26. Beleaguered mine

This nickel-rich asteroid is a typical mine; claimed by a small company and rapidly being gutted by swarms of machines and workers. Relative remoteness puts the operation at risk, raiders and pirates are a constant threat.


Type: Mine

Function: Mine 

Power source: Various 

Gravity: None

Size: 2 km 

Affiliation: Corporate

Population: Thousands of miners

Sells: Nothing 

Buys: Protection 


As many other exploited asteroids, this one is perforated with tunnels, the interior fully exposed to vacuum. Machinery for smelting and refinement covers a large amount of the surface and the tunnels are buzzing with robots, miners in heavy-duty suits, huge drill rigs and transport drones carrying containers of raw ore to the outside.


The foreman wishes to cut costs by ending the contract with an expensive protection firm, instead hiring private actors such as the PCs for patrolling and escort of the ore freighters that arrive and depart the site once in six standard hours. The PCs are offered a barely acceptable salary for each day on patrol, and a fair sum for proof of every destroyed raider ship.


Other than four currently patrolling security vessels (light corvettes with rail guns and machine guns), the mine is protected by heavy turrets barely covering the angular volume around the asteroid.


If the PCs assume guard duty, there is a 1-in-6 chance that a pirate vessel will attempt to assault a departing freighter a few hundred kilometres away from the site. They will be visible early on long range sensors, aiming to cripple any resistance with torpedoes before closing in. 

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