C392 Variable
The pilot had started to grow numb to surprises, but the purple light triggered the instinctive fear developed after living on Milia 222 for a while. Maban and his group didn't wear their spray, so getting too close would definitely cause problems.
Sadly for the pilot, Khan was in no mood to bother about those details. He pushed his prisoner into the purple light's range, and the Nele's pheromones took over.
The pilot tried to retreat, but intense urges filled his mind as soon as the purple light shone on him. Evident struggle appeared on his face as he mustered the entirety of his self-restraint to escape, but Khan pushed him again and put an end to that attempt.
"Please," The pilot begged as his internal struggle made him lose his balance and fall to the floor. "I would never-. I swear. I wouldn't-."
The pilot never managed to complete a line. A crazy smile appeared on his face whenever he glanced at the group of Nele. He was completely aware of what was happening, but his body reacted on its own.
Maban and the others showed nothing but disgust while watching the pilot crawling toward them. They knew that fending off their pheromones was no easy task. The man wasn't really to blame, but the Nele wouldn't forgive him anyway.
"[Piran, take care of the ship]," Maban eventually ordered. "[Khan, inside the district. Now]."
Khan happily nodded as he stored his knife and kicked the pilot to push him back on the floor. The latter's condition was worsening, and even his eyes were growing crazy, so Khan had to keep him in check.
The pilot didn't cooperate. He struggled whenever Khan delayed his crawling toward the Nele, and he even started to summon his mana at some point. The man was set on fulfilling his urges, but a precise kick on his nape ended all of that.
.
Khan exchanged nods with Piran and the few Nele who remained behind to handle the ship before lifting the unconscious pilot. His smile remained on his face for the whole time, and he even turned to inspect the street while following Maban.
The crowd didn't disperse, but the arrival of the Nele made many groups retreat. Still, the scene was too interesting to ignore, so more people converged on the street to check the situation.
The crashed ship had suffered some damage, and the hole dug by Khan didn't help its state. Its engine had also turned off after the violent landing, but a lot could be salvaged there. The Orlats and Fuveall in the area didn't hide their interest in the vehicle, but the Nele's presence made them give up on any claim.
Instead, the street's condition was a completely different issue. The holes and overall damage involved the entire dock, and someone had to pay to repair them. Yet, Khan's involvement with the Nele made that matter quite problematic.
Khan knew that he had brought trouble to the Nele, but his mind couldn't stop cheering. Flying had felt too good. The wind didn't blow on his face, and the cargo ship wasn't great, but he had still enjoyed himself more than expected.
'I can fly!' Khan exclaimed in his mind. 'I need to start working toward buying my own ship now.'
The project was a distant dream. Khan needed to get better, and his problems didn't end there. Getting a flying license and the Credits to purchase such expensive items was no easy matter, but it didn't sound too unreal anymore.
The excitement couldn't last forever, and Khan wasn't the type to ignore his problems. His situation was far from good. Rodney had seen right through him and had decided to seize the initiative. His unexpected betrayal had almost cornered Khan, leaving him with limited time to prevent terrible outcomes.
In theory, Khan should leave right away. Each minute spent in the dock gave Rodney more time to secure his position. He wasn't even the type to relax at the news of Khan's death, so an immediate reaction would be the intelligent approach.
However, Khan had to take care of a few things first, and thinking about all of that soured his mood. Flying had made him ecstatic, but coldness soon returned. Luckily for him, someone didn't let his good feelings disappear so quickly.
"[That smile suits you]," Jenna commented while leaving the guardrails to approach Khan. "[You should wear it more often]."
"[I almost forgot how much I like flying]," Khan explained as Jenna reached his side.
"[I'm getting jealous of a ship]," Jenna giggled.
"[I took care of it for you]," Khan teased, and Jenna laughed again.
Jenna could immediately realize that something had gone wrong. She had learnt about the ship as soon as she left the room, and Khan's appearance only deepened her worries. Blood was on his face and clothes, but his genuine smile filled her with pure happiness.
That happy feeling didn't last. Jenna's expression turned cold when she glanced at the unconscious pilot on Khan's shoulder. The synthetic mana around her echoed her killing intent, which didn't disappear even after Khan took her hand.
"[They keep coming for your happiness]," Jenna stated. "[I can't forgive them]."
"[And the problems aren't over yet]," Khan sighed.
Jenna inspected Khan's souring mood before voicing a question. "[What do you need to do with him]?"
"[Him]?" Khan repeated while shooting a glance at the unconscious pilot. "[He probably doesn't know much, but I'm not sure]."
