Pirates

*Pirates* are a group of factions that regularly raid any sector and will have a hostile relations towards all other factions. These relations, as of now, cannot be changed via diplomacy. Although all the groups of pirates have that in common of being pirates, they do not work together, on the contrary the pirates tend to attack each other if given the chance. All pirates follow the same naming system, being The [Pirate Faction] Pirates, for example: The Ujvaek Pirates.

## Behaviours

Pirates are always hostile to the player. Sometimes they will attack on sight, such as during a pirate attack on a sector, whereas sometimes they may remain passive until provoked or moving up close. Bear in mind, that the player can always escape the pirates by jumping into another sector, *the pirates will not follow*. However, when close to a player-owned ship, pirates increase hyperspace cooldown time, making an immediate escape attempt problematic.

Sometimes pirates attack random sectors, spawning several ships with the appropriate notification. They do not appear in the sector unless the player is also in this sector.

## Spawning mechanisms

Pirates mainly spawn through different hidden mass sectors or as part of random events.

### Hidden Mass Sectors

#### Pirate-owned bases

Very rarely, it is possible to find sectors owned by Pirates. In these, there is always a shipyard present along with a number of defenders. The shipyard is always loaded with a huge load of consumer goods and can be boarded/destroyed in order to take it, along with a reputation increase with neighboring factions.

The pirates here are neutral, however they attack on provocation and additional reinforcements are called in during the fight. They also bear conventional ship classes and boast comparable strength to faction defenders, making them much harder to kill.

##### "Lingering" pirates

Pirates can also generally spawn and linger around hidden mass sectors. These pirates are either dormant, or attack on sight, depending on the scenario. When attacked, the pirates spawn in a few additional waves with increasing strength until defeated.

* *Ambush preparation*: The pirates are waiting for a friend. They only attack if flying close to them, or provoked.
* *Asteroid claimants*: The pirates found and guard an asteroid for the claiming. They only attack if flying close to the asteroid or them, or provoked.
* *Initiation*: Some wannabe pirates want to test their strength. They attack immediately after a short while.
* *"Make way for The King"*: The Pirate King is inbound and his subordinates clear the way for him. They scatter in the sector and attack after a short while. The Pirate King spawns in the final wave.
* *Pirate meeting*: The pirates want to hold a meeting. They warn once before they attack.
* *Taunting goons*: Some pirates sit in one place and throw insults at you. They attack only if flying close to them, or attacked.
* *Collectors*: The pirates want to hide some of their treasured goods. They attack only if flying close to them, or attacked.
* *Treasure hunters*: Some pirates look for some valuable treasure. They scatter in the sector and only attack, when flying close to them.
* *Traitor trial*: A defecting member of the pirate faction is bound to be executed, and the pirates want no witnesses. The pirates attack upon flying close to them, or when the traitor is killed.
* *Wreckage scavengers*: The pirates found a wreckage and secure it to themselves. They only attack if flying close to the wreckage or them, or provoked.
* *Trader killers*: The pirates ambushed a trader and they kill him for his spoils. They only attack if flying close to the trader or them, or provoked.
* *Mothership convoy*: A strong pirate mothership with his staff is taking refuge in a sector. The pirates only attack if flying close to them, or provoked, but the mothership won't activate and is initially invulnerable. The boss only activates in the last wave, hinting it with a salty message.

**Rival battles**

It is possible to encounter fighting groups of two rival pirate factions. They are busy combating each other and will only attack you after one side is defeated, or provoked.

#### Random Events

##### Distress Signal

Sometimes, the player will receive a distress signal from an unknown source. This distress signal can either be a real call for help, or it can be pirates making a fake call for help to lure unexpecting ships into a trap. The distress signal will lead the player to a sector – marked with an exclamation mark, but coordinates are also given in chat – where, if it's a real call for help, a group of convoy ship are heavily outnumbered by pirates. If you successfully defend the convoy from the pirates, you will receive money, a turret and your relations towards the faction the convoy ships belong to, will also increase with roughly 5,000. If, however, the signal is a pirate lure, you will be greeted by a pirate frigate, taunting you for your stupidity of falling into their trap. If the pirates are defeated, you will not be granted any goods except for those you gained from the fight itself.

##### Pirate Attack

Sometimes, pirates may spawn as part of a pirate attack. These attacks usually spawn 3-5 regular pirates that will attack any ship on sight. They are generally not so big of a threat and are usually manageable with a decently equipped ship. If the attack occurs within the area of influence of a faction and the player successfully fights the pirates (even one successful hit is enough), the faction will grant a reward (about 100-200k credits and a turret) and improve relations by a few thousand points. Additionally, any other faction with ships in the area will have their relations improved as well.

##### Stranded ship

Occasionally, a stranded ship may spawn surrounded and under attacked, with the caption "A ship in your sector is calling for your help!". Just like the previous two, defeating the pirates will grant a reward and an improved relations to the ship's faction. If the ship is destroyed however, the pirates would then warp away, with no reward granted. There is a small window during which the victim is indestructible, so that the pirates can be reacted to and stood up against.

## Pirate Types

Generally, pirate ships all have different names, with varying difficulty denoted by their name. Pettier pirates tend to be lighter-equipped and have a chance to flee upon taking heavy damage, while sturdier ones field heavier armaments and torpedoes. Rare pirates, such as Raiders and Ravagers have dangerous specialized weaponry, and they are also much larger than their common counterparts, however they drop more loot as well.