Reading through this thread, I'm starting to think that there is not much sense in independent pirates using gunboats, e.g. Rouges selling their gunboat (which is a warship I believe) to someone who is not willing to obey their leaders and who is not going to share the profit with them. I would rather see them using civilian fighter, bombers and transports. I have met pirates in heavy armed civilian transports pirating successfully. I believe it is much easier for a freelancer pirate to get his hands on a transport than acquiring a little warship from some secret shipyard.
Probably the same can be said about any mercenaries or freelancers gunboating around.
