{"data":{"id":16892,"title":"OP.NET: Combat Haggling","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/spectrum-dispatch\/16892-OPNET-Combat-Haggling","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/16892","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/16892","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"News Update","images":[{"id":955,"name":"OpNetFI_2.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/1ejml2ei2zs60r\/source\/OpNetFI_2.jpg","alt":"","size":1508642,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2013-10-16T02:22:57+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/955","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/955\/similar"},{"id":26463,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/weozjmuuh3hwh\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":843046,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2019-09-19T15:49:32+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26463\/similar"},{"id":27892,"name":"source.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/media.robertsspaceindustries.com\/w3o9r4zgppm77\/source.jpg","alt":"","size":900916,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-09-06T14:48:40+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/27892\/similar"}],"images_count":8,"translations":{"en_EN":"Welcome to OP.NET. Your single source for all the news, tips, and insights that any independent mercenary could ever want. I\u2019m your host Conva Maynard. And although we\u2019re not Guild affiliated in any way, I\u2019d like to give a special welcome to Local Guild 806 out in Ferron who comm\u2019d in to tell me about their weekly OP.NET gatherings. While it may surprise some of you to learn that Guild members would be fans of the program, in fact, more and more of our audience are people like the 806 who are eager to get their hands on any solid information no matter the source. Basically, what I\u2019m saying is that Skiv\u2019s reviews are useful no matter who you are.\n\nI know a lot of time it can feel like it\u2019s an \u2018us versus them\u2019 thing. Independents and Guild members out there scrapping for the same work, arguing about what\u2019s the best way to handle our business, but if you want to know the truth, we all have a lot more in common than not. We\u2019re all trying to do the job the best we can. I\u2019ve always felt an important part of being independent is respecting and learning from the way other people like to operate. Yeah, the Guild may not be for everyone, and it sure as heck ain\u2019t for me, but for a lot of folks it makes sense and that\u2019s okay. OP.NET is all in favor of making the choice that\u2019s right for you, as long as you do the proper research and diligence first.\n\nSpeaking of, with this week\u2019s Job Board, research all of these opportunities on your own to make sure they check out square before signing up for anything. We say it every episode, but any merc worth their body armor always vets their leads before making a move.\n\nFirst up, we got an offer coming all the way out of Oberon. A growing refinery concern, Miguello Extraction, has expanded recently and it seems that a local outfit of marauders has taken notice of Miguello\u2019s success. While the Navy have been flying more ships in system as of late, their priority is definitely dealing with any Vanduul threats, leaving folks like Miguello to fend for themselves. The company has been hit more than a couple times this year and they\u2019re looking to hire a security detail to patrol and protect their spread of collector arrays, ASAP. What\u2019s interesting about this contract is that they aren\u2019t just looking for sluggers to tangle in the field, they\u2019re looking for strategic consultants, someone who can help figure out the logistics of guarding such a large area. So, if planning routes, schedules, and security protocols gets your thrusters boosting, and you don\u2019t mind how isolated the location is, then I\u2019d snatch this one up right quick.