Terrick Trading Inc

[TheJakal]

Introduction:

Right this is my new DiD. Unlike my other ones I want to try a more trading based approach. I have however to make the whole thing most interesting enabled a few anarchy causing scripts. As I grow I will make an active attempt to put my assets in dangerous situations such as the border sectors in a attempt to make things more heated.

Anyway enough talking lets get on with it.

NOTE:
Fleet listings are posted below this post.
Personnel listings are posted at the bottom of this page




Rules:


• Humble Trader start
• Must use the Argon Discoverer I got at the start as target practise when I get a combat ship as I only wanted to start with a Mercury.
• No repair laser (My character is far too lazy).
• No aiming assists if and when I get to combat.
• No making friends with Split and Paranid and Pirates are shoot on site. Being staunch Argon it would go against the numerous new declarations of war.
• DiD
• NO JUMPDRIVES on M8 or below figther craft with the EXCEPTION of a few specifically designated scout craft M5's. This will mean I have to organise my initial defences when I get to that stage as it means unless I want a M6 without figther support doing all my defending they will either have to be in the right place at the right time or close by.

Modifications:

I’m using:

Improved Races with the Xenon on hard setting and the Khaak and Yaki turned off (for the moment). This is because I’ve read a few bugs with the Khaak and wanted the machines to be a real menace again. I also have hot war enabled because I wanted the Universe fighting it out like I had always wanted it to. Of course this should make creating a force a bit harder because I have to defend against my natural enemies in the form of the Split, Paranid, Bugs and Machines as well as the ever present Pirates.

Several improvement in frame rate mods are beign used as well.

Im also using Race Invasions but have no idea what this actually does so what the hey.

Other than that I’m running a fully patched game.



Terrick Trading Inc
Trading Diaries


Steffen Terrick’s logs
Entry 1

*Start Log*

I’d managed the dream. I had finally passed my pilots test and this time with flying colours. Obviously there is some truth behind the old third time lucky saying and being 21 jazura’s I could fly the larger transport class ships as well, which was lucky as my father had a big surprise for me when I announced the pass to him. Apparently my mother had convinced him to give in the old life as a space trader and take up a quieter and less dangerous one and as much as I didn’t like my old hero not flying anymore she was right.

The galaxy had become a much more dangerous place over the last few jazura’s. Whereas before you could jump in and out of the Paranid border regions down south of Cloudbase South West now it was suicide unless you were on good terms with the old three eyes. The same thing had occurred all over the known universe. The tension had finally boiled over and resulted in outright war with the Paranid and Split on one side and the Boron and Argon on the other. Add into that our new cousins in the form of the Terran, their machines and the fact that no one trusts them, the new pirate faction the Yaki and a heavily increased Xenon threat and the Universe in a very bad state. Thank god the Khaak calmed down a bit because with them bugs around the Universe would be more royally screwed than that Boron queen and with the exception of their own capital class ships the pirates seem to be struggling. The Teladi of course throughout the whole thing have remained as dependable as ever and are being amicable with everyone. Good old lizards.

Of course him given up the old life left his ship with no use. A rather battered old Mercury complete with rusty paintjob, a rather small engine, no weapons and hardly any trading equipment and I had; well the basis of a trading ship. Now you see it wasn’t that my dad wasn’t a good trader at all, quite the opposite in fact and he’d managed to keep us well fed, clothed and housed but he had his contracts and they were rather fixed ones and so he didn’t need all the equipment. I however had always had bigger dreams. I’d never really wanted just a house to call my own I’d always wanted to run my own station and so when my dad announced that the ship was now mine the first thing I did was head right back to the office I’d just got my licensing papers from and request a ship name change, not that I felt there was anything wrong with ‘Ol’ Rusty’ but it didn’t quite have the grand ring to it I wanted.

Half my college fund, never did like school so wont be needing that anyway, several Stazura’s and much pacing later and I was standing in front of ‘Profiteer’ the first ship registered under the ‘Terrick Trading Inc’ company licence. Now were talking. Where’d I put the keys?.


