After purchasing the mercury, i found i was rediculously short on cash, and decided i needed some high profit loads to get my bank balance looking a bit healthier. Argon prime, heart of the Argon federation seemed like a good place to start. After a few minutes of frantic computer action i located my first load and set the auto-pilot to dock at the crystal fab. The journey would take around 20 minutes, as the mercury was only running standard engines, so i decided to take a quick look around my new vessel.
Stepping out of the main control room, i walked down the corridoor, passed my living quarters, the small kitchen and then the bathroom. Finally i reached the lift which, thankfully, was already on the top level. i studied the touch-screen information panel, and decided i'd like to check out my cargo hold.
A minute later, the ship's computer; which i'd given the name Mel; informed me that i'd reached the cargo deck and with a dull beep, the doors slid apart. i could hardly believe my eyes - it was huge. the only thing i could see was the shield generator, glowing slightly and constantly humming, protecting my ship from space debri. i knew it wouldn't protect me if a pirate decided he wanted some of my wares, i also knew from a courtesy message that the 25mj shield factory in cloudbase south west had an large stock of shields at discounted prices, should i decide i want to spend the next 2 day's travelling there.
A strange beeping sound came from the wall behind me, the touch screen computer terminal was flashing a message, it was my docking pass, i decided i should probably get back to the control room.As the lift doors opened, Mel informed me that the docking clamps had just connected
I could now board the Crystal fab factory to try and haggle the price of a few containers of crystals so i could make a bigger profit. The stations manager was obviously used to people haggling, and after a brief chat, he decided i could have 6 containers of crystals for 7000 credits. As my cargo was being loaded i smiled to myself, if i could barter like this with every trade and save nearly 3000 credits i could be a millionaire alot sooner than antisipated.
As i reboarded my ship, Mel informed me that my cargo was secured and the cargo hold was now air-tight again. I sent a message to the stations docking area congratulating them on a good job and said my goodbyes. I knew the cargo clamps were free before Mel told me, the ship lifted slightly, and the feeling of floating surrounded me again. As i guided the ship down the exit route, i wondered who would be willing to pay me the most for my precious cargo.
A smile drew across my face, i'd wanted to be a merchant for as long as i could remember, and hopefully, a very wealthy one. Mel informed me that we were clear of the station and i accessed the ships computer again, looking for the highest bidder on my small cargo of crystals, unfortunately, the need for crystals in this area was low, so i set the auto-pilot to dock at the Argon Trading station and went off to the small kitchen area and made myself a brew...
Mercury 1 - the begining..
Moderators: TheElf, Moderators for English X Forum
Mercury 1 - the begining..
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Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
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Martin Logan
- Posts: 1584
- Joined: Sun, 26. Sep 04, 10:42
Great story
Thatsa great story already cant wait for the next part.
cheers folks, next installment will prolly be tomorrow afternoon
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Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
) lol I find myself agreeing with you, Eliah. It certainly is a refreshing change to come across someone who isn't obsessed with blowing stuff up while heroically battling some horrific invasion.ok..so i had a bit of spare time this evening so decided i'd start on the next part..
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i moved my drink to the end of the counter and had a quick look in the cupboard for a snack. I grabbed a pack of ready to eat meatsteak cahoonas and sat on the end of the counter, i really needed to get some cash soon so i could stock up on some essentials, like a nice comfy chair to relax in.
No sooner had i taken a mouthfull of the cahoona, mel started beeping franticly and repeatedly yelling warning. The beeping made me jump and after nearly falling off the taladianium worktop, i ran down to the control room to find out what all the fuss was about. Red lights were flashing on the main navigation screen and the radar was flashing a message - Proximaty alert. I moved over to the radar, tapped the information button on the screen, and was astonished to find that Argon One had decided it wanted to scan my ship. I opened a com channel to the captain and he instructed me to stop all engines or be fired upon. Charming, i thought to myself, another egotistical fly boy.
