"Oh, give me a break." March 7th planted her hands on her hips and grumbled:
"The Express is here as a mediator, to keep the company and The Family in check."
"If we took sides, wouldn't that upset Penacony's balance?"
"Take sides?" Aventurine paused, then shook his head with a smile.
"Friends, this isn't about whether you take sides."
"The Family was already suppressing the Clockmaker before the Express even arrived in Penacony, wasn't it?"
"And they're still doing it now."
"The conflict between the company and The Family has always been out in the open. Everyone's used to it."
"The Outer Rim Prison was company property to begin with, wasn't it?"
"Now The Family occupies a company planet, suppresses the older generation of The Nameless, and tries to erase their presence. As the company's allies, can you really stand by and watch?"
"Don't start..." Yan Huan said helplessly.
"The Outer Rim Prison held a lot of innocent people back then, didn't it?"
"It's only natural that the prisoners rioted and brought the prison down."
"If you want to fight Old Audie, go ahead. We'll watch. Who knows, maybe we can get paid by both sides."
"?"
"Well, well." Aventurine applauded with a chuckle.
"Mr. Yan Huan certainly knows how to come out ahead. Playing both sides isn't easy, but if it's you, I'm sure you can manage."
"But aren't you two curious why I'm here?"
"Why?" March 7th asked, puzzled.
By all rights, Aventurine's mission in Penacony should have been complete.
Surely the Ten Stonehearts didn't need to handle the subsequent trade dealings personally.
"To stir up trouble, obviously," Yan Huan mused.
"Like... assassinating the five Family Heads, then installing puppets in their place? That way the company could tighten its control over Penacony."
"Ha! Great idea!" Aventurine's grin