004b - Cargo Transactions at Shedezar

[Tiglath]

(OOC: Based on my own knowledge "scuba" diving (to 40m) is the kind of skill you can learn on a short course (and ably covered by JoT). Broadly you are managing your own body as the "dive vehicle".

Nearly all diving gear is really heavy as sinking is desirable so weight is not "designed out". Some of the "gear" will likely be lead weights.

Deep (nitrox) diving with gas management and hyperbaric medical support is (for me) closer to Vacc suit (i.e. the suit is the dive vehicle and what's outside of it will more or less immediately kill you). In RL it really isn't the sort of thing you can just "have a go at" - because mismanaging your suit will kill you too!

Of course Traveller PCs are heroic adventurous types and may well be up to the challenge! )

[Ramona]

So it’s more than likely a tonne of weight. Which is fairly reasonable, compressor, tanks, weights probably amounts to gear for 6-10 divers. 100,000k value would make this super high end gear or very specialized equipment.
Ana will flag Wen with the list of various abandoned cargos underlining the last one as being particularly interesting

“Hey boss?” Ana again addresses the person behind the counter, “what’s the deal on the seafood and this ‘unknown’ one? Diving gear sounds cool, there much of a market for that here?”

[ffilz]

So it’s more than likely a tonne of weight. Which is fairly reasonable, compressor, tanks, weights probably amounts to gear for 6-10 divers. 100,000k value would make this super high end gear or very specialized equipment.

I want to make sure it's clear, the 100k (not 100,000k...) is based on the amount of underwater air tanks from Book 3 would be necessary to fill a metric ton mass, which is sort of the extent of diving gear covered by Book 3. This may be a situation to draw from Gamelord's Undersea Environment for additional detail (and maybe even my personal knowledge by virtue of knowing Bill Stone of Cis-Lunar - I have no diving experience myself) of what's out there these days for rebreather equipment. Even if it's really only equipment for 6-10 divers, it's probably worth a lot more than the kCr 10 storage fees if the underwater air tanks are Cr 500 per kit (I haven't totaled up prices of a full kit from Underwater Environment).

Ana will flag Wen with the list of various abandoned cargos underlining the last one as being particularly interesting

“Hey boss?” Ana again addresses the person behind the counter, “what’s the deal on the seafood and this ‘unknown’ one? Diving gear sounds cool, there much of a market for that here?”

"We don't open the containers, so if there isn't documentation or markings on the container, we have no idea what's in them. The seafood, hmm, I think there may have been a snafu with import paperwork on that one and the owner just gave up on it. There's a fair bit of diving here, I dunno why no one picked that one up. My guess is that there's something wrong with it and the locals are in the know, me, I'm just a paper pusher who wound up on assignment here, I can't wait to move on to somewhere nicer."

[Ramona]

How long has the dive gear been sitting here for? I’m wondering just how much haggle room we’ve got.

[ffilz]

How long has the dive gear been sitting here for? I’m wondering just how much haggle room we’ve got.

The items up for auction have been in storage for 90 days. The items available just for storage fees have been in storage for in excess of 150 days. The clerk checks up and finds that the diving gear container has been in storage for 160 days. The totally unmarked container has been in storage for 150 days.

In some ways, they are pretty firm on the storage costs, though obviously at some point they would possibly budge. Their willingness to budge depends on just how much in their way the abandoned containers are.

[Ramona]

Ana looks again at the list, “I’ll give you 8 for the dive gear and 5 for the mystery box and 15% of any profits I can get from selling them. They’ve been sitting around for 5 or 6 months and they’re not going anywhere soon by the look of it.

[Ramona]

Sara shakes her head. "You talk to the wrong people, or at least no one with any taste."

“Military folk are not big on small talk,” Ana says quietly, “particularly not with their CO. Cut straight to the chase because that’s just the way things work best.”

Sara's eyes get a little round at the duties owed on the diving equipment. That...Seems a little steep just to be able to do diving. Is there something specialized in there that's necessary?

Sara grins at Ana when the clerk moves to check the things Ana has pointed out. "I'm all for skipping the cargo part and going straight to the spa weekend. Do you suppose they have virgin tears?"

Ana raises an eyebrow, “Have you been to a good spa? We used one as a forward CP on Radaghast, I checked out the price list, couldn’t even afford the bloody bottled water.”

[lenusmars]

Sara shakes her head. "You talk to the wrong people, or at least no one with any taste."

“Military folk are not big on small talk,” Ana says quietly, “particularly not with their CO. Cut straight to the chase because that’s just the way things work best.”

Sara's eyes soften, and she touches Ana's shoulder blade lightly. "Well you're with friends instead of subordinates now." She smiles. "We'll get you caught up on small talk if I have to do it all personally."

Sara grins at Ana when the clerk moves to check the things Ana has pointed out. "I'm all for skipping the cargo part and going straight to the spa weekend. Do you suppose they have virgin tears?"

Ana raises an eyebrow, “Have you been to a good spa? We used one as a forward CP on Radaghast, I checked out the price list, couldn’t even afford the bloody bottled water.”

Sara sighs wistfully and shakes her head. "I've only seen the net ads and brochures.... aaaand maybe a few recon photos." Sara grins, slyly. "But it sure looks like fun."

[Ramona]

Sara's eyes soften, and she touches Ana's shoulder blade lightly. "Well you're with friends instead of subordinates now." She smiles. "We'll get you caught up on small talk if I have to do it all personally."

“Work in progress,” Ana responds waiting for the clerk to reply to her offer, “how's that sound?”

Sara sighs wistfully and shakes her head. "I've only seen the net ads and brochures.... aaaand maybe a few recon photos." Sara grins, slyly. "But it sure looks like fun."

