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<blockquote data-quote="Systole" data-source="post: 6403388" data-attributes="member: 93930">Cato chuckles dryly and returns to his seat.&nbsp; &quot;The Don and I had many conversations about Mr. King.&nbsp; What you say is correct: he did see something in Mr. King, but to this day, I'm afraid that I still cannot, and so a reconciliation is rather out of the question.&nbsp; But there is a way to do this bloodlessly, if you would like.&nbsp; Relatively bloodlessly, in any event.&quot;He taps his fingers on the desk.&nbsp; &quot;The truth is, King's security measures are laughable.&nbsp; I could have disposed of him at any time.&nbsp; Or rather, at any time after the dust from the Don's disappearance had settled and the Syndicate had gotten a foothold.&nbsp; But by then, I'd discovered that competition -- or at least the appearance of competition -- was good for business.&nbsp; It encourages your employees to take risks, to work harder, to stay on their toes ... and it is also useful for culling underachievers from the ranks.&nbsp; Because of the Crew, the Syndicate has expanded our influence to the Western Continent in years, rather than in decades.&quot;Cato cocks his head in an oddly owlish fashion.&nbsp; &quot;What I didn't expect was the arrival of a hostile third party, which rather clearly showed that the risks of keeping the Crew around far outweigh the benefits.&nbsp; We were unable to guard ourselves from the Crew and hunt the killer at the same time.&nbsp; That being the case, I've already set certain contingency plans in motion.&nbsp; In a few weeks, Gandling and several of the ports farther to the west will apply to become protectorates of Venza.&nbsp; This proposal will be accepted; the necessary votes have already been arranged in the House of Lords.&nbsp; Additionally, I will be granted a noble title and the Syndicate will be given a fully legal corporate charter.&quot;The boss lets that sink in for a moment before continuing.&nbsp; &quot;Before any of that happens, I had planned on eliminating King and some of his more incorrigible elements, so as to ease the transition.&nbsp; And, I confess, also to finally avenge the Don's death.&nbsp; But I suppose those deaths aren't wholly necessary.&nbsp; With the arrival of Venzan law, Mr. King and his Crew will be squeezed into irrelevance.&nbsp; They do not have the mindset to adapt.&quot;&nbsp; Cato seems quite sure of himself on this point, but there was a sly, if brutal, intelligence to King.&nbsp; Cato might well be mistaken.Cato leans back and steeples his fingers.&nbsp; &quot;So, Miss d'Adrianne, Mr. Schreibersen, and Mr. Setirav ... I suppose I owe you a debt that goes beyond payment, since it seems unlikely I would have lived long enough to become a noble if not for your timely investigations.&nbsp; If you would like me to stay my hand, I will.&quot;<img src="http://i1257.photobucket.com/albums/ii513/pnthffr/cato2_150.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />. . . . Alfonse Cato . . . . </blockquote>

[QUOTE="Systole, post: 6403388, member: 93930"] Cato chuckles dryly and returns to his seat. [COLOR=crimson]"The Don and I had many conversations about Mr. King. What you say is correct: he did see something in Mr. King, but to this day, I'm afraid that I still cannot, and so a reconciliation is rather out of the question. But there is a way to do this bloodlessly, if you would like. Relatively bloodlessly, in any event."[/COLOR] He taps his fingers on the desk. [COLOR=crimson]"The truth is, King's security measures are laughable. I could have disposed of him at any time. Or rather, at any time after the dust from the Don's disappearance had settled and the Syndicate had gotten a foothold. But by then, I'd discovered that competition -- or at least the appearance of competition -- was good for business. It encourages your employees to take risks, to work harder, to stay on their toes ... and it is also useful for culling underachievers from the ranks. Because of the Crew, the Syndicate has expanded our influence to the Western Continent in years, rather than in decades."[/color] Cato cocks his head in an oddly owlish fashion. [COLOR=crimson]"What I didn't expect was the arrival of a hostile third party, which rather clearly showed that the risks of keeping the Crew around far outweigh the benefits. We were unable to guard ourselves from the Crew and hunt the killer at the same time. That being the case, I've already set certain contingency plans in motion. In a few weeks, Gandling and several of the ports farther to the west will apply to become protectorates of Venza. This proposal will be accepted; the necessary votes have already been arranged in the House of Lords. Additionally, I will be granted a noble title and the Syndicate will be given a fully legal corporate charter."[/color] The boss lets that sink in for a moment before continuing. [COLOR=crimson]"Before any of that happens, I had planned on eliminating King and some of his more incorrigible elements, so as to ease the transition. And, I confess, also to finally avenge the Don's death. But I suppose those deaths aren't wholly necessary. With the arrival of Venzan law, Mr. King and his Crew will be squeezed into irrelevance. They do not have the mindset to adapt."[/color] Cato seems quite sure of himself on this point, but there was a sly, if brutal, intelligence to King. Cato might well be mistaken. Cato leans back and steeples his fingers. [COLOR=crimson]"So, Miss d'Adrianne, Mr. Schreibersen, and Mr. Setirav ... I suppose I owe you a debt that goes beyond payment, since it seems unlikely I would have lived long enough to become a noble if not for your timely investigations. If you would like me to stay my hand, I will."[/color] [IMG]http://i1257.photobucket.com/albums/ii513/pnthffr/cato2_150.jpg[/IMG] [B]. . . . [COLOR=crimson]Alfonse Cato[/COLOR] . . . . [/B] [/QUOTE]

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