>>29059232
>[ ] Business. You are a Lesser Lord of Earth, charged by the Solar Trading Enterprise with the sworn and solemn duty of procuring wealth, profits, prestige, and power. Your work in the Damocles sub-sector has wrought you many of these things, but not without foes and woes. You are talented in matters of statescraft, and the less savory side of business has made you savvy with the unsavory sorts that ply those trades. Business has been better, however, profit is sure to turn around the corner, especially as your accounts sit rather fat. Even if you lack for profits, prestige, and power.

>[ ] Pleasure. You are a self-styled pirate king. Even if others often fail to recognize, you are royalty, a Lesser Lord of Earth by writ and by signage! Your travels have made you a very savvy sort, and you have become wonderful bedfellows with not only the finest women the sector has to offer, but many people of a very talented and criminally inclined nature. Though in the latter case, such fellowships were brief, and often wrought with a violent end. You have made foes, but you have made great company and great adventures. Of course, fortune has a habit of frowning upon your lifestyle choices, and you have found yourself in recent troubles for that. Yet fortune has a way of changing its mind, the fickle, bipolar bitch that it is.

>>29059246
>[X] Pleasure. You are a self-styled pirate king. Even if others often fail to recognize, you are royalty, a Lesser Lord of Earth by writ and by signage! Your travels have made you a very savvy sort, and you have become wonderful bedfellows with not only the finest women the sector has to offer, but many people of a very talented and criminally inclined nature. Though in the latter case, such fellowships were brief, and often wrought with a violent end. You have made foes, but you have made great company and great adventures. Of course, fortune has a habit of frowning upon your lifestyle choices, and you have found yourself in recent troubles for that. Yet fortune has a way of changing its mind, the fickle, bipolar bitch that it is.
Pirate campaign is go!

>>29059246
>[x] Business. You are a Lesser Lord of Earth, charged by the Solar Trading Enterprise with the sworn and solemn duty of procuring wealth, profits, prestige, and power. Your work in the Damocles sub-sector has wrought you many of these things, but not without foes and woes. You are talented in matters of statescraft, and the less savory side of business has made you savvy with the unsavory sorts that ply those trades. Business has been better, however, profit is sure to turn around the corner, especially as your accounts sit rather fat. Even if you lack for profits, prestige, and power.
Rogue Trader Time!

>>29059246
>business

>>29059246
> [x] Business

>>29059246

Business! and any good businessman knows that piracy is a crude man's game, we'll so much more profitable utilizing tax breaks and smuggling loopholes anyways

>>29059246
Business

>>29059854
The right bribes in the right places, and a legal team on retainer, and we can make the bureaucracy work FOR us instead of AGAINST us.

>>29059246
>[ ] Pleasure.

>>29059778
>Rogue Trader Time!
wrong choice for that bro

>>29059246
>[ ] Pleasure.
Ill show you bitches how to rogue trader

>>29059246
>>[ ] Pleasure. You are a self-styled pirate king. Even if others often fail to recognize, you are royalty, a Lesser Lord of Earth by writ and by signage! Your travels have made you a very savvy sort, and you have become wonderful bedfellows with not only the finest women the sector has to offer, but many people of a very talented and criminally inclined nature. Though in the latter case, such fellowships were brief, and often wrought with a violent end. You have made foes, but you have made great company and great adventures. Of course, fortune has a habit of frowning upon your lifestyle choices, and you have found yourself in recent troubles for that. Yet fortune has a way of changing its mind, the fickle, bipolar bitch that it is.

>>29059232
>Business

There's luchre to be had, and what better place than where ill-gotten gains outnumber people.

>>29059335
>>29059778
>>29059818
>>29059835
>>29059854
>>29059871
You have been charged in matters of all things economic and political! A way with words and a way with coin.

Which, in the end, actually means for very little in this side of the galaxy. You have accounts, which are actually a very secure form of retaining currency on this side of the galaxy, but those accounts have only stretched you so far. Even with your generous pay rises and your initial stipend from the Solar Trading Enterprise (STE), you could only go so far.

And that 'so far' was the Gemblin Trevin, a gambling tavern ever-so-creatively-named for the drunken slurring commonly associated with it. It was, however, a place where the rum was actually genuine. It was processed with pure sugar, in fact, which was a rarity enough.

Contrary to its fairly human name, however, it was mostly an alien-infested dive. Whilst a number of species had two arms, two legs, and one head (a format that was universally popular for the fact that it enabled a fair degree of variation, and also had a number of perks in terms of mobility), a large number also did not.

>>29060317

Which meant that this place sat at a lazy .75 G, to accommodate both floating and non-floating species, amongst other things. Your drink drunkenly sloshes in your grasp as you set it back down. You're not drunk yourself, though you have reason enough to be.

Your ship, the Gallant, was taken by pirate scum, a fast-moving pirate sloop taken by a supposed "Pirate King". You are a Lesser Lord! You deserve better than than to be taken captive aboard your own ship, forced to jettison in an escape pod with minimal FTL capacity! You lived like a barbarian as you made your way to Salvation Station.

