[Business] “Siatex” Project Reporting Preliminary Success, Controversy

“Siatex” Project Reporting Preliminary Success, Controversy

by Dillon Castor, Tayseri Times

Tythius Platform, Apien Crest - One of, if not the, the largest joint mining operations in the past asari generation broke ground today on its most ambitious task yet: the planetoid HK-2213. Streaked with veins of iridium, palladium, and possessing an abnormally large concentration of the heavy metals used in many modern alloys, HK-2213 was in the project’s sights from the very start.

“The reason that it has taken so long to build to this point is because we first needed an opportunity to gauge how well all involved were going to function on a project of this raw scale and scope. How efficiently they would be able to coordinate their actions.” Explained project founder and CEO of Cicerion Ltd. Baros Despari. Despari then went on to add that he was “exceptionally pleased” with the work of the entities involved, both public and private, thus far and that the next half dozen prospective mining sites would proceed to open on schedule.

So named after a turian spirit of the underground and precious metals, Siatex was the product of the mutual cooperation of over half a dozen turian, krogan, Terminus, and human interests. They count among their members such notables as the now resurgent United Mining Concord, currently based out of Luna, the extra-Citadel Space Legiatis Group, as well as detachments from the Hierarchy Corps of Engineers and Clan Urdnot. Heavily subsidized by the participating governments and supplied with manpower and equipment from all involved, Siatex’s stated primary goal is to “provide a steady flow of material to a galaxy starved of crucial resources”. To this end the project has embarked on a massive campaign of high intensity planetary and asteroid mining; deploying small fleets of ships and drones, multiple mobile industrial platforms, and thousands of sapients across eight (now nine) star systems.

Despite the highly promising mineral yields thus far, concerns have been raised regarding the planned expansion of Siatex operations. As Matriarch Baheris D’Mula, the primary critic of the project, stated, “taking into account the past three and six upcoming sites: two are located deep within the Terminus, three are habitable worlds that were intended at one point for colonization and, in the case of Varun II, actually colonized prior to being devastated by the Reapers, and one is a full fledged garden world. The practices used by Siatex on uninhabited planetoids are devastating to the body in question; the ecological damage when these very same ‘high intensity’ techniques are turned on valuable, inhabitable worlds will be immense and likely irreversible bar large scale intervention. These are precious resources to be preserved and cultivated, not tossed to the tender mercies of this project.”

Best estimates currently place Siatex at providing approximately 13.5 percent of the galactic market for precious and industrial metals. This number is expected to rise over the coming months.

Wait, so they're screwing up garden worlds? Is that even remotely legal?

If I remember correctly from my breadth geography classes in university, habitable doesn't necessarily equal garden world. Technology is a most wonderful thing.

It appears to be somewhat of a necessary evil, this project. We need those resources and destructive techniques will get it for us quickly.

Indeed. Habitable basically means that the planet doesn't require a hermetically sealed environment to live on. Doesn't mean anyone would actually want to set foot on the place.

Alright, thanks for the clarification.

What about this? Looks as if it is not all junk planet material. I mean, aren't there enough asteroids or moons to mine this way? Is it really necessary to destroy the environments of habitable planets and garden worlds for this?

Or is is maybe just cheaper to build housing for the mining crews on such planets?

Well there's that. There's also the fact that a fair bit of the infrastructure of most major powers are still in shambles and they need resources. And really, it's a mining operation, they're not dropping nukes on these planets. Even assuming they practice low tech strip mining methods that will devastate the ecology in the region around the mine. There's still the rest of the planet.

Finally how about the fact that there are still more habitable planets than we can inhabit and we've explored a grand total of 1% of the galaxy? Infrastructure is not rebuilt with spit and duck tape, modern alloys are needed, and to get those you have to mine. I mean I suppose we could run out of planets soon, there are only 297 billion stars (at the low end estimate) left to explore. Better get while the gettin's good!

A a short while back I did a random calculation on habitable planets on this forum. Generally yes, there are many more. But why start with the habitable ones?


Once this becomes necessary, the mining corporations are gone and away with their profit.

Well, The article only raises the debate, it doesn't give enough details about any of the planets in question. but still, i am all for careful approach, especially if there is local fauna and flora, that might be destroyed. This sounds at least more massive than just drilling a few mining shafts. That is necessity I am all for, if it is controllable and locally contained.

Sorry but while Matriarchs might be respected in the Republics but that doesn't mean we should just take her at her word. How about sources? Scientific sources showing what the effects on planetoids are, scientific sources theorizing what the effects would look like on a habitable or garden world (which are always far more massive than planetoids). How about sources showing that Siatex plans to use the same methods on habitable and garden planets as they do on planetoids. There are no sources here and until we see some I see no reason to take this as anything more than fear-mongering. Oh the horrible corporations!

I'd like to note that of course they aren't careful with planetoids. Planetoids are a catch all term for asteroids, dwarf planets, and other small bodies orbiting a star or planet that are generally far too small to be worth colonizing.

Didn't I just say that?


