The Colonies run on money. As it is today, money buys the essential and not so essential items that keep the population happy, amused and fed.
There are several different types of currency floating around the Colonies, and these include the Colonial Cubit, Orion Cheques, Quantums and Markas. Out of these, the cubit is the most common form of currency as it is the currency of the Colonies themselves.
While these currencies are the most common, they are by no means the only ones. Some agro colonies have developed their own currencies and while they are legal tender for trading, they must be converted into cubits before they can be taken to the streets, so these are the ones most likely to be encountered.
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Cubits:Cubits are small rectangular coins made mainly of oregg. They have a symbol on either side to show their value. Cubits are carried by everyone and accepted everywhere within the Colonies. As cubits are the same size and colour, it is easy to get confused trying to see exactly how much money you have at a glance. |
Markas are another Colonial currency, but one that holds little value when compared to the cubit. A markas looks like a small, thin disc of plastic, with its colour denoting its value. There are red, blue and yellow markas coins. While plentiful, markas are only valid within the Colonies, not on alien worlds. Cubits are much preferred for intergalactic trading, and even some frontier Colonial colonies prefer cubits to markas.
Orion cheques are the main form of currency on the planet Orion, which is a major trading partner of the Colonies and other nations. Cheques are accepted almost anywhere Orions are. Cheques are small oregg coins with serrated edges and raised grooves on the coin, with ornate markings on them.
Quantams are an old form of currency used on some backwater and agro worlds, although still legal tender. A quantam resembles a flat bronze coin with marking on either side of the coin to denote tender. They are very rarely seen in the Colonies these days.
The various currencies all hold differing values when compared to each other, and the current exchange rates are as follows:
| Ratio for exchange | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Currency for Exchange | Cubits | Orion Cheques | Markas | Quantams |
| Cubits | 1:1 | 2:1 | 4:1 | 3:1 |
| Orion Cheques | 1:2 | 1:1 | 1:8 | 1:6 |
| Markas | 4:1 | 8:1 | 1:1 | 4:3 |
| Quantams | 3:1 | 6:1 | 3:4 | 1:1 |
Thus there are 2 cubits to an Orion Cheque, 4 markas to the cubit and 3 quantams will get you 4 markas.
One problem with nearly all the currencies listed above (save the markas) is that all the coins of one currency look the same and are the same size. This can make quickly distinguishing how much money you actually own a difficult job.
Because of this, the chief ways of valuing cubits and the value of any currency, is through their weight. Different denominations of coin weigh different amounts and all shops (and most waiters and salesmen) have small weighing machines able to determine exactly how much money they have just been given, thus solving arguments. These machines are quite sophisticated in that they can accept differing currencies at the same time to give one overall value in cubits.
