The shuttle was still orbiting forlornly around the CSV-0110F when Azef drifted back into consciousness. He couldn't tell how long he had slept, although the infinite depths of space seemingly unchanged relative to his position. He pulled himself upright on the bench, leaning heavily against the armrest. Every movement still hurt, but it was a dull, insistent pain, rather than the searing agony the Tenno toxin had caused. His ornate robe was torn almost beyond recognition, the intricate whorls and patters ripped to shreds in the confrontation. The pressure suit below registered almost a dozen minor breaches. Someone had removed the nullification field generator while he slept and it sat on the floor beside his feet, dented but otherwise intact. His helmet too had been removed, but it seemed far less salvageable: cracks lined the exterior, unnoticed in the rush beforehand but evident in the calmness of the shuttle. The sensors were likely fried by the radiation, rendering the wearer blind. At last, feeling a sting with each movement, Azef activated one of the shuttle's terminals and checked the date and time. He had slept for almost fifteen standard hours.
"Scans indicate that the area is clear, sir," the pilot informed him, "Shall I bring us back aboard?"
"Excellent," said Azef, "Land us in one of the Osprey hangars for now. I'd rather not disrupt the hangar bay until we've finished analysing the traces left by the Tenno vessels."
A response to the affirmative and the shuttle sprang to life, propelling itself towards one of the many hangar entrances dotting the exterior of the ship. They passed through the atmospheric retention field and landed amidst a swarm of inactive Ospreys. The boarding ramp descended with a hiss and Azef stepped off the shuttle and back onto the CSV-0110F. Presently, a medical team arrived aboard one of the rovers technically intended for delivery to one of the Europa salvage operations. They hustled him onto the vehicle, transformed into a makeshift clinic and strewn with the wounded and dead. One hasty inspection followed by a more complete full-body scan later and the head medic approached Azef, weariness evident in his eyes as he glanced at the thick sheaf of printouts in his hand.
"It seems, Chairman, that you have not sustained any major physical injuries. However, it is quite evident that you have sustained moderate nerve damage from an unknown neurotoxin administered by the Tenno. Your suit administered a generic antitoxin in short order and we will be able to facilitate further regeneration, but it is exceedingly unlikely that you will be able to make a full recovery. Fortunately, you should be able to suppress the majority of the residual effects with a standard painkiller suite, but we can't guarantee that it will be perfect."
"Thank you, doctor," replied Azef, with as much sincerity as he could muster. The clinical delivery of the medical report, although it brought hope of at least a partial recovery, drove home that he, like his ship, would bear the scars of the Tenno assault for a long time to come.
Assembled once again around a boardroom table, the managers of Dalo and Partners (Pty) Ltd examined a set of reports, reflecting a far poorer indication of the business' direction than the previous day's figures. Nuyen Denar, seated to Azef's immediate left, began to speak.
"We estimate that the damage incurred by the Tenno attack, over the course of the twenty-five minute incident, amount to one hundred and twenty-four crewmen, as well as equipment with an estimated value of four and a half million credits, including two hundred and sixty-four MOA and seventy-one Ospreys. To our fortune, they were not able to access a primary cargo hold and thus our loss of trading stock is minimal, amounting to thirty-two thousand credits' worth of salvage stored in the 01101-C sector."
"How much of this is covered by the budget?" asked Sumko Lonas.
"We allowed for operational losses totalling two million credits, five percent of our gross profit from the last financial year. The remainder will have to come from our retained income, delaying our purchase of a new vessel by at least half a year."
"What of the captured Tenno?" Azef inquired.
"We've sent inquiries to Alad Electronics. Alad V himself has expressed interest in opening negotiations, Chairman, but demands to speak with you personally. The Tenno itself is currently restrained in a nullified cell and we've confiscated all its weapons. It has shown no signs of movement so far, however, so it may be safe to consider it deceased."
"Very well. I'll contact Alad V after we adjourn. With luck, we'll be able to recover a little more of our losses from this sale. For now, however, I think we can agree that it's best to continue to Pluto and complete our delivery to Beecloud Industries."
A chorus of assent greeted him.
"Very well, then. In the name of Profit, this meeting is adjourned."
