Merlin Industries II - The Dreams of Euphamés (DiD collaborative storytelling effort)

[Targ Collective]

The recent demise of Merlin split his family in two - his parents, distraught, never want to hear about space again, while Merlin's siblings were astonished that 80,000cr could be amassed in such a short time.

The inevitable happened. Merlin's most ambitious brother, Euphamés, seized enough of Merlin's earnings to purchase a second-hand Mercury and Discoverer, repair them and give them SETA and basic shielding, then left the planet in Herron's Nebula overnight. By the time his parents woke their worst fears had been realised.

"Bye Mum, bye Dad. Gone to resurrect Merlin Industries. When I'm rich I'll offer you a job! -Euphamés"

His parents tearfully made some pre-emptive funeral arrangements, which, they were quite certain, would prove prudent later down the line.

Euphamés' sister, Outersi, looked longingly up at the stars. And his other brother, one Aurasia, cursed his slow feet - he wanted to be there instead - bad-temperedly returning to mucking out the stables.

Rules: As before, not Vanilla but true to the Vanilla ideals. RRF enabled, no Pirate RRF ships until Euphames is wealthy enough to find the loot generated a matter of course.

Waremanager, MEFOS weaponsystem and X3:Unleashed are also running on this playthrough. Most likely Prospector will find uses later too!

Chapter 1 - Inheritance

My name is Euphamés. I lost my brother to the Xenon and I mean to make them pay! For that I will need some heavy weaponry and for that I will need credits.

Right now I have one goal - survive to wreak vengeance on those infernal machines! I CANNOT die, I have Merlin to avenge!

This is my paltry fleet.

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It will grow in time. For now I need to make myself known and trusted and wealthy. Soon it will be time to strike back!

[The Nightmare]

be carefull Euphames those toaster a.k.a Xenon fried your brother
i don't wanna see you die in the near future ya hear??

[NUKLEAR-SLUG]

Might be an idea to keep your head down for a while..

[Seleucius]

Might be an idea to keep your head down for a while..

Agreed. Though by 'down' I probably more nearly mean 'the furthest you can possibly imagine from anything beeping at it.'

[Ulan Dhor]

I hope it's a big family...

[The Nightmare]

yep theres a another brother and a sister so rest asured

[Targ Collective]

Nuklear! Thanks for taking an interest. Have to up my game now.

More gameplay upcoming. Next target: Acquire TM. I would *prefer* a Zephyrus, but Euphames magically knowing where Legend's Home is situated and just buying a Zephyrus he's never seen before is OOC so out of the question.

Hoping I see one. They are quite common in Argon sectors, so maybe I'll even get a TM with front guns. If not no biggie, just stick some guns and a JD on the thing and hope for bails.

Chapter 2 - Missionista's Riches

It seems I've been in space five minutes and already I have almost a million credits. Let me tell you how...

The first thing I did was head to Kingdom End - I'd heard they sell Triplex Scanners over there. I don't like flying blind, even though I had to sell a shield - leaving just one megawatt between me and the void - I considered it a fair trade. I can see what to avoid. Then back south into Argon space. One ship delivery enroute and I could afford a Trading System Extension too - a chance to put my Mercury to work. I set the Mercury to trade in the Wall through remote manual commands on the advice of a grizzled old freighter captain; good advice as there is usually a profitable market over there. Small potatoes, but I have small funds. Plus it leaves *me* free to make money in other ways.

So, upgrade engines and turning and away my freighter goes to make me lots of money.

One of the first things I saw in my travels was President's End. The sector is strewn with wreckage, the silent testament to the ferocity of the Kha'ak. If I am unfortunate enough to run into such monstrous foes, I will do all I can to avoid them.

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Further exploring the Gate network, I found a sector called Split Fire. Breathtaking views, however I could not relax - this was a Pirate sector and I was uncertain how I would be received.

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I found one of their bases right in the middle of Brennan's Triumph!

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No-one seemed to mind some nobody scout ship docking, although I had no intention of staying long. They might not be shooting, but that's just because I'm a nobody.

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I hate to fund such villainous rogues, however, I needed a Cargo Lifesupport System if I was to take advantage of people needing to go places. Running a taxi service could be quite profitable, as not everyone will mind running cattle class... So lifesupport and engine upgrades. I held back on the turning upgrades - a gentle flick is enough to send me hurtling into an asteroid with sensitivity at max - and headed back for the relative safety of Argon space, passing ostensibly hostile but in practical terms too busy to bother shooting me pirates on the way.

I took a record of my first Taxis for historical purposes...

