Merchants

> *"Hauling freight," says James. "Not the most glamorous job, or the most interesting, but you're always guaranteed steady income. And once you know the galaxy a bit better, instead of taking missions you can find your own trade routes to follow."*
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> - Captain James, mission: Delivery to Heartland (Intro [1 Freighter])
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Merchants are private human civilians flying their own ships, under blue and cyan colours. Before the main story, the player will start as one. Merchants are commonly the target of pirate attacks; for the player, attacking merchants will anger all human governments.

Usually, merchant ships are freighters and transports, but a few are warships who mine asteroids or run escort duty. Very few merchant ships are heavy warships.

During the Free Worlds storyline, merchants in Republic and Syndicate space can help you refuel and repair in case you are stranded. This is especially helpful during missions related to the Syndicate.

Some bounty pirate ships may pose as merchants, and these bounties are given to the player for a higher price. The bounty ship will always be a medium or heavy warship with a pirate naming scheme, and the player must individually target the ship to attack. There is no penalty for shooting a bounty ship disguised as a merchant.

## History

Interstellar trade has a long history, dating back to 2270, when human colonies became more and more widespread. At this point, all the systems around Earth had a colony, and Valhalla had been founded. However, independent trade was not common and would not be for hundreds of years; while many of the corporations that governed planets had their own merchant fleets, these ships would be pressed into military service during the Alpha Wars and the Turf Wars in the 2400s.

Increased competition between the Paradise Planets and the Deep led to the caravan era of the 2600s. The Deep's massive and well armed caravan fleets, travelling from Valhalla towards Tarazed, Prime, Glaze and Hephaestus, created economic growth and technological innovation. Eventually, the Deep would come to dominate the human galactic economy, while corporations in the South, the Core and the Rim could not compete. During this time, the Syndicate began to gain power in the Core by merging with other corporate states in the area.

The Republic was formed in 2730, leading to an explosion in interstellar trade and travel. It would lead to the space renaissance in the 2800s; more and more people were able to afford their own spaceships, and with the Navy almost eliminating piracy, a new merchant class emerged.

Recently, piracy has become more widespread, and pirate planets are beginning to regain power in the South. It has become much harder to survive as an independent merchant.

## Ships

Merchants use all ships available to the player at the start of the game. Below is a list of freighters commonly used by Merchants, but otherwise, please see Human Ships.

### Light Freighter

* Argosy
* Clipper
* Freighter
* Hauler
* Star Barge

### Heavy Freighter

* Behemoth
* Bulk Freighter
* Container Transport
* Hauler II
* Hauler III

### Utility

* Bactrian
* Mule
* Nest
* Roost

## Faction Relations

* Republic - The Republic protects merchants through the Navy.
* Pirates - Merchants make valuable targets for pirates and attack them on sight.
* Quarg - Merchants trade with the Quarg but are neutral otherwise.
* Hai - Some merchants know of the Hai, but keep them secret.