Even with Mister Wulfo's precautions, gossip had already begun to spread. Khan had announced his desire to return to the Harbor in the middle of a corridor, and the onlookers immediately spread rumors that reached every corner of the building.
Nevertheless, no one believed Khan would get what he wanted. Cegnore was a complicated environment that required multiple layers of authorizations, with some completely owned by the Thilku Empire. Agreeing to a transfer quickly was impossible.
Still, everyone turned out to be wrong, and Mister Wulfo was the most surprised of them all. He spent hours contacting superior after superior to explain the situation until an order came from above, authorizing Khan's departure and clearing him of any duty.
The superior in question didn't give explanations, but the news spread anyway. Mister Wulfo couldn't even try to keep it a secret since he wasn't in charge of the building. The soldiers soon learned everything, and more rumors echoed as they prepared for that significant departure.
Khan went through the procedure on auto-pilot. He had done and said everything that needed to be done and said, so he isolated himself inside his mind. He exchanged nods from time to time and never failed to study his surroundings, but his butt soon ended up on the pilot's seat of a ship.
The control desk immediately activated, but Khan ignored the automatic check-up programs. He wouldn't actually fly the ship. The auto-pilot would take care of that for him, so his eyes fell on the scenery past the canopy.
The hangar was crowded, featuring Mister Wulfo, Captain Chaunac, and other high-profile figures from the building. That messy environment was a security hazard for the set-off, but stopping the soldiers from flooding the area was impossible.
The general curiosity was palpable. Everyone wanted to know how a single Captain could earn such privileges. They also wanted scoops to sell to journalists and families, but nothing similar arrived.
The ship eventually set off, flying past the circular entrance on the building's roof before shooting past Cegnore's atmosphere. That mission was truly ending, and Khan suppressed the urge to check his phone. He wanted to see Monica's files, but the desire to punish himself was stronger.
The flight was short and uneventful, and Khan spent it gazing at the marvelous darkness of the universe. The arrival at the Thilku space-station cut that inspection short, but Khan remained distracted.
Yet, landing on the hangar's floor put him before a series of Thilku, who whispered among themselves before performing traditional bows. A human soldier was nearby, and her eyes widened in shock at that show of respect.
Khan understood that the rumors had already reached the space station but limited himself to a nod. That was how the Thilku had greeted him during his arrival, and he wanted them to know their statuses had changed.
The Thilku didn't mind that gesture and let Khan and his escort advance without checking his clearance. The two quickly arrived at the transparent gate guarded by another alien. Khan and the Thilku exchanged a glance, and the latter didn't hesitate to perform another bow.
"[Captain Khan]," The Thilku grunted in a tone Khan knew was polite, "[Lord Exr wishes you a safe trip]."
The Thilku was the same alien that had welcomed Khan weeks ago, but his attitude was completely different. Replacing [Blue hair] with Khan's title said a lot, and he couldn't limit himself to a nod since Lord Exr's name was in the air.
"[Send him my regards]," Khan replied, still holding back from bowing. "[I hope I can hear from him soon]."
"[You will]," The Thilku replied, straightening his back to show an eager expression. "[The Empire always pays its debts]."
The interaction sounded surreal for Khan's escort, but the Thilku opened the gate before it could continue. The two humans advanced, and the alien stared at Khan's back until he disappeared into the depths of the corridor.
Khan arrived in a teleport area, and the usual security procedures unfolded. He never interacted with the soldiers, and his natural pressure shielded him from any attempt to talk to him. Soon, he was cleared to jump on the platform, which he did as soon as those words reached his ears.
The teleport activated, bringing him to a more human environment, but Khan remained unfazed. He had officially left the Empire's domain, but that wasn't home yet.
The new team of scientists and escorts wanted to send polite words as soon as Khan appeared, but his injured state made them hesitate. His presence also followed, destroying those intentions and quickening the mandatory security procedures.
It didn't take long before Khan reached another teleport, which activated right away. The environment that touched his eyes was familiar, extremely so even. He had returned to the Harbor, but no happiness expanded in his mind.
The scientists and soldiers were all smiles, but their faces froze at the sight of Khan's bandages. Still, he didn't care. He was in the Harbor now, so he didn't have to wait for anyone.
Khan jumped off the platform and strode forward, ignoring the faint calls that flew in his direction. His phone had begun buzzing for a while since it had regained access to the network, but he didn't pick it up. He only wanted to go home, drink, and meditate, but complications soon appeared.
As soon as Khan left the intricate corridors, a hangar full of reporters expanded in his view. Soldiers were already in place to restrain the curious onlookers behind a relatively orderly line alongside a wall, but chaos remained and skyrocketed once Khan became visible.
All sorts of shouts flew in Khan's direction, and phones, scanners, and cameras pointed in his direction, recording his every move. The reporters also pushed on the line of soldiers, but the latter held firm and prevented them from flowing into the hangar.
That scenery had become a common occurrence for Khan. He couldn't even consider himself surprised anymore. The human building on Cegnore knew about his departure, so the Harbor had learned about it. It was actually easier to share information from there.
However, Khan wasn't at his best. The tracksuit hid most of his bandages, but his metal brace was still visible, and the same went for his injured face. The entire network would learn about his state if he let that slide, and he had a special someone who would be better off without those worries.
Khan remained at the corridor's edge and glared at the reporters. He didn't eye anyone in particular, but his presence still expanded, bringing coldness to the area and stretching the limits of his mind.
Little by little, each recording device entered Khan's reach. Some were tougher than others, but the chaos element remained technology's greatest weakness.