A station that was, on the whole, about two screws short of a critical hull breach. Piled together from salvaged space scrap and constantly being reinforced with the hulls of those too poor to pay their docking and "repair" fees, Salvation Station was as sure a hole of wretchedness as any you've ever visited. Even the SolForce, so proud of their force projection, only maintained a minimal presence. A "Piracy Interdiction" frigate that spent most of its time docked here, with most of its crew neck-deep in the same mire of scum that it was sent here to stop.

No place for a reputable man as yourself at all. You need many things to begin your start across the stars once more!

You need a ship.

You need a crew.

And lastly, you need a purpose.

>Current Resources:
>[ ] $10,000,000 Nuyen. The SolForce standard currency.
>[ ] One double-breasted Solar Trading Enterprises greatcoat, made of fine polymer silks and suitably embroidered with your initials and lordly signage.
>[ ] A single six-shot plasma accelerator pistol. Six hydrogen cells sit in a rotary chamber, styled like a large revolver, with an extra twelve shots carried in a pair of speed loaders on your person.

>>29060329
Purpose is easy: Hunt down that Pirate King and space him from his own ship's airlock. Or throw him into the reactor; I'm not particular.

So first, we need to get ourselves a ship. Do any of the customers here look like they deal in ships? Or should we go down to the docks.

>>29060317
>>29060329
dropped your trip OP

also, this a wat do?

>>29060329
>>[ ] A single six-shot plasma accelerator pistol. Six hydrogen cells sit in a rotary chamber, styled like a large revolver, with an extra twelve shots carried in a pair of speed loaders on your person.

In a place like this, a gun will get us further than raw cash that these scum may not accept, and a coat that's likely to get us mugged and shot, and not in that order.

>>29060329

>[ ] Your father's trusty knife, from his days as a Lesser Lord Merchant. Crafted from a unique nano-forging of tungsten, titanium, and several plastics, it is lightweight, deadly sharp, and easily concealed. The fact that it can gut a man like a fish is just an added perk.
>[ ] A Level IIIA Cybercortex. Cybercortexes are graded on a scale from Level 1A (Top-secret SolForce military issue) to Level VF ("Failure" grade. Something that has a >50% chance of causing fatal brain hemorraging on installation). You have a number of cerebral safeguards, and is one of the higher-end models. You can store information, contact data, and even do radio/wireless communications between other cybercortex-equipped users. Also comes with minor "Cyberwarfare" capabilities, a mid-grade hacking suite for "security" purposes. Slightly illegal, but useful enough to be overlooked.
>[ ] A secure data vault for sensitive information, physically attached to your brain stem and only accessible by thought command, making it a fatally secure hiding spot for anything about the size of a thumb drive.

>>29060329
>>29060389
I am confused as to what we're meant to do

>>29060389
>[ ] A secure data vault for sensitive information, physically attached to your brain stem and only accessible by thought command, making it a fatally secure hiding spot for anything about the size of a thumb drive.

>>29060389
Before we choose: Does the slow blade penetrate the shield?

I choose:
>[X] Nazis in Fantasyland

>>29060382
>Bugger
>Yes.

>>29060378
You have several contacts in terms of ships. Amusingly enough, pirates themselves often deal in the ships they've stolen, though obviously such ships are (usually) scrubbed of major registry details and left blank slates for new identifications. Such ships usually come at the greatest of discounts.

Whereas a new starship might run you $7-$9 million from your accounts, you could get one from these people for half that. Perhaps even a third, but it would be a ship with history.

The station also has its junking yards, where starships from those that are too poor to pay their fees are broken down for parts and components, either for independent sale or simply repairing other ships that come to dock. You could likely purchase a ship on the way for decommissioning at a slightly more expensive cost, but still reduced from 'new' rates.

And finally, there are the station's actual shipyards. Well, what rates for shipyards, mostly a mixture of drydocks and berths for those passing through. A number of craft are also minted in those same shipyards, compiled of different parts and components. New, and likely in fairly good running order. Somewhat of a "Frankenship", however, but likely the safest (and most expensive) thing that money could buy.

>>29060388
You would have stored your coat somewhere, had you a proper place to stay. As it is, the finery of your coat and the potential retribution of actually hurting a Lesser Lord (or at least, the attention of doing so) has deterred common muggers from trying anything. The fact that the Gemblin Trevin also employs a Fiori (A race of blue-furred, ape-like aliens that tend to rip apart the limbs of and cannibalize their own kind. 'Nuff said.) bouncing staff tends to deter those more courageous from starting anything whilst you're here.


>>29060415
You have need of a starship and a crew, to begin with. From there, opportunities are likely to arise in and of themselves. Salvation Station is a place rife with chance, all it takes is a keen eye.

>>29060415
For a bit more of a prompted course of actions...

