The entire Global Army knew about Khan's goals, and that wasn't even his first time receiving similar offers. He firmly believed they would increase in number as his fame spread, but the core issue remained.
Khan's broader perspective and deep understanding of mana were priceless qualities in the scientific field. He could provide insights that even advanced machines couldn't notice. Yet, he had no foundation in those subjects.
However, Khan also knew he had to start somewhere, and the Harbor was one of the best places in the Global Army for that. Some of the embassy's offices would need to deploy him, which was what he wanted to achieve.
That knowledge wasn't the result of a single research. Khan had studied the topic and questioned his friends multiple times during the past months. He was almost sure that the Harbor's embassy was ideal for his goals. He only wanted a more fitting starting place, but reality rarely matched his desires.
"If I may, sir," Khan decided to probe into the matter a bit more, "What tasks?"
"Why don't you take a seat in the meantime?" Professor Parver invited, pointing at the empty seat next to John Nore. "Linus, can you help the Captain understand?"
Professor Nickton cleared his throat and took out his phone while Khan sat down. Holograms soon came out of his device, creating a long list that shone above the table.
Khan had already seen many of the list's tags. They were job offers located in the Harbor with the addition of a few tasks that even the network didn't show.
"This system has six planets," Professor Parver explained while Khan browsed the list. "You have already seen Nippe 2 and Lauter, but the others also have valuable resources. This list shows all the possible tasks that concern them."
Professor Parver wasn't saying anything new. Khan had learnt that weeks ago, but the explanation put the conversation on a path he recognized. It seemed that Professor Parver wanted Khan to take over all those tasks.
"Do you want me to handle them, sir?" Khan wondered as some disappointment joined his thoughts.
Khan had already considered those jobs, but they felt beneath him now. The fact that the Professor was considering him seemed to show how little he thought of him.
"I wouldn't waste your talents over these," Professor Parver promptly revealed. "I only wanted to give you an idea of how valuable this system is."
"That's one of the reasons behind the Harbor's location," Khan stated. "Most courses highlight this."
"For good reason," Professor Parver continued, nodding at Professor Nickton to make him put away his phone. "Still, there are classified jobs that the network will never show, and I can't think of a better expert for them."
That flattery didn't affect Khan. He was no expert. He was just alien in many ways. Also, the nature of the offer featured a problem he couldn't ignore.
"I mean no disrespect," Khan announced, hoping that the Professor wouldn't take it the wrong way, "But won't a specialized team be better for them? I'm not sure these jobs suit me."
The question went beyond Khan's qualifications. He was willing to do random jobs to get money and fame, but they wouldn't push him closer to his goals. He wanted something concerning alien relationships or similar fields when it came to real offers.
"Captain, you have good senses, don't you?" Professor Parver laughed.
"Relatively speaking," Khan played it humble. He was good even among aliens, but the Professor didn't need to know that.
"Tell me what you see," Professor Parver requested.
Khan didn't take the matter too seriously but still pretended to focus. After all, he had already studied the Professor. The latter was a fourth-level warrior who didn't rely on cloaking techniques, so Khan had memorized his presence.
However, a new presence suddenly appeared among Professor Parver's mana. Khan frowned when he saw a different shade joining the man's energy and clashing with it. That foreign mana was located in the Professor's lungs and pushed on the rest of his organs to come out.
The process wasn't as simple as it looked. Both energies belonged to Professor Parver, but one was violent and wild, almost angry. It always tried to expand, and any success made a small chunk of the man's peaceful and gentle mana disappear.
"Is your mana eating itself?" Khan couldn't help but ask.
The question made Carla, John, and Professor Nickton shoot stunned gazes at Khan. They appeared genuinely surprised that he could see so much, but Professor Parver only showed a confident smile.
"Mana allowed us to get rid of many incurable illnesses," Professor Parver revealed as the hostile presence inside him vanished, "But also brought new ones. I caught this one during my reckless phase, and I'll probably spend the rest of my life needing machines and treatments to suppress it."
A violent cough took control of Professor Parver's throat at that point. Carla even left her seat to attend to the machine and change some parameters. It seemed that revealing the illness had weighed on the Professor's health, forcing him to take a minute to calm down.
"It's truly amazing," John praised in the meantime. "We are aware of Professor Parver's illness, but for you to learn about it with a simple glance… Truly stunning."
'I'm surprised he could keep it hidden from me at all,' Khan thought as his gaze remained on the Professor. He suspected the treatment had something to do with it, but the matter amazed him nonetheless.
