Stein

Stein, also known as Stein 2051 and occasionally called "Maxwell's Star" by Maxicorp personnel, is a binary system composed of a red dwarf and a degenerated white dwarf. It is a main portal system, part of the Republic Sector of the hyperspace map, located between Kapteyn's Star and Epsilon Eridani, and it was the home system of Maxicorp until the company and its assets were forcefully nationalized in 2156 by the Earth Republic. During the Second Praezorian War (See Praezorian Wars), after the fall of Epsilon Eridani, Stein became the main front of the battle between the Praezorians and the Star Navy for three months, but never fell under Praezorian control.

Stein was purchased from the Earth Republic by Maxicorp in February of 2129 for an undisclosed amount. Stein A and B are both hosts to several small, rocky planets and gas giants with multiple moons, as well as swarms of asteroids rich in rare earths and metals, much of which Maxicorp shamelessly and extensively mined and exploited for raw materials. The system is particularly rich in palladium, which is integral to shipbuilding, a feature that made Maxicorp exceptionally rich. The system is full of Maxicorp facilities--on asteroids, satellites, orbital bases, moons, and littered around small rocky planets. Many are dug deep into the ground and consist of living quarters for corporate citizens, secret labs, special manufacturing centers with various gravitational and atmospheric conditions, and holding warehouses for raw materials and supplies. The system is rich with defensive satellites, all in addition to Maxicorp's main headquarters facility, Alastor Shipyard, in orbit around the system's hyperspace portal.

During Maxicorp's corporate lifetime, most of its facilities were impenetrable to basic Star Navy scanning technology and their purposes remained opaque; since the nationalization and acquisition of the Stein system, the Star Navy has been exploring, inventorying, and bringing the company's assets under the Earth Republic's control.

## MCMs

In order to exploit Stein's asteroids, Maxicorp employs mining modules known as MCMs. There are five main Maxicorp mining operations in the Stein system which act as its population centers. The mining modules are named Plutus, Proserpine, Megaron, Ceres and Orpheus. All five are in the asteroid field which surrounds the red dwarf Stein A. Mining Colony Modules (MCMs) are self-contained units equipped with a stellar drive and reactor, all designed to attach to an asteroid for extraction operations. Each MCM has living space for 750 people, along with mining equipment, food and water storage, and a waste recycling facility. MCMs have eight claw anchors, which are sunk deep into the surface of an asteroid in order to secure the facility during extraction. When the rocky body's resources are exhausted, the MCM retracts its anchors and moves on to the next asteroid on its survey list.

Plutus and Megaron are on the far side of Stein A, while Proserpine is nearest the system's hyperspace portals. Alastor Shipyard, Ceres and Orpheus are on the same side of the system as Proserpine. The shipyard is closest to Proserpine, with Ceres to the east and Orpheus to the west.

Levels of an MCM:

Upper level (Recreation/Administrative area): This area has restaurants, bars, cafes, shops, entertainment venues, administrative offices, living quarters for administrative staff, and polished marble courtyards with carpeted lounging areas, live plants and fountains. It resembles a gigantic, upscale, indoor mall. Storage zones for food and other necessities are concealed here from lay eyes.

Middle level: Typical miner living quarters are not spacious, but they are full of architectural details that make them seem larger. High domed ceilings and fake high windows bathed in artificial sunlight give the illusion of space. The number of rooms in each living quarters varies and are assigned according to family size. Mazes of wide corridors run outside the living quarters, and though they are decorated with artwork and sitting areas with boxy chairs and tables, they feel corporate, canned, sterile and bland.

Lower level (Reactor and stellar drive control unit): A circular corridor runs around the outside of the room which contains both the reactor and stellar drive control unit. There are four entrances to the circular room within, which can only be accessed by a person with a high Maxicorp security rating. The doors and the wall between the corridor and the reactor/stellar drive control unit are two feet thick.

Bottom level: The mines are much like one would expect--endless tunnels bored through solid rock--but there are pressure doors at every tunnel intersection, are there to protect the miners in case of accidental depressurization. The mines would be airless and extremely cold if hot air were not pumped constantly into the tunnels from conditioner units. Even with the constant flow of heated air, it is still cold (around 40 degrees) in the mines. Miners wear specialized EV suits to protect themselves from the bitter cold. Fully charged, these suits can provide up to sixteen hours of total life support. There is a locker area with showers and racks for storing EV suits just outside the entrance to the mines. There is a large display screen in the locker area which shows a map of the mines and several tunnel sections outlined in red, as well as an area for the storage and repair of mining machines and mining robots just inside the entrance to the mines. The pressure door to the mines is larger and thicker than all of the other doors. Two red flashing lights labeled “NO ADMITTANCE” are lit. Signs with safety regulations and slogans line the corridor leading to the mine.

Mining equipment: Minerals are usually extracted with high-powered, diamond-tipped saws. These machines are enormous, but they can be operated by a single person or robot. The saws cut out large chunks of rock, which are then collected by multi-armed robots attached to large, wheeled bins. These chunks of rock are taken to the crusher machines, which reduce the boulders to powder which is heated to burn off impurities.