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“When I started my career as a Capsuleer, I had ambitious to be some hot-shot mercenary combat pilot that would make his fortune and glory in battle. Following that, I flew with no inspiration or purpose for several years… It wasn’t until I met Suha did I start realizing how I’d been wasting this power and status doing nothing… I followed her to Venal, thinking I’d just be some muscle to watch over her. Instead I evolved, I became something new - something better… I learned to mine, I learned to build, I learned to sell and I learned what my true calling was this whole time… This is all knowledge. Knowledge that I will use to it’s fullest to seize ahold of any opportunity and make the most use out of my status as a Capsuleer.”
- Avio Yaken
“I wanna see them ‘Prove’ themselves financially.”
October 30th YC 122
6NJ8-V IV - The Rabbit’s Warren Fortizar, Office of Prosperous Venal Depsoitory’s Executive Officer, Mumo Lang.
“Avio! Good! You’re here! I-I do apologize for taking you away from your responsibilities and asking you to come in and talk with me for a bit…”
“I wasn’t occupied with anything that couldn’t wait. What can I do for you Mumo?”
“Well! As you’re aware, you’ve asked me to keep an eye on your finances personally, help you balance the books and… Show concern for any questionable investments.”
“Such as…?”
“Well… Having look at your transactions in ISK this past week… You’ve made some pretty massive transactions in this… ‘Pochven’ region. Buying up ship modules and other goods from Kybernauts… I-I don’t mean to pry too much in the business of a Capsuleer! I just…”
“It’s quite alright Mumo… I’m not offended. You just want to know what’s up, is that it?”
“Y-Yes… I know you’ve moonlighted as a EDENCOM supporter in the initial invasion phases… And now you’re trading with the Triglavians?”
“Why not?”
“Well… Why at all?”
“I wanna see them ‘Prove’ themselves financially.”
“…Huh?”
“… You wanna know what I’ve learned in my time in Venal working these markets?”
“What’s that?”
“It’s that people are willing to pay more for something that they can get for far less in jita, when they’re cut off from going to Jita.”
“I… Suppose I follow you?”
“Venal is an immature region on the Industrial, primarily why when I first came out here? There was no centralized trade hub, no basic goods or services. Nowhere in sight. And I’m not delusional when I say that Venal will never be able to compete with Empire space because Empire space has CONCORD to act as a deterrent to give people the confidence to set up factories and move materials and finished products in massive freighters… Can’t do that in Venal, and I’m fine with that - How else would I have seen opportunity out here? The fact that there are so few industrialists, difficulties in moving product and goods, and being light years away from the newest trade hub? Why, someone will pay more for the convenience of having the item they’re looking for out here…”
“So… Are you saying the same about Pochven?”
“Absolutely, the whole region is gimped economically and industrially. Trigs lock off access to factories, stations - GATES - to only those that ‘prove’ themselves and the entire place is a damn warzone between EDENCOM, Trigs, rogue drones and Capsuleers roaming in from wormholes or using filaments. Systems doesn’t even allow for the anchoring of new Upwell structures for corporations to establish their own production lines and ports… The entire region is now developing a very fringe market, and it’s full of people who just… Don’t understand what people are willing to pay for convenience. So, I see an opportunity to generate some income from that region. Buy up these criminally cheap goods, relist them at a more ambitious price.”
“I see that… I’ve noticed some of these purchases you’ve bought and sold at a higher price… But you keep spending so much that this investment of yours is costing you over a billion ISK!”
“Yes I’m aware, I’m deep in the hole right now. I’ve funneled a fair chunk of money into the wallets of Kybernuats… But I’m hoping to make an incredible return on this little venture into the Trig markets…”
“Well as your personal financial advisor… This seems astoundingly risky.”
“Of course it is. I could very well have just tossed one billion ISK into the trash. With only some scraps of money to show for it. I’ve come to learn that’s part of the game with trading. I could strike it big, or I could left with a sack of modules I over paid for. However there’s another to layer why I’m doing this.”
“Such as?”
“Economical Warfare… Again, Venal has taught me much about these kinds of markets. Cut off from the hustling and bustling trade hubs that are flushed with product at low prices. These Kybernauts want that for their new region and… I want to enlighten them on why that’s not possible. I’ll take advantage of this naive approach to their new market and if possible? Make an incredible amount of profit. Profit that I can invest into Venal!.. Or a carrier.”
"A-A carrier?!
“Yes! A carrier! A chimera specifically, maybe I’ll get the chance to use it in combat, otherwise I’m interested in having one around to move volume around the region. Be very handy in these parts!”
“Right well, I can set up a capital ship fund for you…?”
“Not a terrible idea.”
“I’ll work on it… Now, capital ship purchases aside… You’ve purchased an insane amount of stuff off the markets in the affected systems. Only half of it is even relisted for sale. So many entries of one or two niche items being bought up.”
“Some of which was only listed at one ISK. Previous residents putting up left behind modules for nothing to get rid of them quickly I imagine. I gobbled it all up indiscriminately, to deny assets to the residents and direct trade to other wares… Who knows? Maybe I can make a sizable return on them at a later date, but they weren’t worth relisting.”
“I see… Well doing this is responsible for a good portion of the wider investment cost, but broker fees are what’s really killing you right now.”
“There’s a few freeports operating in Pochven, but the Trig occupied stations are still accepting buy and sell orders. Feels weird funneling money into a Clade’s account. Only wants me to hope for a profitable return to make up for it…”
“Well, you still have the Venal markets generating you some income with sales you make daily.”
“Ontop of my most recent export…Started mass producing antimatter charges… Big charges! The kind a Moros can fire… Called in a few favors with the Guristas and got the charges spiced with some of their tech. Now’s the perfect time to be selling that stuff, there’s a war going on between the massive Capsuleers powers in Null-sec… That means dreadnoughts all needing ammo. And they’re gonna want the premium stuff to get the job done. Once this stuff sells, I’ll have recovered fully from my Pochven investments and then some.”
“I hadn’t gotten a report on that yet.”
“I was gonna wait till I sold it all off before updating you. My mistake.”
“No worries… You do you.”
“Will do.”
“I’m uh… Sorry for having called you down here for all this then. The whole thing just came off as very… Suspect I could say?”
“I understand, doing trade with the Kybernuats sound sketchy, but I’m doing it with our interests in mind. Who knows? Maybe I could lay down the groundwork for the Guristas to start exploiting this new economy right away. We’ll keep the Collective weak economically, we’ll figure out how to hamper them militarily another day.”
“Do you think the Gurodtas are gonna bother trying to exploit them right now? I would assume they don’t wanna attract to much attention from them right now.”
“Maybe, something about this Collective doesn’t seem very capitalistic anyway. So I’m sure they’ll just make do with me trying to rip ISK back out of the Kybernuats wallets.”
“How are you going to keep an eye on Venal and Pochven at the same time?”
“I found someone crazy enough to camp out in one of the Freeports in region and give me intel on the markets at anytime. Found him though the Prosperity Agency.”
“Right well… I can’t stop you - nor would I try to stop you - from going though and investing further into the region… Just… Be careful, yes?”
“No promises.”