Born a Monster

Chapter 25

Red Axe Trading Company

“Tada!” Gamilla presented the sheaf of papers as though it were another silver puma statue.

“I see paper.” Madonna said. “Husband, you may need to strike her. I bought dresses, but this warrior wench has bought...”

“Letters of Marque, Incorporation Documents, Permission to Despoil, Colonization Brief.”

“Letters of Marque I’m familiar with.” I said.

.....

“The incorporation document lets us work as the Red Axe Trading Company, anywhere that Furdian law is recognized.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Do you already have an embassy? The empire doesn’t have any legal presence out here. This establishes our trade interests.”

“And the colonization brief?” I asked.

“For this island right here. It’s small, but it’s visible from the route between Yvettesport and Lavin Buscala.”

Narces asked, “But if only Furdia recognizes us...”

“Our feet in the door of politics, by invitation of the governors themselves.”

“But if this is as a company rather than as a sovereign nation...” I knew what I wanted to say, but the sheer LOSS these documents represented was beyond my ability to understand, let alone to put into words.

“They’ll want their own governmental documents, and their own stamps. And, if I understand Norviik culture, they’ll all want their own cut of the profits.” Madonna said.

“Okay, I think I understand. What is this despoil thing?”

“Permission to despoil.” Gamilla said. “It lets us take anything we want from the unclaimed islands, free of cost.”

Kismet stirred on her bed. “Anything?”

“Anything. And it lets us erect structures, clear lands of foliage, dig pits and mines, and such activities.”

“And how much did all of this set us back?” I asked.

“More than any three dresses.” Madonna said.

“That’s not important! We could afford this, and it’s a mandatory first step.”

“First step towards what?” Narces asked. “Sounds like permission to loot and burn and sell what we don’t burn.”

“And to erect a colony.” Gamilla said. “We can move settlers in, and such soldiers as we deem necessary to protect our interests.”

“Show me.” I said, excited for the first time.

“Over here, in the permission to despoil document.”

“Husband?”

“I’m not striking her for this, nor may you.”

Madonna plunked down an accounting book on top of the document I was reading.

“The cost.” She said, tapping the first of the entries.

I couldn’t breathe, and my heart beat hard and loud. One hundred lucras, two hundred fifty lucras...

[You have taken four points of Emotional damage. After ability activation, you have taken one point of damage. 19/20 serenity remain.]

“Gamilla.” I said calmly.

“As I said, a necessary expense.”

“How much, boss?” Narces asked.

“A little over half of our funding, seven hundred lucras.”

Madonna crowed in victory. “Half of our funds, and to make herself head of all our efforts!”

“No.” I said. “I notice these documents aren’t signed.”

“We need to sign them in front of a public notary. Today, before noon.”

“Kismet, can you stand?” I asked.

“Don’t want to.”

“Narces, get her other arm. We’re going to carry her.”

“Why?” asked Kismet.

“Permission to explore, adventure, and fight pirates? Your signature is getting on these documents.”

She looked at me. “No, damn you, I don’t want that anymore.”

#

All five of our signatures ended up on all of those documents, specifically on all eight copies.

“This isn’t something you did in a day.” I said to Gamilla.

“As soon as we got in trouble after Sea-Bat Cove. I was actually hoping they’d get approved in time for the trial.”

“Where did you get the funds?”

“Business loan.”

“At what level of interest? Due when?”

“That’s not important. I’ll have it paid back before the end of today.”

“Using our group funds?” I asked.

“An expense, now, to save us from all manner of hassles, later. And before you even try telling me anything...” She sheafed through our papers. “Here. Officer in charge of financial matters.”

“Nicely done.” Madonna said. “We declare her a pirate and torture her to death now?”

My stomach grumbled. “Let me be certain I understand. One copy for each major government, one for us to carry with us, and one to send home in a diplomatic pouch?”

“Oh... uhm... I’ll commission some new copies.” Gamilla said.

What HAD Gamilla intended the copies for? “Well, I’ll hold onto this one and this one here goes into the diplomatic parcel, which I’ll get sent off today.”

