Input on Salvage rules

[Zparkz]

I currently working on a short campaign were my players are stranded on some backwater world far into the wild. The place is in The Spinward Marches. After managing to get to a small village and work up some capital, they come upon a derelict starship in the jungle. It seems to have been there for about 5 years or so.

Some investigation reveals that the hull is lrgely intact except for two large holes in the hull. One in the quarters area, the second has ruptured the main fuel tank.

Closer inspection reveals that the interior is quite intact, however the quarter area and the nearby cargo hold has seen quite a lot of water damage due to rain and humidity in general.

The cargo hold has several unmarked sealed crates. The ship computers are down as there is no power. The Engineering section seems to be okay and it is clear that the area was closed off prior to the crew left it.

After inspection, there is clearly possible to get this craft to fly again, but repairs needs to be done. Most of the spare parts needs to be imported, but can be installed on-site as none of the parts are too large to transport with mules or the local equivalent.

The players has now several options.

File a salvage claim when they get off world. IMTU it is the Imperial Scout Service that handles most of the salvage claims. When a claim is filed, there is need for proper identification of the craft. Filing a claim cost a number of credits based on size and type of craft. The claimant then gets a signal beacon that will tell eveyone that this is a registered claim of the craft, and it is off limits for everyone until the claim case is resolved.

As holders of the claim, the players must wait until IISS finds out who owns the ship, where it is insured and wether the owners wants it back. If the insurance policy for the craft has been paid out, the insurance company may put claim to the ship.

The players may sell the claim to someone else.

There is several obstacles here. First the local government, allthough the local TL is 2, may see the opportunity to get the starship for themselves or at least get some ownership over it to increase their interstellar influence. Something akin to Pournelles King Georges Starship.

The second snag is that there is no file on the ship in any Imperial Registry. So the owner is unknown.

The third is the strange cargo. Which is key parts and documentation on how to build a black globe. A primitive one at that, but good enough for the right kind of technicians and scientists to manufacture better ones.

My general take on this is that the players will get they claim if they want to. The local government will not be heard as they do not have the knowhow or the infrastructure to support a starship. However, it does not prevent the players to make some deal with the local government to get some economic support to get the bird flying again if they decide to keep it.

I question is; is this plausible enough for OTU in general? How would IISS and IN handle the matter. Are there other factors about the claim the players need to know about or make provisions for?

 

[Whipsnade]

I question is; is this plausible enough for OTU in general?

Zparkz,

Simply put; no.

However, the OTU does not matter. This is your idea for your TU. In the description you've written you even state that the IISS handles salvage claims in your TU. All that matters is how the idea, and it's a good one, will work in your TU.

Forget about the OTU, except for those bits you can use.

How would IISS and IN handle the matter.

As soon as they learn that the cargo aboard contains a Build Your Very Own Black Globe kit, the IISS or IN are going to grab the ship. There will then be lengthy bureaucratic fights about ownership of the ship and cargo, but the players won't be involved at all. If they're lucky, they might get a finders' fee. If they're unlucky or try to stop the seizure by guns or legal writs, the next session they'll be playing should be A:8 Prison Planet.

Are there other factors about the claim the players need to know about or make provisions for?

Anyone who A) knows about the black globe kit and B) wants a black globe or C) wants to sell a black globe. The ship in this case is almost incidental, although the IISS and IN are going to be very interested in the ship because tracing it will let them trace whoever is building black globe kits.

You'll have the planet's government, factions within that government, other governments, factions within those other governments, private individuals of sufficient means, groups of individuals of sufficient means, ethically challenged merchants, corsairs, people who do business with ethically challenged merchants and corsairs, criminals, criminal organizations, and just about every other sophont within 6 parsecs.

You're players better play their knowledge of that cargo pretty close to their vests because a black globe is going to attract everyone's attention.

Let us know how things turn out.


Regards,
Bill

 

[Zparkz]

Zparkz,

Simply put; no.

