Orion
Base of Operation: Federation
Secondary Operation: Romulan, Klingon
History:
This group claims to be the original Orion pirate cartel. This may actually hold some merit since there are many ex-naval officers serving on board Orion pirate ships. The Orion government denies any connection to this cartel, claiming that the "Orions" are just a collection of thugs and space pirates. This does not ring entirely true to some, as investigatiors that have found evidence of Orion properties being left alone while "enemies of the state" seem to have cargo raided on a regular basis. This cartel is very powerful and is in direct competition with the majority of the other organizations. The Orions are elitist and sometimes find it hard to recruit some races they find to be beneath them. The Orion ships have photons and phasers as their main weapons, but also employ disruptors, missiles, plasma, and cloaking devices.
Kargoth
Base of Operation: Klingon
Secondary Operation: Hydran, Federation
History:
This organization is as much a Klingon House as they are a Pirate cartel. House Kargoth has been shunned from the Klingon high council but still control some strategic worlds in the empire. They have used these worlds as bases of operation for their raiding activities. Kol Kargoth, the founder of the house, plans to take the high council by force as soon as he has the power to do so. The Cartel is unique in that they are a fusion between a cartel and a military force. The Crimson Shadow even employs Klingon warships from time to time. Their arsenal includes disruptors and missiles as primary weapons, but also utilize photons, phasers, hellbores, and fusion beams.
Prime Industries
Base of Operation: Romulan
Secondary Operation: Federation, ISC
History:
Prime Industries is run more like a business than a family or band of smugglers. The cartel is very organized and accepts only the most professional pirates into their organization. Prime does not tolerate sloppy operations and will, if necessary, remove members that are not up to the high standards of Prime. Prime ships tend to employ long ranged weapons, and they have traded with other cartels to receive weapons that generally would not be available to them. Prime is also considered to be the most technologically advanced cartel. Their ships generally use PPDs, photons, plasmas, phasers, and occasionally hellbores.
The Syndicate
Base of Operation: Gorn
Secondary Operation: ISC, Federation
History:
It is known by many that the first contact between the Gorn and the Federation was not peaceful. Many Federation settlers of Cestus III where killed by the Gorn during a "misunderstanding". The predominately Asian surivors of the massacre happened to be part of an ancient criminal organization called the Yukuza. They had joined the colonist as a way to travel to a new part of the galazy to apply their trade. When the attack occurred they saw their opportunity to grab vital supplies and ships from the dertroyed colony. Life in the Syndicate is about honor and obedience. These traits are rewarded and successful members live a very good life. Breaking tradition is a quick way to your grave. The Syndicates uses Federation and Gorn technology mostly but have recently spread their operation to ISC space.
Wyldefire
Base of Operation: ISC
Secondary Operation: Gorn, Romulan
History:
Alex Wyldefire is the greatest Buccaneer ever to sail the blackness of space. He has single handedly carved out an empire from a single ship, the Happy Jack. He and his crew raided for years through ISC space always getting away in the nick of time with the goods and the glory. Alex aided the Federation during the war of pacification, passing on vital information in exchange for whatever he needed. Since that time, Alex has formed with other flamboyant buccaneers to form the Wyldefire Compact, a loose group of pirates set on making a little money, acquiring a lot of glory, and helping the weak and poor whenever possible. Anyone that has any sort of ship can enter the compact as long as they abide by the rules of Wyldefire. Many freighter hulls, including captured luxury liners, have been converted into makeshift priate ships. While the rag tag group may not be the prettiest of the cartels, they are by far the most flamboyant and brave.
Beast Raiders
Base of Operation: Hydran
Secondary Operation: Lyran, Klingon
History:
The Beast Raiders are one of the stranger cartels. The rest of the cartels are uneasy with the Beast Raiders because they do not understand them; they cannot ascertain if the Beast Raiders are pirates or some sort of religious cult. They use money gathered from raids to buy drugs in order to enhance their psychic abilities. The strongest members of this cartel can then summon the help from mammoth space creatures. These creatures are used for some unknown purpose to advance some unknown agenda. The Beast Raiders use many types of weapons in order to compliment the abilities of the space creatures the control.
Camboro
Base of Operation: Kzinti
Secondary Operation: Lyran, Federation
History:
This organization is an anti-matter reactor ready to explode. The Camboro cartel is a collection of Mirak and Lyran criminals that hate their former empires more than they hate each other. Human, Andorian, and Orion members of the cartel act as a buffer between the Mirak and Lyran members. This Cartel hates everyone they meet. They have no sympathy for anyone that they steal from. Slash and burn is the policy of the Camboro Pirates. This Cartel likes to get up close and personal with their pray. They normally lead with waves of missiles before closing in with disruptors, ESG's, and photons set on overload. They have many transporters on their ships as they love fighting hand to hand.