*End Log*




Entry 2
*Start Log*

Well it hadn’t gone to bad for the first Wozura. Granted I didn’t really want to be hitting the stations docking clamps undocking from Argon Primes shipyard but hey we all make mistakes and no damage was done to either party. After that small upset it had got a lot smoother. Having dropped my parents off at their new home in Herron’s Nebula I waved goodbye to the planetary shuttle and tried to decide what to do first of all.

Much thinking later and I had decided that trading spacefeul this close to having passed my licence wouldn’t be the most intelligent idea and decided for less dangerous food instead. Much trading in Herron’s Nebula and I was a bit bored. Several Tazura’s later and having just had a rather annoying conversation with the dam Boron sector flight control about how I accidently nudged the gate and I was even more bored. Perhaps if I was to explore and trade at the same time a jumpdrive would be a good idea. Now Terracorp has them and I have, thanks to my dad a few contacts there but I’m pretty sure they cost a bit of credits.

Still I didn’t have anything else to do with the time so I headed for Home of Light doing small trade runs on the way. Fast forward a few more Tazura’s and I’m sitting here pleasantly surprised that I had made more than enough for the 100k credit jumpdrive on my little travels. Now to wait for them to fit that and a few other extensions in the form of the Best Buys and Selling upgrades while thinking about what I’d observed in my travels.

It seems that despite it being the most basic commodity ever the Argon sectors, in fact most of the sectors I’ve visited are low on the simple energy cell. Now I can capitalise on this for a while in the form of trading the energy using my new jumpdrive but it also looks like it would be a good start for my station dream. I mean they have the crystals so why not.

Credits: 24,744

*End Log*

[TheJakal]

Terrick Trading Inc Assets:

Fleet acronyms:
TTI: Terrick Trading Inc
TDS: Terrick Defence Ship
TES: Terrick Exploratory Ship

Example ship:
TDS M2 Dependable (1x Teladi Pheonix)

Ships:

TTI Profiteer (1x Mercury)
TES M5 'Explorer' (1xDiscoverer Raider)

Stations

1x Wheat Farm (TTIS Wheat Farm 001 [Herron’s Nebula])
1x Silicon Mine (TTIS Silicon Mine 001 [Ore Belt])

both with single accompany TS freighter.

Complexes

(TTI Low Tech Complex 001 x2 Mercury Transports [Cloudbase North East])
(TTI Rimes Factory Complex 001 x1 Mercury Transport [Power Circle])

UT's

Total: 3

TTI Independant Trader 001 (lvl 25: Mercury: Pok Cruise)
TTI Independent Trader 002 (lvl 12: Mercury: Dal Yatar)
TTI Independent Trader 003 (lvl 3: Mercury: Janit Collard)

[LordForrester]

Interesting. keep it up.

[Sp@c3Ch!mp]

nice going there. Do you think it is wise to buy an SPP and plant it in Argon Prime? In The Wall are also a few SPP's.
I ask because I would like to build a statio in one of those Argon sectors but I don't know what to build.

[TheJakal]

Replies:

LordForrester: Thanks
Sp@c3Ch!mp: Thanks and I'm not sure really and wont be for a while as the price of a M power plant from Argon Prime is nealry 5m credits. I would imagine they would be profitable though if you put them in a sector with crystals as every other trade run I make is usually a energy run.

*CHANGED RULES ABOVE*

Entry 3

*Start Log*

Well the last few Tazura’s had been pretty much everything. Interesting, boring frightening and well ok only them but you get the picture. With the new jumpdrive installed I decided to see if it would boost my trading. Half a Tazura worth of increasingly sickening jumps later and I ended up hauling ore and energy around Ore Belt for a while meaning I’d spent over 100k credits on a device that so far had proved next to useless. Still it did prove its worth soon after that (or rather proved how jumpy I am).

You see despite the sector being normally calm it does occasionally have its turmoil’s as this Argon news excerpt shows.


*Run Excrept*
Argon Broadcasting Agency
Ore Belt
Argon Trading Centre

Today we have witnessed the savagery of the so called holy ones first hand. Around mid Tazura, standard federation time a small force of Paranid ships entered the sector of Cloud Base South West and made straight for the east gate. We have been told by a military spokesperson that forces stationed in the aforementioned sector were unavailable to intercept the ships and so they passed through unhasseled.