However, the OTU does not matter. This is your idea for your TU. In the description you've written you even state that the IISS handles salvage claims in your TU. All that matters is how the idea, and it's a good one, will work in your TU.

Forget about the OTU, except for those bits you can use.

I know that it will be MTU, but I wan't to make it plausible and realistic enough that we can relate to it today in our world. But most importantly it must work in a game setting. And as we all know, players can be pretty argumentative.

I picked IISS as the office to register salvage claimants, but the much of the grunt work as issuing a ship to check the matter out may be handled by the navy. Letting IISS handling registration for claims may make it less daunting by Joe Average as he doesn't have to walk up to a navy base with armed guards to file a claim feeling intimidated all the way.

Lets just take the legal side of the claim itself and forget about the special cargo. I even doubt that my players characters will be able to identify the parts as they have never picked up any skills in screens, let alone black globes. And the parts and cases aren't marked in any way that identify the parts as such.

They may however understand that this is some sort of secret technology that has been stolen. The scenario will force my players to either play it safe and give the cargo to proper authorities, or hide the cargo and come back for it later.

There is just one more matter. Where is the crew? Whats left of it anyway.

You're players better play their knowledge of that cargo pretty close to their vests because a black globe is going to attract everyone's attention.

With my speed of writing, I hope to have something ready later this fall. I'll try to remember to post any results if there is enough interested parties.

 

[mike wightman]

Here's something to think on.

The Imperium rules the space between the worlds.

A ship crashed on a planet would be at the mercy of the planetary government (if any), although the owners may well try to get it back.

Which brings me to my question.

Who originally owned the ship?

A megacorp may well be able to mount a salvage operation - especially considering the cargo.

If it was a private ship then where have the crew been these last 5 years?

If it actually originated outside the Imperium then how will Imperium built part interface with the ship?

Nice set up

 

[Zparkz]

Here's something to think on.

The Imperium rules the space between the worlds.

A ship crashed on a planet would be at the mercy of the planetary government (if any), although the owners may well try to get it back.

IMTU at least a planetary government would likely not just take a starship that has made an emergency landing in the outback of its planet, unless the landing caused serious damage in some way, and they can prove that the crew was negligent in their duty.

However a planet with no starfaring technology at all may use whatever leverage they can get to at least get some ownership in the craft

 

[Whipsnade]

Zparkz,

I see the legal process your players are contemplating as having two distinct parts, the salvage claim and registering a flight worthy vessel. Both imply ownership of the vessel in question, but each are a different type of ownership for different use and each of would be certified by a different organization.

Ownership for salvage, aka "salvage rights", would be certified by the government that controls the area in which the wreck is located. In your case, the local planetary government would grant salvage rights. (More on that later)

Ownership for operation, aka "flying the vessel", would be certified by an interstellar authority. In your case, that would be the Imperium.

So, your players need to gain salvage "ownership" and then operating "ownership".

Returning to salvage rights now. Locals will grant those, but what if the locals don't have the wherewithal to do so? Because you're using the OTU as much as possible, the local on your TL2 planet aren't really using swords, matchlocks, heliographs, and windmills but their ability to actually exercise authority over their entire planet will be constrained. They most likely won't have the capabilities needed to investigate salvage claims and grant salvage rights, so they'll "grant" that power to other authorities.

This means that the county or duchy the planet is part of will be the authority the players need to deal with when they submit their salvage claim. The players may only have to travel to the planet's port to submit their claim, but a county/duchy official will being investigating and granting such a claim.

Operating the salvaged vessel is another, different hurdle. While the players could conceivably repair the vessel an fly off into the sunset, landing and using services at Imperial starports is another question entirely. The Imperium is going to require that the vessel be registered and that registration will in turn require things like safety inspections, operational certificates, and the like.

Just where the vessel can be fully registered will depend greatly on just where the inspections can be performed and certifications granted. I would suggest that full and final registrations occur at Class A and B starports alone. The players can receive a partial or limited registration at their local port, one that will only allow them to travel to the nearest site where the full and final registration process can take place.

