Yours is a journey that will engrave itself into the history of time itself. 50,000 credits, the remains of a war party's spoils or a contraband package, the origins of that money is not something that interests you. You are an enterprising individual. You approach the advanced shop, eager for once to not be gazing longingly through the windows but to be the customer, the one entitled to speak with the traders of the ever-present Trading Guild.
You approach the shopkeeper and he warily steps towards you.
You gaze upon the arsenal of weapons. This is all you had ever wanted, an X571 model flashlight! a new helmet to replace the one grandmother had given you, a relic of the days when your grandfather had served in the imperial fleet.
You can almost see yourself in a rich new costume, with a design of your to-be fabulous frigate in one hand and your application to join the Order of Bogatyrs in the other...Great wealth: a proper house, no a mansion, no a palace, just like the Officers have. You can almost feel the drool coming from your mouth. A real education as a proper pilot. Having learnt how to pilot a shuttle you know how to fly a ship, and you can imagine yourself at the bow of a Red Raider, ordering the gun crews to open fire on pirates laying waste to an innocent mining colony.You would make your family proud, you would....
The shopkeeper walks away.
You quickly ran over to him and with a grimace he turns back to you, waiting to hear what you want to buy.
A rocket launcher! Then you can help to protect your colony, everyone with a rocket launcher is always respected but wait...oh...its too expensive. No worries, a sniper, with that you can apply to the army, serve as a hired mercenary, kill enemies of the nation and earn fame as the quintessential warrior, coming from a poor background but rising through loyalty and devotion, hard labour and a will to work for the good of the nation. You reach to hand over the money, but, the shopkeeper notifies you that your 50,000 is not enough for a sniper.
What to do. Well, you can still buy anything in the shop. You start browsing when you hear a dull muffled noise within the core of the shop.
'What is that?' you ask the shopkeeper
'Merchandise'
What merchandise, is it for sale?
'Each for 50k'
What do you mean 'each'?
'Look I have better things to do with my times. Are you gonna take one of the sorry excuses for a man or not'
They are slaves?!
'Well, what do you think they are? Of course, they are slaves. The trading guild is built on the back of slave labour, that is the only way to go, unless you work for one of these upstart traders calling themselves 'Bogatyrs;, running their foul trade networks. How much have you got? I'll cut you a deal if you get out of here and leave me be, not ruining my shop with the stench of your un-yhole-like clothes.'
You think to yourself. You could get some capsules, a factory, even start out but what would you think of yourself for leaving these people, people not slaves, people, who deserve their freedom, freedom to make a living, in this horrid trading shop.
'I will take them'
'50k each'
'You sell lives like cargo, how can you live like this..'
'Stop right there. You got a problem with this, take it up with the trade bosses. Now take it or leave it or I'll call a patrol and they'll sort you out'
'Ok ok, I'll buy one'
A man walks out of the shop and follows you to your ship.
'Thank you, thank you so much, I promise I will follow your lead and guard you wherever you go'
You smile to yourself. This was worth missing out on the factory.
Your new crew mate walks up to you and says 'That one is A.Trader the 4205413879194887846th' don't get on the wrong side of him, for if you so much as fire a few shots at his shop he will send for a patrol and then we are dead!'
You have learnt a few things today.
-Never trust A.Traders, the slavers who are an intergalactic player in trade
-The world of starmade is a cruel cruel world
-Everything that may seem affordable is actually quite expensive in Trading Guild shops
You get in your ship with your crewmate sitting beside you. Your journey has begun.
