How To Survive the Pirate Game

"You have my ears." Antonius shrugged his shoulders, although not interested but he do not mind squandering the boring afternoon listening to some sophisticated things that might provide some level of help later.

"I introduced you this theoretical question not because I want to torture and rip your mind, but if you dwell into this question further, you might catch a glimpse of… how the emperor thinks of you."

Antonius slowly began to catch a glimpse of what George Sphrantzes is talking about.

"Logically speaking… As you can see from this theory, it is almost certain for the person behind you to be your unmoved faithful opponent, because if he removes you from the line, he will be the person who will acquire all of your wealth and power."

"Wait a minute…" Antonius stopped. "You mean, the first 'pirate' is the emperor?"

George Sphrantzes nodded.

"The second 'pirate'… is me?"

"Not precisely…." George corrected. "It is you and Lord Giustiniani."

"Why?"

"Because you two controls the bulk of the military force in this city at the moment, you know that most of the foreign aids and mercenaries, especially those from Catalans, Castile and Lombardy, they only listen to you, not the emperor. Further more you have he aura of saving the city, which means that you actually gained some level of support from the people…"

"…. Which makes you, by right, the second 'pirate'."

Antonius shook his head. "Lets make this clear, I don't have any desires for that emperor's seat which only controls one age old city, a chain of isles and a peninsula. "

"That is not up to you." George sneered as he took out a note book from his cloth. "Do you know how many Roman emperors are murdered or assassinated by his own army?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You should know, its countless, even if you don't count the Crisis of Third Century. And adding on to that, you are no Roman, you are a Lombard…. Which makes you even more dangerous."

"Do you mean I will one day become like the band of the Catalans?"

"Not only that." George Sphrantzes moved his eyes away dodging the stares of Antonius. "Which means that the emperor is afraid that he might follow the path of the last few emperors of the west – Getting deposed by a barb… foreigner."

"I don't have that level of ambition." Antonius shoke his head for the second time.

"It is not up to you… One day, one day you will find yourself on the tide of all attentions as everyone from different sides seeking your support to push them even further, or you might find that tide coming from your back… Meaning your own captains and followers."

Honestly speaking Antonius found George's concerns quite funny. "I don't and I won't be used by anyone. I am a man of myself, and I can control my people well enough to stop them from gaining funny ideas."

"That is not entirely up to you, lord De'Ricci." George replied. "Ambition can grow, and it is not up to you to decide the growth of ambitions in your follower's minds. One day they might think that you can no longer give them the things they want with you being only the mégas droungarios, they might want you to become the emperor…"

"What can they get with me being the emperor?" Asked Antonius.

"Everything." George chuckled at Antonius for not knowing anything about the privilege of being the ruler. "From ascending them to nobles, to granting them vessels, levies, and most importantly thing land, giving them titles and offices in the government…. There is an endless possibility of what an emperor can do, even if it only controls only one city, you being a noble here means that you will be a noble in other states as well, a status that a peasant can never dream about."

"Everything…." Antonius whispered. "So what would the emperor do?"

"Easy." George took back the note book. "Lets back to that question just now about the pirates. What can the first pirate do to eliminate or at least minimise the threats coming from the second pirate?"

Antonius responded reluctantly. "Perhaps… Remove the second pirate from office?"

George nodded. "That is one method, but he can also try to keep changing the person in that position to make his seat unstable, or making the third pirate who is his determined supporter the second prate, or splitting the power of the second pirate into multiple pieces giving them to other people minimising his threat… Now you get what I am trying to say?"

Antonius could not believe it. "You mean the emperor might try to split my men?"

"Not he might, he will." George answered without hesitation.

"But how is he going to do it? My men have been my brothers since when I am a pirate back then, we went through battles after battles together covering each other's back, what can the emperor give them?"

"Prestige and power."

"…"

"It is an easy answer, Lord De'Ricci." George sighed as he told the truth of power to Antonius. "Whoever controls the blades controls the power of the government, whoever controls the economy controls the fate of the nation, whoever controls the agriculture controls the lives of the people. And you, simply by being here, is already a threat to his place."

"What will he do? What can he do?" Antonius stood up nervously.

"Well according to my understanding of him, he will probably assign another mégas droungarios…. Like the admiral of the north, admiral of the south, admiral of the east and west splitting your fleet equally between the four, then appointing a trusted man to take over your command of your varangian promising them wealth, fortune and honour, trust me those varangian of yours wont hesitate to choose which side is able to give them more benefits."

Antonius kept silent.

George strolled to the back of Antonius laying his paws on Antonius' shoulder, leaned down and suggested. "Listen, Antonius, this city is way too dangerous for you, you might be eaten up, completely, without leaving even one single piece of bone behind."

Antonius' eyes darted back and forth nervously. "What would you suggest me to do, then?"

"Leave this city, immediately, leave this place, it is not your place." George said firmly behind Antonius.