Francis Cochrane

Admiral Cochrane, a character from the Distant Shores series, is an admiral of His Majesty's Royal Navy. He is first seen in Chapter 1.

Appearance
Admiral Cochrane has blue-gray eyes, dark blond hair which is tied behind his head, and fair skin. He wears a navy-blue uniform with medals above his left breast.

Personality
Admiral Cochrane can be described as unsympathetic, tactical and cruel. He's also shown to be ruthless and violent, as he has no hesitations killing one of his own and ordering the death of Edward and his crew in Chapter 5. Oliver states that the Admiral is a stickler for etiquette and ceremony.

Background
The Admiral first met Edward when he was thirteen, and Francis was an officer in the Royal Navy. For over a year, Francis had bribed Edward to only attack and/or sink ships under his orders. Eventually, he ordered Edward to open fire on a small village similar to Tiburon, claiming that a ruthless Spanish commander and his soldiers were hiding there.

Edward did so but eventually discovered that the village was full of innocent people who most likely had no affiliation with the commander. Ever since, Edward has been determined to stop Cochrane so that he can't kill any more innocents.

Book 1

 * Chapter 2: Ties That Bind (Mentioned)

Distant Shores

 * Chapter 1: Swept Away
 * Chapter 2: A Pirate's Life (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 3: Live By the Sword (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 4: Mutiny on the Revenge (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 5: Changing Course (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 6: Without a Net (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 7: Stranger Tides (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 8: Enemy Mine (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 9: Battle Lines (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 10: Deal with the Devil
 * Chapter 11: Wreckage (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 12: Enemy of My Enemy
 * Chapter 13: Friendly Fire
 * Chapter 14: Dance of Death
 * Chapter 15: Race Against Time
 * Chapter 16: The End is the Beginning

Edward Mortemer
When you first encounter the Admiral and Edward Mortemer aboard the Admiral's ship, you see the hatred burning in the Admiral's eyes. Later, you discover that Edward has a personal vendetta against Admiral Cochrane. According to Edward, the admiral is evil and must be stopped. He says that the admiral believes in legends, specifically of one where the compass will lead him to the lost treasure of the first pirate queen which contains a magical artifact that gave her mythical powers.

Your Character
When you are first transported aboard the admiral's ship, you find yourself in the middle of a battle between the navy sailors and the pirates. You watch as Edward takes one of the navy officers hostage and as Admiral Cochrane shoots him, saying that he does not negotiate with pirates. Rather than stay aboard the navy vessel and find out what he does to stowaways, you join the pirates instead.

In Chapter 5, you find a letter where Admiral Cochrane writes that he is sending his best man to exterminate them. You warn the crew, but inevitably you, Edward, and Henry are captured. In Chapter 10, you and Edward are brought onto his ship, and he invites you to have dinner with him alone. Oliver and Edward both offer you advice on how to deal with him. Oliver states that he prefers decorum while Edward advises you to keep him on his toes. If you decide to wear the premium attire, the Admiral states that Oliver spoke highly of you and you appear different than the pirates with whom you cohort. If you are consistent, you manage to discover his plans to find Pirate Queen Magdalena's treasure and the mythical wealth and power that comes with it.

Oliver Cochrane
Oliver Cochrane is his son. In Chapter 7's premium scene, Oliver tells you that him loving ale is a trait he inherited from his father and that Oliver had joined the "family business". When Oliver hands you and Edward over to the Admiral, he believes that the Admiral is still a man of honor. In Chapter 13, after learning that he sunk the Revenge​​​​​​, Oliver betrays him, stating that he could not abide his father's treachery.

Trivia

 * His first name is revealed in the letter found in Chapter 5 if you take the premium scene.
 * His crimes include murder, conspiracy to commit murder, bribery, conspiracy, forgery and treason.
 * He is first mentioned in Chapter 2 of Desire & Decorum, Book 1, foreshadowing Distant Shores's existence.
 * He shares his first name as Francis Somerset from The Unexpected Heiress.
 * The surname Cochrane is a habitational name (a name based on the person's homestead), derived from the "Lowlands of Cochrane" in the Lowlands of Scotland. It is also possible that the name is derived from the Welsh word "cywrain", which means "skilled".