The Contract System

Contracts

The company behind ships and stations will often open the floor for potential employees to contract to their company for a certain period of time. Sometimes the ships or stations will already have positions promised to certain people, so often the contracts will be for specific skill slots.

Legalities

Company

In the contract, the company must state all expected tasks involved (emergency tasks do not count), how much will be payed upon completion of the contract, how long both company and employee are bound to the contract, and some description of working and living conditions on ship. 

Employee

Before signing, the future employee must show all certifications requested and undergo a physical and sometimes a mental assessment.

Both Sides

After signing, both sides are legally bound to adhere to the contract for the aforementioned time, unless otherwise agreed on by legal representatives. 

Skill Slots

Common Skill Slots

Some of the most common skill slots that are contracted include the following: 

• Chef - to cook for all crew, anywhere from one to ten slots
• Custodian - to keep the ship neat and tidy, usually just one or two slots
• Mechanical Engineer or Specialist - essential in case of mechanical breaks or emergency, anywhere from one to ten slots
• Medic - definition of medic is up to the company, to keep crew healthy, anywhere from one to five slots
• Pilot - probably the most important, to keep the ship or station on course and running smoothly, usually one or two slots

Other Skill Slots

Depending on the type of ship, other skills will often be needed on ship. Those can include the following:

• Archaeologists – anywhere from three to ten, depending on the needs of the ship.
• Astronomers – anywhere from one to five, depending on the size of the ship (they like to fight)
• Biologists – anywhere from two to ten, depending on the size of the ship
• Botanists – anywhere from two to ten, depending on the size of the ship
• Camera Crews – anywhere from two to ten, depending on the needs of the ship
• Chemists – anywhere from two to ten, depending on the size of the ship
• Doctors – anywhere from one to ten, depending on the size of the ship (doctors and medics are different, don’t confuse them)
• General Engineer – anywhere from two to ten, depending on the size of the ship
• Journalists – anywhere from one to five, depending on the needs of the ship
• Mathematicians – anywhere from one to ten, depending on the needs of the ship
• Meteorologists – anywhere from one to ten, depending on the size of the ship
• Specialists – depending on the specialty, anywhere from one to five (expert in one very specific part of a subject)
• Teachers (school) – anywhere from two to ten, depending on the needs and size of the ship
• Weapons Engineer – anywhere from two to ten, depending on the size of the ship
• Zoologists – anywhere from three to ten, depending on the size and needs of the ship
• Conspiracy Theorists – usually just one or two, and you never know when you’ll need a good conspiracy theory
• Entertainers – anywhere from two to ten, depending on the size and needs of the ship
• Personal Assistants – usually for higher positions and depends on the needs of those positions
• Interns – anyone with little experience looking for more in a particular subject, anywhere from one to ten, depending on the need of the ship

Age

Some contracts will require you to be a certain age to sign on. The ages vary from company to company, but the legal minimum age for certain skill sets to contract to stay the same.  Some of the younger minimum ages include: 

• Camera Crews – they can be contracted as young as age ten
• Entertainers – they can be contracted as young as age ten
• Custodians – they can be contracted as young as age eleven
• Chefs – they can be contracted as young as age twelve
• Conspiracy Theorists – if they’re good enough, they can be contracted as young as age thirteen
• Mathematicians – they can be contracted as young as age thirteen
• Journalists – they can be contracted as young as age fourteen
• Personal Assistants – they can be contracted as young as age fourteen
• Interns – they can be contracted as young as age fifteen

If a young person (under eighteen) is contracted, there will often be an older or more experienced person contracted for the same skill slot as well. The same goes if there is a less experienced or new person contracted for a job, there will be a more experienced one contracted for the same skill slot as well.