The Kred lost their desire to fight when they saw the spaceships descending toward the zone devoid of trees. Some of them took a few steps backs in fear, but the vehicles reached their destination in mere seconds.
The sudden acceleration of the spaceships left almost everyone on the scene speechless. Khan had struggled to follow their movements through the sky. They had been nothing more than faint dots hidden among the rain before, but they had transformed into huge figures that hovered above the cave just one instant later.
The spaceships were different from the troop carriers. They had an oval shape and didn't feature wings or tails. Three large rotating engines on their sides and back controlled their altitude and speed, but they stopped releasing noises once they stopped moving.
The front of the spaceships featured three large screens that hid the insides of the cockpits, and their size was almost the same as the troop carriers. Those vehicles couldn't carry many soldiers, but the recruits could understand that numbers didn't matter anymore.
The Global Army had found the recruits. The space station in the orbit would now learn about the position of the lost kids, and the news would reach the worried families. Khan only needed to inspect the reactions of the Kred to understand that he was safe.
"Get on the ground and place your hands behind your head," A mechanical voice resounded from one of the four spaceships hovering in the sky. "Any attempt to resist the arrest will authorize the use of lethal force."
The Kred were a driven species due to their tight connection with Istrone. The aliens in the area would rather try their chances than ending up in the Global Army's hands.
The time that the Global Army had required to find the recruits proved that the environment was in their favor. The Kred had a high chance to escape as long as they played their cards right, but their hesitation in following the orders forced the spaceships to act.
A trapdoor opened under one of the spaceships, and a human figure jumped out of it. A man fell for more than twenty meters, and the terrain shattered during the impact, but he appeared completely unaffected by the event.
The soldier wasn't tall, and his physique didn't feature any evident muscle. He had short black hair, a pair of cold green eyes, and a well-kept short beard that covered a good chunk of his stern face.
The seemingly middle-aged man sent to handle the Kred appeared rather plain. Some of the first-level warriors among the aliens radiated a wilder aura even. Yet, Lieutenant Sehlolo couldn't help but show an astonished expression and perform a military salute when she recognized that soldier.
"Welcome on Istrone, Captain Foxnor, sir!" Lieutenant Sehlolo shouted during her salute, and her voice was so loud that everyone in the area heard it.
The recruits paid more attention to the soldier at that point. The heavy rain still tried to hinder their vision, but the gales generated by the four spaceships dispersed part of it and allowed the kids to inspect the man properly.
Needless to say, astonishment and surprised gasps spread through the area at the sight of the four stars on each shoulder of the soldier's military uniform. The Global Army wasn't playing around. It had sent a monster to deal with the Kred.
Khan had noticed Captain Foxnor's power sooner than his companions. His face had remained unaffected by the event, but rumbling emotions were attacking the mental barrier in his insides.
His senses couldn't miss the intense energy contained in the Captain's body. Even those with poor sensitivity to mana could sense the threatening power that the plain man carried. He was a beacon that almost obscured the other presences in Khan's mind due to his intense glow.
"You have three seconds to get on the ground," The soldier said in a plain voice.
His tone was firm, but it didn't carry any peculiar emotion. It almost sounded peaceful even.
The Kred hesitated while inspecting the stars on Captain Foxnor's shoulders. They had to run away now if they wanted to have a chance to preserve their freedom.
The Captain closed his eyes while raising his right arm. His gesture seemed to match the time that he had given to the aliens. It would stretch completely once the three seconds passed.
One of the aliens suddenly took a step back, and that gesture triggered a mass reaction. The other Kred quickly turned toward the trees and began their escape, but three seconds passed before they could dive deeper into the jungle.
Captain Foxnor snapped his fingers once his arm completely stretched, and pale-white flashes suddenly illuminated the area. Multiple lightning bolts had materialized above the escaping Kred and had fallen on their heads without giving them any chance to dodge the attack.
The result of that spell was incredible. All the Kred except for one first-level warrior fell dead on the ground. Dark smoke came out of their figures as their fur and skin continued to burn even after the attack ended.
That scene left everyone surprised and worried. A single gesture from the Captain had been enough to take care of a threatening platoon of Kred. His attacks had even been so precise that the surviving alien didn't suffer any injury. The soldier had a scary level of control over his power.
