There should be different forms of 'pirating.' Some pirates should be vicious loners. Some pirates would seek find brotherhood in fellow pirates. Others would seek out the more rigid structure of organized crime. Finally, some might even be motivated by a 'higher' calling and work for a state.

1. Freelanced- Common thuggery, more or less. What you do is get a weapon, then threaten and/or shoot someone. You have to avoid law enforcement on your own and cover any fines you may incur. Wiser pilots might take this route only when they here of a trading convoy moving through the area, or some other similar chance for profit presents itself...

2. Pirate Clans- Thuggery that's a little more organized. A pirate clan is an organization that may be any size from local to international. Some local clans may require you to stay in the area, and fly in their fleet, while some international clans would be a looser group, with franchises in certain areas. It's a brotherhood system- if you have a crime you plan to commit, you tell the group, they'll lend what support they can, and you'll share the profits; if another member plans to commit a crime, you'll be expected to lend a hand, and you'll get a cut. There may even be times when the whole clan is united for a coordinated attack (though this would not happen with interstellar clans).

3. Organized Crime- Organized crime differs from the clans in one regard: organization. Organized crime has a hierarchy, from common street thugs all the way to a kingpin or kingpins. Tasks are handed down the chain of command, and whoever's on the receiving end is expected to follow them without questioning. These are the types that break legs, cut fingers, and eject you from cargo bays without an oxygen supply.

4. Political groups- There are two types of political organizations that may wish to hire you. The first is governments. All governments have black ops sectors, things they don't want traced back to them. A pirate clan may serve a nation secretly or openly claim their allegence. Either way, the nation will disavow any connection whatsoever. The second type of political organization that may hire pirates are dissident groups and/or terrorist organizations. Pirating might even be the entry-level position in this organization.

The tools of the trade:

Weapons/Defenses: Basically the only must of this career.

Cargo scoop: If you wish to collect all the spoils from your exploits (especially if you're freelancing), you'll need something to pick them up with...

Fighter ship: 'Twould be nice...

System Scanner: A must to locate potential victims.