Laying Down the Lore
While essentially a salvage operation, the activities of Accidental Pirates are quite broad. Explorers seek out salvage oppurtunities, traders deliver goods and combat pilots protect assets. Following involvement in salvage and rescue efforts from stations targeted by recent xeno attacks, they have also expanded into passenger transportation.
The faction name derives from a pilot named Jay Harper, charged with piracy for attempting to salvage a derelict warship. His lawyers argued that as no markings were visible and Harper followed all prescribed guidelines, he was at worst an ""accidental pirate"" and successfully sued for compensation. The phrase stuck, and was adopted by this faction.
The Full Story, so far...
Ofcourse, due to the arbitrary character limit and the fear of censorship from the Pilot's Federation, this only hints at the full story. As you can see, the importance of Jay Harper has been played down in the official version, and while he may not be considered a great man, it was no small act of altruism that he committed a portion of his sizeable compensation payout to the founding of Accidental Pirates - An organisation to provide not only logistic, but also legal support, for independant operators unfairly treated by the 'authorities'.
This brings us to the exact nature of Jay Harper's wrongful arrest and incarceration. Merely being found innocent of a crime does not usually involve a large compensation payout, but then a salvage dispute does not usually involve a ship dropping out of witch-space, a cadre of fully armed marines forcing open your hatch, and knocking you unconscious before taking you into custody. It was only after 14 hours of interrogation that Jay Harper learned he was being placed under arrest for Piracy, in spite of the ship being clear legitimate salvage target as it was abandoned and derelict. It was only much later when he was eventually allowed to speak to counsel, that he learned the justification for this was 'Perpetual Title to Sovereign Wrecks'. The derelict, was a warship.
As you already know, Jay Harper's lawyers were able to successfully argue his innocence as no markings were visible and he followed protocol, registering the discovery and his intent to proceed with salvage operations. Though it may seem innocuous at first, mere legal arguments to free their client, these are interesting points which bear further examination. What exactly was an UNMARKED WARSHIP doing floating out in deep space? Paint wears to be sure, but could there be more to it? The nature of the response to the derelict's discovery, which the authorities were alerted to by Jay Harper himself, certainly suggests there is. He had registered the find so people were aware of his intentions and location, so why the overtly aggresive posture? Could the derelict have been involved in covert or even extra-legal operations that would have been exposed upon closer inspection of the vessel? Why risk the added attention of arresting and imprisoning Jay Harper? Were they so afraid of what he might find, or indeed, what he had already found? Clandestine Mission Orders? Outlawed Weaponry? Illegal Experiments? What dark secrets might be revealed?
If Jay Harper does have the answers to these questions, he's keeping them to himself, but the idea that this derelict had been engaged in some covert, extra-legal activity is not so far fetched. There have been numerous shady incidents involving the 3 Super Powers - The Federation, The Empire, and of course, Sirius Corporation - that have come to light in recent years, and the extreme actions taken by authorities here reeks of cover-up and suppression. In fact, due to court orders sealing all records, including seized communication logs and recordings, we cannot even say which sovereign entity the derelict belonged to or who was responsible for the arrest and imprisonment.
Regardless, Jay Harper has likely made powerful enemies, and that Accidental Pirates exists as a perpetual reminder of the embarrasment this incident must represent, means we all need to be wary of corrupt authorities. Even though we endeavour to conduct our business in only the most lawful and honourable of manners, space is big and its laws varied, and doubtless they will attempt to use any minor legal misunderstanding against us, as we head out into the black in the spirit of freedom and adventure. It was this spirit, under the leadership of Supreme Commander Commander Commander Scooby, that saw us switch focus and bring our skills to aid refugees on space stations struck by thargoid attacks, and again allowed us to make the most of the discovery of Void Opals in the pristine ice rings of our home system of Jukagha, and will continue to guide us into the future.