hm - if a privateer is attacked outside of bretonia - while he was or is doing unlawful actions, - while the BHG has a lawful contract against him should not put him hostile to bretonia - the queen "should" deny the existance of said privateer - or the queen would be employing pirates officially.
attacking privateers inside bretonia however is like attacking the queens forces - as there is no difference between QCO and QCP ..... but only inside bretonia.
i d consider it problematic if attacking a privateer in - lets say ... sigma-13 should get the BHG into trouble in bretonia. - cause the privateer would do pirating, a clearly and undoubtly unlawful thing in sigma-13. - so would the queen officially announce, "yes, we are raping and pirating lawful traders in the sigmas, - cause its war!" - i don t think so.... ( but that d be just me, maybe ) - the queen would rahter announce that someone tried to give bretonia a bad reputation and would deny to have ANY business with a pirate. ( privateers that have been captured by other lawfuls had not have the best stand back home - sometimes they were even sacrificed to uphold the queens / kings name ) - if they do succeed though - that means, don t get caught.... they can be honoured beyond what the normal military can.
if a privateer is the queens force even in the sigmas and everywhere outside bretonia - then bretonia would be a little off limits. - cause you would claim that what the privateers do is not only lawful but also in the best and official interest of bretonia. - and that means ... all the time.
so - we should keep it to inside bretonia. - but if they are attacked outside. they are "nothing but a common pirate. - anything else might well cause a political desaster.
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