About this story
Captain Weatherall presses the attack once the ships close, and the boarding turns bloody enough that you end up holding the pistol that killed a man defending his wife and son. The prize is legally yours by the time the guns fall silent; what to feel about it is not something the law was written to decide.
How it opens
The Revenge sighted a French merchant ship carrying more guns and people than expected.
Captain WeatherallShe can outrun ordinary traders, so her master has already chosen whether to fight.
The privateer's fourteen guns were fitted for war, but every advantage still depended on closing range.
French CaptainKeep away and no blood need be spent for cargo neither crew has yet lost.
Choose
Ask whether the commission requires capture or merely permits it.
Recommend breaking off if the French ship maintains distance.