174 The Unending Thread

"Kill your father? Now isn't that a bold proposition to throw at me so soon?" said Aldrich. He leaned forward, the metal of his armor clicking with the movement. Beside Aarav, a man of average height, Aldrich, in his thick armor especially, looked like a hulk of a man.

But despite that, Aarav did not care. He just waited patiently for Aldrich to talk.

"Taking out the head of a Council of Fortune megacorp is basically akin to assassinating the head of a state," said Aldrich. "You're asking me to take a risk as big as that? This is a massive gamble, isn't it? Either you and I take out your father and we get everything you promised.

Or we fail, your head rolls, and I become a target."

"Every deal has some level of risk," said Aarav. "And you seem to know a thing or two about gambles. Why do you think I'm offering you so much, Mr. Thanatos? What is essentially joint ownership of Sheshanaga? It's reward commensurate with the risk.