The mineral mining vessel is a capital ship in Tachyon: The Fringe.
Overview[]
Background[]
The mineral mining vessel is a ship that mines ore from asteroids. Once the vessel is in range, it deploys drones[1] to lase the ore free and transport it back to the mining vessel's cargo holds. Once full, the vessel hauls the material to an orbital station for refinement.
These ships are expensive,[2] so destroying one deals a serious blow to a mining company's resources. This is why Core Mining Industries launched a surprise attack on an AGT mining vessel in 2509, despite knowing that being reprimanded by Star Patrol was nearly a guarantee whether the attack was successful.
Because mining vessels operate in the industrial areas of sectors, they are not commonly seen along normal traffic routes, if at all. They appear even more rarely in the Fringe, where space mining companies must take the defense of their fleet into their own hands as Star Patrol backup is increasingly nonexistent the further one gets from Sol space.
Design[]
The mineral mining vessel is small for a capital ship, and a majority of the ship is a narrow rod that runs the length of the body. The rod ends in a tri-thruster engine. When the ship is in use, large containers can be equipped on the rod to stow ore, and these containers are secured in place by braces.
This ship has durable shields and hull. However, it has no turret defenses, so it needs a fighter escort to protect it from assailants.
The ship has two subsystems near the head of the ship. The shield generator is located on the inside of the port-side cargo brace. The powerplant is located on the inside of the starboard-side brace.
Notable appearances[]
- A mineral mining vessel, the Burkhart 4192, appears in the contract Escort Mining Vessel.
Trivia[]
- The mineral mining vessel is the smallest capital ship in the game.
- The ship recognition chart shows the mining vessel with cargo containers missing from ship.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ The mining vessel Burkhart 4192 releases these after announcing that it will begin mining operations in the contract Escort Mining Vessel. This only occurs once all Darts in Ganymede Sector have been destroyed and the Burkhart comes to a stop.
- ↑ Randolph Pratt mentions this in the pre-mission briefing of the contract Escort Mining Vessel.