The stillness of death filled Khan's vision, leaving him speechless. That extreme gesture was a clue he couldn't ignore. The kidnappers couldn't be a random force if their members were willing to trigger deadly restrictions to avoid getting captured.
Khan's perspective had broadened after the events in Reebfell's Slums. He knew about organizations that defied the Global Army's leadership. Still, he didn't expect that resolve from their members.
Creating a secret lab to make extra money was reasonable. Yet, the attack on the Princess carried something Khan didn't completely understand. The kidnappers were ready to accept death. In a way, they were better soldiers than most of those enlisted in the Global Army.
'What does it take to have this kind of resolve?' Khan wondered while looking at the dead kidnapper. 'What were they trying to achieve?'
"How long is this taking?" Princess Edna complained. "I want to see the factory."
"They are coming," Khan revealed as his eyes remained on the corpse. He didn't need to turn to sense the arrival of a few ships.
Questions continued to resound in Khan's mind when the Princess turned toward the canyon. He wanted to know more about the Hive and those kidnappers, but Ron and the others probably wouldn't give him answers.
"What is the Hive?" Khan decided to ask in that moment of privacy.
"A terrorist organization," Princess Edna explained, uncaring whether Khan had the clearance to learn about the topic.
"Terrorist?" Khan questioned, but the Princess ignored him since the faint shapes of three ships had appeared in the distance.
"Princess, I deserve to know more," Khan pressed on.
"Right!" Princess Edna exclaimed. "You did rescue me. Thank you, Captain."
"Princess, the Hive," Khan reminded.
"I'll tell Ron to brief you," Princess Edna promised while patting her military uniform. "I'm all sandy."
"I don't know if I can learn that information," Khan finally diverted his gaze from the corpse.
"It's even in my hair," Princess Edna complained while continuing to inspect herself.
Khan couldn't find the strength to curse. The Princess was impossible to deal with, and trying wouldn't get him anywhere. He could only hope that Ron would handle the task.
The incoming ships moved fast, especially the one in the lead. They took less than a minute to reach Khan's position, and two figures jumped out of them before they could complete the landing.
"Princess!" Ron shouted right before landing on the sandy ground. Jack was with him but remained silent and hurried to the Princess' side.
"I want to see the factory," Princess Edna declared, and Ron completely ignored her to check up on her state.
The Princess was still a bit dizzy, but her body lacked any injury. She wouldn't even need to rest to recover completely, and Ron heaved a sigh of relief when he confirmed that.
That moment of peace was short-lived. As soon as the Princess' well-being became a certainty, Ron moved his glare at Khan, and a scolding followed.
"Why didn't you bring the Princess to safety immediately?" Ron questioned. "The scanners saw you chasing after the ships with her."
"Don't start," Khan groaned as he sat on the ground. "I was only following the Princess' orders."
"Captain Khan's performance didn't disappoint," Princess Edna added, "But he shouldn't have left me so far behind."
"Told you," Khan continued. "Completely innocent here."
The pain made its way into Khan's mind now that the situation had calmed down. The injuries suffered during the assault and chase showed their presence, and Khan closed his eyes to focus on moving his mana.
"Captain," Ron didn't let the matter go. "What you did was incredibly irresponsi-?"
"What is the Hive?" Khan interrupted without opening his eyes.
Ron went silent when the word "Hive" resounded in the orange air. He quickly hid his reaction, but Khan sensed his surprise anyway, confirming the topic's importance.
"Brief the Captain," Princess Edna ordered. "I promised you would tell him."
"Princess," Ron muttered, but the Princess didn't give him the time to finish his line. All the ships had landed by then, and she hurried toward one of them. Of course, Jack remained at her side the whole time.
Ron didn't need to follow the Princess' order. He had higher authority on matters that involved her safety. Yet, comparing her perfect state to Khan's injuries told him how much he had done to protect her.
"Did you hear that name from them?" Ron asked, eyeing the corpses in the area.
"They even told me I'd eventually join them," Khan half-joked.
"One more reason to keep you in the dark," Ron snorted.
"This secrecy might push me on their side," Khan responded. He couldn't be bothered to pretend to be polite in that situation.
Ron shot another glare at Khan but eventually gave up. Khan's feat deserved rewards, not punishments. Also, telling him about the Hive could help keep him on the Global Army's side.
"The Hive is a terrorist organization," Ron announced.