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Now we're cooking! A speedy M5 really is fast enough to cross three Gates in five minutes. I noticed a Yaki presence in sector - they're bold to operate so deep in the Argon sectors - fortunately they look on me as beneath shooting at the moment.

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The Pirates, the Yaki, the Xenon, Duke's, the Kha'ak... They will all suffer by my hand in time. For now, just be a nobody and try not to get killed. But one day they will fear me!

In Argon Prime I found some very valuable loot - Hammerheads are very expensive missiles!

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Looks like some Pirates decided to take on the sector defence forces. A bad day for them but a very good one for me...

There was some crazy in Home of Light who really needed a Discoverer in a hurry for some reason. Argon prime was just north, the bottom had dropped out of the market in the Wall, and my Mercury was docked there. I had a Trading System extension. Mission accepted, and if it falls flat I can recoup the loss on resale of the Discoverer from the guys in Ringo moon...

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It did fall flat, and I did have to resell the Discoverer. So I was still running taxis and odd job missions to afford that TM I wanted, when opportunity hammered on my door in President's End in the form of someone who wanted to practically give away a Buster. And just to taunt me, there were two second-hand Novas, a bit beat up, in the Sector selling for less than a million each. If I could have afforded them I'd be rich!

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Insanity must be catching as there was another crazy in Argon Prime shipyard offering a Buster Sentinel. I didn't even whip out the repair laser for that one, just took the money and sold it (at that shipyard!) for ten times the purchase price, selling on my Mercury in the process. No risk and my balance stands at more than 800,000cr. I could afford *two* Magnetars with that!

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However, I noticed another type of ship on my travels called a Zephyrus. It was registered to the OTAS corporation in Legend's Home, some crazy out-of-the-way sector far to the Galactic East I'm told. In Argon prime *everything* is far to the Galactic East so what does that tell me? Through Pirate space... Okay, I'll see. TM, 300mj shielding max which is... 300 times what I have now, with forward weaponry and turrets.

I have enough credits to most likely buy one and outfit one, even with a jumpdrive and energy cells. TMs can dock fighters too, in case I need to defend myself. I'm getting one.

I'll see you in Legend's Home...

Assets: One Discoverer "Merlin Industries Taxi"

825,066cr

[Targ Collective]

New chapter posted.

[Snowship]

nice little intro for newbies there Targ
Hows your man going to run it? through pirate of explore safe-and-sound via race sectors exploring/trading/taxi as you go?

[The Nightmare]

hes going to play it safe and fly throught the paranid and then Boron sectors

[BeidAmmikon]

Are you Hari Gul? What have you done to Euphames?

Psst... What was your name again?

[Targ Collective]

Euphames. Just haven't got around to changing from the default name yet. Safe? I can outrun everything with turrets and big guns. The Red Route for me!

Chapter 3 - Aegis in action

I have travelled far through Pirate sectors, seeking advanced OTAS technology, and seen many strange things. I have to say I never thought I would find a sector lit by four artificial suns - Akeela's Beacon is quite something!

Far to the South of the sector I found the gate to Legend's Home. Within it, OTAS HQ. The building is... Impressive.

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I dock at the OTAS shipyard and browse through the listing. Ninety-one million credits? I thought I was rich!

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Actually, looking at the statistics, that's one big bad boy of a ship. I want one! And I'll have one too one day, I'm sure. It's nice to have something to work towards.

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This is my new acquisition, a Zephyrus! It has less than half the pricetag of an M3, the shielding of an M6, four-fifths the hangar space of the Cerberus, the gun emplacements of two or three freighters rolled into one and - unlike the Magnetar - it can shoot forwards, with HEPTs if you can get 'em. OTAS sell jumpdrives too, so that's a must for me.

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Outfitting this with everything it needs proved to be more expensive than I initially expected. Went to the equipment dock in Light of Heart, and got some software, then when I jumped to Argon Prime found I had to sell off my third shield for some weapons. However, a bit of searching found a station expecting attack - a perfect testing ground, as if my ship proves unequal to the task I can jump out and let the sector forces handle it, then collect the paycheck after.

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The mission went well so how about a hard one?

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Success! I found a Yaki ship in Home of Light. I was thinking of engaging in 'serious negotiations' for the ship but the sector defences blew him away. I invested in a police licence while I was there - the government will pay me too now, roughly doubling my income from kills defending stations.

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Hopping between Home of Light and Argon Prime on the hunt for good deals or people who needed me to kill people and could pay for it, I saw a massive Kha'ak invasion - now I know what befell President's End with the chilling certainty of someone who has seen it first hand.

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That's what they call Purple Death out here. Rare but you don't want to be anywhere near it when it happens.