Once my ship had finally come to a halt, Argon One pulled up along side and this time they opened a channel to me, asking for my manifest to be sent through. That done, the Captain informed me that they'd scanned my ship and found no illegal goods and i could be on my way again, if they'd of asked i could of told them that i didn't have anything illegal on board, but it did get me wondering, what were they looking for..?
i checked the navigation system again and got the engines pumping again, this old girl needed almost the same time to accelerate to full speed as she did to stop. For some reason my brain told me to check the prices again for the crystals, and to my astonishment, there was a better price. I was certain i hadn't overlooked any earlier, but never the less, it was there, the Advanced satellite factory was offering 100 credits over the normal price. I went back to the navigation screen, punched in the new co-ordinates and strolled off back to the kitchen to get my probably cold brew, and the rest of my cahoona, if i hadn't knocked it on the floor in panick 10 minutes ago.
Back in the kitchen, i decided to sit on the floor, after all it's harder to fall off the floor, and wondered about the 'illegal' goods the lovely Captain of Argon One had mentioned. Maybe i should try and make some new friends while i'm docked at stations, after all, we're all after the same thing and that's profit. Having briefly met a couple of people while at the Federal Argon Shipyard when i was signing the paperwork for my mercury i thought about the time i'd be spending alone, and how it'd be nice to see a friendly face now and then and who knows..they might even share some of their high profit tips.
Mel started beeping again, but i recognised it this time. My docking pass for the Advanced satellite factory had just come through on the computer, after washing out my cup and putting the empty cahoona packet in the bag i'd designated bin, i headed back to the control room. As i sat down, Mel informed me that the docking clamps had just been engaged and once again, made me jump. I made a mental note to find out how to turn down her volume on non-serious messages.
As i headed down to the air-lock, i checked to make sure i didn't look scruffy in the bathroom mirror, and headed off to meet the station manager, with hope of making a neat little profit..
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i moved my drink to the end of the counter and had a quick look in the cupboard for a snack. I grabbed a pack of ready to eat meatsteak cahoonas and sat on the end of the counter, i really needed to get some cash soon so i could stock up on some essentials, like a nice comfy chair to relax in.
No sooner had i taken a mouthfull of the cahoona, mel started beeping franticly and repeatedly yelling warning. The beeping made me jump and after nearly falling off the taladianium worktop, i ran down to the control room to find out what all the fuss was about. Red lights were flashing on the main navigation screen and the radar was flashing a message - Proximaty alert. I moved over to the radar, tapped the information button on the screen, and was astonished to find that Argon One had decided it wanted to scan my ship. I opened a com channel to the captain and he instructed me to stop all engines or be fired upon. Charming, i thought to myself, another egotistical fly boy.
Once my ship had finally come to a halt, Argon One pulled up along side and this time they opened a channel to me, asking for my manifest to be sent through. That done, the Captain informed me that they'd scanned my ship and found no illegal goods and i could be on my way again, if they'd of asked i could of told them that i didn't have anything illegal on board, but it did get me wondering, what were they looking for..?
i checked the navigation system again and got the engines pumping again, this old girl needed almost the same time to accelerate to full speed as she did to stop. For some reason my brain told me to check the prices again for the crystals, and to my astonishment, there was a better price. I was certain i hadn't overlooked any earlier, but never the less, it was there, the Advanced satellite factory was offering 100 credits over the normal price. I went back to the navigation screen, punched in the new co-ordinates and strolled off back to the kitchen to get my probably cold brew, and the rest of my cahoona, if i hadn't knocked it on the floor in panick 10 minutes ago.
Back in the kitchen, i decided to sit on the floor, after all it's harder to fall off the floor, and wondered about the 'illegal' goods the lovely Captain of Argon One had mentioned. Maybe i should try and make some new friends while i'm docked at stations, after all, we're all after the same thing and that's profit. Having briefly met a couple of people while at the Federal Argon Shipyard when i was signing the paperwork for my mercury i thought about the time i'd be spending alone, and how it'd be nice to see a friendly face now and then and who knows..they might even share some of their high profit tips.
Mel started beeping again, but i recognised it this time. My docking pass for the Advanced satellite factory had just come through on the computer, after washing out my cup and putting the empty cahoona packet in the bag i'd designated bin, i headed back to the control room. As i sat down, Mel informed me that the docking clamps had just been engaged and once again, made me jump. I made a mental note to find out how to turn down her volume on non-serious messages.
