How do you know if you’ve repelled boarders successfully (and with style)?
They beg you for shoes and petrol so that they can retreat.
If the pirate you’ve been fighting against says, “I can’t fight anymore, please give me some shoes so I can leave your glass littered deck,” he’s probably a decent fellow. Without any shoes. Yeah, he’s a pirate, but he’s not an evil man. Evil men don’t trust anyone to give them shoes and don’t think to ask. In truth, it’s an odd plea for mercy.
This story makes my throat catch a little bit. That shoes would be asked for, and given, shows this to be a different kind of conflict than most that make the news. It’s an honest fight, and there’s no malice in the attack – it’s a practical matter. The pirate doesn’t want to fight, and when he accepts that he can’t take the ship, he’s got nothing personal against the captain or crew.
There’s something a little touching about a barefoot man on a glass-strewn deck, lowering his RPG to ask for some shoes so he can leave.
I can respect that kind of a conflict.
On an unrelated note, I bet when the crew were throwing petrol bombs on their own ship, they probably weren’t thinking about the insurance.