They've reviewed the ship, inspected it top to bottom.  The Navy has kept it in good shape.  It is retiring early, but it has many years ahead of it.


And now it comes down to money.

There are steps to this process.

First, the characters Incorporate.  They pool their resources as shares.

There are different kinds of resources you can apply to this.

Cash, but it probably won't be much.
Ship Shares, worth 2 Million credits each
Equity, worth 1 million credits each.
Ally.  If you choose to use an ally benefit here,


As none of the characters are lawyers, or even close, they are pretty much shoe-horned into the Commonwealth Standard Merchant Enterprise Contract.  This stipulates that dividends are divided up by share, but come after all other expenses, including salary.  If a ship cannot meet its salary payments and other expenses it may borrow, go into bankruptcy, or the crew may agree to forgo salary in full or part, at their discretion.

So anyone joining this crew should indicate here what resources they are pooling.

The Ally benefit is a special case.  You can use it one of two ways.

1)  You have an ally who can pull strings to get you a better deal on the ship.  You do not know in advance the size of the discount, but it will be in the 3-8% range.

2)  You have an ally in the banking industry that can get you better terms on a loan.  Although it won't have as big as impact as an upfront discount to the price, you don't lose allies by using them (you're just defining them when you do!), so this ally can be around to help you with future loans.

In both cases, you do not know in advance what you will get, or what the outcome will be, or how many shares it will be worth.

Only ONE ally of each type can be used.

If an ally is NOT being used for a ship discount, then ONE character can attempt to negotiate a better price.  This is a job for a Broker skill.  The discount will depend on the total Skill Roll.

0-5  Irritate the seller, no discount.
6-8     2% discount
9-10    3% discount
11-12   4% discount
12-13   5% discount
15+     6% discount.

You can either use one ally for the discount, or one broker roll.  Mathematically the ally is better, but with the broker roll you still have an ally for the future.

You cannot broker a better loan.  No characters are so highly connected in the finance world as to have friends passing out multi million credit loans.  If you did, why would you be here?

You CAN take out a loan for more than the value of the ship.  This could be useful to give your enterprise a little seed money, or have money on hand to buy extra equipment.

12:34, Today: Horace Wymp rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  broker. 2% discount. BAD roll.

Can anyone add a bonus? I like my second roll better, a 13! Too bad it don't count LOL!
This message was last edited by the player at 17:52, Thu 21 Nov 2019.

And... what have we got for contributions to offset the price?

Horace 8 MCr. toward the down payment.

Einar 10 MCr.

Alwin 3 MCr.

Noah 2 MCr.

Sarah 8 MCr.

Heather ?

Reginald ?

Florence ?
This message was last edited by the player at 20:12, Thu 21 Nov 2019.

So I have 1 ship share which appears to be worth 2 Mcr, which I might have incorrectly said 1 million. So that's 1 more extra.

You know, they say the first million is the hardest.  :)

So if we can get another 7 MCr between Heather, Reginald, and Florence, we can avoid the need for a loan and have the ship free and clear?

Does Alwin have 6 MCr? Or 3 MCr?

Yup Alwin, but we still might want to finance so we can afford to arm her and pay for cargo.

3 MCr for Alwin, as his contribution comes from equity and not ship shares.

What Horace said. It sounds like we'll need more than just the ship itself as-is. Aside from outfitting it with extra equipment, will we need additional capitol for anything else? Will we need to hire any NPC crew?

There is enough talent with the characters so that no crew is required.
It's a smart and capable bunch.
Nothing more is needed.

Unless...

if you are thinking of going after the high end of the passenger market, you could use a very good steward.


Speaking of markets, the characters aren't the only people who can call in favors.  Sometimes, it's the other way around.

The Pelican class ships aren't going to compete with the cheaper or more efficient transports in the "normal" markets.  Everyone in the space business knows that.  They also know that the Pelicans earn their keep through their special ability:  delivering passengers and cargo, especially oddly sized cargo, directly to out of the way locations.   So when the Sales Office is writing up the paperwork to sell the Montauk, it makes some people... well, specifically the head of sales at New Avalon Starships.

Who owes a favor...

And the cargo hold of a Pelican class ship would be a great way to pay off that favor.  Just one, easy thing.   Not even a far trip.  Just a trip other ships can't take.

The head of sales tells the new owners:  "We can take another 1% off the price.  And get you some cash up front.  I know someone who needs a ship that can get a payload to a startup colony on St. Brendan's World.  But they're short of funds.  They can't pay market rates.  But... maybe for another point off... that's an equivalent value over 380 thousand credits... and what they can pay... it would be worth it. "

It had been a long and trying day, but they were down to brass tacks, the last details now being ironed out.

Einar Karvonen had never personally traded with such vast sums before, not first hand, and he watched as Horace tried his utmost to save them every hard earned credit as the sales documents were being finalized.

They had a ship, a home, this collection of associates that would soon be a crew. While they had not managed any spectacular deals, he felt they had traded hard and well. And more importantly he liked the ship, this tough old military Pelican, and he felt that it would be a good fit.

When things began to wind down a little, the adrenaline from dealing with millions of credits wearing thin, the offer of a mission to a Colony on St. Brendan's cropped up.

Nearly found hundred thousand credits was nothing to sneeze at, and that was without the payment itself.

"Where's it at and what's the cargo?" Einar asked in turn. It had been too long a day to deal overmuch with pleasantries.

