On top of these pre-scripted missions you have the 'Free Form Play' where you can go and just explore the universe, or make an extra buck by mining, pirating, trading, solving a random missiion, or just doing about anything else that suits your fancy. For example, you can irritate any faction by destroying parts of space stations or bases, or knock out a trade lane ring so you can lurk and await some honest trader to rob. If mining is your suit, go to a likely area and begin to blast small chunks of rock. Many contain ore which you then tractored into your cargo hold and sell for credits.