First, we take the view that all pirates have extensively modified the stock models, with major overhauls to engines, maneuverability, shielding and hull armour plate. This makes them tougher than normal, but what really sets them apart are the illegal weapon systems.
Pirates use a range of illegal weapons from the extremely expensive Diamond Boron Missiles, through to Slug Throwers and worst of all - Disruptor technology.
Diamond Boron Missiles are fast, expensive and have a wide range explosive effect in addition to high warhead damage. This makes them perfect anti-starfighter weapons and a good volley of DBM’s can wipe out entire squadrons of starfighters.
Slug Throwers are kinetic energy weapons, like rail guns, that bypass shields and damage the hull directly. They are most commonly used as quad guns to devastating anti-fighter effect.
The really scary weapons, however are the disruptors. These illegal guns consume huge quantities of tibanna gas and create a short range waveform that destroy the bonds holding atoms together. The result of this is that if you fire a disruptor pistol at a humanoid target, it is usually vapourised, leaving a small pile of ash behind. Mere possession of a disruptor pistol is an automatic death sentence on most civilised worlds. When Merr-Sonn developed the MSD-32 disruptor pistol, The weapon was so deadly and the company so horrified by what it had wrought that Merr-Sonn took steps to cover up the fact that the weapon ever existed; the design was purged from all company computers, the designers were sent to the spice mines, the managers were killed, and every weapon they could get their hands on was destroyed!
Enforcers, illegal mercenaries and marauder pirates carry disruptor pistols and disruptor rifles, making them deadly infantry. Starfighters are armed with disruptor cannon, and there are also very rare turbodisruptors that can be mounted on larger ships. All disruptor weapons sizzle straight through shields and vapourise large sections of starship hulls – causing huge damage.
The following illegal units are available to pirate forces:
Fighters
Alpha-3 Nimbus-class Starfighter (Illegal) - 2 Light Dual Disruptor Cannon.
A fast disruptor interceptor.
CloakShape Fighter (Illegal) - 2 Light Disruptor Cannon, 2 (3) Light Advanced Proton Torpedoes.
A cheap, tough-hulled illegal superiority fighter.
Mankvim Light Interceptor (Illegal) - with improved shield hull and maneuver, but no weapon upgrades.
Illegal spam fighter
R-41 Starchaser (Illegal) - 2 Light Disruptor Cannon +2, 2 Light Slug Thrower, 2 (4) Light Advanced Concussion Missile.
A Multi-purpose illegal dogfighter.
T.I.E. Starfighter (Illegal) - 1 Light Dual Disruptor Cannon.
A Maneuverable disruptor fighter (a worse/older choice than the Illegal Nimbus).
Z-95 Headhunter (Illegal) - 2 Light Triple Slug Thrower.
A Slugthrowing variant of the standard Headhunter.
Bombers
BTL Y-wing (Illegal) - 1 Triple Laser, 2 Light Slug Thrower, 2 (2) Light Proton Bombs.
A Self-escorting heavy bomber.
Rihkxyrk Attack Ship (Illegal) - 2 Disruptor Cannon, 2 Light Laser +2, 2 Light Ion Cannon +2, 2 (5) Light Proton Rockets.
An all-around illegal bomber a la B-wing.
Transports
Delta-class DX-8 Stormtrooper Transport (Illegal) - 8 Disruptor Cannon, 2 (4) Advanced Concussion Missile.
A deadly Anti-transport disruptor transport.
Gamma-class ATR-5 Assault Transport (Illegal) - 3 Light Dual Turbo-Disruptors, 1 Slug Thrower, 2 (6) Advanced Proton Torpedoes.
This tiny ship is a Frigate killer.
GAT-12 Skipray Blastboat (Illegal) - 6 Light TurboIon+4, 1 Dual Disruptor Cannon, 1 (16) Advanced Plasma Torpedo, 1 (16) MagnaPulse Torpedo. A Shipjacker special – designed to capture large warships intact.
Freighters
BFF-1 Fire Ship - exploding version. Twice as deadly as GR-75.
CTF-1 Container Transport (Illegal) – with 3 Dual Disruptor Cannon and Power to Engines, this is a blockade-running illegal freighter.
CTF-1 Fire Ship (Illegal) - Sensor Jamming (no double lasers).
With ionite explosives. Completely depletes all shields – something worthy of Han Solo himself – with one of these and a decent armed freighter, you could knock out the shields of an Imperial Star Destroyer, use an assault transport to blow the bridge windows and capture the ship intact!
GR-75 Fire Ship - non-upgraded, exploding version.
MCF-1 Modular Conveyor (Illegal) - 3 Dual Slug Thrower, 1 (12) Advanced Magnapulse Torpedoes, Sensor Jamming.
A Stealthy illegal freighter.
Corvettes
CR90 Corvette (Illegal) – 2 Dual Turbo-Disruptors and 4 Slug Throwers,
This is a dangerous multi-role illegal corvette.
IPV System Patrol Craft (Illegal) - 4 Dual Disruptor Cannon, 1 (24) Heavy Flechette Missile.
Flechette Missiles have a large effect area- making this a Hull-chewing counter-starfighter.
Marauder-class Missile Corvette (Illegal) - 4 (12) Heavy Diamond Boron Missiles, Full-Salvo.
A Squadron-killer.
Frigates and cruisers.
Carrack-class Light Missile Cruiser (Illegal) - 10 Heavy Mass-Driver Cannon, 20 Slug Throwers and 10 (10) HACM.
This is a mass-driving siege frigate, often used as a lesser flagship.
EF76 Nebulon-B Escort Frigate (Illegal) - 10 Turbo-disruptors, 10 Disruptor Cannon, 2 Tractor Beam. 2 Illegal Squadrons
General-purpose disruptor frigate, often encountered as a minor flagship.
Quazar-Fire-class Fire ship.
Big scary exploding version.
Dreadnaught-class Heavy Cruiser (Illegal)
- 8 Heavy Dual Turbo-Disruptors, 16 Quad Laser Cannon, 8 Quad Ion Cannon, 2 (20) Heavy Diamond Boron Missiles, 2 Illegal squadrons. This is some kind of terrifying flagship. Under 10 exist in the entire galaxy, and all are unique.
Each is individually named for a person or criminal organisation and all of them have a different special ability, including proton beams, healing, cloaking, and shield leeching!
One final hint, the power of the disruptor is often misleading as it is sometimes hard to spot hull being damaged in tactical while shields are fully intact. It is very easy to lose a LOT of ships very fast when facing these behemoths. However, upgraded technology can handle even these monsters, so get your research hotting up!
Edited by Phoenix Rising, 07 January 2009 - 10:57 PM.