"I don't know the details," the Head of Sales for New Avalon explains.  "You will have to work out the arrangements with.. them.  And part of the issue is, they cannot make this public.  Not that it's illegal... it's complicated.  You'll understand why.  It's a cargo of construction equipment and supplies, whatever they can ship, going to a startup colony- right now it's more of a research station- on St. Brendan's World.  There's a starport at the colony but it's a long ways from the research station with no way to ship heavy equipment.  On this end, the cargo is coming out of Nanton.  It's waiting in a warehouse, but it's stuck because the ships won't move.  The ships won't move because the port workers are on strike.  But that's the port, for maritime ships.  No one said anything about starships not moving.   You see, though, this is a trip most starships can't make.  They made the Pelicans for things like this."

"For another 1% savings, we may be able to arrange something.

From the back - and probably the Starship Sales Office - arrived a pretty young woman with long wavy red hair the light wind of the day was playing with. She was wearing a nice black dress and simple silver heels with only small earrings for jewelry. One way or another, she seemed to know perfectly where she wanted to go, and that seemed to be either the ship or the group of person standing in front of it, talking about their first trip.

She glanced at the head of sales for a second but quickly dismissed him, and spent a bit longer looking at those he was talking to. After a brief moment, she asked. "Sorry to disturb you, if I may? I was told the Montauk may have found a new owner. Or new owners at any rate. May I presume you are indeed those owners, or are maybe representing them?"

"Not that it's illegal... it's complicated."
</quote>

Einar nodded slowly. Complicated was a good word for it, and while it might not be smuggling outright, he suspected that certain people did not want the colony on St. Brendan's to thrive. Or, if they were lucky, it really might just be a niche job for a very specific kind of ship.

"Sure, we'll talk to them at least. See what they have to say." he agreed. Nearly four hundred thousand credits was certainly worth a certain amount of complication in his book. As they waited for the various financial institutions to go through their checks, and the credits to be verified, he looked over at the pretty woman who had just entered.



"Word travels quick" he glanced to Wymp, Brooks and Brandle then back to her with a slight grumble to his words. "Who's askin?" he asked in turn, with the air of somebody trying to avoid being cornered by a telemarketer.

"I suppose it does indeed." After that, Florence opened her mouth with a grin, then grimaced slightly and sighed, her grin fading away. She probably considered saying something silly for a second but changed her mind. "My name is Florence, Florence Pearce."

She looked at the ship for a second, then back at the people in front of her. "I have recently graduated, and when he heard I wasn't yet sure what I wanted to do now, my grandpa insisted I serve some time aboard a ship." She didn't quite grimace at that but... It seemed obvious she wasn't all that enthused by the idea just yet. "As for why this ship..." She shrugged. "He served on her for a while. I guess he was feeling nostalgic or something when he 'suggested' it. She grimaced with obvious feelings. "If you know the Montauk's history and what kind of crew it had in the past, you can probably understand why saying 'no' wasn't exactly an option."

"As for what I can do for you," She paused, considering. "Well, I don't know what you yourselves can and cannot do obviously, but I should be able to handle administrative duties, interface with local authorities and stuff like that." As an afterthought, she added. "Oh and should you have to deal with Aliens, I should be able to take care of it."

"Buying a share or two, or just hired crew?" Horace asks. "How old are you?"
This message was last edited by the player at 15:36, Sat 23 Nov 2019.

"Buying shares!" A second woman with semi-dark skin and a bouncy gait rushed up behind Florence, having just caught up with her. "Buying shares." She repeated. It only took a few seconds to catch her breath, and she smiled at the men gathered around them. She had an eagerness in her eyes and an energy about her, and the way she placed her hand on Florence's arm suggested the two were familiar with each other.

Remembering herself, she extended her hand. "Sara Julis, I'm an author, anthropologist, and part-time electrician."

"Horace Wymp, broker, computer geek and medic, the pleasure is all mine I'm sure."

Florence opened her mouth to answer, but quickly closed it when Sarah arrived. While it seemed clear she knew the other woman, she seemed surprised by something. Once both Sarah and Horace have introduced themselves, she answered the second part of the man's question. "I'm twenty."

Sarah smiled at Florence and squeezed her arm, then turned toward Horace with a downright challenging grin.
"... and my age is none of your business." She cocked an eyebrow. "But you can ask me how many share's I've got-" Without even waiting for anyone to actually ask, she continued: "I've got four. I have a grant from my university to study how the peoples of the '100 are dealing with... well... all the recent news, and shit like that. No better way to do that, then to fly around and ask them myself, right? And it couldn't hurt to make some money on the side, you know?"

Sarah finally released Florence and pulled a datapad from her back pocket. "I've got all the paperwork here."

Einar could easily imagine scenes like the one before them occuring all over New Avalon. These were uncertain times, and safe passage or a steady job might mean more than it had used to.

The news that Florence's Grandfather had served on the Montauk raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" his tone suggested he was not entirely convinced.

"Well maybe you can educate us then Miss Pearce. What can you tell us about your Grandfather and his time on the Montauk?" Einar asked, and shifted in his seat to better face her and listen.

Einar also glanced over to how Horace was fairing with the other girl, coincidentally around the time she mentioned she had money.

