Pocket Change

The first rule of trading is to make your money work for you. Always have something to buy, something to sell and something in transit. At least, that's what they told me at Pator Tech. What they didn't tell is that sometimes business is slow, leaving all your market capital stuck in assets and you stuck inside a station. Peace is not good for business. When there's no ships getting destroyed and pods popped, there is no need to buy fittings and implants.

Educating myself on the finer points of Jump Drive calibration can keep me entertrained only for so long, so I've been amusing myself by browsing job applications. Poverty is relative, and that big plug at the back of my head is worth more than many men will ever make in their lifetime. It's amazing what so many people are willing to do for pocket change.

Of course, sometimes they have very good reasons to be desperate. For example, there was this State War Academy graduate who kept posting job applications on Heimatar NeoCom channels. Of course, my private inquiries did reveal the reason why she wasn't employed by the State or the Empire, but there was no need to mention it during the interview. All she needed to know that I had a job for a combat pilot.

I introduced her to some of the local Brutors and asked her to show what she can do with her Kestrel. Even in the core Republic worlds, there's always some pirates, disgruntled employees or slaver patrols whose wrecks are worth some money. So while she was busy pumping missiles and giggling like a maniac, I was salvaging her leftovers with my Thrasher. We kept doing that for a while, and she seems happy. I pay her expenses and provide her with things to shoot, and she provides wrecks to salvage. The extra income has allowed me to start purchasing the next shipment, which also includes a fully fitted Drake. She'll need it where we're going.