Finally, with regards to a starship sitting unattended for five years in a jungle. IMTU the amount of environmental damage that a ship without an intact hull would receive over that period would preclude any chance of it "flying out" without significant repairs. Electronics and computers are rather finicky and we can only guess at how robust gravitics, fusion plants, jump drives, and maneuver drives actually are. Let me suggest that the rainwater only effect the cargo hold and that the major repair hurdle facing the players be bringing the power plant back on line safely.

You can easily make the process of refueling the wreck, restarting the power plant, and safely re-energizing the ship's systems very lengthy and painstaking.

Hope all this can be of some help to you.


Regards,
Bill

 

[rancke]

I currently working on a short campaign were my players are stranded on some backwater world far into the wild. The place is in The Spinward Marches. After managing to get to a small village and work up some capital, they come upon a derelict starship in the jungle. It seems to have been there for about 5 years or so.

Several questions sprang to mind as I read this, things I would ask if I was one of the players. You should be prepared to answer them or know why the PCs can't find out the answers.

Some investigation reveals that the hull is lrgely intact except for two large holes in the hull. One in the quarters area, the second has ruptured the main fuel tank.

What made the holes?

Closer inspection reveals that the interior is quite intact, however the quarter area and the nearby cargo hold has seen quite a lot of water damage due to rain and humidity in general.

Incidentally, several SF stories deal with the mess nature can make out of exposed high-tech components in mere weeks, let alone years. A sealed spaceship should be reasonably well protected, but one with holes in it might be considerably the worse for wear. Especially in a jungle, where vegetation can cover meters per day.

The cargo hold has several unmarked sealed crates. The ship computers are down as there is no power. The Engineering section seems to be okay and it is clear that the area was closed off prior to the crew left it.

Once the PCs manage to get the power up and running, one of the first things they'll do is rummage through the ship's computer for clues. You should be prepared for that.

After inspection, there is clearly possible to get this craft to fly again, but repairs needs to be done. Most of the spare parts needs to be imported, but can be installed on-site as none of the parts are too large to transport with mules or the local equivalent.[/(quote]
Most parts? It only takes one that can't be installed in situ to keep the ship grounded.

There is several obstacles here. First the local government, allthough the local TL is 2, may see the opportunity to get the starship for themselves or at least get some ownership over it to increase their interstellar influence. Something akin to Pournelles King Georges Starship.

That's a pretty low TL for a non-interdicted world. As a rule of thumb, the Imperium tend to interdict pre-Industrial worlds. This is decided on a case by case basis, so special circumstances could have applied to this one, but it's something that might need to be explained.

The second snag is that there is no file on the ship in any Imperial Registry. So the owner is unknown.

Players will probably hunt high and low for clues to the identity of the owners. From the design of bunks and chairs, to checking out the letters on the control panels. The ship will have to come from far away for the civilization to be completely unknown.


Hans

 

[Icosahedron]

Finally, with regards to a starship sitting unattended for five years in a jungle. IMTU the amount of environmental damage that a ship without an intact hull would receive over that period would preclude any chance of it "flying out" without significant repairs. Electronics and computers are rather finicky and we can only guess at how robust gravitics, fusion plants, jump drives, and maneuver drives actually are. Let me suggest that the rainwater only effect the cargo hold and that the major repair hurdle facing the players be bringing the power plant back on line safely.

Zparkz did state that the Engineering section (and I assume Bridge) was closed off (I assume airtight) so there should be no environmental damage to the drives. We don't know how big this ship is, but IMTU, all sections of a starship are sealed by internal bulkheads, so I would question why a rupture in the quarters would allow water into the cargo area too, unless the hole spanned the bulkhead. Either way, the repairs should be limited to fixing the holes and replacing a couple of staterooms (maybe all of the staterooms in that section).

