By Imperial Decree, a bounty exists for anyone who happens to be a member of the following:

The Rogues are a band of petty criminals that happen to be semi-anarchists. They work in teams on a rare occasion, but infighting is common. Central leadership is basically the top pirates. Whoever brings in the most wealth. The Rogues are the smugglers and fences for the criminal underworld and have contacts everywhere. While they don't have a lot of firepower, they tend to have information some might not want released.

The Corsairs are a mean bunch. They focus on the slave trade of all kinds: sex, labor, etc. They also participate in piracy and the occasional destruction of a planet. They deaden the nerves of all of their operatives, to prevent interrogation. If one is caught, and there are records to be made, they remove all traces, even if it means destruction of a planet's ecosystem. They have an equal presence in the Shell and Verge. They happen to run the Black Market. they have a rivalry with the Outcasts.

The Outcasts are drug manufacturers and runners. They focus on Cardamine, a highly addictive narcotic. When you take it too long, it changes your genetic makeup, makes you literally dependent on it for your survival. It also makes you infertile. Cardamine is rampant in the Shell and Verge. A few Core Worlds have seen it pop up, but it's well contained...so they think. They operate like the Mafia from The Godfather. Outcast operatives suicide rather than be caught, as death from Cardamine withdrawl is almost inhumane. All Outcasts are addicted to Cardamine to force loyalty.

The Red Hessians are assassins and mercenaries, but not the good kind. They are commonly pirates, but they focus on mining vessels and installations. They control a ******** of asteroid belts, making mining nearly impossible, without a security force or naval invention. They are mainly in the Verge and there's a minimal presence in the Shell. If they see a mining operation they feel could make money, they tend to extort money out of them by offering 'protection.'

The Corsairs and Outcasts are also deadly rivals. And they're amazing pilots and duels between ships tend to be a rather interesting show. However, they also respect one another. The Outcasts tend to hunt down escaped slaves and return them. The Corsairs will hunt down anyone attempting to make synthetic Cardamine and allow the Outcasts into the black market.