Oolite Bulletins

Greetings,
An introduction is in order: I am Af-San the eighth of eight, proud son of Begebe, Trader extraordinaire, Master of the Griff boa, Dawn Trader. Now currently servicing Tionsla and Isinor in fine computers and rare furs, dabbling in precious commodities while maintaining strict moral boundaries. I am a supporter of the Gal Navy, heavily invested in their most generous war bonds. Totally neutral in terms of things military, although some of their fine equipment has come aboard my illustrious Dawn Trader. As a trader, I am currently at 0 kills and hope to maintain that until my retirement in, ohhhh, about 150 galaxy years. Although, Begebe is my home world, I tend to wander from sector to sector bringing goods and fancies that are in high demand to those willing to pay for them. I trust that those whom I meet in my journeys find me a fair and equitable person and am not worthy of being on the wrong end of a laser or missile. Mediation is my motto, retaliation is unheard of.
Again , greetings and come, come visit my ship, peruse the fine goods and fancy baubles of a thousand worlds. Trade in fine Gems, gaze into exquisite crystals that were once the property of the High Lords of Sith. Come and be amused, intrigued and beguiled, purchase for your ladyfare or your significant other who will shower you with affection as you give them that little bauble or that little glass of the nectar of the gods. I have it all…. For a price, I will part with my love and joys just so I can see the smile on your face of a good trade.
I remain your most humble servant…. Af-San, esquire, Eighth of Eight, Proud son of Begebe.
Now, what can I do for you, Hmmmmmm?

Hi Dawn trader. That is a good statement of yourself and your not the only one who tries to keep his kill count to an absolute minimum, you have friends here. You might even consider an Anaconda then if that is your aim. But as to hoping for the best in some of the pirates out there I fear you will be disappointed fairly soon.

So may I officially Welcome you to the friendliest forum this side of Riedquat.

Now what have you got in the line of precious metals?

Indeed yes, Welcome.

Welcome Dawn Trader - I too follow your philosophy. My plan is to reach 1 mill Cr in the bank without a single kill to my name - although I confess I have failed already - some pirates fly into me, others cannot be dissuaded from attacking even when they are venting plasma and I do not have enough fuel left to Injector away. But if I manage less than 50 kills in my career I will consider myself successful in my aim. Although many missions based on kill count will be denied to me because of this. But I am happy with my choice and OXPs can always be tweaked so that they can be played (Asteroid Storm for example)

Ah, greetings fellow trader, are you an Eighth of Eight? And to Smivs and Daddyhoggy, greetings and salutations. A student of the fine metallurgical pursuits, I deem … For your perusal, I have the following to offer to you in 1 kg ingots ( prices are always negotiable):
Palladium,Rhenium,Germanium,Berryllium,Silver,Gallium,Tellurium,Mercury( 1kg bottles),Bismuth and my most prized item: transparent Aluminum. My inventory is limited due to the weights and measures of my Dawn Trader but I usually carry 10-25 kg of each however I do have my contacts if you desire more, for an additional price. Your humble cartage handler: Af-San

Trading without firing a shot is a worthy and noble plan. However, piracy is everywhere, even in the heavily patrolled corporate states. Then there's Thargoids to worry about. For either faction, a big fat lightly armed (or unarmed) freighter makes a tempting target of opportunity.

Like it or not, violence will come to you. You might as well get used to the fact that getting shot at was part of the deal.

I'm going to suggest hiring an escort wing to cover your ass.

Greetings most illustrious Cmdr Wyvern,
Thank you for your concerns but I have been shot at many times and yet I am still here and still at 0 kills. Unfortunately, you believe that I am gullible enough to ply these space lanes in a helpless freighter... I assure you, the Dawn Trader is well protected and quite capable of inflicting damage if need be so. I assure you that even though there is no cloaking device, the Dawn Trader is quite capable of not being seen when she doesn't wish to be seen... after all, to be an eighth of eight means diligent study in all the various astro navigational courses, selfdefense courses and of course escape and evasion courses. If in the event that I (shudder) do manage to inflict injury, I violate my duties as eighth of eight and have crossed the line into becoming a first of eigth and would accordingly suffer the consequences of going into an occupation that I have no training or skills in. As escort would bring attention to the Dawn Trader as a magnet draws iron filings and I do not wish to put other lives in harms way. So a solo trader I am, will be and continue to do so in the spirit of being an Eighth of Eight from Begebe.
I thank you again for your concern and will someday cross your path and we can discuss survival in space, Until then, your humble trader in goods galactic. Af-San

Dawn Trader wrote:

For your perusal, I have the following to offer to you in 1 kg ingots ( prices are always negotiable):
... and my most prized item: transparent Aluminum.