As i headed down to the air-lock, i checked to make sure i didn't look scruffy in the bathroom mirror, and headed off to meet the station manager, with hope of making a neat little profit..
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Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
cheers my friend !! i like twist's - subtle hints don't always turn out as sometimes assumed... 
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Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
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Martin Logan
- Posts: 1584
- Joined: Sun, 26. Sep 04, 10:42
Stil great
Still a great story maybe i have to stop reading them print them all and read it as a book when every 10 15 prints.
i don't really see it as a book - just my over-active imagination working it's magic on something productive !!altho... it's not a bad idea..i'm sure i read somewhere that one of the other people on here has written a book..?
glad your enjoying it
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Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
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Martin Logan
- Posts: 1584
- Joined: Sun, 26. Sep 04, 10:42
I actualy thought of doing one myself
I actualy once considered doing one myself but im not so creative myself and im not sure if copyright is keeping me from using x3 as a story for selling a book.
I tried mailing egosoft but i never go a reply
I tried mailing egosoft but i never go a reply
here's the next instalment, might not be another till next weekend now tho !
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11004 credits, result i thought !! 6 crates of crystals have just earnt me 4000 credits in profit.
while on board the station i managed to pick up a couple of peoples interlink adresses, having scribbled them on the bottom of the napkin i'd got when i was in the canteen trying to decide wether the tea they had really was tea, or some kind of chemical waste product.
Back on board my own ship, i decided to make my own brew, after passing on the toxic sludge they wanted 2 credits for on the station, i had another 5 minutes before i had to be out of the docking bay so i thought i'd use it wisely. With my fresh brew in my hand, i walked to the control room, and sat in my "captains" chair. i pulled out the napkin from the right hand mid leg pocket of my cargo trousers and keyed in the adresses for my newly aquired friends into the interlink command screen. Addresses confirmed, was the message that flashed up briefly on my screen. i looked at the time in the bottom right of the ships main computer, time to find another product to buy at reduced price.
After a few brief station check's i recieved a message, ' enhance your trading with the Teladi best buys and best sells locator - click ok to find your nearest stockist' i clicked ok.. the next message flashed up 'please enter your current location' so i clicked Argon Prime. The next ten seconds seemed to last ten minutes then, another message appeared, 'your nearest stockist is... Ceo's Buckzoid, we hope to see you soon - good trading and good day' and that was the end of that. Where was Ceo's Buckzoid ? i added it to my personal log to remind me to ask at the next station.
The docking clamps released and the floating feeling came back again and mel informed me that the clamps were off, i accelerated the ship to 20km/s; docking lane speed limit; and headed down the light trail towards open space again. As i guided the ship out of the docking lane i realised that due to interuption i hadn't actually decided on what product to pick up next with my now 11000 credits, so i punched into the computer to check more prices, nothing, everything was over-priced. I wasn't suprised, everyone likes to trade in this sector, Argon Prime was probably the most secure sector in the galaxy, certainly the most heavily patroled. I sat and pondered for a moment then decided to head for the north gate, to another Argon sector called Herron's Nebula, secretly hoping that i'd be able to more than double my bank balance before i bedded down. In space it's hard to tell what time of day - or night it is, as there's almost always a constant glow from the sun - just as well i paid the extra 50credits for the clock software to be installed on my mercury's computer system. I set the auto-pilot to take me to the north gate, i had atleast 30 minutes before i'd need to worry about anything so i tried to relax in my not so comfortable captains chair and my mind flickered back to my encounter with Argon One, what were they looking for...
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11004 credits, result i thought !! 6 crates of crystals have just earnt me 4000 credits in profit.
while on board the station i managed to pick up a couple of peoples interlink adresses, having scribbled them on the bottom of the napkin i'd got when i was in the canteen trying to decide wether the tea they had really was tea, or some kind of chemical waste product.
Back on board my own ship, i decided to make my own brew, after passing on the toxic sludge they wanted 2 credits for on the station, i had another 5 minutes before i had to be out of the docking bay so i thought i'd use it wisely. With my fresh brew in my hand, i walked to the control room, and sat in my "captains" chair. i pulled out the napkin from the right hand mid leg pocket of my cargo trousers and keyed in the adresses for my newly aquired friends into the interlink command screen. Addresses confirmed, was the message that flashed up briefly on my screen. i looked at the time in the bottom right of the ships main computer, time to find another product to buy at reduced price.