I have fought and killed a lot of pirates today, and occasionally, as with this Harrier, the pilot chooses life with no ship over death with a ship.

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To give you an idea of the scale of the Zephyrus (it really is a tiny underarmed capship) this is the Harrier docked in the Zephyrus.

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Daring to peek back into Home of Light I find Terracorp HQ a smouldering ruin. The Kha'ak have gone, either destroyed or accomplishing whatever it was they sought to accomplish.

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I regret not transferring the upgrades over from my Discoverer before selling it. Now I am jump-capable, that sort of mission looks very attractive. I doubt the Pirates would look on me with kindness after all the slaughter I have been involved in today either, which means I must find another source. On the brighter side I bought the shield back and now have a Phased Repeater Gun on each turret, which gives the pirates plenty of time to contemplate their mortality before copping it. Sometimes they opt not to die, which is nice as I get a free ship.

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I also have nearly 800,000 credits. If I get Trade Command Mk3 on a new Mercury, I can get a Sector Trader in operation to make profit from the Argon economy. Teladi sell both I think, and will definitely have the latter. I hear their sectors are accessible from north-eastern Boron space.

Teladi space it is then!

Assets:

1 Zephyrus "Merlin Industries Military Transport - Aegis"

1 Pirate Harrier Hauler

1 Pirate Buzzard

1 stock Mercury with some engine tunings - "Merlin Industries Trade Ship"

783,693cr

[Technojerk36]

Wow a Khaak invasion just maybe 1 game day in?

[The Nightmare]

the pirates didn't saw you coming and good thing that the Kh'ak didn't too because you be with your brother

[Targ Collective]

Yes, that was a stroke of luck. You got to see the scale of things in X3TC there - now imagine all those but Argon tech instead. I'll get there, eventually.

Yes, my nightmarish friend, the Pirates have a new worst enemy.

Chapter 4 - Teladi Space and Seeking Steady Income

Following the advice of the barman in Argon Prime Trading Station, I keep heading North until the only way is East. Soon I find myself in Teladi space and with a bit of exploration find Seizewell - a point of historical interest as this is the point the Xperimental Shuttle jumped in from Earth.

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Finding both Trade Command Software Mk3 in a Teladi Equipment Dock and a Cargo Lifesupport System from, surprisingly, a friendly pirate base after a great deal of searching, it is time to jump back to Argon space and do a freight exchange. I succeeded in convincing a Duke's TP pilot into bailing during my adventures in Lizardland and can look forwards to 300,000cr resale price at Argon Prime shipyard in due course too.

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I can't be in the cockpit forever. Like everyone else I need to eat, sleep, rest. I order the navcom to take Aegis far up the ecliptic in Argon Prime. That way even if there is a massive invasion we should remain untouched by it. Though tempted to use SETA and let my new trader make me rich I decide against it. It's too disorienting to have to spend a day off then catch up with over a weeks' news. The Universe ages enough already. No need to hasten it.

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Steady income and how to get it? Sector traders are an obvious choice, but I have Plans. My Zephyrus might have the shielding of an M6 but a small party of well equipped M3s could easily overwhelm it. I need some decent, survivable, well-armed fighters in my hangar.

That means the Eclipse. Fully kitted out - and there is no way I'm buying them anything but fully kitted out - they cost more than six million credits. That is before adding the *other* four HEPTS and two PRGs to say nothing of Wasp Missiles.

Wasp missiles... It's just possible I might have an elegant solution. Why not go into business producing them? Putting infrastructure into place to support a Wasp factory or five will take a small amount of time but it will pay for itself quickly enough.

Putting together a self sufficient power core and running a Wasp fab on that is totally out of the question, especially at this stage. An XXL Solar Power Plant retails at around twenty million credits. If I had that I wouldn't need to build one in the first place, I'd already be laughing with a pair of Eclipses on guard.

So I'm buying in energy. I can find a decent-sized rock in Ore Belt to provide the Ore, and adding in food supplies can be done in Argon Prime, where I'm putting this small money-spinner.

Let's take a look at what this will all cost.

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One Wasp fab, that's 1,525,712.

Cattle Ranch... 687,480.

Bakery - 2,187,480.

The Ore Mine, that's 905,688.

Finally, Complex Construction Kits are 259,696 apiece - I'll need three to join the food fabs to the missile factory. 799,088.

Oh, and mustn't forget freighters. Ostensibly I need three - two to buy energy (one for Ore Belt, one for Argon Prime) and one to sell missiles although I'll be getting four in fact for reasons explained shortly. 200,000 apiece roughly, 800,000 total.

