Growing up in the LOR is tough. Education is kind of available but as soon as you can work…you work. I ou can’t work…you hustle. For me, I first started working in the shipyards. All day watching the grin f economy manifest itself through the never-ending ingress and egress of mighty space ships. I was i we then just as I am in awe now of those incredible vessels. From the first moment I stepped onto th ard I knew that my life would lead to the stars and that my only goal was to have a ship of my own ow, of course, everything in Hurston is set up to keep one down and in their place. But, it is also a lan f opportunity for those willing to put the time and effort into seizing those rare moments that appear ou can either get picked up, or get picked off. Those working the loading docks got hard…both i trength and perseverance. I saved every penny that I made and also networked with as many pilots a ere willing to let me bend their ear.
Eventually I met a pilot who clued me into the more lucrative side of hauling by being assigned to a shi nd moving cargo in space. Can you believe that? ME, in space!!! It was a dream come true. Afte assing a series of corporeal tests and mental examinations I was given a slot upon a Reclaimer haulin alvage from wrecks in space. This is probably some of the best times of my life. I didn’t rest. I didn’ eed holidays. I just wanted to spend every moment that I could feeling the glory of Gs and the feelin f weightlessness. The older, more seasoned workers observed my joy with contempt but I wouldn’t b issuaded from the feelings that I experienced.
Of course, when you work salvage, you sometimes run into some of the more shady aspects o ivilization. My crew wasn’t some officially sponsored one from the main corporations. They woul ever have hired someone like me. Nope, we were a rogue collective operating on the edge of legality was chatting with Clovus one day at the Rec yard in the Worker’s District when he recommended me t he man that would change my life. Mike Shaw. Like me, Mr. Shaw had no love for Hurston Dynamic nd his story was just as awful as mine. I don’t know why but he took a liking to me and starte ncluding me on his runs. I knew the ins and outs of the shipyards from all my work there and with m xpertise bypassing security became second nature. Nothing malicious, mind you, but payin mport/export taxes to the company that killed my parents was unacceptable. More importantly… ade money. No great money…but good enough. Good enough to afford my first ship. It wasn’ retty…it wasn’t new…it didn’t work that well…but it was mine. MINE! Oh my god, I had a space ship he second I purchased it I couldn’t stop laughing. I couldn’t stop laughing until I was crying like a baby rying like the first moment I was alone after my parents died.
My ship…well…it was an Avenger Titan. Don’t make fun…it was glorious! Big enough to live on. Bi nough to do small deliveries. Big enough to defend itself. I am telling you that it was the complet ackage. Mr. Shaw helped me in every aspect. Finding the ship, financing the ship, and then using th hip. I’d been sitting with every pilot on every reclaiming mission that I’d been on and had been learnin light the entire time. I read every manual in my free time and been working the simulators as well rom moving ships around the yard to taking the helm in space I had sponged the knowledge at ever urn and flying the Avenger was second nature from the get go. Mr. Shaw provided me with a stead tream of contracts and I delivered! Anywhere…any time…any situation. I was a greased eel an lipped into places no one else could. I made money…but who cares…because I was flying!!!
Over time, my Avenger became a Cutlass. My Cutlass became a Raft. My Raft became a Taurus ventually, my Taurus became the grand dame of all ships. The Crusader C2. This ship is more beautifu han any woman I have ever laid eyes upon. The funny thing is, that this ship looked just like m venger if my Avenger was a child and this was the gorgeous lady all grown up. My contracts wer normous now. My shipments could make or break peoples’ fortunes. Mine included. At this point, th eople around me were in the top tiers of society. They were going to the Chairman’s Club and gettin nvites to the “Tower”. I was in a good place…but I was also getting jealous. A little restless. I could se igh society now…but I was not a part of it. I would never be a part of it.
I was having a drink in M&V with Mr. Shaw and Miles one day…complaining about my station. I still ha o pay off my C2. I was still running for other people. I still was not in charge of my own life. I had th est ship in the galaxy at my disposal but I was not truly free. The specter of Hurston Dynamics stil oomed over me, overshadowing everything that I had accomplished. It was then that they aske e…how far was I willing to go? Sure, slipping Distilled Spirits around the fringes was one thing bu ould I be willing to what it takes to make the money that people can only dream about? Was I willin o compromise the honor that I cherished?
