Logbook Entry #1: What is a trader worth?
15 Aug 2020BaderThanBad
Buy, Sell, Buy, Sell, Buy, Sell!It has been 3 days since I have received my license from the pilots federation. I have amassed quite a sizable sum of credits since then. From one thousand credits to over 30 million! What a feat eh? Or so I thought.
Living this life for 3 days and I am already desensitized. As soon as I received my license I got to work hauling for the pilots federation. They made it perfectly clear the sidewinder I received and all its modules was on a "loan" basis. A mans gotta earn his keep or so they say. A day of tireless hauling managed to land me a Cobra Mk III, after which i decided to hightail it out of federation space. I do not even remember the system where i got my license. What a shame, though if I really wanted to I could ask one of the other commanders about the location, but my interest in that place is all but gone.
I decided to go visit Sol, the birthplace of humanity! Well big woof. The federation mandates a permit to access the system, and it is a nasty hotspot between a political struggle between all factions. So much for the freedom space offers. Not two systems later and a pirate comes after my cargo.
I needed a place to call home. I've earned my keep so far being the middleman, and it was lining up my pockets quiet nicely. Not as many lasers firing over your head, and the computer handles navigation, cruise assist, and docking! Nifty indeed. I've managed to fill the lonely time between jumps by joining rounds of the virtual apex.
I decided to pull up the galactic squadron board, and pressed on the trade filter without hesitation. Scrolled through the list, and picked the largest conglomerate that was listed there. Looked promising, invitation only caught my eye. A rather docile bunch, they seemed nice and welcoming. What I failed to notice was, the filter on the squadron board was "Trade and mining".
MINERS!!!!!!
Let me tell you what I hate about miners. No its not the smell, or that the profession somehow attracts the more pudgier and bearded of our race. Its the backwards places they decide to take up residence. They like to live on the edges of the civilized bubble, racing out into the unknown in search of shiny rocks. Paying no heed to societal etiquette, dress standards, or how much their breath stinks of beer!
Alas the hodgepodge I found myself in the company of weren't exactly as guilty of said obscenities. They seemed chill, and stuck to a code of Dignity, Dominion, and Prosperity. A code to serve, uphold honor, champion the weak, yadda yadda. That's great and all, but boy if every other guy I meet out here on the edges of nowhere isn't after my cargo. The edge of the "bubble" is filled with those looking to extract and exploit these poor planets, and those looking to extract and exploit those who do.
After my umpteenth time getting raided while hauling some glowing rocks, the credits from which would allow a family 5 generations of wealth and decadence, a brilliant idea struck me. The ship is small and fast, which usually is trading off cargo space and firepower for evasion and maneuverability. I stripped the shields off for more cargo space, and after a brief test run with mines and chauf/ecm's, decided to ditch weapons entirely. And what do you get? A ship faster than any mid/large sized ship, small lading zone, evade any interdiction, and capable of carrying more cargo than a default type-6! You can't stop this baby when all power is diverted to engines, though no ability to fire back or take 2 hits in a row would scare most commanders, but who can hit you when you are travelling at the speed of light anyways. Also, more shiny rocks.
Ah yes, the world was turning, or so my father used to say. If credits made the world turn, i'd double their pay to stop them from rotating all these outposts to their darksides.
I found myself on one of my round trips staring at the menacing pirate skulls displayed in red neon on our outpost, a warning to all who would contend with us, which got me into a deep think. I was still in my "apprentice" phase with the squad, allied and gaining reputation and influence. But what does that entail? Our commander and most of the squad were god knows where, and that old crone down at perlmutter along with other station leaders were giving me the stink eye. I was not even officially listed on the squadrons public roster yet, a mere peddler so to speak. Nay I say. I am no peddler, not a "dealer" or a petty merchant, but a legitimate broker with trade dealings in every system this side of the bubble, a tycoon in the makings so to speak! These station commanders financing the illegitimate pirates masquerading as industrial outposts should wisen up, or they'll see their posts taken over by "handpicked advocates of our glorious cooperative".
Heh, I know. Lets start with that perlmutter hag. *laughs maniacally off into the distance*
- End of Day 3 -