C478 Bedridden
With the simulations, flights, and nights inside the training halls out of the equation, Khan managed to attend to all his tasks without forsaking his rest. He caught up with his studies, sorted through the many messages reaching his phone, and even took a long nap.
As for the report requested by Professor Nickton, Khan managed to write it during his rare breaks. The task didn't occupy much time since Khan knew what the Professor wanted and could copy notes from Lieutenant Clayman's story.
The chaos caused by the leaked video didn't vanish the following day. Actually, Khan found an even greater number of people attempting to contact him for various reasons. Some reporters directly claimed to be on their way to the Harbor to meet him. His fame had touched insane levels now that everyone could see his strength.
Khan ignored almost every call since he had already sent reassuring messages to his friends, but the Headmistress wasn't someone he could refuse. When her name appeared on the flat's walls, he immediately reached for his phone lying right past the mattress.
"Headmistress!" Khan exclaimed as soon as he put his phone on his ear and returned to his pillow.
"Captain, does your phone need fixing?" Headmistress Holwen questioned.
"No, ma'am," Khan stated. "I was merely resting."
Headmistress Holwen seemed able to smell the lie in Khan's statement, which prompted her following words. "The Harbor would be happy to provide a PR manager to handle your calls."
Khan could only hold back a sigh. He wasn't equipped for that kind of fame. In theory, he should have already hired a professional. He had hoped things wouldn't come to that, but the situation gave him no choice.
"I will set an appointment in the embassy next week," Khan promised. "Ma'am, can I ask for your advice in terms of firms?"
"The Global Army has good specialists," Headmistress Holwen announced. "However, you might require someone at the level of the descendants."
Khan lowered his gaze. Monica was lying on his abdomen and going through the news on her phone. She could partially hear the conversation and nodded when she noticed Khan's gaze, so he gave a simple answer to the Headmistress. "Understood."
"Now, about the reason behind my call," The Headmistress continued. "How are your injuries?"
Khan didn't expect the Headmistress to be worried about him, especially since she had seen the video. The question made so little sense that Khan understood it had to have a hidden meaning.
"I'm fine?" Khan wondered. He was telling the truth. All his burns had healed during the night. Only his ribs still needed some care.
"Wrong," Headmistress Holwen rebuked. "You are bedridden and in agonizing pain. Are we clear?"
"I'm bedridden and in agonizing pain," Khan repeated, and Monica couldn't hold back a giggle that made her put away her phone. She started scratching Khan's chest to tease him, and he pretended not to notice her to ask a question. "May I know why, ma'am?"
"Your stunt on Lauter attracted too much attention," Headmistress Holwen explained. "You aren't answering your phone, so that attention falls on me."
"Oh," Khan uttered as some shamelessness joined his voice. "Thank you for taking care of me, Headmistress."
The lack of attention annoyed Monica, but she couldn't speak during the call. Yet, one glance at Khan's groin told her how to solve that problem.
"Quit it," Headmistress Holwen scoffed. "I need you to stay put for a few days while I handle this mess. There are some people I can't refuse, but the rest only requires time."
"Who-?" Khan began to ask, but a grunt he had no intention of voicing left his mouth and forced him to lower his gaze. He could only see a mess of curls hiding his lower waist, which told him everything he needed to know.
"Captain?" Headmistress Holwen called.
"Yes, I'm sorry, ma'am," Khan promptly said while closing his eyes to save some attention for the conversation. "May I know who these people are?"
Khan was genuinely curious. The Headmistress held incredible authority in the Harbor, and most wealthy descendants were his classmates, so they didn't need to go through her. He couldn't think of anyone outside of a few figures who could force the Headmistress' hand.
"I'll give you a list once I'm done," Headmistress Holwen stated. "I'm only sure about a few reporters for now since they have high clearance."
"I'll be in your hands, ma'am," Khan uttered without thinking whether his answer made enough sense. It was hard to concentrate while Monica played with him.
"Though, there is this one persistent man," Headmistress Holwen continued. "Mister Chares is pulling every string to speak to me directly."
"Chares?" Khan repeated. "Is he related to Tyler, my pilot?"
"He is his uncle," Headmistress Holwen revealed, "And he didn't sound happy."
'I knew it,' Khan cursed in his mind. He had done his best to remain polite, but the lack of official praises was too easy to spot. Tyler's family's intervention felt almost inevitable.
"Ma'am, how can the Chares family affect you?" Khan wondered. He had done a background check on his teammates, so he knew that Tyler's family wasn't too influential.
"It doesn't," Headmistress Holwen declared. "It's only this Mister Chares. He has surprising connections."
The wording told Khan that the Headmistress didn't know that man. She probably was also in the dark, which wasn't ideal.
'He did receive help to pass the pilot's test,' Khan felt sure. Still, the problem remained, and Monica wasn't exactly helping him think straight.
