Commercial services provide the structure around which the economy grows and flows. Providing these services requires quite a bit of initial investment but can make a person excessively rich over time. Or not; well over 90% of all businesses fail within the first decade, taking the investors and the original owner with them. Characters might well want to purchase access to one or more of these services during the course of their activities. The need for communication, manufacturing or the transport of goods continues despite all events.

Quality of Services

Variations in service infrastructure, available technology and business practice severely affect the quality of commercial services. All services come in four potential service levels: poor, adequate, excellent and exceptional. The four levels of quality provide progressively higher levels of service. This translates into bonuses to the skills used to provide the service, higher DCs to interrupt service provisioning and a higher level of difficulty securing the service.

Poor services possess a very limited service infrastructure. Their equipment just barely meets whatever standards govern licensing. They have limited ability to provide customer service and less interest in doing so. On the positive side, they provide the service cheaply. They are also likely to keep poor business records, confusing the paper trail if the purchaser needs to avoid persecution for one infraction or another.

Adequate services provide no such protection. They have sufficient infrastructure to provide both reasonable levels of service and customer support. Most keep exceptionally good records that they freely share with government authorities. Unlike their more prosperous kin, the outfits providing adequate services simply cannot afford the legal costs of holding off government attention.

Excellent services invest heavily in their service infrastructure. They offset their high initial and continuing costs by billing their customers considerably more than the other services. In exchange, their customers get access to services that provide a high degree of consistency. In the event of legal investigation the corporations providing excellent services generally protect their clients as much as possible. They cannot stand up to a planetary government indefinitely, but will generally ignore lesser civil authorities.

Exceptional service providers can hold out against even planetary governments almost indefinitely. Of course, the service provider would never allow things to get to that point: that is, after all, why they buy elections. The services these companies provide are uniformly of the highest quality and responsiveness to their customers.

Games Masters may use the following table when designing their own commercial services to represent the effects of quality:

Quality Level	Cost Modifier
Poor	x0.75
Adequate	x1
Excellent	x2
Exceptional	x4

Available Services

The following selection provides a broad cross-section of the types of services available to characters.

Commercial Service	Availability	Cost per Unit
Construction
Poor	Common	750 credits per day
Adequate	Common	1000 credits per day
Excellent	Common	2000 credits per day
Exceptional	Rare	4000 credits per day
Docking (Per Day)
Poor	Common	375 credits for Huge, 1125 credits for Gargantuan, 1875 credits for Colossal, 3325 credits for Colossal (Frigate), 4775 credits for Colossal (Cruiser)
Adequate	Common	500 credits for Huge, 1500 credits for Gargantuan, 2500 credits for Colossal, 4500 credits for Colossal (Frigate), 6500 credits for Colossal (Cruiser)
Excellent	Common	1000 credits for Huge, 3000 credits for Gargantuan, 5000 credits for Colossal, 9000 credits for Colossal (Frigate), 13000 credits for Colossal (Cruiser)
Exceptional	Rare	2000 credits for Huge, 6000 credits for Gargantuan, 10000 credits for Colossal, 18000 credits for Colossal (Frigate), 26000 credits for Colossal (Cruiser)
Financial
Poor	Common	By service
Adequate	Common	By service
Excellent	Common	By service
Exceptional	Rare	By service
Manufacture
Poor	Common	20% base cost per unit
Adequate	Common	40% base cost per unit
Excellent	Common	50% base cost per unit
Exceptional	Rare	60% base cost per unit
Shipping
Poor	Common	36 credits/kg, 188 credits/kg express
Adequate	Common	48 credits/kg, 250 credits/kg express
Excellent	Common	96 credits/kg, 500 credits/kg express
Exceptional	Rare	190 credits/kg, 1000 credits/kg express
Service Broker
Poor	Common	7.5% total fee
Adequate	Uncommon	10% total fee
Excellent	Uncommon	30% total fee
Exceptional	Rare	50% total fee
Spaceyard
Poor	Common	3750 credits per size category per day (size categories start at Huge)
Adequate	Rare	5000 credits per size category per day (size categories start at Huge)
Excellent	Rare	10000 credits per size category per day (size categories start at Huge)
Exceptional	Extremely Rare	20000 credits per size category per day (size categories start at Huge)
Travel (Planetary)
Poor	Common	750 credits per person one way
Adequate	Common	1000 credits per person one way
Excellent	Common	2000 credits per person one way
Exceptional	Rare	4000 credits per person one way
Travel (Space)
Poor	Common	560 credits per person per day of FTL on major routes, 937 credits per person per day of FTL on minor routes, 1350 credits per person per per day of FTL on dangerous routes
Adequate	Rare	750 credits per person per day of FTL on major routes, 1250 credits per person per day of FTL on minor routes, 1800 credits per person per per day of FTL on dangerous routes
Excellent	Rare	1500 credits per person per day of FTL on major routes, 2500 credits per person per day of FTL on minor routes, 3600 credits per person per per day of FTL on dangerous routes
Exceptional	Extremely Rare	3000 credits per person per day of FTL on major routes, 5000 credits per person per day of FTL on minor routes, dangerous routes unavailable

