Lave Station, Lave, 01-Feb-3200

Been a month since I woke up in Lave, now. And by way of congratulations, the Lave police give me a ¢2500 fine for smuggling slaves. I decide that arguing based on the precedent that they let me past last time isn't the wisest course, and meekly pay the fine. I'm going to make a stonking profit on the goods anyway.

Edwards is eager to get more slaves. Apparently, they've not had many deliveries recently and he's running low on stock. He pays me ¢23806.8 for all 12 tons, leaving me with ¢13388.4 profit, very healthy even after I take the fine out.

My cash situation now being improved, I strip the Viper down and part exchange her for the Cobra Mk III which has been sitting on the shipyard's books for a month. Of course, I don't get all my equipment back, oh no. The chimp with a wrench who took the bits from off my old ship has already made off with most of the stuff I had. All I can retrieve is the laser cannon and autopilot.

I fuel up and load my new, high-capacity trading vessel with animal meat. 45t of it, at ¢102.8/t. I check the maps again to see if I'm being as efficient as I could be, and realise that there's scope for a route from Leesti to Zaonce, carrying robots. I'll take the meat to Leesti and then go onto Zaonce with robots.