[TML] [Merchant Shipping] Some ideas I came up with tomake merchant shipping more interesing

[Joseph Paul]

Jerry wrote:
> Flat fee.  Hee hee, that's funny.  Then what would prevent me from using
>your flat-fee power to nearly fill the Jump capacitors?  After all, it's
>just electricity.  Besides ports, like other organizations, don't like flat
>fees.  They want to nickel and dime you to death.

Here are some ideas on that.
1) Jump capacitors are designed for a different electrical feed than station
power can give them. Sort of like the 50 Hertz/60 Hertz difference in
European and US machinery. The capacitor probably won't care (Or will it? I
am not an electrical engineer.)  but there are probably feed mechanisms that
regulate the feed to the banks. Wreck that and you may be in trouble.

2) You *are* paying for enough to fill the Jump capacitors so go ahead!
After all Traveller may indeed have 'power too cheap to meter'.

3) The station actually flat fees you up to a certain amount based on the
average requirements of ships in different tonnage classes. Exceed that by
pulling for the Jump capacitors and you are billed at a rate that will make
you wish that you had kept the powerplant running with premium!

Joseph Paul