Pirates represent a major threat to the trade routes connecting the planets of the Frontier. Pirate ships are crewed by members of all four core races and even some minor races. Every inhabited star system has suffered from their scourge at one time or another.

The standard pirate tactic is a fast assault on a lone ship, usually a freighter or spaceliner. The pirates try to disable the victim's drives and maneuver jets and then board her.

Everything of value is removed from the ship, including passengers and crew who can be used as slaves at the pirate base or held for ransom. Sometimes the passengers and crew are not kidnapped, but left on board the drifting hulk, hoping for rescue before their life support runs out.

Pirate ships usually are small and fast. Assault scouts and frigates are the preferred pirate vessels although they often they use corvettes. Whatever type of ship is used, it will be heavily armed.

Asteroids, uninhabited planets, unknown regions of outpost worlds and moons all might serve as pirate bases. These bases usually are not very well developed, since the pirates must be prepared to escape quickly if ships of the Spacefleet or a planetary militia suddenly attack.

Some lightly populated planets have governments that are actually run by pirates. Because of the charter of the UPF, the Spacefleet is prohibited from taking direct action against these worlds, and must limit itself to intercepting pirate ships as they go about their unlawful business. Outer Reach in the Dramune system is the most significant of these pirate governments.[1]

Raider Characters

Practically anyone can become a space pirate, but like Spacers there is a certain breed of criminals who’ve been born into the space-faring class who are not bound by the restrictions of a single planet or even the Frontier. These criminals call themselves Raiders or buccaneers or even swashbucklers like the sea pirates of old. They are predators, plowing the space lanes, seeking fame and fortune often at the cost of innocent lives.

Like Spacers, Raiders automatically receive the skill Adroitness, which provides 7 points that can be split between Dexterity and Logic. Pirates also learn early starship skills at a lower cost because they cut corners. However, because they have more rudimentary training, their chance of success is less than an academy-trained recruit and, often, they have a much more difficult time learning higher level skills.

Although the holovid movies make the space pirate life seem glamorous, its desperate and cut-throat nature often translates into a shortened lifespan for many a Raider.

Note: Please See "Downloads" for more information about using the Alpha-Zebs hybrid character creation rules for information about Space Pirates. This section is undergoing a revision.