Things were run down but even the best business man knew that any organization was bound to have some dark days. It was how those businesses dealt with the rough times that made them worthy to enjoy the good times when the money flowed in. The struggles are what made victory even sweeter when it arrived and no one knew this more than Adelei Niska. The criminal kingpin had seen his share of ups and downs over the years but learned to appreciate that one was not possible without the other. In order to truly enjoy the sweet celebrations of life, one would have to endure the sour every once in a while. Niska rarely took much of the sour but understood a little bit of it here and there wasn't such a bad thing.
One of his more sour moments however, came at the hands of one Malcolm Reynolds. His organization took a heavy hit when Reynolds and his crew killed most of his men and caused a lot of damage to his space facility. The cost to repair everything and get things back in working order was far more than he could have ever predicted. Having to replace men that too years to train and learn to trust was en even heavier cost to him and his organization, something Adelei was not likely to forgive anytime soon. Malcolm Reynolds was going to suffer greatly for what he and his crew did, but for now his policy was to remain patient and wait for the fly to run into his web again.
What Reynolds and his crew did to Niska and his ship was more than just physical. His reputation took a hit as well. It took a long time for people to trust his organization again as people avoided working with him for some time. It was a blow to Adelei's very reputation, something that men work their lives to establish and nurture. While Niska was tempted to put out a bounty on Reynolds and his people, it was politically a very wise move. The two stowaways on their ship already were the most wanted people in the galaxy, so the incentive to find them was already out there. Adding something to it wouldn't make a difference. Much like his last encounter with the crew of Serenity, Niska was going to lie and wait until the right opportunity came along and only then would he strike.
It wasn't for another few years when such an opportunity would arise. Niska had raided the warehouse of a merchant that had been skimming from not only him but his customers. Stealing from Niska's clients was one thing, but skimming from his own pocket was something that was completely unacceptable. When Niska's men got their hands on that little worm, he began to sing like a bird. Not a single thing he said was enough to save his skin, that was until he mentioned the name Niska wanted to hear: Malcolm Reynolds.
Niska was smart enough not to get his hopes up but he still made en effort to hear the young man out and decide for himself if what he had to say was legit or just a desperate attempt to save himself. When Niska walked into the interrogation room, the subject was chained up and had already been worked over a little bit by some of his men. He was bruised, shocked a few times but that would be nothing compared to what Niska was going to do to him if he found out that the boy was lying about Reynolds.
As the young man watched Niska walk into the room, the begging started almost immediately. "Please, I'll tell you anything you want. Don't hurt me, Mr. Niska!"
"I believe you." Niska said as he strolled over to the table and started to examine the tools that were on it. "That's why I'm here. I want to hear what you told my people for myself. If I like what you're hearing, your suffering will end."
"My brother runs a trade route in the outer quadrants. Reynolds has been hired to do a few jobs for him." The young man repeated. "They've done at least several jobs for him over the past few years."
"When was the last time your brother hired Mr. Reynolds to do anything?" Niska asked as he picked up a knife and began to inspect it.
"Seven months ago." He answered.
"Would Mr. Reynolds work with your brother again if he asked him to?" Niska asked as a plan began to brew within his dark mind.
"I'm not sure." The young man answered.
"For your sake, I hope so." Niska said as he put the knife back down. He then tapped his man on the shoulder before leaving the interrogation room and back into his office. "Let's contact his brother and have a word with him."
"How do you want to play this, boss?" his worked asked as he closed the door behind him.
"We will offer the man his brother back and a small finder's fee if he agrees to lure Mr. Reynolds and his crew into our web." Niska said as he sat down at his desk. "We will also offer to forgive him for any cut he took from his brother's transactions in exchange for his efforts."
"Are you sure we should go so easy on these guys?" his man then asked.
"No." Niska admitted. "But at the moment I am willing to give them a chance to redeem themselves in exchange for help securing Mr. Reynolds and every member of his crew. I intend to make them all pay for what they did. I want the sounds of their screams to echo in our hallways of this station just like the gunfire they sprayed at us on that unfortunate day. I will make them endure more pain then they ever experienced before bringing their lives to a premature ending. We will make the true example out of them and hopefully this young man and their brother will learn from it and never cross me again."