Merson pirates/Legends

The Merson pirates, sometimes called the Merson Slavers, were a band of pirates active in the Merson asteroid belt during the final decades of the Galactic Republic.
==History==
A band of criminals, the Merson pirates patrolled the Merson asteroid belt looking for starships to attack during the final days of the Galactic Republic. The group had known ties to the Zygerrians, a species notorious for their massive slave empire. Since the asteroid field made hyperspace travel impossible, any craft that traveled the area had to drift through the field hoping to avoid detection. The pirates would wait for passing civilian cruisers, attacking them with little chance of resistance since luxury craft were usually minimally armed.
During the Separatist Crisis, a time of political turmoil in the Galactic Senate, the pirates attacked and scuttled the Sy Myrthian passenger liner, the Elegant Wake. The fate of all 456 registered passengers was unknown, but the news report on the incident speculated that they had been taken as slaves. Relatives of the passengers attempted to bring a suit for damages against the liner's operator, Romodi Interstellar. However, the recent secession of Sy Myrth from the Republic created bureaucratic issues regarding their access to Republic courts.
The following year the Clone Wars erupted between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the pirates went unchecked. During this time of conflict, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi escorted a pleasure cruiser through the belt, defending the ship from the pirates.Star Wars (1977) 24
==Appearances==
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*Star Wars (1977) 24 
==Sources==
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia 
==Notes and references==
Category:Pirate organizations