Scavenging

It's all about the leftovers...

The ECHO suit fits like a glove, my rifle is loaded and primed, and I even managed to clean (most) of my ship while I waited for the battle to end. I'm so ready.
I reach up and slide the steel shutter back, revealing a viewport and a wide view of the carnage. It was like having a front-row seat. My ship continues to orbit the nearby moon and a sudden flash of light catches my attention.
It wasn't the telltale nuclear flash of another Dhital ship being blown apart. It couldn't have been an eden ship meeting its end. Those implode when they die. No. It was the glare from a ship orbiting above me.
I narrow my eyes and slam the shutter closed. I rush to the bridge, check the communications panel, and see no transponder from the ship above me. I can't even tell what the ship's name is. That can mean one of two things.
If a ship isn't flying colors, they're either up to no good or are wanted for the no-good they got up to some time before. Maybe both, in some cases. On a hunch, I open a short-range channel.

I try to sound as confident as I can, but my voice shakes as the adrenaline surges. "Unidentified vessel, this is captain Amberlie "Pariah" Hurst, of The SVN Castaway. This is my perch, and I must insist that you find your own. Failure to comply will lead to immediate boarding."
It needs work. The silence that followed my initial message proves it. I'm still trying to perfect that official bounty hunter voice. I speak again, "Both of us know you're not supposed to be here. I tried to be polite. Let me be more direct." I take a deep breath; an effort to calm down. "As an agent of The Lodge, I'd be happy to bring you in, or you can kindly piss off. Your choice."
I watch the scans of the vessel as they scroll across the screen. A sudden shift of energy is detected and soon after, their warp drive kicks in. The ship fades away; a blur streaking across the stars. Nailed it.
Another half-hour passes and the battle finally ends. I watch the eden ships leave the system, and they do so in a hurry. The corpses of a hundred vessels lie ahead as I kick on the engines. Time to get to work. I wonder what I'll pick up today?

Scavengers are an interesting bunch. With every major conflict, especially when large amounts of ships are involved, you might notice small vessels nearby. They watch the victors leaving the sector like crows and vultures ready for a feast. I've been a scavenger since leaving Safeharbor.
It's like a race. We listen for the dinner bell, a moment of pure silence as the wreckage drifts further from the scene of combat. The weapons stop firing, the engines are quiet. 3...2...1… and they're off.
Ships come from all sides, scanning the field of debris, the wreckage still smoldering with plasma and radioactive flame. We scan the debris so frequently, the signals cancel each other out, a useful tactic if you know what you're looking for. It's a cutthroat life. Salvage is like gold, and many are more than willing to kill for it.

Like Worms

Scavengers flock to clean up the trash when the powerful come to blows. This puts them in a curious place on the totem pole. Salvage operations are illegal in some sectors of space, but these sectors are also the most turbulent. Debris fields can be dangerous.
Scavengers help clear these fields. It's our duty, in a way. Who wouldn't want to keep this vast and depressing expanse of pure nothingness clean? If you ask me, I'd say the job is undervalued. Even though it's all about the profit you can always feel the difference in areas where scavengers are shot on sight.
In most sectors of space, after a battle, each side has a limited amount of time to claim their salvage. If all players leave the field, It's officially free salvage. It's just a polite way of saying, "We don't need this anymore. Come and lick the plate clean, peasants."

Harvesters

Some areas of space take their salvage recovery to a whole new level. The eden matriarchy has an automated fleet of drones called harvesters. These large freighters catch debris and recycle it for later use. If eden are involved, you know the harvesters can't be far behind.
The purpose? It saves valuable resources, particularly the precious Prism they love so much. It also protects their investment in technology. eden tech is the best, and they like to keep it that way. It's important to reclaim that salvage so people like us don't sell such treasures to the highest bidder.
My mom used to show me pictures of animals from the earth. Have you ever heard of a whale shark? That's what the harvesters remind me of every time I see them. They're long, with a gaping maw that consumes indiscriminately. Don't get caught in there. You won't be coming out. Enjoy your new life as furniture, or whatever those monstrosities do with organic matter. Maybe you'll be turned into a rug… do eden have rugs?