Less than two minutes later, a bot delivered the cryoflask that contained Dr Gagarian’s head. Outside, Rav watched as Hari examined the flask’s seal. ‘Few things are what they once were, in these debased times,’ the Ardenist said, ‘but you can still count on the integrity and discretion of the bonded stores. There’s a story that one of the last of the True suzerains put his family in storage to save them from assassination. He was killed the next day, but the storekeepers fought and defeated the mercenaries who came after his family. Their descendants are still living in storage, waiting for someone to pay a redemption fee that’s by now so astronomical that the entire Solar System wouldn’t suffice as collateral.’ ‘You have a story for every occasion,’ Hari said. ‘You don’t like my stories? They’re better than any you’ll find in that book of yours.’ ‘When it comes to business, I prefer plain facts to fantasies.’ It was something his father sometimes said whenever Nabhomani’s reports of his negotiations and deals became especially florid.
What do You think about Evening's Empires (Quiet War 3)?
