Drumming up business

Nathan sighed as he reviewed the cargo contracts.

The passenger manifest was nearly full. Only a few middle- and low-passage berths were free. He didn't expect to get many more passengers. The number of people who needed a fast trip to Fist was fairly low. Most of the passengers were looking to get work on one of the trading lines that ran through there and didn't want to go the long way around. That market was pretty tapped out.

The more worrying problem was his cargo hold. He had several good sized loads, but he was still had about 30 tons worth of space sitting empty. Not an auspicious start. To make this work he had to keep his holds topped off on every trip or he'd be in the red before he left the Imperium. But the same factors that kept him from finding new passengers also kept him from finding any new cargoes. There just wasn't that much cargo that needed to get to Fist right away.

Nate pushed back from the desk and got to his feet. In times like this, a Captain had to drum up his own business. He grabbed his coat and headed down to the warehouse district.

Twenty minutes later, he was stomping through the cavernous warehouses, a local factor named Harl at his side.

"Could I interest you in some high-tech devices," Harl asked, "We've got this lot of handheld compcoms that might do very well. Fully compatible with Imperial datanets from Version 2 to 6."

"You've only got a few small lots here, I doubt it'd be worth my time."

"Well, Eshadi mostly handles bulk raw materials. If you're interested, we've got quite a bit of Eshadi marble. Looks good, sells well. Certainly have enough of it."

Nathan stopped to stare at the neatly cut slabs of stone that stretched down one bay of the warehouse. Fist was almost completely covered in water. The locals might like some stone here and there, but it wasn't needed in any quantity. He kept wandering through the warehouse.

Several bays down, he came across several large pallets holding thick, square-cut planks of dark wood. "I didn't know there was any timber industry here on Eshadi," mused Nathan.

"There isn't," said Harl, "this is Seynut Wood from Tobia. One of the local lords got it in his head to build a giant hunting lodge with the stuff and had it shipped in. Unfortunately, his ambition was greater than his financial acumen. He went bankrupt and fled before the cargo arrived. So it's been sitting here ever since."

"No buyers?"

"Seynut wood is good stuff. It's got a nice color and grain and it's pretty sturdy. But no one really wants a log cabin and there's plenty of other good building material around here. A few artisans picked up a few planks for carving or something, but it only took a few of these to supply them for years. Seriously, this stuff has been taking up space for way too long. I'd be happy to give you a discount if you'd get it off my hands."

The locals on Fist might not need a lot of stone, but they might really go for the wood.

"Does it float?"

"What?"

"The wood, does it float?"

"A little low in the water, unless you make a boat out of it, but yeah, it floats."

Nathan hadn't considered selling it as boat-building wood, but there might be a few takers in that line as well. The wood certainly seemed like something he could sell -- if he could get a good price on it.

"What are you asking for it?"

"Fire sale prices. I want it out of here. Lists for 1,000 credits a ton, I'm saying 500. Half off."

Nathan checked the invoice sheet on one of the pallets. This stuff had been sitting here for over six months. Harl would certainly be anxious to get his warehouse space back.

"How many tons do you have?"

"Just over 40."

"I'll take 30 off your hands at 200 per ton."

"You'll take it all for 200 a ton."

"I'd be moving three-quarters of it."

"You can have 30 tons for 400 but I can't go any lower than that."

"You'll be losing money every day it sits here."

"Letting you have it for 400 a ton is costing me dearly. 30 tons at 400 a ton and that's the offer."

Nathan's wearables worked it out for him. If he could sell it for 750 a ton, he'd break even. If he could get more for it, he'd actually turn a profit. It wasn't a bad bet even if he didn't have a hunch that it'd be an appealing commodity on Fist.

"Done," said Nathan, shaking hands with Harl and completing the deal. "Have it sent down Dock 15C for loading."

"Pleasure doing business with you Mr. Fletcher."

"Likewise."