Construction

Construction services cover everything from making authorized (or unauthorized) modifications to a rented station room to building freestanding structures on a planet’s surface. These services include the employment of laborers, specialists with specific needed skills and the purchase of whatever raw materials are necessary. Most construction contracts follow the ‘fixed price’ model. The service provider estimates the number of days and materials required to do the work. He then presents this price to the buyer.
A few service providers still work on a ‘time and materials’ basis. In these contracts the buyer pays for all materials as they are purchased and the hourly rate of the employees working on the contract. This latter form of billing comes in and out of popularity: it can substantially reduce the price of a contract but can also lead to spiraling costs equal to ten times the original estimated amount.
Payment on a fixed cost construction contract involves a 25% up front payment, 25% payment at a half way mark and 50% payment at completion of the contract. Time and materials’ billing occurs monthly, with a final bill due within 30 days of work completion.

• Poor construction services use unskilled laborers and substandard materials. They ignore the codes associated with proper construction practices. Whenever a structure they worked on comes into question (e.g. is hit by weapons fire, subjected to severe weather conditions or inspected by the government) it automatically fails. On the positive side, poor construction is extremely cheap and can be used to perform radical alterations in a short period of time. If it becomes relevant, assume that the workers have Profession (Construction) +2 and Mechanics +2 for the purpose of skill checks. Buildings constructed by poor construction services may look good for the first few months. They quickly deteriorate over time, incurring double the normal maintenance costs.
• Adequate construction services use moderately-skilled workers and standard materials. They obey construction codes so long as they do not unduly interfere with business. Structures they build resist damage and wear normally. Characters can purchase adequate construction services and expect work to start within a few days of the contract signing. If it becomes relevant, assume the workers have Profession (Construction) +4 and Mechanics +4 for the purpose of skill checks. Buildings constructed by an adequate construction service pay due deference to materials limitations. They may not be the most elegant structures, but they are extremely sturdy. They have normal maintenance costs.
• Excellent construction services engage professional artisans of high skill. They also contract out for high quality materials, sometimes doubling or even tripling the expected cost of a given installation. Structures built by excellent construction services have 10% more hit points than the average structure of their type and resell for half  again the normal value. If it becomes relevant, assume workers have a +8 bonus to both Profession (Construction) and Mechanics for relevant skill checks. Buildings constructed by excellent construction services display a fine sense of aesthetics. They incorporate the latest modern materials along with the vetted wisdom accumulated through centuries of architectural tradition. Such buildings are fairly easy to maintain; assume one-half the normal maintenance costs.
• Exceptional construction services hire only the most skilled workers and professionals to man their projects. They buy the highest quality materials, checking over each piece for individual flaws. Structures built by exceptional construction services have 20% more hit points than an average structure. These structures also gain a +2 equipment bonus to their defenses – the broad side of a barn is harder to damage if it is reinforced with high-quality materials and built to withstand category 5 hurricanse. If it becomes relevant assume the workers have a +12 bonus to both Profession (Construction) and Mechanics checks.

Estimating Time: As a rule-of-thumb a construction service alters roughly 33 square meters of an existing structure per day. They can construct 16 square meters per day. They can maintain 7,000 square meters of area a day. Construction service providers generally sell their services in increments of one day.

When to use: Characters might hire construction services to alter their own quarters, build a house on a planet, or repair damage done to the same by the nefarious forces of the galaxy. Of course, the Games Master can also use this service cost to assess restitution penalties against the characters for property damage in addition to tacking on as much as 400% as a penalty fee.

