Log:Planetary Mining - An Investor's Guide

Type: Text Characters: Chapter: 10 Can be found: Found in the Executive Quarters. Transcript: CEC SHAREHOLDER PAMPHLET 202 - PLEASE DO NOT DISTRIBUTE WHAT IS PLANET CRACKING? Planet cracking is, quite literally, the dismantling of planets and moons on a macro-scale by dedicated vessels known as "planet crackers". Entire worlds are fractured with gravity tethers to reveal the rich seams of valuable minerals contained inside. These fractured pieces of debris are mined, processed, and then shipped to their destination. You may have read "environmentalist" reports claiming the destruction of a planet can destroy an entire solar system, due to the disruption in the gravitation forces that hold each celestial object in orbit. Some of the wilder reports claim this causes the whole system to spin out of control, or planets to smash into each other. We would direct concerned investors to the article "Safe and Sustainable: CEC's Pledge to the Health of Our Galaxy" for a detailed breakdown of the truths about planet cracking. The short answer is: planet cracking is perfectly safe and provides an essential service to Earth and the colonies. Out of over three dozen planet cracks, only one operation has met with less than optimal results. Critics often cite the Wanat Disaster 11 years ago wherein a planet cracker, three supply ships, and a colony were lost due to a gravity tether failure. They rarely mention that since that time, CEC has strengthened relationships with our manufacturers, committed to regular crew training seminars, and implemented safety protocols to ensure a disaster of that magnitude can never happen again. Before each planet crack, the candidate worlds are carefully chosen for their mineral content, net worth, and the safety with which they can be dismantled. Planet crackers are also invaluable for harvesting asteroids and rogue planetoids, which present a deadly risk to expensive infrastructure and installations. PLANET CRACKING: A DETAILED BREAKDOWN Planet cracking is a lengthy process typically spanning from three to five years. Generally, the first year is spent prospecting and setting up the planetside colony. To minimize losses, these colonies are intentionally a light outlay in terms of infrastructure. The next eighteen months involve tectonic excavation, gravity tether maintenance, and related planetside activities. The planet cracker arrives between the 2.5 and 3 year mark, depending on the progress of excavation. Once the ship is in orbit, preparation for tectonic chunk extraction begins. This takes approximately one week. The removal of an excavated chunk from the planet into a stabilized geosynchronous orbit usually takes about 1 day (24 standard hours). During this process, billions of tons of debris break off from the underside of the chunk, creating an instant asteroid ring around the planet. While the floating debris is extremely dangerous, planet cracker ships have an excellent Asteroid Defense System (ADS) to keep the ship and crew safe from harm. (For more information on our proprietary ADS technology, see accompanying literature.) This process is repeated until the entire planetary body has been broken up and processed. Smaller bodies, such as asteroids, are drawn into the mining bays and processed directly, using direct processing beams to reduce waste. As you can see, the profit margins of planet cracking vastly outweigh solely-planetside operations, which may not be profitable for decades or more, and represent massive outlays in terms of personnel, infrastructure, equipment, and insurance costs. ABOUT US CEC (Concordance Extraction Corporation) is the largest solar mining and extraction company in the Earth colonies, and the fifth largest interstellar company in terms of market capital. Since our founding, we have become a powerhouse of industrial might and a major cross-system employer. With a generous budget allocated to election spending, CEC has always been able to maintain a strong market position and secure political support, thanks to our dedicated lobbying bureau. CEC owns over 400 deep-space vehicles including five planet crackers, with the famous USG Ishimura as our flagship. CEC pioneereed the "scan and catch" technique which is now a staple of asteroid mining, and was the first to implement shockpoint drives for commercial use. We are the largest supplier of precious metals to commercial interests across inhabited space. We take your financial security and the well-being of our employees seriously. When you invest in CEC, you are investing in a future we can all believe in. CEC: POWERING HUMANITY INTO THE FUTURE