Letter of Marque

A letter of marque was a document issued by a government, authorizing otherwise-private citizens to conduct warfare on behalf of that government. Letters of marque were usually issued to merchant vessels, such as heavily armed freighters or small corvettes and other relatively minor capital ships. They allowed such vessels to conduct attacks on shipping or even governmental vessels of an enemy power under the aegis of the issuing government, provided a portion of the bounty (specified in the document itself) was paid to the issuing government. Governments which acknowledged the legitimacy of their enemies had to treat captured enemies fighting under letters of marque as prisoners of war, rather than pirates.

A letter of marque and reprisal was a higher degree of the same document, which additionally authorized ships to retaliate for enemy attacks by carrying battle into enemy systems.

Use in the Golden Empire
During the Great Liberation, the Golden Empire's two chief commanders, Tariun Sakaros and Keltrayu, decided to employ the use of letters of marque to rally dissatisfied merchants and oppressed peoples against the Tetrarchy of Mezlagob. Numerous merchants jumped at the chance, and a small but noteworthy number of minor pirates vowed to "go straight" after the war in exchange for letters of marque, which amounted to a pardon for their past crimes and tacit permission to loose themselves against the Tetrarchy. After the availability of letters of marque became known and the Golden Empire had made headway into the Tetrarchy's territory, a disruptive privateer insurgency developed that hamstrung many of the Tetrarchy's shipping operations.

Royal letters of marque were issued by either Sakaros or Keltrayu (and, after the war, by the Prime Legate) on behalf of Queen Rin Sakaros. As the Armada grew they fell out of common use, although Tariun issued several during the Vagaari War.

Text
A letter of marque during the Great Liberation read as follows:

A letter of marque and reprisal carried the following additional paragraph, between the second and third paragraphs of a standard document:


 * Said ship may, in addition, carry battle against warships or space- or ground-based installations of the Tetrarchy as retaliation for attack against itself, its crew, or any force or being part of or sympathetic to the aims of the Golden Empire. In such a case, the ship and its crew shall observe all laws of war followed by the regular military of the Golden Empire.