I was trying to think of a situation whereby large scale piracy might exist. I figured you'd need a legal place to dump loot and re-fit and victims who were chumps. Here's what I came up with:
In the last years of the Long Night, the Grand Republic of the Stars was a pocket empire that spanned about a third of a sector. It had a fleet of escort to destroyer sized warships and a tight and active network of subsidized merchant vessels.
However, they encountered a minor race known as the Blursters, a small, roughly humanoid race with gray, hairless skin and large black eyes. The Blursters had advanced to 2 tech levels beyond the Grand Republic, but were confined to a single high-population world. When it was discovered that Blurster scouts had been abducting humans and performing grisly experiments on them, a fierce war broke out.
After twenty gruelling years of war, the Blursters were at last defeated. The exhausted republic then elected a Galactic Peace Party government into office. The Peace Party rapidly slashed Naval Spending and instituted some far reaching restrictions on the arming of merchant vessels. There was a strict directive to all military units that any encounters with foreign elements must first be handled by the diplomatic corps, and firing on strangers, even in self-defense was liable to end up in court-martial.
The Peace Party ideology at first proved successful, when peaceful relations were established with an Aslan clan and another small pocket empire, that had been known for its belligerence.
However, soon it would prove disasterous. Another state in the sector: The Gaetulian Alliance, had been an ally in the Blurster war, but had been cut out of the fruits of the victory. One Gaetulian merchant captain got into a dispute over the transfer of cargo with a Republic vessel. In a rage he seized and plundered the vessel and easily escaped back to Gaetulian space. When the only response from the Grand Republic was talk, talk and more talk, Gaetulian spacers began to get big ideas.
Finally, Captain Ludvig Donaldo made a claim in Gaetulian court that his family had lost a sizeable amount of property to the Blursters, and as the Grand Republic now had sovereign power over Blurster Prime, the Republic was responsible for paying the damages. The Gaetulian Court award him the damages, and when the Grand Republic refused to pay, the Court issued a "Letter of Reprisal" allowing Captain Donaldo to seize an equivalent amount of Republic property.
What followed was an avalanche. A huge number of these bogus claims were recognized and Gaetulian traders became pirates in huge numbers. These were soon joined by large number of cashiered Republic naval crews, who had lost their jobs due to the Peace Party policies.
The Grand Republic never really recovered. It took too many years to adequately re-tool the naval shipyards that had been closed, and the existing patrol ships could not keep the spacelanes clear. The Peace Party dragged its feet for several years before it allowed merchant vessels to adequately arm themselves to meet the threat.
When Cleon's representatives entered the area, the world governments of the members of the Republic quickly revolted from the central government to join the Third Imperium in exchange for fleet protection. Finally, in the year 15 of the Third Imperium, the Imperial Navy seized the main pirate meeting and market place, Gaetulia Nova, bringing to an end the predatory bonanza.
In the last years of the Long Night, the Grand Republic of the Stars was a pocket empire that spanned about a third of a sector. It had a fleet of escort to destroyer sized warships and a tight and active network of subsidized merchant vessels.
However, they encountered a minor race known as the Blursters, a small, roughly humanoid race with gray, hairless skin and large black eyes. The Blursters had advanced to 2 tech levels beyond the Grand Republic, but were confined to a single high-population world. When it was discovered that Blurster scouts had been abducting humans and performing grisly experiments on them, a fierce war broke out.
After twenty gruelling years of war, the Blursters were at last defeated. The exhausted republic then elected a Galactic Peace Party government into office. The Peace Party rapidly slashed Naval Spending and instituted some far reaching restrictions on the arming of merchant vessels. There was a strict directive to all military units that any encounters with foreign elements must first be handled by the diplomatic corps, and firing on strangers, even in self-defense was liable to end up in court-martial.
The Peace Party ideology at first proved successful, when peaceful relations were established with an Aslan clan and another small pocket empire, that had been known for its belligerence.
However, soon it would prove disasterous. Another state in the sector: The Gaetulian Alliance, had been an ally in the Blurster war, but had been cut out of the fruits of the victory. One Gaetulian merchant captain got into a dispute over the transfer of cargo with a Republic vessel. In a rage he seized and plundered the vessel and easily escaped back to Gaetulian space. When the only response from the Grand Republic was talk, talk and more talk, Gaetulian spacers began to get big ideas.
Finally, Captain Ludvig Donaldo made a claim in Gaetulian court that his family had lost a sizeable amount of property to the Blursters, and as the Grand Republic now had sovereign power over Blurster Prime, the Republic was responsible for paying the damages. The Gaetulian Court award him the damages, and when the Grand Republic refused to pay, the Court issued a "Letter of Reprisal" allowing Captain Donaldo to seize an equivalent amount of Republic property.
What followed was an avalanche. A huge number of these bogus claims were recognized and Gaetulian traders became pirates in huge numbers. These were soon joined by large number of cashiered Republic naval crews, who had lost their jobs due to the Peace Party policies.
The Grand Republic never really recovered. It took too many years to adequately re-tool the naval shipyards that had been closed, and the existing patrol ships could not keep the spacelanes clear. The Peace Party dragged its feet for several years before it allowed merchant vessels to adequately arm themselves to meet the threat.
When Cleon's representatives entered the area, the world governments of the members of the Republic quickly revolted from the central government to join the Third Imperium in exchange for fleet protection. Finally, in the year 15 of the Third Imperium, the Imperial Navy seized the main pirate meeting and market place, Gaetulia Nova, bringing to an end the predatory bonanza.
