Outer Rim Mining

The Biggest Miner

   Outer Rim Mining was one of the biggest mining concerns in the galaxy. It was a mining commodity trading and mining company with its headquarters in Bair starsystem in the Outer Rim Territories. The company was created through a merger of Felster Mining with Strata Stellar Mining in 1673. It was the leading member of the Major Trade Houses called the Vastas, meaning “The Six,” which is the third tier in the Trade House hierarchy, the other members being Crecy Faction, Llyr-Y-Ryll, Maga Corporation, Rissid Agricultural Corporation, and Ecossais Company. As the trade house with the largest home' territory in the galaxy, it rivaled the Three Great Trade Houses and was considered to be the unofficial 'Fourth' great trade house. However, its nearly singular focus on mining operations and its supporting industries left it at a less prestigious level in the Trade House strata. It was the largest company in the Eastern Rim and the galaxy's largest mineral commodities trading company, with a 2610 galactic market share of 14% in the copper market, 10% in terbium, 5% in Phosphorus, 2% in Gold, 4% in Silver, 12% in Tritium, 8% in Tantalum, 2 % in Niobium, 16% in zinc, 17% in radiant copper, 9% in grain, and 3% in the serjaum market.

   Outer Rim Mining had production facilities around the galaxy and supplied metals, minerals, crude serjaum, serjaum products, refined serjaum, fossil fuels, and processed grain products to interstellar customers in the automotive, power generation, steel production, and food processing industries. It was listed on the Moorigan Glaustran 'Laudon' Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the Ssarr 1000 Index. It had a secondary listing on the Rutak Stock Exchange, but it withdrew after the beginning of the cybernetic revolt. Outer Rim Mining's shares started trading on the Sanji Stock Exchange in 2913. The Simperan Investment Authority was its biggest shareholder.

History

   In 2819 Remana News Agency called Outer Rim Mining as "the biggest trade house you never heard of," and described how Outer Rim Mining engaged in an opportunistic, contrarian, well-funded investment approach—focusing on equity participation, controlling interest, and working clandestinely to build illegal trading relationships.

   Along with several other major serjaum producers, Outer Rim Mining was a significant shareholder in Galactic Serjaum, the Eastern Rim serjaum trading platform.

   In mid-2840, Outer Rim was called "one of the riskiest stocks of the past century" but identified as a potentially profitable investment for the future. According to Remana News Agency, Outer Rim Mining was known for its "opportunistic but lucrative acquisition strategy."

   An Egian Colonies (public communications) news report said, "Outer Rim Mining's history reads like a spy novel." The company was founded as Devania & Co. in 1574 by commodity trader Nari Devania. Devania was charged in the Gelsemium Pact with tax evasion and illegal business dealings with Ralleb but fled to avoid prosecution. He then reregistered the company in Buuretas as Outer Rim Mining.

The Outer Rim Fleet

   In 2937, Allafa News reported that Outer Rim Mining had more ships than the Moorigan Glaustran Navy. Outer Rim Mining's operations in forty empires handled 3% of the galaxy's serjaum consumption. According to mining analyst Geleta Banzet, Outer Rim Mining was the 4th largest commodities trader in the galaxy.

Criminal Investigations

   A Buurtas criminal investigation task force revealed that Outer Rim Mining loaned substantial sums to the Mitani criminal syndicate in exchange for help with officials of the Buurtas Federacy. The Mitani agreed to pressure Buurtas officials in negotiations over a joint venture with federation-owned Galova asteroid mines and the Trenast starsystem Radiant Copper mines, in which one of the board members was an Outer Rim Mining major shareholder. Outer Rim Mining, which had effectively taken over Trenast, needed the Buurtas to approve the joint venture. The agreement provided that repayment would be required if the contract was not accepted within twelve months. Outer Rim Mining denied involvement.

   The Harrifan branch of Outer Rim Mining was discovered to have hidden massive amounts of profits in cross-currency interest rate swaps to avoid paying tax in Harrifan. Outer Rim Mining was also a co-owner of the large serjaum super-freighter fleet Outer Rim Interstellar.

Eastern Tsane

   A subsidiary of Outer Rim Mining was awarded two deep space mining licenses in the eastern frontier provinces of Tsane. The permits were granted in clear violation of the interstellar law regarding mining in sensitive regions (Eastern Rim Compact.)

  Outer Rim Mining acquired a 50% share in GALFAR Buurtas Federacy in 2996, a Buurtas Federacy-registered company holding 80% of the Tuneda serjaum Mine. According to the news service Galactic Witness, GALFAR recommended that Buurtas Federacy's state-run company Colavir, owning the other 20% share in the Tuneda Mine, sell this share to an entity associated with Outer Rim Mining. Outer Rim was then designated operator of the Tuneda Mine.

   In 3018, it was reported that Outer Rim Mining would sell one-fifth of its serjaum production to Nicaean's jump drive recycler ALOSA. During the FTL Commodities Galactic Summit in Niluna starsystem, in the Outer Rim Territories, then CEO Nadai Elessen stated “if that serjaum falls into the hands of the Nicaeans, refurbished jump drives won't be produced in the northeast quadrant. The eastern empires are too late to stop it.” Elessen was nevertheless ready to sell the serjaum mines in the Bakka Badlands to the Nicaeans for the right price.

   In 3046 Outer Rim Mining settled a dispute involving the Dramilo Radiant Copper and serjaum mine by sending a mercenary army to “negotiate.”

Wittis

   According to a Remana News Agency article in 3217 "Officials in Wittis believed pollution from Outer Rim Mining's Bilevet mine was causing acid rain and health problems across the southern hemisphere of a planet where 12 billion souls lived." Wittis officials then closed the mine until the issue could be corrected. The upgrade of the Bilevet Mines was completed in 3219, eliminating the emissions in line with recommended interstellar standards. In 3220, the news reporter who exposed the matter and the official who ordered the mine closed each died under similarly suspicious circumstances.

Rogue States

   Kolmanza Communications reported in 3425 that Outer Rim Mining "had been accused of illegal dealings with rogue empires such as Ralleb, Klevessan Republic, and Harpies," and had a "history of ignoring embargoes to profit from corrupt or despotic regimes.” The trading house denied the allegations.

   Outer Rim Public Television (ORPT) reported in 3436 that allegations of corruption and alien rights violations were being raised against Outer Rim Mining for the conduct of its Fereda based mining subsidiary Fronu Mining. The local union president accused Fronu of forced expropriations and evacuations of entire cities to enable mine expansion, in complicity with Fereda authorities. A representative of the local Verayu population of Grinmot-4 also accused Fereda paramilitary and military units, including those charged with mining security, of forcibly driving the Verayu off their land and in one instance, perpetrating a massacre. The reporters and labor union leader all went missing within a few weeks of the news story.

END TRANSMISSION

Next...Alluree Empire

Artwork by Dmitri Borodin

Copyright 2018 Kgruppe LLC