\n\nNext, we got something for those of you who might be a little less cerebral. An individual wishing to remain anonymous had their estate robbed of a so-called \u201csensitive item\u201d by a local gang. Now, they\u2019re being blackmailed for the return of said item unless they pay up. For various reasons, paying the ransom is not palatable, so they\u2019re looking to hire a recovery team. Now you can see why there aren\u2019t a lot of public details on this one. The crooks catch wind that their mark is hiring mercs and you can bet they\u2019ll retaliate. For my creds, a job like this requires either a very light touch or a very heavy hand \u2013 i.e. sneak in so they don\u2019t know you\u2019re there or hit them so hard and fast they don\u2019t have time to do anything but panic. Hard to say which is best without some more information but that\u2019ll be up to you to acquire. Understandably, this contract\u2019s looking to staff up fast, so if you\u2019re interested, don\u2019t wait long.\n\nFinally, we\u2019ve got an escort contract protecting a hauling convoy doing regular runs out to Tal. What makes this job a little bit different than your standard fly-along is that the escorts will be expected to directly interface with the Xi\u2019an criminal houses in control of the sectors the route travels through. Since the passage of HuXa, I have seen more and more of these kinds of requests popping up, and I don\u2019t know about you, but I pretty much know next to nothing about navigating the intricacies of Xi\u2019an politics. Figured that it was about time I do something about my ignorance and hopefully help out any of you interested in operating in Xi\u2019an space.\n\nPlease join me in welcoming to the show our special guest for today, former MISC security officer Jack Leong.\n\nJack Leong: Pleasure to be on the show.\nThanks for taking the time out of your well-deserved retirement to talk with us.\n\nJack Leong: Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m having my granddaughter keep an eye on the fish for me until I can get back to my boat.\nSo, just for a little bit of history, my understanding is that you worked for MISC going on sixty-two years?\n\nJack Leong: Correct. Joined them right out of equivalency as an off-shift factory guard and worked my way up from there. I\u2019m one of those odd people you meet who\u2019ve only ever worked one job in their life. Didn\u2019t even have to bother with the whole Guild or Independent debate. Just always been MISC.\nNow, I\u2019m sure with six decades in security we could fill a couple episodes with your advice and wisdom, but for today I wanted to talk to you specifically about your experience operating in Xi\u2019an space.\n\nJack Leong: I\u2019m happy to tell you what I can.\nYou were one of the first civilian Human pilots to officially be permitted to fly a combat ship through their territory correct?\n\nJack Leong: That\u2019s right. Back in 2910. MISC had just signed their partnership deal and was going to be sending some execs and techs out to Tal on a regular basis. I was the lucky guy picked to go along and make sure all the important people got there and back in one piece.\nWhat was that like? Flying into Xi\u2019an space for the first time?\n\nJack Leong: Security-wise? Pretty darn easy to tell the truth. It was a big deal and all eyes were on us and the Xi\u2019an to see how this whole thing would shake out. Nobody was going to risk anything happening to us. We got a military escort everywhere we went. For the first five years at least.\nTurned out, that was all the initial lendlease agreement covered. After that, we were on our own and let me just say it was a damn pretty steep learning curve.\nSounds a bit like my dad teaching me to EVA by kicking me out an airlock.\n\nJack Leong: Not too far from the truth. First flight after our government protection ended, we ran into a collector for one of the major criminal houses, the Kuang.\nLet me see, I have a list of terms here. That\u2019s a yu\u2019at.\u014dngh\u2019uit\u0101, correct?\n\nJack Leong: You\u2019ll have to excuse me, I never did learn to speak much Xi\u2019an. Blame it on me relying on my extremely competent translators too much.\nNo worries. We\u2019ll post a bunch of terms to our spectrum page for anyone who\u2019s inclined to look it up. For now, would you mind explaining a bit more about these criminal houses?