Thanks to all your comments, I have captured four pirate clippers for escorts. I had a Corvette too, but the computer crashed. I completed the 'rebel chase' missions, and now have the particle cannon. I have also acheived a combat rating of 'dangerous'... Although I am not as popular in some systems, I enjoy raiding pirates more than rush deliveries!

I can hardly wait to use resedit to create my own stuff!- seems like theres a lot of possibilities there!

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I came here to kick ass
and chew bubblegum...
and I am all out of
bubblegum

Well, what I did was get a corvette with some good guns then all you have to do is disable argosies around rebel planets. Each one has about 30,000 in it, and only some independent systems get mad at you if you don't mind that.

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Pain is inevitable, however, suffering is optional.

I liked to "aquire" some medical goods and go to lethe or aries and shoot at some ships then land. The meds will be worth a good bit of creds. Disabling ships in uninhabited systems and taking the credits cargo and ammo is also good.

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"I see," says the blind man while pissing into the wind, "it's all coming back to me now."
-Ultimate Rebel