Khan woke up at the sound of his buzzing phone. He slept longer than usual due to his injuries, which was still short for humans. Yet, a mess seemed to have happened in those hours.
Hurrying toward the phone reminded Khan about his condition. His body groaned at the sudden turn on the mattress, and the metal brace got in the way. Still, the device eventually fell into his palm, and shock followed.
Jenny, the Headmistress, and some of Khan's oldest friends were trying to contact him, but he ignored those calls to open the network. He had been in the same situation many times, so he knew something had happened, and his hunches turned out to be right.
The network didn't mention Cegnore, but information that used Khan's name and his involvement with the Thilku had gone public, and that couldn't have come from the human scientists alone.
'Allegedly,' Khan read in one of the most popular articles, 'Captain Khan used his expertise to lead the Empire's armies into a series of successful missions.
'It's also rumored that the Captain jumped into a fight against an opponent with fourth-level battle prowess to save his companions. His noble gesture split him from the Thilku, but he returned with the enemy's corpse on his back days later!'
Khan jumped to a different article but found similar statements. His browsing continued, reaching pages that tried to come up with explanations and hypotheses. Needless to say, some were wild, but Khan didn't feel surprised, not at that, at least.
The usual theories about Khan using female aliens to pave his way toward political fame popped out. A few articles even considered treason as the reason behind those spectacular rumors. Yet, Khan didn't care about that. His main worry was about the presence of that info and how it got out in the first place.
The many calls and messages reaching Khan's phone lacked the only person who could be behind those rumors. He didn't know if he could contact him on his own, so he answered someone else to get there.
"Captain Khan!" Jenny shouted, surprised that Khan had actually picked up. "Congratulations on your-!"
"Jenny," Khan interrupted. "I need you to put me in contact with Mister Cirvags."
"Sir?" Jenny gasped. "Sir, it's my job to advise you to address the matter-."
"Jenny," Khan interrupted again, his tone immovable. "Mister Cirvags."
Jenny fell silent. She noticed something different in Khan's voice, and her job didn't allow her to reject that direct order, leading to a simple answer. "Immediately, Captain Khan."
The call ended, and Khan straightened his back while crossing his legs to sit on the mattress. He closed his eyes, leaving his phone on his left knee to wait. Part of him wanted to slip into the meditative state, but his device quickly buzzed, showing the name he had requested.
"Cirvags speaking," Mister Cirvags said as soon as Khan brought his phone to his ear.
"What happened?" Khan asked without specifying the issue. There was no need to.
"Lord Exr wanted to do you a favor," Mister Cirvags explained shortly. "He offered to share more information as long as I helped you."
Khan felt surprised. He knew the Thilku wouldn't forget his efforts, but that move surpassed his expectations. Lord Exr was directly interfering with the Global Army's political environment only to increase Khan's fame.
Of course, that was the best possible outcome for Khan, and Lord Exr knew it. The Thilku had used his knowledge of the Global Army to give him exactly what he needed.
"Aren't you going to ask me about Ambassador Abores?" Mister Cirvags continued. Ambassador Abores' envy was evident, and that news was bound to worsen it. His relationship with Khan wasn't even great, so he had every reason to get in his way now.
That behavior was also quite common in those fields. The Ambassadors got in the way of rising stars they didn't deem worthy of their status, and Khan was a mere scout. The only valuable aspect of his background came from Monica, but her family had merely accepted that they were together. The two weren't engaged yet.
Khan could use his fame as a shield, but Ambassadors were bound to have many influential political allies. Their unique positions also gave them special relevance inside the Global Army. If Ambassador Abores wanted to, he could cause problems for Khan.
"No," Khan declared. "He is my problem to handle."
Mister Cirvags didn't answer. That was his way of praising someone, and Khan accepted it without ignoring his actual problems. He knew climbing the political ladder would put him before bigger and scarier opponents, and it was time he dealt with them alone.