\n\nJack Leong: Basically, the Xi\u2019an have legal crime. I know that doesn\u2019t sound like it makes much sense but that\u2019s the way they do things. Criminal houses get permission from the government to run what amounts to a protection scheme; pay us and we\u2019ll leave you alone.\nI heard that\u2019s what they do, but I still have a hard time believing it.\n\nJack Leong: I did too at first, but after having to deal with the system for a few decades I\u2019ll admit the logic of it all is appealing. The Xi\u2019an will tell you that they have just come to terms with crime being a fact of life and since there\u2019s no way to get rid of it, why not try to control it?\nThe criminals have to follow certain rules, right?\n\nJack Leong: Exactly. For example, they\u2019re limited to only taking a certain amount of profit every cycle. They\u2019re not allowed to kill. They can\u2019t take all your cargo. They can\u2019t hit the same people too often. And that\u2019s just a few of the rules. As with all things Xi\u2019an, the list is long and complicated. One of the more interesting things is that a lot of the time these criminal houses wind up acting like security forces since it\u2019s usually them who hunt down and catch rogue outlaw Xi\u2019an who break the rules.\nThat thing about not being able to take all the cargo has to be pretty nice for haulers.\n\nJack Leong: Well, to risk sounding like the retired old dodder that I am, it\u2019s a bit like fishing. Take all the fish out of lake in one go, and next time there won\u2019t be anything for you to catch.\nWish some of the gangs out here showed that kind of restraint.\n\nJack Leong: It\u2019s all a numbers game with the Xi\u2019an. In fact, another way to think of Xi\u2019an crime is almost like a second tax or an alternate form of insurance. Depending on how much you fly you can choose to risk being held up, or you can plan ahead and pay a fee. After being robbed a few times, MISC eventually figure out that it was smarter to just make regular payments to the Kuang.\nSounds like it would all be pretty straightforward after that.\n\nJack Leong: It would have been if it weren\u2019t for the renegotiations. It was never clear if it was because we were Humans or if it was just because we were seen as valuable targets, but more often than I\u2019d like our payments were refused.\nLet me guess. They wanted more money?\n\nJack Leong: Yup. It meant that we would have to settle on a new price en route. Or as one of my associates called it, \u201cCombat Haggling.\u201d\nOkay, definitely want to hear more on this, but I\u2019m gonna have to ask you to hold that thought right there, Jack, as we need to take a quick break.\n\nWhen we come back, we will have plenty more insights from Mr. Leong and Skiv will be by to provide his hot-take on the newly available fighter from Aopoa, the San\u2019tok.y\u0101i. All that and more as OP.NET continues.","de_DE":"Willkommen bei OP.NET. Ihre einzige Quelle f\u00fcr alle Nachrichten, Tipps und Erkenntnisse, die sich jeder unabh\u00e4ngige S\u00f6ldner w\u00fcnschen kann. Ich bin Ihre Gastgeberin Conva Maynard. Und obwohl wir in keiner Weise mit der Gilde verbunden sind, m\u00f6chte ich die Lokale Gilde 806 in Ferron besonders willkommen hei\u00dfen, die gekommen ist, um mich \u00fcber ihre w\u00f6chentlichen OP.NET-Treffen zu informieren. W\u00e4hrend es einige von euch \u00fcberraschen mag, zu erfahren, dass Gildenmitglieder Fans des Programms sein w\u00fcrden, sind in der Tat immer mehr unserer Zuh\u00f6rer Leute wie die 806, die begierig darauf sind, alle soliden Informationen, egal aus welcher Quelle, in die H\u00e4nde zu bekommen. Im Allgemeinen was ich sage, ist, dass Skivs Rezensionen n\u00fctzlich sind, egal wer Sie sind.\n\nIch wei\u00df, dass es viel Zeit braucht, um sich so anzuf\u00fchlen, als w\u00e4re es eine \"wir gegen sie\"-Sache. Unabh\u00e4ngige und Gildenmitglieder da drau\u00dfen, die f\u00fcr die gleiche Arbeit abwerfen und dar\u00fcber streiten, was der beste Weg ist, unser Gesch\u00e4ft zu f\u00fchren, aber wenn man die Wahrheit wissen will, haben wir alle viel mehr gemeinsam als nicht. Wir alle versuchen, den Job so gut wie m\u00f6glich zu erledigen. Ich habe immer das Gef\u00fchl gehabt, dass ein wichtiger Teil der Unabh\u00e4ngigkeit darin besteht, die Art und Weise, wie andere Menschen gerne arbeiten, zu respektieren und daraus zu lernen. Ja, die Gilde ist vielleicht nicht f\u00fcr alle da, und es ist sicher, dass sie nicht f\u00fcr mich ist, aber f\u00fcr viele Leute macht es Sinn und das ist okay. OP.NET ist sehr daf\u00fcr, die f\u00fcr Sie richtige Wahl zu treffen, solange Sie zuerst die richtige Recherche und Sorgfalt betreiben.