Spectra Market Day

[Eris]

Early the next morning the crew awakens and sets out to put their grav units on display at the big open air market in the center of Spectra City. Minding the local laws they leave all of their firearms on the ship. Also, being careful they lock up the ship after they leave it.

Taking several grav belts and grav sleds with them they proceed off the Starport and out into the city. The sky is a clear light blue with only a few puffy white clouds, but there is a tang in the air...ozone, something sulfur-y, clearly industrial...but not unbreathable at all.

The street leading to the big open air market in the center of town is crowded with onlookers. It seems you all are a local phenomenon and subject of general interest here on Spectra. Other groups come into the street with flat bed trucks with goods on them...some have produce, but others have what look like small computers, televisions, and other electronics, televisions. The groups represent local corporations and farming collectives. The atmosphere is loud, friendly, and excited. It is very much a parade with some of the people aboard the various big flat bed trucks tossing trinkets and sweets out into the crowds.

The Central Market is a huge circle that must be a quarter mile in diameter with four streets converging on it from the north, south, east, and west. You can see impressive public buildings off on one side behind it and from the tall spires what looks like a big cathedral behind it on another. A collection of buildings to the third side could be a university and the street you came down was clearly the commercial section of this town. You know there are factories and chemical plants around somewhere, but they must be somewhere out of town as you can't see them.

In the center of the Central Market has a large dais...or maybe a stage...where chairs have been set up. You can see cameras and lights on tall poles around the market and there are three small drones buzzing over head.

The market has been divided into a large number of areas and booths occupy many of them already. You are directed toward a large area near the dais that is currently empty and told to set up there. The procession of trucks ahead and behind you are also being directed to open areas where they are setting up displays of their wares.

Vendors, officials, and folks dressed in Military Dress uniforms are up on the dais and walking around throughout the market circle, but the public hasn't been allowed in yet. For the moment you are being left alone, but from the look of things there are a number of people...a group of Military and a number of civilians...who seem eager to interact with you.

A loud speaker announces loudly, "Twenty minutes to opening!"

OOC: How are you setting up your display? Do you have a plan for dealing with the potential buyers? Is anyone going to look around for possible cargoes you could pick up here today?

[joertexas]

OOC: How are you setting up your display? Do you have a plan for dealing with the potential buyers? Is anyone going to look around for possible cargoes you could pick up here today?

"Brent and I want to walk around to see what is here, if that's okay," Joxe says.

[ateno]

Captain will leave to the set up to someone with a better eye towards design. He would prefer a open air style of set up with all options displayed in a circle.

People can leave 2 at a time in pairs, be sure that everyone has a chance to spend money on fair food and items.

Adrian will handle potential merchants, he wants out expert marine to be showing off the gear.

We will be accepting closed bids as of 3pm local times the top bids of (units-1) will be accepted. We will sell the other unit to the military at the lowest bidded price. Min bid is our price +10%

Is everyone OK with this approach?

Adrian

[joertexas]

Captain will leave to the set up to someone with a better eye towards design. He would prefer a open air style of set up with all options displayed in a circle.

People can leave 2 at a time in pairs, be sure that everyone has a chance to spend money on fair food and items.

Adrian will handle potential merchants, he wants out expert marine to be showing off the gear.

We will be accepting closed bids as of 3pm local times the top bids of (units-1) will be accepted. We will sell the other unit to the military at the lowest bidded price. Min bid is our price +10%

Is everyone OK with this approach?

Adrian

Joxe likes the idea.

[Eris]

Captain will leave to the set up to someone with a better eye towards design. He would prefer a open air style of set up with all options displayed in a circle.

People can leave 2 at a time in pairs, be sure that everyone has a chance to spend money on fair food and items.

Adrian will handle potential merchants, he wants out expert marine to be showing off the gear.

We will be accepting closed bids as of 3pm local times the top bids of (units-1) will be accepted. We will sell the other unit to the military at the lowest bidded price. Min bid is our price +10%

Is everyone OK with this approach?