Upon entering Ore Belt we wondered if we to were going be left unhassaled but were proved wrong when the Paraind M6 led force unprovoked, started firing upon a 3 fighter military patrol from the Plutarch Mining Company on a standard CAP (Combat Air Patrol). The fighters stood no chance and were quickly destroyed. The company however did not sit idly by and ordered its heavier corvettes to engage the hostiles. Unlucky it would seem the need for speed was too great and the two corvettes available arrived and despite valiantly fighting were destroyed piecemeal. Now usually the Argon Government takes a more lenient approach to large corporation dealings and affairs as is well known but these Paranid were openly flying the Priest Dukes colours and as such were not of Duke’s Buccaneers’ origin which may have explained the aggression towards Plutarch. As such they retaliated with force and elements of the 2nd Core Defence fleet in the form of a large Carrier group were dispatched from their station in Argon Prime.

Luckily for the rest of the occupants of Ore Belt these forces arrived in short order and were quick to subdue the threat. The Argon senate have apparently requested the Plutarch company records as apart from a few police and Argon military ships acting in defense of the sector they were the only ones to be targeted. Plutarch has of course obliged stating that they had no idea why they were attacked and expressing their condolences to the deceased’s families. The Paranid have refused to speak on the matter and have stationed more military ships in the border sector south of CBSW.

It will be interesting at least to hear the senates take on all this but till we have more news this is Trisha Perence reporting for the Argon Broadcasting Agency.

*End Excerpt*

As you can see all hell is about to break lose around these parts and this was the reason I suddenly liked my new jumpdrive. I had been trading way to close to the fight and assumed that the Plutarch corvette could hold its own. When I was proved wrong I bottled it and jumped to the closest place. Clearly this shows the most useful use of the jumpdrive and with the now unwasted credits thought in my head I had continued my trading.

Several more trade runs in the quiet sea of Boron and a encounter first hand with a Bug Interceptor (ok not quite first hand as I bottled it again at first site and jumped) and I was back in Ore Belt being sent a sector broadcast from the Plutarch HQ about a urgent shipping of energy cells. Now getting them wouldn’t be a problem but getting them back to the station in time might be and with the nearly 200k credit contract their offering I would love to give it a go. I also however want to get myself a fast scout and do some mapping of some friendly sectors in a tub that moves faster than the asteroid that’s stationary next to it so I will need a scout with a nice engine and ability to fit a jumpdrive (if I can get the liscencing office to provide me with a scouting liscence to fit one on a fighter class ship) for that. This means I’m looking at a Raider spec Discoverer which for a scout doesn’t come to cheap. All this will have to wait as for now I’m having myself some R&R while the technicians see how much they can upgrade my cargo bay by. A have a feeling this isn’t going to be cheap but oh well spend a little to make a lot or so I think the saying goes.


*End Log*

Credits: 360,484
Assets (see second post): UNCHANGED

[Sp@c3Ch!mp]

hehe you got lucky the nids didn't turn on you. Keep it up.
Also for that mission lutarch is offering. Check out The Wall, that is east of argon prime.

[TheJakal]

Replies:

Sp@c3Ch!mp: Yer I was. I had my fingers over the jump keys the whole trading trip ready to jump if he turned for me. As for the energy thing there is a power plant in Ore Belt I just wasnt sure if I'd make it in the time given but read below to see how it turned out.



Entry 4

*Start Log*

Well today it was confirmed. We are now at war with the Paranid. A small scouting force with near enough the same make up as the one that attacked ore Belt invaded Cloud Base South West. This time however the Argon authorities were a lot quicker to react and a wing of corvettes belonging to the 2nd Defence Fleet backed by several of the 1st Defence Fleets more dangerous prototype designations jumped in to deal with the threat quickly and efficiently.

Sadly however that was not the worst of the latest news as this excerpt from the, it would seem, cursed Ore Belt.