"Well, yes, really." Florence shrugged. "The ship was used for Special Forces operations, its...her...ability to set down on any water surface made things a lot easier for those. As for the details..." The girl cocked an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much. As you can probably guess, it falls under the jurisdiction of the infamous 'I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.'" She paused, then added quickly. "Well not me obviously, I have no idea what operations were led from this ship, and even if I did, I doubt I could kill you... But my grandfather wasn't eager to kill me. Those kind of things tend to weight quite a bit at family reunions as you can imagine."

Old enough to ship, Miss Julis, I wouldn't dare ask you." He answers Florence and turns to Sarah.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:52, Sat 23 Nov 2019.

"Anyone seen Reggie or Heather? I haven't seen hide nor hair of them."

Einar's expression was unchanged. It was hard to tell if he was just brusque by nature it truly skeptical of her story.

"Well, that's good to know..." he glanced back at the direction of the ship.

"I'm Einar Korvonen, Captain and that's Horace Wymp, XO...as of, maybe..." He glanced to a display in a nearby desk "An hour ago."

He took a deep breath and held it for half a moment before he continued. "It's a cool story, and I'll admit that I have a sort spot for families crewing ships together" he shrugged "Even if they skip a generation here and there"

"If you can show me some proof that your Grandfather served on the Montauk, we can find you a berth. And we'll likely have some work for you, maybe as an Admin Assistant, or something along those lines." He left the words hanging as if asking if that would work for her.

Florence frowned. She obviously started at the mention of Einar being the captain, but first she addressed the "proof". "I could mention a few places, and maybe some events it may or may not have been linked with, but that wouldn't tell you anything. Instead, I know there's a picture left in the ship's gallery, showing the old crew. Except for their blurry faces. I have a copy of that picture...but the faces are just fine."

"Admin assistant or something could work but..." She paused, then considering Einar for a long moment, she asked, clearly suspicious. "You're the captain?" She looked at the others for a second, clearly wondering if he was pulling her leg. Finally, squinting, she asked. "What kind of operations do you propose to lead?"

"He elected himself Captain and me XO. I didn't argue." Horace said with a grin. "As Administrative Assistant, you'll probably work for me. I'm the Broker and computer geek and medic and steward at the moment. Depending on the skills of the others. You got Admin skill?"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:43, Sat 23 Nov 2019.

A bit distractedly, Florence answered Horace. "In theory, yes, as well as a bit of law, psychology, bureaucracy, etc. And like I mentioned before, I can talk with Aliens just fine. For the most part anyway. In practice..." The young woman shrugged. "I can't say I have any experience outside of the confines of my school."

After a longer pause where she seemed to hesitate, she shook her head. "And I'm sorry but... You should have argued." She turned to Einar. "I'm not saying you don't have the skills for it. In fact, for all I know, you do. But internally, the captain is supposed to be the model for the crew. Externally, he is the public face of the ship and its crew. If you want to become pirates or start a 'protection' business, then you're fine. I guess, I can't say I have much experience there. But if you want to be regular traders, whatever it is you want to trade - and wherever you do - you need to inspire trust in the people who would want to do business with you, and be an example for the crew to insure smooth and efficient operations."

"And I'm sorry to say, you don't." She cocked an eyebrow, obviously wondering about something. "Unless you're in some kind of disguise?"

"Woof." Sarah grinned, responding to Florence's biting "assessment" of Einar.

"Well they say you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. I think he looks like a man who's comfortable in his own skin." Sarah shrugged. "When it comes to investments like this, I'd rather lean toward competence any day." She gestured at him. "And he reminds me of some of the people my father and I used to work with before I went back to school."

"He has the most money. We will have to clean him up a bit though. By the way, you're hired, if you want it. I like your skills and your moxie at standing before the captain at the moment. I think more than he should get a vote too. though I will support him even if he doesn't clean up and get a uniform of some kind. Welcome aboard partner." He shakes Sarah's hand and holds his hand out to Florence.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:38, Sat 23 Nov 2019.

Noah smiled at the young lady's comments regarding the ship's new Captain, but Brooks said nothing.  As a belter, he'd shipped out with far more Captains like Einar than the type Pearce was describing.  He wondered how many salty spacer's Miss Pearce had actually met and if that integer would break into double digits.
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 19:26, Sat 23 Nov 2019.

Sarah's grin widened as she returned Horace's shake with a surprisingly firm grip.

Einar's expression did not change, just the same heavy brow and tired looking narrow eyes surrounded by "crows feet".

"Look, kid, this isn't the fuckin' Navy" Einar replied, not in an angry way, but in a no-nonsense tone. "I was born on a freighter and I've never so much as paid rent on a planet. I've been crewing starships, bucking salvage, and and generally working my ass off longer than you've been alive. You name it, I've done it." he began.

"My last stint had me hot bunking for the better part of nine months, drinking the same recycled piss water, breathing air out of worn out scrubbers and pulling straight twelves, no days off, for the bulk of that run. We did not so much as look at a station." he took a sip of some of bottles water the dealer had provided.

"So if you're looking for pressed uniforms and collar brass, you're in the wrong place." He leaned forward in his seat "You crew up with us, you work, cargo, repairs, salvage, whatever pays decent that we can accept with a straight face." He gestured to Horace "As the XO said, you'd likely be under him, running numbers, making sure people get paid, restock, recruitment, job hunting, permitting, keeping the bureaucrats and the docking authorities off our asses. That's what we got.

