"Anita is coming over," Monica complained when Khan pulled her, "And we have yet to find an excuse for me."
"What's there to justify?" Khan wondered while Monica laid her head on his shoulder. "You came here a bit earlier to help me with my cla.s.ses. Anita will buy it."
"We both helped in the past week," Monica whispered, making sure that her warm breath ended on Khan's neck, "And this isn't even my first time staying behind."
Khan had to agree with Monica. Almost two weeks had pa.s.sed since Lucian's party, and the Harbor had not been nice to them in that period.
Nothing major or terrible had happened. A few parties had taken place, but they had never lasted too long. Khan had laughed with George, gotten to know many people, and dealt with Monica's mood as well as he could. Yet, the chances for some privacy had come rarely.
The Harbor's vast array of cameras was to blame for that issue. Monica and Khan could use George's flat, but they couldn't be the only ones to enter the building. Monica couldn't even stay behind on her own too often since it wasn't proper for her to be in the same accommodation as two men, and Anita was a presence she couldn't ignore.
Khan and Monica had limited their privacy to hours or minutes stolen during special circ.u.mstances. Anita's social obligation had also granted the couple a few nights together, but they had been rare occasions that couldn't match the freedom experienced on the ship.
The beginning of the lessons played a crucial role in creating those special circ.u.mstances. Anita, Khan, and Monica had spent most of their time outside parties inside George's flat to plan their courses, and they had often slept over, allowing the couple to seize some privacy when no one looked.
Still, the morning before lessons had arrived. The days were bound to grow busier, so Monica decided to sleep over. Luckily for the couple, Anita had to attend to private matters the previous night, but she was coming now. The clock was ticking for Khan and Monica.
"The risk was worth it, wasn't it?" Khan teased since the situation didn't give him a chance to say anything rea.s.suring.
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Khan could feel Monica's mouth broadening into a smile. She didn't even try to deny his statement. Actually, she snuggled closer into Khan's neck to confirm it.
"I wish we could be truly alone," Monica whispered while her mouth left wet marks on Khan's neck. "I miss the ship."
Khan could only pull Monica closer at those words. He was leaning on a metal wall, and his fingers were clinging to her trousers' edges while his other hand was on her waist. They had dressed up, but their pa.s.sion wanted to come back.
"You didn't take too long to get used to George's flat," Khan kept teasing. "Your timid side barely came out."
Monica slammed her palm on Khan's chest, but the attack only made him laugh. She wanted to punish him for his constant teases, but the lack of loud complaints marked her agreement with those words.
"It's your fault," Monica eventually voiced.
"Is it now?" Khan played along.
"You are always around s.l.u.ts because of George," Monica explained. "I'm way too jealous to be shy once we get some privacy."
"You are jealous in public too," Khan joked. "Even Anita has stopped calling me hottie lately out of fear of getting in your way."
"Shut up!" Monica shouted, hitting Khan's chest again. "You can go to Anita if you enjoy her compliments so much."
Even after that comment, Monica didn't leave Khan's neck. Still, her jealousy was genuine. That emotion had been a constant aspect of her mood since George's fight.
"Please," Khan whispered. "Even Jenna couldn't keep me away from you."
The jealousy slowly melted and made room for cozy warmth. Monica left Khan's neck to stare deep into his eyes, and the two soon exchanged a long kiss.
"It's not fair," Monica pouted while her thumb traced the edges of Khan's lips. "You have George while I'm all alone."
Khan inevitably revealed a complicated smile. Monica was right. His emotional state had constantly improved due to George's presence. He still experienced wild urges, but they didn't take him by surprise anymore.
The emotional stability had even almost convinced Khan that his rash reaction had only been a temporary consequence of the transformation. Enough time had pa.s.sed, so his body and mind had probably gotten completely used to his new state.
Of course, that was only an idea. Khan didn't let his guard down simply because everything was going well.
"I know it's hard on you," Khan admitted while laying his forehead on Monica's, "But I like seeing you all worked up. It makes me happy."
"Are you happy about my dwindling self-restraint?" Monica scoffed. "I'm a disgrace. My parents would disown me if they saw me acting like that."
