Corsairs

	Corsairs
	Imperio del Corsario
Capital	Planet Crete,; Omicron Gamma
Official languages	Spanish, English
Government	Oligarchy
- Leader	No single leader
Founded	20-50 A.S.
Controlled space	Omicron Gamma; Omega-41;
Affiliated organisations	none

The Corsairs, also referred to as the Corsair Empire (Imperio del Corsario), are an unlawful house operating from the remote edge worlds of Sirius. They are believed to be the largest criminal organization currently in operation in the sector -- frequently attacking civilian, commercial, and even military targets. The Corsairs are ruled over by an oligarchy of the most ruthless, powerful, wealthy or influential, who reach their position of power primarily by carving a bloody path of destruction through their plentiful enemies.

Corsair influenced territories span across most of the Omicron and Omega Edge Worlds, leading them as far as Bretonia and Kusari. Most of their bases are directly connected to their core worlds. The Corsairs are currently involved in a long standing, large scale war with the Outcasts over the domination of the Omicron Edge Worlds.

History

In the past, the Corsairs were unable to grow food on the mountainous terrain of Planet Crete, and in the early days of their civilization, a select few members of the populous volunteered to be cannibalized to ensure the future of their people. These individuals are still revered by the Corsairs, and their glorious sacrifice celebrated.

Today the Corsairs, while not as desperate as before, are still starving, so regular shipments of smuggled food from the Houses must be brought to Crete. Their smuggling of Artifacts is a major source of income and they use the money from that to buy their resource and food shipments from the Zoners and from the Houses. If they can't get it from the Zoners, the Corsairs must use piracy to get their remaining supplies and extra money.

Despite their partial dependence on other organizations for food and resources, the Corsairs are known for their ship-building industry, and their advanced ship designs are feared across Sirius. Because of this, Corsairs are rarely if ever seen utilizing ships or equipment developed by anyone other than their own engineers; Corsair battle technology is part of the Corsairs' national identity, and most would be loathed to use anything else, viewing foreign ships and weaponry as inferior and unreliable.

The ancestors of the Corsairs that had set adrift from the crippled Hispania made planetfall on Planet Crete shortly after the other Houses arrived in the Sirius Sector.

Scratching out a living, the Corsairs managed a bleak existence for four centuries. Eventually they developed a strong self-identity, isolated from the rest of the Houses. In 450 AS, that insular world changed. An exploratory expedition headed by Franz Schulman -- financed by Daumann and the Rheinland government -- stumbled into the system while mapping the far reaches of the Walker Nebula. The local inhabitants, sensing a historic opportunity, attacked the landing party en masse, killing all save Schulman, whom they took hostage to gain control of the mother ship Schiller in orbit above the planet.

No one is entirely sure who first nicknamed them the "Corsairs," recalling the ancient pirate clans of the Mediterranean, but the name came into popular use among the Houses sometime around 500 AS. The Corsairs began attacking unprotected outposts and ships, plundering whatever supplies and equipment they could lay their hands on, before escaping through one of their secret Jump Holes. The systematic expansion of the Houses into the Omega Border Worlds further fueled the Corsair movement, dramatically increasing the quantity and variety of accessible goods.

The final chapter began in the sixth century AS, when an enterprising, well-armed Liberty freelancer named Jim Bown made his way to Omicron Gamma. He brought various Consumer Goods to trade, but the Corsairs could offer little but Artifacts. A year later, he returned. Those trinkets were all the rage with the elite of Manhattan. He saw a great business opportunity if they could set up a viable trade route to Liberty. The Corsairs were on their way. They grew rapidly in size and sophistication as they built up the Artifact trade.

The primary smuggling route goes north to Sigma-19, where Artifacts are traded with the Hogosha onboard the Hawaii. They have also opened up a route into Rheinland via the Yanagi Junker base in Sigma-13. In the west the Corsairs invaded Bretonia in order to reach the Junker Trafalgar base in New London.

The Bounty Hunters Guild has taken advantage of several Freeports in the Edge Worlds to attack the Corsairs’ home system. So far they’ve been more of nuisance than a real threat, but the presence of Zoner-controlled bases so close to Omicron Gamma has provoked intense debate among the Elders of Crete regarding the future of nearby independent bases.

Controlled and contested space

The Corsairs consider most of the Omega systems as part of their domain, and exercise significant influence even as far as Planet Gran Canaria. The Corsair zone of influence extends as far as the uppermost Sigma systems, Rheinland and Bretonia, as well as Honshu. Liberty is not part of the direct Corsair ZoI.

