Privateers, Pirates and Mercenaries!

(Oh, wow, .png conversion really did a number on the image quality. )

-Dashed colored lines represent Major faction borders
-Solid colored lines represent minor faction borders
-Yellow dots are capitals (labeled)
-Red dots are major planets (also labeled)
-Green dots are other locations (unlabeled)
-Solid blue lines running between the above are trade lanes
-Orange areas are dangerous nebulae (impassable zones)
-Purple areas are disabling nebulae (passable, but dangerous)
-Fuzzy blak dots are black holes
-Light blue lines are wormholes
-Black lines following borders are areas of closed borders
-Areas with the sparks effects are active warzones (The Klingon New Empire is technically occupied but has a very active resistance movement)
-The really thick black lines that extend from the top right are quadrant boundaries

Version 2.5:
-Add Pirate bases, secret pirate routes
-Starbases!
-Checkpoints

Version 3+
-Really bump up the size (seriously, that thing is way too busy already, and I have almost no more space )
-More names!
-Different types of interstellar terrain
-Add HQs for non-landholding factions (E.I. Daragon corp.)

-Everything in the last applies here
-Dark/olive green spots are starbases (which are currently entirely pointless, as they're out of the trade lanes, but... let's just say I have ideas )
-Pirate bases are represented by pink dots (very intimidating, I know )
-Pink lines are illegal pirate routes, linking up pirate bases and normal planets

-Give planet/stations names
-Change the width of a given route to represent how lucrative it is (wider=more $$$)
-Space out the factions a bit, and add large expanses with no "owners", which would be pirate-controlled areas
-Factional starbases (ie. that base is owned by the Hugaran gang, this one by Daragon, inc.)
-Larger area (probably encompassing most of the galaxy, though most of it will get cropped...)
-Otherwise, same as above

...Hmmmmmm... we may be needing a bigger pic....

-White lines are trade routes
-Gold lines are pirate routes
-Trans-blue lines are wormholes
-4x4 round bricks are faction capitals
-2x2 round bricks are major locations (major planets, larger stations, etc.)
-1x1 round bricks are minor locations (minor planets, small trade hubs, etc.)
-Tan 2x2 round bricks in black/neutral space are civilian trade stations
-Black 2x2 round bricks are Black Holes
-Patches of trans plates are nebulas (I'm thinking only having one type, because more is unnecessary
-Brown radiators are impassable nebulas
-Grey brick walls are closed borders (impassable)
-Orange 1x1 round bricks in a line indicate active warzones
-Pink areas/1x1 round bricks/2x2 round bricks are pirate areas/bases

-Add names (is that really necessary anymore, though?)
-Much more interstellar "terrain"/wormholes.
-Connect civie stations to galactic trade network
-Checkpoints (again, are they still necessary?)
-Differentiate the locations (e.g. this place is a mining starbase, this place is an agricultural colony)
-Add mining bases, where players could buy resources directly from suppliers
-Non-landholding factions
-Some way to tell how lucrative a given trade route is- I'm thinking some kind of color indicator

