Kruger Minerals

**ALLIES:**

Rheinland Police, Rheinland Military, ALG

**ENEMIES:**

Gas Miners Guild, Red Hessians, Bundschuh, Criminals

Kruger Minerals works in partnership with ALG Waste Disposal to mine the valuable resources within Rheinland and its neighboring territories.

## Rumors

* We acquiesced to ALG's request to supply them with metals mined from this system because we are trying to foster a friendship between the two companies. Since the 80-Years War, Kruger has been struggling to stay afloat. A merger between Kruger and ALG would put us back on top.

* Our miners hunt for and extract Silver from the asteroids in this field. Once that is done, Kruger ships it to New Berlin where it is loaded onto long distance transports bound for Liberty and Kusari.

* I'm glad that Daumann has established a base in this system. For a while we were the ones getting hit the hardest by the Red Hessians and the Corsairs. Now they have to split their time between the two of us and the Trade Lanes.

* I know some of the attacks on this base come from pilots hired by Daumann; that's just how they operate. I don't need any proof. In response, Kruger has hired our own pilots to attack the Daumann base and its shipments.

* At first we did not wish to construct operations in this system; we knew it was filled with all manner of dangerous criminals. Yet ALG requested that we do so. The lazy fools at Freistadt were not supplying them with enough ore. ALG needed efficient and diligent workers to get the job done.

* All the supplies at this facility are supplied to us from Freiburg. Not just the basics, but everything including Mining Machinery. We will not stoop to purchase our goods from the IMG at Freistadt; it would only encourage them.

* I'm beginning to believe that the IMGers know how to run a mining operation better than we do. Certainly we mine more than they do, and more efficiently, but they don't lose dozens of men per year to Red Hessian attacks.

* One of the pilots that we hired to attack Daumann … there's something about the way he flies. It seems familiar to me -- just like the way a raider flew that attacked this base a few weeks ago. Must be coincidence.

* The outer ring of the Von Rohe Belt is littered with wrecks, I imagine an industrious mind could probably salvage some decent gear from the ones east from the mining field. In the past that's where the Hessians would fight against our hired guns, Bounty Hunters mostly. Of course, anyone who tried would no doubt get attacked as well.

* Don't mind the station staff, a lot of them aren't too fond of the idea of going up against the Red Hessians again. That said those low lives aren't anywhere near as special as their reputation makes them out to be, I took out several just the other day in the Valjala Lava Field. It was odd to be honest, if I didn't know any better, I would've said they were greenhorns going through training drills.

* Kruger has an experimental H-Fuel center in Mannheim, Frankfurt. I don't know why we bother to continue the operation. Only the government subsidy keeps our price competitive with Kusari and GMG gas from the Crow Nebula.

* It's nice to be in a civilized city again. Our ship just came in from Omega-7 with a load of Silver. The Hessians love the thick clouds of the Walker. Once you enter open space in Stuttgart, it gets better. Then there's another difficult stretch passing the Saarfeld in this system -- a notorious area for Hessian pirates.

* This has been Kruger's headquarters since early in the second century. We are a proud family company that helped build the industrial might of Rheinland. Kruger still produces the finest Mining Machinery in the Sirius sector, utilizing our cheap supply of Diamonds from the Dresden system.

* Our operations in Dresden and Omega-7 have been plagued by the Red Hessians in recent times. We never mistreated our workers as Daumann has. Yet many of our laid-off workers that joined the Hessians soon felt that way. We are always in the shadow of Daumann -- paying for their mistakes, or watching them profit from ours.

* Kruger's management felt that we had no choice but to expand into the Crow Nebula. Daumann had blocked our expansion plans in Dresden, and Berlin was exhausted. We felt that there was enough gas for everyone in Sigma-13, but that viewpoint was obviously not shared by the GMG.

