"Why me?" Khan couldn't help but ask.
"I told you, it sounded like a whim," Luke repeated. "Knowing my uncle, he might simply be interested in Nitis' events."
Khan voiced a faint "oh". Luke had politely decided not to add anything, but it wasn't hard to connect the dots. Raymond's expertise dealt with alterations caused by mana, so the mutations experienced by Nitis' lifeforms had to be an interesting topic for him.
Still, it became impossible to stop Khan's paranoia. The Global Army didn't make most of Nitis' events public, but someone like Raymond Cobsend was bound to have access to accurate reports. He could probably get detailed explanations written by fellow experts through his position.
Khan's thoughts ran wild. A meeting with such an important figure could benefit his career, but it could also be a trap, and a fourth-level warrior was simply too much for him. He even imagined an outcome where he found Rodney and Raymond waiting for him in that meeting.
However, the matter had an even greater problem. Luke had made it sound like a trivial request, but Khan's background remained quite poor. He didn't know if his refusal would bring negative consequences. He wasn't even sure if he could make that decision.
Once the paranoia waned a bit, Khan managed to notice other emotions. He was worried and scared, but some curiosity existed inside him. He wanted to learn more about Raymond, and missing out on the chance of finding clues would be an insult to his recent struggles.
'Am I really going to accept?' Khan wondered. 'When did I get so reckless?'
Of course, recklessness wasn't the only force involved in that decision. Khan's doubts created some leeway. Raymond could be awful, but his behavior toward Khan might not reflect that.
'Dad would probably know more about him,' Khan sighed in his mind. Problems he didn't want to face revealed their presence as soon as he thought about Bret, but he fended them off by restarting the conversation.
"He came here because of me," Khan announced. "Fulfilling his whim sounds proper."
"Are you sure?" Luke asked.
"Sure, set up a meeting," Khan confirmed. "I can only wait at the moment anyway."
"Perfect!" Luke exclaimed before moving to a previous topic. "As for the panic you mentioned, does it involve my family?"
"Luke, don't put me in this position," Khan responded while retaining a perfect poker face. "It's too dangerous to throw around accusations. It would be even if I had proof."
Luke was nowhere near stupid. He had understood something, and the matter troubled him. His expression didn't show his feelings, but Khan saw them reflected in the synthetic mana.
"Alright," Luke eventually announced. "I'll trust you on this one."
"Thanks," Khan weakly voiced before gulping down his drink. "I guess we are done here."
"Yes," Luke replied. "I'll let you know when my uncle sets up the meeting."
Khan nodded as he left his drink on the interactive desk and picked up his backpack. He was ready to go, but he felt that a warning was necessary. "You know politics better than me, so don't do anything reckless."
"Khan, I'll do what I have to," Luke stated. "My position comes with obligations."
"You hired me to do the dirty work in your place," Khan declared. "Jumping in the fray would only make it harder for me."
Luke wanted to reject that statement, but Khan was right. Staying still was challenging but also necessary at times, especially when the issue involved something as complicated as a wealthy family.
"I'm entrusting you with something extremely precious to me," Luke uttered.
"Maybe I will take that raise," Khan laughed before finally turning and approaching the entrance.
Luke's eyes never left Khan during his departure. He didn't like to remain in the dark, but he was getting something in exchange. Khan was turning into the exact soldier he wanted into his personal force.
Khan left the meeting room without addressing those gazes and finding Bruce and Master Ivor in the corridor didn't change his mood. He was done for that day.
"I'm hitting the bed," Khan exclaimed while waving at Bruce and Master Ivor.
"Goodnight, Lieutenant Khan," Master Ivor politely said.
Bruce limited himself to a nod, and Khan smiled before crossing the two men to stride to the elevator. A sigh left his mouth when the lift began its descent, and his cold expression broke due to the thoughts assaulting his mind.
'What a mess,' Khan cursed.
Raymond, Rodney, the Cobsend family, and Francis created a troublesome picture that would make anyone run away. The job was too complex for a mere second-level warrior, and the problems didn't even end there.
Khan could accept Rodney's situation. He was a criminal who had chosen to spend his punishment doing an illegal but financially remunerative job. There could be more behind it, but that was enough to explain his motives.
The same went for Raymond. Khan was almost sure he was hiding something, but his alibi was solid. On the surface, Khan could believe that Raymond had flown to Milia 222 just to reassure the families involved with the factory.