"That's my whole point," Professor Parver spoke again as random coughs interrupted his lines. "Most teams would need special scanners and expensive equipment. You wouldn't even require teammates."
'So, it's about money,' Khan concluded. Professor Parver was right, but that didn't make Khan more inclined to accept his offer. It only forced him to be straightforward with his next line.
"Professor," Khan exclaimed, "I'm flattered, but I don't see how this will help me get into the embassy. I'm obviously not talking about your recommendation. It's just, the Global Army already knows I have muscles and senses."
Strangely enough, the Professor didn't show any disappointment. Actually, his gentle smile grew brighter after that honest refusal.
"I knew you had brains, Captain," Professor Parver praised. "Linus, can you please call a car for us?"
Professor Nickton picked up his phone again, and Professor Parver stood up. Carla helped him and even removed the tubes attached to his forearm.
"I hope I can steal a bit more of your time, Captain," Professor Parver requested.
"Of course," Khan replied while also leaving his seat.
"Well," Carla exclaimed, stretching her arm above the table to shake Khan's hand again. "I enjoyed this brief encounter. May it be one of many."
John also stood up, and knowing words left his mouth when he shook Khan's hand. "It was a pleasure, Captain. Professor Parver is a hard man to refuse, so I'm sure I'll see you around."
"I just want to make sure the Captain understands the entirety of the situation," Professor Parver chuckled. "I'll accept any decision afterward."
A jeep with no canopy approached the tables while those respectful salutes resounded, and Professor Parver reached for it before voicing another question. "Captain, can you drive one of these?"
Khan felt curious. He nodded, and the driver left the car to perform a military salute before leaving the area on foot. The Professor was asking for a private meeting, and Khan wanted to hear what he had to say.
"Do you need help, sir?" Khan wondered when the Professor opened the car's door.
"Don't worry about me," Professor Parver reassured. "Take the wheel. I'll give you directions along the way."
Khan complied and reached the driver's seat. The jeep had simple commands similar to what he had used on Onia, so making it start and accelerate wasn't an issue. The wide streets of the floor also allowed Khan to avoid other vehicles.
"I understand your concerns," Professor Parver announced once the jeep put enough distance from the tables. "Being a delivery boy isn't the best starting point, but this particular offer comes with great advantages."
"Such as?" Khan questioned, making sure not to go too fast due to the Professor's poor health.
"You would build connections with the Harbor's specialists," Professor Parver explained. "Miss Bevet and Mister Nore are only some of the important figures you'd work for. You'd gain a reputation among most offices and only for the tasks that really matter."
'Most descendants can offer that,' Khan thought.
"These jobs would come from the Global Army," Professor Parver said as if he could read Khan's thoughts. "They wouldn't have any connection to the families, at least in your specific tasks. You'd be able to climb the political ladder without pledging allegiance to any faction."
That point was genuinely interesting. The political environment was complicated, and Professor Parver was offering Khan a way out, even if only temporarily.
"Also, these connections would help once you start working in the Harbor," Professor Parver continued. "The various offices would already trust you at that point. Oh, take this left."
"But, sir," Khan felt the need to intervene while entering the street stretching on his left, "An ambassador mainly requires knowledge of multiple alien subjects. What kind of value would I have in an office if I entered it as a simple errand boy?"
Khan was ignoring his feats on purpose to make his question clearer. His best grades were on subjects that involved alien species or environments, and he had already proven himself on the field a few meaningful times.
"Specialists on Earth study for years to get a chance to be deployed," Professor Parver declared. "You'd take the opposite path, being deployed and filling the gaps in your knowledge in the following years."
"Is this feasible?" Khan wondered.
"It's rarer," Professor Parver admitted. "Many offices tend to hinder the careers and ambitions of simple soldiers to prioritize specialists from Earth or families. However, you are a special case."
Khan couldn't help but take his time to consider the offer properly. The advantages were real and great. The job would even play on Khan's skills without cornering him in the political field. He simply didn't know if it was the best for him.
"I need more time," Khan eventually stated. "I can't accept right away."
"I never expected you to," Professor Parver laughed. "Take the next right."
The car left the garden area to enter a block with a few buildings and narrower streets. Those structures were simple enough to be habitations, but the unique location probably granted them a deeper purpose.
"Not so brief as a first part," Professor Parver joked in front of Khan's silence. "I'm sorry. I might have miscalculated a bit."
"It's no problem, sir," Khan reassured. "If I may, how many parts there are to this meeting?"
"Only two," Professor Parver revealed. "The second involves an invitation to a private class. It's an intensive course for those wanting to deepen their understanding of alien environments and their branches."
