A pirate sighting

Making your way in the garrison has proved more difficult than you had imagined. Though the workload is light, that same light workload has made the soldiers lazy and lacking in anything approaching vigilance. You've tried your best to whip the men under your command into shape, but the balance between enforcing discipline and maintaining loyalty is always difficult to achieve. This goes on for several weeks until Santiago calls the officers to his office. You walk in and see the old soldier looking down at a map on his desk, pointing at it with a few of the other officers. You can't help but feel indignant towards the man, who puts on such a fine show of being a hard-assed commander yet who lets his men get so lax. He looks up as you walk in. "There you are Delgado. As I was telling the men, suspicious ships have been sighted outside of the port, heading around the island. There aren't many routes for legitimate business taking such a course. Most likely, they are smugglers. There are only a few sites nearby where proper ships can land, so I'll be sending a platoon to each one." He pauses to point at a series of beaches marked out on the map. "If you find them at your position, try and arrest them. If they resist, do what you need to. Don't get yourselves killed, just remember that capture is preferred to killing. The people always love a good trial and hanging" he says before taking a shot of liquor.

As he dismisses the men, he grabs you on the shoulder from behind. "Yes Colonel?" you ask. He takes a deep breath. "How are the men?" he asks pointedly. "Well...I've seen better" you say honestly. He nods, looking thoughtful. "I figured. The kingdom doesn't send its best way out here, not when there's the French to worry about. And the English. And the Turks. I'm sorry my men aren't cut of finer cloth, but that gives you all the more chance to shine. Be sure to take a scout with you to find your way, if you get lost you'll miss them for sure. Dismissed." You nod to show your understanding and walk away briskly to set about your duties. As soon as you make it back to your quarters you run your men out of their beds and have them equipped, while your orderly Jorge helps strap you into your armor."S-so we-we're going to f-fight? F-for real?" Between his stutter and his nervousness, Jorge can be difficult to understand at times, but he has proven much more obedient than most of the men. "We might Jorge. If all goes well they will give themselves up, but pirates aren't known for their orderliness now are they?" He shakes his head "no" at your rhetorical, fumbling his fingers around the straps.

The scout assigned to you leads your procession of men single-file through the island's thick forests. The "trail" to the bay you're going to is little more than a winding footpath through the plants, barely visible is most places and in some only marked by patches of grass that are walked on slightly more than the others. On your own, you almost certainly would have gotten lost. Fortunately, you arrive at the spot quickly, with not a pirate in sight. If they did land here already it's highly unlikely that they wouldn't have finished so quickly, so they either went to a different spot or are waiting until nightfall to do their business. A smart move, if they hadn't already been detected. You order the men to take positions around the area, close enough to move in quickly but far enough to stay hidden. The jungle helps you in that respect, as it's not easy to see a man in the thick plants. Still, you wish you had happened upon them instantly, as between the heat and the bugs things are rather miserable here.

As night comes around, you are shocked from your half-asleep state by the light of distant torches. Slowly, two smallish ships come into view, each heading for your shore. You give orders for the men to get ready, but wait on your command. It still takes a long time for the ships to land in the small area that allows for boats of their size. Even though it is boring, the excitement of the anticipation keeps you alert. Slowly, the crews of the two ships disembark, carrying cargo that must be contraband. By your rough estimate the pirates outnumber you by a fair margin, but you hope that your men are well-equipped and well-trained (ugh) enough to tip the balance in your favor, which your surprise advantage will also contribute to. Your plan is to wait until the most men possible are busy carrying cargo and thus not in the best position to fight. You wait and watch with the patience of a keen hunter, looking for the right moment. At last you feel the timing is as good as it's going to get and you give the signal for your men to come out. They jog out of the bush, surrounding the small cove in a thin semicircle, blades and firearms at the ready. "Stop, by order of the Spanish Crown!"