\n\nApropos, mit der Jobb\u00f6rse dieser Woche, recherchieren Sie all diese M\u00f6glichkeiten auf eigene Faust, um sicherzustellen, dass sie sich auf dem richtigen Weg befinden, bevor Sie sich f\u00fcr etwas anmelden. Wir sagen es jede Episode, aber jeder S\u00f6ldner, der seine K\u00f6rperr\u00fcstung wert ist, \u00fcberpr\u00fcft immer seine Spuren, bevor er einen Zug macht.\n\nZuerst bekamen wir ein Angebot, das den ganzen Weg aus Oberon herauskommt. Ein wachsendes Raffinerieunternehmen, Miguello Extraction, hat sich in letzter Zeit vergr\u00f6\u00dfert, und es scheint, dass eine lokale Gruppe von Pl\u00fcndern den Erfolg von Miguello zur Kenntnis genommen hat. W\u00e4hrend die Marine in letzter Zeit mehr Schiffe im System geflogen hat, liegt ihre Priorit\u00e4t definitiv auf Vanduul-Bedrohungen, so dass Leute wie Miguello f\u00fcr sich selbst sorgen m\u00fcssen. Das Unternehmen wurde in diesem Jahr mehr als ein paar Mal getroffen und sie suchen nach einem Sicherheitspersonal, das so schnell wie m\u00f6glich patrouilliert und ihre Verbreitung von Kollektorfeldern sch\u00fctzt. Das Interessante an diesem Vertrag ist, dass sie nicht nur nach Schl\u00e4gern suchen, die sich im Feld verfangen, sondern auch nach strategischen Beratern, die helfen k\u00f6nnen, die Logistik der Bewachung eines so gro\u00dfen Gebietes herauszufinden. Also, wenn die Planung von Routen, Zeitpl\u00e4nen und Sicherheitsprotokollen Ihre Triebwerke in Schwung bringt, und es Ihnen nichts ausmacht, wie isoliert der Standort ist, dann w\u00fcrde ich dieses hier schnell aufschnappen.\n\nAls n\u00e4chstes haben wir etwas f\u00fcr diejenigen von euch, die vielleicht etwas weniger zerebral sind. Eine Person, die anonym bleiben wollte, wurde von einer lokalen Bande wegen eines so genannten \"sensiblen Gegenstandes\" ihres Nachlasses beraubt. Jetzt werden sie f\u00fcr die R\u00fcckgabe des genannten Artikels erpresst, es sei denn, sie zahlen. Aus verschiedenen Gr\u00fcnden ist die Zahlung des L\u00f6segeldes nicht schmackhaft, also suchen sie nach einem Rettungsteam. Jetzt kannst du sehen, warum es nicht viele \u00f6ffentliche Details zu diesem Thema gibt. Die Gauner bekommen Wind davon, dass ihr Ziel die Einstellung von S\u00f6ldnern ist, und du kannst wetten, dass sie Vergeltungsma\u00dfnahmen ergreifen werden. F\u00fcr meine Creden erfordert ein solcher Job entweder eine sehr leichte Ber\u00fchrung oder eine sehr schwere Hand - d.h. schleichen Sie sich rein, damit sie nicht wissen, dass Sie da sind, oder schlagen Sie sie so hart und schnell, dass sie keine Zeit haben, etwas anderes als Panik zu machen. Schwer zu sagen, was ohne weitere Informationen am besten ist, aber das liegt an dir zu erwerben. Verst\u00e4ndlicherweise ist dieser Vertrag darauf ausgerichtet, das Personal schnell aufzustocken, also wenn Sie interessiert sind, warten Sie nicht lange.\n\nSchlie\u00dflich haben wir einen Escort Vertrag, der einen Transportkonvoi sch\u00fctzt, der regelm\u00e4\u00dfig nach Tal f\u00e4hrt. Was diesen Job etwas anders macht als Ihren normalen Fly-Along, ist, dass von den Escorts erwartet wird, dass sie sich direkt mit den kriminellen H\u00e4usern in Xi'an verbinden und die Kontrolle \u00fcber die Sektoren haben, durch die die Route f\u00fchrt. Seit der Verabschiedung von HuXa habe ich immer mehr dieser Art von Anfragen gesehen, und ich wei\u00df nichts \u00fcber dich, aber ich wei\u00df fast nichts \u00fcber die Navigation durch die Feinheiten der Xi'an-Politik. Ich dachte, es w\u00e4re an der Zeit, etwas gegen meine Unwissenheit zu tun und hoffentlich jedem von euch zu helfen, der daran interessiert ist, im Xi'an-Raum zu arbeiten.\n\nBitte begr\u00fc\u00dfen Sie mit mir auf der Messe unseren speziellen Gast f\u00fcr heute, den ehemaligen MISC-Sicherheitsbeauftragten Jack Leong.