The unclear general motive of the theft was the greatest issue. Money seemed a reasonable explanation, but flaws existed. The reinforced fabric would have probably already left Milia 222 in that case.
Khan didn't know how long it would take to reverse engineer the reinforced fabric, but months had passed since the first theft. It would make sense for something to pop up in that period unless the lab was on Milia 222.
Even if that explanation made sense, Khan couldn't completely believe it. His guts were telling him that something was off, and only further investigation could reveal the truth.
'Meetings, lies, and money,' Khan mocked himself. 'That's the life I'm trying to build.'
Those thoughts would usually generate sour feelings, but Khan had reached his room by then. Jenna's sensual figure welcomed him with a warm smile, and all of that vanished as Khan jumped in her arms.
.
.
.
The alarm cut the nightmare short. Khan woke up early and silenced his phone, only to hear Jenna's groan. He could almost predict the torrent of complaints about to fly on his way, so he left a kiss on her forehead to put her back to sleep.
Khan dressed up in a hurry and left the room to head for the elevator. Problems tried to show their presence, but they failed to take control of his thoughts. He had something very different in mind, and a smirk even made its way onto his face.
A short walk and a knock on a door made a splendid figure appear in Khan's vision. Monica stood before the entrance with her shy expression and her lovely clothes. She was wearing a skirt again, but she had opted for a shirt that morning.
"Don't just stand there," Monica complained before grabbing Khan's right wrist and pulling him inside the room.
Khan voiced a laugh while the door closed behind him. Monica left his wrist, but he grabbed hers before she could fall prey to her shyness. The gesture forced her to face Khan, and she lowered her gaze to mutter another complaint.
"You came earlier than agreed," Monica muttered.
"I wanted to catch you by surprise," Khan teased, "Maybe without these fancy clothes."
"I needed to prepare for work," Monica pointed out. "I have to attend my shift today."
"What's your job?" Khan asked.
"Bodyguard," Monica explained. "I surveil warehouses or shipments."
"And you go dressed like this?" Khan joked.
"I will change into a tracksuit," Monica scoffed while raising her gaze before realizing that she had committed a mistake. She lowered her face again, but it was too late by then.
"So," Khan stated while pulling Monica's arm to place it on his shoulder, "You wore this for me."
Monica slowly lifted her gaze while doing the same with her right arm. She wrapped herself around Khan's neck before whispering a question. "Do you like it?"
Khan could tease Monica a bit longer, but his mind went blank. He lowered his head, and the two exchanged a deep kiss in which Monica managed to be bolder than before.
That kiss felt better that day. Monica was more at ease, which allowed her to become completely immersed in the intimate interaction. She tightened up the embrace to keep Khan close, and she even dug her fingers into his hair to enjoy the moment as much as possible.
Of course, the kiss couldn't last forever, especially with Khan wanting more. His hands went on Monica's waist and stayed there for a while before descending a bit.
Monica let out a faint moan under Khan's caresses, but she recalled where she was when he gave her butt a light squeeze. She didn't mind that, but she still decided to push Khan away before things could get too dangerous.
"You always stop me before the fun part," Khan groaned while Monica pressed on his shoulders to prevent him from getting closer.
Monica gulped and lowered her gaze only for an instant. When her eyes returned to Khan, her voice became serious. "Is that a problem?"
Khan frowned and brought one hand to Monica's cheek before questioning her. "What's the matter?"
Monica's resolve wavered. She nestled in Khan's hand and even left a kiss there before showing her puppy eyes and explaining her fears. "Am I going too slow? I don't want to bore you."
'Oh,' Khan thought while a warm smile forced its way on his face.
"Say something," Monica pleaded since Khan continued to smile at her in silence.
"Are you telling me that you'd do more than kissing?" Khan teased while pulling himself toward Monica. She could oppose him, but her arms carried no strength.
"I didn't-," Monica said before a kiss sealed her lips. The short gesture relaxed her and left the two's faces extremely close.
"It's pointless if you have to force yourself," Khan whispered. "We'll get there when you are ready or when you find me worthy of a descendant of the Solodrey family."
Monica's eyes widened. The last part of Khan's line was extremely embarrassing for her. She wanted to explain that her family had nothing to do with the matter, but the laugh that reached her ears told her that Khan already knew that.