*Run Excerpt Archive no2*
Argon Broadcasting Agency
Ore Belt
Argon Trading Centre

Today we have been a first hand witness to the terrible destruction of the so called ‘dormant’ Khaak. Around mid tazura our Sector Traffic Control picked up several large and small jump signatures emanating around the Plutarch HQ. Assuming it was Plutarch carrying out an unregistered emergency jump as is allowed under Argon law article 259 we thought nothing of it. What came out of the jumpholes however were not Plutarch ships they were in fact several Khaak destroyers accompanied by several of their fighter flocks.

As many fighters that could be mustered were scrambled along with the Plutarch defence force to intercept the invaders and we were notified by the shipyard in Cloud Base South East that both it and Argon Prime were sending ships as fast as they could to repel the attack. Meanwhile the defence were taking a heavy toll on the Khaak fighters but couldn’t pierce the destroyers shields while the Khaak, although taking heavy fighter loss, were cutting through the ships sent against them with terrifying speed. Plutarch for the second time in the last 3 wazura’s took heavy casualties, losing two of its three corvettes before the Argon capital ship response arrived and bombarded the destroyers with torpedoes salvoes eventually destroying them.

They were regrettably too late to save the occupants of Ore Mine Alpha who bore the wrath of the destroyers first hand and so by decree of the Argon Government a 2 mizura silence will be held tomorrow in respect for the fallen workers, military and civilians lost that day.
This is Trisha Perence reporting for the Argon Broadcasting Agency.

*End Excerpt*

As you can see the Argon have been hit hard over the last few wizura’s but they are slowly recovering. It would seem due to the target that ore Belt apparently is the Argon government has seen fit to outfit three new Cerebuse designated M7’s for use by Plutarch as added sector security. I however have made a lot more credits then I ever dreamed of and am now on Plutarch’s free merchants list after helping with aid efforts in the form of a large delivery of energy cells for which I was paid 191k. I was then able to get my scout that I wanted and a couple of tazura’s later I was sat in the cockpit of TTI Explorer my new Discoverer Raider designated M5 class complete with jumpdrive and around 300k missing from my bank account.

I had then used this to map all the rest of the Argon, Boron core sectors and all of the Teladi ones before returning to trading in Ore Belt where I’m now feeling a lot safer. This is lucky as it seems everyone is in need of ore and this place has it in abundance and very cheap prices as well. I still however have no idea on the factory front but might get some of these independent traders flying for me instead for now till I can decide. Well I’ve just been notified that my Ore shipment has been loaded so I’ll finish this log here. Till next time.


*End Log*


Credits: 735,269

[Sp@c3Ch!mp]

hehe you were lucky. So far the DiD is really nice. I am also trying to get on the good side of Plutarch Company. Although I don't know what the advantages are.

[TheJakal]

Replies:

Sp@c3Ch!mp: Thanks and yes I was. I dont knwo what the benefits are either but hey they buy all the ore I freight around so I'm not goign to complain. Btw I saw your thread earlier about early factories. Sorry I didn't reply but didnt want to ruin my next entry. See below for my station advice.



Entry 5

*Start Log*

Well I’d finally realised the first step of my dream and it’s only taken me just over a Mazura. You see I’m now writing this log from the comfort, or rather will be comfort when the interior is finished of my personal suite onboard my first factory. This glistening jewel in my fledging trade empire comes in the form of TTI Wheat Farm 001 situated in Herrons Nebula where, with the assurance that I’m not breaking the law from the Argon Trading Standards Authority (ATSA) by supplying the less legal stations (apparently they cant touch you unless you have the illegal goods onboard the ship but your free to supply them to make the product. Doesn’t make much sense but I’m not going to complain.) it appears to be making a steady profit. Hopefully it will also pick up as the station is complete. At the moment its still very much a shell with the interiors still being worked on and staff and their families being bought in all under the watchful eye of the acting station commander Hall Kerring (see personnel log).

On the trading and exploring front I have changed the designation of the scout to TEF M5 ‘Explorer’ with TEF standing for Terrick Exploratory Fleet. I know not much of a fleet at the moment but I have big dreams remember and would rather everything was well organised from the start. On the exploring side of things I have also been gathering Adv Sats to try and create a network of them but have put actual exploring off for a while until I can get something more durable than the M5, maybe a M6 Centaur but we’ll have to see.

