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FRONTIER HELP - TRADING RUNS


1. Sol to Barnards Star
2. Vequess to Facece
3. Lave to Riedquat


Sol to Barnards Star

The Sol system, as the Home of Mankind, is one of the richest systems in the game. Thousands of tonnes of Luxury goods are produced each year, and the open pastures and meadows, although their main purpose is to produce the idyllic look that visitors to the Old Planet want to see, nevertheless produce a great deal of Fruit, Vegetables, and Animal Meat. However, due to the tourism industry, there is very little heavy manufacturing in the Sol system, so there is a great demand for imported mechanical or technological goods.

The nearby Barnards Star system has a large manufacturing industry, and produces a large surplus of high technology equipment, such as Robots or Computers, as well as mechanical goods like Farm Machinery. However, due to the prevalance of heavy industry, there is a shortage of "real" food (although there is plenty of vat-grown Synthetic meat), so this must be imported. As is common with industrial areas, there is also a great disparity of wealth in the population of the Barnards Star system, so imported Luxury Goods are popular among those wishing to show off their wealth.

The astute pilot will by now have spotted the immense opportunities for trading between these two systems. The starting pilot can take Fruit and Veg or Animal Meat from Sol to Barnards Star, and return with a cargo of Farm Machinery or Computers, while richer pilots can import Luxury Goods from Sol to Barnards Star, and replace them with Robots. Added to the fact that these two systems are in the core of the Federation, and so there is little to fear from pirates, and the fact that Luxuries and Robots are sometimes in such short supply that some individuals are willing, via the Bulletin Board, to pay up to twice the market price for these goods, these factors combine to make the Sol - Barnards Star run the most profitable trading run in the game.


Vequess to Facece

The Facece system is the so-called "second system" of the Empire - it is the main naval base for the Imperial Fleet, it has biggest concentration of "new" Imperial aristocracy in the Empire, and has a populace which follows the Imperial laws and customs, if anything, even more zealously than in Achenar itself. The planet Topaz, the main base for Imperial Military administration, has been, at great expense, turned into an outdoor paradise - the comfort of high-ranking Imperial officers is seen as much more important than mere cost. As a result of the large amount of open space on this planet, Facece exports considerable amounts of Animal Meat, Fruit, aand Vegetables. However, slaves are always in demand, both as personal slaves for "up and coming" Imperial subjects who want to display their newfound wealth and as workers for the large Military Fuel plant of Peter's Wreck.

On the other hand, Vequess, an Imperial mining colony, has a surplus of slaves. The deep and highly mechanised Imperial mines are renowned for their effiviency at ore extraction, but the supervision of machinery in the unpleasant mining environment takes a heavy toll on slaves, and can quickly turn the strongest man into a pathetic wreck. Fortunately, the slaves in the mines are mostly criminals that have been caught disobeying the stringent Imperial laws, of whom there is no shortage. Physical strength is not really needed for work in the Military Fuel plants of Facece, so many of the slaves that are not capable of working in the mines are sold to the owners of these plants. Those that cannot be sold are given a merciful death. However, such large populations of slaves need feeding, so food has to be imported.

Financial opportinities rapidly become evident. Many pilots have made their fortunes carrying slaves from Vequess to Facece, then returning with Meat or Vegetables to feed the starving miners. A further advantage is that, as Facece is the main Imperial naval base, pilots will almost always find several missions in Facece to carry packages to Vequess, and whenever you return to Facece you can look over the other missions to see if there's anything you feel like doing - for this reason, the Vequess to Facece run is known as the best way to earn promotion in the Imperial Navy.


Lave to Riedquat

Riedquat is an anarchic system in a cluster of "old world" systems taken from the original Elite game. Riedquat is one of the most violent and piirate-infested systems in the game, and its only planet, Waterloo, is divided up by rival families. These families often raid each others' lands, and destroy factories, burn crops and take slaves. As a consequence, slaves are one of Riedquat's major exports, but there is always a demand for weapons - they are not produced on Waterloo, as manufacturing facilities are destroyed too quickly for them to be viable.

Lave is one of the starting positions, and is also one of the "Old World" systems. The dictator of Lave is more enlightened than most of the region's rulers, and has banned slavery in his system, and his planet has some minor manufacturing industry - hand weapons are a minor export. Lave also has a serious problem with pirates, but not to the same extent as the Riedquat system.

The trading run between these two systems uis not as profitable as some, but it is ideal for pilots that want to boost their ELITE rating while still making money. In Lave, you should buy Hand Weapons to take to Riedquat, which you should trade for Slaves. Return to Lave, and sell your slaves to Edward's Goods Emporium - you'll find an advert on the Bulletin Board - for a large profit, as illegal goods fetch a hugely inflated price. However, you should remember to fit a Cargo Bay Life Support system to your ship, as otherwise your slaves will turn to almost-worthless fertilizer, and a decent weapon (At least a 1MW Beam Laser) is essential. If you get caught smuggling illegal goods by the Lave Customs officers, remember that the police in this region are corrupt and easily bribed. You might also want to consider investing in a Radar Mapper, as many pirates have bounties on their heads, and it could substantially increase your profits.


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