Transit Network

What they are. A Jump Lane is a mapped faster-than-light route between star systems. Keth beacons mark each lane and keep it safe to use.
Speed. Lanes are faster than open space, but still slow. A Rim-to-Core run can take months with fuel stops and inspections. Crews spend weeks in transit with bad coffee and old movies.
Upkeep. Core and company lanes get regular beacon repairs. Rim lanes go years without them. When a beacon fails, a drift zone forms around it, and ships vanish there.
Shifts. Star activity shifts the lanes over time. Old charts cause misjumps, which mean damage, lost cargo or dead crews.
Tolls. When one group holds both ends of a lane, it sets the toll. Prices spike and the worlds that depend on that lane go short.
Illegal lanes. Syndicates sell shortcuts without beacons. They save weeks. Some ships that take them are never seen again.
The deep. Out past the beacons are drifting wrecks, dead stations and ruins older than any living species. Salvagers go looking. Not all of them come back.
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Core ports

Checks. Several layers of customs, ship papers and cargo checks. Delays can last weeks.
Warehouses. Locked warehouses hold cargo during disputes. Storage fees add up every day.
Courts. Customs courts rule on contract and fee disputes under Authority law. They usually side with big companies.

Mid ports

Berths. Crowded. Crews may wait days for a slot.
Customs. Some officers want the full cargo list. Others wave ships through for a bribe.
Corruption. Double-booked jobs and faked inspections are common. Everything depends on who is on shift.

Rim ports

Payment. Fuel, water and berth fees are paid in cash on arrival. No credit.
Priorities. Fuel, water, air and repairs come first. Nobody checks cargo.
Disputes. The strongest local power settles them. That might be a syndicate boss, the port master or a garrison. Courts are rare. Fights are common.
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Lane passes. Many lanes need a paid pass for your ship and your kind of cargo, such as ore, grain, medicine or restricted tech. A pass is good for one trip in a set time.
Beacon checks. Beacons scan ships as they pass. Ships without a pass get fined, seized or escorted back to port.
Common fees.
Bribes. Paid to underpaid officials to ignore a missing pass.
Rush fees. Paid to ports to skip the inspection line.
Escort fees. Paid to official or unofficial escorts through dangerous lanes.
Blacklists. Ships with unpaid tolls, expired passes or fake papers land on blacklists. A blacklisted ship cannot legally dock at most ports.
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Fuel

Types. Standard fusion fuel comes in compressed cells. Quality depends on the refinery. Dirty fuel damages reactors and cuts range.
Prices. Stable but high in the Core because of customs fees. Wild on the Rim. Fuel shortages start riots.
Cutting. Crews stretch clean fuel with dirty fuel. It saves money and breaks engines.

Water

Ice hauling. Vellari tug fleets catch comets and ice chunks at the cold edges of star systems and tow them to dry worlds and stations. There the ice is cut up and melted. Most fresh water in the Drift started as Vellari ice.
Value. Water keeps crews alive and cools engines. In drought zones it is worth more than fuel. Docks sell it by the ton.
Cheap water. Recycled water is cheap and tastes of it. Some depots sell it as real Vellari ice water.
Theft. Ice jackers hijack tugs and sell the stolen ice. Ports guard their water tanks with armed guards or syndicate muscle. Water thieves get punished fast and hard.
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Always carry current charts. Keth charts are the most reliable.
Expect delays in Core ports. Pack extra food and air.
Rim routes are cheaper but need bribes or guns.
Do not trust cheap fuel or cheap "Vellari" water unless you are desperate.
Keep copies of your papers in more than one place. Officials lose files when it suits them.
Crews that cannot pay tolls or port fees often trade work, gear or a future favor instead.