That means most of my time has been split between helping get the factory running and trading to help repair the 700k hole in my funds the station and its attached freighter had caused and as ever that means shipping more energy and ore around the Argon Core sectors. It would really be a good idea for them to increase their Solar Power Plants but it appears I’ll have to do the work for them for the time being. Anyway I’ve just been informed that my parent’s shuttle has arrived so I’ll end it here.



*End Log*


Credits: 735,269

(OOC: I've now added a character post with characters that I reckon are important to the story. Nothing at all to do withthe game so feel free to skip them they just add a bit of flavour.)

[TheJakal]

Terrick Trading Ind and attached sections personnel files
Clearance lvl 4 required….
Clearance code 3457798….
Clearance accepted file opened….

Race: Argon
Name: Steffin Terrick
Position: CEO
Age: 22

Bio: Born and raised on Herrons Nebula’s trading station to parents, stations store owner Silvia and independent trader Markus. Passed his liscence at the age of 21 before forming TTI.



Race: Argon
Name: Hall Kerring
Position: Company Security Manager (acting Station Manager at current time)
Age: 36

Bio: Born and raised on Argon Prime. Joined the navy at the age of 19 and rose quickly through the ranks to gain command of the Argon 4th Defence Fleet’s Colossus carrier. Served admirably gaining several medals and honours for his actions before being honourably discharged after refusing to abandoned 4 TP’s worth of civilians as the Xenon laid waste to the sector he was stationed in, putting his ship at risk to make sure they escaped the sector safely. Since has moved from job to job before being hired by TTI where he currently works.


Race: Argon
Name: Charles Benton
Position: Company Vice Chairman
Age: 34

A highly successful, if slightly credit obsessed man born on Terracorp HQ to a wealthy business woman. Having not known his dad at all he felt it was his duty to grow up and earn as much as he could for his mum as soon as he could ignoring the fact that she earnt more in a Jazura more than most Argons did in 10. As such he developed a lust for credits and promotions so when TTI announced it was looking for a experienced person to run the factories he jumped on the chance and his resume more than clinched the job.


Race: Argon
Name: Pok Cruise
Position: Independent Trader
Rank: Production Manager
Age: 40

Was born and raised in a Argon mercury freighter owned by his parents. Joined the company after meeting with Steffen Terrick at a bar on the Equipment Dock in Argon Prime. Steffen learnt that the man had had monetary problems since a divorce and was apparently a good freighter pilot. Was hired temporarily to work under the TTI name and turned out to be a good move. Pok swiftly learnt the trade using the experiences of both Steffen and Charles to further his own knowledge till he gained as much experience as he was going to under Steffen. Thankfully however he chose to remain with the company instead of heading off by himself, and as such been given a new trader to watch over in the form of Dal Yatar.



File Closed….

[Sp@c3Ch!mp]

ok thx for the advice on the station. It is kind obvious to place it there. Silly I didn't think of that one either...
Anywho thx for the advice

[Scott C.]

Quite enjoying this different flavored DID.

Thanks for sharing. Hope to see more.

[TheJakal]

Replies:

Sp@c3Ch!mp: Thanks and no problem.

Scott C.: Thanks. Yer I wanted to try soemthign different from the pirate ones around and lets hope there plenty more to come (thoguh with the Khaak appearing everywhere that might not be to easy).

Entry 6

*Start Log*

Well lately everything has been logistics and fund raising funds for my next big project. A silicon mine on a asteroid in Ore Belt that the computers registered a very high concentration of silicon in. Although this seems to be a place of interest to most anti Argon hostilities the increased defence from Plutarch will hopefully protect any assets I put in there until I can afford and am allowed to purchase my own. As it is I’m on pretty good terms with Plutarch anyways so they shouldn’t be to adverse to helping if anything does happen.

All this however will cost a lot more than the previous station which I’m happy to announce is now nearly running at peak efficiency with Hall Kerring doing a sterling job. In fact that station alone will cost me just over 1.2 million in credits and that’s without the freighter so some saving is required. I also want to fully shield my two existing freighters and am currently looking for the last two 25MJ shields to carry this out. This leads us on to the next problem for the Argon and that’s the two Khaak corvettes currently running rampage around CBSE. The news also announced today that the Khaak have attacked and destroyed the privately owned TL in the sector which thankfully was on the way to a refit and was as such only carrying a skeleton crew and so there wasn’t a huge loss of life like the last Khaak attack.

