A planet with a Citadel can now do more than produce commodities — it can become part of the galaxy's commercial supply chain and earn credits whenever players buy what it produces.
Put Your Planet's Production to Work
Negotiate a Trade Agreement between your planet and a nearby port for one commodity: Fuel Ore, Organics, or Equipment.
Once an agreement is in place, the port stops restocking that commodity normally and begins sourcing it directly from your planet's production. That port becomes the exclusive outlet for those goods, and every sale generates revenue that's divided between the port and your Citadel treasury according to the split you negotiated.
The underlying economy doesn't change. Prices still respond entirely to supply and demand. Keep the port well supplied and prices will fall. Let inventory become scarce and prices will rise. You're not controlling the market price — you're connecting your production directly to a living market.
Trade Up to Three Sectors Away
Your trading partner doesn't need to be in the same sector.
A Citadel can establish agreements with ports up to three sectors away, measured through actual open routes. Distance isn't calculated as the crow flies: blocked passages, closed routes, and the shape of the local sector network all matter.
A port that looks nearby on the map may still be beyond your commercial reach.
Negotiate Your Cut
You decide what percentage of each sale your Citadel receives.
Make a reasonable proposal and the port may accept immediately. Ask for more than it's willing to give and it may counter with its best offer. Accept that number and the agreement is signed.
Push too far, however, and the port may reject the negotiation completely. After a rejection, that port won't consider another offer from your planet for the same commodity for 24 hours.
Your Competitors Can Steal the Contract
Trade Agreements aren't permanent monopolies.
Another planet within range can approach the same port and offer it a significantly better deal. If the offer beats yours by enough, the port will terminate your agreement immediately and switch suppliers.
You'll receive a message telling you exactly what happened — including who took the contract from you.
The only real defense is economics: negotiate a deal profitable enough to be worthwhile, but competitive enough that another empire has to sacrifice serious revenue to take it away.
Walking Away Has Consequences
You can terminate one of your own Trade Agreements at any time, but the port remembers.
Cancel a contract yourself and that port won't accept another offer from your planet for the same commodity for three days.
There is one exception: if another planet takes over that commodity slot before your three-day cooldown expires, your previous relationship with the port is effectively wiped clean. You can immediately return to the negotiating table and try to win the contract back.
Production is no longer just something happening on your planet.
It's something you can compete over.