The Pirate Clans are a loose confederation of humans and aliens who operate a fleet of ships from a large debris field in the Frontier known as Tartarus. Their current leader is Pirate Red.
I: HISTORY
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The current model of the Pirate Clans was established in the wake of the Rigellian War, when the man known as Dragos gradually assembled a fleet of starships and conducting ambitious raids on ships and planetary colonies in the developing territory, establishing a base in the debris field known as Tartarus. This fleet became the backbone of the Pirate Clans.
This arrangement continued for several years, until Pirate Red concocted an elaborate plan to kill Dragos, destroy his ship, and destroy the Modayan guards that enforced his will. Following this, Red cemented her control over the fleet, aided by her sister Kilana, and she has maintained command to the present day.
Recently, with this increased militarization of the Frontier the pirates have been driven back into Tartarus. It remains to be seen whether the presence of the military in the Pirates territory will eventually lead to an engagement between the UEF and the Pirates. The story is ongoing.
II: CHARACTERISTICS
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Unlike the Syndicates, which have a rigid organizational structure, the Pirate Clans tend to be organized by ship--each Captain directly commands his crew, and whoever commands the fleet commands the captains.
Pirate raids tends to be ship-to-ship--since the changeover of leadership from Dragos, they have largely abandoned raids on planetary colonies, as hit and run assaults on ships that stray from the prescribed shipping lanes. Generally, a set number of smaller ships with harry the target ship until the command ship--usually Red's flagship, the Misericord--gets into position and disables the ship. The ship is then boarded, stripped of anything that could be sold or utilized by the Pirates, and then let go.
Generally, the model for how the rewards for a successful raid are distributed by he following formula. Forty percent goes to Red as tribute, twenty to the other ships that participated in the raid, and the remaining twenty is distributed to the rest of the fleet.
Obviously, in such an informal system, internecine conflicts are not unheard of. Under the command of Dragos, in fact, these conflicts were encouraged, as it generally kept the vassals too busy to interfere with his plans and anyone who might survive was in no condition to oppose him.
With the installation of Pirate Red, an increased central control has been exerted, in apparent and subtle ways. A series of Codes were instituted to provide an official solution to internal disputes before they lead to violence, and pay to all members of the Pirate Clans was increased. The thinking being that they are buying loyalty to Red over their own commander, and should push come to shove, they would come to her aid over their captain's.