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1. Trade Agents
2. Discounts for stations or traders
3. Location and skill visibility for hirable, well-skilled NPCs
4. Collecting Training Manuals
   
   

While Otani is docked on stations, NPCs will occasionally start talking, and when they do , a speech bubble appears over their head to help us identify them in a crowd.

This is our cue to undertake an optional minigame if we wish. There are quite a few conversation topics, from the mundane (eg chatting about holodancers) to the serious (eg concerns about messing with AI). Since they add colour to the game world, they can be interesting.Unfortunately ; unfortunately the discussions cannot be sped up or skipped, and there are only a finite number, so in the end it is possible to get frustrated by them. This is where the 'Borderless Windowed mode' comes in handy as altAlt+tab Tab to (eg) a website cuts the audio but lets you see how things progress, if you keep the website window clear of the subtitles. That's what I do anyway 

Finding smalltalkssmalltalk

Since the chance of an NPC talking is random and not all NPCs will necessarily be the kind you would like to talk to, it is sensible to find a spot with lots of NPCs to increase the chance of a useful one talking early. Smalltalk is available only once per NPC; if you enter smalltalk then win, lose or cancel the 'talk, that NPC will not proffer smalltalk again

Good places to find groups of NPCs:

1. Bunk rooms on all docks tend to hold up to ~8 NPCs so smalltalk normally starts within 10-20 seconds.
2. Generally, Administration platforms house station crew, which can help when recruiting Trade Agents.
3. In DeVries a handy place is the Engineering platform as groups of NPCs tend to be at the docking platform.
4. In Albion or DeVries a handy spot is the Trade platform since groups can hang around at the end of the first corridor.
5. In Fields Of Opportunity|Verdant Profit|TU Overwatch, there are normally many Teladi in the main, central docking area.

 If you 'encourage' an NPC trader by selling something to them, or preferably buying something from them, the chance of them smalltalking appears to increase slightly. So hunt out those junk dealers & buy scrap metal from them personally if you're after a decent ship crew! Simply talking to an NPC can increase the chance of smalltalk happening, even if you only ask the way to another NPC

Potential rewards from success* at:

level 1 smalltalk (numbers corresponding with radial menu):

1. Ask for: Discount... (a discount for the station unless If NPC is a Trader , then you can choose a discount with them individually instead they will offer a Personal Discount for their wares (eg marines or rough gemstones); for all other NPCs the discount will apply to the (docked) station only - see below).
2. -not used-
3. Ask about: Job Applicant (offers the location and skills of a different NPC available to hire by Otanion the current platform).
4. Trade Updates (see below as not all NPCs offer it; they unlock continuous, real-time market info for the NPC's station. This is not the same effect as posession of trading computer sofware).
5. Give: Item... (give a craftable gift that unlocks level 2 of smalltalk).
6. -not used-

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1. Ask for: Discount... (a higher-quality version of the discount available at level 1 above)
2. -not used-
3. Ask about: Job Applicant (different to level 1 and 3 smalltalks, so perhaps the range setting is station)
4. -not used-
5. Continue: Smalltalk (hard) (successful completion of a second smalltalk ** (quicker reactions needed) unlocks unlocks level 3 of smalltalk)
6. -not used-
   

Level 3 smalltalk smalltalk** (only available via level 2 smalltalk)**

1. Extended Discount. (lasts a long time; probably the same numerical discount as level 2)
2. -not used-
3. Best Job Applicant (offers the location and skills of an NPC of a chosen type with the best, unknown skills, in the zone)
4. Ask for: Employee training (source of Training Manuals - see below)
5. -not used-
6. -not used-

* A score of 7+ or more across 2 or more 3 minigames that include no critical failures) 

** A score or 4+ on each of all 3 minigames.

Trade Agents

These will only be offered by a subset of NPCs.

NPCs that can offer Trade Updates:
Arms Dealer
Inventory item traders (e.g. Food Merchant or Black Marketeer).
License broker
Mechanic
Recruitment Officer
Ship Dealer (may be only S/M ships)
Non-hirable station crew, which are working on a station (Defense Officer, Engineer, Manager or Specialists) - typically found on Administration platforms. By "working", I mean generally hanging around in bunk rooms chattering with random passers by 

NPCs that never offer Trade Updates:
Architect (even if they are working on plot-rated NPC CVs)
Captain
Marine Officer
Pilot
Station crew if they are not available for hire (Defense Officer, Engineer, Manager or Specialist).

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A smalltalking NPC can offer a discount at their station, which offers higher profit margins if taken advantage of.

If smalltalking with an NPC Trader (e.g. Black Marketeer, Arms Dealer or Mechanic; Recruitment Officers too), they will offer a choice of station or personal discounts. Station discounts from smalltalk apply on top of any other discounts, such as via Standings (Reputation) or those found outside stations while flying around nearbynear the station. Therefore they can all be stacked up to gain a higher profit margin than would otherwise be available.

Station discounts do not apply to shipyards as they don't produce anything other than ships. However they do apply to any other station's products. Shipyards will only usefully provide comissions (ie 'sell us that <ware>' at a bonus rate, rather than 'buy this <ware> from me' at a discount)

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Completion of the second smalltalk allows us to ask for 'Training Manuals', which are unique to Smalltalk. They are available for various potentially important skills, such as Engineering, Leadership and Morale: a Training Manual can be used to add one star to the related skill of any one of your hired NPC's primary, bold-highlighted skills (eg only Engineering for Engineers, but Leadership or Navigation for a Captain), to a maximum of 5 stars. Exactly which Training Manual you may be offered relates to the primary skills or the type of the NPC in question so it is somewhat random, in the sense that it is random as to which NPC may begin a smalltalk. Boarding experience for Marine Officers can only be gained through.. heh.. experience, and it's slow! So be warned!

These Manuals are only available via the Give (craftable) Gift option, after the first smalltalk was completed with a score of 8+ points in 2 minigames and if the second smalltalk was completed with a score of 4+ points in all 3 minigames. A higher (maximum?) score in the second smalltalk stage can increase the range of manuals, depending upon the smalltalked NPC's class. Otani can only pick 1 manual as the prize, no matter how good the score.

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