Ports

# ports.md ## Overview Ports are the focal points for commodity exchange and the gateway to alignment benefits. Good‑aligned traders rely on **paired‑port trading** as the primary source of income. Access to an **Imperial Star Ship (ISS)** and the ability to **Transwarp** directly into Federation space increase port‑related profitability. ## Paired‑Port Trading (Good Alignment Core) Paired‑port trading requires two adjacent ports that exchange opposite commodities: * **Port A** trades **Equipment → Organics**. * **Port B** trades **Organics → Equipment**. The trader repeatedly sells the commodity offered by a port, buys the opposite commodity, and moves to the neighboring port to repeat the process. The cycle continues until one port exhausts its stock for the traded commodity, after which the trader relocates to a new pair. > **Note:** After constructing a **Level‑4 citadel** on an owned planet, daily production of goods increases, extending the duration of profitable cycles. ### Example Cycle | Step | Action | Commodity | Port Role | |------|--------|-----------|-----------| | 1 | Sell | Equipment | Port A (E → O) | | 2 | Buy | Organics | Port A (E → O) | | 3 | Travel | — | Adjacent sector | | 4 | Sell | Organics | Port B (O → E) | | 5 | Buy | Equipment | Port B (O → E) | | 6 | Travel | — | Return to Port A | ## Robbing and Stealing When a Red’s alignment is **‑100** or lower, the port menu includes a **Rob** option. * Menu keys: `A` – Attack, `R` – Rob, `S` – Steal, `T` – Trade, `Q` – Quit. * Selecting **R** presents sub‑options **R**ob and **S**teal. ### Cash Available for Robbing The actual cash on a port equals the displayed value plus **11 %**.