"How did you even find booze up here?" Khan laughed when George walked proudly toward him.
"You should never underestimate the power of a driven man!" George announced before sitting in front of Khan and filling the two glasses.
The two instinctively toasted according to the Niqols' traditions and took a long sip before revealing disgusted expressions. The liquor was different from what they had become used to drinking on Nitis. It had a strong flavor that made their throats burn for a few seconds before spreading warmth in their stomachs.
"I should have asked Doku for some recipes," George complained.
"Knowing how to make booze is the last thing you need," Khan mocked, and the two boys exploded into a loud laugh.
"Hey, I'm heartbroken here," George stated while trying to suppress his laughs. "I need some liquid love to keep going."
"You should be careful," Khan suggested. "You don't have anyone stopping you from becoming an alcoholic now."
"Is it strange that I already miss her slaps?" George asked. "Havaa knew how to hurt without really hurting me. I don't know if that makes sense."
Khan's smile grew helpless as he nodded. He could vaguely understand what he meant, even if his experience with that topic involved Liiza's violent passion.
"We have been the luckiest boys in the entire universe for a few months," George sighed as he picked up his cup and drank a small sip.
"How is it?" Khan asked in front of George's frown.
"It does get better after the first sip," George commented, and Khan didn't hesitate to test that for himself.
The liquor soon filled his throat with its intense flavor again, but it didn't burn with the same intensity as before. Khan even managed to start appreciating that taste.
"Maybe you should stop being a soldier and make your brand," Khan joked.
"Life would definitely be easier," George groaned while inspecting the robots cleaning the debris in the hall. "It looks like you also need a break from all of this."
"I was just blowing off some steam," Khan responded. "I think I frightened the soldier who led me here. The guy even called me sir after leaving me."
"The two of us have more experience than most of the soldiers in this space station," George scoffed. "Our eyes see the world differently, and they can understand that when they look at us."
"They don't know how lucky they are," Khan chuckled.
"They have no idea," George confirmed before refilling both cups.
A few drinks went by as the two boys cracked jokes, but silence eventually fell among them. It felt hard to keep talking when it was just the two of them.
"Did you already think about your next move?" George asked after a few silent minutes went by.
"I have no idea," Khan admitted. "What about you?"
"On this topic," George cleared his throat. "I know that we have joked about this, but I wouldn't mind following you. We make a good team. The Global Army will throw promotions at us if we keep performing so well everywhere we go."
Khan's eyes opened in surprise, but warmth soon replaced that feeling. He could see that George didn't want the two of them to separate, especially after everything they had experienced, but his desire felt slightly forced. Khan believed that his friend was partially suggesting that for him.
"George, have you thought about going back on Earth?" Khan asked with all the affection that he could put in his tone.
"Why would I go back on Earth?" George questioned. "I can already think about the countless political obligations that my family would force me to attend."
Khan heaved a deep sigh as he sorted out his thoughts. He knew George well, and he valued his friendship a lot, but he couldn't let him commit a mistake out of fear of remaining alone.
"George, why did you leave Earth in the first place?" Khan asked.
"Why do you even ask?" George questioned in an annoyed tone. "You know damn well why I left."
"I also know that Professor Supyan has helped you make peace with that reason," Khan continued. "You don't need to be away from Earth anymore. You can go back home and show to your family and the Global Army the kind of man that you have become."
"A young drunkard?" George asked.
"One of the most promising warriors in the entirety of the Global Army," Khan corrected.
"You should have said that I was the most promising warrior if you really wanted to convince me," George laughed.
"Impossible," Khan joined his laugh. "That would be me."
"Success corrupts even the best of us," George sighed, but his laugh ended when he noticed that Khan had started to stare at him with warm eyes.
"Khan, why do you want to remain alone so badly?" George asked. "You have been there for me when I was a mess. Why can't I do the same for you?"
"I can't consider you a friend and use you at the same time," Khan declared while laying the back of his head on the wall. "Love doesn't work like this."
George wanted to correct Khan. He could see that his words involved Liiza and the recent separation, but he still desired to reassure him. Yet, something told him that Khan probably needed to be alone.
"You are helpless," George cursed. "You are strong enough to inspire an entire generation of recruits, but you don't let anyone learn from you."
"No one should be like me," Khan said, and his smile left George speechless.
Istrone and Nitis had filled George with bad memories, but Khan surpassed him in that field. George also knew something affected his friend in ways that he couldn't understand. Mere traumas couldn't forge such a firm, driven, and strong character without other details that he couldn't see.
George believed to be quite close to Khan's mindset. He even felt confident enough to claim that he was one of the few people in the entire universe who could understand him. However, there was a gap that he couldn't fill. George couldn't reach the same depths of Khan's mind that Liiza had managed to touch.
Nevertheless, George trusted Khan deeply. He knew that his friend wasn't a reckless idiot who could fall prey to booze or similar dangerous distractions. Moreover, Khan was smart enough to understand what would benefit George the most and drive him on that path.
"Promise me that you will ask for my help if you ever find yourself in a tough spot," George requested after accepting that he couldn't do anything else for Khan.
"Of course," Khan promised. "You are at the top of my list right now."
George didn't find any lies in that statement, and the event rejoiced him. His worry slowly vanished as he refilled the cups and called for another toast.
