Alright, so I just beat my first game, good for me.

Well, actually it was my second victory for my first game map. My father wanted to build a really big starship of his own, after seeing mine, and wanted to test it out. So I did, on the Yor, which had been squeezed into a tight spot after the Drath beat the pulp out of their stupid robotic bodies. After that I decided, what the heck, i'll conquer the galaxy this time (first time was technological victory). So I declare war on the Drath and their minor race ally, and all goes well. That is, until I get a report from my trade advisor, stating that "An increase in pirate activity has led to the shutdown of four trade routes, I suggest that you increase in defensive spending. WHAT?! I got the largest total fleet in the game and it says to INCREASE MY MILITARY SPENDING?! Well after that I get pissed, but thats just the beginning.

A HUGE Pirate fleet comes out of nowhere and starts raiding, no, demolishing, my trade routes with the Altarian Republic, as well as three patrol fleets (My older ship designs, I didn't want to spend the hassle upgrading or deleting them) as well as a starbase. Alright, after that little squall, I REALLY get angry. Then, as I rewind the last battle, I notice that they had gotten wise and had missile pods with an insanely high beam defense. and, of course, about 90% of my ships had little to no point defense, and mostly beam weapons. Crap. So I gather my newly built and upgraded forces at my home planet, Earth. And after all the logistics, fleet building and such, amounted to about eight fleets of various sizes. THE DAMN PIRATES BLEW THREW THEM ALL! I had dreadnaughts, battleships, frigates, cruisers, battlecruisers, fighters, all demolished in three weeks. and, to add insult to injury, I notice that I destroyed all of three ships. ARRRRRGH!!!!!!!!! all that work down the drain. Then, as my war with the Korx and Drath comes to a climax in the southern sector, they both surrender to my ally, the Altarian Republic. So I get a alliance victory. woop de doo. What really bugs me is that I threw EVERYTHING I had at these pirates, and got smashed. Beaten. Wreaked. Destroyed. Add Any other kind of describitives if you wish.

So, in conclusion, has anyone else had this kind of pirate problem before. and, how the heck can I prevent this from happening again?? (I can only thank god that they didn't have transports)