The merchant vessel had no choice but to strike or be boarded. The captain wisely choose the latter option, keeping on enough sail to carry him out of range of the shore battery which continued to boom out shots to drive the Weather Witch away from the crippled warship. To do otherwise might be seen as not cooperating and while merchant captains might care about the fate of their cargos the crews on whom they depended to defend them were less inclined to risk life and limb for the sake of their paltry wages. It was a quarter of an hour before Jess and her crew of boarders clambered over the bulwarks, lashing the two ships together as they continued out to sea. As Krycek had predicted the sky to the south was growing darker and the sea was rising, before the watch was out Jess wanted to have sails set and be out and away with plenty of sea room. She could feel the slap of the waves through the keel as she dropped down onto the deck. A nervous looking merchant captain stood on the deck in a fine coat, wringing his expensive felt hat in his hands, the crewmen sprawled about in drunken disorder, having taken the opportunity to break into the liquor rations before the pirates came aboard. Jessica grinned, she could appreciated stout fellows who could take the initiative. 

"Listen up you lubbers!" she boomed, using her impressive chest to project her voice.

"Do as we say and you wont be harmed, make trouble, and by Yande's Drowned Pricks I'll feed everyone of you to the sharks!" it was no idle threat, but it didn't seem anyone in this bunch was inclined to be a hero.

"Strip her to the deckheads boys!" she called to her crew, "and put these drunks to work helping." She turned back to the crew.

"Any of you lads fancy a bit more excitement than hauling silk for rich arseholes, sign aboard with me, I'm Red Jess and my lads are princes at every tavern from here to Beton Bay because they sail with me!"