InfaruV3:First Pirate War

First Pirate War
The RNS Luminescence
Date 17th of Pluviose, 1670 Location New Heavensworth and Saint Martinaise Result Navy victory, very brief decrease in pirate activity
Belligerents
Royal Aréolean Navy	Redbanner's Pirates
Commanders and leaders
Lord Admiral Aloïs-Henri du Bois	Captain Redbanner †
Strength
4 infantry	3 sailors
Casualties and losses
3 dead, several wounded	3 dead

The First Pirate War was a brief armed conflict between the Kingdom of Aréole (through the Royal Aréolean Navy) and Redbanner’s Pirates that occurred on 17th of Pluviose, 1670.

Background and overview

Since the establishment of the Anguille colony, pirates had been a constant threat to the many settlements and plantations scattered across the colony and beyond. Due to equipment shortages in the navy resulting from delayed shipments from the Kingdom of Aréole, there was virtually no resistance to the pirates, and they were allowed to act unimpeded.

The war

Raid of New Heavensworth

On the 17th of Pluviose, the pirates attacked the New Rochefort Company plantation at New Heavensworth, stealing vast amounts of sugarcane and the daringcat, a corvette belonging to the company. By the time the Royal Aréolean Navy managed to respond the pirates had already left. The Navy discovered the daringcat and another corvette abandoned by the pirates, bringing them back to New Heavensworth before returning to the main headquarters in New Martinaise. To protect the settlement from further pirate attacks a temporary navy liaison was assigned to it, but they would arrive too late the prevent the second raid.

The New Rochefort Company's plantation on the North side of New Heavensworth, with the daringcat at the dock and the sunken Coldliver in the sea

As the navy left the pirates struck New Heavensworth, this time focusing on the southern settlement side, murdering settlers, stealing the newly returned daringcat and scuttling the ship they had arrived with, the Coldliver. Further patrols sent by the navy were unable to reach settlement in time and turned back.

New Martinaise massacre and aftermath

The pirates arrived to the New Martinaise harbour minutes after the navy patrol returned, managing to catch the crew completely unaware. After a short and decisive battle the pirates were victorious, having suffered no casualties and killed the entire patrol. The attackers captured a large portion of the navy's equipment and the flagship RNS Luminescence, the largest and most heavily armed galleon on the server.

Soon after the pirate attack, the transport bringing supplies and gear from the mainland finally arrived to New Martinaise, bringing much needed help to the beleaguered navy. Plans were made to send out a corvette to chase the pirates and the stolen RNS Luminescence, but with their location unknown these plans were not put into place.

Battle of Luminescence

Three days later word came from the New Heavensworth liaison, informing that the RNS Luminescence had been seen near the colony. Armed with the new weapons the navy sent out a new patrol, commandeering the daringcat as it was the only ship in New Martinaise that had cannons and the capability catch up to the much slower galleon.

Winning a conventional naval battle with the much less well armed corvette seemed likely, so the navy instead decided to execute a boarding operation. A chase ensued before the pirates realised they couldn't escape the faster ship, choosing to fight near the settlement of New Heavensworth. A brief and brutal close quarters gunfight occurred, leaving two of the pirates dead and Captain Redbanner captured, with no casualties on the navy's side.

Death of Redbanner

While being transported to a temporary holding cell to await a military tribunal, captain Redbanner managed to escape on a corvette that had been docked at the harbour. Before the ship could sail off a marine jumped aboard, managing to hold onto the back of the corvette and climb in. After a brief struggle Redbanner was killed, finally ending the reign of one of the most notorious pirates in Anguille.

Aftermath

With the death of Redbanner, loss of the Coldliver and much of the pirate's muskets, there was an unwillingness to continue fighting. The navy, ready to keep fighting, had no information of the location of the pirate's hideout, and as such could not attack. The conflict ended with no official cessation of hostilities, rather tapering off after the Battle of Luminescence. With the long response time of the navy having resulted in the raid of New Heavensworth, the so far temporary navy liaison position was made permanent to deter further pirate assaults.

Shortly afterwards, a second Pirate War started.