Pilots Trade Network - Pt. 1
21 Jun 2022J.Bauer
Fortune. Adventure. The last two years have been a quiet recess since the completion of the Distant Worlds II Expedition in 3305. With nearly a billion credits in exploration data alone, I soon landed a cushy job in Shinrarta Dezhra working as a consultant on Jameson Memorial. The team was a private research and development group focused on deep space exploration survivability. For two years my team engineered and tuned stock Explorers, Phantoms, and Anacondas into self sufficient Deep Space vessels; only to be purchased by Federal billionaires and Imperial royalty, never see a star outside the bubble. The survival equipment, rugged looks and optimized Frame Shift Drive were more often used for bragging rights and looks rather than true deep space operations. Often, clients requested luxury accommodations in place of auto-field maintenance units and fuel scoops. They rarely forgo the tow hooks and winch that gave their ships a rugged feel.
Working with the extremely wealthy created contacts and connections that ran deep into the financial and commercial interests of the bubble. One client included an invitation with his thank you note on the completed delivery of a retrofitted Dolphin.
| Thanks for the expedited order. I can make an introduction for you to join PTN. With my recommendation you will be allowed to join as a verified member. |
P.T.N. - Pilots Trade Network, a cartel of merchant carriers who formed a galactic trade & broadcast network for lucrative & fast trip fleet carrier trade missions. Their fleet was known in trade circles for their coordinated galactic arbitrage that bordered on market manipulation. Carriers would broadcast purchase orders for short haul transport with profits as high as 25k per ton. The transactions didn't make financial sense, but most pilots and system governments didn't ask questions with the amount of money being thrown around.
A lot had changed in two years. I had settled into a respectable property on Sol, and had two kids, a girl and boy on the way. A billion wasn’t what a billion was worth two years ago, and I was in need of additional revenue streams.
| The initial investment is 100m. A Type-9 fitted for max cargo, and another 50m in working capital. PTN Calungor is loading Indite at Wundt Hub in the Brani system. 20k per unit profit. 18k demand. The carrier will arrive in 48 hours. |
I could hardly believe it. I traveled to the system and checked the station market and carrier private market before placing the build and transfer order for the Type-9. I booked the last room at one of the station hotels at ten times the normal rate. Pilots from all over the galaxy poured into the station bar that evening. If they couldn't bunk down for the night, they would stay up drinking. Wundt Hub became a boom town overnight as ships continued to arrive. As the docking pads had reached maximum occupancy, ships idled outside the station and pilots slept on their ships. When the markets opened in the morning, ships started loading Indite and queueing on the far side of Brani 1, queuing to load their cargo onto the carrier once it arrived.
My Type-9 arrived the following morning and I placed an order for 752 tons of Indite at 9,700 credits each. The increased traffic volume required payment upfront to schedule loading. 7.2 million credits were withdrawn from the account and the computer estimated delivery just after lunch. I filed my departure paperwork and waited at the bar.
This time the bar was empty, the haulers were already working, placing orders at the market, or prepping their ships for departure. Once I got the confirmation that the cargo bay was full, I headed to my gate and prepped the ship for departure.
There was a short queue to dock at the carrier. The Calungor's facilities were equipped to deal with large volumes of cargo extremely quickly. The loaders onboard the carrier were much newer and faster than the ones at Wundt Hub. Logging into the carrier's market through the ship terminal, there was only a single commodity listed:
Carrier Services - Commodities Market
Indite - Demand: 13,270 - Sell: 29,700 CR
Sell Commodity Indite: 752/752
Total Income: 22,334,400 CR
Profit: 15,040,000 CR
Sell: Execute?
And just like that, I made 15 million credits in 10 minutes of flight time. I was now a hauler for the Pilots Trade Network.