Tigerheart
Base of Operation: Lyran
Secondary Operation: Kzinti, Klingon
History:
Tiger Heart cartel is comprised mostrly of Lyran outcasts. This is a very proud cartel and is pretty honorable as pirate go, since they know what its like to be shunned by their own people. This cartel likes to operate in smaller packs, joining only when big trouble arises. This makes every section of the cartel independent and hard to eliminate as a whole, but at the expense of some overall power to the cartel itself. The Tiger heart Cartel is the only non-military organization to use fast partol ships. These are stolen and replicated Lyran PFs modified to Tiger Heart needs. The Tiger Heart clan prefers small ships and does not utilize any ship larger than a CA. They prefer to use swarm tactics of several waves of drones in conjunction with ESGs and disruptors.
Cluster
Base of Operation: WYN
Secondary Operation: Klingon, Kzinti, Lyran, Federation
History:
This Cartel, after discovering and negotiating with the WYN in the WYN Heat Zone in 2243, Developed a Shipyard there and started producing new vessels at a rate of 2-6 per year, being one of the healthiest cartels, They have access to all Weapons, except perhaps ISC and Andromedan, and rely most heavily on Hellbores, Photons and Drones.
Daven
Base of Operation: Klingon
Secondary Operation: Hydran, Lyran, Kzinti, Federation, LDR
History:
This Cartel covers the widest territory, and has a slightly higher number of ships, being extremely diverse racially, and making most heavy use of Photons, Disruptors, Fusion Beams, Hellbores and Drones.
Hamilcar
Base of Operation: Klingon
Secondary Operation: Hydran, Federation
History:
This is one of the oldest Orion Cartels, and making heavy use of trade and systems from the Hydrans, sometimes operates as couriers and mercenaries, but mostly harrass their 3 neighbors.
Lion's Heart
Base of Operation: Federation
Secondary Operation: Kzinti
History:
Making heavy use of Photon Torpedoes and Drones, these pirates took advantage of the looting done by the Kzinti, and Federation-Kzinti War occuring in 2168-2172, and have also made deals with some heavy miners for more resources.
Pharaoh
Base of Operation: Federation
Secondary Operation: Romulan, Klingon
History:
Being quite rich, but only having a small number of ships, this Cartel ruled a small number of uninhabitable systems on the early Federation frontier that no one wanted, and they use Photons, Disruptors, Plasma and Drones.
Dragon
Base of Operation: Federation
Secondary Operation: None
History:
This Cartel only operates in UFP Space, and has endangered many Freighters, Transports and Scout Ships, with high priority placed on them by Military Operations Command after they had wiped out the Elasi in 2277. They use Almost entirely Federation Weapons.
Penzance
Base of Operation: Federation
Secondary Operation: Romulan
History:
This Cartel was responsible for some of the Pirate Raids reported in Romulan Space during the early-mid 23rd Century, and have amassed the second highest amount of wealth of all the Cartels, having fortified Bases and legends of Penzance quests and treasure on unspecified worlds near Breen Space.
Stardust
Base of Operation: Gorn
Secondary Operation: Hassan, Romulan, Federation
History:
This Cartel operates mainly in Gorn Space, and operates there stealthfully and swiftly, and has also made many deals with the Hassans in selling and trading many useful systems, such as the myriad Hassan heavy weapons.
Omega
Base of Operation: Gorn
Secondary Operation: ISC
History:
This Cartel is one of only two to have ISC Technology, and until they were decimated by the Syndicate in 2352, they were ambitious in absorbing or destroying many other pirates until they became the only one.
Kublai
Base of Operation: ISC
Secondary Operation: Romulan, Gorn, Hassan
History:
This cartel has also traded with the Hassans, and with slightly less Pirate Competition, they have slowly grown in riches and shipbuilding.
Cirentus-Ta
Base of Operation: Romulan
Secondary Operation: Gorn, Hassan
History:
The Cirentus-Ta have a similar view of the cosmos as the Romulan Road to the Stars, and have bought, traded or stolen technology from the Romulans, Gorn and Hassans, finally joining two of the WYN Link-Caravans in the 2340s as their plans for exploring and amassing wealth went with them.
Raven
Base of Operation: Federation
Secondary Operation: Hassan
History:
This Cartel took in a new Blockade Runner by Vagabond Consortium, with greatly improved Opt Mount Capacity, and more powerful Disruptors, and vouched more for customizability, sometimes doing legitimate business and courier runs for the AOFW and OFMA.