Predators

It's 1796, and Europe is at war. French Royalists and the kings of Great Britain and the Holy Roman Empire want to return the Bourbons to the French throne.

Needing money, the Republican Government of France orders its Navy to seize American merchants as payment for its war debts from the American Revolution. The Martinique-based Fleur de Lis consortium received a letter of marque authorizing its ships to capture American and British ships.

Edmund Radcliffe is given command of Rapier, a heavily armed brig designed from the keel up as a privateer. By 1798, Radcliffe and Rapier delivered a healthy ROI on the Fleur de Lis' investment and added to his personal wealth.

Now married to Sophie Fontaine, the daughter of the Marquis de Fontaine, Radcliffe is the father of three. The couple wants to move to the United States in the spring of 1798 and live off Radcliffe's money.

Desperate for qualified men, the Royal Navy issues Captain Darren Smythe, RN (retired) recall orders even though he has resigned his commission and renounced his British citizenship. This sets off an interesting legal battle over whether the Royal Navy has the right to recall a former officer on the half-pay list, not taking a pension, who is no longer a British citizen and not living in England.

Amid family turmoil, Jaco Jacinto volunteers to take the newly commissioned U.S. Navy frigate Osprey into the Caribbean. His mission - protect American ships from the French Navy's and privateers.