C503 Barging
Induna's soldiers had gone looking for Khan as soon as they reported back to the Headmistress, and finding him in his injured state caused quite an uproar. The entire outpost ended up moving to get him doctors and someone who could fly him to the Harbor.
"Are you comfortable, Captain?" The pilot asked when the ship was ready for set-off.
Khan didn't know what to say. He found his situation annoying, but George wouldn't be able to hold back the laughs at it. He was on his ship but not in the pilot's seat. Induna's soldiers had loaded a bed in the cargo area, and he was stuck on it.
A doctor had put a metal structure around Khan's ankle to keep it still before bounding it to the ship's ceiling, forcing his leg to stay lifted. A slimy ointment that radiated a pungent smell covered his body too, causing an itching sensation that annoyed him to no end.
That wasn't even the worst part. Due to Khan's extensive injuries and reckless behavior, the Headmistress had put the outpost's strictest doctor in charge of him. She was a middle-aged woman with curly red hair tied in a bun and a mean face, and Khan seemed unable to defeat her.
"Ma'am, if I could at least-," Khan called.
"Captain Khan," The doctor interrupted. "I ordered you to sleep. People asleep don't make requests."
"But I really need to study," Khan almost pleaded, but the doctor ignored him and continued to browse her phone from the seat on the other side of the ship.
"Ma'am, I'm a Captain!" Khan tried to pull ranks, but the doctor promptly drew a cylindrical item that ended in a long needle from her pocket.
"Headmistress Holwen authorized me to sedate you," The doctor declared. "I respected your wish to meditate because it helps the healing process, but I won't hesitate to use this if you don't comply."
The doctor let a few seconds pass before adding a "sir" to her threat. Khan could see her mana, so he knew nothing would work against her. He could only give up.
A sigh escaped Khan's mouth as he slammed his head on the pillow. The soldiers had loaded his backpack on the ship, so the mission and his side businesses weren't in danger. Yet, he didn't want that free time. He would rather study than face his thoughts.
"Sir?" The pilot called again.
"Any chance I can decide the ship's speed?" Khan asked.
"None," The doctor firmly responded without lifting her eyes from her phone.
"Just set off," Khan sighed and closed his eyes. It wasn't even dinnertime, but the ship would take more than two days to reach the Harbor at the recommended speed, so Khan had to give up on being a perfect student.
The images from the past battle flowed in Khan's vision while he kept his eyes closed. His fury was still there. His unreasonable feelings had never disappeared, but no power came from them. They had simply settled in the back of his mind, ready to resurface when the situation required it.
'Dammit,' Khan cursed as more problems popped into his mind. He had left a simple message for Monica, but they couldn't have a proper conversation without his phone or access to the control desk. She would get worried, and Khan was powerless about it.
'I really did it this time,' Khan thought as his focus returned to the previous battle. 'I killed innocents just because they stood in my way.'
It almost felt strange how easy killing had gotten, but Lieutenant Dyester had warned Khan about that. Mana gave a chance to be gods among ordinary men, and Khan was a special case on top of that.
'I let my emotions have the best of me many times already,' Khan recalled past teachings, 'But killing isn't meaningless to me yet.'
Khan knew how he truly felt. He couldn't get rid of the sour emotions generated after taking a life. It was simply impossible with his ability to see the symphony.
'Still, that wasn't a war,' Khan admitted, 'And I killed anyway. Am I just at war with the world?'
Khan quickly disregarded that idea. It could be accurate, but he didn't want to follow that reasoning.
'Am I justifying killing now?' Khan mocked himself. 'Isn't that what murderers do?'
A sad answer arrived. No matter what Khan told himself, he had felt like a murderer since his first kill. He had yet to forget that young Kred, and part of him hoped he never would. In a way, he was grateful for his senses since they continued to make him feel bad about taking lives.
Similar thoughts ran through Khan's mind while the ship left Induna and flew toward the Harbor. He knew a thorough briefing awaited him but preparing for it felt pointless. He would rather spend the trip meditating and focusing on his mental state.
Two days passed in a blink since Khan spent most of his time meditating and sleeping. His body greatly benefitted from that constant rest, but he remained far away from a complete recovery. His superficial injuries had healed, but his ankle remained a mess, and the left side of his head continued to show burned flesh.
On the third day of travel, a short hour before dawn, the ship finally reached the Harbor and headed directly for a medical bay waiting for Khan inside one of the hangars.
More doctors visited Khan and upgraded his bandages. They replaced the metal structure on his ankle with special braces that closed themselves around his foot and half of his leg to provide better support. He could touch the floor with that new item, but walking remained difficult, and fighting was out of the question.
