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[a_shadow]

Money is a cornerstone of a successful society. Right now we have to barter for favors if there's a job that needs done. It's easy to lose track of who owes who for what. Physical currency solves this problem and makes it easier to determine how much a unit of cost (an hour of work) should be worth.

Those of us who are working on the planet are being paid in physical currency. I think that once we return to the ship, we should all agree to honor this currency for goods and services rendered.

[ Attachment: A photo of a pile of hexagonal brass-colored coins, each with a geometric grid etched on it and a hole punched out of the center. A small group of the coins has been strung together with a cord. ]

Make sure to cash out for these coins so we all have the same thing. They have cloth bills but I don't think those are worth shit. We'll handle distribution for the people who aren't working once we figure out how much money we have on board.

Comments

[text]

[outer_space]

What is it that you're so eager to buy?

[text]

[a_shadow]

Nothing specific right now. I'm sure something will come up though. And I want to have the buying power for it when it does. There are lots of different skill sets on board.

[text]

[outer_space]

There must be, for us to have an economist in our midst.

text;

[notglitching]

Resource exchange: more efficient.

text;

[a_shadow]

There's no way to know if you're getting an equivalent exchange that way.

[beautifulspaceraptor]

Sounds like an interesting experiment. I suppose I'll bite.

[a_shadow]

Thank you. I'm glad to have your support.

text

[kickbancaboose]

[ oh, what the fuck. he should've known tex living in a world without money would be a statistical impossibility. this is so typical. ]

WHY

text

[a_shadow]

You better be planning to help me with this.

[longshadow]

Counterpoint: Fuck that.

[ What an educated and reasonable response, that surely has nothing to do with his own desire to continue getting free stuff. ]

[a_shadow]

You'll remember you said that when you don't get a share.

[imahologram]

So you're proposing a system in which, at this time, people can only start to earn that currency by hunting? Unless you have plans to redistribute the money you've made, or to manufacture this currency, you're setting up a massive economic divide where one apparently didn't exist before now.

[a_shadow]

That's why I mentioned distribution. I'm not going to set it up so some people are flat broke right from the start. That's just not fair.

video;

[hatesimprovising]

[ The content of the message admittedly gets Wash's attention--it seems reasonably sensible to him. He has some questions about it, but all of those wash away when he catches the name of the person who's posted the message across the network.

Agent Texas.

Holy shit. What did he miss while he was in cryo?? Well, apparently someone from his universe showing up through the Ingress. Granted, someone he doesn't know particularly well (and yet part of him feels like he knows her so well...), but he's still excited because wow, a familiar face!! ]

Texas?

[ He replies in video form because, hey, it's easier and he wants her to recognize him right off the bat. Plus, he wouldn't mind if she reciprocated so he can be sure it's really her. ]

Whoa! How long have you been here?

video;

[a_shadow]

[ Well, if there ever was a man Tex felt like telling to fuck off in infinite lifetimes. She's not too pleased about the whole EMP thing. It tears at her, the way she was reunited with Church at the end there, only to have it cut off in the most unceremonious of ways.

But there's something she's picked up here, and that's that not everyone is from the same time or place or even the same reality. So coming on screen and flipping him off, like she feels like doing, may not be the most prudent action.

Let him find out what she's mad about before she expresses it.

When she turns the video feed on, Wash will see a woman who very closely resembles the face of the woman she's based on—it's not exact, but it's close enough that she knows that Church sees nothing but Allison when he looks at her. ]

Washington.

[ She frowns slightly. ]

I saw you on the manifest weeks ago, but when I asked about you they said you were in cryo sleep.

text

[pushed]

Thank god. I've never seen anyone ante up with favors.

Maybe once, but it's not exactly a family friendly story.

text

[a_shadow]

Tell me that means you have a deck of cards.

[ If so, he'd find himself a very popular man. ]

Text;

[commontype]

How's that gonna work an' all? Considerin' that almost everywhere we've stopped runs on trade. Besides, there ain't really nothin' on the ship that needs money, yeah? Everyone helps each other out and we get all the basics free.

Text;

[a_shadow]

Right now there's inequity when someone offers up favors that aren't repaid. I like being able to have something that physically represents the work I've put into helping people.

text

[handing]

It's an interesting notion, but not one that would work unless absolutely everyone agrees to it. Money itself is meaningless without the adherence of the people spending it. Additionally, you seem to want to compensate for the fact that not everyone can go down and work on the planet through generosity. It's a noble notion, but I doubt you'll get the cooperation of everyone on board, which is fair. Those who have earned their money have a right to do with it as they please. In addition, you also create a secondary class that's reliant on those who have money to supply for those who don't, which in turn could cause a far larger rift than already potentially exists among the crew. Given the recent violence among our own number, adding in something else to fight about isn't advisable without incredibly good reason and value.

While on the surface it might be a neater form of exchange, in application the potential problems, I think, outweigh the usefulness of it, at least as your current suggestion stands.

text

[a_shadow]

I feel like you have solutions in mind for your objections. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but your wording seems to suggest that.

[voice]

[breakin_ur_lore]

I'm not sure if we really need a currency on the ship right now. There aren't that many of us...and there's not really much to buy, either.

permatext

[a_shadow]

It's always good to be prepared. There are skill sets we know nothing about on board.

[needsnoface]

Quite an admirable endeavor there you wish to undertake, in being the voice of logic in regards to this issue.

Even with those who feel satisfied in this trade economy going on, there are far too many instances in history where such a system begins to fail. After all we can not predict how other planets may take to such a system if we are truly in need of supplies that are vital to operations.

I would suggest first figuring out what precious resource will be used as the basis for this monetary system, since I don't exactly see a vault of gold and precious metals to use as such as earth tends to do.

[a_shadow]

Right now the coins are what's available. I did some research and backing the currency isn't really necessary—people just need to agree to honor the currency and it has value.