That said they are still ripping apart all the traders and ships that brave the sector. The Argon have to do something and quick before the Khaak cripple them by destroying the Shipyard or Equipment Dock in the sector. I’ll keep you updated on the situation but am required elsewhere at the moment so will have to leave it here.


*End Log*

Credits: 518,900

[TheJakal]

Entry 7

*Start Log*

Well that Khaak problem we had last time has been settled by a Argon Minotaur and its accompanying fighters. It would also seem that Argon core space has clamed down a lot since then which has allowed me to get some serious trading done. Serious enough to not only allow me to buy a fully shielded and tuned new freighter as well as fully shielding the two I already have but enough to allow the purchase and set up of my first mine on that roid I mentioned last log. I’ve also appointed someone to run both the mine and wheat farm in the form of a rather credit driven Argon named Charles Benton (see personnel file). This man will hopefully be able to allow me to concentrate on getting a lot more serious trading runs in to get my credits reserves back up.

It’ll also hopefully allow me to avoid doing stupid things like trying to manage the factories remotely and not looking where I’m flying which led to a crash with another TS outside the Seeker Missile Fab in Red Light. Still it only resulted in me having to grovel a bit to an annoyed Teladi and no damage done to either of us. Still closest I’ve come so far to being fatally injured and introduced first hand to a vacuum so some more caution will be exercised form now on.

Now anyway I have to leave you all as Charles wants a word with me apparently and I want to look for some more of them massively lucrative trading contracted like the computer chips one in Argon Prime that netted me 661k credits not so long ago.

*End Log*

Credits: 282,160

[TheJakal]

Entry 8

*Start Log*

Well this was an eventful and stressful Mazura but first some very important news. Unfortunately I don’t have the entirely believable news report handy but I can give you the real news instead. It would appear that the Xenon threat is a lot worse than we thought and that despite the races increased efforts to increase security and stability around the universe the Xenon have other ideas, and they seem to mean business.

Unconfirmed reports suggest up to 10 sectors have been either been lost or occupied by the damned machines in a attempt to terraform everything they come across. Apparently the open war between the races has been stalled slightly in the face of this new threat but what I’m confused about is how much of a cover up the governments managed. I mean I know were sat here in the core sectors and all a way away from the fighting but still to lose a station or two is quite big news let alone a couple of sectors. Let’s just thank god up until now apart form the attacks we’ve seen the Khaak are remaining quiet.

Onto company news though and it would seem that hiring Charles was a bit of a double edged sword. He seems to think that I’m stupid or something and have no experience in trading. Well I would have begged to differ if my Silicon Mine hadn’t proved him right you see while I had thought the fact that there was easy energy cells around for it and it was a high enough yield, it would seem the expected market for it isn’t exactly what I had planned.

Well basically to cut a long story short I told him to shut it and sort it out as he was after all the Vice Chairman and if he could I’d raise his pay a bit. This seemed to have the desired effect and short of him telling me once more that I had the business sense of a Split he started babbling on about maybe all was not lost and how when we had some more credits maybe linking it to a complex would be a good idea. At this point I cut the comms and let him get on with it as he was making my head hurt.

The other news is I’ve hired some Argon guy by the name of Pok Cruise to fly a independent trader for me. I’d met him in the bar where’d I’d been having a drink after listening to the lecture form Charles and talked about how he used to be a trader until he had to sell his ship due to his wife leaving him and taking most of his credits. Now I’m not one for sentimental stuff but I felt sorry for the guy and offered him a job. He seems over the moon about it and after buying a new ship for him he’s been happily trading away (OOC: Currently lvl 8 ) in Ore Belt while I search for trades elsewhere.
Well that’s it for now really. Well currently I want to save up some money and see if I can get a M6 or something as I want to do some more exploring and the M5 although fast seems to fragile for me. Of course with me being me I’ll probably end up dumping it all in some unproductive factory before then but hey that’s life.


*End Log*

Credits:885,960