Docking

Even the largest spacecraft cannot contain entire worlds. Instead, they act as ferries through the infinite reaches of space, connecting living worlds to one another. They require places to load and unload cargo, refuel or simply sit while idle between missions. Docks provide these services for a fee.
Many governments, in an effort to direct more traffic their way, provide their diplomats with expansive privileges to open docks to ships ‘free of charge’. These privileges form a vital commodity of trade in the diplomatic world. Ambassadors exchange temporary docking rights for everything from an invitation to a meeting to cessation of undeclared conflicts.
A ship must pay one day’s fees in order to enter the dock. Most docks issue a bill every 30 days thereafter. If the ship leaves before the next billing cycle, it must pay any accumulated fees or the dock will not release the craft. A character with sufficient time and Hackcraft skill might, at the Games Master’s option, be able to hack into the dock control system to release a ship without paying. The DC for such an action would range between 25 and 35 depending on the installation.
In order to determine the docking fee per day for ships of most standard sizes refer to the chart below. For more information about the services available by quality type reference the descriptions following the chart. This chart does not cover vessels of larger than Colossal (Cruiser) size.
Ships carrying more than one weapon, or a military grade weapon of any sort, can expect to double their normal docking fees.

• Poor docking services provide few amenities. The docks generally display poor repair, with mechanical and electrical failure staved off by the actions of a brave few. What supplies they see are of poor quality and in bad condition. Halve the consumables of a vehicle resupplied here (minimum 1 day) in order to account for spoilage and outright equipment failure. These docks do not offer any additional services as part of their docking fees. If the character needs one of the dock personnel to make a skill check assume the dockworker has a +4 bonus to the check from a combination of personal skill and shoddy equipment.
• Adequate docking services provide solid docking bays, good cargo handling and a relatively robust support infrastructure. These facilities have adequate stores of good, serviceable supplies. The dock may also offer either interior or space-side storage in the event the buyer does not immediately appear. If the character needs one of the dock personnel to make a skill check assume the dockworker has a +8 bonus to the check from a combination of personal skill and equipment.
• Excellent docking services serve some of the finest ships in the galaxy. They have clean, high quality facilities for everything up to minor ship repairs. They can service and re-supply a ship of any size in under a day, although they will sometimes take two or three for ‘general maintenance’. If a ship has sustained up to 3 steps of condition track movement, or is within 90% of its maximum hit points the dock will repair the damage and condition track movement as part of its normal services. If the character needs one of the dock personnel to make a skill check assume the dockworker has a +12 bonus to the check from a combination of personal skill and equipment.
• Exceptional docking services provide the highest possible level of service. Not only are the facilities clean, they use the latest technology. Furthermore, the facility staff display a friendly, cheerful attitude that puts most veteran spacehands on edge. The dock will repair any damage equal to 20% or less of the ship’s hit points free of charge, and can restore up to 4 steps of condition track movement. If the character needs one of the dock personnel to make a skill check assume the dockworker has a +14 bonus to the check from a combination of personal skill and superior equipment.

When to use: Characters generally pay docking fees only when they own their own ships or if they rent a ship for personal use. Some smugglers pay them as well, as ‘part of the cost of business’. Generally, these fees are built into the shipping and travel contracts described below.

Financial

Fundamentally, financial services exist to take money and cause it to make more money without the character’s active involvement. This highly exciting task, dramatised in many an entertainment stellar-cast, amounts to playing with abstract numbers all day while avoiding the inconvenient restrictions raised by governments to slow down the numbers’ multiplication.
Commercial financial services provide the benefits of this game to the masses. They store and transfer credits, buy stocks in aggregate for their customers, allow for speculation in various commodity futures and generate income by loaning money.
Characters may purchase one of four services from a financial service. These services are:

• Build Portfolio: The character gives the financial service control over some number of funds in order to create a passive income stream. The portfolio generates income based on the quality of the institution. Characters may liquidate their portfolio for up to 60% of its total value. The rest goes to pay fees and taxes.
• Hold Credits: Credits may make the galaxy go round but just keeping them in a stack does little good. Characters may withdraw credits from their holdings either as credits or in the form of any recognised currency.
• Loan: The character may buy a loan from the financial service. Purchasing a loan involves paying fees to everyone involved with the paperwork as well as considerable interest on the amount borrowed. Failure to meet the terms of a loan can result in losing all of the items purchased with the borrowed money, as well as other assets equal in value to the total interest payments expected. Loans have a specific term during which the customer must repay them, typically from one to 30 years. Some particularly massive loans require up to 100 years to repay.
• Transfer Credits: Characters may sometimes find it necessary to transfer credits (or other currency) from one person to another. These so-called ‘wire transfers’ generally involve small amounts of money sent through low cost service providers. However, businesses use the same infrastructure to transfer billions of credits from one organisation to another.

Wherever there is enough money, organised crime takes an interest. In the case of financial services this interest takes the form of black market financial services (i.e. loan sharks) who will happily lend someone with little or no borrowing power or a desire to avoid the legal paper trail any amount of money. Failure to pay these individuals back for their generosity, or failure to do so in the time frame specified, generally results in fatal ‘accidents’.
Financial services charge fees are based on both their quality and the type of transaction desired.