>[ ] Pursue getting a ship?
>>[ ] Shipyard
>>[ ] Pirate dealings
>>[ ] Scrapyards.
>[ ] Pursue getting a crew?
>>[ ] Details available on request/when the time comes.

>>29060463
I say we should set our sights on a ship that was taken by pirates, one with rich history, and them promptly turn it into the best pirate hunting starship around

>>29060479
>>[ ] Pirate dealings
can we name our ship 'IRONY'

>>29060479

Well, first things first: who can offer work here?

Our chances of collecting a good crew from the slime coating the walls of this station are slim to none.

We should instead seek out a proven local "businessman", tell him we're an experienced captain and offer to pilot a ship in his name.

We deliver on our promises, pay back our debts, skim just a little off the top , and before we know it, we'll have the money to buy the ship outright.

>>29060525
Second. Reliability.

>>29060458
>What?

>>29060457
Amusingly, some daft bastard actually designed a shielding system that worked like that. It essentially amounted to needing a backpack-mounted sensor array to adequately judge just what was "sufficiently slow" to "Duel like a gentleman" with.

Little was he prepared when someone just underhand tossed a frag grenade at him and blew him to bits. It has caught some popularity amongst the socially retarded aristocrats, however, who never once see actual combat. It's like watching two Pillsbury Doughboys parody fencing.

>>29060492
You could name it "The Firecrotch" as far as registry officials are concerned. Though if it's pirates you wish to deal with, this would be as sure a place as any.

There's several available to deal from, judging by what information you managed to gain in the... oh, six hours since you arrived from the disgusting interior of your escape pod.

There's several alien privateers, offering ships that are also mostly alien in design, and thus in need of refitting in order to situate a human captain (let alone a human crew.) You've slept in a cramped interior that was basically a toilet built into a crash seat for several days. You'd rather not do it again.

That said, most of the ships the pirates have taken are trader ships. They range from smaller Slipspace-capable cargo haulers, to a few asteroid mining/xenotech exploration tugs, to even an old bounty hunting shuttle that was apparently taken from the man that tried to take the pirate selling it.

There's also some old starfighters and the like for sale, but nothing Slipspace worthy, and thus nothing in your immediate attention.

>>29060525
Well, you could certainly fish for work amongst the pirates. They're always happy to have a new crew member, but you doubt you'll stay a merchant for long with a reputation like that attached to you.

Rolled 29

>>29060479
>>[ ] Scrapyards.

>>29060585

You could also attempt to talk with the captain of the interdiction frigate. A SolForce Captain who, though clearly corrupt (if the chatter you've heard here is any indicator), likely knows a few tasks you could take up to benefit both yourself and him. And by extension, his superiors.


In terms of reputable businessmen, there is a small 'municipal trading office' for the STE, but you suspect that the small-fry clerks there won't have much in the way of pull. Likely they mostly deal with cargo haulers or fuel tenders on their way by the station, but you might get lucky.


Of course, cargo haulers in this area -- at a glance -- tend to pack a bit more gun than they might in areas that SolForce gave more of a damn about. Almost every ship has a point-defense laser array, and more than a few cargo ships have railgun turrets for swatting away pirate fighter and boarding craft.

You could also attempt to make a deal with one of the smuggling ring leaders. Ferrying questionable cargo is, after all, a reputable way of doing business if you never question the cargo.

It only irks you further that your own ship was better armed than any of them, but still fell before that damned pirate. Curse his name, and curse his lineage!

>>29060633
We must create a separate identity, using what cash we have. We'll use that to work as pirates, scrounging enough money to buy a ship and then become the dread of pirates everywhere. Plus, our time as a pirate will teach us their ways, where they like to hide, how they operate operationally operating, and the best way to hunt them.

>>29060650

Let's talk to the SolForce Captain.

Corrupt? Yes, but it will have the appearance of legitimacy to outside observers, and probably will maintain our reputation so long as we don't get caught with our pants down.

Secondly, SolForce might be willing to protect their own; even if this Captain is corrupt, it doesn't necessarily mean that SolForce views him as expendable.

If the Captain tells us to fuck off, then we can check out the municipal trading office and see if we can learn anything interesting.

>>29060650
>You could also attempt to talk with the captain of the interdiction frigate.

sounds the best

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>>29060638
>>29060670
>>29060693
>>29060701
You consider heading to the Scrapyards, as well as trying to hitch a ride with one of those pirate scum, of the very ilk that you were just dethroned by.

Yet after some contemplations, you decide to head over by the docking station. In particular, hunting down the SolForce interdiction officer. Or, more frankly put, the naval Captain stuck on the anti-piracy frigate in the area.

You do a few quick queries with your cybercortex's search algorithms. Refined mercantile search programs easily root out the relevant directories listing both his pay grade (rather low for a Captain, you notice as an aside), as well as a few simple tax forms stating his residence as a local hotel. One notable for its casino night life. A quick check of your internal chronometer, 15:29 local time, and you realize that he's likely still at "work."

Whatever work might be, anyways.

