From the AYES point of view 'Lit is hit' : we have no issues with folk grabbing a bit of plunder from our lit fleets : if we lit them ourselves whilst plundering, they are fair game : if another lit them, our issue is with them : the only exception may be if anyone goes a bit overboard and approaches ship-stealing levels of plundering : even then, we prefer our friends to gain from that situation, not our enemies, so it would be more a case-by-case situation. So, moderate third-party plundering of our lit fleets is not a problem, have at it.
Next point raised here is 'Why attack the whole guild for the actions of a few?' : My view is 'Share the name, share the gain, share the pain' : its what a guild should be : being a member confers some protection via the guilds reputation : it provides opportunities to learn, advance your skills and to share in any action : that also means sharing the retribution, as well as the plunder chances. If your guild is avowedly an 'action' guild, then you should expect conflict as a daily event, both in- and out-bound. If that dont suit, you are in the wrong guild.
Not too sure about the 'declaring war' aspect : bit melodramatic for me : simply put, AYES works to certain rules regarding hostile acts carried out by its members : members have been booted for breaking those rules : In the case of [MERC], those restrictions no longer apply, so they are fair game for our more aggressive members but let's be honest, its no more than how [MERC] have viewed and acted towards us.
Now, on with the fun