C506 Possibilities
"She'll come around," Zoe reassured after the group spent a few seconds in silence.
"Maybe it's better if she doesn't," George sighed, lying deeper into his couch's back and gulping down what remained of his drink.
"No need to get all depressed," Mark joined Zoe.
George shook his head before shooting an annoyed glance at his empty glass. He didn't want to go over those topics sober and with those people. Yet, he couldn't pass for someone who didn't care about Anita either, which put him in a pickle.
"It's not like that," Khan intervened. "Our world has blood and corpses. It's not a place you want your loved ones to know."
Khan let go of Monica's leg to immerse his hand in her hair before continuing. "I definitely didn't want her to know mine and share its problems."
"But you couldn't keep me out," Monica whispered, turning her head to lay it on Khan's palm.
"Not for lack of trying," Khan sighed, rubbing his thumb on Monica's cheek while memories resurfaced. He lost himself in that beautiful face, and the kiss that Monica delivered on his palm put him deeper into that state.
Khan didn't forget Monica's injury during the battle with the Nak's hand. That wasn't strictly Khan's fault, but he still put it on himself, and things got worse afterward due to the political implications of their relationship.
"You were ready to remain unhappy to spare others from your pain," Monica muttered, leaving Khan's hand to reach his shoulder. "I loved how protective you were, but someone had to beat some sense into you."
"You should have been uglier," Khan cursed, closing his left arm around Monica's head to bring her closer, "And not being so cute when you are angry."
"Khan, they can hear us," Monica complained, but Khan retained his pensive expression while seizing her nose with his right hand. Monica felt weak before that face, and only a whispered whimper escaped her mouth. "Stupid, kiss me already."
Mark, Zoe, Marcia, and even Lucian remained stunned before the kiss. The gesture alone was surprising enough to be on the front page of every news and seeing Monica's submissive side added fuel to that feeling.
John couldn't help but leave his couch and sit beside Mark to be closer to that interaction. He even took out his phone to capture the kiss, but Mark promptly covered and lowered the device.
"He tamed Monica Solodrey," John gasped, gazing at Mark. "He is the chos-."
"Before we continue," Khan spoke before John could finish his line. "I don't know Lucy too well. Should I worry?"
"I'll talk to her later," Zoe stated. "Though it would be better if Monica came with me."
"It's not a problem as long as she apologizes to Khan," Monica declared.
"Monica," Khan scolded.
"Lucy must mind her tone in your presence," Monica explained. "It would be disrespectful toward my family and me if she didn't treat you with the appropriate respect."
"Monica is right," Lucian joined the conversation. "Khan, you aren't a simple Captain anymore. Any action toward your figure is reflected on the Solodrey family, and ignoring offenses would show that you don't respect your new status."
Khan didn't expect Lucian to be on Monica's side. He preferred things to be friendlier, especially in that isolated environment. Yet, a single look at the room told Khan that his other companions agreed with Monica too.
"I see," Khan accepted, glancing at Monica. "Maybe we should meet her together then. It could be an opportunity to have a group date."
Monica's eyes lit up when she heard the word "date", but she forced herself to remain calm due to her companions' presence. She adjusted her position in Khan's embrace and put her hands on her folded legs before responding casually. "If that's what you want, we can plan something out."
Khan had a hard time containing his smile, but his efforts were pointless before that audience. Those descendants had received the best type of political and social education. They couldn't miss how excited Monica was at that idea.
"I thought you had plenty of dates already," Marcia announced, leaving her couch to sit next to George and be closer to the couple.
"We would have known about that," Mark pointed out.
"What did you do instead of going out?" Zoe teased. "Don't tell me you jumped into his arms without getting to know him."
"It was complicated," Monica giggled, trying to reject those statements. "Mister Cobsend's mission had the priority, and Khan was always busy being Khan. We only stole moments and a few nights before deciding to give us a chance."
"It sounds like Zoe is right," John exclaimed, lighting a new cigarette and crossing his legs on the couch.
"We had our moments," Khan revealed. "A drink now and then, a few honest talks, and I clearly remember a slap."
"We don't talk about that," Monica voiced an awkward laugh, reaching for the bottle on the table to refill her drink.
"Why not?" Khan teased, showing his empty glass to Monica. "I knew I liked you after that."
Monica wanted to snap and go full whiny girlfriend mode, but the situation prevented that behavior. She still didn't know if she could trust her classmates, and that meeting was about Wayne and the criminal organization now. As much as she wanted to monopolize Khan, she knew and respected her other priorities.
"Unfair," Monica limited herself to whispering, filling Khan's glass, "But you are taking me out to buy a dress first."
"Anything you desire," Khan immediately accepted, and Monica brought her glass to her face to hide how happy she was.
"Shall we go back to the main topic?" Lucian eventually cleared his throat.
"Don't ruin the mood," John booed.
"Joking around is fine," Mark exclaimed, leaving his couch to reach the nearest wall, "But the situation is quite serious."
