From Scratchpad

The three main powers in the asteroid belt in the universe of "Space the Ultimate Frontier" are the Red World Empire (see Mars in Space the Ultimate Frontier), the private, self-governing business enterprise known as the Ceres Corporation headquartered on the dwarf planet Ceres; and the Free Worlds League, which includes the majority of the population living in the asteroid belt and is governed as a democratic republic. The local economy is based upon asteroid mining and a thriving gambling industry, though all three factions sponsor privateers who engage in piratical raids upon rivals.