The Raven gripped his fists, glaring at the screen for a long time before abruptly snapping his head up to face the surveillance camera in the corner of the room.
"I'll pay," he snarled, his voice dropping to a dangerous octave. "But the moment the funds clear, Specimen Fourteen must be handed over immediately. I want eyes on him right now."
The other side offered no immediate response.
Several agonizing seconds passed before that synthetic, androgynous voice finally crackled through the speaker. "It seems you have forgotten, Mr. Raven. Obsidian Sun's operational and transit clearances aboard Project Zero-Transit have been entirely revoked."
The Raven's eyes darkened. "I am the legitimate buyer of Specimen Fourteen!"
"Which is why you retain the right to complete this transaction according to the established terms," Lucius Vael replied, his tone chillingly monotone. "However, that does not grant you the authority to amend the delivery conditions."
"I assume your burning eagerness for Specimen Fourteen has caused you to forget the protocols clearly outlined before the auction began."
"I don't mind repeating them now for our esteemed buyer."
Even filtered through the modulator, The Commodore's voice dripped with a condescending, mocking sarcasm.
"According to the delivery terms of this special auction, finalizing the bid does not equate to immediate access to the cargo."
"Specimen Fourteen is classified as a maximum-risk biological asset. He will remain under the strict confinement and supervision of our security detail until Project Zero- Transit docks at Whitecliffe Harbor."
"The final transfer will take place at Whitecliffe Harbor. Until we arrive, neither you nor anyone affiliated with Obsidian Sun has authorization to approach the asset."
A violent pulse throbbed at The Raven's temple.
With The Commodore's reminder, a vague memory surfaced. The ship's staff had indeed announced prior to the bidding that high-risk biologicals would not be handed over immediately upon purchase.
At the time, his mind was so consumed with preventing Specimen Fourteen from falling into rival hands that he hadn't cared.
Now that he had secured the bid, this publicly established rule had just erected an impenetrable wall between him and his asset.
One hundred and thirty billion. That effectively bled dry every cent Obsidian Sun had amassed aboard Project Zero-Transit over the years.
And what was his reward?
Project Zero-Transit gladly pocketed his fortune.
Yet he wasn't even allowed to lay a finger on Specimen Fourteen.
He was essentially trapped in this suite, forced to wait out the voyage until they hit Whitecliffe Harbor for the formal exchange.
The Raven's face turned a livid shade of purple.
The suffocating humiliation was enough to drive him insane.
He glared at the camera lens, his chest heaving with exertion.
"Commodore," The Raven hissed through gritted teeth. "I hope you enjoyed the show."
The tiny red light on the camera stared back, unblinking.
There was no verbal response.
But The Raven knew that the man sitting behind that feed was watching his every move.
Watching from the moment he
smashed his first terminal, forcinget
for
him to bow his head and beg replacement.
Watching as he was bullied into bidding higher and higher.
And finally, watching him physically authorize a one-hundred-and-thirty-billion-dollar extortion.
The Commodore had absorbed every second of it.
Even that grandiose, mocking
congratulation from the auction stage had been perfectly orchestrated by him.
The Raven squeezed his eyes shut.
When he reopened them, nothing remained but a venomous, predatory glint.
He balled his fists, ultimately forcing himself to reach out and violently punch the confirmation key on the terminal. Content Belongs FindNovel.net
The interface swiftly transitioned.
[Funds Verified.]
[Payment Confirmed.]
[Processing Settlement...]
[Transaction Complete.]
The lines of text burned into his retinas one by one.
A green checkmark illuminated the screen.
The Raven felt the inferno raging in his chest tear right through his remaining shreds
of sanity.