"I'm happy that we feel the same things," Khan revealed, and Monica couldn't help but lose herself in his expression.
"Unfair," Monica muttered before delivering another long kiss. Her fingers even peeked past Khan's collar, and some b.u.t.tons of his uniform opened under their weight.
"After all the resolve it took us to dress up," Khan scolded as he tried to reach for Monica's lips again, but she pushed on his chest to keep him away. Still, a teasing smile appeared on her face. She liked when Khan desired her so openly.
"What?" Khan asked since Monica limited herself to inspecting his captivated expression. "We still have a few minutes."
"I just want to look at you," Monica said as she pushed herself further back and began b.u.t.toning up Khan's uniform.
Khan let Monica do as she wished, and her happy expression slowly brought a strange silence to his mind. Monica rejoiced in adjusting Khan's uniform and straightening it out to make it highlight his muscles. Some pride even joined her good mood once the process ended.
"You definitely are a hottie," Monica stated as she ran her palms over Khan's torso to straighten his uniform again. "My hottie."
"Should I adjust your uniform too?" Khan asked while pulling Monica back on him.
"You'll have to leave to take out your fingers from my trousers for that," Monica teased.
"They are part of the uniform now," Khan chuckled, and Monica joined him in his laugh while wrapping her arms around his neck.
"So," Monica whispered while her lips were dangerously close to Khan's, "What part of me kept you from going with Jenna?"
"You really want to hear me praise your b.u.t.t, don't you?" Khan joked, and a slap promptly arrived on his cheek.
"I was talking about my personality, idiot!" Monica scolded, but Khan laughed, and she couldn't help but imitate him. She even pulled him to deliver another kiss, but menus suddenly lit up on the walls and interrupted that interaction.
"You have to leave first," Monica groaned.
"Give me another kiss first," Khan requested, and Monica didn't hesitate to comply.
Khan left the room afterward. He had no choice. The menus had warned about Anita's arrival, and he couldn't let her catch him alone with Monica.
The now-familiar flat ran through Khan's vision as he reached for the big living room. George was there, snoring on a couch with a half-empty bottle in his arms. He wasn't even wearing his military uniform and probably needed a shower.
"George," Khan called when he reached the couch and lightly kicked George's foot, "Anita is coming up."
"Wha-?" George gasped due to the abrupt awakening. "Anita? What time is it?"
"We have one hour before our first cla.s.s," Khan explained while George scratched his eyes.
"One hour?!" George cursed. "Why didn't you call me earlier?"
"I was busy," Khan voiced, but the grin on his face explained more than enough.
"d.a.m.ned scoundrel," George declared. "You get all the fun while I'm relegated to this couch."
"You have three empty beds in this flat," Khan pointed out.
"You," George stated while pointing his forefinger at Khan, "You win this one."
Khan and George laughed, but they both got to work once the menus on the walls warned about the elevator's arrival. George jumped on his feet and headed for one of the bathrooms while Khan sat on the couch and took out his phone to open specific pages.
Anita soon entered the main hall, showing her perfectly tidy military uniform with two stars on each shoulder. Her hair appeared softer than usual, and she wore light makeup to be at her best for the cla.s.ses.
"Khan, good morning," Anita happily announced, but her smile froze when she saw the half-empty bottle on the table. "Where is the lost cause?"
"He is in the bathroom," Khan explained. "He'll be ready in no time."
"I won't wait for him," Anita snorted, but she still approached the couch in front of Khan and sat on it.
"Excited for the beginning of the academic year?" Khan asked to make conversation and keep the topic away from Monica.
"Anxious, rather," Anita sighed. "My family expects a lot from me. I need to pa.s.s every cla.s.s, or I'll have private teachers waiting for me at home."
Khan nodded before bringing his attention to his phone. He had actually already had that conversation with Anita and Monica. The two women were in a similar situation, which was both privileged and annoying.
"You'll be fine," Khan rea.s.sured. "Monica showed me the files about the advanced courses. With your preparation, you'll ace them."
"Did she?" Anita exclaimed in a teasing tone. "My girl sure lost her head over you."
"She only indulged my curiosity," Khan lied.