After a few brief station check's i recieved a message, ' enhance your trading with the Teladi best buys and best sells locator - click ok to find your nearest stockist' i clicked ok.. the next message flashed up 'please enter your current location' so i clicked Argon Prime. The next ten seconds seemed to last ten minutes then, another message appeared, 'your nearest stockist is... Ceo's Buckzoid, we hope to see you soon - good trading and good day' and that was the end of that. Where was Ceo's Buckzoid ? i added it to my personal log to remind me to ask at the next station.
The docking clamps released and the floating feeling came back again and mel informed me that the clamps were off, i accelerated the ship to 20km/s; docking lane speed limit; and headed down the light trail towards open space again. As i guided the ship out of the docking lane i realised that due to interuption i hadn't actually decided on what product to pick up next with my now 11000 credits, so i punched into the computer to check more prices, nothing, everything was over-priced. I wasn't suprised, everyone likes to trade in this sector, Argon Prime was probably the most secure sector in the galaxy, certainly the most heavily patroled. I sat and pondered for a moment then decided to head for the north gate, to another Argon sector called Herron's Nebula, secretly hoping that i'd be able to more than double my bank balance before i bedded down. In space it's hard to tell what time of day - or night it is, as there's almost always a constant glow from the sun - just as well i paid the extra 50credits for the clock software to be installed on my mercury's computer system. I set the auto-pilot to take me to the north gate, i had atleast 30 minutes before i'd need to worry about anything so i tried to relax in my not so comfortable captains chair and my mind flickered back to my encounter with Argon One, what were they looking for...
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Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
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Martin Logan
- Posts: 1584
- Joined: Sun, 26. Sep 04, 10:42
Great again
Another great story i keep to my point you should write a book 
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Sephiroth-omega
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Tue, 7. Dec 04, 03:38
Good Story so far!
Remembers me on a other fic that I read a while back. Its called Traders Tale.
I hope that you keep the chapters comming regulary.
Keep it up.
PS: If you are interrested in the other fic, here is the link.
http://x-universe.kiwi.nu/page.php?id=tt
Remembers me on a other fic that I read a while back. Its called Traders Tale.
I hope that you keep the chapters comming regulary.
Keep it up.
PS: If you are interrested in the other fic, here is the link.
http://x-universe.kiwi.nu/page.php?id=tt
Cowards die many times before their deaths. The valiant never taste of death but once (William Shakespeare)
Ours is not to question why, only but to do or die. [The Charge of the Light Brigade (Battletech)]
Ours is not to question why, only but to do or die. [The Charge of the Light Brigade (Battletech)]
cheers for the link, have downloaded traders tale and will read through it when i get a spare hour or so
thanks for the possitive comments too folks !!
thanks for the possitive comments too folks !!
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Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
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cheers folks.. next instalment should be here thursday evening
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Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
sorry for the delay... had to do a little bit of erm... in game research ???
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After 10 minutes of shifting about endlessly, i gave up on the trying to relax bit, the chair was too uncomfortable. i decided it was time for another brew, as i got up to go to the kitchen area, my computer beeped lightly, it was interlink, one of the people i'd met on the crystal fab factory had just sent me a message reading; where are you headed know ? i've heard there's some big profits to be made in teladi sectors at the moment.
I didn't even know where the teladi sectors were, i knew there was a boron system north of Argon space but that was as far as my universe knowledge went. I hit the message reply button; I'm on my way to Herron's Nebula.
not an overly large message, but i was new to the interlink system and never really knew how to talk to anyone. I recieved a reply almost instantly and clicked open message tab; Cool, someone going to find some space fuel ?? be carefull if that's what your next cargo is, it's illegal in Argon systems. Safe flying and good profit ! will i/l you when your back in the system... if you ever get back.
Strange message i thought to myself, if i ever get back ?? i started to get paranoid.. was there something in herron's nebula that i should know about?. Then i re-read the message - space fuel is illegal in Argon sectors... i wonder..
