Looking for Cargo:
There are no good cargoes to be found at Hampstead Starport. Ore and metal are available, but only at the inflated price of Cr5,000 per ton for ore attracting perhaps half that price when selling.
A shady broker wants to help the crew of the Notorious with some information for just Cr500 (or Cr100 if pressed).
Some Information:
In the north there are less piranha-gnats and similar vermin since it is colder there. In one of the northern villages you can buy cheap timber. According to the Broker, there would be some interest in timber at Lititz as they don’t have any timber of their own.
At Lititz there are no import restrictions for biological products from Hampstead, since almost nothing can live there.
The quality of the timber is quite good since it has to withstand the attacks of vermin for its 50 year lifespan. It has a metal component that makes it shiny.
However, the Pennsylvaani Confederation have general restrictions to prevent the spread of vermin. So a fast ship that can avoid inspection is needed.
The timber can be found in a northern village called Greenmount.
Loggers:
Outside the northern village of Greenmount, there is a clear-felled area that is perfect to land on.
There are only about 50 tons of timber. (About half the cargo hold.)
The crew of the Notorious are asked if they want to help cutting more trees. They will not get paid for the work but may keep the timber they fell themselves.
If they stay and work for 2 days, they can fill up the cargo hold. For the 70 tons that they have not cut themselves, they pay Cr100/ ton (Cr7,000). Hopefully, they will get a lot more (Cr2,000/ton) at Lititz.
Going to Lititz:
On the route via York, the same trick as on the way to Hampstead can be used to avoid a customs inspection: go quickly to the gas giant to refuel there.
After York the problems start. Vermin starts to spread in the ship. The vermin enters the life support system and the air starts to smell bad in the ship. Vermin also enters the food stores and infests and destroys some of the food. In the engineering section vermin eats cable Insulation and lubricants and gets stuck in some moving parts and they stop working.
The ship is finally thrown out of jumpspace quite a distance from Lititz. The ship’s computer reports multiple problems (and damage) with the jump-drive. Before this is repaired at an A class starport, the ship will only be able to do a maximum of jump-2.
It will now take a week in normal space to arrive at Lititz. During that week the crew can clean up the ship, hunt for the vermin and repair what can be repaired.
At Lititz:
At Lititz the cargo should not be taken to the starport since there you have to declare your cargo. The cargo should be taken directly to the construction site.
The timber will have to be unloaded outdoors. Then the dry thin air will (hopefully) take care of any remaining vermin.
Here, there is no problem with payment.
Most of the remaining vermin aboard the ship can be killed in the same way (by opening the ship), but the damage to the jump drive remains.