"[Leave him to me then]," Jenna requested. "[You can tell me what happened after meeting Maban]."
"[Jenna]," Khan called. He knew exactly what Jenna wanted to do, and he didn't like the idea of putting her in that situation.
"[I've already decided]," Jenna responded before showing her beautiful smile. "[You can only think of ways to make it up for me]."
"[You are truly impossible]," Khan joked, and the two moved toward a specific building without adding anything else.
The building opened as soon as Jenna approached its entrance. The prison-like area that Khan had seen after his fight against the bounty hunters unfolded in his view, and he proceeded inside to bind the pilot to chains.
A few Nele entered the building while Khan was busy taking care of the pilot. Nessa led a small group inside and nodded at Jenna before drawing her root.
"[Don't make Maban wait]," Jenna said while her eyes remained fixed on the chained pilot.
Khan couldn't find any fitting word. Seeing Jenna so angry hurt him, especially since he was the reason behind that emotion. He felt as if his presence was a terrible influence that darkened anyone interacting with him, but he didn't have the time to listen to those depressing thoughts.
"[I'll be back soon]," Khan whispered before pulling Jenna to leave a kiss on her cheek. The entire area immediately grew warmer, but he left the building before inspecting the various reactions.
Maban didn't mind Khan's short stop. He waited for him in the district's headquarters, and an explanation followed after they met. Rodney's business didn't involve the Nele, but knowledge was power, and Khan wanted Maban to have it.
"[I see]," Maban voiced once the explanation was over. "[You shouldn't waste time then. Leave already]."
"[What about the street]?" Khan asked. "[I can pay for that once I get back here]."
"[You damaged a street but brought back a ship]," Maban uttered. "[I say you have already paid what you owe]."
"[Won't my actions have political repercussions]?" Khan continued to voice his worries. "[The hunting season has just ended. The other species won't be happy about today]."
"[And what would change if you remained here]?" Maban snorted. "[Don't think so highly of yourself. Focus on your mess and leave Lower Level 3 to us]."
"[But-]," Khan tried to say, but Maban interrupted him. "[Enough! Do you want to be useful? Fix your problem before it ruins your career. I used my precious time for you, so you must become more than a simple soldier]."
Maban had tried to be rude, but Khan had begun to learn to see past his cold and stern behavior. The Nele was hoping for his success, and the event felt heartwarming.
"[You really are a softie]," Khan commented.
"[What]?!" Maban shouted.
"[Nothing]!" Khan laughed as he left the interactive desk to approach the entrance. "[I'll try to come back soon]."
Maban wanted to add something, but Khan left too quickly. Maban ended up heaving a helpless sigh, but the corners of his mouth soon turned upward to create a faint smirk. He even muttered the word "[softie]" before disregarding the matter and returning to his duties.
Khan hurried toward his room and jumped into the trapdoor as soon as it opened. The faint trace of natural mana brought some relief from the constant stench that the synthetic energy caused, but his attention directly went to the backpacks lying on the floor.
A quick search brought a square device into Khan's hands. The item was a screen with grey metal handles on its four edges. A few keys also occupied those areas, and Khan had to read the instructions left in the backpack to know what to press.
The device eventually lit up, and Khan browsed through the menus before pulling out the alien chameleon's skin from under his clothes. A cross appeared on the screen when he placed it over the dark-green fabric, and beeping noises soon came out of it.
'Dammit,' Khan cursed when he read the words that appeared on the screen. 'I really found it.'
The device confirmed that the fabric was indeed the alien chameleon's skin used in the factory. Khan had found the basic material and the buyers involved in its delivery to the second asteroid. He was closing in on the true culprits, which made Rodney's escape more troublesome.
The device's findings urged Khan to hurry even more, but he had one last thing to do before departing. He stuffed the item and the alien chameleon's skin into the backpack before leaving the room and marching through the district. The walk brought him back to the ship, where he addressed Piran's questioning face.
"[I'm going out for a bit]," Khan announced. "[I'll be back in no time]."
Piran glanced at the crowd busy inspecting the street before turning toward Khan. He didn't need to say anything to express his thoughts, and Khan addressed the topic right away. "[You can't follow me there]."
"[Alright]," Piran exclaimed. "[Be safe]."
.
Khan nodded before listening to the symphony to find the least crowded street. Sadly enough, there were people everywhere, so Khan couldn't avoid interacting with the bystanders.
A group of Orlats and humans occupied the narrow street that Khan had chosen, and murmurs resounded as soon as he arrived. Khan could only make out the words "chaos wielder" before his cold expression made those bystanders split to let him pass.