Azef settled into a seat in one of the long-range communication booths. He had picked a new robe for the occasion, pristine and elegant. The void-borne connection to Jupiter flickered into life, the grotesque form of Alad V appearing before him on a viewscreen. Traces of Technocyte infestation scarred face, suppressed by a localised nullification field. However, his piercing eyes glared through the screen, alert, cold and perceptive as ever.
"Azef Dalo," he said, "I'm told you've captured an intact Tenno."
"Yes. I'm afraid that it's dead, or at least dormant, but it's a wholly intact specimen of the variety designated 'Rhino'."
"You were right to come to me first, Chairman Dalo. This could prove most helpful to my Zanuka project."
Azef knew little of the Zanuka programme, save that he had seen a prototype when making a delivery to Jupiter. Alad had created agile, semi-autonomous proxies that could be controlled locally, presumably using reverse-engineered Tenno technology.
"There is, of course, the matter of price, Chairman Alad," he responded, in his element when required to haggle.
"Oh, naturally. I'm willing to pay you a good three million credits for your specimen."
Azef almost spat, but managed to remain composed. Three million was far higher than he had expected as an opening offer. Nonetheless, to accept such a sum without question would be to reject his nature as a Corpus; failing to seek a little extra would make him no better than a Grineer.
"Should I attempt to put this creature up for auction to the Board of Directors, I wouldn't expect to see a price below five, especially since the specimen is entirely intact."
"You wound me, Chairman Dalo, but I will concede the accuracy of your figures. I am, however, but one of the Board. You can't expect me to drop five million credits on a Tenno I haven't even seen."
"My techs will transmit some footage from the cell momentarily," said Azef tersely, before continuing, "and I am not an unreasonable man. I am willing to settle for four million."
He waited patiently as the camera feed was sent through the void, appearing on a projected screen behind Alad. The latter inspected it, saving the data for further review.
"This footage seems satisfactory. The Tenno is intact and of the correct type," said Alad, "You have a deal, Chairman Dalo. I'll transmit the payment when you arrive at my Jupiter facilities.
"Half in advance, half on arrival," insisted Azef, mindful of the cost of repairs needed to get the ship to the central solar system in the first place.
"You rob me blind, Dalo, but I'm in no position to refuse."
He cut communications with the traditional farewell following a transaction: "May our ledgers become ocean; may our margins see Centauri."
Satisfied that the line was no longer open, Azef let out a sigh of relief. Dealing with Alad V, the richest and hence chairman of the Board of Directors, the ruling committee of the Corpus, was always a nightmare, even more so since an accident had left him partially infested. That the deal had gone so smoothly – and so profitably, almost paying for the equipment losses the Tenno had caused on its own, leaving the remainder well within the provisions made – was as surprising as it was relieving; the value of a captured Tenno exceeded in his eyes that of a shipload of salvage.
Within an hour, the treasurer noted the sudden receipt of two million credits, a fact of which the board was swiftly informed. The sum would be more than sufficient to pay for refuelling and maintenance at one of the stations in low Pluto orbit, in addition to the replacement of many of the proxies lost in the attack. Despite the sombre mood permeating the crew following the sudden loss of hundreds of their own, the news that a massive influx of income was nigh leant a subtle elation to the atmosphere aboard the CSV-0110F as it limped its way towards Pluto.
The solar rail trip proved wholly uneventful, the Europan customs officials okaying the voyage almost without question and punching them through to the Outer Terminus in a distant orbit around Pluto. From there, the trip to the Minthe Station, locked in a stationary orbit above the outpost to facilitate the delivery of goods to the surface, was trivial. While docked, Azef placed an order for a shipment of MOA from the Hades production facility, negotiating a reasonable price from the most prominent mass-producer of the bipedal proxies. The lost Ospreys could be replaced from the foundries at Amalthea, not too distant from Alad Electronics' Themisto headquarters.
