"Khan, the Princess can't help us here," Monica announced. "The Virrai family would stop her from speaking, and my family would intercept any request."
"It's not for the Princess," Khan remained vague. "Just tell me how it should be done."
"What do you have in mind?" George questioned.
"Maybe all my fighting wasn't for naught," Khan sighed before waving his phone at his friends to remind them about his question.
"It's not something we can do," Anita explained. "We don't have the authority to reach the nobles."
"Even my family has a special figure appointed for the process," Monica continued. "I couldn't learn much, but I know my parents have to refer to this middle-man if they ever have a request that involves the nobles."
'So, nothing,' Khan thought before speaking again. "I'll be right back. I have something to check."
"Do you need help?" Monica asked.
"It's better if I'm alone," Khan revealed, and some understanding touched Monica. Khan had never hidden anything from her, and a past conversation popped into her mind after seeing those clues.
Khan limped into a bedroom before sealing himself inside. He didn't know if his idea would succeed, but it was safer to take precautions when the nobles were involved.
After sitting on the bed, Khan began scouring the network for information. In theory, he had established a meaningful relationship that the higher-ups wouldn't bother to regulate. That was the whole reason behind that opportunity.
'Rassec, Rassec,' Khan thought as his thumbs typed madly on the screen.
The network had a limited number of articles when it came to nobles, and the Rassec family was no exception. Learning anything valuable from that public channel was simply impossible. Khan couldn't find a single contact that could bring him closer to his past acquaintance.
'How do I call someone that can't be found?' Khan wondered.
Even the Solodrey family needed a middle-man, so Khan quickly gave up on contacting his target directly. He had to find a similar mediator, but the official channels were outside his reach.
'What was her name?' Khan cursed in his mind. 'Lu, Lu, Lucille!'
Typing the woman's name on the network didn't help much, but Khan slowly recalled a few details. Lucille said to have sisters and had served on Ecoruta around his time. Applying those filters gave far fewer results, and a picture featuring messy red hair eventually caught his attention.
'Lucille Edhold,' Khan read on the screen. 'It doesn't say much.'
Lucille's profile didn't have much after Ecoruta, which was suspicious enough to make Khan call her. It wasn't too late, so Khan hoped to receive an immediate answer, but his phone kept ringing even after minutes had passed.
'This must be a good sign, right?' Khan wondered, looking at the ringing phone on the mattress. 'If experts are checking my call, it means that she got high enough to afford them.'
Of course, Khan considered the possibility of Lucille being busy or not having anything to do with his target. Still, she was his only real option, so he waited for someone to pick up the call.
The wait stretched for more minutes, and Khan even lay down at some point. The meeting ran through his mind as he closed his eyes and let the mattress' comfort invade him. Having Luke, Bruce, John, and Zoe on his side was already a significant achievement, and he believed that his other classmates would soon budge. Yet, a price might still be necessary.
The ringing suddenly stopped and pulled Khan back to reality. A female voice came out of his phone, and he threw himself to his side to seize it.
"Hello?" Khan exclaimed. "It's Captain Khan here."
"I can read your name on my phone," The familiar female voice resounded. "You still can't keep it in your pants, Captain Khan."
"Lu!" Khan laughed. "Rumors sure run fast."
"Especially if they are about you," Lu stated. "Well, it's not like I had a choice."
Khan took that reply as a good sign and investigated the topic. "Listen, I didn't know who else to call. Do you happen to know how I can contact Rick?"
"Why do you think I should know?!" Lu shouted. "I'm not his girlfriend or anything!"
Khan didn't expect a similar reaction, but Lu's tone revealed clues he knew far too well. His very girlfriend had made him an expert in those types of women.
"Is he treating you properly?" Khan questioned.
"No!" Lu complained. "He is too dumb to know what that means. He only smiles like an idiot whenever I talk to him and runs away when we are alone."
"Why don't you just jump on him?" Khan suggested.
A few silent seconds had to pass before a shy voice came out of the phone. "A woman shouldn't make the first move. That's what my mother always says."
"Why don't you let me speak to him?" Khan asked. "Maybe I can still teach him a few things."