You set your drink down, adjusting your pistol inside of your coat with a brief flutter of your coattails. Stepping away from your stool you stroll down familiar, greasy corridors. Lit with lights strung up from the composite systems of dozens of different hulls and frames, you finally make your way to the docking berths, where the frigate is supposed to be. You pass several groups of local sailors. They're a fairly disciplined lot in uniform, wearing their exo suits and powered armor with the usual stern-faced military dignity, but you're savvy enough to notice the odd slouch here and there. The inattentive stares from lack of action. Pirates police their own, and tend to have a policy of not shitting where they sleep. Even alien ones.

>>29061603

Well, mostly. Still, you manage to hail a sergeant currently on foot patrol. How easy it would be to take out his entire squad, you silently muse, with even your petty revolver. Then again, you've got some rather nice skillwares wired into your cortex. Not military-grade, but you doubt these guys are even equipped with cybercortexes at all, let alone keeping theirs actively refreshed.


"Do you know where I could find the commanding officer of the Ronin?" You ask, inquiring with the name of their staging ship.
"Captain Hass? Yeah. He should be back on the ship." The sergeant readily offers, "He might be leaving soon, though. Tends to head out with some of the officers around this time of day. Might catch him if you hurry a bit."

Information in hand, you indeed hurry your pace a bit, moving past several exo-clad locals operating power loaders, helping disembark sealed containers from a number of ships that would rather easily fit the bill of "Questionable Cargo Carriers."

And sandwiched between a pair of tubular liquid cargo tugs sits the Ronin. A Masamune Shirow-class SolForce frigate, it's one of the fatter and smaller frigate designs. Its design is relatively elongated with sharp, angular edges.


Said edges also gave host to its impressive twin-linked railgun cannons on turreted mounts. Railguns far larger than what most vessels tended to mount, and for good reason. It was the kind of power that tended to be irrelevant in smaller engagements, but could really bring the pain in a fleet engagement.

Judging by its rather pristine condition, barring the marring from lack of maintenance and spending a fair amount of time in dock with no cleaning, it had been a vessel built for a fleet battle that had never come. And thus it had been relegated to this sad graveyard of fighting pirates, whilst its crew was left to cavort with the very people it had been assigned to slay.

>>29061613

As fortune would have it, however, the Captain was present. A rather gruff man with a military-issue pair of cybernetic legs, prosthetic from the lower abdomen down, his feet clicked as he moved along, metal ringing on metal as the pot-bellied, Germanic-blooded Captain sported a thick mustache and a clean-shaven double chin.

His uniform was crisp around him as he departed one of the docking umbilicals, right into the public platform you awaited him on.

"Greetings, Captain Hass! You're a rather easy man to find!" You greet cheerily. "A pleasure to meet you."
"I don't make a business to keep myself hidden" Hass comments in turn, his expression equally cheery, and his cheeks slightly rosy. You could almost swear a hint of wine on his breath, even at a few feet apart

You exchange handshakes and brief pleasantries, but eventually the matter of business comes to the fore.

"What can I do for you, young man?" Hass asks, one thick, silvery eyebrow raised. Definitely a man who has begun to age into his prime, and without the immediate wealth (though his rings do indicate a great deal of a assets) to afford expensive rejuvenation treatments.

"You see... I've been waylaid by pirates." You explain candidly. "My vessel was claimed by one particular rogue."

The Captain seems to suppress a small smile. "Indeed? Well, my condolences for your loss, m'lord," He states, your rank commanding respect from the military officer, "But I am not sure how I could help such a plight as your own?"

>[ ] What aid do you wish to request of the Captain?

>>29061624
Ask about the best deals on ships and whether he knows people who could give you a discount.

>>29061624

"In the past, I've found that men in command like yourself could always use the assistance of an able body and a bright mind. Have any need for a captain? Perhaps someone can operate outside of SolForce?"

If this guy is corrupt as they say, he'll likely know of a few "favors" we can do for him.

>>29061624
>Commandeer his ship for your own personal use.

>>29061822

lolwut

>>29061711
>>29061822
>>29061821
>>29061839

You briefly contemplate just what it must be like to try and go to a strip club when you have no badonk or kadonk, to use the sophisticated terminology for the naval officer's handicap and the military-grade (read: Cheap and mass-produced) prosthetic for it.

You're broken from your brief revere on how that wretched anatomy must function by his question.

"In the past, I've found that the truly successful men in command, like yourself, could always use the assistance of an able body and a bright mind." You tell him, plying your words with a silken tongue, smiling widely. "Have any need for a captain? Perhaps someone can operate outside of SolForce?"

You have a brief flash of thought about commandeering his own vessel, but you're no pirate. As amusing as the idea would be, you lack both the manpower and the authority to simply take his vessel by force of politics or muscle. Perhaps at another date you might add the Ronin to your fleet.

"Though if you know some dealers who might give men such as ourselves a fair deal, rather than the usual pirates out to make a quick buck, I'm sure my thanks could be rather easily reciprocated."

