Well, here it is - the traders FINALLY get their own government. It's called the Argent, and the basic principle behind it goes like this:
A few years after the events in the EV universe, high fuel prices caused traders to revolt against the confederation. They knew that they could never mass a military force of the size needed to attack the confederation, so they struck at them the only way they could: Through economic warfare. Around 80% of the traders banded together in the Argent Free trade coalition. They all bought and sold commodities at ridiculous rates. Prety soon, word got out, and almost all the independent traders joined the coalition, looking for greater profits and security. The confederation has always hated them, but the rebellion government has been sympathetic, and has given them some technology. They started basic defensive convoys for their trade fleets, and started making money. That was 100 years ago.

Today (the current timeframe of the plug), the Argent government is rich. Rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams. They have attracted the best economists, leaders, and scientists from around their galaxy from their reputation for fair treatment and exorbinant salaries. With weapons technology salvaged from alien ships and prototypes, they have designed amazing weapons unheard of in the known galaxy. But they are still small, and the Confederation is trying to anialate them now before it is too late. What will happen? It's up to you.

What I am looking for is input and maybe some assistance on this plug-in. Give me any suggestions, however farfetched (hey, I've already got a mission that involves the destruction of the Sol system!) for missions. Help on graphics would also be appreciated. The Argent will probably use mostly civilian ships with a whole lot of firepower, but a unique military would be nice. E-mail me if you're interested. The Argent's colors are primarily yellow (freedom) and a secondary green (a holdover from the independent trading days)

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Long Live the Free Argents!

hm... can't think of anything for the main plot but how about a disaster - you know like the floods or plagues in the game that alter the price of commodities - that raises all the commodities prices to highest on confed worlds. the reason for it could be because of a recent military strike against the argent by confed???

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That sounds like a good idea. A main storyline would probably be the revenge of the argent against the confed, but additional sub-plots are great. As this plug has evolved (since last night), I have actually branched out a bit. There are now two new governments. The argent trade and use mostly civilian ships, but have their own military (right now consisting of a new cruiser and a corvette, with upgraded manta fighters). This military is primarily there to escort ships through hostile space. They use the color yellow.

Since I found some good ship graphics with green and black, I decided to start a new government, the argent militia. They are allied with the argent, but have superior ships (and the argent ones are quite good!). Their primary role is the defence of the argent worlds (currently 11), and they raerly leave. This may be where the revenge and military missions come into play. The militia currently have a battleship (something of a cross between the Confed cruiser and the alien battleship, but better!), a frigate, and two classes of fighters (the light fighters are the same upgraded mantas the argent use)

The main interseting point in this story is the fact that in order to suceed, the player will have to take missions from both governments. The milita missions will probably be harder and result in the avaliability of new outfits and weapons, while the argent will give you cold, hard cash, and lots. You'll need it too - the militia battleship is currently going for $150,000,000 credits (may up it to 500 mil, depending on performance)

Needless to say, to keep the balance of power, the incredibly powerful argent milita ships must be relatively few. But this can be addressed as the plug continues.

The

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Long Live the Free Argents!

Well, for all you hanging on my every word (If you are, you're dissilusioned, this will be a great plug, but only a plug). Here's a status update as of 1/15/2000.

Status: operational

Ships: Argent - Cruiser, Corvette, Frigate
Argent Militia - Battleship, Frigate, Light and Heavy fighters

Systems: 1 new pirate system (Arthorpe) and 11 uninabited (so far) Argent systems

Planets + Outposts: 1 new pirate outpost (Last call outpost)

Weapons: Argent Beam and Beam turret, Argent Missile and launcher, Argent Rocket and launcher, Argent cloak.

Missions: 1 new pirate one (if you ever wanted to destroy Earth...)

People, fleets, etc: New pirate fleets, including one exclusive to Arthorpe (I would suggest coming in with a BIG ship)

Changes in dialoug boxes, etc: To numerous to list. Of note is the Defender's new life as the "tin can"

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Long Live the Free Argents!