Welcome weary traveller, to Ra1derz' Mega-Shuttle Company!
With the announcement of a new class of ship being made available to the public sector in the next year, I've stumbled across an interesting business proposition... I just need some assistance in funding it. If you're interested, I'd love to tell you all about it.
Okay, so here's the deal:
Those pilot's federation bigwigs like to think they're so kind, offering a valet service for your ships at a "premium" charge. Well I don't know about you but I think that's just too damned expensive and we don't know what they do to your ship while they throw it half-way across the bubble. So I figure, let's kick them out of business and offer a much more reliable service for a discounted rate. Now I ain't an engineer, so I don't presume to know exactly how those big old mega-ships of theirs get from point a to point b, but I've seen The Canonn offering rides on their Gnosis ship whenever it jumps to a new system. Thing is, they're one of those, as you say, community groups, that like to offer everything out for free. But your buddy here is too clever for that, I see a gap in the market.
You only have to look to everyone's favourite good samaritans, The Fuel Rats, to see that ever since those blasted aliens turned up, people have been flying their combat ships over to the Pleiades Nebula. I mean they're going over in masses! Of course, combat ships are too busy having reinforcement packages strapped to their insides to consider installing a fuel scoop, so they end up getting stranded on the way to the fight. It's quite a way out too, that nebula, especially when your ship ain't built for jumping like mine is.
So I propose, we get one of these fabled fleet-carriers/mega-ships whatever you wanna call them, we'll see what those shipyard contractors actually come up with, and use it as a sorts of cruise liner... well, more like a Ferry but we gotta make it sound good otherwise who's gonna come along? So, I present Ra1derz' Mega-Shuttle: The only way to safely know where your ships going, at a discounted price.
Course... I can't build a mega-ship off my own back. I may be pretty well off but those things are gonna be pretty darn big, and I am not one for manual labour. So, if any of you noble lot would "Chip in" a few, oh I don't know, thousand resources, I'd be sure we could fix you up with a friendly discount whenever you use the service.
Again, I aint an engineer, I don't know how these things fly, but I gotta good feeling it either needs materials, or credits. If it's materials, passengers will have to bring a portion with them to pool into the jump drive. If it's credits, I might just be able to charge 5% more than what it costs to jump the thing per person, get a nice skim off the top and make a little business out here.
This system relies on the fleet carriers being cheaper to jump than using a valet, but the advantage is being able to get to systems with no shipyards, or some places a bit too out of the way for your common fighter craft with a small jump range. Either way, it's an alternative I'd love to offer to all you eager commanders.
So, think about it, your buddy's here welcoming your assistance!