' Wrote: Be warned..this is a rant.

It seems to me that for quite some time, people have been using Zoner IDs to exempt them from piracy as they haul their advanced trains backwards and forwards on power-routes.
Without so much as a change to their RP, your average joe Adv. Train pilot sells his Trader ID, buys a Zoner ID and expects to be ignored by all pirates in Sirius.
Not by me.

I've encountered traders using this shield, labouring under the misinformed idea that the Corsairs and Zoners are allies. They are not.
The Zoners overcharge the Corsairs for food, and infringe on Corsair territory. The Corsairs are by nature suspicious of outsiders, particularly cold businessmen as the Zoners seem to be. The game is full of rumours stating that the Corsairs are extremely uncomfortable with the Zoner presence in Omicron Theta (and in particular, the existence of Juggernauts).
People justify their claims in a number of ways.
"Zoners are allied to the Order. So are the Corsairs". That means nothing whatsoever. Just because a bunch of Libertonians living on the other side of Sirius are friends with both, doesn't mean that two large and powerful groups on eachother's doorsteps never fall out.
"There are Corsairs on Freeport 9. You can get a Corsair bribe there". Newsflash; anyone is allowed onto a Freeport, and bribes mean nothing. Did you know you can get Criminal Bribes in places like the New London Bar? By that logic, the Bretonian Police must be pals with the Mollys, Outcasts, Corsairs etc.

The Zoners and Corsairs trade with each other, and occasionally provide each other shelter in the hopes that they will help each others' economies. That is all.
If a Corsair was being attacked by a swarm of Outcasts, would a Zoner assist the Corsair or let him die? He would do the latter. This is no basis for an alliance, and is part of the reason that the Zoners and the Corsairs are NOT allies.

We don't tax in Theta normally, as we respect Zoner jurisdiction there. In Omega-41 however, any Zoner craft should be fair game for being coerced by force into making a donation the Corsair nation.
As far as I see it, there is no difference between a Zoner Trader and an unaffiliated Trader. The pilot is a man working for himself, and if he strays into Corsair territory he should expect no different than any other merchant.

Out of respect for the Zoner people, I am as polite with my demands as I can be. However, that's as far as it goes. The principle is the same; you pay or you find your ship in pieces.
If I see a merchant ship flying the colours of a Zoner sub-corporation (ie. a Zoner group tag) I may choose not to tax him in order to avoid a diplomatic backlash, and at least I can be sure that pilot is not working entirely for himself. The cargo they are carrying, and their destination might also influence my decision.

We are all aware of the existence of traders who choose this career purely to save up for larger ships. It is these individuals who will avoid paying a pirate at all costs.
The traders who are actually here to play the game and enjoy themselves sooner or later accept that piracy (and the danger element therefore added) enhances the game, not detracts from it, and it is at this point that they stop trying to look for loopholes. I love to see traders putting up a good fight; making decent attempts not to be caught, but I can't stand my time being wasted with OORP chat about how I shouldn't be taxing them.

Bottom line is, I will continue to tax independent cargo trains who use Zoner IDs as a defence against piracy, and I will advise my familia to do so as well. I am fairly certain I am within my rights to do so and that this is not a violation of server laws.
If anyone feels this action is not right, feel free to justify your point of view and get me to change my mind.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who's found himself in the situation described above.

Rant over.