• Poor quality financial service providers set up shops in the worst parts of the galaxy, where the hopeless go to live out the last of their days in grinding misery. They provide short-term loans, simple savings and other exciting services at rates intended to attract business and make money. The wealth they reap from the helpless allows their corporate masters to live a life their customers can only dream of. There is a 10% chance per transaction that a poor service provider will make a ‘mistake’ in his or her own favour. The provider will only fix these ‘clerical errors’ if forced to do so through legal action. These service providers use the following rules to determine the effects of their services:
  • Build Portfolio: The portfolio generates income equal to 5% of its total value. The financial service provider takes 1% of this income as service fees. Characters may take advantage of this service with any amount of credits. If an error occurs, all of the portfolio’s earnings go to the service provider.
  • Hold Credits: The service provider holds and dispenses the character’s credits for ten credits a year. If an error occurs the institution fails to provide the funds when requested to do so.
  • Loan: The service provider will loan up to 1,000,000 credits assuming the character can provide 10% of the total amount as a down payment. The loan will have an interest rate between 7% and 11%, with an average of 8% per year. If an error occurs the provider loses track of one year’s worth of principle and interest payments.
  • Transfer Credits: The service provider can transfer credits at the cost of ten credits per 1,000 credits transferred to any other institution in the galaxy. If an error occurs the entire transferred amount ‘vanishes’ due to a ‘computer error’.
• Adequate quality financial service providers exist primarily to assist the working class. They provide reliable, no-frills services. Some deliberately market themselves as excellent or exceptional service providers in order to enhance their image. They typically open offices in average neighbourhoods where the population has a modest amount of income and savings. There is a 5% chance per transaction that an adequate financial service provider will make a mistake on a transaction. If a mistake occurs there is a 50% chance that the provider’s internal audit will catch it at the end of the year. If the character notices the mistake and points it out, the company will rectify the matter. These service providers use the following rules to determine the effects of their services:
  • Build Portfolio: A portfolio held at an adequate provider will contain a broad range of investments earning on average a 7% return per year. These providers take 2% of the total earnings generated by the portfolio in service fees. They require a minimum of 10,000 credits investments in the portfolio. If a mistake occurs, it results in a loss of 1d6% from the total earnings.
  • Hold Credits: The provider charges 100 credits to hold and dispense on demand any amount of credits for the character. These accounts carry insurance for the first 100,000 credits. In the event of a problem with the service provider the insurance provider will restore up to 100,000 credits to the character. Any excess will, unfortunately, be lost. If a mistake occurs it causes a loss of 5% of the character’s total held credits.
  • Loan: The service provider will loan up to 10,000,000 credits assuming the character can provide 12% of the total loan amount up front. The loan will carry an interest rate between 10% and 6%, with an average rate off 7%. If an error occurs the provider loses track of 1d6 payments.
  • Transfer Credits: The service provider will transfer credits anywhere in the known galaxy for a fee of 20 credits per 1,000 transferred. If an error occurs the funds are delayed 1d4 days due to improperly filed paperwork.
• Excellent quality financial service providers cater to the needs of the steadily shrinking middle and upper-middle classes. They provide a full range of services, financial advice and counselling for those who need it. These service providers generally open well-appointed offices in nice neighborhoods. Roughly half of their clients are businesses rather than individuals. There is a 1% chance per transaction that an excellent quality financial service provider will make a mistake. There is a 75% chance the provider’s monthly internal audit will catch the error. If the customer points out the error they will immediately rectify it. These service providers use the following rules to determine the effects of their services:
  • Build Portfolio: A portfolio held with an excellent provider will contain a broad range of investments, including so called ‘conscience’ investments designed to provide a return while supporting specific causes. The portfolio must have at least 100,000 credits for the service provider to accept it. It earns 9% return per year. The service provider takes 3% of the total income as his fee. A mistake results in the provider taking 4% fees rather than 3%.