"There is one thing, ma'am," Khan decided to change the topic. "I have a meeting tonight. I'm not sure I can refuse."
"I'm aware of Professor Parver's invitation," Headmistress Holwen revealed. "I've already arranged everything. A car will pick you up after dinner."
"Perfect," Khan exclaimed, but his tone carried something that made the Headmistress suspicious.
"Captain, did you understand what I said?" Headmistress Holwen unleashed her cold tone.
"I'll stay put, ma'am," Khan confirmed. "Is there anything else?"
"No, that's all," Headmistress Holwen concluded. "Have a good recovery, Captain Khan."
"I won't leave the bed, Headmistress," Khan promised, and a laugh arrived from under him right after the call ended.
Khan threw away his phone in time to watch Monica turn to face him. She even supported her head with a hand while her elbow was on his waist, and her playful smile spoke louder than words.
"Do you know anything about the Chares family?" Khan used the last shred of reason to ask that question.
"Your pilot's family?" Monica frowned. "What's there to know?"
"Nothing," Khan replied. Monica's ignorance matched Khan's background check, which reassured him about that variable.
It still felt odd that a member of that family could annoy the Headmistress, but Khan didn't know where else to look for answers. Moreover, the playful smile that returned on Monica's face made him forget about the matter.
.
The Headmistress' order made Khan decide to forsake his flight. He had been conflicted about it before that due to his injuries and the delay that the test would have. Yet, he could only obey and use his free time well.
The idea of having a celebratory drink with George crossed Khan's mind, but that would imply clothes, which the couple had forsook since the end of the mission.
Luckily for Khan, George understood the situation perfectly and even approved it. The two only needed to exchange a few messages to decide to postpone that drink.
Khan ended up spending his day between his studies and Monica, often mixing the two since the couple never left the bed. Still, the car appointed by the Headmistress eventually arrived, forcing Khan to wear his military uniform and head outside.
The sidewalk was surprisingly empty, but Khan hurried inside the car anyway to avoid risks. As soon as he closed its doors, the vehicle set off, and he pulled out his phone to review some notes or kill time.
Needless to say, messages and calls were still coming, but Khan only scrolled through the names without addressing anyone. The entire Global Army wanted to talk to him, but an exception existed. Lucian had yet to contact him.
The matter annoyed Khan a bit, but he let it slide. He would simply take things into his own hands if that situation continued for too long. Besides, the new outpost was a perfect justification for the lack of messages.
The flight took less than Khan expected. The car didn't head for the district where Professor Nickton had his lab. Instead, it reached a small dome with sealed entrances, which happened to be near the embassy.
Khan had memorized the Harbor's layout by then. Only authorized personnel could enter that small district, but there he was, and his curiosity inevitably took over in the last phases of the flight.
The district resembled a military camp. Tent-like structures covered its surface and divided it into four blocks. Soldiers also roamed among those short buildings, but not out of fun. They were patrolling the area to protect what stood under the floor.
'There is an entire battalion down there,' Khan commented in his mind as the car began to descend. The vehicle reached the western district and landed in a specific area to complete the trip.
The pilot didn't leave the car, but a couple of soldiers were already waiting for Khan outside the specific area. Military salutes unfolded when he reached them, and the two managed to remain respectfully silent while leading him toward one of the metal tents nearby.
The building was only as big as one of Khan's bedrooms, but he understood its purpose as soon as he saw its empty insides. He felt no surprise when the floor began to descend, but wonder arrived when the district's true face revealed itself.
The elevator was similar to what Khan had witnessed on Milia 222. It descended through a transparent channel that granted a complete vision of the outside world, which turned out to be an immense area as tall as the embassy.
A huge tree that connected the floor to the ceiling was the first thing that fell in Khan's vision. The plant's huge brown trunk and immense green crown were too eye-catching to notice anything else, especially when descending into the area. Still, that was only a small part of the vegetation.
The upper floor was split into four sections, and the same went for the lower. The underground version of the western area was a vast garden that almost matched the borders of the block above.
Khan saw all kinds of plants growing around the giant tree. Scarlet bushes, yellow woods, purple flowers, and much more filled the garden, creating a colorful spectacle that didn't match the Harbor's usual style. It almost felt like an actual planet, but the other details of the area soon broke that belief.
The elevator was too distant from the other sections, but Khan recognized huge warehouses in the distance. He even noticed immense containers surrounded by scientists in another corner, and cars ran everywhere, partially filling the generally wide roads stretching in multiple directions.
Moreover, the ceiling had tracks that mechanical arms, cranes, and other machines used to reach their appointed destinations. Many carried metal containers as big as trucks, while others had proper ships in their grasps. That was Milia 222 all over again, or at least, that was what Khan felt due to his experience.