"I guess the invitation goes alongside the offer," Khan voiced.
"Not at all," Professor Parver. "Your grades make you suitable for the intensive course, so you can join it even if you refuse my offer."
Khan fell silent again. Everything was too much to take in a single meeting, and he had yet to consider the biggest problem. Even if he wanted to accept the offer, he would need to figure out where to stuff those tasks in his schedule.
"Oh, stop there," Professor Parver eventually ordered while pointing at a nearby building. "That's my lab."
Khan complied, and Professor Parver stepped out of the car once it reached the building. The entrance required his genetic signature and phone to open, which he provided while Khan watched him from his seat.
"Follow me, Captain," Professor Parver ordered. "Let me offer you a drink while we finish our conversation."
Khan became a bit suspicious. The Professor had already shown that he could hide part of his mana. Khan felt unable to trust his senses anymore against him, and the structure even isolated them. The invitation could be a trap, but orders were orders.
The entrance closed behind Khan when he stepped inside a small office with two interactive desks, a few chairs, and a full bookcase that covered one of its long walls. The room had another door that led deeper into the building, but Professor Parver didn't use it.
"Your reservations are reasonable, Captain," Professor Parver announced while reaching for a drawer under one interactive desk to take out a bottle and a couple of glasses. "Why would you waste your limited time completing these tasks when you can accept one of your many offers?"
Khan remained silent and joined the Professor on the chairs. The latter left the glasses on the floor to pour the booze before picking them up to hand one to Khan.
"I'm sure your past only makes you more hesitant," Professor Parver continued, gulping down the entire glass in a single sip. "My offer is closer to scientists than ambassadors. What happened to your father will make you look at it in a bad light."
Khan had yet to reach those topics, but the Professor was right once again. If he accepted the offer, it would make more sense for him to expand his scientific knowledge, which wasn't his priority.
"If you know so much," Khan decided to speak, "Why did you make the offer in the first place? You must already have someone for those tasks in the end."
"The Harbor does," Professor Parver confirmed, "But I feel you are underestimating the length of our procedures. We can waste months waiting for scouts and teams to come back with anything."
"My senses don't make me able to accomplish miracles," Khan uttered.
"So you say after bringing back key knowledge about the Tors," Professor Parver pointed out, "Or discovering hidden racial traits of a species we observed for decades. Your survival instincts and general strength are also off the charts. I can't name a better scout."
"But I'm aiming higher than scout," Khan pressed on.
"Ambassadors have scouts in their teams," Professor Parver responded. "Many learn scouts' skills themselves during the job. The Global Army will most likely send someone with those abilities when dealing with new or unfriendly species."
Khan didn't know what to say. The more he thought about the matter, the more sense it made. Yet, he had to put it among his other opportunities and compare the benefits before deciding.
"Is your head fuming already?" Professor Parver joked. "Take your time, Captain. I'll be happy as long as you fulfill your potential. That's my job as your Professor."
The kindness carried by the Professor's words made Khan's mind wander. The drink was strong enough to help the process, so the silence that followed didn't feel awkward.
The Professor coughed a few times before heaving a deep sigh and adjusting his position on the chair. He appeared tired, and his wandering eyes highlighted his paleness. The Professor almost seemed to grow older during the silence.
"You know," Professor Parver eventually muttered, "I knew your father. He was one of the best scientists the Global Army has ever enlisted. I owe some of the treatments that keep me alive to him."
'He isn't dead yet,' Khan thought before diverting his eyes. 'Probably.'
"Scientists tend to be eccentric," Professor Parver chuckled, "But he went beyond that. His grumpy character was legendary, but true skills backed it up."
Khan didn't know how to take those praises. Things with his father were still odd, and he felt unable to face them until he gained access to the knowledge he sought.
"It's a pity the new generations won't learn about him," Professor Parver continued. "The Global Army disgraced him. Though I believe he doesn't regret it."
Khan lifted his gaze to look at the Professor. The latter wasn't looking at him, but something felt strange.
"The Global Army has many secrets," Professor Parver declared, "Especially in the scientific fields. There are horrid and disgusting things that will never reach the public.
"Some rumors even involve Tainted humans. It is said that the first generations always go crazy in a few years. I don't know how much I can believe that after seeing you."
'Crazy?' Khan wondered. 'Is he talking about the nightmares?'
"However," Professor Parver added, "Your father was one of the few experts able to fix this problem, probably the only one. He would have even had every reason to come up with a miraculous solution."
"What do you mean?" Khan couldn't remain silent anymore.
"Bret only loved one thing more than science," Professor Parver revealed, "And you look exactly like her."
