Herald of Steel

The existence of piracy in these times was due to a variety of factors.

For one- there were various actors all wishing to pull their enemies down by straggling their trade and thus revenue.

Two- for many, this was a major source of their revenue as the cost of acquiring the stolen goods was much, much less lower than their original selling price. The poorer lords lived on these 'cheap imports'.

Three- there was a great, thriving industry surrounding the servicing and catering to the needs of these pirates, which made scaling down these activities now all the more impossible. There were not just cities, but entire regions related to the 'services' these pirates provided.

And four, and perhaps the most important of all- the vast majority of the slave trade was done by these pirates.

These men would regularly raid coastal settlements and other unprotected parts of the whole Central Sea's coastline, where tragedies like Vidiyan's would occur every day as if they were a dime a dozen.

After all, how else could all the countries get to sate their ever unquenchable thirst for more and more slaves?

Other than massive wars, there was very little chance to obtain slaves in everyday occurrences.

And this was how slaves, numbering as much as a hundred thousand to sometimes even half a million passed through their hands every single day!

Not in a month, or even a week, but in one day. This was a number too mind boggling to even think about.

And that too without Adhania's participation, which was one of the most populous countries in the world.

All of these reasons meant that without a global blue water navy like the United States patrolling the world's seas, in ships that were impossible for any independent actor to build and operate, the opportunities and incentives for piracy to not only exist but also thrive and flourish were too great.

The only way to root them out would be for Alexander to advance shipbuilding technology to such an extent that these wooden vessels became virtually useless so that not anyone with a dingy could hold merchants at swordpoint.

But until he reached that stage….n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Hmmmp, indeed what you said makes sense Captain Vidiyan, I should better protect my ships. But at the same time, I have also never been attacked in any meaningful way. My convoys have always left and reached with their cargo mostly intact. So as you can see…. why should I bother?"

The fact also was that the majority of Alexander's exports went to only two places- the Margraves and Pasha Farzah.

And they always left for those ports in very large convoys of anywhere from fifty to a hundred ships that naturally made them very hard to attack.

Most pirates preferred to bite something much smaller.

"No my lord, you underestimate the greed of us pirates." However Vidiyan seemed to have a very different view, solemnly shaking his head and pointing,

"The reason why your trade routes have not been attacked is not because they are safe. It is because most of the pirates have not realized their value yet!"

"Forgive me if I am wrong, but I believe that you only started trading two or three years ago. This is too short a time for us to take notice. Especially since Adhania rarely trades with other countries in the first place. So the only ones aware of your ships till now are likely the few local pirate forces and they are too small to dare attack a Pasha!"

"But this only works when it is them. In the central sea, there were truly big pirates with crews numbering as many as 10,000 men. And if a few of them were to join forces…. they would be capable of attacking even your large convoy!" Vidiyan's voice shook a bit as he made this great prediction, but before Alexander countered with his own thoughts, solemnly warned,

"I do not know how much you are aware of the worth of your own goods my lord, but there have already been rumors about the values of ships. It's just that they have been mostly ignored till now. Hehehe, they seem to think they are ridiculous. No, even I thought they were ridiculous… until the Heeat family confirmed them."

"But once they confirm it… the sharks will certainly come looking for blood!"

"....." Listening to the man's grave warning, Alexander took the threat into consideration, but with a pinch of salt.

Indeed, perhaps the dangers had not manifested themselves- and that perhaps after their assassination failure, the Heeat family would have a hand in promoting Alexander's values.

Perhaps many powerful pirates would have their eyes pointed at his ships, leading to significant trade losses in the future.

However at the same time- Alexander also understood this pirate captain had strong reasons to advertise his own services, and what better way was there than to show off the potential dangers?

So instead of agreeing on the spot, he got to digging further,

"Hmmm, these large pirate crews you speak of… are you one of them? How big is your crew? Can you deal with these pirates if they attack my ships?"

"Hehehe, I might not be one of the biggest pirates out there, but I also have some fame around these parts. Protecting your convoys against most small and medium attacks will not be a problem."

"As for those 10,000 strong crew pirates I talked about… in reality, they are always spread out all over the sea. The central sea is beyond huge my lord and each of them usually covers a specific part. They almost never gather in one place."

As the man sheepishly made this comment, Alexander understood that between the lines he had been talking in hyperboles till now. The threat of his cargo ships being ganged up was largely theoretical.

But he did not point that out because at the end of the day, the principle of it was still true- the threat existed.

"I see. It seems Captain Vidiyan knows a lot about your fellow 'colleagues'" Alexander thus tersely commented, getting a frank nod from the other side, after which he asked,

"So tell me, should I expect your offer, how much would it cost me to hire you?"

The query instantly made the man sitting opposite bloom into a great grin, as he excited listed,

"I will offer you the same deal we asked from the Heeat family, my lord."

"Duty free access to all your ports. Reduced prices on goods and personnel needed for maintenance of the ships. Sum equivalent to half of all booty taken and all of the captured ransom. And lastly 10 acres of land for all my men after twenty years of service and a noble title for me!"

"......" Alexander was predictably shocked by this giant ask, very visibly raising his eyebrows as the eyes became clear and wide.

He could not then help but curve his lips and sneer, "Should I cry out in shock at this? Or praise you for sticking true to your profession Captain Vidiyan? As expected of a pirate, heh!"

He would be a fool to believe the Heeat truly offered a mere captain so much.

"Hahaha, on the contrary, me and my men believe this is quite reasonable, my lord." The man in question however showed no weakness and after emphasizing the justness of the pay, even cleverly pointed, "Aren't your soldiers also promised land at the end of their terms? Aren't your officers also given peerage and nobility? So what is the difference?"

But Alexander only internally scoffed at this sophistry

'The difference is they are my soldiers, under my full command. You are just a hired killer, a loose cannon.'

There was of course no way Alexander was going to accept such tall demands.

And he let it be known clearly, waving his palms very dismissively,

"This is too much. Even if what you say about the Heeat family is true, that was then and this is now. Everything is different. You admitted it yourself. You are desperate."

"In fact, it is I who is taking a big risk trying to shield you from such a ducal family. So let's not waste any more time and make a real offer."

The air of impatience Alexander gave was like he could not wait to get up and walk off.

And this indeed caused a brief panic to flash through the pirate captain's eyes as he clenched his teeth,

"We.. we can forget about the reduced prices in maintenance. But the rest…."

There was a look of defiance as he trailed off.

While Alexander casually matched that gaze, lightly humming as he scanned the man for any weakness.

Until with a trace of his chin, he narrowed his eyes and mused,

"Hmmm, I also forgot to ask, but what is stopping me from using my own navy to protect my ships? Why do I need you? They will surely be more loyal."

The pirate captain did not take the last words into heart, neither did he falter one bit at the rivaling question.

He just straightened up and chimed,

"You can have both- me and your navy, my lord. We offer different services. Particularly, we are useful when the situation calls for…. Anonymity."

Let us say no to piracy! Don't take part in a crime! Don't patronize thieves!

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