G on the surface of the enclosure.

The asteroid has 6 double pulse laser turrets and 1 particle accelerator bay. The turrets provide 360° coverage (3 can bear on any one target at a time). The PA bay has 180° coverage, requiring rotation of the asteroid to bear on all targets (up to 12 minutes).

The enclosure is partially planted for agriculture (40% surface area), has a large open water area (25%) for temperature stability, the rest being trees and grassland (35%).

The Slodi ancestral home is the only inhabited structure in the enclosure, the majority of the living accommodation as well as the retail areas are within the rock shell. The retail areas provide meager entertainment for the belters trapped in a vicious credit cycle, as they extract back all the little money that the miners receive for their work, with a combination of over priced alcohol, prostitution and recreational drugs.