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Chapter 5 Part 3
=Sith=
290 AC
Astapor
Viserys missed Imperial Intelligence. Even the utter disgrace the Republic intelligence service turned into after the Jedi Coup would have been better than this. There was simply too much information and threads that needed following for Viserys to even begin to make a dent, and he wasn't halfway through the Good Masters yet.
He had to create an intelligence service from scratch, which was yet another full-time job.
As the day progressed and more opportunities and work pilled up because of the Good Masters, Viserys decided that he had to reevaluate his plans. He simply lacked the time in the day to do things like he intended. The Sith decided to continue as planned until he had essential services running in Astapor. After that, he should focus on headhunting competent and reasonably trustworthy minions so he could delegate. Kaleb could deal with the Navy. Old Theo would deal with the administration and at least one branch of intelligence focused on analyzing and compiling data in the long run.
Ser Lonmouth, when he recovered, might oversee the army while Viserys focused on other issues. A few among the Good Masters' families appeared eager to be opportunists and try their luck under Astapor's new management. However, most of them would be useless in the long run in that regard. With a few exceptions, two of them already dead at Viserys' hands, the top slavers merely oversaw things instead of running them. They had staff doing everything essential for them. The Sith would need said staff, mostly freshly liberated slaves doing their old jobs in his service.
Some Good Masters might make valuable hostages for family members willing to play ball or relatives in other 'Free' Cities. However, it was becoming clear that most of them wouldn't accept a place in the new order – for they had everything to lose and nothing to gain. Viserys might exile them to buy himself time to consolidate. However, that would guarantee those Good Masters would ensure some of the slaver cities would move on Astapor. Then he could kill them and many of those who backed them as an example.
No matter how much Viserys wanted to simply slaughter the bastards, he knew that mercy had its own deadly edge. If he consistently murdered everyone who opposed him without giving them the option to surrender and live with a shred of dignity and comfort left, his enemies would fight to the death out of spite. Such an outcome would waste precious time and resources.
It was a completely different matter when he murdered as many of his enemies as he could under the right circumstances – when such an outcome could be plausibly excused. Like, say, when exiled Good Masters start a war. Then, they would need to die along with most people foolish enough to support them as an example for others about what not to do.
Nevertheless, Viserys still wanted to kill the bastards for the sheer aggravation they kept causing him, even when trying to cooperate.
The Good Masters gave him access to accounts in the Iron Bank, which he couldn't touch anytime soon. There was no branch of it in Astapor because the Iron Bank needed plausible deniability when dealing with the worst of slavers. The closest branch was in Volantis, which was a few months away by sea under the best possible circumstances. Going overland wouldn't be an option anytime soon. Besides, it wasn't like Viserys had reliable people to trust with such a task without him around to keep them honest.
Between the Good Masters he had interviewed to date, Viserys had access to roughly two million Gold Dragons in various Iron Bank accounts. They could be very useful one day, but this was not that day.
Viserys learned much about the trade networks used by the Good Masters, and most of that knowledge would be only useful if or when he launched a crusade against slavery. The primary business the Good Masters partaken in was slavery in all its forms. The only other thing most of them were interested in was importing luxuries, primary food, spices, and wines. Silk, velvet, and other expensive textiles, as well as for use by wives, daughters, lovers, and favored pleasure slaves, made the cut.
The only thing Astapor exported was slaves of all types and misery. It imported slaves for resale, use, and training, which was the only silver lining for the local economy. There were small cottage industries spread all over Astapor, focused on training slaves in various trades. Their goods helped supply the city with various useful goods. In theory, Viserys could work with that as a base for expansion to build a viable economy that is not based on slavery.
On the other hand, importing food could prove a significant issue. Astapor wasn't self-sufficient. It controlled various villages upriver that supplied it with some of the food they grew. Fishing supplemented peoples' diets as well. However, the bulk of the food was imported.
Figuring out how long the city could last and whether it was viable to purchase the necessary food became a priority. For the time being, Viserys had the money to pay. It was another question if the usual suppliers would be willing to sell now that he had thrown a wrench into the local slave trade.
In the worst-case scenario, Viserys might have to sack Yunkai and Mereen or take them and exploit them so he could feed his people in Astapor.
=Sith=
Viserys felt a profound sense of relief at sunset because he was done with the Good Masters for the time being. Some went back to their homes under guard. Unsullied dragged most of them to one of the pyramids to keep them prisoner until the Sith could decide their fate. They all provided enough valuable information, so he couldn't have a justification to kill them out of hand. It would likely be an exile for most of the Good Masters, though that had to be handled with forethought and care.