"The files about the advanced courses are partially cla.s.sified," Anita pressed on. "A nice treat like you deserves to be there, but receiving the help of Monica Solodrey is something else."
The Harbor had many available positions. Soldiers could find any kind of job there, and the emba.s.sy was no exception. The building offered many cla.s.ses divided into basic and advanced, and only those who met certain requirements could join the latter.
Monica and Anita had helped Khan choose suitable cla.s.ses, and, in theory, he had already met the requirements for the advanced versions of many of them. Yet, the Harbor wanted to test him out personally, so he had to attend the basic lessons first.
The situation was different for Monica and Anita. Their education had come from famous instructors accepted by the Harbor, so they could go directly to the advanced cla.s.ses. Monica couldn't refuse that advantage, but she still decided to use her privilege to help Khan.
"She is indeed kind," Khan tried to change the topic.
"Your innocent face is cute but pointless," Anita giggled. "Everyone has seen how Monica behaves around you. I know you two are up to something."
"And what would that be?" Monica's voice resounded from the end of a corridor, and her figure soon appeared in the living room.
"Monica, you are glowing!" Anita praised seeing Monica's natural beauty. "Does this flat hide some secret beauty treatment?"
"You are too kind," Monica thanked as she approached Khan's couch and sat next to him. "Sadly, I have no secret to share. I've merely bathed."
"Bathed with two men in the same flat?" Anita questioned. "Since when did you get this shameless?"
"Don't tease me," Monica laughed. "I arrived only one hour ago to help Khan sort out the last details."
Anita bought the lie but still eyed Monica and Khan with interest. She, like many others, had begun to suspect that the two liked each other. She wouldn't dare to believe they had a secret relationship, but that didn't make the situation any less interesting.
"You have alien languages first, right?" Monica asked as she elegantly leaned toward Khan to peek at his phone. The two didn't touch, but it was clear that they were comfortable with being so close.
"Alien languages in the morning," Khan confirmed, "Alien customs and alien environments in the afternoon. The bad ones are in the next days."
"They aren't as hard as they sound," Monica rea.s.sured, reaching for Khan's phone to scroll through his schedule. "Interplanetary regulations merely are a mnemonic exercise, and the same goes for the interspecies treaties. The others require some instinct, but you have that."
The Harbor's cla.s.ses went beyond five subjects. Khan would also have to study regulations related to the Global Army and its allies. A few lessons even involved broad topics he had never studied too deeply due to a lack of resources.
Of course, the books in Monica's ship had given Khan general knowledge that would help him a lot, but memorizing wasn't everything in the Harbor. He would eventually need to apply those regulations to complicated situations, and the tests rarely had a single correct answer.
"I'll have to study a lot," Khan sighed, "And things will get worse once I reach the advanced cla.s.ses."
"Graduating from the Harbor will open many important paths for your career," Monica explained. "You might even get a job here as an a.s.sistant or join a crew to establish connections with newly discovered intelligent species."
"I know," Khan nodded while scratching the side of his head. "I can hardly believe you had to learn all this when you were still a kid."
"I didn't learn everything," Monica revealed. "I was merely introduced to most of these subjects. My instructors added details only when I was ready to learn them."
"She means all the time," Anita added. "Monica is famous for being a quick learner and a dedicated student. I remember my parents comparing myself to her whenever I failed a test."
"You hated me so much back then," Monica joked while covering her mouth.
"I was mostly jealous," Anita corrected, "Until I understood that she had it even worse than me. We instantly became friends afterward."
"How many meetings did you have together?" Khan wondered.
"Too many to keep count," Anita cursed. "Now that I think about it. I'm surprised Mister Alstair didn't join you in the Harbor."
"Our paths sadly led us in different ways," Monica vaguely explained.
"That was lucky," Anita exclaimed. "You can have Khan all for yourself now."
"That's an outcome I appreciate," Monica laughed.
"I'm still here," Khan stated.
"And so am I," George shouted from the bottom of the hall. He had just entered the area, and the upper part of his uniform was still open. Also, his hair was wet, and only a towel took care of drying it.
"You've grown fond of showing your chest ever since your battle with Lucian," Anita commented.
"Do you like it?" George proudly asked.