He took another deep breath. "You got that picture with ya?"

Horace nodded agreement. "Like I said, he has my vote, he does need to use the fresher more often though sometimes." Horace said with a grin.

"Don't take me wrong, I respect competence far more than anything else. But there are a lot of people who won't see past appearances, who will think that if the Captain of a ship is not squared away and presenting well, it is necessarily reflected in his ship and how he handles operations, particularly finances. And the higher the stakes, the more this will be a factor." Florence shook her head. "Even if no one in the crew thinks 'If the captain can do it, I can too' and all take the time to look beyond appearances, bureaucrats, traders, custom officers and whatnot have better things to do and will not want to take the risk. Which will mean endless troubles and little choice in the deals available to the ship, and ultimately, will impact the bottom line."

She waved in the direction of the ship. "There are lots of things you can - and should - capitalize on, and there's something to be said about doing things different, but that doesn't mean there is no competition. At some point, everything will matter, particularly appearance, especially the Captain's. Of course, all that depends on who you want to be doing business with and where. In some cases, I suppose it would get the ship more respect than a suit." Given the grimace, it was pretty obvious she didn't think particularly highly of that.

She took the offered hand, a bit doubtfully. "Thank you. We'll need a contract...contracts... though. Assuming we all agree on whatever comes next of course."

She listened quietly to Einar, and nodded, apparently not particularly impressed. "I do. It doesn't invalidate anything I've said. My objection is on how you currently present yourself, not on you specifically. If you clean up, and get dressed appropriately to whatever circumstances are encountered, I'll be perfectly fine with you as Captain." She seemed about to say more, but bit her lips and stopped there.

"Well, don't hold your breath" he cracked a grin towards Horace. "Wymp will handle your contract" he jerked his head towards the XO then looked to Sarah. "So what's your deal? Said you're a student?" He asked for clarification as he stood and tossed the bottle in the recycling.

"She seems rather insistent Captain," Noah said with a chuckle.  "I can get you in with my barber if you want," he said as he ran one hand across the side of his head.  "He's got a nice selection of beard oil as well," the former belter added with a smile.

"God damn it Brooks, you too?" Einar laughed. "Look, you've got a magnificent beard, nobody's gonna argue that" he shook his head "We go on a long haul and we'll see how many people are still wearin cocktail dresses and...pressed slacks by the end" he grumbled to himself as he went and got another bottle.

"Not like I knew I was gonna be buyin a ship today..." he turned his attention back to Sarah as he broke the seal.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:25, Sat 23 Nov 2019.

"Graduated, actually. Technically I'm "Doctor Julis", but I think it sounds too formal. Sarah is fine, and really when most people hear "doctor" they think I can work a medical bay." She raised her hand up in a dramatic gesture. "Which I can't, by the way. My bedside manner is rubbish. Now... biochemistry, that's a little different. A whole other can of worms."

She shook her head. "Other than that, I apprenticed for my father as an electronics and computer technician, so I'm not totally useless on a ship. I don't plan on just sitting in my room all day, writing my book. Anyway... it's all in the paperwork I gave Mr. Wymp."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:28, Sat 23 Nov 2019.

"Horace is fine, I'm a step away from being a real doctor, medical type, but never pursued it."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:31, Sat 23 Nov 2019.

Einar nodded, more noticeably when she mentioned Electronics and an Apprenticeship. It seemed to be more in line with his experience.

"Good, and this grant you mentioned is in the neighborhood of eight million credits?" He asked. "'Cause I'm sure you're gonna meet all manner of folks in this line of work. Plenty of stories and opinions, if that's what your in the market for. This for a project? Or a paper?..." he asked, a little curious.

Sarah smiled, clearly delighted that Einar had some interest.
"A book. I don't have a title for it yet, but the elevator pitch is: 'How the culture of the past and present has led to the politics of the now!' ... I think it's going to be an anthology of stories and anecdotes explaining why everything is so volatile right now. Too many people around the systems are in their own bubbles, you know? It might help just a little tiny bit if we could hear the voices of other people... especially if the people in power heard them, you know?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:53, Sat 23 Nov 2019.

Einar nodded and smile with a an expression that suggested he thought that might be an understatement. "True enough, well welcome aboard. I'm sure we'll get a feel for what you can handle on the shakedown, but I'd be interested to read that book when it's all said and done."

He counted off the names in his head. Himself, Wymp, Brooks, Brandle, then the two new girls Sarah and Florence (he had not known them long enough to think of them by surname). Hell, they were still only half full if everybody had their own room.

"How much of a buy in were you thinkin Sarah?" he asked as the Sales staff continued the sizable task of selling and registering a full fledged star ship through a newly formed corporation.

"Oh, that's right, you asked about that didn't you? I'm thinking the full eight million, the grant is for the ship, so I don't see why I should hold any of it back. The research for the book is going to take years, so while I'd love to stuff some of that in my own account to hedge my bets, I'm kind of hoping a full investment will yield a better long-term. For the book, and for my own future."

Einar nodded and looked pensive as he momentarily stared into the distance as he ran the figured.

37.64 out the door, if they held nothing back they would only have to borrow seven million or so. Which was still a staggering sum, and without any capital for the first run, but it was still a good frame of reference.

"Long term's good." he agreed as he crossed his arms and nodded. "I don't think most folks can really get a feel for a ship in the first year anyway" he watched as Horace started his own work.

