Chapter 173: Company Politics
"A deal? I'm interested." Aldrich already held Aarav in far better standing than
Colonel Davos. Aarav had the courage to sit right next to Aldrich knowing how
dangerous Aldrich could be.
Though Null Ore could dampen powers, it was not it they just erased Alter Cells
and Organs entirely.
Null Ore worked mainly by compromising the proper functioning of the Alter
cells and organs, severely disrupting the processing of additional energy.
But the physical strengthening that Alter cells and organs provided from years
and years of enriching musculature, blood vessels, bones, and so on remained.
For someone like Aldrich who Aarav had every reason to expect had a
massively high AC count, it was an entirely reasonable threat for Aldrich to just
reach out and snap Aarav's neck, especially considering the fact that technos
tended to have weaker bodies even with high AC counts.
The fact that Aarav just sat calmly like this, right next to Aldrich, indicated that
he was willing to place his trust in Aldrich.
Plus the fact that Aarav did not just start off negotiations by threatening
Aldrich's life definitely helped.
"Have you been keeping up with news about Sheshanaga?" said Aarav.
"That's one area where I'm not the most researched on," said Aldrich.
"That's fine," said Aarav. "You don't particularly have to know anything. And
now that I think about it, you wouldn't really find anything on the news either.
It's all mostly secret stuff.
Anyway, to get to the point: the CEO of Sheshanaga is looking for a new
successor."
“A new successor?" said Aldrich. "I would have expected that to be on the news."
Anything related to a shift in the power structure of a Council of Fortune
company would make immediate global headlines because it would have been
almost akin to hearing about a regime change in a government.
No, a more apt analogy would have been a change in a kingdom, because that's
what these companies were: modern day kingdoms. Many of them were ruled
by familial dynasties and the power struggles that went into deciding who took
the crown after the family heads died often shed quite the blood.
"It's all secret and on the down low for now," said Aarav with a shrug. "My old
man didn't want to make the news public."
"Old man? So, you're the heir to Sheshanaga?" said Aldrich.
"Yeah. Along with five other kids, no, wait, counting the illegitimate hooker
spawn, of which I am one, there's ten, no, twelve others?" said Aarav. He
shrugged again. "It doesn't matter, really, so long as there's even a tiny drop of
his blood in one of us. The old man's looking for whoever can meet his will, not
whoever came out of the right vagina."
"I see where this is going," said Aldrich. "You want to meet his will and take
over the company, and for that, you need me."
"You catch on quick. I like that. I like that a lot," said Aarav. He nodded
enthusiastically. He reached into his coat pocket and placed a black tipped
cigarette deftly into his mouth. He put the tip of his index finger near the
cigarette, and a small flame emerged from several small holes in his finger,
lighting it.
He reached out his case of cigarettes to Aldrich. "Want one? Just a warning:
they're not anything special. You could pick them up at the nearest gas station."
"I don't smoke," said Aldrich.
"Understandable. Very healthy, too. If my old man thought like you, maybe he
would be living longer," said Aarav. He put the cigarette case away and blew out
a breath of smoke. "But unfortunately, he's due for a permanent trip to the
other side in a few months, and now he's sent out all his heirs on a wild goose
chase for the greatest secret of all.
The one secret we still haven't cracked with all these crazy new powers and
fancy new technology."
"And that is?" said Aldrich.
"The secret of immortality," said Aarav.
"I see," said Aldrich. "I assume you believe I can help you with that."
"With immortality? Hell yeah," said Aarav. "You've made quite the waves out
there, Mr. Thanatos. The power to raise the dead, the power to raise a Locus —
I'm sure everyone will want a piece of you soon. Every company worth a damn,
at least.
And not all of them will be incompetent monkey brains like sir green beret out
there.
That's the problem with men that take authority for granted. They don't realize
that it's earned. And when you call them out on it, it's like you've insulted their
whole being."
"And what about you? Do you believe you deserve authority?" said Aldrich,
scoping out Aarav's character.
"Me? Sure, in some ways, when it's been earned. But with you, of course not.
You're the one with all the power here, Mr. Thanatos — a fact that colonel out
there really could not stand," said Aarav. "You see, I like to consider myself a
self-made man, though I guess that's relative.
I did start out with a loan of ten thousand credits from my old man. The
maximum amount he would give an illegitimate like me.
Nothing compared to the ten million he gave his real kids, but then again, at
least I didn't start off begging in the streets.
Anyways, I took that ten thousand and built up my very own company. Big
enough that I get a seat at Sheshanaga's table in spite of the dirty looks I get all
the time from the real heirs.
What that journey from bottom to the top did make me realize was exactly
where I stood in the world at any given moment. It taught me when to know 1
held power. Authority.
And it also taught me when I was weak and needed others for support.
And to you, Mr. Thanatos, I know I have to pitch myself. I need your support. I
need to convince you I'm a worthy investment."
"So? Are you?" said Aldrich.
"[ have a hunch about you, Mr. Thanatos, and that's that you don't really care
about the credits, do you? You might care a little just to make sure a lack of
credits isn't an issue but sitting atop a mountain of them isn't your end goal, is
it?" said Aarav.
"You would be guessing correctly," said Aldrich.
"That's what I thought. We think along similar lines, then," said Aarav as he
adjusted his ragged suit jacket. "So, to start off, I'll offer you what any other
large corp would.
Credits and political support and whatever. I can essentially guarantee you'll
make it to your hearing unharmed, though I can't guarantee I can bribe every
single person on the tribunal. But even if that doesn't work, I can promise to
rebuild Haven and make it a better place.
I'll be honest here and add that I don't have as much backing as a proper
Council of Fortune company or even as much as some my own brothers and
sisters."
Aarav made a dismissive gesture. "But all that, I can promise later once I take
over the company and kick the unruly variables out.
At that point, the real fun begins.
You'll have access to everything Sheshanaga can offer. All of its research and
technology.
Anyways, that's the gist of what I can offer you. If you want more, you can
always ask me."
"And in exchange? What do you want from me?" said Aldrich. "Considering
you're talking about taking over the company, I assume you want me to help
you in fulfilling your father's wish for immortality."
Aarav took a deep draw from his cigarette. "You know, I never understood why
the average rich prick likes cigars so much. I'ma rich prick too, but what
makes cigars so much better than the average Marlo cig?" said Aarav as he
went off on a seeming tangent, but Aldrich could tell there was meaning
behind it.
"Image and prestige, I imagine," said Aldrich.
"Image and prestige, yes," said Aarav. "Old things that old people love to cling
to. But to hell with that, I say. Out with the old, in with the new." Aarav snuffed
out his nearly burnt-out cigarette with the tip of his finger.
The red hot cigarette head sizzled as it made contact with Aarav's hardened
skin. "I don't want you to give my father immortality. That's all just a ploy for
him to rule forever and keep making the same mistakes again and again,
wasting the company's tech and research and potential.
No, I want you to help me kill him.."
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