"Cover it up," Anita ordered. "Someone might think you are compensating for something."
"Two weeks, and you have yet to forgive me," George sighed as he let go of the towel and started b.u.t.toning up his uniform.
"Do you think you've earned it?" Anita wondered. "You go back to the same nonsensical idiot whenever we go to a party."
"Do you wish I focused only on you?" George fought back.
"Nonsense," Anita immediately rejected. "Besides, everyone knows that booze is your true love."
"Khan can trample that," George claimed.
"Don't put me in the middle of this," Khan warned.
"There is no this," Anita scoffed as she shot to her feet. "We'll be late if we don't leave now. I hope I don't have to remind you how to b.u.t.ton your uniform."
"You could always offer yourself to do it since you care so much," George sneered.
"Get a maid for that," Anita responded. "Though I'm sure you already have some back at your home."
"Well," George voiced, and that word was enough to explain the truth.
"Unbelievable," Anita snorted as she turned toward the elevator to leave.
Khan and Monica smiled at the same time as they glanced at George. Anita was doing her best to act responsibly, but George seemed to be her weak spot, and the couple rejoiced in seeing some drama outside their lives. Besides, George's reactions were simply too funny.
"Let's go," Khan announced as he left the couch. "I'm actually a bit curious about the first cla.s.s."
"How many alien languages can you speak fluently?" Monica asked while also standing up.
"Three or four, I guess," Khan replied. "Though I still mess up some accents, especially with the others."
"You'll ace the basic cla.s.s," Monica whispered, revealing one of the faces she showed only when they were alone.
Khan remained a bit amazed. Anita's comment had been on point. Monica was truly glowing, and he was happy to see that, especially since he was part of the reason behind her mood. Still, the situation didn't allow them to expand on that interaction.
Monica, Anita, George, and Khan took the elevator to leave the building and found two cars waiting for them next to the sidewalk. The group had to split at that point, and a series of short goodbyes led to Khan and George settling in the same cab.
Casual chats went by as the cab led the two men into one of the Harbor's core districts. From the window seat, Khan could inspect the sharp change in environment and style. The domes abandoned the sleek and straight structures to focus on a single, ma.s.sive building that occupied the center of an immense area filled with parking lots, soldiers, and white pillars.
Getting off the car gave Khan a better view of the scenery. The emba.s.sy's district was far from small, but its open s.p.a.ces seemed limited due to the monumental building at its center. A pyramid-like structure grew from the floor and almost touched the dome above.
The structure's surfaces didn't draw a straight line. The building's exteriors had the shape of ma.s.sive steps featuring white pillars meant to highlight every corner. The emba.s.sy resembled a pile of giant, rectangular halls ama.s.sed together to create a triangular silhouette.
The parking lots could only pale in comparison to that colossal structure. Khan couldn't even count the number of floors it had, let alone its capacity. He had read that the lessons were only a small part of the emba.s.sy, but that scene gave him a proper idea of how much it could offer.
'Amazing,' Khan couldn't help but exclaim in his mind as soldiers rushed toward him and George to handle their identification.
Going through a few genetic scanners granted the two men access to the emba.s.sy's perimeter. A group of soldiers escorted them toward the immense structure, and a few precise touches on its black walls eventually uncovered a secret entrance.
The black metal slid open to reveal the emba.s.sy's insides. An immense corridor expanded in Khan's view and allowed him to notice the many offices stretching from it. Jobs he could barely conceive shone on labels on the various interactive doors, and that was only the lower part of the building.
'Alien fraud,' Khan read as the soldiers escorted him and George through the corridor, 'Insurance against interplanetary deals, orbital fines, unauthorized parking. Wow, there's even something for misunderstandings due to alien languages.'
Khan couldn't see inside the offices. The white illumination shone on black walls that didn't reveal anything. Even his senses couldn't go past them, but reading the various labels gave him an idea of how big minor problems could be.
The life of a soldier was relatively easy, especially for someone deployed on battlefields. Khan had barely scratched the surface of the many minor jobs required to keep an interplanetary alliance going, but that corridor worked as an eye-opener.
The walk didn't last long. The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly, but the soldiers eventually turned to unlock a secret elevator through the same precise touches as before. They didn't follow Khan and George inside, and the opening of its doors revealed why.