The man hums as he considers your offers, his hand rubbing along his pudgy chins.

>Target Number: 40 or below. Best of three on a 1d100.

Rolled 76

>>29062031

ROLLING.

Also, great writing so far AA. Impressed with your descriptions of things from the protagonists' viewpoint - it does wonders for helping me think "in character".

>>29062123

And I guess if no one else rolls I'll roll again twice.

Although I was pretty sure there were at least two other people in this quest earlier...

Rolled 7

>>29062031
Rollin.

Rolled 100

>>29062249

Solid victory, completing our rolls here.

>>29062277

Or not.

>>29062282

Eh, well, we did roll under 40, and he said best of three?

Maybe he gets so pissed for asking he accidentally reveals a good contact or something like that.

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>>29062277
>>29062282
>>29062320
>>29062249
>>29062218
>>29062123
Your lips move faster than your brain can think. Years of lessons in the art of persuasion come to mind, lessons on ethos, pathos, and logos and how to use them to effectively persuade one into allying with you.

To begin with, your luck is terrible. Then again, you've been having a terrible couple of days. You've gone from living in what basically amounts to a flying port-a-potty to ending up in a space station that's effectively pirate central.

And you do not have a very good reputation with pirates.

As such, you're slightly stinky, and you've got a bit of an off look about you, in spite of your words. Captain Hass is the first piece of "civilized" conversation you've had beyond ordering a bit of rum.

Your words flutter around you all the same.

"Well, you see, I'm looking to acquire a ship for myself." You remark, laughing. "Considering I've had the misfortune of being waylaid by pirates, I figure it's only fair that I avoid getting conned by those conniving scoundrels. Maybe even help in your rather vigorous crusade against them!" You suggest, perhaps coming off a bit too strongly.

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>>29062722

Especially as the man flashes into a scowl, cocking an eyebrow. "I wish I could possess as finely colored a vision as yours, your lordship." He comments in return, "My time here has shown that a good number of these 'scoundrels' can offer quite the fair deals when it comes to getting things of necessity. Supplies are scarce for places like this, especially supplies that come in neatly-marked containers like what you lads use."

His shift in countenance causes you to flash a quick smile in return. "Of course, of course! My apologies, Captain, if I seemed to deride those here working to maintain a living!" You hastily try to rectify, "Indeed, a man as seasoned as yourself, I'm sure, has a very definitive eye of just who the scoundrels are, and just who here is doing what's needed to live!"

It's a bit of a sloppy recovery, but you sweeten it slightly, getting a good gauge of the Captain by this point with your keen social eye. "In fact, I'm well aware that you have to make a living as well, Captain. If you can refer me to some fair deals, for fair men as ourselves, I'd be immensely grateful for lending a fellow Sol native a hand."


You pause for effect, "Immediately, immensely grateful, in fact." You comment, the docking umbilical around you empty of souls, beyond the souls of the ancient machinery keeping you both alive in the depths of space.

>>29062793

>some stumbling out of the gate, but maybe our desperate appearance makes us less threatening and more relatable.

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>>29062793

The Captain slowly nods, obviously getting the rather clear hint. "Aye, I know some men with some ships to sell. Fair men, even in games of card and chance. They've got some ships that might catch your eye."

His eyes flicker a brief shade of silver as he transmits a data packet via ocular contact. Your counter-intrusion software quickly detects that its harmless, and you open three sets of files.

>A Cyclops III logistics shuttle, designed for boarding, exploration, hauling, and other "logistics" functions. Don't mind the Jolly Roger painted on the side, or the high-powered magnetic grapplers. Or the exosuit storage bay just ripe for a combat model in place of the designated "construction" unit. Great for xenoarcheology as well. Price: Three million nuyen.
>A retrofit alien Hunter-class ship. Designed with a stealth profile, the vessel's sleek frame is built not only for stealth operations, but hit-and-run engagements. Its pseudo-organic hull gives it a rather fluid system of airlocks and damage control systems, but it lacks for direct armaments. Price: Six million nuyen.
>578-R Space Transport. A rather dedicated cargo hauler by name and by trade, but with the added fact that its abundant capacity makes it infinitely customizable. Put in bunks and make it a heavy troopship. Add in some heavier guns or a bomb bay and you've got a ready-made gunship. Upscale the engines and you're flying away everything that doesn't have an iris or shield projector over a Slipknot point. Price: Four million nuyen.

>>29062871
>>A retrofit alien Hunter-class ship. Designed with a stealth profile, the vessel's sleek frame is built not only for stealth operations, but hit-and-run engagements. Its pseudo-organic hull gives it a rather fluid system of airlocks and damage control systems, but it lacks for direct armaments. Price: Six million nuyen.

>>29062871
>578-R Space Transport
I like the customizability. Is it also a popular model? If there's lots of them around, then getting spare parts shouldn't be a problem, or finding engineers that can keep it flying.