"Shatter," Khan whispered, and small explosions resounded. Tiny purple-red flashes appeared from time to time, but the event's consequences distracted everyone from that detail.
The reporters gasped and cried when their devices broke in their hands. Even the cameras hovering at their sides exploded, sending wires and metal shards everywhere. The detonations weren't violent enough to hurt anyone, but the event remained scary.
Khan began to walk before anyone could realize what had happened, but stunned gazes soon fell on him. That wasn't the first time Khan had resorted to that practice. The news was common knowledge on the network, so everyone understood he was to blame.
The destroyed equipment was expensive, and a few reporters made a living out of it. However, no outcry arrived. Everyone, including the soldiers, limited themselves to staring at Khan walking past them. He had sent a silent order, and they were too afraid to ignore it. There wouldn't be any pictures that day.
Khan was ready to keep going until he found a cab, but the Harbor surprised him. A military car crossed a channel near the transparent ceiling and descended at full speed before performing a slow landing at the end of the line.
One of the car's dark windows opened slightly to create a gap that couldn't reveal its insides. Both reporters and soldiers tried to peek but to no avail.
Instead, Khan could rely on more than eyes. When the car's symphony touched the hangar, he understood who occupied the passenger's seats. He didn't expect that meeting to happen so early, but refusing it wasn't an option now.
Khan approached the car, and its door opened to reveal empty seats. That was done on purpose for the onlookers, so he quickly got inside, ignoring the two figures hidden by the closed parts of the vehicle.
The passenger area was vast. That vehicle was nothing short of a limousine, and Khan lifted his gaze only when his door closed. Two figures sat before him on opposite corners, and he recognized them both. Mister Cirvags and Ambassador Abores had come to greet him.
"Do you need to rest?" Mister Cirvags asked as soon as the car set off. Its destination was unknown, but Khan had different priorities.
Khan didn't reply to that fake politeness. Mister Cirvags planned that meeting because he believed Khan could endure it. Still, Khan was thirsty, and inspecting the drawers under the seats revealed his intentions.
Mister Cirvags took the initiative to open the drawer under his seat and pull out a bottle. The compartment had glasses, but the man ignored them to throw the booze at Khan.
Khan caught the bottle mid-air and removed the lid with his teeth before taking a long sip. He didn't know why Ambassador Abores was there, but Mister Cirvags' presence was self-explanatory. He wanted briefings, but Khan would wait for questions first.
"Your manners worsened on Cegnore," Ambassador Abores commented while Khan drank.
Khan ignored the remark and focused on Mister Cirvags. Only that old soldier held power in the car. No one else deserved his respect.
"Update me," Mister Cirvags ordered.
"I won't," Khan directly refused. "I can share some info but not everything. I want to uphold my promise to the Thilku."
"What are you saying, Captain?" Ambassador Abores snapped, raising his voice. "You are a Captain of the Global Army. Your loyalty lies with us."
"So?" Khan asked, unfazed by that loud voice. "Will you force me to speak?"
Khan backed up that open challenge with his natural pressure, and Ambassador Abores faltered. Yet, he quickly disregarded that faint fear and responded.
"Do you plan on seizing all the benefits for yourself?" Ambassador Abores snorted. "Classic Captain Khan. Always in the right place at the right time."
"You might get there too if you got your hands dirty every once in a while," Khan sneered.
"Enough," Mister Cirvags intervened before Ambassador Abores could fall prey to his anger. "Captain Khan, I know you killed the old commander. What's your opinion on Cegnore now?"
Khan couldn't help but feel surprised. He didn't expect the Thilku to share that information, especially so soon. He had basically cleared their main task, and they couldn't feel too proud about it.
'His relationship with the Empire must be really good,' Khan thought, checking Mister Cirvags' human military uniform. 'Maybe I underestimated those capes.'
"Cegnore is gone," Khan eventually responded. "I can't see the Thilku keeping us there. You can cross it off our maps."
"How sure are you?" Mister Cirvags asked.
"Quite sure," Khan confirmed. "That quadrant is no more anyway, and we won't receive authorization to relocate."
Mister Cirvags scratched his short beard but remained impassible. Even his mana didn't move. As for Ambassador Abores, he kind of understood the relevance of the old commander by Khan's reaction, but his doubts remained.
"How can you know?" Ambassador Abores questioned. "Did the Thilku share their plans? Do you have any proof?"
"That's the expected development," Mister Cirvags interrupted again. "You'll be able to rest for a while now, Captain."
Ambassador Abores could barely keep track of that conversation but knew Mister Cirvags enough to remain silent. The old man had already made up his mind about Khan, and his words wouldn't change anything.
"The Harbor will prepare a public speech for your interviews," Mister Cirvags continued. "Can I trust you to attend them?"
"As long as I'm hurt," Khan replied, "No."
"Your girlfriend can't see you now," Mister Cirvags pointed out, showing his understanding of Khan's character.
"I'd rather be the one to tell her," Khan stated.
"Women still hold a lot of power over your mind," Mister Cirvags commented, his voice lacking any teasing tone.
"I can handle a few weaknesses," Khan claimed, and Mister Cirvags didn't reply. That silence meant more than any praise since it involved him, and Ambassador Abores knew that. The matter actually left him stunned.
The Ambassador couldn't help but point an envious glare at Khan, but the intense eyes that met it destroyed that bitter feeling. Khan briefly matched his gaze before looking past the window. The meeting was over, but he still had booze, so he would focus on that.
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