The transition from a Khanid loyalist organization with 'regularized' space and ground forces into an 'outlaw' criminal / heretical organization meant a nearly a complete 180 in organization, tactics, and make up of baseliner forces.
Whereas previously as a loyalist organization troops could much more freely move about in the Kingdom, congregate, etc (along with cooperation with lawful authorities), the Sabik organization has to rely mostly on maintaining secrecy, avoiding planetside authorities, and to a much greater extent relying on space-based operations. Operations in high sec are ---extremely--- limited. I RP that high sec is super secure and lawful and no shenanigans of a large scale would ever be able to be pulled off.
This 'troops' discussion is separate from general 'criminal' activities. We run drugs, we operate mafia style businesses, cultist centers, etc, all over, but all of these places stand no chance against organized police and authorities. It's 90% about being unseen and in the shadows. Labs get raided, brothels get shut down, cultists are rooted out and purged by religious authorities, etc all the time. (poor guys!)
In lowsec the operations are more brazen, the meager authorities are combated more frequently, officials are more easily bribed and corrupted, etc. It's the difference between trying to operate a terrorist organization on the national mall in d.c. vs the jungles of the Congo.
A good reference in style of fighting and disposition would be more akin towards 40k's 'Dark Eldar.' Pirates and Raiders. Essentially appear out of nowhere, strike quickly, and GTFO before the law shows up. The law will in general always have more people, more assets, and win any extended combat. The longer my people are on scene planetside, the worse it goes for them in general for those reasons.
IE The criminals never hang out, they do their work and get out because they will always be outnumbered.
Space based and ship based are where the cultists really shine. The Blood Raiders are all about incapacitating and then wreaking havoc, I've built up the RP around them to reflect this. Again it's the 'raider' aspect that is the reference here. Lots of disabling targets and then having their way with them as they float helpless. The concept I build this around is fast, mobile, in and out sort of things.
I'm still working on that 'video' which runs through a typical raiding operation.
Boarding parties, basically the mothership (say my Bhaalgorn) blasts a hole in the side of a big ship, lets that whole compartment decompress (and some people get spilled out, naturally), and then zero-g mancannon a bunch of raiders on board into the belly of the ship. Secure the objectives, incapacitate if possible anyone that bears taking for 'ceremonies', shoot anyone giving trouble. I'm working on some artwork for this stuff too (so many things to do ;(
There's a lot of other stuff to deal with personal security, etc but I've got a tight knit group of VIP guards / assassins I'm referring to as the 'Blood Pack' I'm fleshing out right now.