C362 Perfec
The dinner wasn't scheduled for that very night. Monica could vaguely understand Khan's difficulties, so she planned to have that event two days from now.
That period would give Khan and Jenna the time to study the situation and prepare without hindering the eventual programs they had planned before they arrived at the building. It would also allow Martha and Monica to complete the missions they had in mind without risking pissing Luke off.
Of course, Luke was granting the group complete freedom, but his patience was limited, and Monica understood that very well. Manners were an essential part of those relationships, and only soldiers like Khan could partially ignore them since he didn't speak for entire families.
Khan had to admit that he didn't hate the idea of a proper dinner. All his worries had Jenna at their center, but nothing could change her mind. The event was already mandatory, so Khan began to see its positive aspects.
Khan wouldn't reject the chance to explain his situation to Martha, and Jenna was right. Appearing in public with a Nele at his side would definitely benefit his profile. Also, depending on who was invited, Khan might use the dinner to talk about deeper topics connected to the investigation.
'Who else is coming?' Khan sent through a message.
Monica's reply arrived almost immediately and reading it made Jenna giggle. Still, she quickly wrapped Khan in a tight hug when she realized what it implied.
'It can be only you and me if you want,' Khan read on the wall.
Khan let Jenna do as she wished while he tapped on his phone to send a simple answer. 'I prefer having only the four of us. It would be easier to talk.'
'I expected as much. I'll send you everything I know about the location in the meantime,' Monica responded.
The message with all the information about the restaurant arrived on Khan's phone after a few minutes. Khan and Jenna skimmed through everything, but he eventually heaved a sigh as he sent another text.
'Tell me if I need to save you from Francis' booze again,' Khan said in his message before placing his phone on the bedside table and studying the information thoroughly.
The restaurant that Monica had chosen sounded perfect in every aspect. It wasn't only high-class. It also featured different services depending on the type of clients.
Those services didn't only involve the different types of nights that the clients wanted to have. They had specifics set-ups and layouts depending on the species that wanted to attend dinners or simply hang out in the restaurant.
Khan believed that the reports lacked the information connected to illegal services. Something so high-class had to have prostitution and drugs available for its most important clients, but he didn't care about that. What he had read had already satisfied him.
Monica didn't answer, and Khan didn't expect anything different. The silence had already explained enough since the relationship between the two was quite complicated right now.
Jenna and Khan didn't have much to do inside the building. Flirting, training, and reviewing the various reports were their only occupations since they had to wait for Luke to start their task.
As for going out, Khan preferred to keep Jenna in her room for safety reasons. The lack of interactions with the rest of the group would also thicken the aura of mystery surrounding that odd relationship, which only benefited Khan's figure.
Experiencing the environment of a team with prominent soldiers granted Khan the experience that the battlefields had failed to provide. He wasn't doing much. He was even actively avoiding deepening his relationship with his companions due to Jenna, but he still gained insights into that political field.
Khan realized how his value significantly increased as long as he remained the only one able to interact so freely with other species. Being necessary granted him immense freedom and authority.?
Luke had his family and all the money in the world, but Khan knew that he would remain the key figure of the team if the situation didn't change. There was power in that behavior, and Khan understood that a good ambassador had to establish similar environments everywhere to become truly important.
Khan took care of updating Jenna on his relationship with Monica and Martha during those days. She was curious, and learning about the two women would help her decide how to behave during the event.
The day of the dinner eventually arrived. Khan and Jenna left the room for the first time since their arrival at the building, and a desolate atmosphere welcomed them.
The dinner wasn't a secret, but it wasn't special either. Besides, those wealthy soldiers respected the need for privacy to establish meaningful relationships, so they focused on the investigation instead of waiting for their companions in the main hall.
Jenna had to light up her purple clip as soon as she left the room since she wasn't using the spray. The restaurant had spaces meant for Nele accompanied by members of other species, so she wouldn't need to suppress her pheromones.
The same didn't apply to Martha and Monica, at least when it came to the trip. Khan and Jenna found the two women waiting for them right outside the building, and both of them had applied the brown ointment under their noses.
"Can you enjoy the food like this?" Khan asked right after his eyes darted between the two brown spots.
"We will remove this once we get into our room," Monica promptly explained while showing her elegant smile. "[I hope the place is to your liking]."