When the elevator stopped, a completely different environment expanded in the men's vision. A sense of familiarity invaded Khan at the sight of staircases and numbered halls filled with young students donning military uniforms. That scene reminded him of his time in Ylaco. The emba.s.sy had replicated a training camp.
"I don't recognize any of them," Khan commented after leaving the elevator and inspecting the groups of students roaming through the area.
"Many people live in the Harbor," George stated. "We have probably only met those going to the advanced cla.s.ses."
"I see," Khan voiced as hope bloomed inside him. He had initially been worried about the Harbor's social array, but each discovery opened many possibilities. He could ignore the extremely wealthy descendants when he had so many people at his disposal.
"Do you remember which one is our hall?" George wondered while rubbing his eyes. He had yet to wake up fully, and the trip had only delayed that moment.
"Hall twenty-five," Khan replied without needing to look at his phone. "The interactive menus there should have directions."
"Look at you getting all technological," George scoffed but still led the way toward labels flickering on a wall near the closest staircase.
The interactive menus revealed another astonishing detail. Khan could sense that the area stretched for more than two floors, but the truth left him speechless. There were actually six of them full of halls and other services. The emba.s.sy basically had a piece of Ylaco built in its insides.
"This is like a city condensed into a building," Khan exclaimed.
"More like a big s.p.a.ce station," George corrected, "A really big one."
Merely thinking about the secrets hidden inside something so big made Khan's thoughts wander. George also was in no speaking mood, so the two climbed staircases and crossed corridors in silence until they reached their destination.
Hall twenty-five already had a line of soldiers slowly entering inside. Its door was narrow and could fit only two people at the time, but Khan counted more than one hundred young men and women waiting outside.
The symphony even told Khan that the hall already had people in its insides. Its size had to be incredible, and his mind wanted to focus on that wonder, but an awful feeling eventually touched his senses.
Khan and George had approached the line by then, but the arrival of that feeling forced the former to turn toward a small group waiting on the wall. The team was relatively small. It only had eight soldiers, with two of them in the second level. Yet, the awful sensation came from the weakest of them.
"Oh," George voiced once he noticed where Khan was looking.
"Do you know him?" Khan whispered while replying to the first-level warrior's intense gaze. The man was barely above eighteen. His blonde curls covered his ears, and his azure eyes expressed purity, but his expression carried arrogance, ent.i.tlement, and hatred.
"He might be annoying," George revealed.
Khan scoured his memory but couldn't find anything about the first-level warrior. He was sure they had never met before, but that hatred was genuine, and he didn't know what could have caused it.
"They'll start admitting pigs at this pace," The man shouted while Khan was still immersed in his thoughts. "The Harbor will lose prestige if too many commoners invade it."
The man had been far from subtle. The line was silent and orderly, so his shout had reached the entire group and even stretched through the corridor. Needless to say, countless eyes fell on Khan right afterward.
'And here I thought I could be anonymous,' Khan sighed in his mind. No one had recognized him during his walk, but that event was bound to put a banner on his head.
"Can I help you?" Khan directly asked through his poker face.
"Oh, look," The man laughed. "He can speak."
The rest of the soldiers in the man's group echoed the laugh, and awkwardness immediately fell on the corridor. Many ignored the scene, while others actively diverted their eyes to avoid getting involved.
Those reactions and the changes in the symphony explained a lot to Khan. The man had to be somewhat wealthy or wealthier than the people in the line. Also, a few seemed aware of what was happening, and George was one of them.
"Did pigs teach you how to speak in the Slums?" The man continued with a taunt that triggered the laughs of his companions.
"If the Slums had pigs," Khan earnestly replied, "We would eat them."
The honest answer left the man and his group speechless. Some smirks appeared inside the line, and faint chuckles also echoed, but Khan remained serious.
The man wanted to retort with another taunt, but one of his friends eventually whispered to his ear while eyeing George. The former couldn't help but remain surprised, and no more insults came out of him, but he wore a smirk that counted for hundreds of them.
As for George, his mind went into battle mode as soon as he found an enemy of Khan. His cold face also expressed his stance clearly, so the man's group opted to avoid continuing with the insults.