\n\nJack Leong: Sch\u00f6n, in der Show zu sein.\nDanke, dass Sie sich die Zeit aus Ihrem wohlverdienten Ruhestand genommen haben, um mit uns zu sprechen.\n\nJack Leong: Keine Sorge, ich lasse meine Enkelin den Fisch f\u00fcr mich im Auge behalten, bis ich zu meinem Boot zur\u00fcckkehren kann.\nAlso, nur f\u00fcr ein wenig Geschichte, ich verstehe, dass du f\u00fcr MISC gearbeitet hast, und zwar 62 Jahre lang?\n\nJack Leong: Richtig. Ich schloss mich ihnen aus \u00c4quivalenzgr\u00fcnden als Werkswache an und arbeitete mich von dort aus nach oben. Ich bin einer dieser seltsamen Menschen, die du triffst, die in ihrem Leben nur einen Job hatten. Ich musste mich nicht einmal mit der ganzen Gilden- oder unabh\u00e4ngigen Debatte besch\u00e4ftigen. War einfach schon immer MISC.\nNun, ich bin sicher, dass wir mit sechs Jahrzehnten Sicherheit ein paar Episoden mit deinem Rat und deiner Weisheit f\u00fcllen k\u00f6nnten, aber f\u00fcr heute wollte ich mit dir speziell \u00fcber deine Erfahrung im Xi'an-Raum sprechen.\n\nJack Leong: Ich sage dir gerne, was ich kann.\nDu warst einer der ersten zivilen menschlichen Piloten, denen es offiziell erlaubt war, ein Kampfschiff durch ihr Territorium zu fliegen, richtig?\n\nJack Leong: Das ist richtig. Damals in 2910. MISC hatte gerade ihren Partnerschaftsvertrag unterzeichnet und wollte einige Manager und Techniker regelm\u00e4\u00dfig nach Tal schicken. Ich war der gl\u00fcckliche Kerl, der ausgew\u00e4hlt wurde, um mitzugehen und sicherzustellen, dass alle wichtigen Leute in einem St\u00fcck hin und zur\u00fcck kamen.\nWie war das so? Zum ersten Mal in den Raum Xi'an fliegen?\n\nJack Leong: Aus Sicherheitsgr\u00fcnden? Ziemlich leicht, die Wahrheit zu sagen. Es war eine gro\u00dfe Sache und alle Augen waren auf uns und die Xi'an gerichtet, um zu sehen, wie diese ganze Sache herausschauen w\u00fcrde. Niemand w\u00fcrde riskieren, dass uns etwas zust\u00f6\u00dft. Wir haben \u00fcberall eine Milit\u00e4reskorte. Mindestens f\u00fcr die ersten f\u00fcnf Jahre.\nEs stellte sich heraus, dass das alles, was der anf\u00e4ngliche Leihvertrag umfasste. Danach waren wir auf uns allein gestellt und lassen Sie mich einfach sagen, dass es eine verdammt steile Lernkurve war.\nKlingt ein wenig nach meinem Vater, der mich zur EVA bringt, indem er mich aus einer Luftschleuse wirft.\n\nJack Leong: Nicht allzu weit von der Wahrheit entfernt. Nachdem unser Regierungsschutz beendet war, trafen wir auf einen Sammler f\u00fcr eines der gr\u00f6\u00dften kriminellen H\u00e4user, die Kuang.\nMal sehen, ich habe hier eine Liste von Begriffen. Das ist ein yu'at.\u014dngh'uit\u0101, richtig?\n\nJack Leong: Du musst mich entschuldigen, ich habe nie gelernt, viel Xi'an zu sprechen. Es liegt daran, dass ich mich zu sehr auf meine \u00e4u\u00dferst kompetenten \u00dcbersetzer verlasse.\nKeine Sorge, keine Sorge. Wir werden eine Reihe von Begriffen auf unserer Spektrum-Seite ver\u00f6ffentlichen, f\u00fcr jeden, der geneigt ist, sie nachzuschlagen. W\u00fcrden Sie mir bitte vorerst etwas mehr \u00fcber diese kriminellen H\u00e4user erkl\u00e4ren?\n\nJack Leong: Im Grunde genommen haben die Xi'an ein Rechtsverbrechen. Ich wei\u00df, das klingt nicht so, als ob es viel Sinn macht, aber so machen sie die Dinge. Kriminelle H\u00e4user erhalten die Erlaubnis der Regierung, etwas zu betreiben, was einem Schutzprogramm entspricht; zahlen Sie uns und wir lassen Sie in Ruhe.\nIch habe geh\u00f6rt, dass sie das tun, aber es f\u00e4llt mir immer noch schwer, es zu glauben.\n\nJack Leong: Das habe ich anfangs auch, aber nachdem ich mich einige Jahrzehnte mit dem System besch\u00e4ftigt habe, gebe ich zu, dass die Logik des Ganzen ansprechend ist. Die Xi'an werden Ihnen sagen, dass sie sich gerade damit abgefunden haben, dass Kriminalit\u00e4t eine Tatsache des Lebens ist und da es keine M\u00f6glichkeit gibt, sie loszuwerden, warum versuchen Sie nicht, sie zu kontrollieren?\nDie Kriminellen m\u00fcssen bestimmte Regeln befolgen, oder?