Explorer Software from the newly explored Teladi space, a Mineral Scanner and an M5 to survey Ore Belt - negligible cost.

So we're looking at 4,717,968 for that lot, plus a survey ship that will pay for itself soon enough. Almost the price of an Eclipse, if you don't mind a bare hull with no guns. Haulage costs too, as I'm not ready to get a private TL yet!

About that extra freighter, I can have the Cattle Ranch (first I'll be able to afford any time soon) buying in energy cells and selling off the unused Argnu to create a Steady Income.

I can do the same with the Ore Mine when I can afford that - and Plutarch are *always* buying Ore so no problem there.

When I get a Cahoona Bakery in place the products sold from Argon Prime will alter. Selling Cahoonas instead.

Finally, I can get a Wasp Factory in play and this will serve a dual purpose - a Steady Income, that most valuable of gems, *and* fleet supply.

Add in the fact that the Argon Prime facility will be able to afford to support a further four missile fabs and that fleet of Eclipses seems less a distant twinkle now.

Just one problem.

I have 177,835cr after getting the extra PRGs and a pair of HEPTs for Aegis.

Assets:

1 Zephyrus "Merlin Industries Military Transport - Aegis"

1 Pirate Harrier Hauler

1 Pirate Buzzard

1 stock Mercury with some engine tunings - "Merlin Industries Trade Ship"

177,835cr

[The Nightmare]

i suggest you put the complex on hold especially at this stage....hmmm doesn't the facorys in Argon Prime need some sillicon by any chance

[Targ Collective]

Oy! Stop telling me how to play my DiD! Do your own!

Remember, this isn't just "make credits really fast". This is "showcase X3TC with a couple of neat scripts". Totally different animal.

[The Nightmare]

sorry ill stop

[Technojerk36]

Backseat DiD playing.

[Targ Collective]

Before anyone cries out "Exploit!" I would like to remind everyone I'm running X3TC in the background when not actively playing it, no SETA. And 200,000cr is hardly a money cheat.

Chapter 5 - Expenses, expenses

On awakening from my long sleep I compare balances.

My trader in the Wall has been busy making me rich - 487,996 credits. That's 230,161 more than I had when I went to sleep in my cabin. The real prize is trade rank of course, my trader has been working in my name so the first thing on waking is to put the new pips on my shoulder.

Ore Belt has proven as rich in mineral wealth as its name suggests. However I have taken a look at another sector. President's End.

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Small, but if I try for supplying my own power at some point to maximise my profit out of Wasp production this could be a keeper. And I am going to need profits if I am to afford those Eclipses. Plus, supplying my *own* power means I can halt sales at any time and stockpile Wasps for my own use. Frankly in this Zephyrus I need to use missiles - dabbling in combat has been fun but Aegis is an Aegis, not a Dagger. A sheild, not a sword. Perfect for stayin' alive, useless for killing things or as near as makes few odds. Combat can wait.

Okay... Building in President's End. Not Argon Prime. Power when I can afford an XL power plant. Assuming they ever get around to rebuilding Terracorp HQ - and rumour has it Elena Kho escaped, although at present things are a little confused - there's a bottomless market for guns 'n ammo, right there.

It's a clear act of defiance against the Kha'ak too. If my complex gets toasted, well, I'm still alive and kicking. And I go down in history as the brave feller who stood against the Kha'ak, got stung and lived to tell about it.

If it doesn't get toasted, I go down in history as the brave trailblazer who builds where the brave fear to tread.

No downside then unless the complex gets toasted.

...

So we're using President's End. According to my calculations it can support ten Wasp fabs. That's quite a respectable little missile base, although I lack the 82 million needed to actually build it at this stage.

What am I saying? For 82 million I could buy a carrier!

On the plus side, there is nothing stopping me from mining the entire sector then selling the proceeds to the highest bidder. I understand that I will need to add around twelve or thirteen million to that - plus the price of a tractor beam - if I intend to hook those rocks together as a Corvette class vessel is a requirement.

I can live with that very happily. More guns at my disposal in case of trouble? I'm definitely not complaining about that!

To get the ball rolling then I am going to need to set up a first few factories. Producing Wasps, selling Wasps.

Four hundred thousand an hour, for a small investment? Where do I sign?

Five million to build it I can do with a bit of hard work. Time to get building then!

Assets:

1 Zephyrus "Merlin Industries Military Transport - Aegis"

1 Pirate Harrier Hauler

1 Pirate Buzzard

1 stock Mercury with some engine tunings - "Merlin Industries Trade Ship"

1 Kestrel Explorer with Mineral Scanner - "Merlin Industries Survey Ship"

177,835cr