  • Hold Credits: The provider charges 500 credits to hold and dispense any number of credits. This account is insured for up to 1,000,000 credits. If something happens to the account or to the service provider the character can retrieve up to 1,000,000 credits. Any credits in excess of that amount vanish. A mistake causes 1% of the account’s total worth to vanish.
  • Loan: The provider can lend up to 100,000,000 credits assuming the character can pay 16% of the total borrowed amount upfront. These loans typically carry an interest rate between 9%and 4%,with an average of 6%. If an error occurs the provider loses track of one payment.
  • Transfer Credits: The service provider can transfer any amount of credits anywhere in the known galaxy. The transfer is insured for its complete amount. This service costs 40 credits per 1,000 credits transferred. If an error occurs the money is delayed by one day due to incorrectly filed paperwork.
• Exceptional quality financial service providers generally work behind the scenes, loaning money to governments and handling the finances of nations. They also cater to the highest income and highest status people in their own societies. Their offices are generally unmarked but extremely well made. Their theory is that if you are rich enough to find them then you deserve the very best treatment. There is no chance an exceptional financial services agency will make a mistake with a client account. They perform constant internal audits to insure their sources of cash do not pull their resources and move to a different provider. These service providers use the following rules to determine the effects of their services:
  • Build Portfolio: A portfolio held at an exceptional service provider has a minimum value of 1,000,000 credits. It earns 11% average rate of return. The provider takes 4% of the total return as his fees. Generally, the investments in the portfolio involve highly  complex tax shelters, speculative investments and government-confounding legal manoeuvres designed to protect the investor’s wealth.
  • Hold Credits: The provider charges 1,000 credits per year to hold and dispense credits. This account is insured for the entire amount stored, although in theory no errors can occur.
  • Loan: The provider can loan any amount assuming the character can pay 16% of the total amount up front. They charge between 9% and 3% interest, with an average interest of 5%.
  • Transfer Credits: The provider handles the transfer of credits and securities for governments, megacorporations and individuals. They charge 100 credits per 100,000 credits transferred, taking care of all paperwork and any dummy corporations needed to insure smooth transfer. They transfer a minimum of 100,000 credits at a time.
• Restricted/Black Market financial service providers work in a world of their own. They provide the same services as their legitimate counterparts, but with a great deal less paperwork. Portfolios stored with them do not generate taxable income. Credits they hold do not appear on any asset statements. Loans they give out require no collateral or fees, but come at ruinous interest rates. Credits they transfer for their customers never appear on any manifests, database records or financial transaction sheets. In return for this protection from scrutiny the client accepts a great deal of risk. Black market financial services have a way of disappearing overnight; taking whatever resources they held with them. Failing to repay a loan to one of these groups does not result in bankruptcy but in beatings, intimidation and eventually death. There is a 5% chance per transaction the provider makes an error. In this case, errors involve exposing illegal dealings to the authorities and their security forces. These service providers use the following rules to determine the effects of their services:
  • Build Portfolio: A ‘portfolio’ with a black market service provider involves ‘investments’ into a wide array of criminal dealings. These portfolios have no minimum investment and generate an 8% annual rate of return. Income from this service does not appear on any government records. If an error occurs the portfolio vanishes and the character will be charged with conspiracy to commit a wide array of crimes.
  • Hold Credits: The service provider will hold any amount of credits free of charge. These assets do not appear on any government records. If the character wants to access his credits he must pay 5% of the total withdrawn amount to the service provider as an ‘access fee’. If an error occurs the money is lost and the character cannot regain any of the amount.
  • Loan: The service provider will loan up to 1,000,000 credits with no credits down and a minimum interest rate of 20% per year. If an error occurs the service provider marks the character as an example to other deadbeats.
  • Transfer Credits: The service provider will transfer any number of credits for a fee of 50 credits per 1,000 credits transferred. No records of this transfer will exist in any government files.

