As Chachi's honor guard, Oku was there for the investigations and Chachi shared her thoughts freely. She found herself trusting her violent sister. She wasn't always a pleasant person, but she was honest and forthright. It was refreshing in the deceptive world of business to have someone by her side who just said whatever she thought. As soon as Chachi shared her suspicions, Oku had a very firm opinion.
"You should kill him," Oku proclaimed with a grim nod.
"Whoa, he's our brother. I can't just…"
"Yeah, yeah, you're a sweetheart. I'll do it. Hell, I'd call it a bonus. We'll set up an ambush when he's going west to oversee this bullshit. Make it look like bandits."
The growing disquiet she'd been feeling since she'd seen the crates of blood grew into full blown nausea, "I was thinking we could just tell the authorities. They can arrest him."
"…And then kill him," Oku interrupted, "same deal but so much worse. Fucking newbie mistake right there. Yeah, fuck no. You never invite the coneheads in. The sect would move heaven and earth to keep those fuckers a region away from shit that ain't been polished to a mirror sheen. You think they'll thank you for giving them work? Thank you for smearing shit on their pretty picture of a perfect utopia? No. Take out your own trash."
"What if I just fire him instead?" Chachi really didn't want to kill her brother.
"So he can hold a grudge and fuck you over later?"
"What could he do?"
"I don't fucking know, I don't have his shitty, twisted, spiteful, dirty little brain. But trust me on this. Trust me. He will find a way to make you regret your mercy."
"Well.."
"Don't even say it. You keep him in power and he will still fuck you over. He won't be as focused on it, but he'll have more opportunities. He's a scorpion. If you hold him close, he'll sting you over and over. If you throw him away, he'll come back and sting you in your sleep. Crush the bug."
New option added after talking to Oku:
[] Have Oku kill him
---
When Chachi told Teo, he just looked very sad. He stared out the window for some time before replying.
"Our brother is a capable cultivator. A quick learner. He has an able wit. He can even be charming, when he wants. But he has always had a fatal flaw in his judgement. He does not… Properly gauge risk. He comes up with a scheme, and becomes engrossed in it. He delights in the possibilities. Soon, he has convinced himself that he cannot fail, entranced by the beauty of his plans. Call it an excess of optimism. Our father thought sales would be the best place for him, where we could take advantage of his skills and watch him closely for these disturbances in his thoughts. I did not think he would go so far, to endanger the whole clan. This scheme is mad, no matter how intricately he has constructed it. It would be better if the clan fell to financial ruin. At least then, the individual members under our charge could be poached by our rivals and not executed. Perhaps he has lost his grip on reality after father died. Grief can do strange things to a man, and his relationship with our father was… complex."
Teo shook his head and turned away from the window, meeting Chachi's eyes, "That is what we should tell the other branch heads when we remove him. Leave the details vague. Merely state that his grief has had a deeper impact than we expected and he has decided to take an extended leave to focus on his cultivation. We have a laboratory we keep hidden, to preserve our most secret formulae. We will transfer him there, give him useful work, and keep him under constant observation by people we trust. He can do little damage there, and if he escapes we will know instantly and be able to hunt him down. He is family, and he is, for all his faults, not a fundamentally bad man."
Chachi considered, "this expansion is so important. Who would we replace him with?"
"I will temporarily head the sales branch myself, and train his replacement."
"How?" Chachi countered, "there are only so many hours in a day."
"That is not necessarily true. In our vaults we have a dose of Perfected Clone Draught. It only works on cultivators at the Perfect level and will burn 100 years from my lifespan. It will also fundamentally damage my cultivation. But the clone produced will be a perfect copy of myself, and will last a full year before it degrades. I was already considering using the draught, now I fear we have no other choice."
"Should we go to the authorities with this?" Teo was more proper than Oku, maybe he would have a different opinion. But as soon as she asked, he shook his head sharply.
"He has not yet committed a crime. I would not see him executed for this flight of fancy. Besides, they will find other, lesser, offenses. Tax evasion for certain."
Chachi sighed, "we're committing tax evasion?"
"Every clan gets a bit creative with their book keeping. There is every incentive to do so, and we must remain competitive. I doubt we can afford to pay our back taxes at the moment. Also, you may not want to hear this…"
"Hit me. Out brother is already planning high treason."
"I suspect your mother has murdered people in the past."
"What!" Chachi gasped, "why?"
"Vengeance? Expedience? Soon after she married our father many of her former associates died under suspicious circumstances. I do not have proof, but if you allow the imperial investigators in they will use invasive techniques and tear the truth directly from her mind. No. I recommend we handle this in house."
Teo supports 'imprison him', and will help you accomplish it by transferring him to your most secure facility so he can still work while imprisoned. He is against turning him in. He is neutral on the other options, but since you've given him forewarning he will give a small bonus to any of them.
---
Mom didn't get enough support, so you don't get her plan. She would have suggested something involving his family. Neither Oku nor Teo think much about his family, so they didn't involve them.
?
!
.
