Thanks,
I also realized that if one could theoretically combine the boarding step from the katana mission to change the factions, and then combine it with the step to getting back into the galactic mode used for the single retreat mechanism and that would be the boarding ability, in a nut shell.
Another thing I've done before is use Tyber's Bribe ability to take the ship over, which also works, but it still requires the galactic step. It would also need code to restrict its use so that it only triggers on ships with destroyed engine hardpoints
From the tutorial, they made Tyber's shuttle board after the venator cruiser's engines were destroyed, so if I were able to find a away to create a return function that gets an enemy ship that has lost its engines, I can have a shuttle that would go in and board it. Once the engines are destroyed, I would have an arrow that points over the ship with a pop up saying the ship can be boarded.