* Kruger has seen better days. We've been forced to lay off many of our workers in recent times. Our company incurred vast debts at the beginning of the Eighty-Years War when we lost more than half our mining fleet to the GMG. We've never recovered from that dark period.

* Daumann lies at the heart of Rheinland's problems. They have paid for many a Rheinland government functionary's palatial residence in the countryside of Stuttgart over the centuries. At the same time, their merciless treatment of workers in Leipzig led directly to the Popular Revolution and all the unrest that followed. You can thank them for the rise of the Red Hessians.

* The Aachenfeld was Kruger's primary mining area for centuries. When it was exhausted, we were forced to expand our exploration efforts into Omega-7. We have a profitable Silver mine in operation there now. We also own a synthetic H-Fuel-extraction facility in the Frankfurt system.

* Kruger could once compete with Daumann, but they are now much larger and more diversified. We still hold a commanding lead in Mining Machinery, and hold key deposits of Diamonds and Silver. But that is not enough. Kruger Minerals will eventually be crushed by the Daumann goliath if radical steps are not taken soon.

* Our H-Fuel-extraction operation in Mannheim is totally dependent on government subsidies for its survival. It has not been profitable since the end of the war, 120 years ago. Once Berlin can no longer support it, the last vestige of that sad chapter in Rheinland history will be gone.

* Kruger has booked the entire eastern mud bath wing of this facility to host our "We're Pals with ALG, Appreciation Bash!" Five lucky Rheinland families will be chosen from the Kruger products and services mailing list at random to spend a week with the top ALG and Kruger executives. They will be able to soak in mud and give us their views on Rheinland corporate power.

* While I'm here, I'm going to try and enjoy myself. But my miserable wife is eating every Luxury Food in sight. I keep telling her that this resort is not all-inclusive, I cannot put this all on my expense account -- ach, I must not think of these things...relax, relax. I hate that fat cow.

* From Essen, we bring Mining Machinery to this base, where it will be used in operations throughout the Rheinland-occupied Border Worlds.

* Our convoy pilots brave the Hessians and the Corsairs, making sure that the employees at Elbich receive all the necessary supplies to keep operations running smoothly.

* Kruger produces H-Fuel at this station and ships it to Essen. In return, they supply us with the Mining Machinery that keeps our operation going. Even without the Border Worlds, Kruger manages to get H-Fuel for Rheinland.

* Kruger lost most of her capital in the Border World gas mining venture. When that failed utterly, our proud company lost all of her clout. Now, Kruger's only real chance for survival is merging with ALG. It is really the only way left for us.

* Rheinland did not recognize any political sovereignty of the GMG; they were a band of miners, or so it seemed. What we did not realize at the time was that they were a close-knit organization with political clout in Kusari and underworld connections. Only after Rheinland and Kruger had fully committed to the action did we realize the extent of their power and backing.

* The vermin who call themselves the GMG dealt the first blow in the conflict that would erupt into the Eighty-Years War. The Kruger survey vessel Helle Wolke went missing. When we sent ships after her, we found the GMG in the vicinity of the wreckage. The GMG could not explain what had happened, but claimed to be investigating themselves.

* After the Helle Wolke Incident, we knew that the GMG was a treacherous group. As we pushed into the Border Worlds, small skirmishes flared between Kruger and the Guild. When Empress Leicht annexed the Border Worlds, the real war began.

* The amount of H-Fuel we are able to squeeze from the gases in this system is minimal. Nevertheless, the operation is good for PR. It lets the Rheinland people know that we haven't given up.

* Once Station Richtofen was destroyed, we knew that we had lost the war -- and much worse: Kruger had lost the Border Worlds to the GMG. It was a dark day for Rheinland and for Kruger. Maybe one day Rheinland will rise again.

* Station Mannheim produces H-Fuel and also mines Oxygen and Water. These three basic goods are shipped to New Berlin. Then we deliver Food back here.

*NOTE: Page generated on the 28/10/2023 at 17:59:49 UTC*