After redoing the other bandages and getting clean clothes, a special cab set off to bring Khan to the embassy, where the Headmistress was waiting for him. By then, he had gotten rid of the strict doctor, but the lack of a phone prevented him from studying or contacting his friends.
The cab crossed most of the Harbor before landing on one of the embassy's roofs. A team was already waiting for Khan, and a soldier approached the vehicle to open his door and hand crutches.
Khan could only go along with that situation. He put the crutches under his armpits and let the team lead the way toward the now-familiar office. The Headmistress was already behind her desk, but her head remained lowered on her many reports even after the soldiers left them alone.
The Headmistress' silence didn't affect Khan. He staggered on his crutches until he reached a chair before the desk and sat on it. Bandages still covered the left side of his head, so he supported his chin on his right hand while waiting for Headmistress Holwen to start the briefing.
The symphony told Khan that the Headmistress didn't like his carefree attitude. She was only pretending to look at the reports, or, rather, she preferred to deal with them instead of Khan. However, the two couldn't just waste the morning like that.
"What did you think you were doing?!" Headmistress Holwen shouted, slamming her hands on the interactive desk and standing up.
"You told me to play the bait, ma'am," Khan replied. "I baited."
"How is going off on your own baiting?" Headmistress Holwen questioned.
"Wayne was there," Khan explained shortly. "They were trying to contact me, so I followed to see what they wanted."
Khan had stuck to a simple report while he was on Induna. The planet was already compromised, so the Headmistress wanted to leave the details for her office, and she couldn't help but get curious now.
"Tell me everything," Headmistress Holwen ordered, returning to her seat.
"Didn't you scour the place I mentioned?" Khan wondered.
"You can't expect Induna's forces to dig out everything in two days," Headmistress Holwen said. "Besides, I'm waiting for my trusted team to get there before starting the real digging operations."
"That's probably for the best, ma'am," Khan agreed. "Anyway, how should I explain this."
Khan kept his explanation short but didn't miss any detail. The Headmistress was ready to sacrifice him if necessary, but her stern character made her trustworthy, and Khan needed powerful allies.
Confirming the connection between Mister Chares and Wayne tried to fill the report with positive vibes, but the rest of the explanation soured the mood. Another criminal organization was doing business in the Harbor's system, and they even had secret warehouses capable of arming rebels.
Of course, the Headmistress heard Khan's description of the crowd. He told her how many people the underground hall held, but she ignored that detail to focus on the Harbor's businesses.
"I need to ask for reinforcements," Headmistress Holwen admitted. "Kidnappers, unclear identities, and now secret warehouses. This system isn't safe."
Khan remained silent while the Headmistress played with her menus. He had said his piece, but the meeting was far from over.
"Captain, you can't be so reckless," Headmistress Holwen warned. "I don't know much about your private affairs, but you are Monica Solodrey's partner. Your death in a classified mission might bring the Solodrey family to the Harbor to ask for compensation."
"I wonder how much you'd pay for me," Khan laughed.
"Stop joking, Captain," Headmistress Holwen warned. "This is serious. You should know the extent of the Solodrey family's reach by now."
"I am serious, ma'am," Khan replied. "Still, we both know you have some of the answers I want. I accept that you can't tell me, but don't blame me for looking for them on my own."
Headmistress Holwen's face grew colder, but Khan knew the true emotions inside her. Some hesitation and even a tinge of guilt had appeared.
The Global Army couldn't exactly wipe the memory of anyone born before the Second Impact. There had to be many higher-ups who knew about Khan's parents, and the Headmistress had confirmed to be one of them with her mana.
"You must understand-," The Headmistress announced.
"I do," Khan interrupted, "But you must also understand my reasons."
"And how good are they if they make you do such things?" Headmistress Holwen questioned. "If that's your chosen path, you'll have to kill much more than that."
Khan scoffed before lowering his head. He had already reached similar conclusions. His battle prowess was his best quality from the Global Army's perspective, so it made sense for him to exploit it to climb the ranks faster.
"On Istrone," Khan announced, "I killed Kred to survive. On Nitis, I killed Niqols save pain from my loved one. On Ecoruta, I killed Stal due to orders. On Milia 222, I killed for multiple reasons."
Headmistress Holwen remained silent since she knew Khan's line wasn't over. Still, even if she knew about Khan's history, the list of his achievement continued to amaze her.
"This time, I killed for myself," Khan continued. "The threats and the survival instincts were still there, but I could have played it differently. Instead, I chose to kill."
"Was it the right choice?" Headmistress Holwen asked.
"It was my choice," Khan replied, shrugging his shoulders. Right or wrong didn't matter as long as he followed his desires.
"Well," Headmistress Holwen sighed, "You clearly can't join missions for a while."
"Ma'am, I can-," Khan tried to object.
