The Sonderdatch Mine, also known as Sonderdatch, was a sulfide mining outpost located on the independent Grandhi Moon and leased to the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. In 2184, workers at the Sonderdatch Mine unearthed a dangerous alien pathogen, and the outpost was invaded by the Xenomorph–worshiping cult known as the Children of the Two Divines. The resulting incident saw the intervention of the United States Colonial Marine Corps and the mine's eventual destruction.
Overview[]
The surface installation at the Sonderdatch Mine
The Sonderdatch Mine was a hard–rock sulfide mining outpost located thirty–five kilometers from the Grandhi Domes colony on the airless Grandhi Moon. Leased by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation from the local independent government, Sonderdatch was initially established as an open–cast mine. After that method of mining proved unworkable, it was later based around a six hundred–meter deep excavation dubbed the Main Shaft, from which the lower levels could be accessed. Sulfide extracted from the mine's columnar ore body was refined on–site into lead and zinc pellets, which were transferred to the nearby Grandhi Domes colony and shipped out to factories in the Crestus Prime Cluster and the Micor Sector. As of 2184, Sublevels 01 through 04 of the mine were depleted, though Sublevels 05 and 06 were still rich in ore. A series of caves—dubbed "stopes"—was carved into the ore, usually one to a sublevel; these were drilled by the miners using cutting machines, and backfilled to prevent cave–ins. The stopes were still vulnerable to damage from explosives, however. The mine's lowest level, officially designated the Exploration Sublevel and informally dubbed "the Basement", was in the initial stages of being dug.[1]
Ore extracted from each stope was loaded onto conveyor belts by bucket loaders, and was fed through the sublevels into an ore pass, which deposited the material into a cavern dubbed the Ore Bin. Ore was then transported to the surface by a steel skip bin. A pair of steel cables ran down the Main Shaft, and were separated by an iron safety grille; one cable operated the skip bin, while the other was used to move "the Cage", a lift used to haul personnel and equipment between sublevels. A descending roadway also ran through the Main Shaft; this was used to drive cutting machines and loaders in and out of the mine, and to transport heavy items that could not be accommodated by the Cage.[1]
Access tunnels[]
The access tunnels were drilled into each sublevel to enable miners and cutting machines to obtain ore. Stopes were left in the wake of this activity.[1]
Air Scrubber Pumphouse[]
The Air Scrubber Pumphouse was used to pump and circulate recycled air to Sublevels 05 and 06. The Pumphouse was backed up by an automated generator. The Ventilation Shaft that ran the depth of the mine could be accessed from the Pumphouse, provided that the Ventilation Blower fan was deactivated.[1]
Assembly points[]
The assembly points were located on Sublevels 05 and 06, and consisted of large open areas beside the Main Shaft at which workers and equipment boarded or left the Cage. Each assembly point was equipped with an intercom and a trio of medkits.[1]
Dormitories[]
The cage dormitories at the Sonderdatch Mine featured shower blocks, a dining room, lounge, kitchen, and a games room. Personal effects could be stored therein.[1]
Fire Stations[]
Fire stations were located on Sublevels 05 and 06. These niches were equipped with extinguishers, fire suits, hydraulic rams, fire axes, and medkits, as well as a direct intercom to the Minehead.[1]
Garage and equipment shed[]
The garage was used to store Daihotai Tractors and P-5000 Powered Work Loaders, along with other essential equipment.[1]
Landing Pad[]
The Landing Pad was used by shuttles and WY-37B cargo lifter sleds to transport refined ore to freighters in orbit.[1]
Machine Bay[]
The Machine Bay accommodated a garage and repair workshop used to service the mining equipment, pumps, jacks, generators, trains, wagons, and P–5000 Powered Work Loaders operated at the mine. Vehicle power packs were stored in the Machine Bay.[1]
Main Shaft, Cage, and Skip[]
Located beneath the Minehead, the Main Shaft contained the Cage and the ore skip. The Cage was used to transport personnel into the mine, and could carry ten such members. The ore skip ran alongside the Cage and carried ore to a conveyor at the Minehead, which led to the Refinery.[1]
Mine Control[]
Mine Control consisted of a collection of offices, a meeting room, an operations planning room, and a communications station used for interplanetary transmissions. Surveillance camera feeds from the mine's lower levels could be accessed from Mine Control.[1]
Minehead[]
The surface minehead featured the wheelhouse for the cables running into the Main Shaft, in addition to a locker room, a medbay, and an office. Communications between the miners and the surface was handled from the minehead, while personnel preparing for their shifts suited up at the locker room.[1]
