Security, Piracy, and Conflict

Targets. Pirates focus on weak routes, especially those with slow bulk freighters and outdated escorts. Small haulers without convoy protection are prime prey. Predictable schedules, such as monthly grain runs or water tankers, are at highest risk.
Operations. Crews operate from hidden depots in asteroid belts, hollow moons, or forgotten stations. They use quick-attack craft to disable engines and boarding teams to seize cargo.
Markets. Stolen goods are offloaded to black-market depots tied to Syndicates. Common pathways include stripping cargo into smaller lots and selling through mid-port brokers who falsify manifests.
Tactics. Pirates rarely fight long engagements. Their main goal is to disable, strip, and vanish before patrols arrive. When cornered, they scuttle captured ships to prevent recovery.
Notable Hotspots.
- The outer reaches near Mistral Gate, where violent storms mask signals.
- The Pitchmire vector, where slow tar convoys attract raiders.
- Outskirts of Brackenfeld grain convoys, especially during seasonal surpluses.

Central Authority Forces. Limited fleets assigned to patrol key lanes. They prioritize insured cargo over uninsured or undocumented shipments. This often leaves rim merchants exposed.
Response Time. Fast near core hubs like Kedra and Armistice, slower in mid sectors, and nearly absent in rim corridors. Crews in rim space rely on self-armed escorts or Syndicate "insurance."
Equipment. Most patrol ships are older carriers or corvettes maintained with uneven funding. Central Authority prefers show-of-force flybys over direct engagement unless high-value cargo is at stake.
Jurisdiction. Planetary governments maintain their own forces, but cooperation with Authority patrols is inconsistent. Mega-Corporations also field private fleets, often better equipped than Authority patrols.
Corruption. Bribes can alter inspection outcomes or delay an “official” response to attacks.

Salt Crown Corridor. Brine-chemical exports attract constant Syndicate tolling. Caravans without paid “protection” are forced to dock for seizure or face violent boarding.
Pitchmire Vector. Hydrocarbon convoys run with heavy Caraphex labor. Syndicates demand tolls at multiple checkpoints. Failure to comply results in cargo destruction to enforce compliance.
Mistral Gate Outposts. Syndicates exploit storm cover to base operations in abandoned stations. They charge "weather tax" to haulers for guidance through storm-safe windows.
System of Control. Syndicates operate as shadow governments in these areas: collecting tolls, issuing “permits,” and running their own black-market escrow. For crews, paying Syndicate fees can be safer than gambling on Authority response.
Methods of Punishment. Crews that resist tolling often face crippling sabotage, targeted raids on future runs, or the kidnapping of key crew for ransom.

Common Triggers.
- Harvest Seas: disputes over Vellari-controlled aquaculture.
- Mining Belts: Caraphex and Talarq conflicts over tunneling rights and extraction yields.
- Junction Depots: contested by rival Planetary Governments and Mega-Corporations seeking toll revenue.
Peacekeeping Missions. Usually corporate-sponsored operations with limited goals: securing a refinery, pipeline, or smelter. Civilians and local workers receive little to no protection.
Scale. Ranges from small skirmishes between local militia to fleet-level standoffs with proxy Free Companies.
Consequences. Blocked lanes, destroyed depots, and ruined harvest cycles. Refugees often move toward rim stations, where they face debt contracts for transport and housing.

Labor System. Prison sentences are converted into labor contracts. Terms are rarely short. "Time served" often translates to years of bonded service with little chance of release.
Industries.
- Factories: electronics assembly, scrip-printing, or low-end goods.
- Mines: deep Caraphex-driven shafts in unstable rock.
- Sorting Centers: rim salvage and waste processing under poor conditions.
Locations. Many prisons are set up in abandoned stations or isolated rim worlds where escape is nearly impossible.
Governance. Run by Planetary Governments, Mega-Corporations, or Syndicates. In some cases, prisons are leased out as “public-private ventures,” ensuring profit over rehabilitation.
Conditions. Minimal safety, harsh quotas, and severe punishments for failure. Injured laborers are often left to “work or die.”
Impact. Prisons provide a constant flow of cheap labor that props up failing rim economies. Syndicates also recruit directly from prison populations, offering escape in exchange for lifelong service.

Crews crossing Syndicate zones must decide: pay tolls, risk smuggling, or hire Free Company escorts.
Crews with uninsured cargo cannot expect patrol protection. Authority might arrive late or not at all.
Pirate attacks force crews to choose between surrendering cargo or fighting at high risk. Surviving with debts intact is often considered a win.
Prison threat is constant. Debt defaults, failed contracts, or smuggling convictions often end with sentences converted into forced labor. Crews plan carefully to avoid legal traps.