“It was a really nice place until someone put a half dozen or so artillery rounds through the roof. Made an pretty impressive ruin, naked states, big fuffy robes and slippers, very classy.”

[lenusmars]

Sara's eyes soften, and she touches Ana's shoulder blade lightly. "Well you're with friends instead of subordinates now." She smiles. "We'll get you caught up on small talk if I have to do it all personally."

“Work in progress,” Ana responds waiting for the clerk to reply to her offer, “how's that sound?”

"Deal." Sara nods, beaming at her and bumping her shoulder again. "I mean, really, aren't we all?"

“It was a really nice place until someone put a half dozen or so artillery rounds through the roof. Made an pretty impressive ruin, naked states, big fuffy robes and slippers, very classy.”

"I bet. I guess you shouldn't underestimate the cachet of luxury appointments in a warzone. Besides an entire army in fluffy robes sounds terrifying." Sara smirks.

[ffilz]

Ana looks again at the list, “I’ll give you 8 for the dive gear and 5 for the mystery box and 15% of any profits I can get from selling them. They’ve been sitting around for 5 or 6 months and they’re not going anywhere soon by the look of it.

Well, we usually don't settle for less than what is owed this quickly, but your inquiry is the first in months, I can accept your offer if you can pay us an additional 1 kcr per container if you depart Sheddezar with the contents unsold locally.

[Ramona]

Well, we usually don't settle for less than what is owed this quickly, but your inquiry is the first in months, I can accept your offer if you can pay us an additional 1 kcr per container if you depart Sheddezar with the contents unsold locally.

”1k total and you deliver them to the starship,” Ana responds, an unpleasant frown crossing her lips.

[ffilz]

Well, we usually don't settle for less than what is owed this quickly, but your inquiry is the first in months, I can accept your offer if you can pay us an additional 1 kcr per container if you depart Sheddezar with the contents unsold locally.

”1k total and you deliver them to the starship,” Ana responds, an unpleasant frown crossing her lips.

1 kcr if either container ships off world unsold locally and it's a done deal.

[Ramona]

Well, we usually don't settle for less than what is owed this quickly, but your inquiry is the first in months, I can accept your offer if you can pay us an additional 1 kcr per container if you depart Sheddezar with the contents unsold locally.

”1k total and you deliver them to the starship,” Ana responds, an unpleasant frown crossing her lips.

1 kcr if either container ships off world unsold locally and it's a done deal.

“Done,” Ana says the frown disappearing from her face.

She smiles and stands up from the counter, “That wasn’t so hard no was it?”

“I want to inspect the contents before we leave the wearhouse and two other things, 1 - Why are you so concerned with where I sell the crates and B - If the mystery crate is full of liquified corpses you’re getting it back and giving me a refund.”

[ffilz]

Well, we usually don't settle for less than what is owed this quickly, but your inquiry is the first in months, I can accept your offer if you can pay us an additional 1 kcr per container if you depart Sheddezar with the contents unsold locally.

”1k total and you deliver them to the starship,” Ana responds, an unpleasant frown crossing her lips.

1 kcr if either container ships off world unsold locally and it's a done deal.

“Done,” Ana says the frown disappearing from her face.

She smiles and stands up from the counter, “That wasn’t so hard no was it?”

“I want to inspect the contents before we leave the wearhouse and two other things, 1 - Why are you so concerned with where I sell the crates and B - If the mystery crate is full of liquified corpses you’re getting it back and giving me a refund.”

Concern about selling the contents - obviously if you depart here without selling them, I have no guarantee I will ever see the 15%.

As to inspecting the crates, unfortunately our policies are very firm, you pay us, we deliver the containers, you assume all responsibility for them...

Perhaps that risk is why no one has taken interest before.

I'm basing some of this on personal experience with North Carolina state surplus auction. Granted they didn't have sealed crates, but the ability to examine stuff was limited - vehicles they would let you start it up, but not drive it (I did get several good years of use out of a van I purchased, though it did have some frustrating issues that resulted in multiple repairs). Leveraged a lot of mining headlamps into me getting two working ones with new batteries for no net cost to me...

[Ramona]

The way I kept reading the selling was they didn’t want me selling the good here which seemed really off because of what you side there. Going back and re reading, I see the words I was missing out on, the joys of reading on a phone and scrolling back and forth to read.

[Ramona]

Ana nods, “Fine, but seriously if it’s full of bodies I’m bringing it back.”

She holds the door open for Sara, “Shall we?”

When they get outside Ana nods back towards the ship, “You know we probably just bought a crate of rubber penises.”. She smiles and chuckles at the thought. “Don’t worry we’ll save a few if that’s the case, find the phallus or spot the dick sound like fun ship side games.”

”We’ll need to locate a dive master and hopefully there’s instructions, GPS co-ordinates or a lipstick map on the back of a napkin to tell us where we’re going.”

[Ramona]

You pull up a list of abandoned cargos and find a 1-ton lot of diving equipment listed. Apparently it has accrued 10,000 cr in storage costs. It may be suspicious that someone wouldn't have picked them up since the value must be upwards of 100 kcr.

Before I go into serious haggle mode was this a typo or is he trying for a steal of a deal?
15 shekels 15 shekels? Are you trying to put me in the poor house? A quality beard like this is worth at least twice that! Come on, haggle with me...

[Ramona]

Is there a list of what cargos are available so we can fill the hold? And then The auctions.

[ffilz]

Cargoes for Arthiop:

5 ton, 5 ton, 15 ton, 20 ton, 30 ton
No incidental cargo

Speculative:

35 tons fruit Cr 700 per ton (Cr 707 per ton if you don't want the whole lot)

Passengers:

High: 0, Mid: 0, Low: 15