Yes yes...but you don't destroy it or capture it...destroying it is like killing the golden goose...and capturing it...well...why would a Pirate want to plant his flag somewhere where every government in the galaxy knows your there?
Well, like I said, you weren't supposed to be able to blow up the bases. And now you can't. You just raid the commerce around them, which thought it was safe being so close to a base, and the thing you blow up in the mission is just ann outying firestation.
As for the planets, you don't take them over either. How could a cuple of ships have enough marines to land and take over an entire planet? Espeically in an imperial core? Obviously you are just knocking a hole in the defense and sacking a small city on the planet. Then you are buggering off before the navy shows up.
If you do either long enough, the merchants start paying you to leave the alone, and the hex flips your color.
At least, that's the conception of what's going on. We make do with the D2 tools we have.
They have to be mandatory if mandatories are going to be present at all. I can't control them mission by mission. Also, getting mandatories is tricky on the pirate layer since the game cares more about the imperial layer when assigning those. Iv'e got the settings set up to give you as many mandatories in enemy space and as few in friendly cartel space as I could manage; and I need as many mandatories popping up as possible or else you'd have complete free reign over the map. (what you've got is pretty close; and about where I wanted things to turn up. But there is a chance you'll get snagged for a mission when you pull in to tank up.)
-Herr Burt