So I guess we have an understanding.
Just dismissing an opposing voice just because it is a Matriarch is in the same way one sided.
Also please, a lot of corporations have proven in the past that they not care much for eco systems or even their own workers. So suspicion and public attention to activities of such scale are not a bad thing. This is no judgment, just looking at what's going on.

You point to a sad fact here. This article follows the horrible tradition of some news writing to only call her a 'Matriarch' without any further information on who this person is. She might as well be Thessias leading expert in these matters or someone writing cook books. Why not mention it??

The problem is, every asari will assume she is an expert - and she most likely really is, I am too lazy to look her up now - but everyone else is going "Pah, what does this random Matriarch know?"...

Back on topic though... well, no mistake to have such a big corporation that seems to aim for near monopoly status watched by the public and press.

This:

does not equal this:

I am not dismissing this article because she is a Matriarch. I am dismissing this article because it is groundless, baseless, and proofless.

Not to mention your assertion that Siatex must be watched simply because they are a corporation is idiotic. While it is true that some corporations in the past have done little to care for their employees or the environment, saying that a corporation with no prior objectionable history should be scrutinized based on this is something akin to asserting that a quarian you've never seen in your life who enters an electronics store should be specifically watched because everyone knows that some quarians rob electronics stores.

Beg your pardon, but you make it sound like that. Also, Taleeze never claimed you should take the Matriarch's word for it.
Why are you getting so angry all of a sudden? (Well again, at least you sound angry)

The article brings something to the table to discuss. And nobody can claim one way or the other based on the information given by the article, there just aren't enough details. But it still remains controversial and having the press cover it will lead to further details and to better judgement. Which is positive I'd say.

I am not angry. And I'll specify what I meant in more detail seeing as I was not clear enough. I want proof from this article beyond 'the chief critic is a Matriarch'.

Since 1) We don't have scientific evidence stating how Siatex's methods would actually effect a planet as opposed to a planetoid, and 2) We don't even know if they plan to use the same methods on planets as they do on planetoids, I don't really see a reason to take the article all that seriously. If they come back with sources, evidence, and specifics then maybe. Until then it's a non-issue.

Yes, indeed, details sometimes are really lacking with the short bursts we get from the CDN VI.
I am also not blaming them for anything, just if the alegations are true, I would't like it.

But maybe everything is just fabricated and part of a campaign of their competitors? Since they seems to become an even bigger player now.

Pardon me while I titter.

What competitors? It's a cartel supported and sanctioned by multiple governments and private companies so large that they could be their own governments. They currently provide over one tenth of the entire galactic market. Alone. Do you have any comprehension of how skull-shatteringly massive that is?


I was about to tell you something along the lines of "this is lazy and you can do better" then I remembered that Iridifirm has mandatory lobotomies for all its troops.

Either that or you, my dear, suffer from a serious lack of imagination.

Like so: A joint project on a backed by turian, human, and krogan interests public and private (plus a rather sizable Terminus entity) attempting to obtain the maximum amount of resources in the shortest amount of time and the worst you think they will do is use "low tech strip mining methods".

Adorable.

I don't know the status of the planets they plan to mine. I don't know what techniques they plan to use. I don't know what affects it would have on a planets Eco system. I don't know if potentially wrecking a garden world to rebuild our society is morally justifiable. What I do know is that I'm glad I kep my UMC stock! Have you seen how much it shot up this quarter?

Oh, man, I thought this was about slatex, the new synthetic medical material they've been trying to push for a few months. Apparently it was supposed to be amino-neutral, but it wound up killing like three humans. Been in the trial phase for a while. I'm personally excited because do you know how hard it is to pull shrapnel out of somebody when you might trigger catatonic failure of their body parts? Anyway, cool about the mining. Maybe they'll revamp this stupid freaking economy. You can hardly buy a grenade these days without going broke. Lucky my employer supplies those, am I right! Go Eclipse! WOo!

Holy shit you must be a mind reader, because I never said that. If I actually did not want discussion then why exactly would I continue to post in this thread? I just don't see this as something to get all worked up about and I find the Matriarch's claims to be dubious without any evidence to back them up.

Well fuck, I didn't know that everyone who is ignorant of all the possible methods of mining was lobotomized or unimaginative. You must have a terribly lonely life seeing as most people neither know nor give a fuck about that sort of thing. Or you're going out of your way to act like an asshole. Either one.

And by the way my name is not 'my dear.' Nor is it babe, hon, sweetie, missie, et cetera. You might get paid better than I do, and we might be from rival companies, but you could try treating another professional with something vaguely resembling courtesy.

That breeze you feel is the wake of a joke flying over your head.


Mhm


Presumably because you have this pathological urge to have the last word.


Oh no, only the people who chose to disregard any kind of interesting and valid speculation in favor of taking the example that supports their point while still fulfilling the minimum requirements for being a "potential negative".

It's more like a hobby really.


But sweetheart that would imply that I have respect for your employers.

Or because I was having a discussion until you showed up and decided that you had to teach lesser beings how to have a discussion the 'right way.'
Or it would imply that you are businessman with some sort of sense of professionalism who was perhaps raised by an intelligent person in a civilized society. Clearly not.