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>>29062871
>A Comstock Breacher. Designed with a mentality of taking on all threats head-on, the vessel is at a minimum of crew space, but is fantastic for either running a blockade or darting head-first into a barrage of fire. Its shield projectors are primarily oriented to the fore, giving it a robust forward shielding grid against both kinetic and energy weaponry. Its massive engines and Slipstream drives enable it to move swiftly and to turn practically on a dime. Its weaponry is fairly sub-par with only a few railgun cannons and a lone torpedo tube. Its considered a "special forces" craft in that, if destroyed, there won't be much left to have to deny. It also has some fairly nice equipment on the whole, all things considered. Price: Eight million nuyen.

>>29062871

I vote for the Cyclops III - it looks innocuous from the outside and it's already got room for some neat toys.

Plus, it's cheapest and we can use our remaining funds to secure a capable team. A good crew is more valuable than a good ship anyday.

>>29062871
>>29062932
OP, is that Breacher another option from the Captain? Are there other available ships from his contacts?

>>29062928
>That's it for the selection uploaded to you.

The 578-R Space Transport is a fairly commonplace model. With its design being mostly open space, the vessel itself incorporates a number of parts that tend to be on the open market. Then again, if it didn't, it wouldn't exactly be for sale in the middle of a den like this, now would it? You're hardly shopping on the trophy room floor of a high-end shipyard.

The 578-R has been phased out in recent years with newer models, but it's nothing that a bit of upgrading or a good engineer couldn't compensate for.

>>29062945
That is all that is available in his listings. Those four vessels, with associated specifications and imagery (and a bit of commentary from the Captain regarding their state or details immediately evident.)

The Breacher is, yes, from the Captain. You may find other ships by exploring around the station or asking further, but those are the ones he immediately volunteers to you.

>>29062943

Also, I'd love to do some xenoarcheology type stuff - moderate risk, but possibly high reward.

>>29062871
Let's take a look inside all of them before deciding.

>>29062943
The 578-R has much more room for upgrades, though, and already has plenty of cargo space.

>>29063024
I assume that the Cyclops is atmo-capable; what about the 578? Can it land and leave a planet on its own?

>>29063247

I'll compromise with you for the 578-R - I'm mostly just looking for a cheap spaceship that's fast enough to run away from pirates, and is kitted out for xenoarcheology digs.

>>29062871
578-R.

>>29062871
>>578-R Space Transport. A rather dedicated cargo hauler by name and by trade, but with the added fact that its abundant capacity makes it infinitely customizable. Put in bunks and make it a heavy troopship. Add in some heavier guns or a bomb bay and you've got a ready-made gunship. Upscale the engines and you're flying away everything that doesn't have an iris or shield projector over a Slipknot point. Price: Four million nuyen.

>>29063247
All vessels are atmosphere-capable, though the alien Hunter-craft may have some strange effects in a regular atmospheric holding pattern. Judging by its design, it hails from an aquatic world, and is thus far better suited to not only an amphibious/water-breathing crew, but likely designed for water landings (if not submerging on a water world.)

All ships of this scale and expense level are atmosphere-capable, likely because most of them could rather easily fit into the hulls of those ships designed to remain in space and in space alone.

>>29063653
>>29063460
>>29063307
>>29063247
You elect to purchase the 578-R Space Transport. It only takes a thought-click and a confirmation for your cybercortex to send the necessary digital thumbprint, as well as brainwave scans, to confirm that it is indeed you and that you are making the wireless purchase in both sound state of mind and under no duress.

From there, the information is sent to the intergalactic banking community's massive servers, the necessary funds diverted from several intertwined accounts and into the account of the vessel's "owner." In that same split milliseconds of time, a new registry is generated, including appropriate serial numbers for the ship, all of it blank but for you to name this unnamed vessel and to mentally imprint the registry of ownership with your signature and likeness.

And, with that registry, comes a much more "Law Friendly" photograph of the vessel's good side. A good side that demonstrates the slightly corroded hull plating, the tan-and-brown paint that has begun to mold and corrode, the slight hint of space fungi and other strange growths that prosper in the cold airlessness of the void.

>>29063805

Truly, she is a thing of magnificent beauty and sturdiness, like an AK-47. An AK-47 lacking any guns of any kind, apparently. Or a shower for the crew, and toilets in clear view of the bunks. But hey, you've got bunks for four, split into two rooms clearly designed for men and women. And toilets in each room! Totally kosher.

Like a flying pair of jail cells.

