The Belters -- a catchall name for the more lawless segment of human society -- first appeared shortly after the FML uprising on Mars, as "squatters" that moved into abandoned corporate stations. Today, they continue to inhabit abandoned satellites and unclaimed asteroids. This unruly bunch of borderline anarchists comprises pirates, semilegitimate prospectors, and mercenaries who don't wish to ally themselves with either the Iron Coalition or GigaCorp. They are generally supported by, and in turn support, Mars and Luna, and often form the space arm of Martian and Lunar operations.

Politically, Belters are radical. They largely reject corporate life, governmental interference, and any attempt at external control. Social groups are based on genetic and adopted family, making most Belter groups essentially small tribes. To a Belter, everything is personal: relationships, ownership, deals, and debts.

Virtually all Belters live by The Code: