Job Type: Supply Staff
Congratulations on being accepted to one of the most important assignments on Maxwell #13's crew - that of an Asteroid Miner, responsible for working on the Mining Outpost reached by Mining Shuttle and located within an Asteroid Field near the Maxwell's position.
Your objective is simple: keep the outpost operational, mine ore and other goods from the asteroids, and transport anything interesting you find back to the Station for research and development. You also use ore mined from the asteroids to upgrade your equipment and maintain your outpost.
Access: Mining Outpost
Life within the Mining Outpost itself is somewhat cramped and unpleasant, as you are expected to spend most of your waking hours out on the asteroid fields, mining for ore. That said, the Mining Station specifically runs on a Plasma Furnace that burns Char Ore and certain other materials in order to generate power; you will have to keep it fueled in order to keep it running, and in return it will charge the Mining Outpost's primary battery. Remember to turn off lights, equipment, and life support when you are not using the power supply; this will charge the battery faster, and ensure that there is power remaining in the battery to do important things like open the blast doors when you return if the furnace has gone offline in your absence.
Responsibility: Harvest Asteroids
While you may want to visit the Station occasionally for medical treatment, relaxation, and direct requisitioning of supplies (unless your Quartermaster is arranging timely deliveries by Cargo Transporter), you will be expected to spend most of your time gathering materials that the rest of the Station can make use of – gemstones that the Quartermaster can sell at a profit, ores that are needed by Roboticists and Engineers to build replacement materials, etc. Keep the supply line running smoothly to the Station and your crew will love you, resulting in a higher probability of promotions in future assignments.
Now that you're an Asteroid Miner, it's time to go over some of the more interesting materials you'll be extracting during your stay aboard the Outpost.
| Material | Hardness | Type | Hazards | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asteroid Rock | 1 | Stone | None | Minimal | Asteroid rock is typically in the way of your plans to mine your way through asteroids, and typically has no real value (unless you enjoy pitching rocks at things.) However, it can be pulverized in the Ore Processor and converted into Asteroid Sand, which can then be processed into Glass. |
| Dense Rock | 2 | Stone | None | Minimal | This dense asteroid rock is harder to dig through, and may challenge your basic tools. It makes Dense Sand, which becomes Dense Glass. |
| Superdense Rock | 3 | Stone | None | Low | Superdense rock challenges most tools, but usually there's something worthwhile under the surface. Keep looking. Superdense Glass is used in some screening applications, as well as being used for exterior window paneling. |
| Hyperdense Rock | 4 | Stone | None | Moderate | This extremely dense asteroid rock resists most normal tools. Hyperdense asteroids are very likely to contain excellent ore deposits, though, and Hyperdense Glass is tougher than most ordinary metals. |
| Iron Ore | 1 | Metal | None | Moderate | Everyone needs metal to build more things, particularly station engineers - as such, while iron ore is common and not very valuable to sell, it is nevertheless eagerly taken when available. |
| Titanium Ore | 2 | Metal | None | Moderate | Titanium is a vital component for building sturdy frameworks, improved tools, and reinforced structures. Don't leave the asteroid without it. |
| Aluminum Ore | 1 | Metal | None | Moderate | This lightweight metal is useful for building tools and machinery. You'll find this highly desired. |
| Uranium Ore | 2 | Metal | Radiation | Moderate | Nuclear batteries run on uranium ore, which is radioactive (as if you didn't know.) This is important for making long-lasting power supplies, but doesn't meet modern space needs for very large structures. |
| Silver Ore | 1 | Metal | None | High | Aside from its value as a precious metal, silver is useful in various electronics tasks. |
| Gold Ore | 1 | Metal | None | Very High | Gold is a time-tested precious metal and is incredibly useful as a conductor of electricity and a research tool. |
| Dithallium Ore | 3 | Metal | Radioactive, Toxic | Very High | Dithallium is a thallium composite used to manufacture variable-temperature superconductive equipment and components vital for space travel and exploration, and is very toxic (and moderately radioactive) if not properly handled. It is used to manufacture high-grade tools and equipment, and is the core component in hypermagnetic power storage systems. |
| Quartz Ore | 2 | Stone | None | Moderate | Quartz is a beautiful stone that has many industrial uses, from timing circuits to UV-transparent light fixtures, and as such is often on call. |
| Coal Ore | 0 | Stone | None | Low | Solidified, highly compressed carbon fuel, used in plasma furnaces as a reasonably cheap way of keeping the engine running properly. Low value, and seldom called upon unless there is a strong need for combustible fuel on the station. |
| Densified Ore | +1 to +3 | As ore | As ore | As ore | These pockets of condensed ore are much harder to dig through, but produce much more ore than usual, and the rock aftermath produced is of the appropriate level of densified rock. |
| Magnium Ore | 3 | Metal | None | High | This ore is very useful for constructing electromagnetic capacitors, as it can sustain a charge indefinitely. |
| Tetranilium Ore | 1 | Stone | None | Moderate | This ore is useful in industrial purposes as an explosive for purposes of mining and low-level weaponry. |
| Fluxite Ore | 2 | Metal | Toxic | Moderate | This ore is toxic to handle in its natural state, but combines with iron or titanium to form a superstrong alloy (fluxiron and fluxitanium). It is also a useful tool in scientific research. |
| Ronkite Ore | 3 | Stone | Extremely volatile | High | This ore is prone to explode if subjected to sufficient heat or explosives, and is incredibly dangerous. Naturally, scientists love using it to build bombs. |
| Entradium Ore | 2 | Metal | Mildly Toxic | Very High | Entradium ore is valued highly by scientists for its unique property of actively absorbing and negating environmental radiation. However, it is mildly unsafe to handle directly as this causes unpleasant sensations to skin. This doesn't prevent it from being insulated and incorporated into radiation-proof suits, paneling, and similar equipment. |
| Cyrenate Ore | 1 | Stone | None | Low | Cyrenate ore is a stabilized solid mass of electrically inert material that is noncombustible and can be used as insulating material for wiring, machinery, etc, and is often used as a local substitute for plastics otherwise necessary for insulating wires, making plastic materials such as plates and forks, etc. |
| Neutronium Ore | 5 | Metal | None | Very High | This ore is extremely dense and massive, and almost impossible to work with. On the other hand, it's the strongest natural ore known to science, and items made from it are practically indestructible. |
| Plasma Ore | 3 | Gemstone | Volatile | Very High | Plasma Ore is the substance you're here to extract - hypercompressed plasma gas that has solidified into a reasonably stable solid material, vital for modern power plants, scientific research, generation of plasma gas, etc. However, plasma ore is extremely volatile and explosions can destroy an entire asteroid if sufficient ore is present – so mine carefully! |
| HyperPlasma Ore | 6 | Gemstone | Volatile | Extremely High | Hyperdense Plasma Ore is an extremely rare variant of plasma ore, compressed to the point that it is reasonably safe to handle under normal circumstances. It is used as the core of a HyperPlasma Power Plant. While stable in most environments, exposure to extremes of heat and pressure can destabilize it to the point where it becomes volatile - and if it explodes, it will explode BIG. |
| Diamond Ore | 2 | Gemstone | None | High | Diamonds are a girl's best friend, and practically everyone else's, too. They have many applications in scientific research, machinery, weaponry, tools, and equipment. And, of course, they're also worth money. They are often found in dense rock formations, particularly those that also contain Coal Ore. |
| Ferrine Ore | 3 | Gemstone | None | High | Ferrine is a sturdy crystalline material that is used to make radiation-proofed glass, and is commonly found in deposits of Magnium, Tetranilium, and Fluxite. |
| Quantium Ore | 4 | Gemstone | None | Extremely High | This substance is extremely rare and highly valued as a vital component in teleportation technology due to its resistance to quantum fluctuations and subspace rippling. Processed quantium ore forms quantium crystals that are valuable to any scientist. They occasionally turn up in the midst of dithallium, ronkite, or tetranilium ore. |
| Vyrxite Ore | 2 | Gemstone | None | High | Vyrxite comes in a variety of colors, and is valued for its beauty. It is occasionally used in laser technology as a beam focusing device, but is more commonly seen on jewelry. |
| Zorbica Ore | 3 | Gemstone | Radioactive | Low | This highly radioactive ore is dangerous to handle, and more so when exposed to electricity - it transmutes energy into radiation, meaning that installing it on a power line will drain the power from the line (and also make the surrounding area very unpleasant.) |
Note the Hardness rating listed above; equipment of a Quality level matching the Hardness in question can be harvested in a normal amount of time. Each Quality level higher halves time spent; each Quality level lower multiplies time spent by a factor of ten (and charges required by a power of 10, for charged objects) and increases the likelihood of tool failure, if any.
| Tool | Type | Quality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pickaxe | Digging | 1 | An ordinary iron pickaxe. Nothing too impressive. |
| Jackhammer | Digging | 1 | Not exactly a subtle tool, but much less tiring to use. Capable of 30 normal uses before running out of power. |
| Titanium Pickaxe | Digging | 2 | A titanium pickaxe, capable of smashing up bigger rocks better. |
| Diamond Drill | Digging | 2 | A low-effort drill platform for boring into rock easily and reasonably efficiently. Capable of 20 normal uses per charge. Drill bits frequently need replacing. |
| Laser Drill | Digging | 3 | Uses a tightly focused laser beam to cut into matter; safe for use in excavating volatile materials. Capable of 30 uses before running out of power. |
| Sonic Jackhammer | Digging | 4 | Uses sonic waves in a tight beam to directly break rock surface. Capable of 20 normal uses before running out of power. |
| Plasma Cutter | Digging | 5 | Uses a jet of ignited plasma gas to burn directly through lesser rock. Uses Plasma Fuel for 10 uses on a full tank. |
| Neutronium Pickaxe | Digging | 5 | A neutronium pickaxe that can break almost any rock, but is exhausting to use. |
| Shovel | Excavating | 1 | An ordinary iron shovel, for removing broken materials. |
| Titanium Shovel | Excavating | 2 | A somewhat better shovel made of titanium, just in case you need a bit of extra strength. |
| Contragrav Lifter | Excavating | 6 | The ultimate in mass relocation technology, a contragrav lifter makes extracting ore from a well-dug region child's play, and is vital for moving items you don't want to touch. Moves everything in a square one step away, ten times per charge. |
| Powered Excavator | Multifunction | N/A | Operates autonomously and slowly, but safely - can even extract HyperPlasma Ore given enough time. Doesn't break, but does require recharging, recovery of extracted ore. Upgrades improve digging quality, excavation speed, mobility, etc. |
| Small Mining Charge | Explosion | N/A | An explosive that can shatter most areas open; be warned that it may also trigger volatiles in range. 6 square range. |
| Medium Mining Charge | Explosion | N/A | An explosive that can blast large areas open. 10 square range. |
| Large Mining Charge | Explosion | N/A | The largest non-plasma bomb available, with a range of 15 squares. |
| Ore Satchel | Container | 1 | Contains up to 20 units of ore. |
| Ore Pack | Container | 2 | Contains up to 40 units of ore. |
| Ore Hypervault | Container | 3 | Contains up to 100 units of ore. |
| Dustbin | Container | 1 | Contains up to 100 units of Sand or Dust. |
| Hyperdustbin | Container | 2 | Contains up to 500 units of Sand or Dust. |
Ore Processors process a batch of up to 100 units of ore into a refined material. The time taken depends on the type of ore (and, of course, how much you put in there); bear this in mind when lining up processing projects. All projects require a ten second warmup time in addition to total times generated (for machinery to heat up, spin up, etc.)
| Material | Time Per Unit | Produces | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asteroid Rock | 3 seconds | Asteroid Sand | Asteroid Sand must be reprocessed in order to make Glass. |
| Dense Rock | 5 seconds | Dense Sand | Dense Sand must be reprocessed in order to make Dense Glass. |
| Superdense Rock | 10 seconds | Superdense Sand | Superdense Sand must be reprocessed in order to make Superdense Glass. |
| Hyperdense Rock | 15 seconds | Hyperdense Sand | Hyperdense Sand must be reprocessed in order to make Hyperdense Glass. |
| Asteroid Sand | 3 seconds | Glass | Useful for basic windows. |
| Dense Sand | 3 seconds | Dense Glass | Useful for thick windows. |
| Superdense Sand | 3 seconds | Superdense Glass | Useful for exterior windows. |
| Hyperdense Sand | 3 seconds | Hyperdense Glass | Useful to replace any window. |
| Iron Ore | 1 second | Iron Panel | Useful to repair walls or floors. |
| Titanium Ore | 2 seconds | Titanium Panel | Useful for stronger structures and exterior hull plating. |
| Aluminum Ore | 1 second | Aluminum Panel | Commonly used in lightweight . |
| Uranium Ore | 4 seconds | Uranium Rod | Used in uranium plants and certain other structures. |
| Silver Ore | 1 second | Silver Bar | Valuable and practical. |
| Gold Ore | 1 second | Gold Bar | Valuable and useful. |
| Dithallium Ore | 5 seconds | Dithallium Bar | Useful for making power systems and electronics. |
| Quartz Ore | 3 seconds | Quartz Sheet | Used in electronics and scientific research. |
| Coal Ore | 1 second | Coal Dust | Burns more rapidly and generates more heat than raw coal ore, if you feel like going to the trouble. |
| Magnium Ore | 3 seconds | Magnium Bar | Used in electromagnetic capacitors. |
| Tetranilium Ore | 3 seconds | Tetranilium Bar | A powerful explosive when fitted with a detonator. |
| Fluxite Ore | 2 seconds | Fluxite Bar | Can be combined with iron or titanium in fabricators to make fluxiron and fluxanium, which are stronger alloy metals. Sometimes used in research. |
| Ronkite Ore | 6 seconds | Ronkite Bar | Used in scientific experiments and for certain high-grade explosives. Handle with care. |
| Entradium Ore | 3 seconds | Entradium Bar | Used to make radiation-proof equipment. |
| Cyrenate Ore | 2 seconds | Cyrenate Bar | Used as a substitute for plastics and an insulatory material. |
| Neutronium Ore | 15 seconds | Neutronium Bar | Difficult to process; the best metal material available. |
| Plasma Ore | 5 seconds | Plasma Core | Used in scientific research and power generation. |
| HyperPlasma Ore | 30 seconds | HyperPlasma Core | Used in scientific research and power generation. |
| Diamond Ore | 3 seconds | Diamond Sheet | Used in all sorts of research and development, and valuable. |
| Ferrine Ore | 4 seconds | Ferrine Sheet | Used to make radiation-proofed glass. |
| Quantium Ore | 10 seconds | Quantium Core | Used in teleportation equipment and for scientific research. |
| Vyrxite Ore | 2 seconds | Vyrxite Crystal | Pretty, and useful in certain scientific applications. |
| Zorbica Ore | 10 seconds | Zorbica Core | Used in radiation emitters for scientific research, and power sinks. |
The Ore Processors require power to function, so always be certain that you have the power turned on before attempting to operate them.