As a player, I would want to know why the crew haven't recovered the ship, or at least returned for the cargo, in the last 5 years.
The PCs also need a rationale to be well off the beaten track, otherwise someone else would have discovered the ship if it was close to a village.

IMTU the salvage claim would be handled in line with Imperial Law at the nearest starport. I think ship ownership and salvage would be a sufficiently 'interstellar' concern to be handled by interstellar rather than local law. Otherwise you can get into some real messes - the ship might be the sovereign territory of its original port of registration.

 

[Whipsnade]

Zparkz did state that the Engineering section (and I assume Bridge) was closed off (I assume airtight) so there should be no environmental damage to the drives.

Icosahedron,

That's right, he did. I missed that.

Water is a universal solvent however and five years is a long time for it to find its way through seals, plugs, wire ways, ventilation shafts, dampers, and all the other systems that run from compartment to compartment through various bulkhead penetrations. Also, because the ship is a wreck, just many internal hatches have been oh so slightly sprung?

High humidity alone in a soon to be powered up switchgear could lead to all sorts of nastiness.

We don't know how big this ship is, but IMTU, all sections of a starship are sealed by internal bulkheads, so I would question why a rupture in the quarters would allow water into the cargo area too, unless the hole spanned the bulkhead.

IMTU ships are compartmentalized too. It's just that civilian ships aren't as "divided up" as military and paramilitary designs. Civilian designs have a smaller number of larger discrete pressure "flats" and thus fewer pressure tight bulkheads. The bridge would be one "flat", crew quarters another, with passenger quarters, engineering as a whole, each cargo hold, and so on being others. A few staterooms might be pressure tight "safes" with actual bulkheads and an emergency inflatable airlock stored inside, but the rest of the crew and passenger accommodations would be one single pressure "flat".

Because of MTU's "flats", there's more places for water and other jungle nastiness to ooze to once the pressure hull is compromised.

As a player, I would want to know why the crew haven't recovered the ship, or at least returned for the cargo, in the last 5 years.

Eaten by jabberwocks while hiking out, killed in an accident before they could return to salvage their ship, killed by persons unknown without revealing the location of the wreck, the possibilities are endless.

Uncovering the fate of the crew is a campaign in itself and Zparkz might be deliberately vague on the subject with his players because he wishes to spring that campaign on them at a later date. I know that's what I'd do. I'd keep everything vague, I'd even avoid making the decision about why they didn't salvage the wreck until I was good and ready to include that story in the campaign.

The PCs also need a rationale to be well off the beaten track, otherwise someone else would have discovered the ship if it was close to a village.

Agreed. Although the reason needs to fit Zparkz's campaign and TU, however closely it may be to the OTU. IMTU and if it were my campaign, I'd either sell the location of the wreck to the players via slightly shady third parties, have them hired to strip it only to find out it's truly salvagable, or let them stumble across the location while on another job either through clues or physical proximity.

IMTU the salvage claim would be handled in line with Imperial Law at the nearest starport. I think ship ownership and salvage would be a sufficiently 'interstellar' concern to be handled by interstellar rather than local law. Otherwise you can get into some real messes - the ship might be the sovereign territory of its original port of registration.

That's a very interesting take on the issue and one that deserves examination. I'd always assumed IMTU that, within the Third Imperium, vessels would not be the sovereign territory of their port of registration because the Imperium handles nearly all registration. I now see that your take on the subject allows for much more adventuring opportunities while also being more nuanced.

Consider the idea stolen!


Regards,
Bill

 

[aramis]

My take on salvage rights is that it's a matter for the imperials within imperial space.

But the OP has a major flaw: with the possible exception of the lower left corner, no where in the marches is truly "out there"...

 

[Zparkz]

I have delibrately not revealed too much of the ship type and origin to prevent straying of the topic =0)
However it backfired.

As my players are not present on these boards I can reveal a few items for you guys.

