“No.” He grins—slow, crooked, sharp. “I want you to recruit someone.”
“Who?”
“The Butcher.”
The name lands like a metal ping—echoing in the low pressure of this room.
I snort. “You want me to find the galaxy’s most infamous urban legend and drag them into a suicide job?”
“Call it a team-building exercise.”
I stare him down. “You don’t even know who the Butcher is.”
“Neither does anyone else,” he says, with a shrug. “Which is what makes them perfect. Last confirmed sighting was Novaria. After that—smoke and whispers.”
“You don’t hire whispers, Don. You need a body, a record, something.”
“Or a reputation that’s bigger than the truth.”
His voice turns clinical. Cold. Like he’s describing weather patterns on a storm-world he has no plans to visit.
“This is how she rules,” he says. “She kills myths. Turns legends into jokes. She wants people to stop believing in impossible monsters, because monsters give people hope. If theButcher shows up on Kaerva and fails? That’s game over. No one resists after that. But if the Butcher wins…”
“Then she breaks,” I finish.
He nods.
“I take it she’s already prepped her stage?”
“She’s waiting,” Don says. “Probably with a front row seat and a live feed. So yes. She’s expecting someone. Might as well give her a show.”
I don’t hesitate.
“I’ll do it.”
He blinks. “Just like that?”
“Sounds like a death worth having.”
He studies me. “You know you might not even find the Butcher. Might get yourself strung up like discount wall art on day one.”
“I know.”
“And you still want in.”
“I’m not hopeful, Don. Just overdue.”
He doesn’t smile, exactly. But the corners of his mouth twitch—like he’s watching a train pick up speed and wondering which part will derail first.
“Alright then,” he says. “Novaria’s your first stop. Try not to punch any civilians unless they start it.”
“No promises.”
.
CHAPTER 2
ROXY