Mark played with the flat's menus until holograms appeared on one side of the array of couches. He even approached them to make the images display the Harbor's system, and red marks spread on those azure lights whenever his fingers touched them.
"The kidnapping attempt happened on Nippe 2," Mark stated, leaving a red spot on the mentioned planet. "Then, Wayne joined the advanced classes, only to lead Khan into a secret warehouse on Induna."
Red spots appeared on the Harbor and Induna after Mark's touches. The map still felt too empty, but that was a start.
"Do we know anything else?" Mark asked, turning toward his classmates. "Khan, do you know why they contacted you?"
Khan could sense Lucian's gaze on him. The two had already spoken about the topic, and Lucian had even provided a better version of that map.
"They wanted a pilot," Khan revealed before nodding at Lucian.
"I've already assembled all the routes I could find," Lucian declared, also standing up to connect his phone to the room.
New holograms appeared, and Lucian reached Mark to make them fuse with the map. The red spots remained, and many routes joined them to create a complicated scenery. Even after isolating the Induna and Nippe 2, the options remained too numerous.
"A pilot means goods to transport," Mark continued. "Possibly, illegal goods. The equipment used during Princess Edna's kidnapping attempt is an obvious answer, but we can't exclude anything."
"Drugs are always valuable," John pointed out. "Abora is full of strange plants and whatnot. The illegal substances might be in the hundreds."
"And we can't exclude Abora," Zoe pointed out. "These criminals had a warehouse on Induna. They probably have similar structures in the rest of the system."
"Valuable metals," George announced. "Weapons are hard to smuggle, especially after the kidnapping attempt. Instead, the alloys used to build them don't have those problems."
"Metals," Mark repeated, using an empty part of the holograms to note those suggestions.
"They might simply want to cover their tracks," Monica guessed. "The nobles won't let go of the kidnapping attempt anytime soon. Maybe these criminals want to get rid of the hot merch to resume doing business."
"What about an attack at the Harbor?" Marcia wondered. "The embassy contains countless classified documents. A force with enough influence can create multiple political incidents with them."
"The embassy and the Harbor are well protected," George declared. "Even an entire fleet will struggle to invade it."
"These criminals have access to disposable teleports," Khan revealed. "Any chance they can teleport an army inside the Harbor?"
"The idea of an invasion is unrealistic," Lucian commented. "The nobles would blow up the entire system if it really fell into criminals' hands."
"So, are we safe?" Marcia asked. "I can't imagine a foreign force strong enough to face the nobles, but the kidnapping attempt still happened."
"It's not too foreign," John chuckled.
"Not foreign at all, I bet," Zoe sighed.
"We would have learnt about their existence long ago otherwise," Monica nodded.
"What?" Marcia gasped. "Do you mean there are traitors among us?"
"Lucian?" Mark called, and Lucian nodded before clearing his throat to attract everyone's attention.
"It's no secret that nobles and families stand above the Global Army," Lucian explained. "However, conflicts are the very foundation of that political array. It might be in someone's interest to create a criminal organization to affect the balance of power in some fields."
"Your family alone can create six or seven of them," George declared.
"Indeed," Lucian agreed. "Except for Khan, we are all privy to the complex internal struggles of our families. It's perfectly reasonable for a weak faction to resort to criminal methods to earn favor."
"How is that reasonable?" Marcia questioned.
"That's what I'd do," Lucian stated. "If I were a criminal, of course."
"About the drugs, the alloys, and the cover-up," Khan changed the topic. "Which do you think is more valuable?"
"Potentially?" Lucian asked. "All of them."
"Then they aren't what we are looking for," Monica responded. "Such rash behavior can only involve things these criminals can't afford to lose or fail. It must be something we would accept as the sole answer as soon as we learnt about it."
"Only the embassy matches those requirements," Zoe pointed out.
"And criminals wouldn't mess with interspecies treaties," Mark added. "Even they must fear the potential consequences."
"I feel Monica is up to something," John stated. "They wouldn't have exposed themselves over drugs and weapons. They aren't worth it."
"Lucian just said the opposite," Khan exclaimed.
"I'm not talking about their value in Credits," John explained. "They showed themselves, forsaking their secrecy, which should be priceless for criminals."
John's statement made so much sense that the entire room fell silent. Once again, Khan and the others found themselves without enough clues. They could exclude many options, but what remained was still too much for them.
"I'll tell you if I learn anything," Khan eventually exclaimed. "There might be something privy only to the Global Army."
"And how would you uncover that?" Marcia asked.
"I'm sure you all know about Professor Parver's intensive course," Khan uttered. "I'm injured, so this is a good chance to join it."
"Khan, there is a reason most of us don't attend it," Lucian voiced. "Most info about the Harbor is public or not classified enough for our parents."
"Well, I'm the youngest Captain in history," Khan stated. "That should be worth something in Professor Parver's eyes."
To be continued