"Well we've still got plenty of room, even with single bunks, so we may have a few more for you to interview before the day's out." he added optimistically.

Alwin had not been present when Florence and Sarah had arrived.  The lobby at the sales office had coffee and some danishes, and it went counter to his personal code of ethics to turn down free food.

When he met back up with the others, the danish already eaten but the cup of coffee still half-full in his left hand, he stood back just a bit as he observed with some wry amusement the verbal interplay between the two newcomers and the men he had already decided to partner with.

When there had been a lull in the conversation he stepped forward, his right hand extended toward the two women in greeting.  "Alwin Brandle, former merchant 2nd Officer," he says without preamble.  "Computer programmer, medic, pilot, communication tech, engineer, steward, raconteur, and occasional layabout."

"We have a blessing in medics, You plan on being a doctor Alwin?"

"That was actually my plan when I was younger," Alwin says in response to Horace, "but the hospital I worked for decided I was of more use to them as a computer tech.  When I pushed to further my medical training, they found an excuse to let me go."

"So I joined up with one of the merchant corps, decided to see the universe a bit.  Did eventually get to further my medical studies, but I never did get to the point where I could get my degree.  Was always busy learning other skills and filling in positions that someone needed me in.  The latter seems to be my lot in life," he says, with an odd grin.

"Well, now you can become a real doctor, Doc Brandle." Horace says with a smile. "I'll be your PA."

"Anyone see Heather or Reggie yet, they should have been here by now."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:50, Sun 24 Nov 2019.

Florence glanced at Noah, but didn't add anything: of course she was insistent, she was right after all, and on top of that she really didn't want to spend any amount of time in close company of someone with dreadful hygiene. But she had made her point, hopefully it had been heard and she wouldn't have to talk about that again. Though considering what Einar added just after, she was probably overly optimistic if to him basic hygiene was at the same level as nice clothes.

When Sarah mentioned the voices of the people being heard by those in power she lifted an eyebrow, but other than that simply waited silently, not having anything more to add. In fact, she seemed to barely listen to what was said, either not finding it important or deep in thoughts.

"I suggest we not wait for them and their contribution and just pay 75% and finance 25% for ten years, ayes and nays?" Horace says

"That way we have money for cargo, essentials, arms and other things. We should arm her in these trying times to protect us from pirates too."

"That's why humanity is here.. to kick ass and take names.  We absolutely need arms and armor to do that," Brooks said, nodding in agreement to Wymp's proposal.

"Have you ever thought about a nom de guerre Mr., ahem, Wymp?" Noah asked.

"Everyone can just call me Horace if it makes them feel more comfortable. Mr. Wymp is fine too. I have no problems with my name."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:18, Mon 25 Nov 2019.

Not having any shares in the ship - and not particularly displeased by it at the moment - Florence didn't answer anything when Horace asked about their investment. She did agree with the whole 'better safe than sorry', particularly if they operated around new colonies where scums like pirates were more likely to be found, but since it already seemed to be the consensus, there was no point adding anything.

Instead, she took a small laptop out. Surprisingly, the laptop didn't seem to be a known model but rather a custom work of good quality. Then she started to type a few things on it, apparently not bothering with the discussion around her.

"How often would we have to make our payments on this loan," Alwin asks, "and are there any worlds besides this one that would be authorized to accept payment?"

Alwin rather disliked being tied down to a loan, to be honest, but unless someone else just happened to show up and would be willing and able to cover the rest of the ship's cost, he didn't see much of a way around it.

"Any Class A or B starport can accept the monthly payment. I'd like to be paid off too, but we need another 10MCr to do that. Options? Ideas?"

“Correction, we need another 9MCr, I can kick a million into the pot. Might as well, it will be the first time I owned anything more then what I wore or could carry in a duffle bag.” Said the man that had just appeared.

  Reginald Gaines, known as Reggie to almost everyone, was of medium height and weight, had ark hair worn short, with a short cut beard. Brown eyes with the look of friendliness to them had disarmed more than one lady in his time. A broad smile was  rare  but did happen from time to time.

 Today he sported  jeans, a simple pull over shirt and light jacket. His hat worn upon his head, even when indoors.

 “ Sorry I am late for the kicking of the tires and looking under the hood.” It had been a saying in his family, for as long as he could remember, had no idea what it really meant, but was used when looking at anything to purchase.

Much math and contract reading follows...

New starships are often built with 40 year loans.  But that's with a brand new ship as collateral.  Used... they get a 25 year loan.

But that's not a bad thing.  Not bad at all.  Loans are complex things, and early in the repayment schedule, most of what you are paying back is interest.  The principal is paid back slowly at first but increases later.  The net result is that decreasing the term of the loan can actually make it much more favorable to the buyer.  (This is true, and this is a public service notice from the GM to younger players not yet into financing homes or cars!  never assume longer is better, always ask to see the loan calculated for shorter terms and compare!)

The 25 year loan will be paid off much faster, and is not that much of an additional cost compared to what the 40 year loan will be!  Especially since you are only borrowing a small fraction of the ship value, the bank has collateral and then some, you are a very low risk borrower.  So you qualify for a favorable rate.