"You can't," Headmistress Holwen reprimanded. "End of discussion. It's also better to keep you in the Harbor since we know they are targeting you, at least for now."
Khan had to give up. The Headmistress was right, but he didn't want to pull the brakes on his fame. Yet, she controlled the very ship he used to fly through the system. Khan couldn't go anywhere without her support.
"About the footage," The Headmistress continued. "Mister Chares didn't release anything, but what do you suggest I do if my team retrieves something?"
"Release it, ma'am," Khan firmly responded, knowing that the Headmistress had similar intentions. "Just send it anonymously to one of my sites."
"Are you sure?" Headmistress Holwen asked. "According to what you told me, it doesn't depict a nice picture."
"It will serve as a warning," Khan confirmed, "And you can spin it in my favor. You can pass it as if I stumbled upon a warehouse with the equipment used against Princess Edna and took matters into my own hands."
That was precisely what the Headmistress wanted to do. With that approach, she could bring awareness to the entire system and push criminal organizations into hiding.
Khan's fame would also improve due to his feats, but the slaughter might put some factions and families off. Praising his battle prowess against Tainted animals or kidnappers was easy, but the footage saw him killing seemingly mindlessly.
"As you wish, Captain," Headmistress Holwen eventually stated. "Mind you. I expect you to return to your missions as soon as you heal. My help has a price."
"I expected nothing less, ma'am," Khan declared.
"One last thing," Headmistress Holwen promptly added. "Do you think we might find survivors? Or someone who managed to escape with you?"
The battle flowed before Khan's eyes. He was certain no one had come out with him, and rubble had already filled the underground hall by then. Theoretically, escaping was impossible, but one face continued to appear in his vision, and he had to consider eventual alternative routes.
"If someone was lucky enough to…," Khan began to say before a realization dawned upon him. The matter sounded absurd, but mana could accomplish miracles. He had probably figured out Wayne's element, but nothing escaped his mouth.
"To?" The Headmistress pressed.
"To reach the elevator shaft," Khan quickly came up with a partial lie. "Also, the hall might have had other floors downstairs or additional escape routes. I can't be sure."
"I'll tell my team to scour the underground area too," Headmistress Holwen uttered. "I'll keep you updated about any finding."
"Thank you, ma'am," Khan voiced.
"Now," Headmistress Holwen said, preparing to stand up, but her office's entrance suddenly opened, and a presence that put a smile on Khan's face stormed inside.
"Two days without a single call!" Monica shouted. "More than two days-!"
Monica stopped shouting when her eyes met Khan's. A glance at his figure told her the extent of his injuries, and all her anger vanished to make room for worry.
"Miss Solodrey!" Headmistress Holwen scolded while leaving her chair. "This is a classified meeting in a private area of the embassy. You are trespassing!"
"I apologize for my disrespectful behavior," Monica performed one of her elegant bows. "However, I have complaints of my own. Headmistress, you don't have any right to hold a secret meeting with Captain Khan without warning me first."
"Miss Solodrey, I manage the Harbor," Headmistress Holwen stated. "I have every right to request an immediate briefing."
"Not at the expense of Captain Khan's health," Monica coldly remarked while reaching for Khan's shoulder. "Maybe the Solodrey name has so little value in your mind that you think you can mistreat my boyfriend without facing any consequences."
Khan could almost see an angry answer forming inside Headmistress Holwen's mind, but nothing left her mouth. She opted for silence before one of the wealthiest descendants in the Harbor.
"We are leaving, Headmistress," Monica declared in front of that silence. She even stretched her right hand toward Khan, but he showed a sorry smile when he reached for the crutches.
Monica didn't initially notice the crutches, and that sight deepened her worry. So much had happened that weekend, and the sole idea that Khan might have died tried to put tears in her eyes.
Khan stood up and handed one crutch to Monica, who seized it in confusion. Still, everything became clear when Khan took her right hand to kiss it. The gesture reassured Monica and made her unable to fight with the Headmistress anymore.
"We were done anyway," Khan whispered, seizing back the crutch and turning toward the Headmistress, "Right, ma'am?"
"Yes, this meeting is adjourned," Headmistress Holwen stated. "I'll keep you updated."
"Right, I need a new phone," Khan recalled.
"I'll have one delivered to your flat," Headmistress Holwen responded.
"Chaos resistant," Khan reminded before turning toward Monica. "Let's go home."
Monica was an emotional mess but mustered a nod and another elegant bow before heading for the exit with Khan. Headmistress Holwen soon remained alone in her office, and mental exhaustion fell on her, making her return to her seat.
"What a troublesome pair," Headmistress Holwen couldn't help but comment before acknowledging another detail. "They make a good couple."
To be continued