Disgraced navy captain aye? 

You could be drinking heavily in an establishment – one that Horace happens to enter? Or bump into the trio of Freemasons who have just begun wandering the streets? Or even the one member of the devil’s threesome who is out looking for the sunken Spanish ship?

I always by default aim to meet at least one other character and go from there. You could equally have heard of the arrival of Neoklis – a man who specialises in friends in high places – a man who may be able to obtain you a pardon, or equally recommend you to one of the other nations? (If he is seeking to restore his lost reputation that is?) 

Or maybe he is looking to join with/lead a crew of pirates/privateers? Maybe through this he could bump into one of the two captain characters? 

Maybe he is already an established criminal/pirate since his time in New Orleans? Maybe just a drunkard doing whatever dock work he can find to pay for enough rum to get him through each night? 

That the kinda stuff you had in mind?