Omar hit the ground, draining his blood on the sand. It was no less than he had expected and had been resigned to it. His body was fed to the sharks. The clipper was ordered into the cavernous cave being used for mooring. The pirate's own ship was ordered away. Omar's first mate was given command. The base commander gave him his orders, standing over the ragged pirate. "Find more ships of the same value as this one. I want more of this, he said, of the documents from the ship. Send us word once a month on your progress, and send word when you find something. Don't think to cross us or your death will take longer than Omar's." He then gave the new captain a sack of coins to fund his search.
The terrified first mate got back to his ship and set sail as fast as the old frigate could run. His captain had made his bed with the devil's own and had paid for it. Abel inherited the association and an overseer.
"You will sail to Egypt," he said. We have word of the ship's owner being there. Once our provisions are on board, we sail. Until then, get your crew to clean the ship.
Abel gave the orders and considered his options. By now, the merchant Omar had left the lady's body with will have poisoned all against us. Going back to Egypt would get us caught. The overseer and his men are few. They took over the captain's cabin and are making plans without my involvement. I see no future in being a slave aboard my ship.
A half day out to sea, the devil's overseer fell into the water along with his men. Abel watched the sharks deal with the bodies and ordered the ship to change course, heading east.
A second life was lost near the League of Darkness's hidden harbor. It landed in the water of the cavern dock two days later. This time, the life lost was one of their own. A higher power, taking authority over the new base, took exception to a small unknown crew of pirates knowing this place's location. "This place has been too carefully set up and too expensive to be lost to loose-lipped vagabonds." The crew should have been taken for slave labor.
Commander Peers sent his own schooner after it with his second in command. "That rickety old thing couldn't have gone far. If the officer on it is still in command, give him a rise in rank just for the courage to board it. After that, head for Alexandria. Take over what was started. I need people intimate with the information Omar brought us. If we take the woman and her husband and make a few captains loyal to the League, things will go much easier."
Taking over an established shipping line had been his own idea. It required one that was smallish but had a long reach and reputation. The Scottish company was run from a small island, easily taken over and turned into a base of operations. The Scots might object, but the League was used to such resistance. It wouldn't last long.