Portete - Chapter 39
A Pirate Nation
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NOTE: This story contains some harsh language, violence, and mature themes that might be upsetting to some readers. They are pirates, after all. Ye have been warned.
Want to start at the beginning? Welcome to Portete.
“Pirate Nation?” asked Daniel, raising an eyebrow. “Are you serious?”
“Well, the name is still up for debate,” said Dinsmore. “But the concept is there. Just think of it! A sailor’s utopia! Free trade, no oppression…”
“Sounds like lawlessness and debauchery to me,” said Daniel doubtfully.
“Six of one, half dozen of another,” laughed ByJam. “Point is, everything is in place to build a new life for ourselves. Our own world. Our own laws.”
“You see, Daniel,” said Mendoza, “Over the years, we have been amassing quite a store of capital, so to speak. All of our various ventures? They all bring something back.”
“I am not sure I follow…”
“Let me explain,” said MacRorie, sitting up in his chair. “Remember that French merchantman we took?”
“Of course,” said Daniel somberly.
“Well, you got your share, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you saw the goods carried up to the storehouse.”
“Right, the items that are traded for specie, which is then dispersed among the crew as an additional take.”
“Exactly! Now, what you didn’t see was my personal take.”
“Pardon?”
“Apart from a small percentage of my shares, everything I get goes back to this group. Well, this endeavor, actually. The same holds true for Stephen. Our crews know nothing about it, and wouldn’t care if they did. They are not losing any of their shares. As you have seen, no one is complaining about not getting enough.”
“We all do the same thing, in one way or another,” said Suzanne. “A portion of the profits from the Mermaid comes back as well. Not to mention the cut we take from the trading of the goods claimed by Alistair and Stephen.”
“Then there are those ships that are taken legally by my Navy,” said Throckmorton. “Smugglers, pirates not under my protection, Spanish and French, and anyone else; as Admiral, I make sure the right amount goes to the Crown. And the right amount comes back to us. Governor Mara has been very helpful in that regard.” He grinned at the man next to him, and they both laughed.
“As for me,” said Mendoza. “I have several areas of investment that have produced very sizable returns. Tobacco, rum, spices… the smugglers that the Admiral mentioned either work for me, or they are taken by him.”
“And information is a profitable commodity as well,” chimed in Dinsmore. “You don’t think I hold those awful parties for the company, do you? You would be amazed at what people will pay to find things out about one another… or to have things not found out.”
“Okay, so let me see if I have this straight,” said Daniel. “You each, in your own way, are contributing part of your profits to… something. Some central, ever-growing repository of wealth. Am I right?”
“Close enough,” chuckled Mendoza.
“But now what? Are you just going to pack up all this gold and sail off to Portete? I can’t imagine you can do much with it there. Even if you are building this ‘Pirate Nation’ of yours, who’s going to build it? Where are you going to get the materials? I don’t think your savage friends are going to have much in the way of tools and such.”
“That’s actually where your father came in, Danny-boy,” said MacRorie. “You see, as you know, your father was a well-known and well-respected merchant captain, and then ultimately harbormaster. He made many friends and contacts over the years. All this accumulation we have been doing has not just been sitting in a chest somewhere or buried in the sand or hidden in a cave on a deserted island, no indeed. Geoffrey used his contacts to set up storehouses throughout the Caribbean. He negotiated prices on materials and goods. Even other ships.”
“Ships?”
“Aye. Even now, two East Indiamen are sitting in a shipyard on the southeastern coast of Hispaniola, ready to be dropped in and loaded up. All they need are men to crew them.”
“Which we will tend to shortly,” said Dinsmore. “But the point is, Daniel, that we are moving into the next phase of our plan: building Portete.”
“But how are you going to build it? Even with all the materials and money in the world, there are still only ten of you. Not exactly enough for a thriving paradise. And I doubt your Arawak friends would take kindly to being subjugated into building it for you and serving you.”
“Well, to begin with,” said Dinsmore. “We are not subjugating anybody. You know my views on that issue, but that would also go against everything Portete stands for! And secondly, we have many people in mind to invite to join us in our great adventure.”
“Our crews, to begin with,” said MacRorie. “Each of them will be given the opportunity to join us when the time comes. And even if they decline, they will be welcome there. To come trade, to come visit.”
“We have already tapped some builders and craftsmen for the project,” said Mendoza matter-of-factly. “From dock-builders to architects to city planners. Believe me, this has long been considered.”
“It won’t happen overnight, Daniel,” said Suzanne. “It is a many-faceted and complex undertaking. I expect it will be a few years before everything is finally in place. But this first phase will be impressive, mark my words.”
“Will you be inviting your… employees to join you?” asked Daniel.
“Some of them, yes,” said Suzanne with a smile. “I will act as an absentee owner of the Mermaid, leaving someone I trust in charge. But a few of my girls will be invited to join us.”
“And what about you, Hugo? Your house staff? Your holdings and businesses?”
“Well, until I have an appropriate place to live in Portete, I do not see the need to uproot anyone just yet. As Suzanne said, it will be some time before everything is finished there. I still have some businesses to run.”
“As for me,” said Admiral Throckmorton. “I will be tendering my resignation shortly. I have served for a long time and am ready to enjoy some freedom after all these years. I have no family, so I will sell off most of my estate and invest it back into Portete. I think I might like to have a small fishing boat, actually.”
“I still am not sure what to do,” sighed Governor Mara. “I suppose I will have to talk with Jessica. But I think she might be easily swayed if offered the proper motivation.” His eyes bore into Daniel. “You have a rightful place among us, Daniel. Your father made us promise we would look after you should anything happen to him, and each of us swore that any of our offspring, legitimate or otherwise, would have full partnership, should they want it.”
“It was not exactly unanimous,” growled Johnson.
“Even so, the vote was a majority,” chided Mendoza. “The decision is final and binding. And that means Daniel has a place at this table. And in Portete, if he wants it.”
All eyes turned to the young man. Daniel swept the room with his eyes, looking at the faces around him. Without a word, he nodded slightly. MacRorie clapped him on the back and shoved a large mug of rum in front of him.
“Welcome to the family, Danny-boy.”
Where do the enslaved fit into your story?