Harrumph! I suspected as much.

You aren't the same Begebian ratbag that was going round selling "odourless, gravity-resistant, pure-transparency, friction-free, super-flexible Silicon-Astatine alloy" are you?

I bought a hold-full of that stuff before realising why everyone was calling me Sili-As SandJ.

Sandj, Sandj, Oh Now I remember!!!!! It was at the Blue Lagrange at Vegebe that I encountered you. Sirrah, If you have a complaint, let me know but name calling is below your dignity. My products are sold with my guarantee of "free of defects".
I remember that you were quite drunk and could barely hold up your pants after loosing your belt to the bartender for another drink. You pressured me into providing you with the product as you had this brilliant plan to create a super stealthy one man raider that would bring you untold wealth and beautiful women to your bedroom.

I tried to inform you of how to use that particular product however, it is obvious that you were not listening.
"odourless, gravity-resistant, pure-transparency, friction-free, super-flexible Silicon-Astatine alloy" is a rather simpllistic view of a compound that is so elusive that it requires special equipment just to hold the product (equipment optional). As you probably found out, any mishandling will cause the alloy to slip out of its container quicker than liquid mercury between one's fingers. Once out, it is impossible to contain due to it's nature.
As a trader, I was honest with you about this product but you were quite adamant in purchasing a rather large quantitiy and I am sorry that you had the lack of training to handle your product's special handling requirements.

Come, as an amend, I offer up a 50 carat manarkian moondrop as a good faith retainer , would that be agreeable to you? HMMMMM????
Respectfully your servant in trade Af-san Eighth of Eight

Dawn Trader wrote:

manarkian moondrop

For a moment I read that as 'malarky mandroop'!

Dawn Trader wrote:

...beautiful women to your bedroom.

BWAHAHA!

Oh, that's rich!
Af-san, the gender differences 'tween mammals, humans especially, are quite easy to tell; often as obvious as a handblaster shot to the tail end. You may want to re-peruse the handbook concerning the various member species of GalCop, then read it again to be safe. Meanwhile, whether Sandj has a preference for other females of her kind or not, I refuse to comment on.

...Umm... That is, assuming SandJ is a female human. That's not easy to tell over this particular comm channel.

Cmdr Wyvern wrote:

Meanwhile, whether Sandj has a preference for other females of her kind or not, I refuse to comment on.

...Umm... That is, assuming SandJ is a female human. That's not easy to tell over this particular comm channel.

On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. Arf! Arf!

Cmd Wyvern: in response to your allegations... "Af-san, the gender differences 'tween mammals, humans especially, are quite easy to tell" Humans who wear spacer uniforms are extremely hard to differentiate.... everything is covered up but their heads... you've seen one human... you have seen them all. Besides, in the signature it clearly refers to females calling SandJ something.
So, I take it that SandJ is a male from those two observations. I also see that the first comment about being as "woman" has been crossed out and perhaps a gender change was occuring like the xeebe swamp frog does when there are not enough of 1 gender to allow breeding to occur.

SandJ... if you are either or or neither.... accept my apology and may I take a closer look next time we meet.
I do not wish to gender shock anymore than I already have.
The offer still stands on the moondrop.

It seems Cmd. Wyvren's sense of the wierdness is coming through.... must be his Rut time.
Af-San

Rut time? Nhaaw! My sense of humor is always strange and absurd, even by Roh'i standards. I'm sort of infamous for it. But when I'm being serious, trust me ace, you'd know it.

Greetings,
an update for this humble trader in goods galactic.
I followed good advice by FATLEAF.... In my Griff Boa, I amassed 900,000 credits and upgraded to an anaconda, named Begebe Trader. I outfitted it with defensive missiles and mines and mil. lasers. It is wonderful ship and amassed 1.6mil in a very short time. Although, I never needed escorts, I felt that Cmdr Wyverns' predictions could come true so i cast about for a more formidable carrier and found it: I now pilot a Kirin XM with enough firepower that I feel confident of safe trading again.
Through all this trading, I have yet to make a kill and have yet to use any defensive equipment. When they are around, I convoy with other Kirins and their escorts... funny how the pirates avoid them like the plague. When I come close to my planet, I peel off and enter protected space as fast as I can, then trade away. I looked at the maelstrom as an alternative but decided , I like the Kirin XM profile much better... sleek and sophisticed, just like her pilot.
I have a special going on: Bar Platinum (1,000 kg) for only 80g/kg. Won't last long... make you purchase today, the special will last only as long as I am docked.
your servant: Af-San with gold tipped claw sheaths.