>Current Resources:
>[ ] $6,000,000 Nuyen
>[ ] One double-breasted Solar Trading Enterprises greatcoat, made of fine polymer silks and suitably embroidered with your initials and lordly signage.
>[ ] One six-shot plasma accelerator pistol. Six hydrogen cells sit in a rotary chamber, styled like a large revolver, with a pair of reloads carried in speed reloads on your person.
>[ ] Your father's trusty knife, from his days as a Lesser Lord Merchant. Crafted from a unique nano-forging of tungsten, titanium, and several plastics, it is lightweight, deadly sharp, and easily concealed. The fact that it can gut a man like a fish is just an added perk.
>[ ] A Level IIIA Cybercortex. Cybercortexes are graded on a scale from Level 1A (Top-secret SolForce military issue) to Level VF ("Failure" grade. Something that has a >50% chance of causing fatal brain hemorraging on installation). You have a number of cerebral safeguards, and is one of the higher-end models. You can store information, contact data, and even do radio/wireless communications between other cybercortex-equipped users. Also comes with minor "Cyberwarfare" capabilities, a mid-grade hacking suite for "security" purposes. Slightly illegal, but useful enough to be overlooked.
>[ ] A secure data vault for sensitive information, physically attached to your brain stem and only accessible by thought command, making it a fatally secure hiding spot for anything about the size of a thumb drive.
>[ ] One 578-R Space Transport, unmodified.

>>29063848

>[ ] One 578-R Space Transport, unmodified.

Let's change this, mmm?

Let's find a reputable mechanic who offers a warranty and will replace our engine with something with more horses.

>>29063887
Lets find a crew first, a fancy chip is nothing without a good crew.
>>29063848
Lets find some people to work with us.

>>29063887

Oh, and maybe we can do some light remodeling and fix the "livability" issue here - let's make the crew bunks slightly less prisony if we can.

>>29063887
Don't forget a decent crew compartment.

>>29063848
Let's modify our ship some. Get some better living quarters for one.

>>29063848
And some nice guns so that we don't get shipjacked by pirates. Again.

>>29063933
>>29063923
>>29063912
>>29063904
How about we just make the ship livable before going heavy into upgrades so that we can hire a decent trust worthy crew?

>>29063955
What's the point of making the ship livable if we're going to replace all the living compartments anyway?

>>29063955

My thoughts exactly.

For one thing, it will show prospective crew that we actually care about their living conditions and their performance, which we might, and furthermore that we'd like them to be happy and work hard.

This might sound totally crazy, but I'd like to run this ship like a well-oiled restaurant - everyone knows what their role is, they're working efficiently, and they trust one another to get that respective job done.

>no firefly shenanigans here, please

>>29063987
which is what i meant, i'm trying to say to not blow our load on a ship and be forced to get a shitty crew.

>>29064004

Agreed. We just spent 4 million bucks on the ship, so we have 6 left.

I say we use 3 million for minor modifications and crew, and save the remaining 3 million for emergencies.

After our first successful mission, we can see how we stand financially.

>>29063887
>>29063901
>>29063904
>>29063912
>>29063923
>>29063933

In terms of mechanics, there tends to be a sort of triangular sliding Ouija board of values. The biggest three being reputable, skilled, and cheap. Pick two. Or, in some cases, pick two and see if you're lucky enough to get one.

Salvation Station is one of those cases.

That being said, you do get to see Captain Hass' features light up as his own cut of the deal goes through. Everyone gets a slice of the pie, it seems, and his must have been pretty good for him to smile like that.

"Tonight's a roulette night, it seems." He muses aloud to himself, chuckling, before he notices you're still standing there.

"Thanks for the help, Captain. I don't suppose you know anywhere I can go for some mechanical help? A ship as fine as yours--"

He raises a hand, giving a dismissive wave. "No need to go buttering me up further, your lordship. You've paid me well enough, directly or not. Aye, there's a mechanic who might be to your liking. A Liishar engineer. Formerly, anyways." He muses.

>>29064204

Liishar. As strange a race as any that ever roamed the heavens. Their closest Earth equivalent would be dolphins. Dolphins that never had to deal with real natural predators on their homeworld for a very good reason: The fuckers were psychic. Full-on telekinetic and telepathic manifestations. Thankfully, telepathy between species is as blunt as a sledgehammer to one's thoughts (which are very intimately familiar to a person), so Inception-type stuff tends to be both extremely rare and extremely reserved for the squids and other psionically active species. It also helps that you've been trained in the equivalent of mental martial arts, even if the best comparison is a women's self-defense class for your training.

Regardless, the Liishar are a fairly peaceful race on the whole, which makes them increasingly strange in just how adept they are in matters of mechanics, engineering, and -- especially -- starship matters. Their soft bodies and water-breathing nature mandate them to use exoskeletons outside of their ships and habitats, subsisting on water that's been heavily saturated with a rich mixture of minerals and nutrients. Fairly easy to stock rations for them, at least.

"I also know a human mechanic too, if you're not too inclined to have any of -their- kind aboard." He remarks, "He's good with a wrench, and I'm told that he knows plenty about scrapping -- and not just the kind with metal, either." He remarks with a slow nod to emphasize the point. "I'll forward their contact details to you. Best of luck with 'em. Might be able to find more if you press the search beyond that. Anything else?" He asks, seemingly preempting the question.

>OP switching to mobile. Left this at a good winding-down point in case I don't return or get especially sparse, but may be back sooner rather than later tonight. Feel free to leave comments, questions, or suggestions to make things better!

