Buy Side

The act of buying IP is central to the revenue of any Data Ark and is the primary function of Master Traders and their associated buying desks. The so called “buy side” systems cannot be reliably automated due to the lack of subjective criteria in buy side operations. Fundamentally, it is up to the master of each buying desk within a Data Ark to ensure that buy side activity results in a profitable portfolio of IP for sale.

Excerpted With Permission

Data Trader’s Handbook

Copyright 3250, Interstellar Data Trader Guild

Bringing Craig onto the ship’s company had significantly added to the ship’s finances. It also allowed them to trade on the sell side as he brought a lifetime of A&E content with him. Because the ship now owned ten percent of his back catalog, any purchase of his back catalog added to the ship’s coffers also. In the few days remaining in system after Craig signed on, they had cleared almost a million guilders just from his IP sales.

Leo was reviewing the automated sell side records. The total number of transactions were tiny compared to what the Reggie used to do, but he was amazed at Craig’s back catalog. The man was literally PRINTING guilders just by being alive. He looked over to Ollu. “Craig is a money machine.”

Ollu looked up from her paperwork. Trying to act as ship’s captain along with forming a new Transportation trading function for the ship was keeping her busy even if she wasn’t personally running the entire ship any longer. “Don’t tell Craig that, it will only inflate his ego.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

Ollu laughed. “Fair, but let’s just keep it between us to be safe.”

They had begun holding “buy side” meetings every day in one of the main café’s down the hall from the main trading floor. With only four traders onboard and limited funding, they had to consider their buys carefully. Normally, a data ark produced so much free cash flow the only question in making a buy was if that buy would be profitable. Now, they had to consider their limited cash on hand and only make a small number of strategic buys.

Ramona strolled over with a plate of something suspiciously like chicken enchiladas verde. A few moments later, Craig arrived and took his normal seat between Ollu and Ramona. Noticing her plate, he made a face. “You’re not eating open source food are you?”

Ramona looked down. “Well, what’s my other choice? We don’t own any food IP.”

Craig laughed. “Well, you could just program the replicator.”

Leo stared at him. “You know how to program a food replicator?”

Craig looked surprised. “What, you don’t?”

“No.”

He looked around the table. “None of you?”

Head shakes all around.

“Ye gods. What kind of crew have I signed on for? Have you all been eating this slop since you found the ship?”

Leo shook his head. “Oh no. When we first got the ship we didn’t have any open source food either. We ate ration bars for the first two weeks.”

Craig shuddered dramatically. “The horror.” He snatched Ramona’s plate away and stalked away to the food replication station. After a few minutes he came back with a new plate that looked similar to the old one. “Eat. Enjoy.”

Ramona took a tentative bite. “Oh, my God. This is amazing.”

Craig nodded in a self-satisfied way. “Never eat bad food children. Life is too short. I got that recipe from a little old lady on Alpha Centauri. She claimed to be an actual descendant of the original Mexican settlers there. I don’t know if that’s true, but she had the best Enchiladas Verde I have ever eaten.”

Leo took a sniff of Ramona’s new lunch. It smelled amazing. “Uh, what’s a Mexican?”

Craig rolled his eyes. “Oh sweet Jesus. I’m among the heathen.”

Ollu rapped the table with her knuckles. “Can we get started?”

Ramona was shoveling food into her face as fast as she could. “We should sell this stuff. We’ll make a fortune!”

Craig snapped his fingers. “Piffle. Food IP is small potatoes.” With a loud guffaw, he slapped the table. “See what I did there? Food, potatoes?? Anyone?”

With a quelling look, Ollu began the meeting. “This is the BUY SIDE meeting if you recall. Does anyone have a buy to promote?”

Craig shook his head. “I’m been in this shit ball system for six months. There is nobody and nothing here I am interested in.”

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Ollu looked at Ramona. “Ramona? Anything for weps?”

Ramona shook her head. “Not much. There is a powered armor design for sale, but that is very specialized gear. Not much resell on that, I think.”

Craig looked at her casually. “Fixed or morphic?”

Ramona looked surprised. “Fixed.”

Craig nodded. “Yeah, morphic is the way to go. I wouldn’t buy that either. I’ve seen morphic sets for almost that figure in the core worlds.”

Leo held up a hand. “English, please?”

Ramona took pity on him. “Fixed powered armor sets have a certain range of motion and dimensions. They’re usually stronger but less flexible. They usually come in sizes and don’t self heal. ‘morphic armor can change shape and size on the fly and has the ability to self heal. It used to be crazy expensive which is why most troops used fixed armor but lately the costs of morphic have been coming down.”

Ollu looked at her. “And you know all this how?”

Ramona looked insulted. “I can read. All the data is there in the trading systems.”

Craig reached over and stole the last bite of her enchilada. “If you know where to look and understand what you are reading.”

Ollu leaned back. “You two are going to be trouble, aren’t you?”

Craig smiled like the Cheshire Cat. “Oh, I hope so.”

Ollu just shook her head. “Leo, what do you have?”

Leo consulted his pad. “Not much. There was another ark through here last month and the ComDes trades are pretty thin. Maybe this janitorial ‘bot but not much else.”

Craig’s face scrunched up in thought. “Is that the one from Lackers?”

