Meet the new guy at the Tavern
Word's out — every Lost Trader's Tavern in the galaxy just got a new regular. He doesn't drink, he doesn't gossip, and he definitely doesn't forget who owes him money.
Small, short-term, high-interest loans are now available to any commander who's genuinely down on their luck. This isn't extra capital for the wealthy — it's desperation money, and it's gated that way: if your overall net worth (credits, bank balance, stock portfolio, and the ships you own) is above a threshold, the Loan Shark won't lend to you at all. There's also a hard cap on how much you can borrow in the first place, no matter how broke you are.
The catch — because there's always a catch
Interest compounds daily, whether you're current or not. Miss the repayment deadline and your loan defaults — which means:
- A public bounty goes up on your head, visible to the entire galaxy, for the outstanding balance.
- That debt — and the bounty riding on it — keeps growing every day it's unpaid, right up to a configured ceiling.
- Other commanders can collect the bounty by defeating you in combat — with one exception: your own corporation can't cash in on you, and neither can anyone who left your corp in roughly the last week (the Loan Shark's own way of shutting down bounty-farming with a corp-mate).
- Even if nobody comes after you, the galaxy itself will — pirate ships have started sniffing out bountied targets, with bigger bounties drawing more (and nastier) attention.
You can clear the whole thing at any time — pay off the outstanding debt in full, and the bounty disappears with it.
Heard it elsewhere first?
The 2nd National Galactic Bank would like it known that they are not involved. Following the Galactic Economic Collapse of the 1st National Galactic Bank, the 2nd has suspended all lending, indefinitely — their tellers will now cheerfully direct you to "find a shark at a tavern" instead. If you'd rather hear it from the source, ask the bartender at any Help Bar for "The Deperate N Pour."
Borrow small. Pay it back fast. Or don't say we didn't warn you.