Khan didn't ask anything and let the line flow inside the hall until he also got in. The place turned out to be a ma.s.sive half-circular room with steps made of interactive desks. The tallest of them was three-story high, and staircases ran among them to connect each seat.
A long interactive desk stood at the bottom of the hall, near the wall and before a bright screen. That obviously was the professor's seat, and a mere look at the area's layout told Khan that he wouldn't have problems following the lesson even from the tallest spots.
The silence continued while Khan and George proceeded inside and seized a relatively isolated interactive desk for themselves. Headphones, folders for various devices, and other services were part of that machine, and the same went for cameras that could zoom in on the professor's seat.
"His name is Tobias Odse," George explained as soon as he and Khan sat down.
"What's his deal?" Khan asked. "The name doesn't tell me anything."
"He doesn't have anything against you, specifically," George stated. "He just hates people who come from the Slums."
"I needed another ent.i.tled wealthy kid against me," Khan sighed.
Truth be told, Khan didn't mind the event. It was annoying, but his newfound mental stability made it a minor threat. He could ignore men like Tobias easily without even going against his wilder urges.
"His hatred is common knowledge," George continued. "It was a big deal back then, at least among wealthy families. His father apparently left everything to run away with a commoner, and that isn't ideal when you run most of the internal businesses."
"Oh," Khan whispered. "I guess the father is still MIA."
"That's not the main issue," George cursed.
"Wait," Khan gasped as he recalled something. "Odse! Isn't that the name of-."
Khan couldn't finish his line since a tall figure stormed inside the hall and headed for the professor's desk. The man had Tobias' blonde curls, but his eyes were dark. Still, the resemblance with the man was obvious once ignored the height difference.
"Hurry to your seats," The man ordered while tinkering with the interactive desk to activate its functions. "We are already late, and our course has to cover many topics. We won't get over all of them if we start wasting time on our first day."
George could only shrug his shoulders when Khan glanced at him. He had finally understood the reason behind George's silence, and the professor didn't hesitate to make it clear to the whole room.
"I'm Professor Oscar Odse," The Professor announced when various labels appeared on the screen behind him. "I will teach you the most famous and useful alien languages as well as a few alternative approaches to the topic. Now, sit down, and let's begin."
"Why didn't you mention anything earlier?" Khan asked.
"Someone was too busy in the other room to have a drink with his friend," George snorted.
"We drank every single night!" Khan pointed out.
"Time sure flies when you are having fun," George laughed. "On a serious note, Professor Oscar is just a distant relative. He has no real connection with Tobias' father."
"But since Tobias is here," Khan added.
"Yeah," George sighed. "Hopefully, the professors in the Harbor are beyond nepotism."
George didn't sound too convincing, but Khan found the matter unlikely. Corruption was bound to exist even inside the Harbor, but Khan had entered through the Solodrey family. His achievements were also undeniable. There was probably little the Professor could do to get in his way.
Every student eventually took their place and fell silent to wait for the beginning of the lesson. The entirety of the crowded hall focused on Oscar Odse, but the man didn't flinch. He was only a second-level warrior, but he clearly had experience in that field.
"Let's go over a few basic questions," Professor Odse announced once the silence satisfied his standards. "I want to understand your general level before starting. There are merit points on the table, so I hope that your families invested well in your education."
'Right,' Khan suddenly recalled. 'I have yet to see how many points Professor Nickton gave me. Luke's payment should have also arrived.'
"First of all," Professor Odse exclaimed after a short pause, "Who knows what the Ipina convention is?"
Professor Odse pressed on the desks, and a series of menus appeared in front of each student. Khan saw a multiple-choice question lighting up on the interactive surface under him, and it only took him a look to know the correct answer.
The interactive desk could trace Khan's genetic signature, and his name even appeared on the screen when he pressed the correct answer. However, the menu only buzzed at his touch and never forwarded his decision.
"Well, I'm happy to say that quite a few of you got it right," Professor Odse declared while looking at the results from his desk. "I'll send the merit points right away."
"Professor, sir!" Khan didn't hesitate to call before the Professor could complete the action. "There is a problem with my desk. It doesn't record my answer."
