legal salvage ? by NewOldBrownCoat

FIREFLY EPISODE DISCUSSIONS

legal salvage ?

POSTED BY: NEWOLDBROWNCOAT
UPDATED: Friday, November 24, 2006 13:12
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Friday, November 24, 2006 8:11 AM

Is there legal salvage in the 'verse?
We see the BDHs get busted in the Pilot and in Bushwacked, for illegal salvage, in what seems to be legitimate salvage operations on abandoned cargo on derelict vessels.
IS the Alliance attitude, " that stuff belonged to the Alliance once, so it's ours forever, whether we try to recover it or not?"
Stuff that folk could use, that might help folk survive, that's just laying there because the Alliance can't be bothered to go retrieve it, so nobody else can either?

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Friday, November 24, 2006 8:40 AM

ROCKETJOCK

My thought is that salvage of military vessels and equipment, such as that seen in the pilot, is limited to military boarding parties, for reasons of security.

Salvage of civilian craft, such as the derelict in "Bushwhacked" is probably legal only if you report and claim the salvage through a series of bureaucratic pit-stops and red tape sessions that undoubtedly involve paying a hefty percentage of the salvage value in taxes and duties. The Alliance undoubtedly claims this is necessary as a means of controlling piracy, but the real reason is to keep a firm hand on the shipping of the border moons and the rim.

"She's tore up plenty. But she'll fly true." -- Zoë Washburn

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Friday, November 24, 2006 10:21 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by RocketJock:
Salvage of civilian craft, such as the derelict in "Bushwhacked" is probably legal only if you report and claim the salvage through a series of bureaucratic pit-stops and red tape sessions that undoubtedly involve paying a hefty percentage of the salvage value in taxes and duties.

After which you only get what's left if someone doesn't make a "legitimate" claim that it's theirs. Like say, if a crew member had next of kin back on a core world, they can reclaim that dead crewer's possessions. If the ship was owned by a business, that business can buy back the derelict and either scavenge it for parts or try to repair it.

After everything's said and done, the salvagers, being such upright and law-abiding citizens, might just end up owing money for their hard work.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Friday, November 24, 2006 12:22 PM

TRAVELER

I remember a PBS program about a crew of salvagers bringing up millions of dollars worth of gold from a military ship that sank while headed toward the Soviet Union during World War II. I think when they got done several countries had claims and the crew did get enough to make a profit, but it was quit small after they settled with everyone. I would have sailed for South America and made them come after me. I mean if the Nazi's could hide in South America why not someone with millions of dollars worth of gold.

So there are probably legal ways to salvage in the verse, but the profit would be much smaller. They were lucky in "Bushwhacked". That particular Alliance Command could have gotten the crew for illegal salvage. So not all Alliance officials are bad guys. Just like the marshal in "The Train Job".

Just like Joss brought back Niska and Mrs Reynolds, I would like to see these two officiers return in future episodes.

Traveler

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Friday, November 24, 2006 1:12 PM

STILLFLYIN

Under pesent Maritime Law if you find a derelict ship, it's yours. You do have to pay taxes to your home government. In the 'verse I would presume that in the situations of Serenity (Pilot) and Bushwacked that removing cargo from wrecks requires permits. But, I would assume that boarding and taking posession of a functional, abandoned vessel is permissable, so long as the proper paperwork is filled out when you reach port. Since there was a "survivor" on the ship in Bushwacked the ship was not abandoned and therfore attempting to take posession of it would be unlawful.

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