The brown color reached into the horizon and stretched almost endlessly. Soft winds picked up debris from the frail terrain, lifting thin clouds that couldn't do anything against Cegnore's red star.
The place was lifeless and slightly cold. It would even look empty to an ordinary human's eyes, but Khan was different. The symphony spoke to him through colors only he could see. The area lacked brighter shades, but they existed far in the distance.
"Is the night close?" Khan wondered, his gaze locked on the horizon. "I have yet to connect my phone."
"The night is six hours away," Caspar responded. "It will be darkness for fourteen hours after that."
Khan was already aware of that but felt like getting a second opinion. He didn't know how much he could trust Mister Cirvags' report, but the data about Cegnore seemed to be on point.
The days on Cegnore lasted for thirty-six hours and had far more light than darkness. Khan liked the additional time, but the odd sensation spreading from his mana core made him wish the night was already there.
"How is the situation?" Khan questioned. "Do you expect attacks?"
"Why don't we talk about this inside?" Caspar laughed. "The refreshment is there. I can brief you in front of a drink."
Khan wanted to look at the empty horizon a little longer, but a new sensation hit his senses, turning his gaze to Caspar. Some fear and anxiety had appeared inside the Captain, even if his expression showed neither.
"Is it that spooky out here?" Khan asked.
"I hope you don't blame me, Captain," Caspar smiled, showing slight surprise at Khan's perception. "The air itself is an enemy here."
That almost absence of surprise told Khan how far the rumors about him had spread, but he quickly put the matter in the back of his mind. He gazed at the horizon again, yearning to dive deeper into it, but his reasonable sides had the best of him.
"Let's go inside," Khan ordered, faking a smile. "I'm hungry."
"We'd better fix that!" Caspar exclaimed. "I also have to introduce you to the crew. Many aren't privy to your arrival."
The two returned inside the chamber, which released a dense gas as soon as its exit closed. The decontamination lasted a few minutes, and the passage leading back inside opened afterward.
Khan's arrival didn't go unnoticed. He had barely spent a few minutes in the structure, but his hair was too eye-catching. Moreover, rumors spread quickly in such an isolated environment, bringing more people before the huge gate.
"What is this mess?!" Caspar snapped at the curious crowd. "Clear the area, and make the cafeteria ready!"
The shout startled the soldiers, who hurried back to their posts. Still, most of them shot one last glance at Khan before focusing on their duties.
Khan felt helpless about how used he had become to fame, so he focused on noting details. Between that gathering and Mister Cirvags' report, he estimated that the building had little more than a hundred soldiers. That force wasn't nearly enough for a war, and its average level was lackluster.
It took to give Khan a general idea of the troops' power. He couldn't see a single fourth-level warrior, with the majority being in the second level. First and third existed, but in lower numbers.
'What does Cirvags expect me to do with this?' Khan cursed.
Truth be told, Mister Cirvags had never told Khan to win that war. His orders had actually been quite vague, and his report didn't help. Khan had chosen to come for personal reasons, but his role didn't involve anything special.
"Captain, let's go back to the car," Caspar suggested, bringing Khan back to reality. The two got into their jeep, and Caspar drove it into the previous passage.
"I'm sorry for the mess," Caspar sighed, his hands sealed on the steering wheel. "We rarely have visitors here, especially some with your profile."
"It's odd," Khan commented. "I thought people would kill for the opportunity to serve here."
"It's hard to get into this field," Caspar explained. "The pay is good for ordinary soldiers, but any Lieutenant or higher needs clearance from the Global Army and the appropriate qualifications."
"Did you study to become an Ambassador?" Khan probed.
"Oh, no," Caspar snickered. "My family got me this job since it would look good on my profile. I'm sure you understand."
"You make it sound less serious than it is," Khan pointed out. "This is the Empire's territory in the end."
"True," Caspar nodded, "But we don't interact much with the Thilku. I haven't seen one in weeks."
'This complicates things,' Khan thought. Mister Cirvags' report had hinted at something similar, but he didn't believe it was so bad.
"We must get out," Caspar announced while the jeep was still in the middle of the passage.
The two got out and approached a door on one of the walls, ending in another corridor. The passage was short and quickly opened into a vast cafeteria that could hold up to fifty people. Most tables had room for five or more, but the one on the other side of the room only had two chairs.
The place already had soldiers, who stood up as soon as Khan and Caspar became visible. Military salutes unfolded, and people still arriving from other passages imitated that behavior even if they didn't understand what was happening.
Caspar didn't bother with the salutes and strode forward. Meanwhile, Khan performed a few nods before giving up on greeting all the soldiers. The two Captains eventually reached the last table, and Khan approached one of the chairs while Caspar took care of the introduction.
"We are in the presence of Captain Khan!" Caspar shouted, his deep voice spreading through the cafeteria. "He'll be the highest-ranking officer here from now on."
Khan didn't sign up for that, but it was too late to take back Caspar's words. The soldiers also agreed with a joint "welcome, sir", so Khan could only give up on the matter.
"I thought we shared the same rank," Khan whispered, waving his hand at the soldiers to make them relax.
"We both know we don't," Caspar muttered, nodding at the soldiers. The latter still didn't move, but Khan gave them general permission to sit by occupying his seat.
"You don't have to worry, Captain," Caspar promptly continued while also sitting down. "I'll handle the paperwork and other arrangements. You can use this building and these troops as you wish."
