Mining
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The major mining concerns of Tirem revolve around bulk nickel mining and
refining.  Massive 300,000 to 1,000,000 ton motherships slowly devour the
smaller asteroids, with the miners looking like so many hyperactive ants
as they devour the asteroid.  When that asteroid is finally emptied of
valuable metals, the ship slowly coasts off to new pastures.

The motherships slowly tow their cargo to the starport on CorkRock, and
as they do so, the interior of the ship is consummed with the task of
refining the nickel ore into useful bulk blocks.  After a journey that can
take several months, the mothership arrives at CorkRock, where enormous
Regency bulk carriers load on the blocks, to be taken to industrial and
high-pop systems throughout the rimward Marches.

Almost all of these motherships are themselves hollowed-out asteroids,
which rely on dangerous fusion rockets for transportation for themselves
and their cargo (which can outmass the ship 20:1!) The folk on there are
among the poorest folk of the Regency above TL 10, living short, dangerous
lives: very few has ever known of any place other than their ship's,
CorkRock (which is viewed as a temporary haven), and the Outer Rocks.
The wealth of Glisten is only a week away via jumpspace, but as distant
as Capital in it's effect on the lives of the people here.