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Long strands of hair fell at the sides of a stern face, hiding ears and part of the neck. A bun kept the nape area uncovered, and two thick braids occupied the side of the head.
Raymond's hair shared Luke's distinctive grey color, and the same went for his brown eyes. Even his height was as remarkable as his nephew's. A lot about that appearance hinted at belonging to the same family, but some differences existed.
Raymond's facial features were sharper than Luke's, and he was also thinner. Still, his mid-grey suit and the black shirt underneath matched his size perfectly, granting him a smooth silhouette that expressed pure elegance.
A mere glance at Raymond was enough to convey his value. His expression, hairstyle, clothes, and demeanor created the picture of an important man, but Khan didn't stop at those superficial traits. He could see past them and gain insights into Raymond's actual character.
Fourth-level warriors typically had the power to affect all the synthetic mana in a room and more. Their presence was simply too heavy to prevent that outcome. Yet, Raymond barely left his mark in his surroundings, and Khan couldn't see any technique at work there.
The event was quite shocking. Most humans didn't know about the implications of their heavy presence, but Raymond avoided them anyway. He appeared in complete control of his mental state, and what Khan learnt partially confirmed that guess.
Khan couldn't study evident alterations, but something still seeped into the synthetic mana. His focus went there, and he immediately experienced some instinctive fear. Raymond's mental state resembled a bottomless and unreadable dark pit.
Human words couldn't describe that dark pit, and Khan didn't sense enough to try. Yet, his instinctive fear explained a lot and warned him about the potential danger standing mere meters from him.
Khan had always prided himself in his ability to read people, and the Nele's arts only improved that skill. That very experience told him that words and tricks wouldn't work against Raymond. The latter was leagues above him in political games and pretenses.
Raymond was similar to Rodney but had decades of experience and far more power than him. He was another example of a terrible enemy in that environment, so Khan moved to a defensive stand.
Khan let Jenna go and crossed his hands behind his back to perform a military salute. He had already shown some hesitation, so he sent stern coldness to the synthetic mana to stick to that act.
"It's an honor to meet you, sir!" Khan exclaimed in his most serious tone.
Raymond revealed a surprisingly gentle smile that was in complete opposition with what his mental state conveyed. Still, his performance was so perfect that even Khan wondered whether his sensitivity was tricking him.
"There is no need for such formalities," Raymond chuckled. "Lieutenant Khan, your achievements are well-known. I'm the one honored to meet you."
"Sir, I just did my job," Khan played it politely.
"Now, now," Raymond cheerfully scolded. "Humility is a commendable quality, but a young man like you should know when to brag, especially among friends."
"Sir, it would be disrespectful before a man of your caliber," Khan praised without abandoning his cold behavior.
"Stoic until the end," Raymond laughed. "I understand why Luke trusts you so much. You are the type of soldier who gets the job done no matter what."
Raymond moved his eyes on Jenna during the silence that followed, and Khan felt forced to speak again. "Sir, she is Jenna, a friend and a key ally in our current mission."
"And what mission would it be?" Raymond teased as his attention went back to Khan.
"I'm afraid I can't say, sir," Khan promptly responded.
"I'm one of the pillars of the Cobsend family," Raymond stated, and his smile abruptly transformed into a cold expression. "Are you implying that I can't question my nephew's team?"
"I'm sorry, sir," Khan uttered without showing the slightest trace of fear. "I report only to Luke."
A tense silence filled the hall, but Raymond quickly shattered it with his laugh. He nodded a few times and even clapped his hands before tapping Luke's shoulder and voicing his praises. "You know how to choose your friends. Your father will be happy to hear this."
Luke couldn't contain his smile. The matter seemed a great deal to him, but Khan and Jenna had completely opposite reactions. Khan saw Luke's respect toward Raymond as another ordeal to overcome while Jenna was busy containing her disgust.
As a Nele, Jenna didn't need to abide by social rules, especially when interacting with another species. Her detached behavior was more than expected, but meeting Raymond added more reasons to it.
Jenna wasn't as adept as Khan in spotting lies, but she had seen her fair share of ill-intentioned people. Raymond fit that description perfectly, even if she couldn't exactly point out why she thought that.
Luckily for the couple, Raymond didn't care about Khan's stern behavior and Jenna's lack of responses. His cheerful mood remained even after his interaction with Luke ended, and a series of polite goodbyes followed.