The two boys resumed their rounds of jokes, but someone interrupted them by knocking at the hall's doors. George initially panicked due to the liquor, but Khan didn't care about that enough to delay the opening of the entrance.
George widened his eyes when he saw Lieutenant Kintea entering the training hall with a small backpack on his shoulder, but Khan's calm movements calmed him down. Khan stood up and performed a simple military salute before sitting back to the floor, and George imitated him.
Lieutenant Kintea inevitably gazed at the bottle and cups between the two boys, but he pretended not to see them. He cleared his throat and stepped deeper into the training hall before speaking in a polite tone. "George, can you leave us? I need to speak with Khan."
George nodded before standing up again. Yet, he recalled something when he was about to reach the exit, and Lieutenant Kintea had to watch as the boy went back to Khan, filled his drink, and took the bottle with him without forgetting about his cup.
Lieutenant Kintea's patience seemed about to reach its limits during that slow scene, but he didn't say anything. Khan sealed the door after George left, and the soldier took that as the signal to explain the reason behind his visit.
"The Global Army is aware of everything that has happened on Nitis," Lieutenant Kintea explained. "I hope you don't mind that I mentioned your relationship with Ambassador Yeza's daughter."
"It's fine, sir," Khan calmly replied as he picked his cup and laid his back on the wall.
"Excellent," Lieutenant Kintea exclaimed. "I believe you can understand how valuable you have become for the Global Army. Your feats on Istrone and Nitis can grant you access to every destination you desire. I'm sure you can even strive to become a Lieutenant this year. You would only have to apply for the position."
"I'm still unclear about my future, sir," Khan honestly admitted.
"I would like to give you more time," Lieutenant Kintea exclaimed, "But we can't remain on this space station for too long. Besides, your second year has already begun, and you are quite behind in many aspects of your education. That obviously wouldn't be a problem if you were busy elsewhere, but I need you to tell me what you want to do first."
"Do you mean now, sir?" Khan asked.
"I can give you a few hours," Lieutenant Kintea responded. "Why don't you check your phone to find a suitable position? I'm sure that the Global Army has already updated your profile."
Khan nodded, and Lieutenant Kintea revealed a polite smile before leaving his backpack on the floor and approaching the exit. The phone fell in Khan's hand after the door closed behind the soldier, and a series of notifications appeared as soon as he turned the device on.
Nitis was a classified area, so the messages from outside the planet had to go through a briefing. Khan had even left the human camp after a single month, so he didn't gain access to the Global Army's network for a long time.
However, those restrictions didn't apply anymore now that Khan was on the space station. He could see that Luke and Bruce had sent a few messages while he was on Nitis. Most of them tried to check on his situation, while others updated him about Martha's condition.
'She is still in a coma,' Khan understood after reading all the messages.
After loving Liiza so hard, Khan could only see Martha as a dear friend. He missed their casual conversations and her constant support. Her gentle and mature words would be able to alleviate his sadness, but it seemed that her body and mind still needed time to heal.
Khan didn't reply to Luke and Bruce as he checked his profile. A long list of tasks and positions meant for first-level warriors unfolded in his eyes. Most of them wanted him to become a foot soldier in different environments, and those jobs even had a number of Credits written next to them, but Khan couldn't understand whether those sums were good or bad due to his ignorance in the field.
Only a couple of labels involved roles as an apprentice ambassador, but they were on special academies on Earth. They even required Khan to have high grades to pay for his enrollment.
After reading those labels, Khan felt forced to consider Earth as an option, but everything inside him opposed those thoughts. Going back there meant returning to a world where everything he had experienced on Nitis didn't matter. Moreover, he still lacked the knowledge, confidence, and power to face his father.
The crisis on Nitis had broadened Khan's understanding of mana, forcing him to realize how weak he was. Khan was exceptional for his age, but he was still powerless. He couldn't save anyone nor affect the scales of a battle, and that felt unacceptable right now.
The injuries caused by the monster's feathers had long since healed, but Khan still recalled how his best efforts had been pointless. Liiza had lost an arm even if he had jumped in front of an attack for her. The value of his life couldn't be high if he could only achieve so little by putting it on the line.
The desire to improve transformed into a faint need. Khan would have been able to discuss Liiza's situation with the elders if he were stronger. He wouldn't have witnessed so many deaths during the crisis if he had the power to take over entire battles on his own.
Khan then recalled the backpack left by the soldier. He approached it quickly, and a dark-blue military uniform unfolded in his vision when he opened it. The clothes seemed to fit him, but his eyes grew resolute when he saw the single star on the right shoulder. The secrets behind his nightmares, the solar system, and the Nak also required far more than that, and simple academies couldn't make him stronger.
After two hours, Lieutenant Kintea returned inside the training hall and felt surprised to find Khan deep into a meditative state. Still, his arrival in the area awakened him.
"Did you make up your mind?" Lieutenant Kintea asked when Khan opened his eyes.
"I did," Khan said while picking his phone and throwing it on the military uniform next to him. "I won't join any platoon or academy."
"Why is that?" Lieutenant Kintea questioned. "Those environments are perfect for your growth, especially after everything you have experienced."
Khan shook his head as the resolve in his eyes intensified. He had given his everything, but he had still seen his happiness slip through his fingers. He wanted to get stronger quickly, and only one place could grant him that.
"Send me to the battlefield," Khan firmly requested.
