Bretonian Buccaneers

Bretonian Buccaneers
Origin	Bretonia
Affiliation	Freelancer tag/Pirate ID
Alignment	Unlawful
Profile
Date of founding	453 A.S.
Founder(s)	Captain Christopher Myngs
Current leader(s)	Captain Thomas Anderson
Base of operations	Prison Liner Leviathan, Various systems.
Primary role
Pilfering Bretonia for all her riches and luxuries
Secondary role
Defending 'Buccaneer turf' from other pirates

Introduction

Pirates and smugglers. Criminals and contrabandistas. Scofflaws and ne'er-do-wells. These are the Bretonian Buccaneers. A motley collection of cutthroats and pirates, the Buccaneers seek only one thing: wealth, and they'll get it in any way possible. For the most part, they take it from others, through force if need be.

The Golden Years of Piracy; 453 - 565 AS

File:Trafalgar.jpg

The Buccaneer's former New London base, Plymouth Station. It was later repressurized by the Junkers and renamed to Trafalgar Base.

Initially founded in early 453 AS, the Buccaneers were a crime gang originally based on Planet Leeds to leech cold hard credits from the working men and women of Bretonia. This unscrupulous attitude governed their mode of operating – profits over principles. The gang were at first small time thieves, occasionally raiding freighter convoys to steal cargo and take hostages. Their reputation grew with their deeds and by the end of the year the Buccaneers were undergoing a period of exponential growth as members of the Leeds underworld flocked to their banner. Soon enough the politicians of New London had flagged the Buccaneers as a "considerable concern".

Their monopoly over Bretonia's space-borne organized crime was cemented when they began to expand in earnest. A small outpost was established in the smog clouds of Leeds, little more than a docking module and a life support system. Rapidly christened Sherwood Station, this tiny base was expanded over the following decade, with modules being added as resources could be sourced. Piracy flourished in the Leeds system, with seemingly little the BPA could do to stem the Buccaneers' meteoric success.

In the later months of 491 AS the Buccaneers turned their gaze upon New London – they had long since operated throughout Bretonia, but the distance from friendly ports had been limiting their endeavors in the system. Deep inside the Southampton Debris Field, they made plans to construct a second base; the aptly named Plymouth Station – a place where pirates of old had once set sail to find fortune or death on the high seas.

Plymouth was completed before the dawn of the 6th century, giving the Buccaneers a new launch pad from which to sally forth and bring fire to the stars. Over the next half a century the group solidified its role as the rulers of the underworld by ruthlessly cutting down competition and splinter groups before they could mature into dangerous rivals. This golden age of piracy continued until disaster struck in 565 AS.

Dunsburry's Folly; 565 - 589 AS

Artist's rendering of a Buccaneer Brigantine-class Destroyer. The Brigantine saw use during the Buccaneer's height in the 6th Century AS. One Brigantine, restored to it's original state, remains on display at the BAF Fleet Museum on Planet New London.

A team of raiders led by the now much despised Captain Wallace Dunsburry happened across the Royal Liner Maelstrom. The raiders immediately destroyed the Liner's escort before laying waste to it's engines and sensor relays and boarding the stricken ship. After looting most of the ship's luxuries and killing many of the crew the Buccaneers retreated. But the raid had set a chain of events into motion that would cost the Buccaneers dearly, for Captain Dunsburry had killed King William I during the attack.

Upon inheriting the throne, the King's daughter Queen Eleanor I immediately set about on a campaign of revenge, mobilizing the Armed Forces to crush the Buccaneers. This crusade was happily supported by the politicians in Parliament who had been searching for a way to rid their house of the piratical blight that had beset it for many years. The BAF were ordered to kill any Buccaneers they came across. The Buccaneers themselves were not used to fighting trained soldiers, having previously only had to contend with the feeble efforts of the BPA and escort fighters that accompanied their prey. This led to the single bloodiest period of the organization's history as it's pilots were butchered.

Eventually Plymouth Station was discovered by Armed Forces scouts who knew there was a Buccaneer base somewhere inside the field. Knowing the BAF would be mobilizing a significant force to root them out, the remaining and fragmented units still present on Plymouth flew to the edge of the field to try and hold the law at bay. Taking heavy losses the defenders were slowly forced back to Plymouth, but not before two antique Nessie class battleships had been destroyed by suicide attacks. Plymouth was depressurized by the remaining battleships' fire, killing all that had been left inside. The few shellshocked survivors fled the scene of the battle, seeking refuge in the Leeds system.

Just over one bloody decade later, the Buccaneer's last bastion fell, as Sherwood Station was annihilated by Sir Thomas Scott's battle group. With their last port destroyed, the vast majority of the remaining Buccaneer pilots were arrested and summarily executed, with the remaining few disbanding in fear of their lives. In short, the Bretonian Buccaneers ceased to exist as a space-borne entity.

Over the following centuries the Buccaneers existed as a ghost of the prior grandeur. With all their ships destroyed, their resources stripped and their pilots dead, they were forced back to the state from which they had begun – a small time crime gang on Planet Leeds. That is, until late 816 AS.

Rebirth of the Buccaneers; 816 - Present Day

Late in 816 AS, while hiding from the Bretonian authorities on Trafalgar, a Buccaneer Lieutenant named Henry Morgan learned a great deal about the operations and methods of various other pirate groups. Being well aware of the Buccaneers' past, Morgan drafted a plan to restore them to their former glory. Upon returning to Leeds, he attempted to convince Captain John Hawkins of the merits of his plan, but the Captain was comfortable in his position, and unwilling to risk losing it.

With the backing of the other Lieutenants, and many of the other Buccaneers, the Captain Hawkins was voted out of his position, and Morgan was elevated to replace him. Since then, Henry Morgan invested a great deal into rebuilding the Buccaneers space-borne presence. After making a deal with the Junkers for docking rights on Trafalgar Base (which was, ironically, originally the Buccaneers' Plymouth Station), the Buccaneers began to be seen terrorizing the space lanes of Bretonia once more. Only time will tell if the Buccaneers have the ability, and the will, to return to their former glory.

The Buccaneer's Code

1. Every Buccaneer shall have a say in the afairs of the whole group. A Lieutenant's vote counts for two, and the Captain only votes to break a tie. A prospect gets no vote until they have paid their dues.

2. Nobody under the protection of parley may come under attack until the parley is completed. The ranking Buccaneer on the scene speaks for us all.

3. Avoid fighting with government forces, except in self defense where escape is not an option. There's no profit to be had in angering the Queen's forces.

4. Any Buccaneer who falls behind shall be left behind. There are no exceptions to this.

5. Mollys and Gaians are to be left to their business, unless they make a nuisance of themselves. Anyone else is fair game.

6. Do not interrupt a pirate while he's pirating a trader. As a sign of professional respect, any business we have with them can wait until their business is completed.

7. Avoid hitting the same lane as another pirate, as long as they've paid for the privilage of pirating in Bretonia. Mollys and Gaians, of course, get this courtesy automatically.

Diplomacy

People we actually leave alone

Junkers Mollys Gaians

Those that we run from, or pirate

Everyone Else

Buccaneer Ranks

Prospect New members of the Buccaneers still on their trial periods. They've got to pay their dues before they're accepted fully into the Buccaneers.

Buccaneer At this rank, the member has earned the respect of his fellows and can now be proudly called a Buccaneer.

Lieutenant A Lieutenant has earned a lot of respect, brought in a lot of credits, and has been rewarded with increased authority and better pay by the Captain for his efforts.

Captain The Captain is the leader of the Bretonian Buccaneers.

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