"I'm not going to repeat myself," Captain Foxnor exclaimed in his calm voice.
The Kred looked at the dead companions and turned its body in anger. Pain filled its mind as the blood of the aliens flowed into the ground. Its suffering made it prefer death over imprisonment.
The alien shot after Captain Foxnor. It didn't care if its action was pointless due to the vast disparity in power. Its charge was an expression of the Kred's determination!
Captain Foxnor prepared himself to snap his fingers again, but Lieutenant Sehlolo jumped on the Kred before he could complete the spell. She pushed the alien on the ground and held its arms behind its back while sitting on them.
"I'm sorry for interrupting you, sir," Lieutenant Sehlolo explained while restraining the alien. "I believe you wanted to interrogate her, sir."
Captain Foxnor's eyes slightly flickered, but he lowered his hand and turned to walk under one of the spaceships. Khan stared at him for the entire time, but the soldier never wasted time inspecting the area.
A metal rope fell from the trapdoor, and the Captain grabbed it before being dragged back inside the vehicle. Meanwhile, two spaceships landed in relatively empty spots near the trees before their doors opened, and a series of soldiers jumped out of them.
Some of the soldiers ran toward Lieutenant Sehlolo and helped her restraining the Kred with metal handcuffs. Instead, others hurried toward the recruits while carrying lotions and bandages.
"Handle the others first," Khan announced when one of the soldiers tried to approach him. "I'm fine."
Khan was obviously far from fine, but he didn't want to relax yet. The mental barriers would crumble as soon as he allowed himself to feel safe, and he couldn't let himself experience the many suppressed emotions in that situation.
There would be time on Earth to deal with the mess in his mind, but he had to endure for a little more now. He would have to go through interrogations and other procedures before going back home, and showing weakness during them could ruin part of his achievements.
Khan knew that what he had accomplished on Istrone was terrific. He had saved his group, survived in the jungle for two weeks, and rescued many prisoners. The Global Army would definitely reward him after learning of his actions, and he suspected that even the families of his companions wouldn't hold back from showing their gratitude.
Everything was benefitting his plan to become an ambassador. His current cold mindset was perfect for seizing many favors from the Global Army and gaining a privileged status among the families. He felt nothing like a hero, but he only needed the higher-ups to see him in that way.
Lieutenant Sehlolo and a few soldiers dragged the prisoner into a spaceship, and the vehicle immediately set off while carrying the whole group.
Another spaceship landed in that spot after a few minutes. That vehicle was bigger than the others, and the soldiers that came out of it carried multiple devices that they didn't hesitate to place on the ground.
Items with the shape of small suitcases transformed into large azure tents that could fend off the rain. The Global Army built a camp in minutes, and the soldiers moved to handle the other issues afterward.
A few soldiers ran toward the fire and began to suppress it. A woman with a star on her left shoulder controlled part of the falling rain and made it accumulate above her figure before throwing it toward the burning trees.
Another soldier helped her while firing a device with the shape of a machinegun that launched a slimy substance. The flames immediately vanished when they touched that dense green material.
Another group began to carry the injured recruits toward the various tents that had appeared around the cave. Most of the kids didn't need anything special. A few nights of rest and light meds were enough to tend their condition.
Instead, others required immediate special care. Some soldiers escorted Ethel and two other kids who had a pale complexion into the spaceship, and the vehicle set off before dispersing into the sky.
Other spaceships descended and departed as the soldiers enlarged the camp and dealt with the kids. Khan's turn soon arrived, but he didn't let the soldier do much. He accepted the lotions for his cuts, but he refused further inspections.
Glances eventually started to fall on him. Khan had remained in his spot near the cave since it was clear that the group wouldn't leave soon, but the soldiers had started questioning the recruits in that period.
The prisoners didn't say much, but the core members of Khan's group were quite loud about his merits. A group of soldiers had even gathered around Luke when they became aware of his background, and he didn't hold back from praising Khan as much as possible during that interaction.
The rumors spread so quickly that a soldier with three stars on each shoulder eventually left the cockpit of a spaceship and walked toward Khan.
"I think it's time we have a talk," The slightly old man announced when he reached Khan. "You can address me as Captain Godman. I'm in charge of this rescue mission, and I can't wait to hear your version of the story."
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