Across the Frontier
The Cartel is a network of smugglers and raiders controlling trade and extortion across Frontier space. Its ships make a living beyond the regular Warden patrols.
A fixer may offer work. A cutter on a trade lane may ask for something a pilot would rather keep.
A hull made to survive
Cartel ships are refitted from what their crews can take and keep flying: mismatched blocks, stolen turret decks and equipment given another use.
Their opportunities and threats belong to the same frontier. A job and a debt can begin at the same station.