1) The players got stranded after ending "Secret of the Ancients". In that module they had made a deal with a relative to one of the players. This relative operated a small starship. As the party was picked up by the Ancient ship, the relative got tired of waiting several weeks for them to return. The ship was running low on supplies and needed to go to a starport. The relative had no idea when the players would return. As the owner still need to pay sallary to the crew and cover morgage, they just can't sit weeks at end waiting while not making any money. Thus when the players returns to the gas giant and find their transport gone, the ancient starship decide to drop them off someplace safe just a few parsecs away. Knorbes ends up as their final destination. The ship drops them off in the wilderness a few days by foot to the closest settlement.

2) The derelict hasn't crashed, but made and emergency landing. Which will be apparent when the shp is foind under the vegetation.

3) The ship is a 800ton modified Broadsword. Instead of carrying two cutters and cutter modules, the hangar space has been converted to fuel tanks, and the original fuel tanks are then modified to cargo hold. As I use TNE rules and the ship hasn't been fully designed yet, details are a bit sketchy at the moment.

4) The holes comes from laser fire. It emerged at the Knorbes gas giant for refueling ending up in a major battle between two fleets during the FFW. (IMTU Knorbes orbits a GG) The ship was hit twice. The experienced Zhodani Crew managed to turn the ship towards Knorbes for a landing as it was apparent they would not be able to go anywhere else. A remote site was selected to ensure the safety of the mission.

5) as the Zho lost the war, the remaining crew could do nothing more than wait on an opportunity to get off planet. However, as the ship needs repairs, but the local tech can't provide spare parts, the ship was sealed up, dead crew burried at a distance, and left. The zhodani then went for a settlement a week trek away. Once in a while the zhodani return and check up on the ship, about once a year or so.

6) as the zhodani was on a undercover mission deep inside the imperium just prior to the start of FFW, the ship has been cleaned of all Zhodani identification, no matter how trivial. The ship was equiped with a fake ID that would pass genereal inspection. However a proper checkup with cross-referencing with other databases (which take time as data only propagates fast as the x-boat routes go).

There is still a few more details I need to iron out, but this is the main gist of the setting.

 

[Whipsnade]

Zparkz,

Okay, let's tackle what I feel are some of the problems.

First, check out this link.

That's the projection sphere in the Hayden Planetarium and it's roughly the size of a Broadsword-class mercenary cruiser(1). That's the object your Zho infiltrators will be hiding under trees for over five years within a week's hike of a native village and without anyone ever noticing a thing.

Second, Broadswords aren't streamlined. They supposedly can't land on planets with an atmosphere. (Although the eponymous vessel does exactly that in one of the biggest boo-boos in A:7 Broadsword.)

Third, if I understand correctly, the Zhodani infiltration mission aboard the mercenary cruiser blunder into a major battle while refueling at the gas giant, the ship is only hit twice by the warships of either side and only slightly damaged, the ship somehow manages to elude the sensors of both fleets, lands on a world with an atmopshere when shouldn't be able to, the surviving Zhodani crew then hide the ship, take a week walking out of the jungle, join a local village without any problems, without anyone asking any questions, and despite only having 28 teeth, check on the ship regularly, either never manage or even try to contact their superiors either during the war or during all the years after, and no one ever comes looking for them.

Do I have that right?

You've got a few rough edges there, but nothing you can't handle.


Regards,
Bill

1 - The Second TML Realspace meeting, Rob Davenport arranged for us to have a private tour of the planetarium. While waiting for the show, we "scared the straights" by calculating the volume of the sphere and expressing our joy that it was close to that of a Broadsword minus the four landing legs.

 

[aramis]

A genuine broadsword:

• landing in atmosphere is many hours; I use the same rates as for grav vehicles... World Size in hours. it's not a quick-n-easy.
• too big to hide from any halfway serious search given the shape.
• not gonna be forced down by two hits under CT/MT/T20;
  not likely to be forced down by two hits under TNE

 

[DeusX]

Hi All

Nice thread and some interesting ideas. Thanks to all.

