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They would be hanged.

“Captain, I am Patrick O’Heyne,” Jeremiah’s friend interrupted before Picard had to commit himself. “I’ve been organizing the minutemen in this area. You have no need to confirm beyond my word. No one else is responsible.”

Jeremiah nudged forward, but Sandy reached out and pushed him back before he could speak up for part of the blame. Captain Holmes noticed the gesture, but didn’t seem to know what to make of it.

“Captain,” Sandy spoke up, bringing attention back to himself. “I am Sergeant Alexander Leonfeld, His Majesty’s Grenadiers, H.M.S. Justina.”

“Sergeant?”

“Begging your pardon, sir,” Picard interrupted, “but the sergeant is now captain of the marine unit. Both Captain Newton and his lieutenant were killed when the ship was taken.”

Holmes looked at Sandy with new respect, even though that made no sense at all. That’s the way it was, though. “Understood. You have some observations, Captain Leonfeld?”

“I do, sir. This has been a forthright battle. The colonists have lost in good military style and have behaved like soldiers. I suggest they be treated as such, whether infantrymen or civilians. That is how they see themselves and I’ve come to see them that way also.”

“Really …”

“Yes, sir,” Picard agreed. “The colonists here have treated our crew with utmost respect and properness. I find it my charge to see that the same decency is afforded to them. We are at war, but we are not savages.”

“These are commoners, Picard,” Holmes snapped. “Ifwe choose to hang these two men, to slap the women in stocks, to ship out the children for a proper upbringing as the servants they are, then that will be my decision. Not yours, or Captain Leonfeld’s.”

Picard lowered his chin. “No, sir. These two men will not be hanged. They will be treated as officers. We do not hang officers who have done their duty, even if it is not duty to King George. We owe a certain respect to our enemy’s gallantry or we lose our own, palling of victory.”

“Sir, Britain made an investment,” Sandy Leonfeld pushed in, “but that investment was a gift. These people did not serve themselves up as chattel.”

Holmes bolted to his feet. “You dare to speak to me that way! I’ve never been spoken to that way!”

“And while you’re here,” Picard surged on, “your men will respect the women, you will respect property, and you will treat these two gentlemen as you yourself would wish to be treated should you fall into enemy custody. I don’t think that’s asking too much, to keep our platform of decorum from crumbling beneath us. Any misconduct toward these people by uniformed men of the King would be irremediable. The world is dangerous, and we may someday find the obligations reversed.”

Holmes’ face turned red. “Who are you to dictate conduct to an officer of the King’s Grenadiers!”

Picard’s arms flexed at his sides. But before he could speak, Sandy Leonfeld spoke up “I am, sir, an officer of the King’s Royal Navy who helped make it possible for you to successfully regain control of a British frigate, which was the goal of this entire maneuver. Your assignment is to protect and defend His Majesty’s ships. Therefore, the entire maneuver is under the authority of the Royal Navy. And that, sir, is Mr. Pennington, and it is me.”

The two stared at each other and Holmes’ face got nearly purple, but he finally leaned back a bit and lowered his brows.

“God’s hair, that’s a lot of gall,” he commented. “Quite a hell of a lot of gall. Almost as much as these upstarts here.” He waved his quill pen at Jeremiah and O’Heyne. “Hmmm … are you a barrister in civilian life, Mr. Leonfeld, by chance?”

He put down the quill and came out from behind the table, stalking Jeremiah and O’Heyne. When they didn’t look away from his glare, he seemed to be noting something in their eyes that Picard and Sandy insisted was there.

“Hmm,” he uttered again. “Can’t have a dirty reputation for the King’s uniform … tell you what, I’ll confer with Mr. Pennington and his bidding will win the day. I’ll leave it to him to decide whether or not these two are hanged in the