Mel declared we were 10km from the gate, and once again, scared the life out of me. Right, i thought to myself... mel, you've made me jump too many times. I closed the interlink system down and went digging into the depths of the computer system. Stardate..nope, not in there, Message log, interesting..didn't know there was one of them, Auto-pilot commands.. aha..maybe it's in here i thought out loud. Nope, not in there either, System settings... now this was more like it i started to grin to myself... let's see you make me jump now mel i said out loud. She did, before i got a chance to adjust the alerts volume control, she declared 5km from the gate. i turned the volume down to half-way and clicked on the little test button in the bottom left corner of the screen. Too quiet, so i turned it up to just under three quarters volume and clicked test again, Sorted. As i exited out of the system back to the main screen, i noticed things seemed to be moving downwards outside, we were adjusting course, sure enough, after a minute or so, the control room started to fill with a brilliant blue light, so bright i had to cover my eyes. Mel announced " 5 seconds to Jump" i sat down, this was my first time through a jump gate...and boy was i nervous !! The big blue puddle inside the gate now filled my entire window, wow i thought as we edged into the gate. Seconds later everything went dark, i closed my eyes a few times to try and help them adjust to the darkness, i could see a few stations in the system, the light from Herron Nebula's south gate reflected off them making them look like they were slightly illuminated.
All of a sudden Mel went mental, yelling warning, impact in 5 seconds. The ship rumbled, Mel informed me, my shield were down to 30%. i looked at the navigation screen, Asteroids ?? jeeze... this wasn't going to be as much fun as i'd hoped...
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After 10 minutes of shifting about endlessly, i gave up on the trying to relax bit, the chair was too uncomfortable. i decided it was time for another brew, as i got up to go to the kitchen area, my computer beeped lightly, it was interlink, one of the people i'd met on the crystal fab factory had just sent me a message reading; where are you headed know ? i've heard there's some big profits to be made in teladi sectors at the moment.
I didn't even know where the teladi sectors were, i knew there was a boron system north of Argon space but that was as far as my universe knowledge went. I hit the message reply button; I'm on my way to Herron's Nebula.
not an overly large message, but i was new to the interlink system and never really knew how to talk to anyone. I recieved a reply almost instantly and clicked open message tab; Cool, someone going to find some space fuel ?? be carefull if that's what your next cargo is, it's illegal in Argon systems. Safe flying and good profit ! will i/l you when your back in the system... if you ever get back.
Strange message i thought to myself, if i ever get back ?? i started to get paranoid.. was there something in herron's nebula that i should know about?. Then i re-read the message - space fuel is illegal in Argon sectors... i wonder..
Mel declared we were 10km from the gate, and once again, scared the life out of me. Right, i thought to myself... mel, you've made me jump too many times. I closed the interlink system down and went digging into the depths of the computer system. Stardate..nope, not in there, Message log, interesting..didn't know there was one of them, Auto-pilot commands.. aha..maybe it's in here i thought out loud. Nope, not in there either, System settings... now this was more like it i started to grin to myself... let's see you make me jump now mel i said out loud. She did, before i got a chance to adjust the alerts volume control, she declared 5km from the gate. i turned the volume down to half-way and clicked on the little test button in the bottom left corner of the screen. Too quiet, so i turned it up to just under three quarters volume and clicked test again, Sorted. As i exited out of the system back to the main screen, i noticed things seemed to be moving downwards outside, we were adjusting course, sure enough, after a minute or so, the control room started to fill with a brilliant blue light, so bright i had to cover my eyes. Mel announced " 5 seconds to Jump" i sat down, this was my first time through a jump gate...and boy was i nervous !! The big blue puddle inside the gate now filled my entire window, wow i thought as we edged into the gate. Seconds later everything went dark, i closed my eyes a few times to try and help them adjust to the darkness, i could see a few stations in the system, the light from Herron Nebula's south gate reflected off them making them look like they were slightly illuminated.
All of a sudden Mel went mental, yelling warning, impact in 5 seconds. The ship rumbled, Mel informed me, my shield were down to 30%. i looked at the navigation screen, Asteroids ?? jeeze... this wasn't going to be as much fun as i'd hoped...
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Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt
Mercury : for transporting goods to make as much profit as possible - and also good for whoopin some butt