Fourteen silently took a list from his clothes and handed it to Vigaz. "This is the list of people we want. Post a separate mission for each person, with a bounty of sixty gold coins apiece. We want them alive! Any group or faction can take these missions, including those that once opposed us in Bloodskull. The handover will take place right here in Booty Bay!"
Vigaz took the list and looked it over. "These are all Venture Company engineers?" he asked in surprise.
"Correct!" Fourteen said with a smile. "My master believes that if we want to drive the Venture Company out of Stranglethorn Vale, killing their ordinary laborers won't accomplish much, no matter how many we kill. We have to target their mech pilots specifically-or engineers, as you call them.
"Once we capture all these people, there'll be no one to repair the Venture Company's machinery when it breaks down. Without repairs, their factories won't be able to operate, and the Venture Company will be forced to withdraw!"
"What an excellent idea!" Vigaz stood up and clapped his hands. "But why do you want them alive? Wouldn't killing them outright be easier?"
"No!" Fourteen shook his head. "My master said that the bounties for these few dozen people alone will cost him a great deal of gold. He has to recover some of that investment, so he wants them alive. If they're dead, the mission is canceled and no bounty will be paid."
"Couldn't you pay half the bounty for dead ones? That would make the missions much easier." Vigaz's eyes flickered.
Fourteen noticed the gleam in Vigaz's shifty little triangular eyes and laughed inwardly. *Master guessed right. This goblin pirate boss certainly knows what those mech pilots are worth, but he doesn't want to put up his