Waiters entered the cafeteria while the rest of the soldiers took their seats. The former prioritized the Captain's table, delivering simple food and booze. That welcome was nothing special, but Khan barely looked at it.
"That's very kind of you," Khan exclaimed once the waiters moved to other tables. "However, I'd still like to be updated on the situation."
"All my intel is yours, Captain," Caspar responded. "You just have to ask."
"Alright," Khan stated, seizing a bottle. "I know the scientists are in charge."
"That's right," Caspar confirmed, smiling when Khan poured booze into his cup. "The white coats run this place. We are basically protection."
"Anything you can tell me about them?" Khan wondered.
"They live in a separate section of this building," Caspar explained. "We meet a few of them only when they have to hand us missions."
"Missions?" Khan questioned.
"It's random stuff," Caspar casually replied. "Sometimes, they involve retrieving a patch of soil from a quadrant. Other times they request for Tainted animals."
"Do they come here often?" Khan asked. "I only know they attack at night."
"It's more complicated than that," Caspar sighed, taking out his phone to activate a series of holograms.
A simple map appeared at the table's center, and Khan recognized his current building on it. He also saw the trench spotted during the landing, while the other marks were strangers to him.
"We are here," Caspar said, highlighting the marks Khan recognized. "You can see how we are behind the Thilku's trenches."
Khan nodded while his attention remained on the map. Four more symbols were on the upper-right side of the holograms, marking the Thilku's buildings and trenches. Khan believed the aliens had far more manpower on the planet, but that information was probably classified.
"The attacks do arrive only at night," Caspar continued, "But they get to the Thilku first. We clean up anything that goes astray or slips through the Thilku's defenses."
'We have only leftovers,' Khan thought, holding back a snort. The humans didn't only lack a spot on the frontline. They weren't even part of that war.
"So, our interactions with the Thilku?" Khan wondered.
"Almost non-existent," Caspar responded. "We can't interact with their trenches, and our movements are limited. We only see Thilku when they chase Tainted animals into our quadrant."
"I see," Khan uttered, leaving his thoughts for later. "What about the Thilku who switched sides? That topic wasn't clear in my report."
"I don't know about the Thilku," Caspar sighed, "But I've been here for one year. I've seen things, scary things."
"Explain," Khan ordered, curious.
"We've had a couple of casualties," Caspar stated, lowering his head. "Nasty stuff. The pills can't fight the infection when those creatures have their teeth stabbed into you."
"Wait," Khan's eyes lit up. "Did mutations happen after suffering injuries from Tainted animals?"
"Captain," Caspar gulped, slowly lifting his head. "I don't want to ruin your appetite."
Caspar didn't get the chance to close his mouth since looking at the table showed him the might of Khan's stomach. The attendants had only brought two sets of four plates, but Khan was already done with three.
"We can eat first if you want," Khan said, finishing munching the big bite in his mouth.
"No," Caspar cleared his throat, pushing away his amazement. "It's fine. Yes, mutations can happen if the injury is deep enough or the contact lasts too long."
"You don't know about the Thilku," Khan announced, "But you know about the humans."
"Indeed," Caspar nodded. "Though, not much. Of the two casualties, we put one down on the spot, while the other died before we could deliver it to the white coats."
"You must have seen something, Captain," Khan declared. "You wouldn't have brought up the topic otherwise."
"The second casualty," Caspar sighed, appearing strangely rattled. "She-. It started talking about a voice in its head, a calling of some sort."
Khan had to work overtime to keep his face in check, but his mana didn't bother to ask for his opinion. Excitement and tension fell on the table, stretching into the room. That silent reaction was so palpable that Caspar inspected his surroundings in confusion.
'Monica was right, alright,' Khan cursed before changing the topic. "I seem to understand that you've never faced intelligent creatures here."
"What we know about them comes from the Thilku," Caspar revealed, focusing on Khan. "Those specimens are rare even in their trenches, so we never get to see them."
Caspar was talking from experience, so Khan could guess that outbreaks had happened in the past. The Global Army had probably gotten more than second-hand information, but not in the last year.
'Complicated indeed,' Khan thought, falling silent and pretending to focus on the little food still on the table.
Being at the Thilku's mercy was mandatory due to Cegnore's location. They dictated the rules and limits since that was Empire's territory.
However, the Global Army only had an almost uneventful trench. Khan wanted to see the Tainted animals, but they weren't his end goal. He eventually had to get to the intelligent beings, but access to Thilku's battlefield was necessary for that.
'I can't fly past the trenches on my own,' Khan considered. 'Not now. I'd be breaking a dozen interspecies regulations.'
The issue wasn't impending. Khan had just gotten to Cegnore, but his thoughts didn't stop shouting. Valuable options appeared in his mind even if he didn't search for them, and a few were truly good.
'Maybe they can feel me too,' Khan wondered. 'Spending time outside might attract them to the human trench. I also have a good excuse for that.'
The outside world had nothing valuable. Khan could let loose without worrying about causing damage. He was finally on a planet, so he could explore more of the Niqols' spells.
'If that doesn't work,' Khan thought, pointing his eyes at the map, 'I can always call them. I wonder if I'm good enough to reach the Thilku's trenches.'
Caspar noticed the eagerness in Khan's eyes but had no idea what it involved. He couldn't possibly imagine Khan was making plans that could endanger the entire human building.
