Daron Wexley was waiting outside the fabrication hall on a Tuesday afternoon, and the specific way he was waiting — not seated, not checking a device, just standing, jacket pressed, watching the door — told Kai something before the man said a word.
People who stood outside doors like that had decided the wait was worth it.
That meant they’d already considered whether it was worth it and concluded yes.
Which meant Kai was not an opportunity cost to them.
“Mr. Orion,” Wexley said, and his voice had the specific warmth of someone who’d practiced using warmth as a precision tool.
“I was hoping to catch you before the afternoon session. Daron Wexley, Corporate Consortium Relic Division.” A small card and a data chip materialized from his jacket pocket with the practiced smoothness of someone for whom this gesture had become choreography.
“I’ve been following your tournament performance with considerable interest.”
“I would advise caution,” ARIA said, immediately, private in Kai’s earpiece.
“The Corporate Consortium’s Relic Division has an acquisition record that prioritizes asset control. He will sound collaborative. Evaluate what he is actually offering against what it would cost you to provide it.”
“What can I do for you, Mr. Wexley?” Kai said.
“Your Frame’s Core architecture has generated significant internal interest since your evaluation footage. Pre-War construction, functional embedded intelligence, White Devil Graveyard recovery — that combination is extraordinarily rare. The kind of discovery our research team would like to understand properly.”
“She’s not available for research access,” Kai said.
“I’m not suggesting—”
“I know what you’re suggesting.” Kai kept his voice even, without hostility, the way he kept his voice even when a customer was arguing about a repair estimate.
“You’re suggesting partial data-sharing in exchange for fabrication resources, and you’re going to frame it as a partnership rather than an acquisition, and somewhere in the fine print there’s a provision that gives the Consortium legal access to derivative research conducted using the data. I’ve read enough contracts at my mother’s shop to recognize the architecture.”
Wexley absorbed this with the small recalibration of someone whose standard opening had hit resistance earlier than projected.
He recovered smoothly — the hallmark of someone who ran this conversation frequently enough to have fallback positions.
“You’re astute,” he said, without quite admitting the accuracy of the characterization.
“What I can offer is—”
“I understand what you can offer,” Kai said.
“I’m telling you the answer is no.” He took the data chip, because ARIA had already advised keeping it for potential later leverage.
“I’ll hold onto this so you have a record that we spoke. If the Consortium’s position changes to something that doesn’t involve access to ARIA’s systems, you have my Academy contact information.” Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping . com.
Wexley studied him for a moment, and this time the warmth faded enough to show the calculation underneath it.
“The interest in your Frame extends beyond the Consortium,” Wexley said.
“There are parties less professionally inclined toward collaborative approaches. I would simply like you to remember, when those conversations occur, that we offered first.”
“I’ll remember,” Kai said, and walked past him into the hall.
“That was handled well,” ARIA said, once he was inside.
“Though I want you to note that his final statement was not a threat. It was an accurate prediction. There will be others.”
“I know,” Kai said.
“I’m calling my mother tonight.”
“Good,” ARIA said.
“She will have useful thoughts.”