A. Without a doubt one of the most sought-after mission-help-requests thus far. The mission where you have to retrieve a pair of prototype Maas fighters suffers from vagueness, confusion, and some massive tightness in the scripting that fails you if you don't do everything JUST right. Based on experience of going through this mission at least 6 times successfully (both in the demo and full version), I offer the following information:
First, one area of confusion is what exactly one should bring the trader in the junkyard in exchange for the Maas IFF. Head back to your base and search for a piece of cargo in your inventory that has a recycling value of at least 60. If you don't have one.... aquire one Attach it to your ship (through the Loadout menu's rather obvious "Add Cargo" button) and haul it off to the good lad to get your shiny new IFF.
Now, once you reach the Maas Base and Jafs has come to a full stop, remote link to the tug called "Drone" (Shift+R) and have it dock with the cargo pod called "Useful Looking Cargo". Fly the pod over to the other pod called "Fighters'. This is the part where most people get lost. You need to hit the F2 key from here (making sure the "Fighters" pod is targetted) and line up the aft of your ship to be facing the "Fighters" pod. Get as close as possible to it, then smack "U". This should all be set up so that the "Useful Looking Cargo" pod smacks into the "Fighters" pod and takes it's place. Then, dock with the "Fighters" pod, and, taking a round-about route back to your ship (not sure if this is entirely necessary, but better safe than sorry), unload the pod into the Refuse Dump. If all goes to plan, you should be able to terminate the REM link safely. Jafs will undock your tug and pick up the "Fighters" pod. Formate with him as he jumps out, and head on home. Congrats, you did it!
Q. How do I steal the Maas fighters?
A1. You must swap the 'useful looking pod' for the fighter pod. To do this you'll need to remote-link to the drone and use it to dock to the 'useful looking pod' and place it right next to the fighter pod, then move the fighter pod ( using the drone ) next to the garbage dump waypoint. Jafs will then pick up the pod, and you can run away from the base.
Simply done:
1. Gain clearence (IFF)
2. undock from jafs in the debris field
3. REM-link to the drone
4. Use the drone to dock to the useful cargo pod
5. take the useful pod to the fighter pod
6. undock the drone from the useful pod and dock with the fighter pod
7. take the fighter pod back to jafs.
8. un-REM-link from the drone.
9. leave