Name: Standard Merson Pirate Scout Ship
Scale: Starfighter
Length: 31m
Skill: Space Transports - Merson Pirate Standard Scout Ship
Crew: 2
Crew Skill: Astrogation 3D,  Space Transports 5D, Starship Shields 4D, sensors 4D, Starship Gunnery: 5D
Troops: 24
Consumables: 2 Months
Cargo Capacity: 150 Tonnes
Cost: 29,500 (used)
Hyperdrive Multiplier: X4
Nav Computer: Yes
Space: 6
Atmosphere: 700; 1200kmh
Maneuverability: 2D
Hull: 3D
Shields: 1D
Sensors:
         Passive: 15/0D
         Scan: 30/1D
         Search: 45/2D
         Focus: 2/3D
Weapons:
         Laser Cannon
                 Fire Arc: Front
                 Skill: Starship Gunnery
                 Fire Control: 1D
                 Space Range: 1-3/15/25
                 Atmosphere Range: 100-300/1.5/2.5km
                 Damage: 4D

Description: Standard scout ships were small, lightly armed craft commonly used by explorers. They also made up the fleet of the Merson slavers. Though not meant for heavy combat, they could easily outgun the transports Merson slavers preyed upon.

The Merson pirates, sometimes called the Merson Slavers, were band of pirates active in the Merson asteroid belt during the final decades of the Galactic Republic.

A band of criminals, the Merson pirates patrolled the Merson asteroid belt looking for starships to attack during the final days of the Galactic Republic. The group had known ties to the Zygerrians, a species notorious for their massive slave empire. Since the asteroid field made hyperspace travel impossible, any craft that traveled the area had to drift through the field hoping to avoid detection. The pirates would wait for passing civilian cruisers, attacking them with little chance of resistance since luxury craft were usually minimally armed.

During the Separatist Crisis, a time of political turmoil in the Galactic Senate, the pirates attacked and scuttled the Sy Myrthian passenger liner, the Elegant Wake. Taking all 456 registered passengers as slaves, the government of Sy Myrth was at a disadvantage to retrieve the prisoners as the planet had only just withdrawn from the Republic, losing access to the Republic's Supreme Court.

The following year the Clone Wars erupted between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the pirates went unchecked. During this time of conflict, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi escorted a pleasure cruiser through the belt, defending the ship from the pirates.