Producer Pirates

Producer Pirates are a loose and widespread network of Pirates working across the Producer Technocracy. Pirates are less organised and smaller scale than Producer Networks and as a result have a distinctive culture.

The motto of Producer Pirates is "Freedom and Adventure" (Pintus: Nannu te Semeta) which symbolises the freedom from authority and the exciting lifestyle associated with Piracy. Producer Pirates normally reject the social structures of the Networks and Technocracy as well as the ideological element of the [[Naturists. Instead, it is common for a Pirate Ship to hold a small band of friends who value fun and adventure over safety and security.

Overview
Blog article

Piracy is a huge problem for the Producer Technocracy. As their market and territory has grown, the ability to police and protect territory has weakened. A government stretching across two systems has left it vulnerable to raids and crime. This weakness has been exploited by both the Networks and Pirates.

Pirates differ from Producer Networks due to their smaller scale, different culture and approach to crime. Pirates rarely carry out large scale operations at the same level as Networks. Pirates will normally only function on one to three ships and stick to raiding colonies and transports.

This smaller scale has left more room for eccentric and bizarre cultures to break out. Pirate ships can sometimes be as small as having a twelve person crew who, over the years, will develop their own habits and practices. The Dun’lef Ship is a well known example of this, which was turned into a high budget movie. The Dun’lef crew were known to carry swords into battle, raid colonies and redistribute some of their haul to the poorest Producers. The motivation for Piracy is held in the popular unofficial motto of ‘Freedom and Adventure’.

This approach to crime is justified differently to different crews. Some crews are little more than criminals who enjoy violence. Others have been known to attack specific varieties of colony and transport, such as those carrying the wealthiest Producers or those carrying munitions. Pirates are commonly seen to love the freedom from society, ideology and material wealth which is associated with the other main Producer factions.

Pirates began as a branch of the Networks as the Technocracy grew to include more planets and systems. Networks began planning raids on transports in order to better arm and supply themselves. This often resulted in large scale battles and attacks on the Networks themselves. Smaller scale Piracy offered a better approach, whereby there would be no base or organisation for the Military to attack. Pirates could work alongside Networks to raid and provide them with supplies and weaponry.

Over the years the stories of Pirates with motivations other than crime spread. Those who grew to despise Producer Society were drawn to the idea of no laws, taxes or pressure from others. To them it was easy to buy a ship and fly into freedom. All that was required was enough income through smuggling and theft to sustain their lifestyle of fun.

The Producer Technocracy has attempted to stem Piracy in a number of ways. The Military has no capacity to patrol the vast expanse of Space and so has begun deploying troops on transport vehicles. Each ship will have two or three trained soldiers which can protect the crew from attacks. Crews themselves are not allowed to be armed due to laws restricting civilian paramilitaries.

The Technocracy has also attempted to license ships in order to track and catch Pirates. This has forced Pirates to avoid entering Technocracy Colonies directly as a result of scanning. Most deals, smuggling and trading therefore occurs in space or in the Naturelands.

Natureland trading takes place in forests whereby a group of Pirates will order a supply drop to a particular location and complete the transaction there. This will often be done with either a Network or unscrupulous business. Space Trading occurs between Pirates themselves, with both ships bartering over what each of them need and can give.

Piracy remains a relatively small problem because of the limited wealth and safety of the lifestyle. Most Producers are happy working in the normal ways of production or military service. However, where there are those who reject structure, there will be Pirates. Piracy will live on so long as the dream of ‘Freedom and Adventure’ inspires a small number of Producers.