“After breakfast?” Kismet asked.

“Yes, let us eat.” I said.

We dined on small rice, fried up with eggs and vegetables, with a side of some blackish purple berries that stained anything they touched.

Gamilla spoke of the need for flags, to denote our operations, and other legalities. I kept asking how much things would cost, and was assured only that we had the funds to afford it.

“Okay, let’s try this another way. Gamilla, how much will we have left over for paychecks and food once this is all paid for?”

She took a deep breath. “Not much. We should probably plan to explore a few ruins or caves or such, just as a means of supporting ourselves until the trading company gets going.”

“How do we get the trading company going without an actual trading vessel?” asked Narces.

“I can explain that tonight.” Gamilla said. “Miss Kismet needs to get back to her bed, and the ambassador and I have various tasks to do.”

Madonna made an exercise of pretending to yawn. “I’ve tasks of my own. Might I have thirty lucras?”

“Wife, you may have twenty lucras, and you are to find yourself suitable work and travel garments. Do you know any crafts or trade skills?”

“Some.” She admitted. “But I can’t get tools for all of them on just twenty lucras.”

“Focus on the tools that we’ll need to build our first hut on Red Axe island.”

“I, uh, don’t think that’s it’s name, boss.”

“That’s what I’m calling it.” I said. “We’ve got a few weeks of time here, while Kismet heals. Tonight, we start making plans for how all of this works.”

#

Over a dinner of fish and maise bread stuffing, wrapped in sugarcane husk, we made our basic plans. In spite of her morning refusal, Kismet took with enthusiasm to our first session.

“The core of this needs to be our ability to produce and maintain a financial cycle.” Gamilla said. “Basically, we invest money to make money, and then nurture it until it can maintain itself.”

“At which point we start taking money out?” Madonna asked.

“Exactly so. Never so much that it damages our trade, but with luck we can start mailing funds home in a year or so.”

.....

“And without luck?” Narces asked.

“Without luck, all of this fails.” Gamilla said. “Just like the rest of life.”

Kismet hacked up a wad of phlegm. “Okay, but you said we needed to explore some kind of ruins?”

“Yes, the islands are full of ruins and rumors and unexplored places.” Gamilla said.

“Is it worth a visit to Boadicea’s Girdle to visit Miss Turner for pointers?” I asked.

“If we do that, we may want to buy raw sugarcane here, grind it on our way there, and sell the sugar grains.”

“We’ll need mortars and pestles for that.” I said.

“I know where to get those, husband.”

“Okay, no more than half our funds, and definitely no more that half what we can grind by hand in two days.”

Gamilla looked like I had slapped her. “But it’s a four day journey.”

“On a rocking boat, not the most stable of platforms. Doing work that we’ve never done before, to a quality good enough that we can sell it on the open market.”

“Actually, we can sell the sugar to a port merchant. Less profit, but faster turnaround. Until we have our own traders on payroll, that will be the easiest way to make money.”

Madonna shrugged. “A few paltry tin or copper for four days of menial labor? I suppose I can be persuaded.”

“Okay, if all we can earn over four days is a few coins, it’s more than the zero coins we’d otherwise have. We look for Miss Turner, at least flag our island, and if there’s nothing better, we build a hut there. Ongoing issue is where to find the puma-folk. Does that sum up everything?”

“Seems like a lot of talking for something we’re not going to do for two weeks.” Narces said.

“It’s a good plan.” Gamilla said.

“Can we add in a scouting of the temple, while we’re there?” Madonna asked.

“I don’t see why not.” I said.

“Why do we need to scout out a temple?” Gamilla asked. “What are you scheming?”

“Nothing that should impede our mission, or at least not immediately.”

“I mislike hidden schemes.”

“And my husband mislikes your hidden expenses.”

“Ladies, let’s not argue while Kismet is recovering.”

“Yeah. Take it outside and fight a duel or something. I’m just gonna...” She began snoring.

“How fake!” Madonna said.

“Fake or not, she’s right. Let’s get some sleep.”

#