Chapter 36: A Fresh Start

Jon Remi dines at his secured table in the Feast of Janloon, wary from recent assassination attempts and rival Crew pressures. Hearing of a stranger asking about him in fighting dens, Remi has the man brought in, suspecting a police plant but becoming intrigued after inquiries.

Maik Tar, older and jadeless, arrives cautious yet unbowed. He rejects alcohol, disowns any current tie to No Peak, and explains he left Port Massy seeking a cheaper, quieter life among Kekonese while escaping his past. He hints he’s heard of “Bad Keck Remi” and is looking for work that might eventually earn back jade—something No Peak will never restore to him.

Remi probes Maik’s loyalties and competence. Maik dismisses Port Massy Green Bones as diminished since Rohn Toro and Dauk, asserts his past as Kaul Hiloshudon’s Pillarman, and frames his exile as the cost of one terrible mistake. Remi, short on reliable lieutenants and valuing Kekonese Green Bone mystique, decides Maik’s capabilities could stabilize his operations.

After brief hesitation, Remi commits: he offers Maik a handgun, cash, and a car as a signing bonus and assigns him to report to Teto. Maik accepts with minimal ceremony, asking only for instructions, signaling the start of his new role within the Resville Snakeheads.