Corsair War

The Corsair War was a violent power struggle within the Honorable Galactic Corsairs Company, a mercenary and privateer guild, fought for several months between August and December 2696. 
The guild, formed in the aftermath of the Pirate War, maintained a careful balance of power between factions and member groups. This balance was disrupted after the emergence of the Sarmatian syndicate in the 2690s; the mysterious crime lord known as The Sarmatian operated a large-scale criminal organization specializing in information brokerage, white-collar crime such as money laundering and fraud, and complex high-risk heists and retrievals, including industrial espionage and the illegal antiquities trade. Much of their legal business was conducted in the realm of data management, finance, and the shipping industry. The Sarmatian especially came to rival Corsair leader Jensen in the field of information trade and espionage, and provided a significant threat to other power players within the organization due to their willingness to take on dangerous tasks that sometimes resulted in collateral damage and bad press. This came to a head in late July 2696 in a deadly terrorist attack on Earth by agents connected to the Sarmatian syndicate, allegedly in the course of stealing vital government data. The Sarmatian, in a separate incident, attacked freelance mercenaries affiliated with the guild without authorization. These incidents prompted a tribunal in which they were excommunicated from the Corsairs; the Sarmatian retaliated with covert attacks on guild members, attempted assassinations on guild leaders, and disrupting guild factions' private operations through heists, bombings, and cyberattacks. Guild members attempted to respond in kind against the syndicate; some guild factions, such as the Golden Rhinos and the Valhalla Company, were exiled over their support of the Sarmatian and joined in the fray.
Over the next several months, these attacks escalated. Though it never reached anywhere near the violence or brutality of the Pirate War, the power struggle did lead to numerous deaths and injuries, and attacks became increasingly bitter between the factions. The Golden Rhinos in particular took the brunt of the fighting, in boarding actions and piratical attacks on guild fleets.