When his superiors tried to 'decommission' him, Horstrogg stole all the hardware he could (including the last transmat in the Bodokian quadrangle) as well as his ship - The Magpie. The ship itself was fitted with a security 'gene-print', meaning that only Horstrogg could operate it. Having abandoned his former life, Horstrogg turned to piracy and gathered his own crew - training them the military techniques he had learned.