Which is the dominant military force in this system, and how well would our characters expect we could pass ourselves off as them?
This is in the Collective of Imperial Worlds and works off a fedual system allowing nobles to police their own territory.
The dominant military force in this system are the forces of the local noble house which you are very clearly not.
For a start you don't have an active transponder unlike every legitimate military vessel in existance; the firestar is a very unusal make and not the type of ship the local forces use; the firestar currently looks very well maintained and the local forces are what you'd call pissed on remanants; your colour scheme is unlike any colour scheme used by offical vessels that you know of.
What, do I look like I'm holding a megaphone? Do I look like the FBI to you? I don't negotiate with f**king terrorists.
Deploy the flak drone and blow some fighters out of space.
As you snarl your response to the hostage taker the group of smaller ships pass into the effective range of your railguns.
The warning shot blasts past them, shattering a comet behind them.
They spread out and accelerate going for the Firestar's flanks.
But since the ship is built around the railguns, retargeting with them means moving the entire ship and facing the target.
Luckly the Firestar has surprising turning speed.
Turning the entire ship faster than it should be possible for a ship of your size to turn you fire the railguns again this time taking out two of the enemy shuttles.
Your point defence guns wind up and fire bright beams at the enemy as they try to get in close to the Firestar.
Several fighters are hit, their exploding as the beams melted through their hulls.
In return enemy fire pounds on the hull of the Firestar breaching the weak armor at several points.
As the fighters distract your turrets the weilding frames swoop in aiming to try and cut a way in for the boarders on the shuttles.
The flak drone intercepts them taking them by surprise as it flies up from below them, it's cannon flashing in the silence of space.
"You don't want to negotiate? FINE BY ME! It just means another ship to sell!"
The modified cargo vessel is turning towards you.
Cables run the short distance between it and the Cresent Dawn.
And slowly the ship speeds up as it drags the Cresent Dawn with it.
Tabien System
Galvenn (known shipyard)
Jayld
Vrinis
Ilbrier (Digital Rights Front Headquarters)
The disputed Zone
Lastros Ak'Mkal
Credits: 60
Hull damage: Minor Hull breaches
Armor: Almost full with a few small holes
System Damage: Negelected
Weapon Status: Firing
Railgun shells: 0 (Railgun shells do more damage but the railguns can still fire scrap metal if need be)
Cannon shells: 0
Missiles:
Crew:15
Crew Morale: high
Crew rations: 105 (one crew ration per crew memeber consumed per day)
Other Craft:
LR Cargo Shuttle (Fuel:295/600)
flak drone (Fuel:5/5 Shells:14/20)
Hanger fuel tank:0/4000
Cargo: basic ship parts
111 flak shells