"I'll revise the public speech according to the recent developments," Mister Cirvags eventually continued. "Meet Headmistress Holwen once you feel it's appropriate."
"Thank you," Khan said. He knew Mister Cirvags was respecting his desire to rest, so he could only feel grateful.
Mister Cirvags closed the call without adding anything, and Khan briefly looked at his phone before sending Jenny a message. He was not to be disturbed while he rested, and the buzzing stopped in a few minutes.
The developments' consequences were very clear in Khan's mind, but he didn't care. His political foothold wasn't frail in the least, and his strength spoke for itself. If anyone wanted to mess with him, he was ready to face it with uncompromising methods.
Khan heaved a sigh before throwing his phone away. Healing was his priority now, but he could pair something relatively relaxing in that break. The Thilku runes still needed his attention, and he couldn't wait to get back to them.
The peace allowed Khan to slip into a meditative state quickly, and hours passed. Each minute spent resting accelerated the healing process, focusing on his forearm before using its leftovers on the other shallow injuries.
Khan had woken up early, but the day still reached lunchtime while he was busy meditating. His stomach had resumed growling by then, but he ignored it to accelerate the healing process a bit longer. Yet, his phone prevented that.
The annoying but familiar buzzing noise reappeared in the bedroom, forcing Khan to open his eyes. A frown tried to appear on his face as confusion surged. Many figures could overcome Jenny's authority, but only some would decide to ignore his explicit request for a break.
Khan's eyes darted across the mattress until he found his phone and crawled toward it. A sigh tried to escape his mouth when he saw the name on the screen, but stronger emotions suppressed it. He actually wanted to talk with that person.
"Anastasia," Khan said as soon as he picked up the phone.
"Captain Khan," Madam Solodrey sighed. "I see you didn't forget what I said last time."
"Monica was happy to hear that," Khan revealed. "How could I forget?"
"I hope you are alone," Madam Solodrey stated. "I won't forgive you for making me regret my decision."
"I'm serious with anything involving Monica," Khan declared. "We wouldn't be here if you didn't know that."
"Your gall only increases," Madam Solodrey snorted. "Though it's true. It's a pity you are still stuck on this soldier's business."
"Ma'am?" Khan questioned.
"Why do I expect you to understand?" Madam Solodrey cursed. "My family is elevating your position. As big as your achievements on the battlefield are, that remains soldiers' work. You should distance yourself from it."
Khan understood what Madam Solodrey meant. Actually, most soldiers worked extra hard to reach a level where they could stop fighting on battlefields and focus on safer jobs. Politics were off-limits for many of them, but a few commoners still dreamed of getting there.
Of course, Khan had already been put in front of that decision multiple times. He had the chance to stop fighting and settle for what he had achieved, but his desperation always chose in his stead.
"I won't," Khan directly refused. "Also, as long as my political and social performance doesn't suffer from it, I don't see why you should worry."
"I was thinking about my dear daughter now," Madam Solodrey revealed. "She worries about you for reasons I still can't comprehend."
Madam Solodrey touched on one of Khan's weak spots, but he had already talked extensively about the topic with Monica. She knew about the nightmares. She knew he couldn't stop. Khan hated himself for making her worry, but the current compromise was the only viable solution.
"I'm surprised you care about Monica in that sense," Khan changed the topic.
"Let's not kid ourselves," Madam Solodrey snorted again. "Were you to die, you'd leave a permanent scar on my dear daughter, and she won't have it easy replacing you."
"Was that a compliment, Anastasia?" Khan chuckled. Madam Solodrey was basically telling him that Monica wouldn't find anyone as good as him if he disappeared.
"The fact that you are still alive is a compliment," Madam Solodrey declared. "The fact that I'm allowing you to be with my dear daughter is another praise."
Madam Solodrey fell silent but eventually added something else. "The fact that I'm considering influencing my husband is the highest compliment I can give."
