Are pirates going up in shields and weapons as I go up?

[Vortex]

Originally posted by Gzian:
This is probably a dumb question,but it seems that the better shielding that I get and the bigger the ship that I get, the bigger the pirate ship gets too. There seems to be an emulation. Am I imagining this? Is there any way to stop this so we can eventually stay at least a little ahead of the technology curve?

Yes the pirates get better, they also get more numerous. The curve levels out at about level 14 by which time you should be in, at least a MKIII Abidon Cruiser or a Battleship.
Only the Xiati or Amonkrie become a problem at this point and only if they mount multiple meson cannons - they simply have too fast a firing rate. The big equaliser is the Psychic flail avaialble from your friendly neighbourhood Sithrak