Adrian

I just want to mention that you got these grav units at rock (and I mean rock) bottom prices on Mark. You could make the minimum bid your price + 30% and you'd still be giving the locals here a very good deal.

[ateno]

Captain will leave to the set up to someone with a better eye towards design. He would prefer a open air style of set up with all options displayed in a circle.

People can leave 2 at a time in pairs, be sure that everyone has a chance to spend money on fair food and items.

Adrian will handle potential merchants, he wants out expert marine to be showing off the gear.

We will be accepting closed bids as of 3pm local times the top bids of (units-1) will be accepted. We will sell the other unit to the military at the lowest bidded price. Min bid is our price +10%

Is everyone OK with this approach?

Adrian

I just want to mention that you got these grav units at rock (and I mean rock) bottom prices on Mark. You could make the minimum bid your price + 30% and you'd still be giving the locals here a very good deal.

Done! Thank gm

[Magdalena]

What's the UWP here? Curious, being from Zeristru space Magda has issues selling anything higher tech to any government who might abuse it.

[Eris]

What's the UWP here? Curious, being from Zeristru space Magda has issues selling anything higher tech to any government who might abuse it.

OOC: I'm not going to make it easy by saying TL7 or TLA. What Magda has observed is that: Spectra has a couple of jump capable ships that are probably relics, but they appear to be able to keep them flying; is familiar enough with Grav Tech theory that the folks that boarded Akus Moby when you came into the system made no comments about your grav manipulation and the Colonel knew what was going on, and from what he said has a some grav technology, but nothing close to the miniaturization and power of the units you have on offer for sale; the drones flying overhead at the Market Square are using rotary blades not grav tech so that backs up the idea that gravity control is rarer and probably bigger, more power hungry and much more expensive here; and the computer technology that you've interfaced with here is adequate but slower, bigger and more expensive than what you've seen on Mark, in the CSA, or at the top levels of the Zeristu Empire. If you want an OOG estimate, I'd say 8, leaning toward 9.

[Eris]

OOC: How are you setting up your display? Do you have a plan for dealing with the potential buyers? Is anyone going to look around for possible cargoes you could pick up here today?

"Brent and I want to walk around to see what is here, if that's okay," Joxe says.

Brent and Joxe walk around looking at the wares on offer here.

There are some big displays where consumer oriented items are being shown. You see everything from washing machines to flat screen (but not holographic) televisions.

Another area has booths with stacks of discs of music, movies and documentaries and the hardware to display them. Some are in local languages, but others are in Galangic (the common of Traveller). Some of the music is interesting, unlike any you've heard before. The hardware appears to be at the compact disc level here, several generations behind where you're from...or where you are going.

An entire "alley" is crammed with electronic devices and components: monitors, desktops, notebooks, tablets, smartphones, accessories and lots of cases, chips and components. Again, the technology is several generations behind standard Mark or CSA tech. From what you've been told about Dylan and Monrovia (where you are going) would be a couple generations behind there as well.

Another section is devoted mostly to what look like corporate booths showing off various kinds of industrial chemicals. Brent points out some of these as "pretty advanced even for back home, might be worth checking out that solvent for one."

Circling back around, you walk through a "book fair", but many of the actual physical books are written in a local language which would make them hard to shift elsewhere. However, there are some that are written in Galangic (the common of Traveller) and they would certainly be novelty novels on other worlds.

Finally, before you return to the section you've been given you pass through local vehicles on display. Several ground vehicles ranging from motorcycles to trucks are here. There are some drones on display as well as video demos of large air craft...none appear to be grav tech or fusion powered though, so they are, again, generations behind your notion of standard technology.

[joertexas]

Brent and Joxe walk around looking at the wares on offer here.

Joxe purchases three of the music titles that interest her, along with a media player. She also purchases two of the Galanglic-language books, and she makes notes of the vehicles and other tech that's available.

"There's still a market for lower tech items," she tells Brent quietly. "We might be able to move some of these products elsewhere. It's something to keep in mind for later."

