Salvage and Recovery

"A destroyed mech is a tragedy. An unrecovered mech is a crime."

— Mercenary Guild saying

Throughout the Core, battlefield recovery and salvage operations are considered essential components of warfare. The immense cost of mech construction, combined with centuries of technological decline and resource scarcity, has ensured that few machines are ever considered truly disposable.

Most military contracts include detailed salvage clauses specifying ownership rights for disabled enemy equipment, battlefield debris, spare parts, and intact chassis. Among mercenary companies, salvage rights are often considered nearly as important as financial compensation.

Dedicated recovery crews accompany most major military formations. These specialists retrieve damaged mechs, recover ejected pilots, secure escape pods, and transport salvageable equipment back to repair facilities. In many campaigns, recovery operations continue for weeks after active combat has ended.

The value of salvage extends beyond economics. Many older machines incorporate components manufactured during the Restoration or even earlier periods of history. Such equipment is often impossible to reproduce using modern industrial techniques and is therefore highly prized by militaries, corporations, collectors, and mercenary companies alike.

As a result, the destruction of a mech rarely marks the end of its service life. Chassis are rebuilt, components are transplanted, and battle-damaged machines are restored repeatedly across decades or even centuries of warfare. Some famous mechs have been destroyed and reconstructed so many times that little of the original machine remains beyond its name and legacy.