[gurps] Tinker's Starship?

[Onno Meyer]

> It seems to me that it might be more cost-effective for the planet to
> simply contract techs off-world, buy the materials for the start-up of as many
> minifacs as the planet wants. and charter a large transport to bring them
> all to the world.
> 
> The tranport off-loads the tech and equipment and leaves. The techs live
> on the planet, first setting up the minifacs, then operating them. They also
> train locals to run and repair the minifacs. When the techs' contract end,
> they get passage to the world(s) they came from. The locals fully take
> over operation of the minifacs. A small number of tech might be contracted to
> stay behind "just in case" and there may also be periodic visits by
> off-world techs to provide special maintainence or update the equipment.

All other things being equal, the mobile factory should be more expensive
per unit of capacity than a fixed factory. And on a prospering colony, demand
will stay high. So maybe the factory ship builds the first nanofactories. 
 
> If such an operation is illegal (I could see this in Star Wars, where the
> Empire wants to keep a world low-tech so it can better exploit (eg, steal)
> planetary resources), then the mobile factory is a better choice.
> 
> Brandon

If it is illegal, what about smaller mobile factories on stock light freighters? 
That way, they don't draw the personal attention of guys named Vader.