IMTU I tend to put a timeout on the ownership search, say 1-4 years, so the party can go do something else if they like. The one thing I'd like to add to the above discussion is that the wreck discovery team, since there is no immediate signs of fatalities (no bodies), would have a right to recover 'perishable items' for immediate use or secure storage(cryo), just as long as they documented it (vid, holopics, list). The eventual owners could reward them for recovery or bill them or usage. If no owner is found by the timeout, the wreck is auctioned at the nearest Imp starport and finders get half the proceeds,

Also since I know some maritime lawyers who do this sort of thing for a living, and we have discussed flotsam vs jetsam, etc., I'd recommend you check out wikipedia/discovery channel on salvage law and air crash investigation for ideas.

Finally, having worked on air-dropped tech shacks in deep jungle, the wildlife is Wild. Orangutans can pick locks, snap padlocks and tear 1" iron window bars, and they find fibre-optic cable insulation delicious, especially when the whole family moves in to enjoy the aircon. 5 years in terran jungle would strip most open compartments to bare metal, and there would be a thriving ecosystem moved in, including bugs & fungi that have co-evolved to enjoy the taste of the wiring, life support plumbing, airlock gaskets etc...Nasty if you don't get the ship very very clean before taking to another spaceport or dock

{IMTU that is why the standard hulls are at least coated with hyperdense/transuranic elements not found on planetary surfaces, just to slow the bugs down a little, but that just selects for vacuum-capable bugs, hence the annual maintenance requirement }

YMMV
DX

 

[Zparkz]

Zparkz,

That's the projection sphere in the Hayden Planetarium and it's roughly the size of a Broadsword-class mercenary cruiser(1). That's the object your Zho infiltrators will be hiding under trees for over five years within a week's hike of a native village and without anyone ever noticing a thing.

A broadsword is about 30 to 40 meters high. Trees in a jungle often are up to 60 meters high. And this is not Terra so I can get away with this =0)

Second, Broadswords aren't streamlined. They supposedly can't land on planets with an atmosphere. (Although the eponymous vessel does exactly that in one of the biggest boo-boos in A:7 Broadsword.)

Maybe in CT, but in TNE at least it is. I am not sure about the MT version, but I think it is streamlined there too. So IMTU it is streamlined.


When it comes to the Zho team, I don't think a TL 2 world has much of a system in place to count teeth in humans as if they were cattle. Granted that the locals aren't ignorant. They know what a starship is, but have no idea how to operate one or build one. Let alone what kind of abilities it has.

But you are right, I have a few edges that needs to be polished down to a degree that they become plausible.

 

[Zparkz]

A genuine broadsword:

• landing in atmosphere is many hours; I use the same rates as for grav vehicles... World Size in hours. it's not a quick-n-easy.
• too big to hide from any halfway serious search given the shape.
• not gonna be forced down by two hits under CT/MT/T20;
  not likely to be forced down by two hits under TNE

There is little likely that a laser will kill anything of this size. However as jump fuel has been spent and a hit tears a large hole in it means that refueling will be next to impossible without repairs. There is fuel enough for a landing though.

 

[Maccat]

TNE not so sure of, so what I have to say may not apply...

Beltstrike has rules for in-system salvage, as regards prospecting and claims and such, which includes things like derelict spaceships. *On world* however, may be different, world in the system so it counts. OK so it's either allowed or disallowed, and need to be registered (allowed) to prospect to get salvage claim. Those rights entail a fee, aka they need to buy off the local TL2 cheiftan warlord or whatever to get the rights. TL2 though arguable if they even realize the full worth of it or no. OK and then things like MegaCorporations may have *already* gotten the rights to salvage *in the whole system*.

Um this world, TL2, what kinda spaceport they have? what government type? what law level? all of that would have bearing on this.