"The Kingsize is a famous location," Jenna replied in her aloof tone. "I heard good things about it."
Monica seemed pleased that Jenna had dropped her silent behavior now that it was only the four of them, but Khan knew that she would have reacted like that. He took that chance to inspect his companions, and he had to admit that the two women had surprised him in that field.
Khan and Jenna were wearing relatively simple clothes. Khan had a tight blue pullover and dark trousers that highlighted his muscles. Meanwhile, Jenna had a dark-green sundress paired with black tights.
Martha was far more elegant with her bluish one-shoulder dress that ended in a relatively tight skirt that covered half of her bare thighs. She didn't seem too comfortable in those clothes, but she did her best to show confidence.
As for Monica, she was wearing a white wrap dress that reached her knees, with only the large bow on it being scarlet. She appeared born for those clothes, and her smile slightly broadened when Khan spent a few seconds inspecting her.
Khan had to admit that Monica was stunning. She would claim the attention of all the people on the street if it weren't for Jenna's natural beauty.
The matter didn't only involve pure physical appearance. Jenna was in another league, but Martha merely fell one step short compared to Monica. Yet, the latter expressed confidence that enhanced her already incredible features.
Still, as much as Khan liked the view, he found himself lost in thoughts that expressed his doubts. 'How much of this is the real her? Is this also part of her education? I bet she was the one who convinced Martha to wear something so revealing.'
The paranoia rekindled by the potential presence of a spy prevented Khan from enjoying the scene, but that situation didn't last for too long. A triangular ship with a single engine and a long, cylindrical cabin descended toward the sidewalk and stopped when it was only three meters from the group.
"This is our ride," Monica exclaimed. "The Kingsize surely has good taste."
The ship carried the Kingsize's name on its white side. It was one of the rides included with the restaurant, and the mana coming out of it told Khan about the species of the pilot even before the cabin opened.
The dark, cylindrical glass of the cabin partially opened, and four circular platforms made of grey metal came out. The four stepped on the items and saw the latter lifting them toward the vehicle before placing them on specific seats.
Khan and Jenna ended up right behind the pilot's seat. A middle-aged male Nele was in charge of the ship, and the alien exchanged a faint nod with Jenna when their eyes met.
The pilot had used the spray recently. Khan could find its traces in the Nele's aura, but the latter appeared used to the gas and didn't address the issue.
Martha and Monica landed on the seats behind Khan and Jenna. The ship only had room for five, but everyone could sit comfortably without risking touching each other.
The cabin closed, and the ship rose to leave the street. The glass wasn't dark from the inside, so the group could watch the various buildings running through their vision as the vehicle moved toward the city's edges.
Khan didn't bother to inspect the view. His attention was on the ship's controls. He had recognized the vehicles, and he even knew that the various keys did. His eyes followed the pilot's movements, and he rejoiced whenever he predicted what they would activate or trigger.
The ship reached the platform's edges before diving directly into the space between the city and the dome's walls. The vehicle made the elevators useless as it made its way for Lower Level 2 while remaining on its path.
Khan moved his attention away from the ship's controls now that he was in front of an unfamiliar spectacle. The Lower Level 2 of the second asteroid featured a second city smaller than the one above. Even the platform where it grew was only half of the Lower Level 1.
The hidden city seemed heavily focused on casinos and other flashy attractions that bordered the illegal aspects of Milia 222. Bright signs shone from the various skyscrapers and smaller buildings to create a colorful spectacle that made it almost impossible for Khan and the others to study everything.
The ship didn't stop in the city. It continued to fly along the asteroid's edges to reach an even deeper level. The smaller platform had many isolated buildings and streets seemingly hanging on the void under it. Each structure resembled an island floating in the faint darkness of Lower Level 3.
Khan and the others knew that they had almost reached their destination. The vehicle finally stopped its vertical descent to fly toward an island that carried a castle-like structure with four cylindrical towers instead of corners.
The castle aimed to replicate an old type of architecture from before the First Impact, but it couldn't hide its technological advancements. Its surface was dark and smooth, and lines of windows separated different groups of floors. The roof seemed to be the true VIP area, but the ship didn't fly there.
Khan felt to have seen structures with a similar shape during his first months in the academy, but he didn't recall much about them. The castle was clearly unique, but he couldn't find beauty in its uniqueness. He didn't have a thing for architecture.