"I have some matters to handle," Raymond announced as he straightened his suit. "Lieutenant Khan, Miss Jenna, we'll have to continue this meeting another day."
"Safe travels, sir," Khan exclaimed while stepping on his right to clear the way, and Jenna promptly imitated him.
"You all keep up the good work," Raymond nodded as he walked past Khan.
"I'll come back soon," Luke quickly said as he followed after Raymond. In a few seconds, both men left the building and disappeared from everyone's view.
'Why is he here?' Khan wondered while his gaze remained on the entrance.
The relatively poor power of the team was the whole point of the mission. People would get suspicious if high-level and important warriors arrived on Milia 222, so Luke had handpicked an easily disguisable group of people for the investigation.
Those involved with the theft would obviously know what was going on, but the disguise could trick the rest of the asteroids. Luke could feign ignorance and pretend that everything was okay since his team didn't have any specialists or similar figures.
However, Raymond's arrival defeated that purpose. The man wasn't only an extremely important figure in the Cobsend family. His personal power would make entire crowds turn and escape.
Khan could link that event to plain stupidity, but Raymond had given him the opposite impression. Moreover, the man suited his theory perfectly. He could be one of the missing pieces of the puzzle, but only Luke could confirm those guesses.
"Khan, is something wrong?" Bruce called since Khan was still looking at the exit.
"No, no," Khan reassured, wearing a fake smile and turning toward his companions on the couches. "I was just surprised. He is a big shot, isn't he?"
"Indeed," Bruce sighed as he fell back on the couch. "His arrival was quite unexpected, but I'm sure Luke will explain everything soon."
"Wait, you have yet to talk with him?" Khan asked.
"Luke has been pretty busy since his uncle's arrival," Bruce explained. "Bureaucracy stuff mainly. The two of them have shown their faces only to leave the building."
"I see," Khan commented. "So, do you have other news? I've been away for quite some time."
"Do you think we spent the past month getting drunk?" Bruce joked.
"It sure looks like it," Khan pointed out.
"Come, have a drink," Monica joined the conversation. "Let's get you up to speed."
The table only had one free seat left, so Khan didn't immediately accept Monica's offer. Yet, Jenna left his side and walked toward Martha before anyone could call the waiters.
"Would you mind accompanying me to Lieutenant Khan's room?" Jenna asked while stretching her arm toward Martha.
The gesture surprised the group, and only Monica recovered quickly enough to look at Khan. He wanted to roll his eyes, but he ended up captivated by how Monica hid her amusement behind her drink.
"Sure," Martha voiced a confused reply as she took Jenna's hand and left the couch. Her questioning face pointed at Khan while she moved toward the elevator, but he reassured her with a nod and waited for the two to leave the hall.
An issue immediately appeared. Martha had left her seat, so Khan now had two options. He could choose the armchair and sit alone or join Monica on the couch.
Any reasonable man in Khan's position would choose the armchair, and even he was well aware of the best option. Francis' anger wasn't something he had to take lightly, and it didn't sound fair to give false hopes to Monica since he had yet to make up his mind.
However, Khan had gone through a strange day and had barely spent any time thinking about it. His growth in the Nele's arts had also brought changes to his mindset, putting him in a position where he decided to be selfish.
"I'm glad my tasks ended early," Monica teased when Khan dropped his backpack and sat at her side. "I would have missed this drink with you otherwise."
"Right, your tasks," Khan casually said while nodding at Bruce and pointing at the table. "How is our friend Awiza treating you?"
"Don't get me started!" Bruce snorted as he contacted a waiter through his phone. "She is always trying to renegotiate our deal. I swear. Every Orlats has serious problems."
"Did Luke deploy you too?" Khan wondered.
"No, I simply manage things," Bruce revealed. "Francis, Monica, and the others are in the field."
"Darrell, Isaac, and Claudia?" Khan asked.
"Still busy with their shifts," Monica explained. "They had a rough week."
"So, you actually did some work," Khan joked.
"We even achieved some results," Bruce pointed out.
"Such as?" Khan asked.
"We marked the buildings on Lower Level 1 used as warehouses," Bruce revealed.
"Wait, all of them?" Khan gasped.