Khan had been loud enough to make the entirety of the hall hear his voice, but the Professor didn't flinch. He didn't even raise his head as he forwarded the merit points and went on with the lesson.
"Now, next question," Professor Odse continued. "Who actually knows how to use the Ipina convention?"
The menus under Khan changed. A new multiple-choice question featuring hand signs appeared on the desk, but the same issue happened when he tried to answer. The program buzzed but didn't record his choice.
"This is always a tough one," Professor Odse laughed when he read the results. "Still, not bad. I've seen far worse across the years."
"Professor, sir!" Khan called again, but the Professor sent out the merit points without even bothering to look at him.
The hall had understood what was happening by now, and many shot confused or even sympathetic gazes at Khan. The Professor was ostracizing him from getting any reward, and the culprit didn't hesitate to show his face.
A clear laugh resounded among the general silence. Khan didn't even need to turn to know that it came from Tobias. The short man had sat in the front row, and he sneered whenever he turned to look at Khan.
Generally speaking, that wasn't a major issue. Losing out on merit points was annoying, but Khan could deal with it. He wasn't broke anymore, and he even had the support of wealthy friends.
Yet, cracks appeared in Khan's beliefs whenever that annoying laugh reached his ears. He could feel his emotions growing wilder at each echo of Tobias' sneers. He wasn't going to snap. He wanted to.
The scene inevitably reminded Khan of his angry meeting with Milia 222's soldier, the one who wanted to steal his knife. Even after all his feats, people still tried to find loopholes and tricks to undermine his future. He had witnessed so much death to acc.u.mulate his current knowledge, and a mere feud against commoners was getting in the way.
"Next up is," Professor Odse continued, but Khan had stopped listening to him by then. Only Tobias' laugh resounded in his mind, and that pushed him to ask a straightforward question.
"George, how much can you cover for me?" Khan whispered as he stretched his neck. His wild emotions were becoming uncomfortable to contain. He had to do something, but he wanted to remain in control.
"Anything my family has to offer is yours," George declared without showing any hesitation. "You could also call the big guns. She'll be happy to help."
"No, it's fine," Khan sighed. "I'll see whether to call you depending on what happens."
"Do you need a hand?" George questioned as his mind went into battle mode.
"No, I want to do this myself," Khan stated, and George simply nodded. No matter what happened, he would support Khan.
Tobias was ecstatic, and his companions only made him laugh even harder by adding jokes to the situation. Some mocked Khan by imitating his serious call for the Professor, while others rejoiced at the sight of their free merit points.
The laughs became so hard to contain that Tobias had to close his eyes at some point. Yet, when he reopened, he discovered that his line of sight with the professor's desk was no more. A pair of legs had fallen on it.
"Wha-?!" Tobias didn't have the time to exclaim since a hand grabbed his collar and lifted him out of his seat.
Astonishment filled Tobias' face when he found himself before Khan's cold gaze. Their eyes almost shared the same color, but Khan's expression was so chilling that Tobias couldn't muster any word.
Gasps resounded through the hall, but Khan acted before anyone could scream or call for help. He performed a sharp turn, putting as much raw strength as he could to throw Tobias past the seat and toward the Professor.
Professor Odse could barely believe his eyes, and he definitely didn't react in time. Tobias' back filled his vision before flying past it to crash on the screen on the wall. Cracks inevitably appeared on the device, and sparks even came out of it as Tobias slid head-first into the floor.
"What do you think you are doing?!" Professor Odse shouted, but his eyes betrayed him again. He had looked in the direction of Tobias' desk, but Khan had already left it. He had just landed next to him.
"You-!" Professor Odse suppressed his surprise to speak, but Khan was faster.
"You can hear me then," Khan interrupted, showing his true colors and making sure that the synthetic mana echoed them.
The statement made Professor Odse freeze for a second, but his experience allowed him to retrieve his cool. Still, as soon as he tried to move his mana, Khan's eyes snapped to the exact position of that energy.
The gesture could have been a fluke, but Professor Odse couldn't believe that possibility. He felt naked under Khan's watchful eyes. The latter seemed able to see the very flow of his blood, and he had already shown to be fast enough to react to anything the Professor tried.