The primary focus of the trip to Pluto was accomplished with equal efficiency: the Beecloud officials administering the station acknowledged the arrival of the CSV-0110F with the usual formality and transmitted the funds for the twelve thousand metric tonnes of salvage recovered from Europa, supplying their own retrieval vessels to ferry the goods from the cargo bays aboard the ship to the space elevator by which they would be transported to the facility below. Beecloud Industries dealt with the Grineer frequently, a fact evident from their slightly-more-relaxed attitude towards customers and figures, characteristic of having to deal with brutes unable to count once they ran out of fingers. To their fellow Corpus, paranoid to a fault and constantly scheming over every credit, they were a pleasure to do business with, the casual affability of many of their representatives absolutely unheard-of amongst the majority of firms. As such, Azef deployed a few proxies of his own to ensure all the correct quantities of goods were offloaded and requested that the payment details were scrutinised for any inconsistencies with the deals made before issuing a receipt, knowing that the lax discipline occasionally spread to figures, unintentionally or otherwise. Cheating the Grineer of a few hundred thousand on every transaction was trivial; the Corpus were another matter. Nonetheless, the payment seemed satisfactory, totalling 6 credits per thousand cubic centimetres of salvage. Once the cargo had been fully unloaded and the ship refuelled, with all necessary maintenance performed, they departed once more from the station, crawling once again toward the Outer Terminus and the solar rails.
Jupiter loomed magnificently as the CSV-0110F slipped out of the void at the solar rail station, the most menacing and impressive of the Corpus-controlled planets, home to the richest and most ostentatious corporations. Entirely incongruous amongst the sleek, elegant fleets plying the low-Jovian orbit, the rust-bucket made its way towards the richest corporate headquarters of them all: Alad Electronics. Like many ships of its kind, the CSV-0110F was not equipped for atmospheric flight, so it assumed a stationary orbit above the office – more of a city – from which Azef ordered the readying of the most-intact shuttle, a rickety craft that must have dated back to the Orokin era. Notifying the air traffic control of his impending arrival, he ordered the transportation of the Tenno to the shuttle, ensuring that it was kept bound and encased in three overlapping nullification fields throughout its trip to the shuttle bay. Once the Tenno had been placed aboard the shuttle, secured in a hostage transportation rack and surrounded by a trio of crewmen with nullification field generators, Azef, Nuyen and the guards departed for the planet. They were met on the surface by a heavily-armed escort surrounding, to Azef's immense surprise, Alad V himself. The richest man in the Origin System was haggard and gaunt, some form of proxy control collar around his neck and bulbous Technocyte outgrowths protruding from beneath his clothing.
"You've brought the Tenno?" he rasped, a grating harshness in his voice that had not been evident in the earlier negotiations.
"Of course, Chairman Alad," said Azef, signalling to his entourage to present the captured creature. They did so, wheeling the rack down the boarding ramp, the Tenno secured thereon. As if wakened by the movement, it began to stir for the first time since its capture, struggling weakly against its bonds.
Alad V almost jumped with excitement as he walked toward the creature, stopping directly before the imprisonment rack and examining the Tenno closely.
"You have no idea how happy this makes me, Chairman Dalo," he gasped, running a gloved hand down the side of the Tenno's impassive helmet, smiling as it attempted to flinch away from his touch.
"There is no feeling quite like watching a Tenno squirm as you slowly dissect it. A bonus would be improper, of course, but I must invite you to be my guest at my next demonstration of my Zanuka project." His grin spread a little wider. "With this lovely new addition to my collection," he added, stroking once again the helpless creature before him, "I should have something new to show the Board within the week."
Azef watched as the richest man in the system gently caressed the struggling Tenno, amused by its attempts to escape his grasp. Finally, he responded, "I would be honoured to accept, Chairman Alad, but there is the matter of my company. The costs incurred by ceasing business for a week would be immense. I hope you understand, but the demands of my ledgers must come first."
"Do you have no-one you trust with captaincy in your stead, Chairman Dalo?"
"Of course I do. Executive Denar here is an entirely competent commander. It's just that by the time of your event, if my only ship has departed without me, it would be a nightmare to rearrange our schedules such that I could be retrieved. A small business like mine can't afford to make any trip by solar rail without reason."
"That will not be a problem. I'll dispatch one of my voidskimmers to send you back to your headquarters in," he paused, momentarily distracted from his prize, "Where were you headquartered again?"
"Pazuzu Station, Chairman. High Europa orbit."
"Yes, of course. Well, I'll have one of my 'skimmers take you there. I'll even let you keep it, so that you don't have to go everywhere in that hideous old CSV of yours." He giggled, the rasp evident even in his laughter. "I should be able to write that off as charity."