"That much I learnt from the Princess," Khan commented.
"Its goal is to change the current ruling system," Ron continued. "Taking down the noble families is only one of its targets. The Hive wants the very Global Army gone."
"Why?" Khan asked.
"The reasons are unclear," Ron sighed. "Different factions have different theories, but investigating properly is impossible. Every member has restrictions, and they don't follow a set pattern. They can be mere guards or nobles."
"Even nobles?" Khan couldn't help but open his eyes.
"The running theory is that the Hive has existed since the creation of the Global Army," Ron explained, ignoring the question on purpose. "It probably was an extremist faction made of all kinds of figures who ended up splitting from the main government."
"What is it now?" Khan asked.
"The main internal threat to humankind," Ron replied. "You probably ran into some members in Reebfell. They simply didn't approach you back then."
Reebfell's matters were classified, but a Princess' guard could obtain detailed reports. Ron probably knew more about the hidden lab than Khan since he couldn't gain access to the rest of the investigation.
"Are they planning to overthrow the Global Army with secret labs?" Khan scorned.
"That's the problem with the Hive," Ron explained. "It has many separate cells. Some might not even know that they belong to the Hive. The lab you found probably had nothing to do with it, but its members had to be on the scene."
Khan had to reevaluate what he saw as the truth. Suddenly, the two specialists, Madame, and any soldier involved in the investigation became suspects. Even the Slums' common citizens didn't escape that idea.
"Were you one of their members?" Khan asked when he gave up on finding suspicious behaviors in his memories.
"I found out my cult had something to do with the Hive only after joining the Princess," Ron revealed.
"Cult?" Khan repeated.
"That's the kind of faction I joined," Ron sighed and took off his broken glasses to rub his eyes. "I told you. The Hive has many cells, which can take different forms. You can't predict their behavior or identity unless you have someone on the inside."
Khan wasn't getting the answers he desired, but Ron's explanation helped him understand the situation a bit better. In short, the Global Army and the families had powerful enemies with great reach, and they could work in Khan's favor.
The idea of going against the Global Army had been in Khan's mind for a long time. He knew he would probably have to fight it to uncover the secrets he sought, and the Hive could be a valuable path.
Still, those revelations complicated Khan's mental picture of Earth's government. There always seemed to be more secrets waiting for him. Everything started with his doubts about the First Impact, but he had reached proper conspiracies now.
"Did they offer you to join them?" Ron asked while Khan was immersed in his thoughts.
"Not really," Khan chose to be honest while remaining partially vague. "Still, you were right. It sounded like I was a candidate."
"That's what they do," Ron confirmed. "They find valuable figures, approach them, and unleash a suitable indoctrination."
"What would be suitable for me?" Khan scoffed.
"Your mutations," Ron uttered. "The Nak, the Impacts. They won't hesitate to draw you in with those topics."
Khan believed his mental fortitude to be strong, but Ron had a point. Even Khan would falter in front of those topics. They weren't enough to make him switch sides, but they definitely stirred his interest.
"You," Ron continued but hesitated to change his initial line. "Captain Khan, I'll make sure the network gets words of your deeds."
"Thank you," Khan limited himself to say.
"No," Ron performed a military salute. "Thank you."
Khan showed a faint smile and nodded before a team of doctors left the ship to hurry toward him. Their arrival confirmed that the Princess was okay, so Ron rejoined her while those soldiers took a look at Khan.
The injuries weren't too severe but required attention anyway. Khan was scraped all over, especially on his face and hands. His arms carried traces of the bullets, and his left shoulder had burns due to the beam-like spell.
Those were superficial wounds that an ointment could fix in a few hours or a day. Instead, Khan's right hand and shoulder were worse off. His fingers hurt whenever he tried to move them, and the hole dug by the bullet wasn't any better.
The doctors patched Khan up on the spot, probably worsening his appearance due to all the bandages they used. Once they were done, Khan found himself with both arms, a cheek, and his forehead wrapped in white cloth. A few metal bars also kept his right hand straight, and a brace held his shoulder still.
"Captain Khan," One of the doctors called when Khan stood up, "Make sure to visit the medical bay once you are back in the Harbor. They need to redo all the bandages."
"Is it necessary?" Khan casually asked.
"Nippe 2's air tampered with these bandages," The doctor explained. "You risk an infection without clean ones."
