I was playing around with the map generator in the game and came up with 1 player vs Pirates. Would that be a good practice set up to just go up against only the pirates?

Can Pirates colonize worlds?
Can Pirates combine forces from multiple bases?

Probably can't "Bid Away" the pirates. It'd be an interesting scenario for someone who is learning the game anyway.

Is it feasible to set up a scenario where you are alone with about 10 or so pirate bases?

Thought I'd ask before trying it out.