\n\nJack Leong: Genau. Zum Beispiel sind sie darauf beschr\u00e4nkt, in jedem Zyklus nur einen bestimmten Betrag an Gewinn einzunehmen. Sie d\u00fcrfen nicht t\u00f6ten. Sie k\u00f6nnen nicht alle deine Ladungen mitnehmen. Sie k\u00f6nnen nicht oft genug dieselben Leute schlagen. Und das sind nur einige der Regeln. Wie bei allen Dingen Xi'an ist die Liste lang und kompliziert. Eines der interessanteren Dinge ist, dass diese kriminellen H\u00e4user oft wie Sicherheitskr\u00e4fte enden, da sie es normalerweise sind, die Xi'an jagen und fangen, der die Regeln bricht.\nDie Sache, dass man nicht in der Lage ist, die gesamte Ladung aufzunehmen, muss f\u00fcr Schlepper ziemlich sch\u00f6n sein.\n\nJack Leong: Nun, um zu riskieren, wie der pensionierte alte Wackelpudding zu klingen, der ich bin, ist es ein bisschen wie beim Angeln. Nehmen Sie alle Fische auf einmal aus dem See, und beim n\u00e4chsten Mal wird es nichts mehr zu fangen geben.\nIch w\u00fcnschte, einige der Banden hier drau\u00dfen h\u00e4tten diese Art von Zur\u00fcckhaltung gezeigt.\n\nJack Leong: Es ist alles ein Zahlenspiel mit dem Xi'an. Tats\u00e4chlich ist eine andere Art, an Xi'an Verbrechen zu denken, fast wie eine zweite Steuer oder eine alternative Form der Versicherung. Je nachdem, wie viel du fliegst, kannst du w\u00e4hlen, ob du riskieren willst, festgehalten zu werden, oder ob du im Voraus planen und eine Geb\u00fchr bezahlen willst. Nachdem MISC ein paar Mal ausgeraubt wurde, fand es schlie\u00dflich heraus, dass es kl\u00fcger war, nur regelm\u00e4\u00dfige Zahlungen an die Kuang zu leisten.\nKlingt, als w\u00e4re alles danach ziemlich einfach.\n\nJack Leong: Es w\u00e4re so gewesen, wenn es die Neuverhandlungen nicht gegeben h\u00e4tte. Es war nie klar, ob es daran lag, dass wir Menschen waren, oder ob es nur daran lag, dass wir als wertvolle Ziele angesehen wurden, aber \u00f6fter als ich es mir gew\u00fcnscht h\u00e4tte, wurden unsere Zahlungen abgelehnt.\nLass mich raten. Sie wollten mehr Geld?\n\nJack Leong: Jawohl. Das bedeutete, dass wir uns auf der Strecke auf einen neuen Preis einigen mussten. Oder wie einer meiner Mitarbeiter es nannte: \"Kampfhandel\".\nOkay, ich will definitiv mehr dar\u00fcber h\u00f6ren, aber ich muss dich bitten, diesen Gedanken genau hier festzuhalten, Jack, denn wir m\u00fcssen eine kurze Pause einlegen.\n\nWenn wir zur\u00fcckkommen, werden wir viele weitere Einblicke von Herrn Leong haben und Skiv wird vorbeikommen, um seinen Hot Take \u00fcber den neu verf\u00fcgbaren J\u00e4ger aus Aopoa, die San'tok.y\u0101i, zu pr\u00e4sentieren. All das und noch mehr, wenn OP.NET weitergeht.","zh_CN":"Welcome to OP.NET. Your single source for all the news, tips, and insights that any independent mercenary could ever want. I\u2019m your host Conva Maynard. And although we\u2019re not Guild affiliated in any way, I\u2019d like to give a special welcome to Local Guild 806 out in Ferron who comm\u2019d in to tell me about their weekly OP.NET gatherings. While it may surprise some of you to learn that Guild members would be fans of the program, in fact, more and more of our audience are people like the 806 who are eager to get their hands on any solid information no matter the source. Basically, what I\u2019m saying is that Skiv\u2019s reviews are useful no matter who you are.\n\nI know a lot of time it can feel like it\u2019s an \u2018us versus them\u2019 thing. Independents and Guild members out there scrapping for the same work, arguing about what\u2019s the best way to handle our business, but if you want to know the truth, we all have a lot more in common than not. We\u2019re all trying to do the job the best we can. I\u2019ve always felt an important part of being independent is respecting and learning from the way other people like to operate. Yeah, the Guild may not be for everyone, and it sure as heck ain\u2019t for me, but for a lot of folks it makes sense and that\u2019s okay. OP.NET is all in favor of making the choice that\u2019s right for you, as long as you do the proper research and diligence first.\n\nSpeaking of, with this week\u2019s Job Board, research all of these opportunities on your own to make sure they check out square before signing up for anything. We say it every episode, but any merc worth their body armor always vets their leads before making a move.