The ship approached the upper part of the castle and stopped in front of a line of windows. One of those dark glasses opened while the vehicle rotated on itself and the cabin allowed the seats to fly out gently.
Khan, Martha, Jenna, and Monica's seats flew inside the open window to land in a large room that seemed able to contain twenty people. Its walls showed different menus with a green environment as a background, and a circular table grew from its center.
The table and its four seats were thick, and synthetic mana ran through them. Khan could sense the channels sending energy to that furniture and guessed that they could also transport meals or drinks. Still, his attention soon fell on a purple spot that occupied a good chunk of the area past the window.
Khan and the others jumped off their seats, and the latter automatically returned to the ship. The window closed at that point, and the metal chairs moved on their own to reach the four soldiers. One of them even shone with purple light during the process.
"According to the reviews," Monica announced, "This purple light is special. Its range changes depending on the reach of the Nele's pheromones. Even the various menus are programmed to mark where the safe distance ends."
There seemed to be some xenophobia in that programming, but Khan understood that the building had no ill intentions. As he approached the wall to study the menus, he realized that the many options were more suitable for official meetings among higher-ups from various species rather than a simple dinner among friends.
'What the fuck?' Khan gasped in his mind as countless labels and lists filled his vision.
Calling the room interactive would have been an insult. Khan could modify the layout, atmosphere, and even structure of the area. He could decide whether to have stands handled by waiters, various spectacles, and real vegetation introduced during the dinner.
Each option had countless variants. The spectacles alone had hundreds of options, and Khan felt lost just by looking at them. He had to launch a pleading gaze toward Monica to ask for her help in the matter.
"Manners want us to prioritize our guest's well-being," Monica exclaimed while approaching Khan's right side.
Monica also felt a bit lost in front of the sheer number of options. She skimmed through them before giving up on finding a suitable combination and drawing her phone to look through her inbox.
"My parents have come here once," Monica explained while using the instructions on her phone to choose the labels on the menus. "It's thanks to them that we can enjoy such a good room. As for the options, they had an expert list them up for me."
Monica had lowered her voice during her explanation. Her tone had also grown cuter, which Khan saw as a change from the appearance she showed to the public. Martha and Jenna could still hear her, but it was clear that she wanted Khan to learn a bit about her life.
"Clients on their first time usually hire someone from the Kingsize to choose options for them," Monica continued as she browsed through the menus. "There are real experts working here, but it doesn't hurt to show off from time to time."
The process took a few minutes since Monica had to choose more than twenty different options from various lists, but the interactive menus eventually disappeared. A simple line written in multiple languages replaced them. The room was asking Khan and the others to take their seats.
Khan and the others followed the orders, and surprise appeared on their faces when they noticed that the metal surfaces of the chairs were extremely comfortable. Even Jenna's aloof expression broke for an instant when she experienced the flexibility of that material.
The chairs moved on their own after everyone sat. They brought Khan and the others to the circular table while the entire room began to change.
Holes, drawers, and proper secret passages opened on the walls, ceiling, and floor. A long counter filled with drinks and two masked waiters came out of the other side of the room. The windows began to depict a forest filled with chirping birds that flew from branch to branch, but that was only the beginning.
Flowers and plants inside long and deep vases filled every corner of the room. Some even came out of the floor to radiate a pleasant scent that forced the four to relax.
Two more masked waiters appeared next to the counter and took a few seconds to build a rectangular structure that released a calming melody as soon as they touched it. The song changed according to their movements, revealing how they were actively playing that instrument.
More waiters came out from another opening while holding devices that featured multiple menus. They formed a line at some distance from the table before standing still and looking at the window while waiting for the clients to give orders.
Khan focused on the mask, clothes, and level of the waiters. They were all first-level warriors and whore black suits that almost hid their species or gender.
As for the masks, they were completely white and only had openings for the eyes. They aimed to create a sense of unity among the waiters, but Khan didn't look with his eyes. The mana told him the difference among each employee and allowed him to confirm that none of them were Nele.
"How expensive is this place?" Khan whispered.
"Don't worry about it," Monica reassured. "My parents have already dealt with the bill. They wanted me to show the hospitality of the Solodrey family."