"No," Lu firmly refused. "You won't corrupt him."
'My reputation with women can't be so bad,' Khan thought before opting for a different approach. "If you don't do anything now, Rick might get too far away. Even Princess Edna praised him when I met her."
Silence unfolded and lasted longer than before, but a positive statement eventually arrived. "I'll call him."
"Thank you, Lu," Khan declared before waiting for the speaker to change.
Clanging and whooshing noises reached Khan's ear. Lucille was clearly changing location, and the iconic sounds of engines eventually arrived. The woman was probably in a hangar or space station, but silence returned after a few minutes.
The call grew messy enough to force Khan to distance the phone from his ear, but everything eventually calmed down, and a new familiar voice arrived. "Boss! I missed you dearly!"
"You are still too loud, Rick," Khan chuckled. "You don't have to call me Boss either. Actually, I should be the one addressing you properly now."
"You'll always be my Boss!" Rick shouted before recalling Khan's admonishment and lowering his voice. "I've regained access to my family thanks to you. My gratitude will always come first."
"I'm glad things are working out for you," Khan uttered. He truly believed his words. Rick had a good heart, so he was happy for him.
"Things are going really well for you too, Boss," Rick exclaimed. "You are the youngest Captain in history! I'm sure you'll break even more records."
"Well, maybe," Khan admitted, "But things aren't as perfect as they look."
"I know everything about the recent crisis with Mister Alstair," Rick revealed. "I check the news every day for you. Those families have no respect for your efforts at all."
'That's what Lu meant,' Khan realized before clearing his throat. "Yes, Mister Alstair and the factions behind him put me in a tough position. That's why I called. I was wondering if you could help."
"I'll be happy to!" Rick announced. "What do you need me to do?"
"I don't know how much influence or power you have," Khan replied. "However, I'd be happy with anything capable of discouraging future threats to my relationship."
"I'll get to work on it immediately," Rick promised.
"Wait, Rick!" Khan called, worried that Rick might close his phone. "We didn't agree to any strategy. Maybe it's better if you told me what you plan to do."
"I have an expensive advisor now!" Rick revealed. "She will study the situation and tell me what to do. I'll update you as I learn more myself."
"Oh," Khan gasped. "That makes sense. Thank you, Rick."
"Don't mention it, Boss," Rick exclaimed. "I have been dying to find a way to repay my debt. I'm so glad you called."
"Speaking about debts," Khan said, forcing himself to remain on topic. "I noticed how Lucille is with you. Are you two still sparring?"
"We have to do it in secret now," Rick revealed, "And I must hide my injuries. My other Masters would kick her out otherwise."
"It seems you care about her," Khan investigated.
"She is my dearest friend!" Rick stated. "Only the Boss is above her."
"Rick, she likes you," Khan sighed, "And you like her. I know that you run away when you two are alone."
"B-Boss!" Rick stammered.
"Listen, I'm not a good teacher when it comes to this stuff," Khan announced. "The entire Global Army knows that my relationships are a mess and, at times, problematic. This call proves that."
"But the Boss-!" Rick tried to justify Khan, but he didn't let him.
"Don't interrupt me," Khan scolded.
"Yes, Boss," Rick gasped. "I'm sorry, Boss."
"I was about to say," Khan continued. "You learnt to face punches. Feelings can hit harder, but remaining hidden is against their nature."
"But, Boss," Rick muttered. "I'm a noble. It's better for her if I keep paying her. Nothing good will come if we, if I."
Rick went silent before completing his line. It seemed that part of his cowardly character was still there, and Khan couldn't feel surprised. Relationships and feelings were tougher than battles. He had long since learnt that.
"Are you making this decision for her?" Khan asked. "Besides, I thought I taught you how not to run away. Maybe I didn't do a good job."
"Your job was perfect, Boss!" Rick shouted. "Don't let my failures change your mind!"
"I'd rather be happy about your success," Khan pointed out. "So, don't run away."
"I won't!" Rick promised. "I won't run away anymore. Lucille!"
The last shout was louder than the previous, and a thudding noise followed. The call survived a few more seconds before shutting down completely, leaving Khan looking at his empty screen.
