Tired of endless confrontations over passengers you just met? Tired of pirates hassling you about some Jane Doe you are allegedly carrying? Concerned over what might happen to your beloved passengers in the event of a crash landing?

Well, the ejectable passenger cabin is the solution to all your needs. If the mob wants Jimmy Jo Passenger, let them have him! Simply go to your passenger screen, and click !Eject! That's right with just the click of your finger this troublesome burden can be lifted from your shoulders, and poor Jimmy will be rocketing into the night to meet his destiny.

On the other hand, if you would be losing in combat, you can eject your passengers before you yourself abandon ship. You may find that some people can be rather generous after you save their life!

This product is a must-buy for cowards and dedicated passenger transporters alike.

Stellar Cartography Module: Builds accurate maps on the fly. Useful for exploration and triangulation of coordinates located between stars (when specific coordinates are not given). If you are in a section of space your galatic map does not include and you activate this module, you'll have an accurate map of the next 10 lys of space within two hours (accurate enough for hyperspacing to them). It can assign coordinates also.

Stellar Cartography Upgrade: At the cost of 2800c, another unit of Cencomp space, and an extra hour of your time, your stellar cartography module can make accurate guesses as to the size of planets in nearby systems. It can divine the distance between the planets and the host star also. It occasionally, however, mistakes a Mars or Venus-like planet for an Earthlike planet or a Superjovian for a small star. It works by detecting the wobbles of the stars and calculating what masses would cause those effects.

Stellar Probes gather incredibly accurate data about the star systems they're in. They are basically massive missiles that have jump drives attached for quick exploration. Once launched, they map the system, taking note of every mass greater than a large asteroid and also the type of planets (e.g. rock, Earth-like, Jovian, etc.). One probe can map an entire system in 16 days. Two probes can finish the job in 8. Four in four. Eight in two. And so on. They do not occupy missile pylons (too large), but are instead 'ejected' from the cargo bay, then redock later. They do require fuel.

Tachyon Comms work by emitting tachyons in uniform patterns in specific directions. The tachyons then decay into hyperspace. Once in hyperspace, a relay ship close to the target destination can intercept the communication and broadcast it upon arrival in the system or it may be transmitted to the ship (if a ship en route is the target). Realspace to Realspace ftl comms do not yet exist, but work is in progress for one that would operate through a hyperspace cloud.

Advantages to carrying around a TachComm yourself:

Communication to ships in hyperspace in case of misjump catastrophe (your hyperdrive is wrecked). A salvage ship would be by pick you up in less than a week.

Communication from a contractor (military, most likely) to you while in hyperspace (in the case of military missions, much of the specifics of the mission might be withheld until you accept and are en route).

Inhibits the creation of distortions that allow a ship to enter hyperspace. Jams jumpgates as well as hyperdrives. Highly illegal. Available only at black market shipyards.

A modified ftl comm. that creates a large tachyon field in hyperspace that causes near instantaneous misjump in any ship pass through. Best used in conjunction with a hyperspace jammer near a common destination planet (when ships are most dependent on their hyperdrive fieldsto continue their journey, rather than their entry). Note that interception of interplanetary craft dependant on jumpgates is impossible (and pirates often use this tactic for this reason: no puny, worthless craft). Moderately illegal, available only through certain pirate clans which have an apparent 'monopoly' on this device.

You may come across a wreaked ship in space, latch on to it, and salvage parts.

Things that could be gained:

- Metal Alloys

- Possible Equipment in working or near working condition (only a small cost for repairing then for buying new and there is the added bonus that the part may not be buyable eg class 4 military drive)

- Any Cargo in the hold (probably not that much)

- The ship entire ship, if it was in good enough condition for you to sell, store or use. (all you have to do is tow it to a base)

Things that you might need:

- Salvaging scanner attachment (0t, makes salvageable ships seen on scanners in special color).

- Docking Clamp type thing.

- Maybe you also need a special ship to tow. This would make slightly more sense, and would add extra incentive to buy a Viper or Lifter class craft. It would also be a challenge for beginners (or practically anybody) to buy a Lifter class craft, then try to find and salvage a better ship.

Just think-- you could visit junkyards and battlegrounds trying to find a ship that isn't beyond salvage (or one that hasn't already been picked clean) and get in the middle of pirate wars or skirmishes of a rebellion trying to find it.

Porphyre's Proposal:

Okay... It seems as if docking and towing have been linked in most of the discussions in TEP. However, I propose that we separate the two...

Docking: Docking would be an option for every ship. All you would need is the proper equipment and the space to put it in. Maybe it should even be standard, as eventually you'd have to get out, and it wouldn't take that much more effort to make the hatch an airlock

With docking one could:

1. Dock and Pillage: Self-explanatory. You dock wtih the ship after it surrenders (or a dead ship, like in junkyards or warzones), and take all of its equipment.

2. Dock and Swap: You dock with a ship after it surrenders (or a dead ship), and transfer the other ship into your command. You would then set your old ship adrift (after transferring cargo and, maybe, crew).

3. Negotiate and Dock: The ship agrees to give up the person you want to assassinate. (This would lead to messages such as "Wanted: Dead or Alive")

Towing: Towing would require a ship designed for it. Towing would have certain advantages: while a ship is in tow, one could access its thrusters, hyperdrive, and lasers. Also:

1. Towing Missions: Tow my ship from point A to point B.

One would also be able to steal/sell the ship, but you'd definately acquire a reputation. Others wouldn't hire a criminal to tug their ship.

2. Salvage Missions: Sometimes based on rumors, sometimes missions, and sometimes dumb luck. Once you find a ship to salvage, you could sell it (towing it to a station to sell), swap (transfer into the other ship), or pillage it.

3. Cruise: Just cruise around for the fun of it. It'd look like the other ship has a parasite on it. It would hinder manueverability a little, but it would also add a little cargo space.