The soldiers stayed in the elevator once it reached the floor, but Khan didn't remain alone. A car similar to what he had driven on Onia was waiting for him, and the soldier on the steering wheel only had to perform a military salute to get his attention.
"How much can you tell me about this place?" Khan questioned as soon as the car started advancing. The driver was a young man, a second-level warrior, so Khan hoped to establish a friendly conversation.
"I'm sorry, sir," The soldier responded, destroying that hope. "I'm not authorized to share any information."
"I see," Khan sighed, focusing his entire attention on the symphony. The place had a mixture of natural and synthetic mana, allowing him to learn a lot with simple glances.
The ride didn't last nearly as long as Khan had hoped. The car soon reached the garden's edge, which consisted of an interactive metal wall surrounded by tables. Only one of them was occupied, and the vehicle stopped in front of it to let Khan jump out.
Khan had obviously inspected the table while the car was getting close. Four people were sitting at it, and he recognized two of them. One was Professor Nickton, who had surprisingly worn clean clothes. Instead, the other was the often-ill Professor Parver, who had tubes stretching out of his right forearm and ending in a rectangular machine behind him.
"Professors," Khan performed a military salute after landing on the floor. Still, he couldn't hide his curiosity toward the machine, and Professor Parver didn't miss that.
"Captain Khan," Professor Parver announced, revealing an amiable smile interrupted by a violent cough.
That scene was far from unusual. Everyone in the advanced classes knew that Professor Parver was chronically ill. Khan had only seen that skinny and pale man twice in the lessons, and violent coughs had afflicted him both times.
"Is everything okay, Professor?" Khan couldn't help but ask once the cough had ended.
"Captain, don't worry about me," Professor Parver reassured, cleaning his mouth with the handkerchief in his chest pocket. "I'm actually sorry for asking you to come while you are still injured."
Khan shook his head to reassure the Professor. Truth be told, he had a good impression of the man. His mana described him as a gentle and passionate person, and his lessons reflected that. Even Khan's peers agreed that the alien environments course was far more engaging when Professor Parver attended it.
"Let me introduce you to my friends," Professor Parver continued, pointing his hand at the only woman at the table. "This enchanting woman is Carla Bevet. She specializes in alien botany and takes care of the garden behind me, among other things."
Carla Bevet looked only a few years older than Khan, but her mature gaze hinted at a different truth. She had short brown hair, dark eyes, and tanned skin, and she wore a genuine smile when she stood up to shake Khan's hand.
"Captain Khan, it's a pleasure to meet you," Carla announced. "I admit I am a bit of a fan."
"I'm flattered, ma'am," Khan chuckled.
"And don't mind Professor Parver," Carla continued. "He is too kind with his words. I'm only one of the experts in charge of the garden, and the enchanting part is also arguable."
"I beg to disagree, ma'am," Khan joked.
"Oh, such a player," Carla giggled while returning to her seat, "Just like the rumors say. If only I were thirty years younger."
'Excuse me?' Khan shouted in his mind without letting a single twitch reach his face. 'Thirty what?'
"The gentleman here is John Nore," Professor Parver continued, pointing at the white-haired man in front of him. "He specializes in robotics but also manages countless functions of the Harbor. His team is the very best."
"Captain Khan," John stood up, showing a firm and lively grip when he shook Khan's hand. "Your battle with the Radola was inspiring. I'm glad the new generations have someone like you to look up to."
"I still needed to rely on the turrets, sir," Khan remained humble.
"I would have put my money on you even without the turrets," John chuckled, and his smile highlighted the many wrinkles on the corners of his mouth and bionic eyes.
"You already know Professor Nickton," Professor Parver added once John returned to his seat. "He told me you gave him a shipment worth of Radola yesterday."
"Mostly maimed Radola," Professor Nickton corrected.
"He isn't angry at you," Professor Parver winked at Khan. "It's the turrets that he hates."
Khan laughed, but an awkward silence followed. He had yet to take a seat since it wouldn't be proper without an explicit invitation, and the purpose of that meeting was still a mystery. Luckily, Professor Parver didn't let that situation continue for too long.
"Captain," Professor Parver stated, "If you allow it, I'll keep the first part brief."
'It's not just one thing,' Khan realized while far different words left his mouth. "Certainly, sir."
"You have a unique insight into alien environments and species," Professor Parver declared. "I would like you to lend me that power."
Khan had to hold back a frown. Professor Parver had spoken the truth, but Khan remained unqualified for those scientific tasks. He wasn't even sure he could explain what he felt to people loyal to the human arts.
"Sir, I'm just a student," Khan tried to explain his situation in the best way he could.
"Far from it," Carla giggled.
"Indeed," Professor Parver continued. "Besides, you want to become an ambassador. With my recommendation and the experience accumulated in these tasks, you'll score a job in the embassy's offices as soon as the semester ends."
To be continued