Raider
Raider is the general term used for a vessel engaged in the practice of Commerce Raiding (also known as a Corsair), or generically for a crewmember serving on such a vessel. In particular, the term Raider (when used as a stand-alone term) often has the specified meaning of Corsair or other paramilitary crew whose particular role is to engage in boarding and other "naval infantry" type operations.
Description[edit]
| Privateer Ranks (Commerce Raider: Corsair / Privateer) |
|---|
| Officer Rank |
| R10 /O6+ » (Varies) |
| R09 /O5 » Group Leader |
| R08 /O4 » Leader |
| R07b/O3b» Captain |
| R07a/O3a» Captain-Lieutenant |
| R06 /O2 » First Lieutenant |
| R05 /O1 » Second Lieutenant |
| R04b /O0» (Third Lieutenant) / (Warrant Officer (Bosun)) |
| Ordinary Rank |
| R04a /WO» Warrant Officer (Chief) (various positions / titles) |
| R03 /E4 » Sergeant / (Mate) |
| R02 /E3 » Corporal / (Able Crew) |
| R01 /E2 » Henchman / Raider / Reaver / Marine |
| R00 /E1 » Apprentice Henchman / Raider |
| R00 /E0 » Lackey / Recruit |
Commerce Raiding is the practice of attacking or threatening the use of armed force against merchant shipping, whether state, corporate, or private, for the sake of taking either the cargo or the vessel as a prize for the sake of profit (regardless of whether or not there is a political objective by any foreign actor behind the attacks). Commerce Raiding may be a legitimate operation of certain naval units or contracted Starmercs or Privateers during wartime as a means of disrupting enemy shipping and supply lines.
Starmerc Corsairs operating as Privateers often use a paramilitary seniority system of "ranking", though the specifics can vary. Ranks listed in italics in the chart at right tend to be specific to more formal and "official" Privateer or Naval Auxiliary Commerce Raider organizations. Common "Pirate" and freebooter raider's ranks are much more simplified and can vary more widely, but typically include only the non-italicized ranks shown (or linguistic equivalents).
Privateer Vessels[edit]
As an operation backed by legal government sanction, Commerce Raiders, along with other sanctioned but privately-funded Privateers and well financed Corsairs, typically employ vessels of the P-Class Corsair Vessel Mission Group in their operations.
Please see:
Historical Background[edit]
While Commerce Raiding may be a legitimate operation of certain naval units or contracted Starmercs or Privateers during wartime, Commerce Raiding has also been undertaken by opportunistic and unscrupulous individuals with access to armed spacecraft throughout history, from the Reavers of legend during the Long Night which lend the Reaver's Deep Sector its name, to the infamous Vargr Corsairs of the Imperial Coreward border who in the eyes of Vargr culture and sentiment operate with some degree of legitimacy, with whom the term "Corsair" has become virtually synonymous to some. However, most run-of-the-mill "non-sanctioned" Raiders are simply referred to generically as Pirates.
During the period late in the era known as the Rebellion, as the economies of worlds nose-dived deeper into Hard Times, the comparative profitability of plundering increased. This evolution was exacerbated by the dissolution of naval units. The raiders of this period were not all devolved ex-miliary units, however; many raiders could trace their origins to traditional pirate bands, organized crime, backgrounds of inhuman poverty and violence, or even mental illness. During the Hard Times era, it was the starmercs who first divided opportunistic free-booting "raiders" into three general types:
- Vikings: Large bands of well trained, usually ex-military and well-equipped, Raiders.
- Corsairs: Smaller bands of Pirates, usually with only one ship. Less disciplined and trained than Vikings, but more numerous.
- Rippers: The most dangerous groups, composed of bands of murdering sociopaths who kill all whom they raid or who cross their paths.
References[edit]
- Marc Miller. Pirates (Far Future Enterprises, 2025), .
- Charles E. Gannon. Hard Times (Game Designers Workshop, 1991), .