Bonanza

The Bonanza-class is what happens when Federation engineers optimize exclusively for ore hauled per credit spent. No weapons — weapons take space that could carry cargo. Minimal shields — shields add mass. Three mining lasers feeding directly into compressed ore holds that pack twice the raw material into the same volume. Federation mining operations deploy Bonanzas in convoys with Escort-class guards, because the cost of one armed guard split across six barges beats six armed miners every time. The Bonanza's per-unit extraction cost is published in the quarterly investor briefing. It trends downward.