When to use: Financial services providers exist to take the character‘s money or to provide them with loans for particular expensive equipment. A character who needs money quickly, or who needs to move money without it appearing on legitimate documents, will quickly find himself immersed in the world of black market finances.

Manufacture

Characters generally search for the products of manufacturing rather the ability to manufacture. However, the amount of money passing through peoples’ accounts as they secure the right to manufacture this or that gewgaw makes manufacturing big business. The better the terms secured, the more money everyone makes and therefore the more companies will pay for help finding the services. Manufacturing services involve contracts to produce anywhere from a hundred to several hundred million completed units. The buyer pays for the units with the intention of either using them or selling them to a third party. In order to have a part manufactured the character must have access to the design specs and detailed information about how to industrially manufacture the design. Research scientists in the character’s employ could create this information, an employer could provide it, or it might be available as common intellectual property. The minimum order from a manufacturing facility is 100 units. Governments buying particularly large ticket items can negotiate their way around this limitation. Once a character negotiates a manufacturing contract it takes 1d4 months to prepare the assembly line and produce the order. The order takes 1d4 weeks to complete once the line begins operation. When contracting manufacturing services the following quality modifiers apply:

• Poor quality manufacturing uses the cheapest possible infrastructure, the lowest quality materials and as few skilled workers as possible. They can produce items cheap and quick, but not with any kind of quality. Items created by these facilities give the user a -1 equipment penalty to any skill checks, attack rolls, damage rolls made when using the object. Armour created in these facilities has a -1 penalty to its defense bonuses. Poor quality facilities produce one defective item for every ten units. These defective items have a 50% chance of failing each time they come into use.
• Adequate quality manufacturing uses relatively modern manufacturing methods suited to the item in question. They use affordable materials, sacrificing a bit of price consideration for quality. Items produced by adequate manufacturing facilities provide no bonuses or penalties. Adequate quality facilities produce one defective item for every thousand units. These defective items inflict a -1 equipment penalty to any skill check, attack roll or damage roll using the item. They also have a 10% chance to fail each time they come into use.
• Excellent quality manufacturing uses state of the art manufacturing methods, high quality materials and skilled workers to monitor the operations. This combination allows them to produce high quality items relatively quickly. The items they produce gain +1 hardness to represent the superior manufacturing techniques involved with their construction. Excellent quality facilities produce one defective item for every 10,000 units. These defective items have a 10% chance of failing each time they come into use.
• Exceptional quality manufacturing facilities use technology on the bleeding edge of what their civilisation produces. They process their own raw materials, as no one else can meet their exacting specification. Skilled workers and scientists oversee the process, insuring that nothing goes wrong anywhere along the path. These facilities take 1d4 years to meet an order, not 1d4 months. In return, they produce items of superior quality. All items created by these facilities may have one of the following bonuses: +1 hardness, +20% hit points, +1 equipment bonus to one skill check, attack roll or damage roll. This bonus is selected when the character places the order and exists in every unit in the lot. Exceptional quality facilities produce one defective item for every 100,000 units. These defective items work as normal items but do not receive the manufacturing bonus described above.

When to use: Characters may use manufacturing services when working for organised crime, various resistance movements or for themselves. Generally, manufacturing is the best way to lay hands on extremely large numbers of items. The costs associated with mass manufacturing mean it will be considerably beyond the abilities of most characters to pay for.

Shipping

Many characters own and need nothing beyond what they carry on their bodies. A decent hand weapon, a fistful of credits and a bad attitude are all they need to challenge the galaxy. However, even some characters occasionally needs to ship in a bit of fresh olive oil and some decent mozzarella. Sometimes characters will also need to ship items to specific destinations rather than travelling there themselves. The cost for shipping an item is based on the quality of the shipping service and the total weight. These rules cover the cost of shipping something to another star system. Treat intra-system shipments (on a single planet or between planets in a system) as a transport requiring one-half light year of FTL travel.

• Poor quality shipping services hire questionable carriers and cut a lot of corners to keep costs down. They will carry any item, no questions asked, but require the shipper to sign a contract clearing them of any legal responsibility for the package. They do not offer any insurance for contents or proper delivery. These shipping services take one week per light year of distance to transfer a regular package and three days per light year to transfer an express package.
• Adequate quality shipping services hire reputable carriers for long duration contracts. They will carry legal items to any legitimate destination. For an additional ten credits per kilogram per light year they will insure a package during shipping but not to delivery. Adequate shipping providers cannot act as a legal certification of delivery. These shipping services take one week per light year of distance to transfer a regular package and two days per light year to transfer an express package.
• Excellent quality shipping services support private transport fleets. Since they use their own ships they can ship any legitimate item to any destination they can get landing clearance for. For an additional twenty credits per kilogram per light year they will insure a package during shipping as well as verify the identity of the recipient. Excellent shipping providers cannot act as legal certification of delivery. These shipping services take four days per light year of distance to transfer a regular package and two days per light year to transfer an express package.
• Exceptional quality shipping services use a private transport fleet in addition to scheduled couriers and occasionally less legitimate carriers. They will carry nearly anything, although they will not handle the most illegal and dangerous of cargos. They require all shippers to sign a waiver stating the carrier is not legally responsible for the package contents. For an additional twenty credits per kilogram per light year they will insure a package during shipping and certify delivery. Exceptional shipping providers can provide legal certification of delivery. These shipping services take four days per light year to transfer regular packages and one day per light year to transfer express packages.

When to use: Characters may interact with shipping services any time they wish to send or receive a package. Others may employ them to intercept packages, or to insert packages into the system in such a way as to avoid a paper trail.