The Corsair Empire has maintained their claim to the Omega-5 system for generations, but since shortly after the Popular Revolution in Rheinland have had to protect their claim against the Red Hessians who also claim ownership of the system. The bitter conflict has caused the loss of many lives, littering the Omega-5 "no-mans' land" with wreckages, floating amongst the proximity mines.

Rumours suggest that all-out invasions of the Rheinland and Bretonian houses sit within the long-term plans of the Corsair leadership, intent on expanding their empire and using the riches and fertile soils of Rheinland and Bretonian planets to sustain their own populations. Despite these plans, the Corsairs have made little progress towards these objectives, and one such campaign against Rheinland was brutally crushed by the Rheinland Military.

Government and politics

Currently ruled by an oligarchy referred to as the "Council of Elders", the ruling body of the Corsairs is made up of the most ruthless, bloodthirsty, wealthy or influential people of their society. Currently, it consists of an equal number of representatives from the three most significant organizations within the Corsair empire, and a number of additional people nominated on an individual basis. This system, occasionally referred to as the "Triumvirate", was introduced as a solution to a number of years of in-fighting between the Corsair sects.

After a number of years of political upheaval and in-fighting, the current political arrangement has secured relative stability since it's introduction, though many criticize the Triumvirate's indecisiveness and inability to make quick decisions.

The roles of the Council range from that of a parliament, to that of a supreme court. Currently the Council of Elders is considered to be the supreme and ultimate authority within the empire.

Economy

The economy of the Corsairs is based around smuggling and piracy. They are heavily involved in the transport of Alien Artifacts to third-party distributors such as the Junkers and Hogosha, who then transport the goods to dealers on House planets and bases. The profit received from this trade goes a long way towards paying for the regular shipments of food and other supplies that the Corsairs must receive from the Zoners. Acquisition of cargo from traders in and between Bretonia and Rheinland at gunpoint has kept the Corsair nation thriving for generations and with their increased dependence upon the Zoners, and the development of short range balance transfers, Corsairs are now often spotted demanding Sirius credits from unlucky victims. The credits acquired are often used to pay for supply shipments from the Zoners, construction of new warships, or personal gain of a family or individual.

Foreign relations

The Corsairs have a contempt for the other houses, and a disregard for foreign lives. As such, they have no inhibitions about killing Bretonian or Rheinland traders in cold blood, if it means they will acquire wealth or cargo. Because of their relentless piracy and disregard for the lives and laws of Bretonia and Rheinland, they are feared enemies of these houses, and considered hostile by most of their associates.

Because the Corsairs ambitions and operations do not extend beyond Liberty and Kusari's borders, these houses view the Corsairs with disinterest. Due to their limited contact with the Corsairs, the Liberty government's policy on them centres around the view that they are "someone else's problem".

The war between Bretonia and Kusari has complicated Corsair foreign relations, with Kusari and the Corsair Empire finding themselves on the same side of the war. Despite this, collaboration between the Kusari and Corsair leaderships has been minimal. If the war continues, it is likely that quasi-legal organizations in Kusari such as the Farmers Alliance and Hogosha will play a vital role in bridging the gap between the kindred spirits in Kusari and the Corsair Empire.

Crime and dissent

Due to a lack of specific laws regarding many issues in the empire, the Corsair leadership often over-estimates and exaggerates the power it wields over the nation as a whole. The lack of a specific system of tribunals and specific written laws means that matters of misconduct often must be dealt with by the Council of Elders on a case-by-case basis.

Ultimately, the Corsairs are a coalition of bloodthirsty and self-driven pirates, many without any semblance of morality, who each mostly follow their own code of conduct. As such, successfully making them commit to any set of laws would be beyond the scope of realistic aims.

The Corsair Empire was briefly in a state of civil war between the Council (including OPG, Brotherhood and Benitez Family) and a splinter group known as the HAF (Hispania Armed Forces), who considered themselves the only "true" Corsairs. This led to many bloody and sometimes ugly battles between these two opposing forces. The open war only ended when both OPG and HAF abruptly and without warning vanished from Sirius space. When they returned, most were babbling about vast minefields and all-powerful beings. Neither side, for whatever reason, wished to continue the shooting war, though a state of passive aggression and mutual resentment remains.