[Magdalena]

It's less the tech level and more the government/law level that I'm concerned about. Magda would be uncomfortable to say the least with us selling this tech in a fascist oligarchy or a totalitarian regime. Anywhere where the state could use these devices to further their control over he population.

[Eris]

It's less the tech level and more the government/law level that I'm concerned about. Magda would be uncomfortable to say the least with us selling this tech in a fascist oligarchy or a totalitarian regime. Anywhere where the state could use these devices to further their control over he population.

OOC: The short briefing document you got from the Port Authority said "Automatic fire weapons, machine guns, flame throwers, military weapons, energy weapons, etc. were not allowed out of the ship. Firearms taken off the Starport are limited to registered Rifes and Shotguns used for hunting. No one registered any, so you're currently unarmed and the public also appear to be unarmed. The few police you view around you appear to be armed with holstered pistols.

As for other laws and the local government...keeping in mind that this system isn't in your library data and hasn't been officially surveyed...what has Magda done to determine that?

[Magdalena]

Fair enough, Magda will run a quick survey of the local news net and the chat forums. If she can find it she'll even look at the more seedy side of the network just to see what the resistance, there's always a resistance, looks like here. On the News Net she's looking for kind of obvious stuff, Glorious Leader declares total victory over opponents and the rising sun. The sun will no longer be permitted to rise before 9am on the weekends. Glorious Leader declares that the words AppleJack and RainbowDash shall be banned from use as they are offensive to Glorious Leader's delicate sensibilities... You know that kind of stuff.

[Eris]

Fair enough, Magda will run a quick survey of the local news net and the chat forums. If she can find it she'll even look at the more seedy side of the network just to see what the resistance, there's always a resistance, looks like here. On the News Net she's looking for kind of obvious stuff, Glorious Leader declares total victory over opponents and the rising sun. The sun will no longer be permitted to rise before 9am on the weekends. Glorious Leader declares that the words AppleJack and RainbowDash shall be banned from use as they are offensive to Glorious Leader's delicate sensibilities... You know that kind of stuff.

Magda finds nothing blatant. This is clearly an oligarchy, though, and pretty much a self-perpetuating one.

There are about a score of "important families" that Magda's programming can pick out...and there are articles to be found openly on their internet and print publications that also identify these families...and more, "up and comers." It looks like most of the power runs through these folks. World political leaders, like Presidents and influential members of the Senate. Heads of corporations and board members, University Presidents, owners of entertainment and sports venues are dominated by these families. The military is less so, but you see names your programming picked up there, too.

There are a couple dozen, or so, very large corporations that dominate most of the business and commerce on Spectra. Another hundred smaller corporations fill in the gaps between the large ones. There are large labor unions that seem to work very closely with the government and business, so strikes and work actions are very rare. Small businesses seem to be rare here, limited to service and professional areas.

Looking back over time, you note that some corporations, individuals, even families, rise and some fall, but the sir-names of the people running things remains roughly the same. Oh, but it's not rigid, though. Every few years a new family, or two, seems to rise to the elite and one or two fall out of the limelight...at least for a time.

It looks like the oligarchy is maintained with the public's general consent. There are "movements" and grumblings now and then, but most people are happy enough with their world wide Representative Democracy. Hardly anybody rises from the masses, but that does happen, but then again, hardly anyone falls too far below the masses either, so no "underclass" is out there agitating.

Looking at the history (get Hendrick involved in this, it's his field), it appears this steady state has existed here for a several centuries. Every 30 or 40 years there is a short period of unrest...radicals with various progressive (or regressive) ideas arise. There is some grumbling, some civil unrest, and then things settle down with just about the same people running things, just about the same way, again. There is academic thought that the periods of unrest arise mainly from boredom and disappear quickly if things get too uncomfortable for the general public.