"Wow," Khan couldn't help but exclaim. His companions were in the same condition. They were all surprised about the amount of wealth concentrated in a single room, and their thoughts went wild when they compared that scene to the number of options they didn't choose.
No one felt in the mood to talk with so many waiters in the room. The four's attention soon went to the interactive table to pick meals, but that turned out to be another impossible task due to the sheer number of available plates.
Khan had Jenna on his right, Martha on his left, and Monica in front of him. He exchanged glances with all of them before choosing the only reasonable option. He would fill a survey, and the chefs would prepare a menu according to his decisions.
Martha, Jenna, and Monica followed his example, and the meal finally started. The music changed as the waiters began to move to pick up the drinks from the counter and deliver them to the table.
Plates quickly arrived, and the waiters didn't make their clients wait. The table soon became full, and everyone found it impossible to hold back in front of those delicacies.
Khan's eyes widened in surprise when he saw that his side of the table mostly had chicken or meat with similar flavors. He remained stunned a second time when he realized that many of those plates were spicy. The survey had guessed his favorite meal right, but the quality of that food was something he had never experienced before.
The same went for the drinks. The waiters seemed to pay special attention to his cup and refilled it whenever he was almost about to empty it. The bartenders always prepared new booze for Khan to try, and none of them disappointed him.
Martha, Monica, and Jenna went through the same amazement. They were eating different meals and drinking various drinks, but they all seemed to satisfy them completely.
The food, the drinks, the music, the scent, and the scenery were so perfect that the four forgot to talk. Their thoughts also stopped afflicting them as they enjoyed one of the best experiences of their lives. The Kingsize offered only the best of the best, and they bathed in that wealth.
The pace and size of every round of plates also seemed to express mathematical perfection. Khan became full at the same time as his companions, after exactly one hour since the beginning of the dinner.
Most of the waiters left through openings in the walls at that point. The vegetation and music also changed without creating the slightest chaos. Everything seamlessly transformed as if it was just another part of the meal.
"Wow," Martha exclaimed during the transformation of the room. Her comment was mostly due to the meal, but the change in her surroundings also left her amazed.
"My parents said great things about this place," Monica added, "But I didn't think it could be so amazing. No wonder it's so expensive."
Jenna limited herself to nod. She had gone back to her aloof self in that unfamiliar environment, but her expression couldn't hide how pleased she felt about the meal.
"Everything was amazing," Khan added as he laid back and the chair bent backward to accompany his movements. "Though I was expecting a different type of dinner."
"Oh, I'm curious now," Monica teased.
"It's a bit too crowded," Khan admitted.
Khan wanted to talk, but the many waiters made any serious conversation impossible. He felt sure that most of them would spread rumors about the dinner, so he couldn't speak freely, especially when it came to the investigation.
"That's just the first part of the dinner," Monica revealed as she pointed at Khan's cup. "Your booze wasn't strong, right? Mine neither. As per Kingsize's tradition, the meetings happen only after the belly is full."
The few remaining waiters understood the hidden order and disappeared behind openings in the wall. The counter and instrument also slid away to vanish inside holes, leaving only the vegetation and the fake environment depicted by the windows behind.
The room didn't stay still even after those changes. Dark metal layers slid over the walls, floor, and ceiling to cover all the menus without affecting the vases or scenes depicted by the windows. Soft music also resounded behind those new surfaces to suppress a vague sizzling noise.
Khan and Jenna didn't need explanations. They could sense that a thick layer of synthetic mana had appeared behind the new surfaces to isolate the environment. Even the menus on the table had changed to offer a more limited list of products.
Martha also sensed something, but her perception still lacked Khan and Jenna's accuracy. She could only glance at Khan to silently ask the reason behind his evident surprise.
"A barrier is separating us from the menus," Khan summarized.
"The Kingsize hosts countless secret meetings," Monica explained. "Privacy is a must, and the owners even claim not to record anything. Still, they offer these protections to reassure the clients."
"I also knew about this," Jenna spoke for the first time during the meal. "Members of my species have taken parts in meetings in this and many other similar buildings."
'These settlements are built on a foundation of criminal organizations,' Khan thought as he inspected the area one last time before relaxing completely. 'I guess I had to expect something similar from one of their high-end activities.'
"We can talk business now," Monica declared before voicing a faint laugh. "We can also have our drink."