Mori Mori[]
Mori Mori was a union members–only bar and restaurant located on the surface. Miners and management staff frequented the establishment after shifts to unwind.[1]
Old Storehouse[]
Built to support initial operations at The Pit, the Old Storehouse was dilapidated as of 2184. Part of the structure was used to stow unused equipment, spares, and materials.[1]
Ore Bin[]
Located at the base of the Main Shaft, the Ore Bin was a rock–cut cavern used for the storage of ore destined for the surface. Ore was deposited in the Ore Bin by the Ore Pass, and transferred to the ore skip by an automated dispenser. Personnel could access the Ore Bin by way of the skip.[1]
Ore Pass[]
The Ore Pass was a vertical shaft running through the sublevels of the mine through which ore was deposited in the Ore Bin. Access to the Ore Pass was restricted during normal operations at the mine.[1]
Raised conveyor[]
The raised conveyor was an elevated conveyor belt used to shift ore from the Main Shaft to the refinery. Personnel and vehicles could pass underneath the conveyor.[1]
Recesses[]
The recesses were alcoves carved into tunnel rock into which workers could duck to avoid moving bucket loaders and other vehicles. Each recess was sufficiently roomy to admit a P–5000 Powered Work Loader.[1]
Refinery[]
The refinery was a semi–autonomous processing facility used to extract valuable materials from the ore taken from the mine and dispose of the waste rock, or "tailings". Ore was passed through a series of processing halls before being loaded onto trucks and transported to the nearby landing field for collection.[1]
Roadway[]
The Roadway ran from the Sonderdatch Mine to the Grandhi Domes colony, and was used to transfer ore to the Domes by truck.[1]
Secondary shaft[]
Recently sunk to support work on "the Basement", the secondary shaft was twenty meters deep and accessed by a small winch and cradle, which could be used to lower personnel and drills into the depths. An aluminum ladder was fitted to the side of the shaft for additional access.[1]
Service Building[]
The Service Building housed the generator and electrical switching systems used in the mine. The Raised Conveyor passed through the Service Building from the Minehead.[1]
Sump[]
The Sump was a pool of mud and oil–laced water situated in "the Basement". A pump, accessible from the Main Shaft, enabled miners to channel the water to the surface.[1]
"The Basement"[]
"The Basement" was the name given to the Exploration Sublevel. This lowest point of the mine was designed to ascertain the location of the ore lode.[1]
The Pit[]
The original open–cast excavation carried out at the Sonderdatch Mine, and since superseded by the Main Shaft, the Pit was situated atop the main ore lode. It was left open to the elements, and was encircled by descending roadways.[1]
Tunnel Entrance[]
The Tunnel Entrance was used to allow heavy plant access to the mine.[1]
Turns[]
The Turns were a section of the roadway that spiraled downward between sublevels of the mine to facilitate vehicular access.[1]
Ventilation blower and shaft[]
The ventilation blower conveyed air to Sublevels 05 and 06 with an industrial fan blade. Rungs inside the shaft enabled the shaft to pull double duty as an emergency evacuation route if the roadway were obstructed, though this would necessitate the deactivation of the fan blade.[1]
History[]
Jannes Ruedi, whose cult invaded the Sonderdatch Mine
In 2184, blasting in the Exploration Sublevel unearthed a pool of dangerous alien pathogen, which began to flood the mine. Various workers were infected by the pathogen, and were either killed or mutated. With chaos gripping the outpost, the Xenomorph–worshiping cult known as the Children of the Two Divines swept in and began baptizing themselves in the pathogen, leading to more infections. As the situation intensified, a team of United States Colonial Marine Corps members from the USS Tamb'Itam were dispatched aboard the USCM medical vessel Hela to investigate the incident. Shortly after, an alien vessel arrived on the scene and unleashed its energy weapons on the Sonderdatch Mine, destroying the surface installation and collapsing the excavations. What remained of the mine was obliterated in a nuclear strike launched by the USCM.[1]
Personnel[]
Management[]
Managers at Sonderdatch included Cassandra Mistry.[1]
Miners[]
Workers at the Sonderdatch Mine included Giler, Gregor, Hill, Mädsen, Tai, Thompson, and covert Children of the Two Divines member Kirke Tanner.[1]
Others[]
Additional personnel included Yansick, the bartender at Mori Mori.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
The Sonderdatch Mine appears in Alien: The Roleplaying Game — Colonial Marines Operations Manual, in which it is the setting for "Operation: Deep Shaft", the seventh mission in the main campaign. The book also offers ideas as to how the mine's layout can be repurposed for other locations, such as an illegal Weyland–Yutani iron mine on Arcturus or a similar, abandoned excavation on an unidentified world.[1]