STOP BEING SO DARN JUMPY

It takes several jumps to return home, as a Discoverer doesn’t have that much cargo space. It’s literally meant to “Discover”, not “Travel”. The manufacturers wanted to make sure you saw everything in between your beginning and your destination.

Jump, refuel. Jump, refuel. Jump, refuel.

Jump… refuel

And then, finally… jump, refuel.

No, no I’m actually just about there — refuel.

DOG PLAYS: ORIGINS

Back in Herron’s Nebula, I dock at my Crystal Fab to check on it. It’s been making me a good amount of credits, and there seems to be a steady stream of traffic coming and going from the station, consisting of both NPC, and my own, ships.

Changing into my Mercury Hauler, I go do some trades from my stations. Revisiting Ore Belt is at the top of my list, as it’s my favorite place to trade, and it’s where this all began.

Ore Belt is a bustling center of commerce now, and I can still quadruple the money I invest in the ore here by shipping it to the next sector over, Home of Light. Although, the money I can put in is a very tiny percentage of my overall bank account, so the profits aren’t extremely amazing anymore.

Yes, I’ve told you about this route many times before. But really, if you think X3 is way too slow at the start, go trade some ore or solar there. Have fun.

I LEARNED BUSINESS FROM MR. CRABS

I feel that RioYeti Conglomerates could use a bigger salesforce, A.K.A. some more UTs (Universe Traders). I’ll need to invest a fair amount to hire a good sized group of UTs, and I’ll have to train them as STs until they’re experienced enough at making me lots of money.

I’ve also stopped the training of Trader Jo, as I don’t want to have to pay him a lot per Mizura (I forgot WTF a Mizura is, like two-and-a-half minutes or something? Whatever it is, I don’t want to pay a lot per Whateverzura. I’m greedy ;D). He’s trained and equipped well enough, and he knows what he’s doing. He will, most likely, be getting promoted very soon, once I construct a complex, in which case he’ll be allowed almost complete control over what comes in and what comes out. Once you train a CAG far enough, they can also direct other ships in the sector, and thus almost entirely take the hassle of managing an uber-complex off of the shoulders of an economically-minded X3 player.

I order ten Mercury Haulers from the Cloudbase Southeast shipyard with full rudder and engine optimization, as they are now my cargo ship of choice. I give the entire group orders to dock at TerraCorp, so traders can be hired and put on each ship.

As my own ship reaches Cloudbase Southeast, I get to catch the sight of the convoy of Mercury Haulers streaming towards the gate, and also, towards innumerable profitssssss, as the Teladi would say.

Once the convoy reaches TerraCorp, most of them dock. Some though, need to have the order re-issued.

Seven of them are equipped with Trade Command Software Mk III, as I’m keeping the other three ships on standby so I can have them ship goods to my complex once constructed.

IT’S LIKE THE OFFICE IN SPACE!

I give the trading ships orders to start trading in various sectors across Argon, Teladi, Paranid and Boron space. I have two of them trade in Ore Belt, as there’s a triangle of trade between the flak forge, the solar plant and the ore mines which I think will sustain a good stream of profits to train the STs in.

I personally ship some crystals from my own crystal fab to the solar plant in Ore Belt to help the economy there, that way my own traders can make some relatively stable credits.

A little while later…

Some of my ships need to be re-ordered to trade, and a trader named Jennia has already gained several ranks, and seems on the fast track to becoming a UT. I add “(Jennia)” to the end of her ship name so as to keep track of her. I want to get these traders Universe Trading as fast as possible.

Again, some of the traders need to be told that they’re supposed to be trading, so I relocate them to different sectors in Teladi space.

I HAS A COOL SHIP!

There’s one more thing I feel like buying in Cloudbase Southeast while I’m there. Something I’ve been saving up for for a while now. Something which is made of metal (that’s not specific). Something which is round and made of metal (that isn’t either). Something that is round, metal, and has slots to connect other round metal things to. Something that is round, metal, has slots to connect round metal thing which shoot round light things which mess up other round (or square) metal things. Something that is round, met — okay, it’s a Heavy Centaur.

I didn’t want to just buy some cheap little fighter. Nope, no “Busters” or “Vanguards” or “Elites” for me. I was heading straight for a rearrange-the-face-of-everyone-who-looks-at-me-awkwardly-by-blowing-a-giant-friggin’-hole-in-the-side-of-their-round-or-square-metal-thing-using-a-stuffle-ton-of-hot-beams-of-light-and-missiles kind of ship.

I buy a ton of Phased Repeater Guns and just about everything else I think essential. I dock with the shipyard, switch into my Heavy Centaur (which I name the M.C.P. Shadowshard [“M.C.P.” stands for Military Conglomerate Patrol]), set the autopilot for an equipment dock (to buy more weapons, of course), and activate SETA. SETA does not activate. I spam J again.

ZEN JUST ISN’T MY THING

“Singularity Engine Time Accelerator not installed.”

Darn.

I forgot to buy SETA of all things.

Trying to have it dock again at the shipyard, the autopilot pulls around to dock. So I thought.

The autopilot seems to have freaked-out, and so it was repetitively going very slowly (compared to SETA time) in circles outside the shipyard. Okay, I’m outta here.

I have my Mercury Hauler undock and pull up next to my ship. My own little self ejects from the ship and flies over to the Mercury Hauler, and enters it.

Again, I tell the Shadowshard to dock with the shipyard, and I activate an actual existant Singularity Engine.

A few minutes later, the Shadowshard is equipped with SETA. I change ships again, and fly off to Argon Prime to mount some more weapons on it.

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Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! I think you’ll enjoy the next couple chapters, where you’ll get to see my utter (lack of) amazement at the story missions, and my actual amazement at giant space battles, which I run from Terran fleets (and takes some potshots) in.

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