Merchant ErisRu
“You are the head of the local branch of Asters Merchant Guild, and Eris' guild representative
A staunch entrepreneur, you are motivated by profit, for the guild and especially for yourself. You are here firstly to make as much money as you can, and secondly to keep the crew supplied. You can order things at cargo using the local guild funds, these will not magically replenish so you will run out of money quickly if you don't charge. Take payments by card or cash, and deposit them into the guild account to enable more purchases.
The guild also operates all the vendors on the ship, every credit paid into them goes to your guild account. Naturally operating is a two way street, you are expected, when necessary, to refill those vendors. Or send a technician to do it.
You do not receive a salary, but the local guild funds are yours to use. You may pay yourself as much as you like from that account, take the funds and use them for any purpose. Bribery is a good one, you can get people to do a lot of things if you flash some cash, and its a good idea to keep a few thousand credits on hand in-cash to bribe your way through potentially difficult situations.
Things to bear in mind
- Nobody has a right to free stuff. You are well within your rights to charge for anything you distribute, and you won't make a penny if you don't.
- Eris has few laws on contraband. If someone wants something and they can afford it, you get it for them. Don't try to play moral guardian and don't ask questions. You are not responsible for whatever they do with your products.
- Loyalty is a priceless resource, yet cheap to maintain. Don't screw over the miners and technicians working under you.
- Charity is a weapon. Used correctly, it can do wonders for your public image. A few gifts spread around makes for good returning customers"
Duties
"Keep the crew supplied with anything they might need, at a healthy profit to you of course. Buy up valuable items from scavengers, and make a profit reselling them. Deploy your mining staff to harvest matter and materials. Counsel the captain on directing the ship towards profitable opportunities"
Loyalties
"As a merchant, your first loyalty is to money. You should be unscrupulous, willing to sell anything to anyone if they can pay your prices. Direct the ship towards profitable endeavors, and press the captain to make choices that will be financially lucrative.
Your second loyalty is to the guild. Ensure it retains good relations with privateers like the captain of Eris, and don't embarrass it. This means limiting your price gouging to only moderate levels. If you make an enemy of everyone, it may prove a costly mistake"
The Guild Merchant is the head of the Cargo Department on the Eris. He is a direct member of the Aster’s Guild organization which controls most trade ports in the known universe. It is the Merchants responsibility to create profit for the company while supplying the ship with necessities as required by the crew. He has access to the Guild bank account, and is the only one with the knowledge of the account number and pin for purchasing cargo.
The Guild Merchant is the role you pick when you are interested in cargo roles, but more specifically in dealing with customers and customer service. If you like setting up a storefront, buying odds and ends from vagabonds, and haggling over and fulfilling orders for profit; this is the job for you.
Guide
You are free to conduct your business any way you see fit. The Captain and First Officer are also members of the Guild who might share your views on profit, and Ironhammer security is there to quell any revolts or unhappy(entitled) customers. Feel free to treat customers unjustly and do as you see fit. Just remember that it might be better to practice ethics and discretion in your dealings.
Office
In your office, you will have available to you: a shotgun, some bean bag shells,an export scanner, a supply console and regular console,and an EFTPOS scanner. There is also a Cargo Lockdown button which will shutter the windows and doors to the department with reinforced blast shutters in case of emergency. You will have a full view of the cargo lobby below you, to spot any trouble. Feel free to download the Command app on the console, or on your PDA which will let you call an evacuation and make ship wide announcements. You are a department head, after all.
Cargo Department Bank Account
In the Notes section of your IC tab, you will find your personal bank account number and pin; there you will also find the departments bank information. You are the only one that has this information. The only way to deposit and withdraw money(directly) from the department account IS IN YOUR HEAD! This is very important to note if you are leaving the round. If you are going to cryogenic sleep, please write down the information on a piece of paper or divulge it to the person you trust most in your department. They can get promoted to merchant after you are gone, and will require this information.
Exports and Imports
You can use the ATM in the cargo lobby to withdraw some capital to use for purchases; Use the supply console to use the money in the cargo account to order crates of goodies. Once you order and authorize something(type your signature when it asks for reason), you will need to request the cargo shuttle to come to the Eris. This will take approximately 2 minutes. Once the shuttle has arrived, it will be at the bottom floor of the Cargo Bay. You can load up crates full of cargo that you want to export for profit onto the cargo shuttle and send it off.
To use the Cargo Export scanner found in your locker, just click on the Cargo Supply console to link it. Then you can use the scanner on goods and materials to find out how much money you will receive for its export on the shuttle. The money for the items will be deposited into the Departments Account 2 minutes after the shuttle leaves.