"Alright," Khan gave up. "Thank you."
The doctors performed a military salute and remained at Khan's side while he approached the ships. The Princess' vehicle seemed off-limits for now, so he entered a different one, and the escort never left him.
"Do you have people with the descendants too?" Khan questioned once the ships began the set-off.
"We deployed all the factory's medical teams to handle this emergence," One of the doctors reassured. "Mister Ron also contacted the Harbor. Reinforcements should already be on their way."
"I believe they won't only stick to doctors," Khan guessed.
"That's correct," The doctor confirmed. "It is my understanding that the reinforcements will have battleships too."
Khan nodded and dropped the topic. Nippe 2 would probably become off-limits for a while due to the necessary investigations that would unfold. After all, the kidnappers wanted to bring the Princess somewhere. They had to have an escape plan in mind, and the Global Army had to close that path.
The doctors were tense due to Khan's presence, but he was in no mood to ease their flight. He had too much on his mind, and it wasn't all bad. Actually, the recent fight had brought a few happy outcomes.
The advancement to the next proficiency level was the best news. Khan could finally bring his fighting style to new heights. He would require a lot of training to perfect it, but that was fine.
The knifeless execution of the Divine Reaper had also brought decent surprises. Clotted blood vessels couldn't replace metal yet, but Khan didn't destroy his hand like the last time. One day, he might be able to forsake weapons and still retain his deadly martial art.
Saving the Princess was another important outcome. Khan could already imagine the new wave of articles and offers that would reach his phone. He wasn't a fan of his fame, but it was bound to help him during his imminent purchases.
Still, helplessness lingered in the back of Khan's mind. He had achieved a lot, but the discoveries made him feel exhausted. Humankind's social and political environment had just gotten far more complicated, showing once again how much he didn't know about the topic.
'The Hive,' Khan thought as the ships crossed the canyon and descended toward the first battlefield.
The many thoughts that afflicted Khan grew silent once the landing began. He stepped onto the sandy ground only to notice that the battlefield had turned into a busy medical bay with soldiers guarding every tent.
The sky also showed surprises. Almost twenty ships crossed Nippe 2's thick atmosphere and spread out in different directions. Five descended toward the medical bay while the others went looking for the kidnappers' traces.
Khan couldn't believe how used he had gotten to those scenes. He had seen so many medical bays built on battlefields and similar locations that the scenery almost felt nostalgic. Luckily, the assault didn't kill any descendant, but the Headmistress was bound to catch hell for that mess.
The Princess' ship remained closed, and three of the five vehicles descending into the area isolated it to create a private medical bay. The others unloaded a platoon of soldiers and doctors, who immediately attended to the various tents, improving the efficiency of those teams.
Khan didn't go unnoticed even in that mess. Many turned in his direction while he roamed among the various tents. His injured state was partially to blame for that unwanted attention, but something told him that rumors had already started to spread.
The unwanted attention couldn't make Khan falter. He inspected the medical bay and nodded at familiar faces, but his focus remained on three sources of mana on the other side of the area. Khan had to cross one of the descendants' ships to reach them, and the scene that unfolded in his vision made him smile.
Two tents had appeared where Khan had left George and the others. Doctors were also running left and right to provide medication and check-ups, but a figure refused all of them to continue his vigilant watch.
George stood before the tents with a metal slab held firmly in his right hand. He had yet to receive any medication but had no intention of accepting them until his friend gave the okay.
"You are the best," Khan praised as George finally let go of the metal slab to sit on the ground.
"Did you jump into a fire or something?" George mocked at the sight of Khan's many bandages.
"Those doctors have exaggerated," Khan chuckled while waving his right arm within the brace's limits.
"You don't have to convince me," George shook his head before they both turned toward one of the tents.
"Khan, is that you?" Monica called as soon as she left the tent, but thoughts abandoned her mind when she saw Khan. Her eyes widened in surprise, and the emotions Khan never wanted her to experience built up inside her.
Anita peeked from another tent, but Khan didn't even look at her. He went straight for Monica and pushed her inside before giving orders to nearby soldiers. "No one gets inside."
The soldiers performed military salutes, and Khan sealed the entrance behind him without adding anything else. Anita remained stunned and searched for answers on George's face, but he pretended not to see her and summoned some doctors to avoid talking altogether.
****
Author's thoughts: Thank you Mordiadies for the Magic Castle!