    Talvis Maren hails from somewhere in the fringe territory of the galaxy- no one knows where, exactly, though he himself admits it’s somewhere near the Alpha/Beta quadrant divide. He was the third of four children- the first being brilliant Vokol, second herculean Agenitus, and fourth his only sister, Torren. For their entire lives, Vokol was primed to inherit their father’s holdings with Agenitus his right-hand man, and both held power from early on; stupid Talvis and weak Torren were seen as footnotes to their glory, if that. Their father was none other than the infamous dread captain Garth Haroom Maren, who kept his family on his personal cruiser- ostensibly for “safekeeping” against assassination or ransom attempts  (though, given the family’s backstabbing history, it’s just as likely he was following the old adage of keeping one’s enemies closer).
    Regardless of reasoning, Haroom’s plan backfired massively when rivals ambushed his small flotilla near the Klingon/Martian border. Outnumbered, outgunned, boarded, sabotaged, and FTL drives scrambled, Garth ordered his family to the shuttlebay, hoping that his heir apparent, Vokol, would find and kill the one who betrayed them and eliminate his rivals, thus putting him on the path to claim his rightful power.
    It was not to be.
   As soon as they arrived at the shuttlebay, Talvis stole away in a personal transport and vented the room into hard vacuum, eliminating all potential competitors- including Vokol, -in one fell swoop, then remotely triggered the self-destruct mechanism on his father’s flagship. For his efforts in providing intel on the movements and strength of Haroom’s fleet, as well as coordinating the sabotage efforts when the ambush began, he was awarded a handsome bounty, which he used to purchase himself a new ship, a few weapons, and crew.
   Soon after, and informant slipped him a tal Shiar communique to the effect that Torren, his sister, had also escaped his father’s ship, thus beginning a months-long cat-and-mouse chase as he attempted to hunt her down. This culminated in a short but intense battle near the Romulan neutral zone wherein he boarded an Imperial Romulan transport harboring her, only to be captured himself.
    It was then he learned the first rule of space piracy: never do anything you could have someone else do for you.
    Talvis was conscripted to serve in a new Imperial-sponsored privateer program, which the empress used to stab at the newly-formed Romulan Republic with revealing herself. Talvis despised the work, for several reasons- principally, his sister was the captain of his ship, and the Tal Shiar ensure her orders were followed. So he did what he did best- sit back, manipulate events, wait for an opportunity.
    Said opportunity presented itself in short time: during a raid on a Republic convoy, their small flotilla was ambushed by a much larger SAF raiding squadron, and the two groups were immediately at each other’s throats.. When one of their destroyers was immobilized, Torren ordered one of her favorite agents to take command and pull the ship out. Seizing his chance, Talvis killed the agent, stole his shuttle, took command of the destroyer, and promptly switched sides. In the ensuing chaos, even the Tal Shiar were too disorganized to “remove” Talvis, leaving him free to coordinate fire on his sister’s ship.
    In the end, the Imperial-led raiders were short work for the SAF forces with Talvis’ help; he was paid yet another bounty for his efforts. In the coming months, he worked with the SAF on several occasions- with being the operative word. He strongly disliked taking orders from anyone, to say the least, and thus remained an affiliated (yet technically independent) SAF captain. When asked, he insisted his reasons for staying with them were quite simple: they paid him. If a better offer came along, he would take it without hesitation- though no one quite believed that, what with how long they had worked together.
    They were wrong.
    When The Newly-formed Phoenix Command Group began its campaign to eradicate the SAF from near-Federation space, they looked to acquire allies who knew their enemy. Working off a hint, the PCG approached Talvis and offered him a large sum of money as well as regular payments if he would switch sides. Without a second thought, Talvis switched sides. It was here, among the PCG’s strategists, that he showed his aptitude for strategy, planning and leading several assaults, all of which proved deadly effective.
    As the campaign drew to a close, the PCG decided that his services were no longer necessary, and attempted to arrest him to stand trial for his previous crimes. It was then they learned the second rules of space piracy: never backstab the backstabber. Having predicted a possibility of betrayal by his current employers, Talvis had set up a system of informants within the PCG months earlier- a system which now paid off by warning him hours in advance that the order had been sent. By the time the military police arrived, he was gone.
    Talvis has spent the rest of his time up to this point as a pirate, mercenary, and bounty hunter. He’s worked with or for pretty much everyone at some point or another- and has probably backstabbed them too.

   Talvis is 5’8, age 38, half Betazoid and half Romulan- thought it’s thought that there are some elements of Human and Klingon mixed in somewhere. He has about average strength and dexterity- though he has little experience with weaponry and isn’t of much use in either a range or melee fight. His reflexes are somewhat slow, and it often takes him several seconds to respond to unexpected situations. In addition, he’s also somewhat nearsighted, though his deployable visor can more than compensate.
  For all the lack of muscle in his upper body, he has the endurance to run at a decent clip for some time, and can walk for the better part of a day. In addition, his time on the engineering deck aboard his father’s old flagship imparted him with some technical knowledge; he knows his way around an engine room, and is capable of doing some repairs by himself.

  Some say Talvis is simply misunderstood, or hardened by the loss of his family; others say that he’s a psychopath with a god complex- the truth is likely somewhere in between. He is extremely  pragmatic and unemotional, almost to the point of sociopathy. This coldness seems to almost radiate from him, and makes him less than adept at diplomacy. As one may have noticed in his history, he has little to no qualms about betraying anyone he comes across for more power or wealth- and his reputation for it almost always precedes him.
  Something else you may have noticed: he is much more of a schemer and tactician than he is a fighter. Backstabbing him is highly unadvisable- it’s almost guaranteed he’ll see it coming. He is a firm believer in the Romulan philosophy “treachery will get you everywhere”, and always avoids getting his hands dirty unless it’s absolutely necessary- which is rare, due to his connections with certain underground groups specializing in making people disappear. When in battle, he will always command from a ship in the second lines, generally a carrier. He is a master strategist and able tactician.
  In addition to all this, his Betazoid side gives him some limited psychic powers. Though not capable of outright mind-reading, he can generally discern one’s true intentions and occasionally do one-way communication across some distance (though this requires a large amount of effort).

   Talvis always wears a protective suit of light armor- not enough to stop a sniper or anything, but enough to stop a stab by a knife or small pistol (essentially, just enough to prevent an assassin). In addition, he rarely goes anywhere without his adaptive visor, which compensates for his nearsightedness and acts as a HUD. As far as weaponry is concerned, he carries a Holug-18 semiauto disruptor pistol for emergencies, as well as a small utility knife. When on his ship, it is not uncommon to see him with a hydrospanner as well, in order to put his engineering know-how to good use.