You are the proud owners of a Pelican-IIB class Amphibious Transport Starship.  In addition to filling the fuel tanks and stocking the galley with one month of supplies, New Avalon Starship Sales has provided the customary bottles of champagne, because closing a deal so big, even if it's only a small ship, is an occasion.  Many buyers even make the "handover", when the Sales Office turns over the ship to you and you fly away with it, into a party.

The loan was actually for slightly more than the starship's cost. The remainder, 1.5 Million Credits, is in the starship accounts, for expenses, modifications, additional equipment, etc.

 The final calculated monthly payment on the ship is a remarkably affordable 30,179 credits.


Of course, in negotiating an added discount to the price, Horace agreed to the favor the Head of Sales presented.  As everything must stay unofficial and unrecorded for *reasons*, a contact is arranged- someone you will meet at the official handover of the ship.  Since Horace voiced his counteroffer, and it was accepted by the Head of Sales, it would be very bad form to renege on it!

Meanwhile, in inspecting the ship, you have found one reason why Florence is extremely useful.  The nose of ship is packed full of electronics- the ships sensors and communications systems are here, and various control systems for the engines and power plant. It gets cramped.  Designers rarely think of the comfort and convenience of the people doing the inspections and maintenance...it's been that way for centuries, long before starships.  But young women can be quite flexible, and she has a much easier time getting into the tighter spaces than anyone else here.  Of course, she doesn't have any of the requisite skills, but as long as someone can guide her, there are conversations like this:

"Look for a blue one."
"They're all blue."
"Dark blue."
"What's it say?"
"Forward collision avoidance radar-lidar array."
"Good.  We'll need that one."

After Einar had greeted Regi, and helped to fill him in on the details, it seemed that they were near to completion with the process, and on the verge of being "handed the keys" so to speak.

The champagne was a nice touch, and Einar asked that the salesman take a picture of the present crew mimicking the existing photo in the hallway, for posterity.

It was surreal to say the least. Left to their own devices to now explore their new ship, Einar started with a slow circuit of the top deck, smiling in a weary way, before he wandered towards the staterooms. The Pelican-IIB seemed to lack an dedicated officers cabin, which Einar did not mind in the least, so he settled on the port side room nearest to the bridge, where he removed his work harness and tossed it on the bed.

From there it was sort of the giddy thrill of fruition. They had come together, all of them, to make something happen. Something beautiful, and now they had a ship, a job, most of a crew and the prospect of a bright and secure future before them. It was hard to keep from smiling.

When it seemed to excitement was winding down, and plans would need to be made to get the ship supplied and underway, he drifted up towards the brige where he looked deep in thought over a tablet standing next to the rear window.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:05, Tue 26 Nov 2019.

 " Does the have an internal surveillance system, and what about security software? You know, anti- highjacking, and such? Asked Reggie.

The navy took out its important "stuff" but interior cameras were not worth the bother of removing.  Too much work, and they aren't that valuable.  So they are still there.  They deleted the advanced military security software (because that's top secret!) and left the basic security-0.

As much of the security threat to a ship like this is when it is on a planet surface, many owners of ships like this buy security drones that can patrol around the ship, relaying data to the ship and sending an alarm when they detect something suspicious.

There are cheap little ones available but they don't have much staying power.  Good basic security drones that can patrol for hours in any weather cost 4000 credits each here.  Most fly, but since the ship is amphibious, you might consider a diving drone.  For 6000 credits you can get an armed drone- it's not an autonomous robot, the weapons are fired remotely by the operator.

There are more advanced robotic drones that can identify and attack a target on their own, but they run into legal problems in many starports.  Generally they are considered weapons of war.

There's one more detail here.

You need not keep the ship's original name.  As the new owners, you can rechristen the Montauk if you want to.

After Horace settles into his room, he comes out and sits around the bridge with the others. "Keep Montauk, or rename her? I say rename, Montauk is a military name. "
This message was last edited by the player at 13:53, Tue 26 Nov 2019.

Florence grumbled a bit when she was asked to inspect parts of the ship, arguing that she didn't know the first thing about whatever she'd find there, not even to know if it was normal or not. Still, when confronted with the argument that she was the only one able to easily fit in those passages, she relented and did as asked. When she came back out, she wasn't grumbling anymore but seemed distracted, turning her head from side to side as if she were trying to listen to something only her could hear.

Once all that was done, and she had picked her room - or quarters she supposed... - the girl went to find Horace with an electronic document for him to sign. As he looked it over, she commented. "The Montauk was a military ship, she's not that anymore, so it makes sense to change her name. Plus, you might prefer to take your distance in case some people are still butt-hurt over what the ship did to them." She paused for a second. "Something related both to the sky and the seas or amphibious could be appropriate, like Albatross or Mermaid. The advantage is that it's easy to design a logo and all that goes with it."

"Hmmm, worth a lot are you? You'll get 8,000Cr a month, more than you deserve since you haven't shown much worth yet." he says with a grin.

"I'll tell you what though, if you stick and pull your weight, I'll give you half of one of my shares for yourself."

"Get air freshener to use on him if he refuses to shower, or, we, the crew, can scrub him to show our displeasure if he stinks too much. We don't like stink either, that's what the fresher is for. I like Albatross."



"Welcome aboard Reggie, I was about to give up on you as late as you were. What happened and have you seen Heather? She hasn't shown up yet either. There are cameras, but I'm not sure of anti-hijacking software."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:35, Tue 26 Nov 2019.