\n\nFirst up, we got an offer coming all the way out of Oberon. A growing refinery concern, Miguello Extraction, has expanded recently and it seems that a local outfit of marauders has taken notice of Miguello\u2019s success. While the Navy have been flying more ships in system as of late, their priority is definitely dealing with any Vanduul threats, leaving folks like Miguello to fend for themselves. The company has been hit more than a couple times this year and they\u2019re looking to hire a security detail to patrol and protect their spread of collector arrays, ASAP. What\u2019s interesting about this contract is that they aren\u2019t just looking for sluggers to tangle in the field, they\u2019re looking for strategic consultants, someone who can help figure out the logistics of guarding such a large area. So, if planning routes, schedules, and security protocols gets your thrusters boosting, and you don\u2019t mind how isolated the location is, then I\u2019d snatch this one up right quick.\n\nNext, we got something for those of you who might be a little less cerebral. An individual wishing to remain anonymous had their estate robbed of a so-called \u201csensitive item\u201d by a local gang. Now, they\u2019re being blackmailed for the return of said item unless they pay up. For various reasons, paying the ransom is not palatable, so they\u2019re looking to hire a recovery team. Now you can see why there aren\u2019t a lot of public details on this one. The crooks catch wind that their mark is hiring mercs and you can bet they\u2019ll retaliate. For my creds, a job like this requires either a very light touch or a very heavy hand \u2013 i.e. sneak in so they don\u2019t know you\u2019re there or hit them so hard and fast they don\u2019t have time to do anything but panic. Hard to say which is best without some more information but that\u2019ll be up to you to acquire. Understandably, this contract\u2019s looking to staff up fast, so if you\u2019re interested, don\u2019t wait long.\n\nFinally, we\u2019ve got an escort contract protecting a hauling convoy doing regular runs out to Tal. What makes this job a little bit different than your standard fly-along is that the escorts will be expected to directly interface with the Xi\u2019an criminal houses in control of the sectors the route travels through. Since the passage of HuXa, I have seen more and more of these kinds of requests popping up, and I don\u2019t know about you, but I pretty much know next to nothing about navigating the intricacies of Xi\u2019an politics. Figured that it was about time I do something about my ignorance and hopefully help out any of you interested in operating in Xi\u2019an space.\n\nPlease join me in welcoming to the show our special guest for today, former MISC security officer Jack Leong.\n\nJack Leong: Pleasure to be on the show.\nThanks for taking the time out of your well-deserved retirement to talk with us.\n\nJack Leong: Don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m having my granddaughter keep an eye on the fish for me until I can get back to my boat.\nSo, just for a little bit of history, my understanding is that you worked for MISC going on sixty-two years?\n\nJack Leong: Correct. Joined them right out of equivalency as an off-shift factory guard and worked my way up from there. I\u2019m one of those odd people you meet who\u2019ve only ever worked one job in their life. Didn\u2019t even have to bother with the whole Guild or Independent debate. Just always been MISC.\nNow, I\u2019m sure with six decades in security we could fill a couple episodes with your advice and wisdom, but for today I wanted to talk to you specifically about your experience operating in Xi\u2019an space.\n\nJack Leong: I\u2019m happy to tell you what I can.\nYou were one of the first civilian Human pilots to officially be permitted to fly a combat ship through their territory correct?\n\nJack Leong: That\u2019s right. Back in 2910. MISC had just signed their partnership deal and was going to be sending some execs and techs out to Tal on a regular basis. I was the lucky guy picked to go along and make sure all the important people got there and back in one piece.\nWhat was that like? Flying into Xi\u2019an space for the first time?