Jupiter Mining Corporation

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Jupiter Mining Corporation
JMC logo.png
Logo of the Jupiter Mining Corporation
TypePrivate
FoundedNovember 1, 2008(2008-11-01)
HeadquartersStarbug 1
Number of locations2 hangers (2015)
Area servedSolar System
Key peopleJeph Antilles
Myk-El Miller
Nene Romanova
R2-G0
ServicesFreight and cargo shipping
Ice mining
Employees"several dozen" in 2014, "several hundred" in FenSpace Infinities


History

Technically formed October 14, 2008 when Jeph Antilles, Myk-El Miller, Nene Romanova and R2-G0 had a long, sit down discussion among themselves upon realizing that they needed to have something to do, or go stark raving mad. Jeph had already planned on running small cargo between the various places that were certain to crop up, Myk being an extra mouth that he'd not counted on made it an absolute certainty that they had to get to work helping the fledgling Fenspace move goods.

By the time of SOS-Con, they were busy enough, both with shipping larger and larger cargo back and forth, as well as Myk's well received 'Space Safety' and 'Safe Handwavium Handling' courses, that an expansion was called for. Jeph was already toying with the potential of a fleet of cargo vessels.

Operation Great Justice made it absolutely mandatory as demand for cargo services jumped through the roof to support the growing military complex that was developing to handle the Boskonians.

It is fairly well known that JMC is one of the companies that gets called upon when the Blue Blazers need the ability to move large physical items on short notice. They participated in the evacuation of Crystal Osaka when that settlement was sabotaged by Reaver activities.

By 2020, JMC has established a significant presence throughout the outer system, as well as in the inner system. It's said by some that it's very difficult to not deal with them if you have any intention to run an operation in Fenspace - even Greenwood, Unltd. uses their services, despite having their own significant internal shipping operations. By 2022, this made some in the United Belt Alliance uncomfortable enough that it was easy for Mason to convince them that cancelling all contracts was a good idea.

Organization

The name 'Jupiter Mining Corporation' is partly a misnomer, a placeholder of sorts that never got properly replaced, as the company only mines for its own purposes, predominately ices and hydrocarbons in orbit around Jupiter itself. This doesn't mean that the company doesn't deal in mining business; shipping raw materials and finished product from places like The Forge, Hephaestus and any place the Rockhounds have set up shop is a big part of the JMC docket on any given day. They will also bring in products, mostly food, from Earth itself, settled into an 'office' practically next door to Hermes Universal Deliveries. This office is only used for contract negotiations and sales meetings; most of the time operations are conducted directly from the Serenity Valley head offices, or from Starbug 1.

The Fleet

Starbug 1

Full article: Starbug 1

Flagship and nominal headquarters when the company officers aren't sacked out in Melbourne, or in their relatively modest digs in Serenity Valley. The first ship of the fleet, and used for many years as the primary cargo hauler, Starbug 1 has basically been 'retired' from most active cargo service in lieu of the expanded fleet. Instead, it serves, as part of a sideline set of contracts, as catering and transport for crews of various documentary shows that come up from Earth, the most notable being the Fenspace special episode of Top Gear, and a 'Handwavium Myths' episode of The Mythbusters.

Starbug 2

Full article: Starbug 2

Bearing only an outward resemblance to her 'sister' craft Starbug 1, Starbug 2 is specifically designed and constructed to serve as a lodging vessel for television show crews on especially large contracts. However, there is sufficient cargo space and facilities available that she can be used when there are two separate but concurrent show contracts to be filled. Her first 'role' was bringing a crew along for a special series of 'Long Way' with Ewan MacGregor and Charley Boorman.

The Blue Midgets

Full article: Blue Midget

More or less mass produced vehicles, they don't bear any more than superficial resemblance to the Blue Midget designs from Red Dwarf, aside from being painted blue and boxy. As a single, each one is larger than either Starbug, encompassing four decks, although a fair amount of the space in each is dedicated to cargo and storage. Each has a crew of three, with more than adequate facilities to support six crew when necessary.

Due to it's large size, the Blue Midget class contains equipment for external umbilical docking with both smaller craft, and larger stations. It also carries a single auxiliary craft, typically a 'waved Honda Fit or equivalent.

All Blue Midgets are officially numbered rather than named, but each one has a name given it by the crew, the most prominently known being 'Eat And Run'.

Locations

Main Headquarters

Located in Serenity Valley, the main headquarters is a large (some say it practically rivals the Soviet's moon headquarters for size) array of domes and docking bays located a few miles distance from the main settlement. Most of the space enclosed is given over to loading, unloading, and warehousing facilities to support the fleet of Blue Midgets, with a dedicated set of slips for the Starbugs. There is enough space to house a quarter of the ship crews in temporary lodgings at a given time.

Contained in the center of the beehive of constant activity is the administrative dome, where the business operations themselves occur. The bulk of the facility is fairly unassuming, a range of old style cargo containers and a couple of Irish blockhouses all bolted together into a fair approximation of an office building.

Green Planetoidy

Full article: Green_Planetoidy Located in the L5 point near Earth, Green Planetoidy (don't ask) is basically a way station for JMC routes. Cargos can be easily transferred here - in fact, a number of concerns with significant means themselves of moving cargo, but not the ability to berth one of the Blue Midgets, will arrange to pick up or drop off their shipments here instead.