**Gates:** 2 — Iota–Rin, Iota–Brekk.
Gates: 2 — Iota–Rin, Iota–Brekk.
Planets: Amerath (guild garden planet), Indri (manufacturing planet), Lithios (ice planet, hosts a Yaru creche).
Major Ports: Reeves (Indri), Solitude Colony (Lithios), Rost (Amerath, Guild), Station CM-5 (Starsmith Yards).
The planets in Iota orbit a pair of stars — a yellow sun (Iota-1) and a brown dwarf (Iota-2). By the time the Hegemony arrived, there were two asteroid belts, one of which still has a large portion of a shattered planet remaining in its midst. The Guilds didn't look a gift horse in the mouth — they set up the Iota Shipyards, which service many ships in the sector using metals from the belts.
Shipyards — While the primary yard is run by Starsmiths, many smaller, licensed hubs work on repairs and ship refits. These stations are full of bored spacers looking for any distraction from the wait. Starsmiths sometimes hire foolhardy pilots for prototype tests.
Belt of Fire — The region of superheated plasma currents between the Iota binary stars. Spacers spin yarns about the Old Dragon — a vast space creature living there. While the name is whimsical, the Hegemony issued a Quarantine order for the area after several ships disappeared.
Way Line — The Iota gates produce a region between them where engines have more thrust, akin to "winds" of a planet. The path is hard to find and switches direction. Pilots in the know use this to gain an advantage on rush deliveries (or daring escapes).
ZX-1138 — A long-period comet has recently diverged from its course, moving much closer to Indri. Reasons for the course change are unclear, but locals have requested the Governor investigate. Mystics claim this has shifted the system Way lines, making the Way sometimes act unpredictably.