"You always tease me," Monica pouted, and Khan simply kissed her again. A smile appeared on her face after reaching that understanding. She felt lighter, which reminded her of another issue.
"Khan," Monica called when the kiss ended. "Do you plan on letting go of my ass eventually?"
"Maybe we are going too slow," Khan joked, and Monica giggled as she grabbed the hand still clinging to her butt to place it on her waist. Then, she pulled him to resume the kissing session.
.
.
.
Peaceful days followed Khan's return to the second asteroid. His companions were often busy with their shifts, so he had a lot of free time and no actual tasks to attend to.
Monica couldn't fill those gaps. Visiting her room early in the morning was safe since everyone else was asleep, but the night could be dangerous. Her shifts occupied the rest of her day, so Khan had to settle for stealing a few minutes of her time before seeing her off to work.
The group gathered in the main hall late in the afternoon or after dinner, which gave Khan a chance to relax, but he opted to avoid those meetings. He wouldn't hold back from flirting with Monica there, and adding fuel to Francis' anger wasn't ideal.
The decision didn't come easy. Khan's new mindset would probably push him to face Francis. Yet, he had Monica to think about, and avoiding the meetings was the best option.
Martha visited Khan at times, but she mostly spent time with Jenna. Khan left his room whenever that happened to give the two women some privacy, and the event never bothered him too much. He simply entered a different room to continue his training during those moments.
Khan's training ended up occupying most of his days, except for one instance when he and Jenna left the building to visit members of her species. The couple handed Rodney's portrait to the Nele so that they could start a side investigation and involve the Orlats if necessary.
The investigation worked on three different layers at that point. Luke questioned his family and used its connections to find how Rodney had scored such an important job on Milia 222. The Nele searched for him through local methods, and the team continued to narrow down the suitable warehouses.
Another layer existed, but only Khan could pursue it, and the chance arrived quite soon. By the end of the week, Luke notified Khan that his uncle finally had some free time, so the meeting could happen.
Khan ate dinner in his room before wearing the fancy clothes Luke had prepared for him and leaving the building. The main hall was luckily empty at that time, so Khan could directly reach the ride waiting for him on the street.
The car set off almost immediately, disregarding the street and flying above the buildings to cross the city faster. The vehicle didn't actually have to go too far. Raymond's building turned out to be only a few blocks away from Luke's.
The vehicle didn't return to the street. It landed on top of the building before letting Khan out. The place didn't have much except an incredible view and a circular platform.
The rider had given Khan some instructions, so he stepped on the platform and remained still while it descended. The cylindrical metal wall didn't reveal anything, but an opening appeared when the lift stopped.
Khan found himself in an immense flat once he crossed the opening. The elevator behind him climbed back to the roof, and its entrance closed, but Khan barely paid attention to it while he studied the area.
The flat seemed as big as a floor in Luke's building, and most of its walls were transparent. Khan noticed a pool in a corner, a bath with a small waterfall coming from the ceiling, a giant meeting area, and various rooms filled with couches or desks.
Some areas had metal walls that shielded more than Khan's vision. His sensitivity couldn't go past them, and he didn't let his curiosity take over. He was in the middle of a giant foreign environment, so he remained still while waiting for someone to summon him.
No summons happened. Instead, the lift behind Khan started to move again and made him turn. Its metal surface soon slid open and revealed Raymond's smiling figure standing on a circular platform.
"Sir!" Khan exclaimed.
"Let's drop that, shall we?" Raymond laughed. "Mister Raymond and Mister Cobsend are both fine in public, but you'll use only Raymond when it's just the two of us."
Anyone would remain a bit speechless after that statement, so Khan took the chance to study Raymond. He was wearing a different suit, a black one with a grey shirt underneath. He had a bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other, but his mental state remained his most peculiar quality.
Khan sensed the same dark and bottomless pit when he inspected the faint changes in the synthetic mana. Raymond was giving off the exact vibe perceived in Luke's building, which was impossible even for skilled Nele. Only a true expert could have such thorough control, and it seemed that Raymond was one of them.
"Raymond," Khan eventually announced without even trying to come up with pretenses. "It's an honor to meet you again."
"That's it," Raymond laughed again. "I hope you don't mind if I drop the Lieutenant."
"Not at all," Khan responded. "I admit it gets annoying after a while."
"That applies to most rules in the Global Army," Raymond exclaimed. "Still, let me tell you a secret. The families are far worse."