Of the hundred families wealthy and powerful enough for their heads to be considered "Good Masters," nine had to go for sure even before Viserys began the interviews. He killed the heads of two of those families. The rest lost many members, including their standing Good Masters, because they either resisted the Unsullied with their personal guard a bit too vigorously or liberated slaves and tore them apart for being among the worst slavers in the city.
Eleven families had members professing their acceptance of the new order, and some of them at least believed they might cut it under Viserys' leadership. At the very least, he didn't get the sense they would betray him on principle alone. Rewards, hostages, and threats of protracted, painful death would hopefully keep them in line.
Viserys would exile the other Good Masters and their immediate families when he had the time to figure out how best to approach doing so.
A direct consequence of recent events was a large choice of pyramids free of Good Masters. After asking a few leading questions to the scribes, Viserys decided to take the home of Grazdan the headless for his own. He ordered all the parchment work taken to said pyramid under guard and promised more work and rewards to Old Theo's buddies.
Viserys retired to the Inn to pick up Dany, the wounded loyalist, and his tribute before heading for their new home. Before leaving, he invited Old Theo to dinner to discuss future prospects.
=Sith=
Chapter 5 Part 4
=Sith=
290 AC
Astapor
The stepped exterior of the local pyramids reminded Viserys of similar designs back on Dromund Kaas and beyond. The "steps" outside provided a stable platform for weapon emplacements, ornamentation like statues, and often enough decorative or practical gardens. With soil, a bit of modification, and access to fresh water, the pyramids' exterior could be put to good use. It was another question of whether that would be a practical alternative.
Inside, Grazdan, the headless' pyramid, was a mixed bag. The decoration wasn't the worst Viserys had seen to date; that particular horror belonged to the lair of a color-blind Hutt, but still, the pyramid's interior left a lot to be desired.
There were undoubtedly such things as too many statues, tapestries, and carvings of harpies.
"Can we replace those with dragons?" Dany interjected after she got sick of seeing more of those things at every turn.
Even if there were such a thing as too many dragon motifs, they would still be much better due to their connotations. The Harpy symbolized Old Ghis, the old enemy, and, more importantly, slavery.
"We'll get rid of them, I promise," Viserys was perfectly serious, too. They were going to sell them, and if there were no buyers, the damn things might serve as kindling. The larger pieces of art could be used to throw at invaders from the city walls or building rooftops.
There was a little damage to be found in the pyramid, and the staff was present, though they were without collars now. The reason for that was simple – Grazdan had most of his family and guards at the plaza for the sale of the Unsullied. When Viserys unleashed the slave soldiers on Astapor, there was no one left to mount credible resistance, resulting in a clean sweep of the estate. Grazdan hadn't been a complete cunt, so his slaves found no reason to riot and murder his family. Viserys couldn't even see signs of looting.
The staff had assembled in the pyramid's great hall, waiting to figure out what would happen to them in particular and the city in general.
Grazdan's Majordomo led them, wearing fine clothes that wouldn't be out of place in court.
"Welcome, Master! Are you the new owner of the estate? We understand that Master Grazdan isn't among us any longer, and his family has fallen from grace," the man had the light brown skin of a Naathi native and a hint of accent that sounded vaguely familiar.
"We are. We can negotiate payment if you are all willing to serve my household. We need to discuss your living conditions and everything else free people need to make a prosperous living under my care," Viserys smiled kindly.
If you were in a position to need household staff, going out of your way to treat them well and make sure their needs were met was the only sane choice. Doing anything less guaranteed your secrets would be spilled, and you might very well find yourself poisoned if you were enough of a cunt. Granted, good treatment didn't guarantee loyalty, but it certainly helped. There were always people who would sell you out no matter how well you treated them. However, it was also true that treating your staff as valuable people might get you their undying loyalty.
It was darkly hilarious how many Sith estates could be easily compromised because the Sith in question insisted on having organics staff they consistently abused for the hell of it. The smart ones who couldn't control their impulses at least used droids. Using abused servants as a way in, Baras alone compromised most of the relevant Sith estates on Dromund Kaas.
Viserys didn't have to negotiate with household staff on his task list for the evening. However, that was something that had to be done properly.