Leo consulted his pad again. “Yeah, that’s the one. The specs are good, but it’s about ten percent more than the one we sold the most on the Reggie. Not sure.”

Craig nodded. “Have you checked the Lackers IP history?”

Leo nodded also. “Yep, twenty active patents, all of them positive trading balance. Good commercial reputation.”

Craig tapped the table with his index finger. “They design quality goods. Always a market for high quality merch. Better a small number of trades of a quality product than tons of shitty trades of some crap product.”

Ollu nodded. “I’d rather pay a bit more for a ‘bot that doesn’t break down, but I’m spoiled by working on trader vessels.”

Leo checked the details on the trade again. “OK, the IP is only 100K. I think we have room now.”

Craig cocked his head. “Wait for tomorrow. They know we are leaving, might make them willing to take 10K less. They didn’t sell to the last ship through and they don’t average more than three arks a year in this God Forsaken system.”

Leo nodded and made a note to make the offer on the next day before they left the latency envelope.

Ollu cleared her throat. “So, I have one.”

She had everyone’s attention.

Normally, a trader made their first trade as an apprentice. Once a trader made master they normally had a fairly extensive trading history like Leo did. Often referred to as “getting on the board” a trader’s first trade was a major event; even if not normally as spectacular as Ramona’s first trade. Ollu’s unusual circumstances meant that she owned a Data Ark and was a Master Trader but had never actually executed a trade.

Craig’s voice was amazingly gentle. “OK, Ollu. Tell us about it.”

Looking down, Ollu cleared her throat again. “Well, it’s a fast packet. FTL capable. Heavily armed. Crew of two and up to eight passengers.”

Craig looked confused. “A fast packet?”

Ramona laughed. “A blockade runner.” When Craig still looked confused, she continued: “you know, a smuggler’s ship?”

Craig clapped his hands in delight. “Like in episode twenty of ‘space slavers’?”

Ollu visibly shook herself. “You watch that crap?”

Craig laughed. “Hell no. I just make ‘em, I don’t watch them!”

Leo’s eyes opened in surprise. “Wait, you made ‘space slavers’?”

Craig laughed harder. “Hell yeah kid. Ran the score up big time with that one!”

Ramona was aghast. “That show was complete trash.”

Craig sobered quickly. “It’s not my job to judge the audience. I just provide the entertainment.”

Leo tried to bring the conversation back to business. “So, tell us why you like this fast packet.”

Ollu looked uncomfortable. “It’s user friendly.”

Craig snorted. “Uhm, whut?”

Leo poked him under the table. “Ollu, what do you mean by that?”

Ollu just stared at Craig, looking defensive. Ramona’s voice was very gentle. “Ollu, ignore that lump of meat. If you can’t eat it, drink it or fuck it he’s not interested. Tell us about the ship.”

Ollu laughed and seemed to get past her inner doubts. “I mean, it’s like a ship handler designed her. You know, like the air scrubber filter cartridge is in the companionway. Most ships, it’s stuck behind some panel in a random location. The last cutter we worked on for the Reggie, you had to remove twenty fasteners to get access to the air scrubber canister. Twenty! That’s the most common maintenance procedure for a small ship. The people who designed this ship know that.”

Leo nodded. “Ok, gotcha. You mean they thought about maintenance tasks and designed the ship to make them easier.”

Ollu was warming to her subject. “Yes, but not just that. See this compensator circuit? Most ship IP holders design their own. They like to get all fancy and do proprietary designs. Not these guys, they just found the best one already on the market and shoved it in there. Why re-invent the wheel, you know?”

Ramona was getting interested. “And how about her specs? Armament?”

Ollu started tossing spec sheets to Ramona’s pad. “Oh yeah, look at this. They completely over-spec’d the power requirements. She can take twice the power load of a standard Guild Cutter.”

Ramona was reading quickly. “Jesus Christ. This thing is fast and it has the power to run some serious armament. We would have a tough time taking one of these things down with a Cutter back in the militia.”

Leo was thinking about their balance sheet. “How much?”

Ollu looked nervous again. “A million and a half.”

Leo whistled. “Damn. We don’t have that much on the books.”

Craig interrupted. “Buy it.”

Ramona looked at him angrily. “Shut up Craig, we don’t have the cash.”

Craig looked unaccountably abashed, like he was embarrassed. “Ollu, I will give you the money. Just buy it. This will put you on the board.”

Ollu looked shocked. “Craig, I am not going to take a million guilders from you.”

Craig shrugged. “Million and a half, but who’s counting? OK call it a loan to the ship. We will make it back up in the next system. Two systems at the most.”

Ramona still looked angry. “OK Craig, what’s your game here? I don’t like you pretending to be a nice guy.”

Craig just shrugged. “I’m not. This is good for the ship and that is good for me. Just do it.”

Leo was puzzled. “How do you know it’s a good buy?”

Craig just pointed at Ollu. “Because she does.” Leo shook his head, not understanding. “I don’t know crap about ships. I know people. If Ollu says it’s a good ship, it’s a good ship. We’ll be able to sell it.”

Leo looked to both Ollu and Ramona, both shrugged. “OK. But we will make it a formal loan to the ship. You will be repaid from ship’s profits as we exit each system.”

“OK.”

And with that, Ollu was on the board.