\n\nJack Leong: Security-wise? Pretty darn easy to tell the truth. It was a big deal and all eyes were on us and the Xi\u2019an to see how this whole thing would shake out. Nobody was going to risk anything happening to us. We got a military escort everywhere we went. For the first five years at least.\nTurned out, that was all the initial lendlease agreement covered. After that, we were on our own and let me just say it was a damn pretty steep learning curve.\nSounds a bit like my dad teaching me to EVA by kicking me out an airlock.\n\nJack Leong: Not too far from the truth. First flight after our government protection ended, we ran into a collector for one of the major criminal houses, the Kuang.\nLet me see, I have a list of terms here. That\u2019s a yu\u2019at.\u014dngh\u2019uit\u0101, correct?\n\nJack Leong: You\u2019ll have to excuse me, I never did learn to speak much Xi\u2019an. Blame it on me relying on my extremely competent translators too much.\nNo worries. We\u2019ll post a bunch of terms to our spectrum page for anyone who\u2019s inclined to look it up. For now, would you mind explaining a bit more about these criminal houses?\n\nJack Leong: Basically, the Xi\u2019an have legal crime. I know that doesn\u2019t sound like it makes much sense but that\u2019s the way they do things. Criminal houses get permission from the government to run what amounts to a protection scheme; pay us and we\u2019ll leave you alone.\nI heard that\u2019s what they do, but I still have a hard time believing it.\n\nJack Leong: I did too at first, but after having to deal with the system for a few decades I\u2019ll admit the logic of it all is appealing. The Xi\u2019an will tell you that they have just come to terms with crime being a fact of life and since there\u2019s no way to get rid of it, why not try to control it?\nThe criminals have to follow certain rules, right?\n\nJack Leong: Exactly. For example, they\u2019re limited to only taking a certain amount of profit every cycle. They\u2019re not allowed to kill. They can\u2019t take all your cargo. They can\u2019t hit the same people too often. And that\u2019s just a few of the rules. As with all things Xi\u2019an, the list is long and complicated. One of the more interesting things is that a lot of the time these criminal houses wind up acting like security forces since it\u2019s usually them who hunt down and catch rogue outlaw Xi\u2019an who break the rules.\nThat thing about not being able to take all the cargo has to be pretty nice for haulers.\n\nJack Leong: Well, to risk sounding like the retired old dodder that I am, it\u2019s a bit like fishing. Take all the fish out of lake in one go, and next time there won\u2019t be anything for you to catch.\nWish some of the gangs out here showed that kind of restraint.\n\nJack Leong: It\u2019s all a numbers game with the Xi\u2019an. In fact, another way to think of Xi\u2019an crime is almost like a second tax or an alternate form of insurance. Depending on how much you fly you can choose to risk being held up, or you can plan ahead and pay a fee. After being robbed a few times, MISC eventually figure out that it was smarter to just make regular payments to the Kuang.\nSounds like it would all be pretty straightforward after that.\n\nJack Leong: It would have been if it weren\u2019t for the renegotiations. It was never clear if it was because we were Humans or if it was just because we were seen as valuable targets, but more often than I\u2019d like our payments were refused.\nLet me guess. They wanted more money?\n\nJack Leong: Yup. It meant that we would have to settle on a new price en route. Or as one of my associates called it, \u201cCombat Haggling.\u201d\nOkay, definitely want to hear more on this, but I\u2019m gonna have to ask you to hold that thought right there, Jack, as we need to take a quick break.\n\nWhen we come back, we will have plenty more insights from Mr. Leong and Skiv will be by to provide his hot-take on the newly available fighter from Aopoa, the San\u2019tok.y\u0101i. All that and more as OP.NET continues."},"links_count":0,"comment_count":22,"created_at":"2018-12-05T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"7 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-07 22:40:36","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":16891,"next_id":16893}}