Personally, a broadsword with black globe plans/parts/whatever sounds wayyy over the top. <sniff> it's not even that good a ship lol. Dunno the size of the party, but manning up something that big is a fair trick! Heh if I were the party just rip the turrets off the hulk and sell them, that'd be enough to set them up in a more reasonable ship. They might just be better off selling the rights to the salvage value of 10% say to a MegaCorp, don't even deal with plans/parts/hauling/repairs, what 44MCr?! give 4MCr to the locals heck they can have a custom yacht right there with 40MCr to spend on a ship no? and the locals now have a free/subsidized trader to give their go in the stellar ways.

Lastly, I posted LBB2 granted salvage/tug ship over in the fleet (Bosun) just hire one of them or something like that to haul it to the nearest *real* starport where real repairs could be done.

Agree on the whole broadsword stuff other posted though. IMTU something that size doesn't really get "lost" war or no. Big trees lol. I'd say, *any* whiff of there being a broadsword, you'd get some scary *group*, say whoever either *spent* 400+MCr or *lost* 400MCr, or even has a *share* of that 400MCr to get it back! MegaCorp um, Hortalez et Cie say has the note per the ___ financing terms when the ship was produced, sends a Merc Battalion to resolve any "issues" with *rightful*! ownership to *their* ship. Backward world or no. Heh 44MCr they could ship off the entire world population off world and have the world to themselves? or maybe with 400MCr? (50k people hmmm mid passage, 400k as low!) lol.

My .02CrImp, YMMV

PS also the um Chamax plague? or the other one had a 400t crashed fat trader maybe some stuff in there as regards the salvage thing. Something about something in the ship as welll <s>!

 

[CosmicGamer]

IMO, salvage rights would be harder to obtain if there is no 'record' of the ship. The ship might be impounded and anyone trying to claim it might be required to go through a timely and mundane process of trying to find the rightful owners them self before they can claim it as their own. Maybe you need to send identifying photos/video to every person who has reported a missing ship close to the tonnage of the one found and then show letters from all of them indicating that it is not their lost ship.

If the ship is of any known class and the records are "missing" it could be seized as an illegal vessel and thoroughly examined, cut into tiny bits, in search of any clues. When the authorities are done with it, those who found the ship can have the pieces that are not going to be held as possible evidence.

If there is a record of the ship, and the owners/investors have not dutifully tried to retrieve it, including offering a finders fee, it can be considered abandoned and more easily claimed.

If there is a record of the ship, and there are no remaining living owners/investors, including heirs, it can be considered abandoned and more easily claimed.

If there is a record of the ship, and the owners/investors have dutifully tried to retrieve it, including offering a finders fee, the characters would be able to get the finders fee or the owners may decide that due to the condition of the ship they are willing to forgo claiming the ship and sign it over to the characters instead of offering the finders fee.

In any case, the authorities will probably temporarily impound the ship and do a thorough examination of it. I'm thinking something like an FAA investigation when a plane goes down.

These are all off the top of my head, the only "found a ship adrift" adventure I've run was a ship that was shot up by pirates who killed the crew/owners and stole most useful items before running off when a Naval vessel came to investigate. A salvage company claimed the wreck and stripped out anything of good value before moving on to more lucrative jobs and letting their claim expire. There is still some money to be made with some time and labor intensive salvage. This is all part of the preplanning and unknown to the characters who run across a drifting ship and upon approaching, a claim beacon.

 

[aramis]

There is little likely that a laser will kill anything of this size. However as jump fuel has been spent and a hit tears a large hole in it means that refueling will be next to impossible without repairs. There is fuel enough for a landing though.

A single fuel hit is only 10-30 tons lost. She carries 300. She needs 88 to jump, plus about 38 for full power for 8 days.

 

[Zparkz]

A single fuel hit is only 10-30 tons lost. She carries 300. She needs 88 to jump, plus about 38 for full power for 8 days.

In TNE the values are a bit different. A major hit cause a loss of 1 to 20 tons of fuel. Powerplant doesn't use much fuel, but crafts uses a lot of fuel for reaction mass. And many larger lasers may even cause critical hits against a Broadsword, which also may cause fuel loss.

However using damage tables to tell a story can be quite limiting.