>>29064215
Do a quick search for an underground mechanic.
And also see if we can meet all three and jew them in their prices by making them lower it.(its how i lowered a 20k car to just 14k)

>>29064215

Eh, let's check in with the dolphin and human mechanic and see what their rates are.

I don't have a problem with xenos on board, especially if the mechanic can be convinced to use his psychic mindmagic if we're in a desperate situation.

>>29064284
Agreed, though now I see why an aquatic-based ship was in the initial starting ship lineup now.

>>29064318
Would have been interesting, but at least we got the modular ship so we could probably insert a room the mechanic.

>>29064318
>>29064337

Mmm, a fishtank would likely be pretty expensive though - could be worth it if this dolphinman is top-tier though.

Also, I'm pushing for xeno artifact retrieval, so having an alien onboard for calibrations would be pretty useful.

>>29064318
>>29064270
>>29064337
>>29064284
You decide to try and put out some feelers to not only both mechanics, but also to the local civilian markets via your uplink. Thankfully you have software meant for filtering out the crapshoot applications -- chop shop wannabes and AI lures trying to con you into the equivalent of leaving your car, unlocked and with the keys on the dash, in the middle of Harlem at night.

You see a few less notable mechanics slide across your mental plane of view. Amongst them appears to be one of the apprentice "wreckers" at the ship scrapyard. A young Fiori, hot blooded and likely full of energy, willing to take some downright bare rates for a shot at becoming "chief engineer" (really, the only engineer) on your ship. On the plus side, rations will be cheap! Just let him eat the dead.

>Rates:
The standard rate of a starship mechanic, for a full year contractual term, is $100,000 nuyen. This assumes an "average" capability, with an appropriate education, but weak to middling abilities in boarding actions. This varies between persons and races.

>Liishar Engineer:
>$250,000
>Engineering: Superb
>Science: Excellent
>Navigation: Weak
>Combat: Terrible

>Human Mechanic:
>$120,000
>Engineering: Superb
>Science: Above Average
>Navigation: Average
>Combat: Weak

>Fiori Wrecker:
>$60,000
>Engineering: Average
>Science: Weak
>Navigation: Average
>Combat: Superb

>In order to arrange a bidding war between mechanics, get a 20 out of a 1d100. Best of three.

Rolled 15

>>29064657

Rolling for bidding war.

Based on the stats, I'd say the human mechanic. The Dolphin is terrible at combat, and I really don't want to be terrible.

>>29064697

Fuck yeah.

>>29064657
The human mechanic seems to be a good all rounders, and half of what the Liishar costs.

>>29064779
>>29064697
But if we're going to do xenoarcheology, then an Excellent Science may be important.

Is the Fiori only interested in becoming a Chief Engineer, or would he be willing to sign on as a Journeyman Engineer since he's only an apprentice right now?
Have an engineer that can come down with us and wield some weaponry as well may be useful, while the Chief stays on the ship to keep it secure.

Rolled 73

>>29064697
Get the Fiori and the human, and it is still less than the Liishar.

>>29064816

This is a great point.

We could hire both after they drop their prices.

Fiori Engineer learns how to be not totally shitty at real science and the Human Mechanic can pick up combat pointers.

>>29064832
If we end up making a good profit with the xenoarcheology, should we hire on the Liishar as a Science Officer?

>>29064810
>>29064816
Or we could look around for a combat specialist.

>>29064810
>xenoarcheology

I thought we were going to track down and kill that damned pirate king.

>>29064849
Combat specialist is important, yes, but so is someone who we can task with combat engineering.
And remember that we can get boarded, and an engineer that can fight back would be important to keeping control of the Reactor Room.

>>29064860

>xenoarcheology

Our side gig until we can afford the real warship, I assure you.

>>29064860
>track down and kill that damned pirate king.
We are, but we need more money first to buy better ships and a good crew.

Remember that the ship he took from us had much better weapons and defense systems than any of the ships around here, and he still took us down.

Rolled 58

>>29064657
Fiori and Liishar they cover eachothers weaknesses.

>>29064657
>>Fiori Wrecker:

going for best landing party ever

>>29065033
>>29065568

I keep getting the mental image of the dolphinman building crazier and crazier exosuits for the Wrecker.

"Blowhole, I'm going to need a flamethrower underslung on my left wrist."
<Please stop referring to me as Blowhole.>
"Don't make me do it myself."
<I could not allow you to endanger the crew in this fashion. Deliver it to my habitation pod.>

Welp it looks like this is the 4th or 5th quest where the op left this week.

>>29066229

He kind of semi called it quits earlier in the thread, I'm posting this stuff here mostly so we have a record when we archive.

>>29066229
do please read

>>OP switching to mobile. Left this at a good winding-down point in case I don't return or get especially sparse, but may be back sooner rather than later tonight. Feel free to leave comments, questions, or suggestions to make things better!

>>29066317

Archive made at sup /tg/

http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/29059232/

>>29066317
>>29066300
eh i didn't noticed.