Parcel / passenger transport

[Fritz]

I would be happy to buy a rock hermit or a small private space station and make it my home in the Ooniverse, where I could store several different ships and cargo and where I know the rock hermits in the surrounding systems with the best cuisine. One problem with this is the separation of the Ooniverse into 8 sectors; a home system would only make sense if you could travel into your home sector from every other sector. An OXP doing this wouldn't even be cheating, because 5000 Cr for a galactic hyperspace isn't much when you have 1.5 millions...

[Cody]

I would be happy to buy a rock hermit or a small private space station and make it my home in the Ooniverse, where I could store several different ships and cargo and where I know the rock hermits in the surrounding systems with the best cuisine.

<nods> In my dreams, I'm already based at a rock hermit (of sorts), which has a fine restaurant attached.

[Fritz]

I spent some time around the Xeines bottleneck and started to feel at home. I was really sad when I had to leave the region.

[Cody]

As for fine cuisine, the best restaurant in the Eight is now closed, but it did have a splendid menu!

[Fritz]

... the best restaurant in the Eight is now closed ...

Wait... you couldn't afford to pay the bill, and that's why you... destroyed it?

[ralph_hh]

Na, Cody had a bit too much of these Cebetelaian Killer Mountain Esbionoids. Crawling out from that restaurant barely conscious, he wrapped the hole thing in brown paper, put a chord around and stored it away to deliver yet another parcel. Since then he is wondering, who was the recipient and wher from he got that headache.

[Cody]

I didn't do it! Nobody saw me do it! You can't prove anything!

[Fritz]

I didn't do it! Nobody saw me do it! You can't prove anything!

I might have read this somewhere already...

[ffutures]

I just thought of a really evil tweak to the parcel / passenger business.

Have an occasional high-fee parcel or passenger that takes the ship to a high police presence system - but instead of getting paid on delivery, you discover that it's a sting operation, you've just "voluntarily" turned yourself in for a tax audit, and must pay xxx credits (say 25% of bank balance if under 1 megacredit, 35% if 1-5 megacredits, 50% if 5+ megacredits.) Or alternatively they may discover that you've overpaid and get a refund of a few hundred or thousand credits. Needless to say the audit takes a couple of days, and really screws up your delivery schedule.

If there's a passenger he/she/it also has a full record of all your transactions since boarding, and there are additional punitive taxes if any contraband has been carried.

Later thought:

It might be possible to do something like this with the cargo business too, e.g. a load that when delivered will trigger a tax audit, and possibly carries sensors to track your real activities. And if you sell it en route that's another offence, of course!

If you don't deliver the package/passenger/cargo by the deadline, you are automatically classed as an offender and will be audited the next time you dock, with additional penalties.

Another belated thought: there should be a delay on this, say a few months in game time before the first audit.

[Anonymissimus]

Leading "aegis botherers" out of the station and police scanner range, shooting them to make them attack, and then heading back to the station to make them hit it is somewhat tedious but often comes with a great goodie: Once the criminals are fugitives (or offenders ?) they tend to do something finally productive, namely opening a wormhole which may lead into a useful direction. There's the assassin that opened the wormhole to fight on the other side but that's a cheap price for arriving with a full tank.

[Imaginos]

I've finally acquired a Python Clipper and so intend to shift from parcel deliveries to cargo hauls. I still have a few packages to deliver though. I just hope that my shields can hold up to the unfriendly fire.

[ffutures]

I've finally acquired a Python Clipper and so intend to shift from parcel deliveries to cargo hauls. I still have a few packages to deliver though. I just hope that my shields can hold up to the unfriendly fire.

Just hope your cargo can hold up to it - the good thing about parcels is that currently they can't be destroyed.

[Anonymissimus]

the good thing about parcels is that currently they can't be destroyed.

Certainly their main advantage. Aside from not requiring cargo space, good chance of granting a bonus, and not requiring a deposit.

[ralph_hh]

And, last not least, unlike cargo, parcels bring some excitement into the Ooniverse.

[Imaginos]

And, last not least, unlike cargo, parcels bring some excitement into the Ooniverse.

Don't I know it?