Ranger66 said:
Centauri Merchant
Found close to the edge of Centauri space. Relativly speaking.
Ship pretty much blasted up but the hull etc was still intact.
The adventure is set just before the very 1st episode of Season 1
Okay, quoting some excerpts from the International Convention on Salvage, 1989 - it's fairly logical to assume that a galactic-wide treaty wouldn't be much different to this.
Without prejudice to article 5, this Convention shall not apply to warships or other non-commercial vessels owned or operated by a State and entitled, at the time of salvage operations, to sovereign immunity under generally recognized principles of international law unless that State decides otherwise.
So as I guessed above, Warships would not be covered by salvage laws. However, yours is a merchant vessel and is therefore "fair game".
The master shall have the authority to conclude contracts for salvage operations on behalf of the owner of the vessel. The master or the owner of the vessel shall have the authority to conclude such contracts on behalf of the owner of the property on board the vessel.
Just because you found it, it isn't automatically yours

You have to enter a salvage contract with the owner (or captain) of the vessel. The reward for salvage is fixed at this time.
The salved vessel and other property shall not, without the consent of the salvor, be removed from the port or place at which they first arrive after the completion of the salvage operations until satisfactory security has been put up for the salvor's claim against the relevant vessel or property.
As soon as you arrive at any kind of docking facility, you have to leave the salvage there.
Basically, salvage laws allow you to claim compensation from the original owner. Nothing more.
However, the
Law of Finds is a little different, and is most likely what your players are thinking of.
Under this law, title is given to the person who finds and takes possession of the property. However, this law only applies when no owner exists, or can be determined. As this is a registered vessel, the chances are the original owner can be located.
The correct procedure to follow in this case is:
a) Contact the Centauri vessel registry to obtain the owner's contact details (they may charge a small service fee for this)
b) Contact the owner, and make an offer to salvage their ship or items from within. Contract negotiation is between the salvor (the players), and the owner. Stricting speaking, they could alternatively enter into this contract with the master (captain) of the vessel.
c) Perform salvage operations. Remove either the complete vessel, its contents, or specific contents to a port. Obtain storage facilities for these.
d) Owner comes to collect, and pays agreed fee plus storage bill.