The air in the Helios boardroom was stale. Renick stared at the cityscape below, the endless neon glow of Varros Prime's commerce zones painting his face in garish colors. Deals were being made down there, fortunes won and lost. And here he was, stalled.
"The team is prepped," Finn said from behind him, datapad in hand. "We have schematics of the Drifting Leaf. It's soft. No heavy security, just organic walls and tourists. We can have them extracted before anyone knows what happened."
Renick didn't turn. "Extraction is messy. These aren't common thieves. They outmaneuvered Omni-Stellar's entire security apparatus. You think they'll just let us walk in and take them?"
"Then what? We ask nicely?" Finn's voice was edged with frustration.
"We make them an offer," Renick said, finally turning from the window. "A generous one. People with their skills don't want to be fugitives forever. We can give them protection, resources… a future."
"And if they say no?"
