Maelstrom Pirates

Originally invented by Max5383, Maelstrom Pirates were minifigures who sympathized with the Maelstrom, and fought against the Nexus Force.

First Appearance
Max's story, Rise of the Pirates, introduced the concept of Maelstrom pirates. The first sign of their existence was when Max noticed that the Maelstrom forces attacking them didn't act like normal Maelstrom; they were smarter, whereas normal Maelstrom usually acts like an animal.

Motivation
The mindset of the typical Maelstrom pirate is not really known, but the usual motivation for turning on the Nexus Force seems to have been a desire to be on the "winning side" at the end of the war.

Other Appearances and Other Names
Maelstrom Pirates have cropped up in a lot of different stories since their introduction in ROTP. A few of these include Wartzz's A LEGO Universe Story, where they were represented by a specific group called the Stromling Empathizers. After their appearance in ROTP, Max changed the name Pirates to Insurgents.

Infection
In Max's ROTP, the pirates were not actually infected by Maelstrom, and only used their technology. They also do not infect themselves in most other stories, but in some they may be infected to some degree. The main difference between a pirate and a Maelstrom soldier is that the pirates infect themselves on purpose and keep more of their original self.