If there was blatant, widespread, or unchecked excess or corruption things might be different, but that doesn't seem to happen here. Bad actors keep getting exposed before they get too outrageous and removed before they roil the waters much. To the general public, exposing the occasional scandal just proves that things are working and as long as their lives are, more or less, comfortable...well, "why rock the boat?"

[bobk2323]

Is everyone OK with this approach?

Adrian

That's fine with both Tamaki and I.

--
Bob K.

[Eris]

The day passes with excitement, but a good kind. Potential buyers include media companies, construction, recreation/entertainment, university/research groups, and a number of government agencies. An interesting group is from what is described to you as "The Forest Service" that wants to use them for overhead fire suppression and animal surveys in rough terrain where getting in or out by foot is extremely hard. The military is represented as well, but there isn't a crush of officers. Somewhat to your surprise, most of the people that want demonstrations are civilians.

Adrian and Hendrik have done some research on local currency and have concluded that the local Dolar is equal to about 0.8 CSA credits in buying power. As the groups come through for demonstrations he lets each group know that he will be accepting closed bids at 3pm and what the minimum bids for Grav Belts and Grav Bikes (as the locals have already started calling them) will be.

There are 6 tons of grav belts for sale. Each ton is a large crate holding 8 grav belts and the best price you can get per crate is 160,000 cr. Wings and acceleration units will be included with all the grav belts you buy. Retail in Mark is about 42,000 cr each. Retail on Argent would be north of 200,000 cr each! You should get more money the further from Mark you go.

There are 8 tons of g-Doo's, or powered grav floaters, available for wholesale purchase. There are 2 g-Doo's per ton and each ton is one crate. You get the seller down to 30,000 cr per crate. Retail on Mark is about 20,000 cr each and on Argent you've seen things like this for up around 500,000 cr each. Again, you should really rack up profits as you move away from Mark.

Adrian announces that the minimum bids are:
Grav Belt, ??????????? Dolars
Grav Bike, ??????????? Dolars


All of you find microphones in your face several times as reporters want to interview you about "What is it like 'out there?' Where exactly are you from, what is it like there?...how is it different from here? Does everyone fly around with these sort of anti-grav belts? Are more ships from...wherever you are from...coming here to visit and trade? Can we expect to be able to book passage on ships to visit your home worlds soon?" The questioning is nicer and less aggressive than you expect, nicer than back in the CSA or even on Mark, but with the shoulder mounted cameras and drones flying over head you are all going to be quite well known here for now. You expect your "fame" will be short lived, but still, you aren't going to be anonymous here any time soon.

Everyone of you notice, some sooner than others, that as you walk about the large market plaza there are individuals in normal civilian clothing that seem to move around with you. These folks are some sort of escort keeping the locals from crushing in on you, but letting in a few. If you watch the escorts' interaction with the crowds it appears to be friendly, but firm. Those that are let in to directly interact with you must be filtered, so you may, or may not, be meeting an average cross section of Spectran society.

At around 3pm Adrian collects 12 closed bids and tells everyone that he will inform the winners of the bids of the results that evening.

[bruce.desertrat]

Fair enough, Magda will run a quick survey of the local news net and the chat forums. If she can find it she'll even look at the more seedy side of the network just to see what the resistance, there's always a resistance, looks like here. On the News Net she's looking for kind of obvious stuff, Glorious Leader declares total victory over opponents and the rising sun. The sun will no longer be permitted to rise before 9am on the weekends. Glorious Leader declares that the words AppleJack and RainbowDash shall be banned from use as they are offensive to Glorious Leader's delicate sensibilities... You know that kind of stuff.

Magda finds nothing blatant. This is clearly an oligarchy, though, and pretty much a self-perpetuating one.

There are about a score of "important families" that Magda's programming can pick out...and there are articles to be found openly on their internet and print publications that also identify these families...and more, "up and comers." It looks like most of the power runs through these folks. World political leaders, like Presidents and influential members of the Senate. Heads of corporations and board members, University Presidents, owners of entertainment and sports venues are dominated by these families. The military is less so, but you see names your programming picked up there, too.