Half an hour later, Viserys left the Majordomo, Jordeein of Naath, to coral a bunch of stunned servants so they could return to their duties and prepare dinner and rooms for the Targaryens. Apparently, offering what Viserys considered good pay for the people about to take care of him and Dany, not to mention benefits that were literally out of this world, was too much of a good thing. It left the former slaves in a daze. Viserys was pretty sure he had most of them at the promise of the best medical treatments money could buy for them and any families they hand or might make in the future. That, combined with treating them well, should cement the loyalty of anyone who wasn't a total cunt.
=Sith=
Viserys spent the time until dinner exploring his new estate and arranging a proper protection for it with the Unsullied. After speaking with a few of their commanders, he arranged a series of meetings with their officers in the coming days to discuss the future of Astapor's military in general and the Unsullied in particular.
The most interesting feature of the pyramid was in the basement. Part of it contained a treasury sealed behind heavy bronze gates. However, most of it was dedicated to baths for Grazdan's family, including a swimming pool. One of the first things Viserys ordered his newly acquired staff was to empty the pool and clean it along with all the baths with alcohol, just in case. The more he thought about it, the clearer it became he might have to start a medical revolution to avoid everyone dying from a bloody plague. As a Sith, he had visited enough primitive worlds to know what spawning pools for diseases, communal baths, or baths in general, could be. Hells, that crazy sadist Lord Drowl used to brag how, in his spare time, he used such places to concoct deadlier pathogens to use against rebelling slaves or primitive populations in need of culling through plausible deniability.
Yet another thing Viserys would have to deal with was finding a few reliable handmaidens for Dany. Now that they were in a position of relative safety and security, she could use a bit of female company and touch. He figured it out the hard way when Dany came to dinner grumpy, with hair that was an utter mess after taking a bath.
They had considered cutting their hair to be easier to handle while on the run but never quite got around to doing it. Now, there was no point; besides, it was a tradition for Valyrian women to have long hair carried in intricate braids. Viserys shouldn't have really cared for such things anymore, yet… He tried not to chuckle at Dany, who looked like a wet, angry kitten.
His sister sensed his emotions and gave him an impressive glare for a kid her age, making her look more adorable.
"Your Grace, your guest has arrived," Jordeein announced. He took one look at Dany and tutted. "This simply wouldn't do, Princess. Does the young lady have attendants?"
"Finding my sister a few reliable and trustworthy handmaidens is on my list to do," Viserys noted.
"There should be many to choose from due to recent events. I will make inquiries," the Majordomo promised.
After the customary introductions were over, they retired to a terrace overlooking Slaver's Bay. The sea breeze cooled the area, mixing the aromas of various flower pots around the parapet.
"You have a job offer for me, my prince," Old Theo was the first to speak after the servants served dinner and wine, then left them to eat in peace.
"That and more," Viserys conceded. "Sooner or later, I'll have to move on, Yunkai and Meereen. When that happens, I will do my utmost to get your nieces back, and any other member of your family sold in either of those cities. You can consider that an additional incentive for the task I would have you do."
"You aren't here merely to build an army to reclaim your throne, Your Grace?" Old Theo inquired.
"Most people loyal to our family in Westeros are either dead or betrayed their oaths by abandoning us in our hour of need. When we return home, it will be a second conquest, not a mere restoration. We will need a large, well-trained, and supplied army supported by a large, proficient navy. We will need an extensive support structure to create, train, and maintain such a military force. Astapor is going to be merely the first step of getting there."
"No matter how wealthy this city was, it can't offer you all you need," Old Theo concluded after thinking over Viserys' words. "At a minimum, you'll need the resources of the whole Slaver's Bay and years to build up the kind of force you are talking about, Your Grace."
"Probably longer. We might look at two to three decades before everything is in place. Unless I have to, I won't launch an invasion across continents before I am damn sure it will be successful," Viserys explained.
"You are wise beyond your years, then, My Prince. I am an old man, obviously," Old Theo chuckled at his words. "There isn't much left for me in this world, and you are the only one offering to get me what little I desire. Do your best to get my nieces back, and I am your man until the end, Your Grace. Besides, I am eager to see what you might accomplish when you put your mind to it. What would you have me do, My Prince?"
"I've seen that some local scribes and scholars hold you in high esteem. I will need your expertise and connections to ensure that Astapor's administration continues to run. We'll need to overhaul it then so it can run this city and our expanding realm. We'll need to build a functional government bureaucracy that can govern multiple cities, the lands between them, armies, navies, and more," Viserys shared more of his vision for the future.
Old Theo's eyes shone in excitement at the prospect.