Trashland Enclave

Trashland is a lawless settlement, built onto an asteroid cluster inside the Mephis Nebula. It is a place bustling with criminals, outlaws and pirates, a safe-heaven for those looking to escape the authorities of their home-systems.
Trashland received its name because it was- and still is- a giant trash dump, with shipwrecks and all sorts of waste piling up to an impressive mountain range. Most buildings are located on the biggest and central asteroid, built into or hidden in between the wreckages of past civilizations. Colorful flashing lights shine through the dark and illuminate the surrounding nebula in a beautiful shimmer.
Several pirate fleets are docked in between the asteroids, their leaders having agreed on a temporary armistice. Visitors of all kinds come to Trashland to find exclusive services that can't be offered elsewhere, such as black market deals, prostitution and a vast amount of contractors offering their services and information.
The inhabitants live by a simple code, that may vary depending on the situation and who you're dealing with.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Trashland are either Outlaws or people whose business focuses on outlaws and crime. There are very few permanent resident, due to the anarchistic and toxic nature of the enclave. Many of the inhabitants are Criminals hiding from the law, or just looking to have a great time. Some of the inhabitants are refugees of war and politics, people driven out of their homes with nowhere else left to go.

Government

There is no government in Trashland.
Trashland is a place of anarchy and crime, pirates and outlaws coming together to hide from the authorities outside the nebula. Even though there are no real rules, there is still a code most people abide by. Whether this code is honored depends on who is affected by the consequences and by whoever witnesses a break.
This code can be interpreted as pacifistic anarchy:
1.: Live and let live. 2.: One hand washes the other. 3.: An eye for an eye.

Trashland finances itself, using credits as well as exchange of items and resources, supplying the local establishments with whatever they need. It is almost impossible to track purchases and any other interactions here, making it the perfect hub for contractors of any illegal kind. Depending on which part of Trashland you visit. There is no taxation, though one should rarely turn down the offer of paying 'protection fees' when entering the territory of certain gangs.

Defences

Trashland has a network of towers, often built into the husks of old ships that are equipped with big guns capable of warding off big warships along with their armadas. This network is powered by a fusion reactor, one of the only places that has a thermal shielding module. A security force isn't necessary, since everyone on the asteroid carries at least one weapon, and defends the place if needed. Some of the bigger establishments like the Tortuga club have their own automated defense grid and a small shield generator, but most of the smaller establishments would go down in the fiery explosions of an all out battle with a sizeable threat.  The enclave is not invincible, but it won't go down without a bloody fight.

Infrastructure

Trashland's establishments are built along the biggest and central asteroid in the cluster, wedged in between or built into the wrecks of old ships, satellites and heaps of trash. 
The biggest 'attraction' would be the Tortuga club, a spherical building that sits inside a big crater, probably caused by the explosion of discarded bombshells. The Tortuga club is the meeting point of all visitors, featuring three decks to sit, dance and chat on, all open to the middle where an arena like platform entertains its viewers. Towards the back of the building, visitors can rent small rooms- nothing luxurious, but sufficient for the needs of the average outlaw. Each of the decks has its own vendors, providing food, drink and drugs as well as the service of private dancers in all shapes and sizes. The Club is operated by a band of 'entrepreneur outlaws', which call themselves 'the Ladies and Gentlemen'. They are only seen well groomed and armed to their teeth, using Rakhelion Cavehounds for additional security purposes. This is the main place where contractors like bounty-hunters, couriers and informants can be found and hired.
Another establishment is the 'Buy-It-All Blackmarket'. It can be reached by entering through several airlocks, connected to landing pads at the side of a giant heap of metal. The place is a small maze of airtight tunnels, dug and welded into the trash. Every tunnel has dozens of nooks and crevices that are occupied by merchants selling their ware. Illegal weaponry, Modified ship-parts, faked papers and deeds and even whole ships can be found, along with drug dealers, pimps and informants which each have their own stalls. None of the ware is actually in the blackmarket, but it can be ordered by the dealers over terminals that run on a private secured network through the whole market. All of the items are sold drug free and with guaranteed untraceable.
There are many more places in Trashland, each offering services like residence, ship repairs and modification, specialized markets, bars, clubs and restaurants, shooting ranges (even with life targets!), cargo holds and uplink computer hubs.

History

Trashland was originally a Trash Yard, estimated back to the 28000.00s (galactic date; 6 centuries ago). The place had been used for a long time, to dispose of any waste that could not be recycled. This includes old ships and satellites, as well as toxic and radioactive chemicals, malfunctioning ammunition, failed experiments and things that needed to vanish from the public eye. Centuries later it was abandoned and 'forgotten' by the public eye, becoming a lawless place that would just exist for a good while. As the threat of the pirates rose over the years, the asteroid cluster that had been sitting just a small FTL jump from Millennium station was rediscovered and slowly turned into a hub for outlaws and the like. Several decades have passed, and Trashland has been discovered by the authorities, but none have dared to try and take action, knowing their laws don't apply to Trashland and the surrounding nebula.

Founding Date

Estimated to have been founded around galactic date 28000.00 (6 centuries ago) as a trash yard.

Alternative Name(s)

No Mans Paradise, Tortuga (derived from an old tale of unknown origin), Asteroid Cluster C-Type 495

Type

Orbital, Station

Inhabitant Demonym

Trashlanders