Moving a refinery with a Leviathan Ore Hauler

People think a Leviathan Ore Hauler exists to carry ore. Mostly it does. But for the Guild, the most valuable cargo I ever carry is the equipment that produces the ore, and moving it is a much more delicate business than shifting a hold full of nickel-iron.

This year we moved a second Ironmonger Field Refinery from the Rheasilvia Toolworks on Vesta to the Ferric Twins. The refinery is 48 metres long and carries its own fission core, which means radiation shielding, cooling requirements and a lot of paperwork. A Corehound Deep Core Drill, all 34 metres of it, rode alongside along with its core magazine and three months of spares.

The Leviathan's cargo cradle is enormous, so space was never the problem. Balance was. A refinery is top-heavy, with its reactor at one end, and an unbalanced load makes every burn a fight. Hester Mbeki's Toolworks team spent four days fitting adjustable mass blocks to the cradle until the centre of gravity sat exactly on the thrust axis.

The voyage took 41 days. At the Twins, two Basilisk Salvage Tugs met us, took the refinery under tow and eased it to its final station within half a metre of the planned position. A pair of Wren Microlifters shuttled crew and loose kit down in the meantime.

The Guild charters four Leviathans, all with Halcyon crews and our own loadmasters. Members can book space on any scheduled run through Fleet and Logistics on Ceres. Small loads, like a crate of Spectra Assay Lances or a pack of Swarm Prospecting Beacons, cost very little if you can wait for a scheduled sailing.