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The holy text of Besmara is rarely found in a consistent form. All known copies present often wildly divergent and contradictory versions of the various myths that surround the Pirate Queen. One of the few areas of consistency between texts is the presents of a list of rules for pirates, though even these will show regional variations.
Many extra-planar visitors complain that these rules seem to have been stolen wholesale from the writings of a author unknown on Golarion called "Howard Taylor".
Clerics of Besmara will point out that the proper term is "pillaged".
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1. Pillage, then burn.
2. A Chief in motion outranks a Officer who doesn't know what's going on.
3. A Wizard at a dead run outranks everybody.
4. Incendiary shot covereth a multitude of sins.
5. Magic support and friendly fire should be easier to tell apart.
6. If violence wasn’t your last resort, you failed to resort to enough of it.
7. If the food is good enough, the crew will usually stop complaining about the incoming fire.
8. Mockery and derision have their place. Usually, it's on the ship end of the plank.
9. Never turn your back on an enemy.
10. Sometimes the only way out is through. . . through the hull.
11. Everything can be launched from a catapult at least once.
12. A soft answer turneth away wrath. Once wrath is looking the other way, stab it in the back.
13. Do unto others.
15. Only you can prevent friendly fire.
16. Your name is in the mouth of others: be sure it has teeth.
17. The longer everything goes according to plan, the bigger the impending disaster.
18. If the officers are leading from in front, watch out for an attack from the rear.
19. The world is richer when you turn enemies into friends, but that's not the same as you being richer.
20. Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Take his fish away and tell him he's lucky just to be alive, and he'll figure out how to catch another one for you to take tomorrow.
21. If you can see the whites of their eyes, somebody's done something wrong.
22. If the damage you do is easily fixed, you didn't do enough damage.
23. Don't be afraid to be the first to resort to violence.
24. The enemy of my enemy is my enemy's enemy. No more. No less.
25. A little trust goes a long way. The less you use, the further you'll go.
26. Only cheaters prosper.
27. That which does not kill you has made a grave error
28. When the going gets tough, the tough call for heavier artillery.
29. There is no 'overkill.'
30. Just because it's easy for you doesn't mean it can't be hard on your victims.
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(Please note that I take no credit for the creation of these rules. They are an slightly edited form of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates created by Howard Taylor for his excellent webcomic, Schlock Mercenary.)
http://schlockmercenary.wikia.com/wiki/The_Seventy_Maxims_of_Maximally_Effe ctive_Mercenaries