Bob Mahoney writes:
> My players have found and repaired a Type J "Seeker". It was marooned on an
> Exile world, the crew having been killed by the Exiles. It's a little beat-up
> but it flies.
>
> My question is this: How to handle the savlage rights?
The way I handled this in previous campaigns was that the ship was held in the
nearest A or B class starport for a certain time, and a message circulated to
the effect that it had been found. The owner would have to claim it during that
time, and prove their claim. The bank which had financed the ship could also
put in a claim. If the owner showed up, the ship was handed back and the
finders got a percentage of its cash value, based mainly on its condition. If
no owner showed up, but the bank did, then the finders had the option of taking
over the ship, and making all outstanding payments to the bank; or handing the
ship to the bank, and claiming salvage money as above. If neither owner nor
bank showed up, the finders got the ship. If the ship had some military
significance, the Imperial Navy could intervene and seize the ship, and maybe
pay the finders.
In a campaign in which I was playing, we acquired a Vargr corsair this way. We
were attacked, but captured it, and then went to the nearest Naval base to
register it. We persuaded the Navy to waive the bit about waiting for the
owners to show up, as they were most unlikely to do so! (They were alive - we
released them - but obviously Vargr corsairs would not go to an Imperial base
to claim a corsair ship!)