"It was a joint effort," Monica continued. "The Orlats truly have countless connections. We might have gotten some buildings wrong, but we have a reliable layout."
"That's surprising," Khan admitted before smiling politely to the waiter who entered the hall and delivered a clean glass.
Khan remained silent until the waiter left the hall before resuming with his questions. "Do we know which ones are connected to the factory?"
"We isolated some promising options," Bruce stated as he pretended not to see Monica filling Khan's glass. "But you must understand that all of them might be innocent and completely unaware of our mission."
Khan's questioning face pushed Monica to explain even further. "The factory is isolated, but it still needs to purchase basic goods like food and water. It also has waste products that can't stay in the industrial district, so everything is quite complicated."
Khan nodded before taking a sip from the drink. It was safe to assume that no stranger got inside the factory, but that didn't apply to the industrial district. Even if it did, the area needed to import and export goods, which created a commercial array too complicated to study in that short time.
An investigation also sounded troublesome to accomplish. Most warehouses were bound to have illegal businesses, which limited the group's ability to spy on them. Monica and the others needed more time to gather better intel.
The news was surprisingly good. Khan could fuse the knowledge gathered in the dock with what his companions had learnt to add pieces to his puzzle. At that point, he would only lack the middle part of the operation, and closing on the culprits would become far easier.
Meanwhile, Khan rejoiced at the apparent absence of deeper problems. He had been in a hurry to catch up with Rodney, but his companions didn't mention him, and they wouldn't have forgotten such an important detail.
'He didn't come here,' Khan concluded. 'Where is he then?'
Raymond could be the perfect answer, but a high-profile figure like him couldn't venture into illegal businesses unnoticed. If Rodney wanted to share information with him, he had to resort to a middle-man, which probably was his boss.
Of course, most of that only existed in Khan's mind. He had confirmed Rodney's involvement with the alien chameleon's skin, but he didn't know if he had something to do with the theft. The same went for Raymond, even if his arrival sounded like a clue by itself.
Khan had noticed how Francis and Amanda had remained silent, but he didn't blame the latter. Amanda simply felt out of place in that important conversation. Instead, Francis' stance featured different reasons that Khan couldn't bother to address now.
'The third asteroid sounds unlikely,' Khan thought. 'Rodney won't go there since he is aware of my relationship with the Nele. It's either the fourth or the second asteroid unless I'm still missing something.'
"That's not fair, Lieutenant Khan," Monica teased since Khan was drinking in silence. "It's your turn to share information now."
Khan expected that question, but not from Monica. She knew about the dock, and the rest of the team probably shared her knowledge, but she was supposed to be on his side. She was aware that he couldn't speak freely.
"I might have found something," Khan played it vague while showing his fake smile, "But I can't say much without conferring with Luke first."
"You have been away for a month," Monica pressed on. "I'm sure you can give us something."
Khan wanted to frown, but he held back due to the many eyes on him. He didn't understand why Monica did that until she hid a pout behind her drink.
'Ooh,' Khan finally understood. 'She is pissed.'
"I really can't," Khan laughed, "Not until I talk to Luke."
"Maybe you are the one who slaked off," Monica guessed. "I wouldn't blame you. Milia 222 is an interesting place, and your company was peculiar."
Monica was only venting, but Khan wasn't the type to back down, and she couldn't match him in those topics. He would gladly accompany her if that's how she wanted to play.
"Miss Solodrey!" Khan called. "You couldn't possibly be jealous, could you?"
The reply was a bit disrespectful but acceptable among friends, especially since Monica had openly flirted with Khan multiple times. That interaction resembled a playful bickering rather than an actual fight, and Bruce even snickered during it.
Monica blushed a little, but her façade remained perfect. The synthetic mana betrayed her thoughts, but only Khan could sense that. Yet, someone on the table didn't like her intense look.
"Lieutenant Khan, I must agree with Monica," Francis joined the conversation. "We worked non-stop to push the investigation forward. We only want to confirm that you did the same."
Monica was playing around, but Francis had spoken out of spite. He probably also knew about the dock, which made him aware of the reason behind Khan's secrecy. His question only aimed to create trouble for him.
Bruce and Monica felt the need to intervene, but that wasn't their place. Getting in Francis' way would isolate him even further, adding fuel to his anger.