Service Broker

The volume of services offered and needed makes it difficult for a single freelancer, no matter how skilled, to make ends meet. They simply cannot find work fast enough to meet the constant demands for credits imposed upon them by an uncaring society. Service brokers aggregate both contracts and professional service providers. They take a portion of the profits for themselves, passing the rest on in the form of wages and benefits. Brokers use their power to take on jobs far beyond what a single consultant could manage. With hundreds, sometimes thousands, of talented professional service providers on call the broker can handle contracts from megacorporations and governments. Working for a service broker allows the character to avoid making a skill check every week. However, the service broker takes a percentage of the character’s total profits every week as ‘service and administrative fees.’ Buying a service from a broker allows the character to access highly skilled professionals without going through the hassle of hiring them himself. The buyer pays 10% more per hour per quality level (e.g. 10% for poor, 20% for adequate, 30% for excellent and 40% for exceptional) than the base cost for the service. See the Professional Services entry below for more details.

• Poor quality service brokers have a small stable of relatively unskilled individuals. A character paying one of these brokers for their services may take five on his Profession check every week. A character hiring a service from these brokers gets someone with a total skill bonus of +8. The broker will only keep one kind of professional on staff, limiting the services he may provide.
• Adequate quality service brokers have a modest stable of skilled workers at their disposal. A character working with one of these brokers may take ten on his Profession check every week. If the character hires the broker for services he receives a consultant with a total skill bonus of +11. The broker keeps his group stocked with related skills (e.g. computer programming and computer repair) so the client can ‘one-stop shop’ for a general kind of need.
• Excellent quality service brokers have a large stable of skilled workers from a variety of related disciplines. A character working with one of these brokers may take 15 on his Profession check every week. If the character hires the broker for services he receives a consultant with a total skill bonus of +13. Excellent brokers maintain relationships with a wide array of consultants, allowing them to offer almost any service to their customers.
• Exceptional quality service brokers maintain a huge stable of highly skilled, sought-after workers from nearly every discipline. A character working for one of these brokers may take 20 on his Profession skill check every week. If the character hires the broker for services he receives a consultant with a total skill bonus of +15. Exceptional brokers rarely work with non-megacorp customers.

When to use: Characters may approach a service broker to sell their services. If they have difficulty finding a particular service on the open market they may wish to pay the additional cost to have a broker provide them with the skills they need.

Spaceyard

When a ship suffers damage during a combat the owner must pay for ship repairs in addition to any fines resulting from the crew’s actions. If the ship has taken modest damage then a well-equipped dock can perform the repairs (see the Docking entry above). More serious damage, like that sustained in a large firefight, requires more complete facilities.

• Poor quality spaceyards contain a bare minimum of working equipment. The workers struggle to make ends meet while repairing ships with parts rejected by other, more prosperous, spaceyards. They keep relatively poor records and try to avoid the attention of government regulators. A poor spaceyard can repair up to 10% of the ship’s maximum hit points (maximum 20 HP), provide +1 step of movement on the condition track, or perform regular maintenance during each day of service. If the ship requires a skill check to repair a specific system the spaceyard provides a worker with a +8 bonus to make the check.
• Adequate quality spaceyards contain working but not state of the art equipment. The workers are well-paid and reasonably competent at their jobs. The spaceyard’s administration maintains all required records in an attempt to avoid government entanglements. An adequate spaceyard can repair 20% of the ship’s maximum hit points (Maximum 40 HP), provide +2 steps of movement on the condition track, or perform regular maintenance during each day of service. If the ship requires a skill check to repair a specific system the spaceyard provides a worker with a +10 bonus to make the check.
• Excellent quality spaceyards have well maintained, high quality equipment. They hire skilled workers and technicians and include regular retraining as part of their operating expenses. These spaceyards keep extremely detailed records of all transactions but will try to maintain their client’s privacy in the face of casual legal inquiries. An excellent spaceyard can repair 30% (maximum 60 HP) of the ships maximum hit points, provide +3 steps of movement on the condition track, and perform regular maintenance during each day of service. If the ship requires a skill check to repair a specific system the spaceyard provides a worker with a +12 bonus to make the check.
• Exceptional quality spaceyards contain the most expensive, sophisticated equipment available anywhere in the known galaxy. Their workers are selected from among the best of the best and receive regular training to help them remain current with the latest technological trends. These shipyards keep detailed records of every transaction, but will defend their client’s privacy using any means necessary. An exceptional spaceyard can repair 30% of a ships maximum hit points (maximum 80 HP), provide +4 steps of movement on the condition track, and perform regular maintenance during each day of service. If the ship requires a skill check to repair a specific system the spaceyard provides a worker with a +15 bonus to make the check.