Khan didn't run, but he still walked quickly. However, eyes and spies remained on him even after he left the crowded area. The groups who had decided to leave him be after the lack of changes in the bounty returned stronger than ever, and many curious parties also joined that effort.
Nevertheless, the Tors' district remained a must-avoid area even in that peculiar situation. Many groups retreated when Khan stepped on the streets immersed in the oily synthetic mana, but he also had to stop before diving too deeply into the Tor's domain.
Minutes had to pass for a few presences to enter the range of Khan's senses. Khan waited calmly until a hooded figure peeked past the guardrails and jumped on the hidden street to place a transparent container on the floor.
'One week was obviously too short,' Khan sighed as he stood up and poured his mana into the container. He had faintly hoped for his second commission to be completed already, but the idea had turned out to be too unrealistic.
"I need to leave the dock for a while," Khan exclaimed while continuing to fill the container.
"Twice a week," The Tors spoke from behind its hood. "That's the deal."
"Get me more containers now," Khan requested. "I'll pay upfront for the next weeks."
"Your new request will take a long time," The Tors pointed out.
"You can decide the number of containers," Khan responded. "I just want our collaboration to continue."
"You don't have enough chaos," The Tors commented.
"Test me out," Khan confidently replied. "I'll manage somehow."
The Tors was speaking about the limits of a second-level mage, but Khan felt more than confident. He only needed the alien to give him a chance, which happened right after his last line.
The alien approached the guardrail and peeked past it to voice a series of incomprehensible hisses. One of the Tors under the street left only to return a few minutes later with a few companions.
Khan didn't waste time being surprised or negotiating. A few Tors jumped on the street to place multiple containers in front of him, and he filled them without uttering a single word.
Soon, eleven full containers stood before Khan. His upfront payment could keep the Tors at bay for more than a month, and he limited himself to watch as the caped aliens brought them away.
Khan knew that giving so much without getting anything in return had been far from wise. The Tors could pretend not to care about his second commission now, but he couldn't find any other solution in that short time. If the Tors decided to betray his trust, he would simply have to accept his loss.
The street became empty, and Khan left it without looking back even once. The spies returned, and the same went for the crowd once he arrived near the Nele's district. Cold, scared, and curious faces followed his movements as he made his way through the groups, but he disregarded the mess as he hurried toward the prison.
The scene that unfolded in Khan's vision once the prison-like building opened matched his expectations. Jenna, Nessa, and a few other Nele stood around the chained pilot, who was begging for his life.
Khan moved his gaze over the roots stabbed in the pilot's legs before focusing on his face. Tears, blood, and utter fear fused to depict pure desperation. That expression announced defeat. The middle-aged man had probably revealed the entirety of his intel.
"[He doesn't know anything]," Jenna announced without turning. "[Your friend hired him without sharing any aspect of his plan]."
Khan kept his eyes on the pilot. The latter could barely see due to the tears that filled his eyes, but a begging expression took over his face when he recognized Khan's human features.
The pilot hoped that a member of the same species would show more mercy than the Nele, but he would shake in fear if he could hear Khan's thoughts. Khan was going over the matter, but everything pointed in the same direction.
'He isn't like the crew,' Khan thought. 'He is an innocent who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.'
Those thoughts would be enough to show mercy in the absence of other issues. After all, Khan didn't enjoy taking lives. It would actually make him feel better about his recent killing if he spared the pilot.
However, the pilot had seen the Nele's district and had gone through their torture. He was bound to develop hatred toward that species, and eventual enemy factions would benefit from that feeling. Even some of Khan's secrets could be at risk in that case.
The images of the human corpses appeared in Khan's vision. He had killed fellow members of his species without showing any hesitation. He had crossed a line, but he didn't feel any different.
'Humans, Nele, Niqols,' Khan thought. 'They are all the same.'
Khan had already reached similar conclusions, but he had confirmed them now. Doubts disappeared from his mind as he accepted what he had to do. Every life had the same value, so killing a potential enemy to keep his friends safe sounded completely reasonable.
"I don't know anything!" The pilot shouted when Khan approached him, but his suffering ended when a glowing knife pierced his brain.
"[I need to go back to the second asteroid]," Khan announced while cleaning his knife and putting it back in the sheath.
"[And]?" Jenna asked. "[This is the part when you try to keep me here]."
"[You know I don't lie to you]," Khan stated. "[It might be dangerous, but having you at my side might help]."
"[There is nothing else to say then]," Jenna smiled as she took Khan's hand and led him outside the building.
Nessa and the other Nele felt the need to remain silent, but a trace of envy surged inside them while they watched the departing couple. The feeling carried no ill intentions. The aliens simply wanted a similar relationship.
