At this point all conquering ships in any world's sector are used to determine that world's owner as follows:

• If any world's sector contains no conquering ships, then that world becomes unowned.
• If any world's sector contains conquering ships belonging to exactly one empire, then that empire gains control of that world and all RUs stockpiled upon it.
• If any world's sector contains conquering ships belonging to more than one empire, and the world's current owner is not among them, then that world becomes (or remains) unowned.
• If any world's sector contains conquering ships belonging to more than one empire, and the world's current owner is among them, then that empire retains ownership of the world.

 
 
 
Note that you must leave conquering ships in orbit around a world after you take control of it; otherwise, it becomes unowned.  Any RUs stockpiled at an unowned world will remain at that world until a new owner takes possession of them, but production of new RUs never occurs on unowned worlds.

If the current owner loses ownership of a world, all existing shipping lanes to and from that world are cancelled immediately.