I thought about it. I mean, really thought about it. Nothing momentous in my life hasn’t been accordin o a meticulous plan. It’s that very trait that has me so sought out for hauling crate. Miles looked at m nd I nodded my head. He whispered one word to me…Maze. Now, I knew about Maze. I grew up i he LOR. Maze, Slam, Neon, Widow, Tox…I knew about it all. The workers would do just about anythin o escape their work…their families…their lives. It saved people. It destroyed people. But…it also mad eople. This was a service…just same as any other right? I’d still just be a hauler. My cargo would jus e a little more sought after by those in authority. I hated authority so why should I care? What ha nyone done for me? Who helped me when I needed it? Certainly not Hurston Dynamics hat do I need to do? Where do I need to go? It was quite simple actually. Mr. Shaw said that h ould let me know about wrecks for a small fee. That fee…30k. Woah…that is a LOT of money in m orld. In hindsight, I now laugh at that. 30k…a lot…hahahah. Hahahaha. Chump change…chicke eed…nada mucho amigo. Mr. Shaw just smiled knowingly. I already knew where to go. Clovus had le e know about the yard outside of Lorville at Orinth. Some of my more questionable operations ha one through smoothly there although there were no safeguards in place. No safe zone…n rotection…just you…your cargo…and anyone else who may want a slice of life’s heavenly pie at no cos o them.
My first run was the worst. I was scared. Really scared. I have never been afraid in space. No really t’s my home. It’s where I am most alive. But not this time. This time I paid my fee and went to the
coordinates given spinal shivers and all. Upon arrival my warning HUD flashed that I was trespassin nd faced prosecution...or worse. Ha, this isn’t my first rodeo. This is part of the life that I had bee eading so I clicked off the HUD and sidled up to my target…another C2. I had tried to scan it, to no avail hese systems are so unreliable. With the experience born from 100s of missions I placed my nos ithin 50m of the tail of my target. I took the ladder down to the cargo hold and open the nose dock hhh...space…my comfort zone. Relaxing a little I exited the ship into the void and eased my way ove o the target. I know this ship…it’s my love…so finding and open the tail of the C2 was no issue at all y heart raced as the doors cracked open and the ramp slid down. It was loaded. Loaded with cargo hat did it mean? What did I get? My future turned on a spinning coin and my breath came in labore asps. I had to get a hold of myself. My O2 isn’t infinite…I’m trespassing, and anyone could come a nytime. I had cargo to move and I had limited time.
I looked at the first box…it was huge spanning the entire width of the ship. I clicked on my ID settin ith my tractor beam and started to lift/identify it. Tungsten? Why did it have to be Tungsten?!? I’v een moving freight my whole life and I knew that this wouldn’t even cover my finders fee. In disgust paced it. Then I spaced another. Then another. Then another. Was this it? Was I going to lose m hip now? I had banked everything that I had on making this score! Another one tossed. Bu hen…behind it…were some smaller crates and some more large ones too. Widow. Oooooo…th idow, the night’s kiss. Mid-size value in the drug world but several crates of widow just covered m osts. I was so relieved. No matter what happened, my costs were covered. This wouldn’t sink me. wear…if I can just cover my costs…I’ll never do this again. Never again. I loaded the crates of wido uickly and pressed on. Oh…Slam…a big one… More than that…several dozen SCU of slam. I felt th alpitations of anxiety rise again. This was. This was more. This was more than I can imagine. Thi ould make me…a millionaire?!? Me. A millionaire. No taxes. No payments. Just flat coin in m ocket. I would never have to work again. I couldn’t live well…but I would live. Loading just becam ntense. Gotta get this over. Running out of time. Loading. Loading. Loading. But…there is mor argo. More there. About 40 SCU left. What’s in the back?
Oh. Just Maze. Wait. Maze? MAZE?!? 40 SCU of MAZE?!?!? Tears streaming I start loading the last o he cargo. My ship, while not full, doesn’t need to be in order to enter a new phase of my life. I’ll mak illions with this. Multiple millions. Ten millions. Enough to buy any sport ship that I want. Only th est components. Only the best of everything. Nothing is outside my reach. ONE haul. ONE Score NE shipment and I will never be the same. I am free. I am free of Hurston Dynamics. I am free of th uthorities. I am even free of Mr. Shaw even though he will always have my respect and I will still b oing business with him…I need that info…and he wants his fee.
You know what. There is no real competition to this. For a small fee, I’ll help you too. People looke ut for me and now I am looking out for you. When you are ready…when you have your C2. You ca wn the verse too. As I sit here on my 890 Jump, drinking a lovely cocktail prepared by my attach innamon, I reflect on the things I learned after that first run. I swore that I would never do a run lik hat again. Well, that was a misstatement. It was written on paper that dissolved in the first patch o ater I came upon.
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Pay the 30k for a risky salvage mission…it’s an investment that pays off very very quickly. You have t o 2 standard salvage missions in the general tab to unlock the risky 30k ones in your personal tab.