"Yeah, we probably should." Einar nodded as he leaned against the bulkhead near the front window looking out. "I kind of liked Montauk actually, but it'll be best if we start fresh". He listened to Florence's argument

"Those are classic, but it's kinda boring don'cha think? I'd guess every other Pelican is named the Sea Horse or the Albatross. I'd personally like somethin with some character"

He thought briefly about the name Näkki, the old "water horse" myth. Ugly from the back and pretty from the front, but it did not have a great sound and naming it after a horse that dragged people to their deaths might put people off.



"You better bring Reggie then, and Noah too, if you know what's good for ya" Einar shot back quickly. He knew the man was joking and it showed in his tone.

"I'm gonna throw out the Shawnee, did a little reading, and they were both tribes back on Earth, the Montauk and the Shawnee. Different name, but kind of honors the old one some. I also like the Wrangler, for personal reasons." He added, as Horace and Florence went back and forth.

After finishing his own personal inspection of the ship, looking at the various electrical systems, the computer interfaces, the medical facilities (if any) and the ship's drives in the engineering section, Alwin also finished up on the bridge.  While looking over both the pilot's seat and the comms interface, he listens to the various suggestions for a new name, then throws out one of his own.

"If you're not wedded to using an amphibian-based name, I would personally recommend the Arcus."  He pauses long enough to see if anyone present recognizes the name, then continues.  "Arcus was the Roman counterpart to Iris, who was the goddess associated with new endeavors."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:09, Tue 26 Nov 2019.

"Arcus huh?" Einar scratched at his beard. "I like that, maybe a little grand for a little transport, heh, you'd imagine like a destroyer or somethin, but it's got a good ring to it."

Horace turns to the salesman (if he's still there? I don't think we paid yet, just inspecting the product, kicking the tires.) "Where do we go to talk to someone about arming the Arcus? We need lasers at least for defense."

While the others busied themselves with ship inspection, Sarah busied herself with finding her room and transcribing dictation and other notes she'd taken into the research database she'd been compiling for her book. On the one hand, it was easy to think of her project as something of a suped-up travel diary, on the other, she knew that it was meant to be far more authoritative than that. Never mind the fact that modern research novels like the one she was writing had entire articles written for practically every citation; so what might at first look like a very old-fashioned two or three hundred page textbook on a datapad, was actually a sort of interactive gateway of information that could be interfaced with not just as a book, but also as an info-base for artificial personal assistants, network information hubs, or even as a guided audio/visual experience!

Most books hadn't just been words on paper for at least a century, and Sarah had her work cut out for her.

Eventually though, she did get enough work done to worm her way out of her room and make her way to join the others. Some of the pep had been zapped from her step, but she was still in a good enough mood that she talked shop with Alwin about his opinion on the ship's computer and electronics systems before finding a glass of champagne and joining the conversation about the ship name.
"I like Shawnee or Arcus." She said simply, while taking sips and listening quietly from the corner of the bridge.

Horace decides to look into the arming of the ship.

That kind of work isn't done by the ship sales office itself (for liability reasons, of course!) but they have "associated" enterprises that perform the work.

It's becoming less common these days, but it generally won't raise eyebrows.  During the height of the war with the Carinans, when battles were routinely fought in this region and not hundreds of light years away, it was expected.  Merchant ships couldn't be expected to hold their own in fights with warships, but they typically weren't alone, and being able to contribute helped.  Also, the Carinans frequently sent scouts, and on occasion still do, and an armed merchant ship can defeat a lone scout.  Piracy isn't considered "a thing", it's so rare as to be a Shocking Event when it occurs.  And, Humanity hasn't really had the opportunity to make war on itself.

That last possibility seems to have occurred to a few people.  If the Commonwealth's Governors lose their grip, many things might happen.  Some might be good, some not.  Among the "not":  individual planets, or regions, declare themselves independent, and eventually, some get into... arguments.

While investigating the purchase of weapons, Horace learns that several other merchant ship owners on Lyonesse have had the same idea recently.  It's not a rush, not yet.  But the level on interest is higher than usual.  Fortunately not enough to drive up prices.  Prices for starship weapons are actually fairly inexpensive here, because just like the Montauk, there are many systems being sold off as military surplus.

Because many starships cannot land, the companies licensed to install weapons on starships work out of the Lyonesse Orbital Station, up there in geostationary orbit, pretty much over New Avalon.  Far over.  Horace sees several pieces of equipment available that could be installed on the... Arcus, is it?  the ex-Montauk.

Sandcasters are cheap, fairly reliable devices that spread reflective particles in the path of beam weapons of for defense.  It's not really sand, more like a crystalline glitter.  They aren't considered weapons, but a sandcaster can be used offensively.  It can damage sensors and other exposed delicate equipment.  It can also be used like a smokescreen, to help a ship evade sensors, although it's not ideal for that.

The Repulsor Beam Projector is another defensive system, it uses artificial gravity technology to deflect things.  Very effective against physical things, and particles, it would instantly clear a cloud of sand from a sand cloud.  Less effective against lasers. They are new and fairly expensive and a little out of reach right now unless the characters wanted to add to their loan.

Railguns use magnetic acceleration to launch a stream of metal balls at a target at extremely high speeds.  They are very lethal at close range, at longer ranges ships often have time to evade the attack since the balls travel much slower than laser energy.