Raymond winked at Khan, and the latter could only nod. The scene was genuinely odd for Khan. His sensitivity painted a worrisome picture, but his eyes saw the very opposite scene. Raymond was both dangerous and amiable, and Khan didn't know how to take that.
"Oh, where are my manners?" Raymond stated when he noticed the bottle in his hand. "Come into my office. Let's have a drink there."
Raymond crossed Khan before he could give any answer, and he followed him without adding anything. The two left the place with the elevator and walked until they reached a room next to the immense meeting area.
"I'm not the first to offer you booze before a meeting, am I?" Raymond joked when he placed the bottle on the desk at the end of the room. "The network is a pain. You say you like something, and anyone interested in you will bring it to the meetings."
"I don't complain," Khan played along.
"I bet," Raymond chucked as he started pouring the booze. "Nitis must have left a deep mark for you to like it this much."
'We started already,' Khan thought before giving an honest answer. "It did."
"I'm sorry for how things went there," Raymond stated while handing a half-full glass to Khan. "No one should go through so much in such a short time, especially at your age."
Khan revealed a helpless smile before taking the glass. He didn't have answers for that statement. Sometimes the universe was simply a terrible place.
"Cheers," Raymond voiced as he brought his glass to his face. He kept it under his nose to sniff the booze inside it before taking a short sip, which left him quite pleased.
Khan didn't have such elegant manners. His sip was far longer, but his eyes widened in surprise when the booze's excellent taste invaded his mouth. Warmth spread through his throat and filled his chest with a cozy feeling without bringing any burning sensation. That definitely was one of the best drinks he had ever had.
"Ah! You like it," Raymond almost shouted when he noticed Khan's reaction. "I'm glad. I picked it up myself from a canteen in this very building."
"I'd better drink a lot then," Khan shamelessly announced.
"I'd be offended otherwise," Raymond responded. "Anyway, I won't pry on Nitis' matters any further. You can relax."
"I thought you wanted to hear my reports," Khan revealed.
"I have a library of those reports," Raymond uttered. "Mutations with random mixtures of mana are an interesting topic, but humans have learnt to trigger similar reactions long ago. It's not even a special field anymore."
"Then, why am I here?" Khan expressed his doubts.
"It's really rare for me to get laid-back meetings," Raymond explained as he moved toward one of the couches in the office. "I barely caught any sleep since my arrival here. I wanted to have something I might actually enjoy."
"I hope I'm good company," Khan voiced.
"You are already the high point of my week," Raymond laughed. "Sit now, and don't forget the bottle."
Khan complied. He took the bottle and approached the couch in front of Raymond. The two sofas didn't have any table between them, so Khan left the booze on the floor when he sat.
"My nephew has nothing but praises for you," Raymond revealed. "I hope you are taking good care of him."
"I'm doing my best," Khan replied, "But Luke also knows his stuff. I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without his financial and logistic support."
"Of course, he does," Raymond exclaimed. "He is a Cobsend. He must know how to deal with political and social issues."
Khan couldn't use his sensitivity, but his experience remained deep. Raymond had used a mocking tone, which probably was on purpose.
"Don't mind me," Raymond said when he noticed Khan's hesitation. "My brother and I have very different ideas on how to raise a descendant and on many other topics."
"But you did come to Milia 222 to reassure the families," Khan pointed out. "I hope that wasn't too troublesome."
"Khan," Raymond smirked, "There is a difference between political duty and familiar affection. On the surface, I came here as an envoy of the Cobsend family, but I'm only buying Luke time. I won't steal any merit from him once he completes the mission."
The opposite aspects depicted by Khan's senses only deepened as the conversation continued. Raymond wasn't only cheerful and open-minded. He also sounded like a caring uncle.
'Where is the source of his darkness?' Khan wondered, even if he knew he wouldn't get answers.
"Maybe I lied a bit," Raymond announced, interrupting the silent moment. "I did want a break from my meetings, but there are other reasons."
Khan nodded, and Raymond continued. "You are a living example of one of the few mutations humans can't recreate. I wanted to see you with my eyes."
"Is the Nak's mana so rare?" Khan wondered while choosing words that might answer some of his oldest questions. "I've always thought that the Global Army had samples or similar items."
"The mutation isn't the main point," Raymond explained. "I'm more interested in the process. You know, many call me a genius, but your father was simply better, and I can't find any record of what he did to save you."
