As you finish reloading your rifle, you realize there’s a lull in the fighting. There is no gunfire, no explosions, the screaming and yelling have subsided. After three hours of battle, it’s become relatively quiet on both ships. You take a moment to assess the situation.

From the beginning you’ve been at a disadvantage. The enemy’s ship is newer, bigger, faster, and has more guns than yours. You admit she’s a beauty, built to be a warship, unlike yours, which was retrofitted for war from an aging merchant ship designed for trade and cargo.

Your opponent hit you pretty hard with its first volley. Those big guns ripped huge holes in your ship’s sides. You had some pretty big guns, too, but the first one that was fired exploded and took out all the cannon around it. Now that deck is useless, and most of the men on it are dead.

The battle started at nightfall, and you’ve been fighting by moonlight. There are other ships on both sides, but in the smoke and the darkness no one can tell friend from foe. One of your own ships, thinking you were the enemy, fired a broadside that killed a dozen of your men.

 …