There are a couple dozen, or so, very large corporations that dominate most of the business and commerce on Spectra. Another hundred smaller corporations fill in the gaps between the large ones. There are large labor unions that seem to work very closely with the government and business, so strikes and work actions are very rare. Small businesses seem to be rare here, limited to service and professional areas.

Looking back over time, you note that some corporations, individuals, even families, rise and some fall, but the sir-names of the people running things remains roughly the same. Oh, but it's not rigid, though. Every few years a new family, or two, seems to rise to the elite and one or two fall out of the limelight...at least for a time.

It looks like the oligarchy is maintained with the public's general consent. There are "movements" and grumblings now and then, but most people are happy enough with their world wide Representative Democracy. Hardly anybody rises from the masses, but that does happen, but then again, hardly anyone falls too far below the masses either, so no "underclass" is out there agitating.

Looking at the history (get Hendrick involved in this, it's his field), it appears this steady state has existed here for a several centuries. Every 30 or 40 years there is a short period of unrest...radicals with various progressive (or regressive) ideas arise. There is some grumbling, some civil unrest, and then things settle down with just about the same people running things, just about the same way, again. There is academic thought that the periods of unrest arise mainly from boredom and disappear quickly if things get too uncomfortable for the general public.

If there was blatant, widespread, or unchecked excess or corruption things might be different, but that doesn't seem to happen here. Bad actors keep getting exposed before they get too outrageous and removed before they roil the waters much. To the general public, exposing the occasional scandal just proves that things are working and as long as their lives are, more or less, comfortable...well, "why rock the boat?"

Hendrik peers over her shoulder. "Looks like a standard isolated oligarchy. Societies like this can go along like this for centuries until someone decides they'll cheat to take power. How the cheater is dealt with determines how it goes. If the proper feedback loops like social or economic pressure applied to the cheater by the majorities that want things to keep going, this works well. in a static society like this there's always some constant undercurrent of dissatisfaction. When the cheater finds a thread to draw support and fan the dissatisfaction into outright revolt, things can go sideways in a heartbeat. from the history shown here they appear to have avoided that so far. "

He looks around "I think we're going to come back in a year or so to find that the've greatly improved their grav tech. It won't be as good as these ..." he gestures at the ones they brought "...but knowing someing is possible is often half the battle to technological progress"

He frowns slightly. "I deeply suspect that we could get 50% or more return for this shipment. the next time we come through, we'll probably be lucky to get 15%..."

[bruce.desertrat]

Captain will leave to the set up to someone with a better eye towards design. He would prefer a open air style of set up with all options displayed in a circle.

People can leave 2 at a time in pairs, be sure that everyone has a chance to spend money on fair food and items.

Adrian will handle potential merchants, he wants out expert marine to be showing off the gear.

We will be accepting closed bids as of 3pm local times the top bids of (units-1) will be accepted. We will sell the other unit to the military at the lowest bidded price. Min bid is our price +10%

Is everyone OK with this approach?

Adrian

Hendrik says "We know they're going to be busily reverse engineering thes things...we could protentially get a lot more for our first shipment. Then we'll come back in a year with more and find we have four competing companies selling them locally. I'd consider starting with a higher markup to start."

[terrymixon]

Captain will leave to the set up to someone with a better eye towards design. He would prefer a open air style of set up with all options displayed in a circle.

People can leave 2 at a time in pairs, be sure that everyone has a chance to spend money on fair food and items.

Adrian will handle potential merchants, he wants out expert marine to be showing off the gear.

We will be accepting closed bids as of 3pm local times the top bids of (units-1) will be accepted. We will sell the other unit to the military at the lowest bidded price. Min bid is our price +10%

Is everyone OK with this approach?

Adrian

Lily is good with that.

[ateno]

So we got the belts for 20k and ski dogs for 15k, really cheap. I did not realize.

I did some reasearch.

So let's do minimum bid 100% over Mark retail.

Belts 84k
Ski doo 40k

Adrian