"I report only to Luke," Khan calmly repeated the same words used with Raymond. "I'm sure he'll set up a meeting where I can explain everything."
Francis wanted to add something, but Khan abruptly gulped down his drink and picked up his backpack before standing up. He was in no state to deal with such pettiness, so he opted to leave right away.
"I'm beat," Khan announced. "I hope you'll excuse me."
Khan didn't wait for his companions' answer, but Monica glared at Francis before standing up. Saying something would risk starting another petty conversation, so Khan remained silent while Monica entered the elevator with him and pressed one of its keys.
"I'm so sorry," Monica exclaimed as soon as the elevator moved. "I didn't think he would take it out on you."
"What's his problem anyway?" Khan cursed before shaking his head. "I can't bother with him now. I have bigger things to think about."
"I didn't want any of this," Monica added, and Khan finally looked at her. She appeared genuinely concerned, but he couldn't blame her.
"It's not your fault," Khan reassured.
"It might be," Monica whispered as the elevator opened. "I did eventually face him. It didn't end well."
"What?" Khan asked while following Monica out of the elevator. "What happened?"
"It wasn't my intention to escalate things," Monica explained as she started playing with her curls. "I began to refuse his drinks, thinking he wouldn't have the guts to talk about it, but I was wrong."
"Monica," Khan called since Monica kept walking forward without turning.
"Nothing serious happened," Monica reassured. "He just questioned me, and I spoke the truth. I used the mission as an excuse, but I think he blamed you anyway."
"Monica!" Khan called again, but he reached for Monica's elbow at that time.
Monica felt forced to turn, but she kept her face lowered. Her thoughts were obvious even without looking at the synthetic mana. She hated that her issues had gotten in Khan's way.
"I didn't want to cause trouble for you," Monica muttered.
"He would have found a reason to hate me anyway," Khan reassured.
"But then you sat next to me, and I recalled that you spent so much time with Jenna," Monica continued. "I wanted you to look only at me. I didn't expect Francis to use that against you."
"Hey," Khan said while reaching for Monica's chin to lift her face, "I told you how things are between Jenna and me."
Monica almost lost herself in Khan's serious face, but the situation reminded her of a specific event that filled her with shyness. She couldn't help but divert her gaze, and Khan smirked at that sight.
"Don't start already," Monica pouted. "I'm mad at you."
"Why would you be mad?" Khan teased.
"You know why!" Monica complained.
"Are you too shy to even say it?" Khan asked.
"The-," Monica stammered a bit. "You kissed me."
"I remember you kissing me too," Khan pointed out.
"That was different!" Monica almost shouted as she finally looked at Khan again.
"I barely knew where I was," Khan recalled. "You could have stopped me easily. I can't say the same for what you did."
"Shut up!" Monica blushed while leaving Khan and walking into the corridor.
Khan laughed, but a thought escaped his mouth when he noticed that something was off. "This isn't my floor."
"Stop speaking," Monica almost pleaded as she continued to walk. Khan had vaguely understood what was happening, so he followed her until they arrived in front of her room.
Monica unlocked the door and entered the room without saying anything. She didn't even turn as she strode forward until she reached the windows at the end of the place.
Khan hesitated a bit before crossing the entrance. The door closed behind him while he inspected the room. Additional mirrors and makeup filled a desk, and elegant sheets covered the bed. The place was quite girly and suited his idea of Monica.
Countless jokes and teases ran through Khan's mind, but he held back when he sensed how shy Monica had gotten. He couldn't see her face, but he knew that she was blushing to no end.
Khan looked around for a few more seconds before sitting on the bed and crossing his legs. The gesture finally attracted Monica's attention, even if her reasons made Khan laugh.
"Don't put your shoes there!" Monica scolded.
"I gave you my bed when you were dead drunk," Khan laughed.
"That was your bed," Monica complained. "Mine has different rules."
"Come on," Khan sneered as he threw his backpack at his side and lay down. "Let me rest a bit."
"Get out of my room already!" Monica shouted.
"You brought me here," Khan laughed again.
"I didn't-!" Monica was about to shout again, but she suddenly went silent. Her shyness overcame her anger when she looked at Khan's happy face, and strange thoughts seeped into her mind.
Khan was probably as confused as Monica, even if his reasons were far different. Too much had happened that day. He wanted to rest and maybe drink a little among people who didn't share his complicated life, but Francis had prevented that.