A profound realization suddenly fell on the Professor. They might have the same number of stars on their shoulders, but Khan was a completely different soldier. Oscar had gotten his current position through his family and studies, while Khan had swum through blood and corpses.
Of course, Khan had reached a similar conclusion even before his reckless action. He could smell the Professor's faint traces of synthetic mana left behind by the infusions. The man was no warrior, and his energy was no threat to Khan.
As dangerous as the situation seemed, the Professor still managed to muster his courage. He couldn't beat Khan in a fight, but he remained an authority, at least in that hall.
"The Harbor's regulations are clear," Professor Odse announced. "Your punishment is set in stone."
"I need to be part of this cla.s.s to be punished," Khan responded.
"What are you-?" Professor Odse tried to ask.
"Am I part of this cla.s.s?" Khan questioned.
"O-of course!" Professor Odse stuttered.
"Then I must report that my terminal had a technical issue," Khan explained. "It didn't record my answers. I've committed the Ipina convention to memory months ago."
"What?" Professor Odse asked in confusion.
"My merit points," Khan conveyed. "I knew the answer. I want my merit points."
"Merit," Professor Odse muttered before falling prey to his anger. "Who do you think you-?!"
Khan moved before the Professor could finish his line, and his sharp gesture made the man gasp and take a step back. As for Khan, he reached for the confused Tobias on the floor and grabbed him by his nape.
"What are you trying to do with him?" Professor Odse said before another gasp left his mouth. Still, his cry didn't manage to echo in the hall since crashing noises suppressed them.
Khan kept his eyes on Professor Odse while his right hand pressed on Tobias' nape. The latter's face had slammed on the interactive desk, digging a small hole in it, and the sharp shards that had remained intact had opened cuts on his skin.
Professor Odse didn't know what to do. Tobias was bleeding on his desk, and Khan still held him tightly. Khan was in complete control of the situation.
"Do you realize what you just did?" Professor Odse eventually let his anger take over again, but Khan only voiced a helpless sigh as he lifted Tobias and prepared to slam him on the desk again.
"Wait, wait!" Professor Odse shouted when he understood what was about to happen. "I'll give your merit points. I just need to use my desk."
Khan nodded toward the desk, and Professor Odse hastily tinkered with it to bring the first question to the intact part of its surface. Khan didn't hesitate to answer, and Professor Odse promptly pressed on the command that delivered the merit points.
The process repeated itself for the second question, and the third even appeared. Khan knew more than one alien language, so the Professor had to award him merit points again.
Professor Odse looked at Khan in fear at that point, but the latter quickly explained that he wasn't done. "Did you have other questions?"
Professor Odse looked at the bleeding Tobias still in Khan's grasp before nodding and moving to the desk again. Question after question popped out, and Khan knew the answer to all of them. Most of that knowledge came from himself, but he had to thank Monica for some of it.
"The questions are over," Professor Odse stated once the process ended. "Now, let go of Tobias and accept your punishment."
"Punishment for what?" Khan asked, showing a fake smile to feign ignorance.
Anger tried to rise through Professor Odse again, but he managed to hold it back and convey a firm reply. "a.s.sault of a fellow student, threats to your professor, and damage to the Harbor's machinery. You'll be lucky if they don't kick you out of the Global Army entirely."
"I didn't do any of that," Khan laughed as he pulled Tobias and forced him to turn toward him. "He tripped and broke your desk and screen."
"I didn-" Tobias tried to mutter, but Khan slammed his face back on the desk before he could finish his line. Khan's smile even disappeared, and the expression that Professor Odse fearer so much returned.
"Let's try this again," Khan exclaimed while pulling Tobias' face out of the mess of broken gla.s.s and exposed wires. "You tripped and broke the equipment, right?"
"Y-yes!" Tobias sobbed while pain filled his face. The injuries were mild, but some shards were still on him, and they hurt whenever his expression changed.
"You have a confession," Khan declared as his smile returned. "Write it down."
Professor Odse had given up on trying to reason with Khan at that point. He approached the intact part of the desk and wrote a report for Tobias. Khan let go of the injured man afterward.
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