Don’t be tempted by Hammerheads or A2s. They are not worth your time. Only take M2 and C issions. Scan the ships if you can. If things are worthless, leave it and be on your way. Only take tha hich is valuable. You don’t have the room or the time to compromise. The ONLY metal worth taking i uantanium. Space everything else. Take every drug there. I know. Altruatoxin seems prett orthless but through diversity you increase your fortunes. That being said, if you come across a ful oad of Maze/Slam feel free to space everything you have to make room. Maze is the key. Durin umptown, you can drop off at the contraband reclamation area for DOUBLE the profit (make sure tha ou have the mission). I have received nearly 40 mil from one load during that time frame. Som eople ONLY take Maze and Quantanium and that isn’t a bad plan. Be wary of your drop offs. Pirate bound at the no question asked terminals on Euterpe, Wala, Hurston, and Daymar. At some point ou’ll stop caring about losing a load because you are making so much money but everything is trying t et you. NPC Pirates. NPC Security. Player Pirates. Game bugs. Everything. Do NOT get scanned. Q way. If they scan you successfully, your cargo gets removed and you get a crime stat.
There are so many people doing this, oftentimes you cannot sell all your cargo at one go. If your carg lips into the no demand category, you’ll have to wait for a demand reset. This usually occurs every 1 inutes. This is a tense time as you are hanging out in a dangerous place with a desired product. Yo an always leave and go to another terminal on another planet.
There currently is an inventory bug that can cause an error that makes your cargo disappear with n ayment to you. I had 170 SCU of Maze go up in…smoke…because of this error. Those in the kno nderstand just how much I lost there. If you absolutely MUST stack for some reason, the chances o he bug hitting you are decreased if you stack similar items. Neon on Neon, Maze on maze, etc. On orkaround is to sell your unstacked items first and then go rearrange your cargo before selling the rest f you stack Maze, you are just courting disaster…never do it.
There are some people who liking doing VHRT and ERT bounty missions instead to get cargo. You hav he added benefits of gaining rep and getting other cargo choices like Wevil Eggs, etc. Personally, I onl o this for fun, not profit. In atmosphere you have to make sure you kill the ships under 1k elevation t revent them from blowing up and losing cargo. Many ships have crappy cargo holds that cause delay n getting cargo out or making it impossible. You run the risk of getting blow up or crashing. It take uch longer and time is money. It is just more difficult even though it can be quite lucrative he Wake of Disaster mission is one that can be an amazing boon to your finances. The ships oftentime re full loaded with very desirable items and they are all gathered nicely for you to pick apart. Th etriment is that it is a server wide alert and things can be contested and downright hostile. Take riend…or a group…or go to a low pop server.
Doing this you WILL go to jail at some point. Know the mechanics. If you kill a ship coming to check o ou for trespassing, even in self-defense, you will get a homicide stat. Kill security, homicide stat. Tha eing said, there are several things that you can do to drag that 6-hour sentence to under 30 minutes he missions are one way but I only grab the mission if it is conveniently on my way. Easy mode is to ru own into the mines and keep going deeper (level 7 to 9) until you notice the comsat symbol disappear nce that is gone…the prison is yours. Beat up every person you come across and loot their tools, shivs nd most importantly gems. Turn all those at the terminal (don’t leave the mines with them) where yo irst started heading down. They give you merit and early release. Once the sat is off, you can jus over around the front area beating everyone up and looting to your heart’s content. I like to spend a
little time there even once I have the required merit to save up for my next time down there as it takes hile to get all the way down to the lower levels.
I don’t want to be a drug dealer…but CIG has forced my hand. This is the best way to own every ship i he game that you want. There is a freedom to not having to worry about finances that is rathe ntoxicating. Your game whims are fulfilled. I usually try to get one full C2 run in a game session an hat usually averages 5-10 mil. Sometimes you get skunked…sometimes you haul in 20-30 mil worth o aze. Don’t let the game bugs and RNG get your down when you lose a full shipment…it happens to u ll and while disheartening, it is easily replaced. Think of it as the cost of doing business. Plan to los 0 mil for every 20 mil you gain. I don’t know how much my 170 SCU of Maze was worth…I didn’t wan o do the math and be sad, haha.
If you like my story or advice, please consider shooting me a referral. Someday, I will have more tha ust one, hahaha. I have some other articles on here that, while dated, might be fun for you to read a ell. If you need any help or advice, please don’t hesitate to hit me up in the Cornerstone Org discor r in game. I love flying with folks and getting into random shenanigans. It’s a game and having fun i hat it’s all about and nothing is better than doing it with a great group of people. Also…don’t do drug n real life. Drug are bad m’kay! :)
Always remember…without exploration there can be no discovery.
Are you new to Star Citizen? Please consider using my referral code when registering: STAR-R2CN-JZF6.
You will get 5,000 Space Bucks that can be used in game for free!!! (and sometimes free ships, etc)
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