The obvious attempt at bribery despite the earlier denial of such a deal rankled, but the offer – a fully-functional voidskimmer, the smallest, most manoeuvrable class of craft capable of travel by the Solar Rails – was too great. "I accept your proposal, Chairman," said Azef, still somewhat reluctant.
"Excellent! I knew you'd come around to it eventually, Chairman Dalo. I'm sure you'll appreciate the show; I know I will. Not to mention that it's not every day that a salvage peddler such as yourself gets to see something of this importance. Now, about the rest of your payment…"
Alad muttered to one of his entourage, who ran out of the hangar with a nod.
"You should receive the remaining two million credits within the hour," he said to Azef, before turning back to the Tenno. "I can't thank you enough for this prize you've given me. A live specimen!" He giggled again as the creature struggled desperately before falling still.
"You have no idea how happy this makes me," he repeated as he and the remainder of his entourage departed from the hangar, dragging the transportation rack and the defeated Tenno with them.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Azef," Nuyen asked once the others had departed. "I'm not sure if I could survive a week trapped with him."
"This isn't about what I want, Nuyen. This could bring us profits beyond measure. He seems to like me and if that leads to a good word about me being given to some of the other members of the Board, then we could see new contracts far more lucrative than ever before. There is demand for salvage among the larger firms, but the only reason Alad Electronics even acknowledges our existence instead of dealing with a larger operation is because we bought the rights to just over half our salvage fields from them. If even one of the others is willing to make a deal, then we're set, but that won't happen if I just head back to the ship and forget this happened."
"Then it's settled? You're leaving me in charge for a chance at a contract."
"Networking aside, there is a more important reason. You saw Chairman Alad. He's the sort of man who gets what he wants. I'm not sure I want to know the consequences of refusing him. He's offering me a voidskimmer if I stay; that can't be worth less than ten million. If he's that determined to have me stay, it seems suicidal to leave."
"When you put it like that, Azef, I suppose there's nothing I can do to stop you. Just try not to get yourself killed in there," said Nuyen.
"Of course. I wish you good fortune and steady profits until my return."
"Good fortune and steady profits indeed, Chairman Dalo. Farewell, for now." With that, Nuyen and the three guards boarded the shuttle once more. The landing ramp closed with a pneumatic hiss and Azef watched as it slipped out of the hangar and into the Jovian sky. He was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder. A clerk, the sigil of Alad Electronics emblazoned on his suit, looked at him expectantly. "You're Azef Dalo? The Chairman has asked that you're shown to your quarters."
The lodgings Alad V had selected for him were well beyond any in which Azef had previously stayed. They were located on the penultimate floor of one of the massive skyscrapers overlooking the rest of Themisto, the view slightly obscured by the manic swirling of gases shared by all gas-giant-based facilities. His quarters covered almost the entire floor, to the extent that he found himself getting lost in a labyrinth of bedrooms, kitchens, lounges and reception rooms trying to find his way from the spacious study to the massive balcony. He understood that he was meant to be impressed, the small-time entrepreneur from the outer planets being placed in the lap of luxury in the financial heart of the Origin System. However, he found himself more annoyed, restless even with access to a long-range communicator. He had never taken more than a day's leave since he had founded Dalo and Partners and sitting around without paperwork or negotiations felt almost unnatural. The entertainment library was as massive as the rest of the apartment, but attempting to watch a film from the database only accentuated his restlessness. Eventually, he had his fellow directors transmit the ledgers and began to scrutinise it, finding more distraction in the endless columns of numbers than the pointless melodrama or mindless action offered by the entertainment systems. Almost unfortunately, the bookkeeper he had hired seemed competent, as days went by without Azef finding an error. Attempts to leave and take a look around the city proved futile, the lock on his gilded cage proving very secure indeed. He considered attempting to leave via the balcony, but realised the stupidity inherent in jumping armed with only a pressure suit and personal shield, aware that the fall would almost certainly prove fatal, especially with the intense Jovian gravity. Finally, on the eighth day, as the prospect of trying to jump grew ever more attractive, if only to escape the tedium, a message arrived from Alad V.
"My Zanuka is ready. Come at once to witness the glory of the latest prototype."