Pulse Lasers are more or less the "standard" weapon available.

Point Defense Lasers are designed to move and target faster, but have less punch.  They are designed mostly to defend against incoming missiles, but they are also dangerous to small, lightly armed targets.

Since the source is "Military Surplus" the pickings are limited:

General Technologies Standard Defense Turret. Equipped with both a sandcaster and a point defense laser, for dual protection!   600,000 credits.

General Technologies Point Defense Turret.  Equipped with one point defense laser. 300,000 credits.

Ackermann Arms Pulse Laser Turret.  Simple turret with one pulse laser.  250,000 credits.

Red Lion Double Laser Turret.  Two pulse lasers.  400,000 credits.

Hanover Steel Repeater.  One Railgun in a turret.  280,000 credits.

There is one more hitch, naturally.  Horace has already committed the ship to a favor, which must be done immediately- that's the whole point of it being a favor, if they could wait, it wouldn't be necessary to offer it as a special favor.  These are the weapons immediately available at this planet, that could be quickly attached to the ship.  Anything else will take time, and renege on the deal.

In reply to Horace Wymp (msg # 65):

 The newcomer to the party,  made a slight grin, in response to Horace’s question.” I am late, because of the need to collect on a few old debts. That is why I can afford to kick in on the ship.”

 Reggie looked over the exterior of the ship, while he spoke.” Heather? No, sorry, I have not seen her recently. As for a ship name, I vote for Hermes. He was the patron god of travelers."

"How many hard points do we have? Two?

Red Lion Double Laser Turret.  Two pulse lasers.  400,000 credits.


General Technologies Standard Defense Turret. Equipped with both a sandcaster and a point defense laser, for dual protection!   600,000 credits.

Any other suggestions?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:33, Wed 27 Nov 2019.

I'm not used to jumping in and out of character like this.

But yes, if we can afford it, that sounds good to me.

 Reggie would rather have the twin lasers, but a sandcaster and point laser is a decent start. We can always upgrade latter.

"One million credits usually to buy a beam laser and turret, here we get it all for 1MCr. Then we have to get it installed quickly so we can meet our deadline for our favor of 1% discount. Any other business for the corporation before Florence and I get it all on paper and ready for signatures? IAF Arcus, Independent Armed Freighter Arcus"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:39, Wed 27 Nov 2019.

I still prefer Hermes.

Florence smiled, apparently amused. "I just wanted to see if you'd spot the little modifications I made. And note that while you found about the million credits thing, you missed the part about you donating all your shares to me." She pointed at a spot in the contract, where it was indeed stated - in a very roundabout way - that such a thing would happen if the contract became effective.

"Here." Florence sent another version of the contract, a version that looked a lot more standard and much less wordy. "That's the normal version of it." She didn't comment on the salary she'd get - it wasn't really a priority after all - nor the fact that she hadn't shown much. It wasn't like she had much to show after all. Though, much like the salary... it wasn't why she was here now, was it?

She cocked an eyebrow at Horace's mention that he'd give her half of a share if he was satisfied. It probably didn't matter all that much, but it was a nice gesture. "Alright."

The girl glanced at Einar with a grimace, but didn't comment: first, because she was pretty sure she had made her opinion crystal clear already and second because she didn't want him to have any reason to put his paws on her, she really didn't like her odds...

She didn't seem put out by his distaste about the name choice, for she didn't really feel all that invested in it and ultimately, it wouldn't be her choice anyway. Arcus, Shawnee or Hermes, it was all the same to her.

In some sense, it was the same for the weapons choice - with the added drawback that she didn't know much about those things - but there was one major difference: the ship's name wouldn't make any difference as far as she was concerned - baring some stupid choice - but her health, freedom or even life could very well depend on the weapons they fitted the ship with. "I would pick the railguns instead of the pulse laser. The lasers have more range sure, but less punch. With the sandcaster we should be able to defend against enemy lasers long enough to get away or close enough to fire the railguns and punch a hole through whatever is messing with us. If a fight is unavoidable, we should aim at finishing them as quickly as possible, which a laser doesn't allow us to do."

After a small pause, she added. "Plus, odds are that the longer range of the lasers would be wasted: we won't be the aggressors, and by the time things go really wrong, we're likely to be in close range. An enemy would probably try to get as close as possible before revealing himself in order to prevent us from fleeing away. A railgun would counter that strategy much better than a pulse laser."

"It's Reggie's call in the end" Einar chimed in simply. "If we're paying the man to keep us in one piece, might as well listen to him." He looked to Reginald with s resolute nod. "That's if we can afford it, of course. Doesn't sound like anything here is gonna break the bank?" He glanced to Horace next for confirmation.

"Though I vote for the lasers as I stated before, Florence is right, a railgun has more punch. The projectile is much slower though."

" The more I think upon the matter, a sandcaster would be good to have. Is there any way we could combine that with a more heavy duty laser? It might give us the element of surprise against a foe. If they see a sand caster deployed, they might assume all we have is a point defense weapon. Just an idea."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:44, Fri 29 Nov 2019.

I said a Red Lion Double Laser Turret.  Two pulse lasers.  400,000 credits.

General Technologies Standard Defense Turret. Equipped with both a sandcaster and a point defense laser, for dual protection!   600,000 credits. That satisfies your requirements. Or the rail gun as suggested by Florence.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:24, Sat 30 Nov 2019.