Renn nods, grim. “He won’t like it.”
“I don’t care what he likes,” I say. “I care what works.”
A beat.
Then Jessa says, “Boss. You wanna see Morazin?”
I look toward containment bay three on the internal map.
Yes.
No.
Yes.
I answer with my feet.
When I arrive, containment bay three is cold on purpose.
Cold air makes people uncomfortable. It makes them less confident. It makes them feel like they’re being stored, not hosted.
Morazin is strapped into a restraint chair bolted to the deck, wrists locked, ankles locked, collar locked. A containment hood sits behind him—transparent enough for cameras, rigid enough to prevent headbutts. Two guards stand inside the bay with shock batons and calm expressions. Four more outside.
Morazin looks up when I enter like he’s been waiting for applause.
“Kaijen,” he says, voice smooth despite the restraints. “Did you enjoy your little hero moment?”
I stop a few feet away, letting the distance speak.
“Hero?” I repeat, amused. “No. I enjoyed taking your legs out.”
Morazin smiles. “You think you’ve won. You think markets halting means Baragon loses.”
“It means you can’t pay your dogs,” I say.
His eyes flash. “Dogs are loyal.”
“Dogs bite the hand when they stop getting fed,” I reply.
Morazin leans forward as much as restraints allow. “Kill me, Lonari. Do it. You know you want to.”
My mouth curves. “You really want to die.”
“I want you to prove you’re exactly what they’ll call you,” he hisses. “A criminal warlord. A thug. A propaganda machine.”
I tilt my head. “And if I don’t?”
Morazin’s smile turns sharp. “Then you keep me alive and watch institutions bury you anyway. They’ll take credit for your work. They’ll take your prisoner. They’ll erase your name. They’ll call Jordan’s proof ‘unverified.’ They’ll say you fabricated it.”
I stare at him, letting him talk because men like him always reveal their strategy when they think they’re performing.
“You’re scared,” I say calmly.
Morazin’s eyes narrow. “Of what.”
“Of irrelevance,” I answer. “Of being exposed as a middle manager with blood under his nails.”
His jaw tightens.
