Quartermaster

Cargo Department

Quartermaster

Access: Cargo, Command, External, Maintenance, Quartermaster, Salvage

Difficulty: Medium

Duties: Ensure Cargo runs smoothly, have the final say in supply related matters, engage in your economic power fantasy

Supervisors: Captain

Subordinates: Cargo Technician, Salvage Specialist

Guides: You're reading it!

So. You've done your time, working up the ladder of this most prestigious and hallowed department aboard this station. From a fresh-faced techie, to an adventurous salvager, and finally, here. You've made it to Quartermaster. You've earned the right to... wear a cloak and carry around an iPad. At least that's what your detractors would say.

Even though Command members aren't officially ranked after Captain, Head of Personnel, and Head of Security, QM is often considered to be the de facto "lowest ranked" head of staff. Since your responsibilities are not that much greater than a regular Cargo Technician, these facts combined tend to make QM one of the better roles to get a feel for playing Command.

As such, this page can be thought of as an addendum to the Cargo Technician page.

Your Command Center

The Quartermaster's room on the station "Bagel".

Welcome to your lair. This is your safe haven, a respite from the hard work of ensuring the station is topped up on supplies and a place to pathetically hide wisely protect yourself when your entire department is out for your head.

In your office, you have your department's comms computer from which you can make announcements that, yes, the salvagers are in fact working on getting materials and your artifacts are waiting at the ATS while we wrap up bounties.

In your secure locker, your have all the items that a head of staff usually has, such as yourstamp, yourdoor remote, and abox of spare cargo encryption keys. Unique to you, there's anAstroNav cartridge so that you and others can have GPS functionality in your PDA like a salvager, aluxury mining hardsuit for when you want to abandon your post and go get lost on an expedition need to protect yourself against depressurization, and your crown jewel, therequisition digi-board.

Tool of the Trade

That fancy gadget you keep in your locker or strapped to your hip is one of the few things that mechanically separates you from the techies you oversee. It's like a request computer in the palm of your hand. With it, you'll be able to order supplies to the ATS from literally anywhere, without need for power.

It's also an objective for antagonists to steal. Protect it, within reason. Speaking of...

With Great Power...

Much of what separates the Quartermaster from your average Cargo Technician comes less from any actual abilities they have, but instead the responsibilities that come with being a head of staff.

It's your job to make sure that bounties are being collected and cashed out, that essential minerals are mined, the mail is being delivered on time. Cargo is, by design, the department that takes the most manpower and manual labor to actually run successfully. You can't do it alone. You won't need to manually delegate tasks often, as cargotechs and salvagers are both very independent jobs, but don't be afraid to give out some orders if nothing's getting done.

Make sure you earn the respect of your subordinates. This is easiest to do for the Quartermaster as practically anyone in your department can do your job, so humility is quite common for the role.

As for paperwork, the amount a prospective requisitioner should need to fill is entirely at your discretion. There's no guidelines under Cargo S.O.P. for mandated written request forms, but it can be useful to reduce miscommunication, cause frivolous or malign requesters to balk, and help sort out misuse of goods you might have bought. It's all up to your level of patience for it.

Finally, Cargo is a powerful department for bad actors to disable or appropriate. It is your duty to ensure that this does not happen, to the best of your ability. It's entirely possible for revolutionaries to go from rag-tag band of political hotheads to violent armed-to-the-teeth militia if you're taken out of the picture. Revolutions are a great threat to QM in particular, since both of your subordinate jobs can be away from the Cargo Bay for long stretches of time. If you need to order mindshields, ask Security to take the cargo shuttle and pick them up. But, let's say you want to use these weapon procuring capabilities for good...

The Warden At Home:

Let's say, everything goes to hell. Say, the Syndicate declares war, or the Blob is reaching critical mass, or there's a space dragon with an army of carp onboard. The crew at large needs to be armed, and Security is functionally wiped. There's a lot of options for weapons available to you amongst the catalog of purchasable items. However, this is an emergency measure. You need the permission of the Captain and/or Head of Security to do this, and, failing that, whichever head of staff is currently living and highest ranking. And sometimes, that's you! Hope to god it doesn't go that bad, though.

Laser guns are highly effective against the Blob and have no physical ammo, making them ideal for crew-wide use. You can also purchase armor, to keep the crew safe. It's highly recommended that you run through the catalog to see what strikes your fancy for emergencies.