ThinksMarkedly wrote:Armed Neo-Bob wrote:They might feel "cramped" politically, but they have always suffered in comparison to Manticore in economic terms. But the Andermani are also Manticore's largest and most important trading partner (text in HAE), and Silesia was next most important; so all the shipping in the League was actually third in importance to the RMN . . . .
I guess that they didn't count the League as a whole, but each individual member as a trading partner. That's the only way the Empire would be a larger trading partner to Manticore than the League. Shipping I agree, since since three of the MWHJ termini led directly or indirectly through Andermani territory.
In any case, that economical position is about to disappear, as the RoH recovers and begins trading with Manticore. Of course, the Andermani will also benefit from that recovery.
Basilisk and Gregor are close to the Andies; I don't see a third very close, unless you mean through Asgerd to Matapan to Manticore; easier to use Gregor, I'd think.
Haven might not displace the Andies as the primary trading partner--it depends on too many market variables to say. But most of Silesia and Talbott are already industrialized, just not modernized; and Haven is getting caught up fast, but still isn't quite caught up itself.
I would guess most of the major buying will be by the Republic Systems, investing in home improvements; and once Manticore buys the requisite tech, they will ramp up fast, building manufaturing capacity instead of SDPs for a few years.
Trading partner--someone who buys your stuff. For Manticore, there is little reason (other than fashion) to sell goods to the League, because for the most part their civilian tech is about the same. But League transtellars (the more honest ones, anyway) were very leery of doing business in the Verge, so while they like to sell things, they ship largely through third parties to areas outside the Protectorates: Manticore, Asgerd, Erewhon, other independents and the Andermani Empire all provide lower risk shipping options for Sollies.
But for the Verge systems, Manticore couldn't possibly make enough stuff to serve all the needs, they are just another Core World as far as tech goes; the difference being, that while some Core World systems seem almost mythical to the Verge (Beowulf, forex.) Manties come around every once in a while and provide actual delivery.
This was one of Mesa's businesses as well--Jessyk and its Sollie partner Kalokainos Shipping went to systems in the Verge that were otherwise too risky; in addition to their slave-running and stolen-goods business, they also delivered legit goods--except where the RMN policies rule, since they are both banned.
Feel free to disagree.
Rob