Wandering Merchants & TradeTrade Among the Stars

Officials list "trade with wandering merchants" as one of the three purposes of an expedition (the other two: gathering resources and recruiting citizens). Beyond artillery and propaganda, trade is the regime's third leg.

Confirmed Facts

• Wandering Merchants appear as expedition nodes on the space map (press hands-on confirms "merchants allow resource trading")
• The colony economy runs on CredChips (the HUD includes a daily-wage counter), and trade forms one link in the fiscal loop
• Press confirms some locations also let you "interact with local inhabitants and manipulate their loyalty" — trade and influence coexist in expedition diplomacy

Where Trade Fits Strategically

Based on the known mechanics of the expedition economy, trade's core value lies in:

• Filling gaps — urgently needed supplies mid-expedition don't require flying home; swap loot for them on the spot
• Cashing out — turn surplus output clogging your warehouse into CredChips or scarce resources
• Sustaining deep runs — under the expedition rule that "pushing too far costs you part of your gains" (see Expeditions), merchant nodes are mid-route resupply stops deep in the sector