Khan liked the idea of ending the night with strong booze, but he wanted to see if Jenna had other plans first. It turned out that the Nele had something in mind, but that went outside Khan's expectations.
"The Nele don't enjoy booze," Jenna calmly announced as she stood up. "I think I'll excuse myself for a bit."
The purple light radiated by the chair and table followed Jenna by spreading on the floor and ceiling, but she only took a few steps before addressing Martha. "I'd like your company if you don't mind."
The offer surprised Martha, but she found no reason to refuse. Monica pressed on the table to summon a lotion that came out of its metal surface, and Martha picked it up to apply it under her nose.
Meanwhile, Martha tried to find Khan's gaze, but he was busy looking at Jenna. His eyes expressed curiosity, but Jenna remained expressionless. It was unclear whether they were communicating, but Martha and Monica couldn't answer those doubts.
Martha and Jenna quickly left the area through an opening that led to private bathrooms. Khan managed to see that the place was immense before the metal doors closed. He even noticed that the barrier spread there, which confirmed the overall privacy of the area.
"Shall we have our drink then?" Monica asked as she browsed through the menu to press on a label.
Khan did the same, and two drinks soon came out of the table. The mere scent leaking from those cups was enough to confirm the strength of the booze, but neither of them backed off.
'It's good,' Khan exclaimed in his mind after taking the first sip. 'How can such strong booze be so good?'
Monica was also visibly surprised by the quality of the booze, but her elegant expression broke when she put the cup down. She slightly lowered her head before throwing a glance at Khan. Her pretenses were vanishing now that they were finally alone, but that made some problems return.
"I think you are making a big mistake," Monice eventually stated.
"About?" Khan asked while hiding his mouth behind his cup.
"I know about the dock," Monica revealed.
"How?" Khan frowned.
"Khan, my family has invested many Credits in Luke's factory," Monica uttered. "Getting the authorization to enter the dock is a big deal. Rumors spread when Luke requested it, and my parents questioned his parents after hearing them."
"Are you all keeping track of each other?" Khan questioned without hiding the faint irritation that he felt.
"Yes and no," Monica explained. "We are here to complete Luke's mission, but our family won't stay still in the meantime. They never stop playing their political games."
The revelation was quite shocking, but it told something important to Khan. The dock was a truly secretive area, which made it incredibly interesting.
"What mistake?" Khan asked after he spent a second sorting out his thoughts.
"There must be a spy," Monica declared. "That's obvious, but think about it. The factory's security is incredible. Do you really think that smugglers could go past them?"
"I'm not considering them," Khan revealed, "But they might have revealed something to powerful parties. Who knows? We all lack leads anyway."
"But there might be something you didn't consider," Monica stated. "Going against powerful families, overcoming tight security, and risking lives must have rewards. Alien parties wouldn't gain much from seizing the reinforced fabric."
"Why?" Khan asked. "That would create a competitor. I bet there's a lot to gain from that."
"Not if the competitors are aliens," Monica corrected. "The Global Army might be willing to take a bad deal to keep the Cobsend family happy, but the same wouldn't happen for alien forces. Our superiors would just buy one product and try to reverse-engineer it."
"That might be impossible without the main material," Khan pointed out.
"And why would the Global Army care?" Monica asked. "Soldiers have lived with normal uniforms for centuries. Delaying improvements on that field to save Credits doesn't sound like a bad deal."
"So," Khan sighed when he understood where Monica was going, "You are saying that the thief must be human. Moreover, it must have deep connections with a seller that the Global Army can't refuse."
"Which most likely doesn't include anyone from the dock," Monica added.
Khan took another sip from his cup. The investigation still had too many dark areas. Nothing felt clear, and the doubts increased as discoveries popped out. Still, Khan inevitably focused on a specific detail revealed by Monica.
"You said overcoming tight security," Khan repeated. "How do you know if it is possible?"
"I only know rumors," Monica sighed. "And I know that talking about them puts me under a bad light. After all, the spy would definitely know about this."
"Monica," Khan called. Part of him wanted to add cold tones to his voice, but he suppressed that habit.
"The Fuveall are unmatched when it comes to fusing technology with mana," Monica revealed. "They might know how to handle those defenses. They might even know how to hack the network."
To be continued