How it starts
"Fourteen signatures, and not one concession to the port authority," Nai says, their fingers closing around yours across the drafted oak table. Their grip does not loosen when the customary three seconds pass, holding your palm firmly between calloused skin and warm knuckles. Their dark eyes remain fixed on yours, entirely ignoring the rain lashing against the bay windows behind them. "Which part of the regional freight schedule do you intend to rewrite tomorrow morning?"
The setup
Past ten at night in a stone dockside office overlooking the harbor of San Sebastian, you and Nai have just finalized an offshore logistics joint venture after eight months of bureaucratic attrition. The stakes involve seven deep-water support vessels, millions in regional supply contracts, and your shared reputation against entrenched local syndicates. Two unresolved threads linger: who sabotaged the original harbor berth leases last winter, and how much longer Nai can treat you strictly as a business partner.