When to use: Characters will use a spaceyard whenever a ship they are responsible for suffers damage. Military and government ships use spaceyards dedicated to their service; commercial ships will have to pay for spaceyard time if they sustain enough damage to require assistance. Particularly imaginative players might want to play workers in a spaceyard, dealing with the colourful characters who come through on a regular basis.

Travel [Planetary]

Unless the characters wish to walk everywhere they will, eventually, hire a transportation service. These services range from ground transports to hypersonic jetliners and suborbital transports. The faster the transport the more expensive it becomes. On a planet characters can get to any major destination fairly easily. If the characters wish to travel to an out-of-the-way location the Games Master may wish to make the service less available.

The cost is modified by the desired speed:

• Poor quality planetary transport provides bare-bones accommodation. The conditions inside the transport vehicle are cramped, uncomfortable and potentially dangerous. The driver or pilot has a total bonus of +8 to any required Pilot checks. Passengers travelling in these conditions must make an Endurance check (DC 15) after eight hours or take one point of nonlethal damage. Each hour after the passengers must make another Endurance check (DC 15 + 1 for each hour after the eight) or take two points of nonlethal damage.
• Adequate quality planetary transport provides the passengers with relatively safe accommodation. The conditions inside the transport vehicle do not inspire any particular discomfort. The driver or pilot has a total bonus of +10 to any required Pilot checks. Passengers cannot sleep in these conditions. If they spend more than 24 hours in the transport they begin to accrue fatigue following the normal rules.
• Excellent quality planetary transport provides accommodation. The service provides meals, places where the passengers can sleep and sanitary facilities. The driver or pilot has a total bonus of +12 to any required Pilot checks. Passengers can operate normally during time spent aboard the transport.
• Exceptional quality planetary transport provides luxurious travel accommodation. The passengers eat fine meals, have access to expensive entertainment and may purchase a selection of luxury goods and services based on the carrier’s capacity. The driver or pilot has a total bonus of +14 to any required Pilot skill checks. Passengers can operate normally assuming they escape the temptations to purchase luxury services.

When to use: Characters use planetary travel services whenever they buy a train ticket, charter a flight or hire a limousine for a night on the town.

Travel [Space]

Many characters will never own their own interstellar spacecraft – cost of FTL drive systems is just out of reach in most civilizations. The debt payments alone would wipe out everything but a major business. Fortunately for those who cannot afford their own spacecraft travel services exist to carry people from one end of the known galaxy to the other. Characters purchase tickets on spacecraft, paying all of the costs up front. Typically, the spacecraft will leave in seven days. If the character wishes to leave immediately, he must pay three times the listed price. A single transport company will typically offer two service qualities: a ‘standard’ rate and their ‘valued customer’ service. Travel to another destination within the same solar system is treated as one-quarter day of FTL travel, unless the GM rules otherwise.

• Poor quality space travel services amount to travel in a cargo hold. The carrier does not provide the passengers any supplies. Passengers sleep on raw metal floors or, at best, in body-sized tubes with a door covering one end. Sanitary facilities are shared with all of the passengers. There is a 10% chance the ship is also carrying illegal luxury goods (usually drugs) and will be boarded by the authorities at some point during its trip. These services rarely keep good records about their craft or passengers, making them popular with people attempting to avoid government detection.
• Adequate quality space travel services generally provide the passengers with a shared communal area and a well-appointed body-sized tube to sleep in. This sleeping tube has a relatively soft floor, a computer screen built into the ceiling and speakers to play music. It also contains sufficient power to run a laptop or other computer. The service also provides sustaining, if unappetising, meals and a small exercise area. There is a 5% chance that one of the passengers carries illegal luxury goods (usually drugs). If the authorities catch this individual at customs everyone onboard the craft will have to submit to a search and background check.
• Excellent quality space travel services provide each passenger with a small, private, securable cabin measuring no more than 50 square feet. This cabin contains well-made furnishings, a comfortable bed and various entertainment and luxury amenities. The passengers may also order from a menu of luxury services, some of which may be illegal at either the flight‘s point of origin or its destination. The crew serves sustaining meals free of charge, or the passengers may pay for more luxurious meals if they wish to spend the credits.
• Exceptional quality space travel services provide each passenger with a suite of rooms no less than 200 square feet in size. This suite contains all of the amenities the extremely rich have come to expect, as well as a selection of widely available luxuries provided at no additional charge. The passenger may, of course, purchase additional luxuries for a nominal fee.

When to use: Characters will purchase space travel services every time they want to travel from one system to another, or when they wish to travel between installations within a specific system. Treat intra-system travel as a single jump on a major jump route.