Khan summarized the recent events to Jenna, who agreed to move quickly. Rodney had proven himself to be a problematic opponent in that environment, so Khan needed Luke's support to come out on top, and having Jenna at his side could add value to his claims.
The couple didn't have time to be too thorough. Khan cleaned the blood from his face and hair before changing into some of the clothes in the backpack. Jenna also wore something elegant since she had to return to Lower Level 1, and she even donned the spray to avoid problems.
Jenna and Khan left the district in a hurry after those short preparations. The backpacks were with them, and no one hindered their departure. Maban, Piran, and a few others voiced quick goodbyes, but that was it.
It was past lunchtime, but the crowd was still around the district, and the couple's departure inevitably attracted a lot of attention. Still, no one dared to bother Khan and Jenna, so the two could reach the elevators and leave that messy situation.
Khan and Jenna knew which elevators belonged to the Nele, so their return to Lower Level 2 happened swiftly and without additional costs. The Nele on the upper part of the dock also greeted them as friends and led them toward hidden lifts that would bring them to Lower Level 1 without leaving the building.
The couple ended up in a small shop once the climbing was over. The place resembled what Khan had seen on the third asteroid, but more Nele guarded it. Still, it seemed that they knew him, and Jenna's presence made them leave without undergoing any additional security measures.
The return to the city dispersed the heavy tension that had accumulated during the stay in the dock. Khan and Jenna had almost forgotten about it, but the sight of peaceful and relatively safe areas reminded them that Milia 222 could be very different.
The dock wasn't always chaotic, but murders and fights could happen anytime. The factions down there had proper networks for bounties and other illegal activities, and all of them could happen in the open.
Instead, the cities offered some apparent safety. Murders mostly didn't happen in the open. The streets were full of ordinary citizens who did their best to avoid getting too deep into illegal businesses. Jenna and Khan could finally relax a bit, but that didn't make them stop.
The return to the city reestablished a good connection to the network, but Khan didn't see any message, and he took that as a good sign. Someone would definitely contact him if Rodney's letter became public, but that didn't happen.
A couple of cabs, a few elevators, and two crossings of the short-distance teleports brought Khan and Jenna back to the second asteroid. The strange sensation finally disappeared, but Khan didn't have the time to think about that. The hand-in-hand walk also attracted the usual attention, but the couple barely noticed it.
A third cab eventually brought the couple to the building owned by the Cobsend family. The afternoon had arrived by then, and some tension returned when Jenna and Khan approached the entrance. A potential mess was only a few steps away, and they walked toward it without showing any fear.
Crossing the entrance made Khan's sensitivity aware of multiple familiar presences. The couple soon entered the main hall, and a series of surprised faces turned in their direction. Bruce, Francis, Amanda, Monica, and Martha were sitting on couches, and their loud voices soon resounded in the area.
"Khan, you are back!" Bruce exclaimed while standing up.
"Khan!" Martha also exclaimed.
Monica opened her mouth to imitate her companions, but she quickly calmed down before voicing an elegant "welcome back". Needless to say, her eyes expressed different feelings that Khan understood far too well.
Gazes and expressions weren't the only clues that Khan could read. His ability in the Nele's arts had improved greatly, and his companions didn't know how to shield themselves from them. Their thoughts altered the synthetic mana and revealed their true feelings.
Bruce appeared slightly troubled, Martha was happy, and Monica shared that happiness, but some annoyance tainted it. As for the others, only Francis was interesting since he conveyed intense anger.
'Great, more problems,' Khan sighed in his mind while going straight to the point. "Where is Luke? I need to talk with him."
Mentioning Luke generated an unexpected reaction. No one answered, and they all sent the same influence to the synthetic mana. They were conflicted about something.
"Did something happen to Luke?" Khan asked.
"You see," Bruce began to say, but the elevator behind him suddenly opened and revealed two figures. Luke was one of them, but Khan didn't recognize the other. Still, he remained in awe of his power.
"Khan!" Luke shouted as soon as he noticed Khan. "I'm glad you are safe, and your timing is impeccable."
Luke and the middle-aged man at his side left the elevator, but the former took a few more steps forward before continuing with the presentations. "This is my uncle Raymond Cobsend. He landed on Milia 222 two days ago."
'Fourth-level warrior,' Khan thought as he fixed his eyes on Raymond.
Time seemed to stop in Khan's vision. One of the questions that had afflicted his mind since his recent discoveries found its answer. He felt almost sure that he was standing before one of the two unknown variables.
To be continued