"Please explain." Adam said, leaning in a bit.
"There's not much to tell, unfortunately." Patricia sighed. "One day, a few months ago, this woman claiming to be the Queen of the Pirates showed up out of nowhere, with a whole fleet of heavily armed vessels and some underwater creatures she somehow had under her control, and then began to demand tribute from us."
"Extortion." Percy added, speaking up after listening quietly.
"Exactly." Patricia said back to him.
"I remember having to deal with those types all the time out west. Protection rackets are the easiest to run."
"You can't have gangs if all are either dead or Legion." Deccanus said to no one in particular Mira looked over to him but said nothing.
"We have a sizable population, and we are no strangers to defending ourselves. However she brings enough firepower that unless we are willing to sacrifice untold numbers of people to stop her we have no choice but to give in." She signed. "However, her demands are extravagant. And they grow every month. We have reached the point where we can no longer afford to pay her off."
Adam paused to consider. He had noted that despite both the Tower and The Raft being mostly closed societies for different reasons The Tower had far more capital to spend to buy his guns. Practically double. At first he had choked this up to The Tower still getting merchants coming and going, even if few in number. However if they are being extorted it made sense the entire town had less money to spend over all.
"Why close your borders then?" Adam asked curiously.
"We are a proud folk, we stay off the mainland, and stay on the water. 'Leave the mainland issues to the mainlanders and let us handle the issues of the sea'." She said as if she was quoting a long-held belief. "It was… a sign of weakness for us to be so easily exploited like we are."
"But you can't keep the situation up any longer." Mira said, piecing it all together. "Your resources were running dry and you were running out of options. Then Adam showed up." She intuited well. Patricia looked impressed at Mira for a moment before addressing her.
"That is exactly the situation." She nodded. "In truth there was division among our number. Some want to stand and fight, some want to flee, some want to supplicate and hope for mercy. With no decision yet made, and a little more than two weeks to go until her next scheduled arrival, we were stuck in the worst kind of choice paralysis."
"So… what do you want of me then?" Adam asked.
"I want your expertise, your help, and perhaps, even your fame." She said slowly.
"In what way?" Adam asked, not sure what she was wanting from him.
"I am one of those who wish to fight. This is my home, I have lived here from the time I was but a little girl getting her sea legs to now, where I sit as the Songbird of our home. I would rather die than flee, and I know women like her, she will grant no mercy. If we do not have the means to pay her off, she will simply take it. And it will be from the mouths of those who need it. Out of the pockets of those who cannot afford. From the hands of children who have little to their name." She said solemnly. "What I want of you… is to lend me your name. To help me unite my people so we may stand against her when she comes."
Adam went silent and paused to consider, this was a big ask, he truly wanted to help but he knew so little about the situation. He was fine throwing himself into danger but asking ordinary people to do the same was a lot harder. But she was right, unless they planned on leaving they had to fight. Otherwise they might not survive with what little they had left behind.
"I… am willing to help." Adam said slowly. "But I do not feel comfortable asking people to die in a fight." Patricia smiled sadly.
"A battle is never a good thing, it brings only death and sadness. But alas, the world is one where violence is often the only solution." She paused and then looked Adam in the eyes. "My people are strong. If we unite we will weather this storm, just as we have centuries ago. And, with your help, we may do it without losing too many of our friends and family." She said, her eyes speaking volumes about the plea.
Adam glanced at his friends, Deccanus had the same expression on his face as ever, whereas Mira seemed ever the skeptic. Judging by the expression on her face she did not agree with helping out here but considering she had not spoken up she had no intention of stopping Adam. And then there was Percy. He was not looking at Patricia when he looked over, no, instead he was watching Adam, nay, studying him. For reasons Adam did not know. However that was the least of his concerns at the moment.
"I'll do what I can." Adam said after a moment. "If you need help to fight I can fight. If you need to use my name, then that is fine. But I'm a soldier, not much of a speech giver." Patricia chuckled a bit at his comment.
"Do not worry, no one will ask you to give a speech. But if you and your friends were to help it would no doubt go a long way to bolster our morale." Adam began to think about his options. If another big fight was coming his way he might need to rally some forces again. It was not as big of a unifying fight as it was previously like with Famine and Pestilence but it was a threat. Perhaps he could hire out the gunners again or-.
"And before you start summoning forces across all over Chicago we do not want any external help other than yours." She explained carefully, preempting Adam's plans.
"What? Why?" Adam asked back, confused.
"This is a problem of the Raft. While your actions were noble to save Chicago from the threats of the Horsemen, this is not a threat to Chicago, merely to us." She smiled sadly. "We are not a charity case. We have and always will look out for ourselves. We do not need outsiders interfering."
"Then what about me? I am an outsider."
"Your reputation precedes you, Adam. Your name has begun to spread to every corner of Chicago. You are a hero the people respect. You standing at the forefront of what is to come will be a sign that Chicago's hero backs our decision. However if you were to bring others from other places it would only bring the opposite effect." She paused. "We have had a history of occupation in the past. It is a past we refuse to live through again. Not now, not then. This pirate threat is no different."
"Adam…" Mira cautioned from the side. Adam looked over at her and saw her worry and then turned back to Patricia.
"I know this is presumptuous of me." Patricia began, slowly. "But I simply cannot allow more than you and your group to come aid us."
"Im not… a true altruist." Adam said back, slowly.
"I would not expect you to do this out of the goodness of your heart. We shall reward you however you desire. But please, our home needs your name. It needs the weight that it carries to protect those who are too afraid of the storm to come. Entrust me with your name. Entrust me with your strength. Please. Give our society a chance." Adam let out a huge sigh as he considered his options.
"Adam…" Mira said firmly again. Reading his mind, once more cautioning him. However the other two had not yet spoken up, and seemed to be waiting for his decision. After a long time to deliberate, considering the risks, the pros and cons he settled on an answer. With a firm look he turned to look at the Songbird once more, his resolve strong.
"Im in. Tell me what I need to do."