Thoughts kept Khan's mind busy until he sensed something odd. Monica slowly approached the bed and took a deep breath before sitting on his lap.
Khan lifted his head to show his frown. Monica was wearing one of her elegant skirts, but she had still spread her legs to sit on him. Her stance clearly aimed to seduce Khan, and she clung herself to her clothes to suppress her embarrassment.
"What are you doing?" Khan whispered as he straightened his back and tried to reach for Monica's chin. Still, she dodged his hands and kept her face lowered.
"Are you drunk?" Khan wondered.
"I'm not!" Monica complained while lifting her face before instantly lowering it again.
"Monica," Khan called.
"Give me a few seconds," Monica requested in a cute tone. "Now I regret drinking so little."
Khan complied. He waited until Monica calmed down and mustered the courage to lift her face. Her timid eyes fell on Khan and wavered many times, but she always brought them back on him.
"May I have an explanation now?" Khan smirked.
"I didn't want you to return to Jenna so soon," Monica whispered.
"That explains the room," Khan said, "Not this."
"This is me being bold," Monica explained. "Is it so bad?"
Monica was truly doing her best, and Khan could see her effort. A sigh left his mouth as he reached for her waist. Monica gasped when Khan pulled her closer, and her hands left her skirt to hold his shoulders.
"You said that we would talk once you came back," Monica mentioned in her timid tone. "You are back now."
"Did you plan this while I was away?" Khan wondered.
"I didn't think it through," Monica revealed. "I just thought that you would leave without saying anything if I didn't do something."
"Monica," Khan whispered before lowering his gaze. He could think of many ways to get out of that situation, but that sounded unfair. Monica deserved an honest answer.
"I didn't have much time to think about you," Khan admitted while bringing his gaze back to Monica. "It was mess after mess down there."
Monica remained silent, but her resolve wavered. She could understand where that speech was going. Yet, she steeled herself and decided to wait until Khan was done.
"My problems have problems," Khan continued. "I can't add you to my already messy life."
"Am I a problem?" Monica wondered.
"Don't be stupid," Khan stated. "Dating you would be difficult, especially for someone with my background. Imagine adding my problems to that. It's too much for me."
"Are you using my political baggage as an excuse?" Monica asked. "You can just reject me, you know?"
"That's not what I meant," Khan replied.
"And what did you mean?" Monica questioned. "Have the guts to tell me if you don't like me."
Khan felt slightly annoyed by that answer, but he remained calm and honest. "I do like you. It's just stupid to add more problems to my life."
"And here I thought you would consider me," Monica scoffed. "Instead, you have only taken my family into account."
"Look, what do you want me to say?" Khan asked while showing some of his annoyance. "I have countless problems that I can't fix, and they only increase as time passes. Becoming the target of not one but two powerful families isn't exactly the smart course of action."
"I really hoped you wouldn't care," Monica commented, "But fear got to you in the end."
"Are you insulting me now?" Khan uttered. "I get that you had it hard, but so did I. Yet, my life is on the line. You could destroy the Global Army, and your family would still make everything disappear."
Monica wanted to respond, but she ended up diverting her gaze. She was angry, but not at Khan. He was there, so she had vented a little, but her family was the source of her current feelings. She couldn't accept that her status was getting in the way of one of the few things she had desired in her life.
Khan had planned not to lose his cool, but the conversation had taken a different path. His mental state wasn't even great, so he had vented a bit. Truth be told, he wasn't happy about that conclusion either.
Then, new shades joined the symphony. Something had changed, and Khan found the source of that event in Monica. The latter turned to face Khan, but her head remained lowered as she muttered a few words. "Let's make this simple then."
"Monica?" Khan questioned before noticing how Monica left his shoulders to wrap her arms around his neck.
"We are not dating," Monica said, and her warm breath blew on Khan's mouth when she approached his face.
"That's not what you want," Khan whispered.
"Don't think about that," Monica timidly stated. "Keep it simple."
Khan could avoid what was about to come, but he didn't. He kept it simple and followed his desires without thinking about potential and obvious problems.
Monica used all her courage to lift her head and reach for Khan's mouth, and the latter helped her when only a few centimeters separated their lips. Khan gave one slight pull, and the two fell into a kiss.
To be continued