We know where their base WAS two months ago.  Yes, it is probably still there, but we can't be certain of anything, certainly not the composition of the pirate force, until we see it for ourselves.<br/><br/>What if the pirates are aware we know their approximate location, or at least can guess that we'll find them soon?  With two fully opperational cruisers and their escort groups available for the attack... (and the presence of a saboteur aboard an imperial frigate suggests that they do know our fleet strength), they have to know we can defeat them in a straight fight right now.<br/><br/>So what do you do if you are a pirate leader, facing a fleet that can destroy you with only a simple Wayfarer station as a base to defend?<br/><br/>If I was them, I'd wait till both enemy cruisers and their escort fleets came to get me... and then attack and take over Attica Station and the orbital platforms.  They'd trade their pitiful wayfarer station for a much better base...<br/><br/>And that is only one possibility.  Gathering our entire allied force for an assault when we have almost no intel on the enemy, (and they have probably nearly full intel on us), is a bad, bad move.<br/><br/>We need to be smart.  Scout our way through the nebula... the whole nebula, to make sure that the pirates are not hiding ships throughout it in order that they can slip a fleet piecemeal past us for an attack on Ares, then scout the pirate base... figure out what they've got there, and THEN hit the place with our full force.<br/><br/>"Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will be victorious"  Right now the Chaos pirates have that as an advantage over us.  We need to even things up if we don't want to get a nasty surprise.