Chaos' Heir

The Thilku stayed on Baoway for a few days before departing. By then, the news of the agreement had become public, so Monica started clearing the contacted allies. The Empire had yet to send its resources, but its support would arrive sooner anyway.

Even with a specific device, communicating with humankind and Thilku was far from optimal. The same went for the connection to the network. The ship could only be online during certain hours, but that problem was bound to be fixed with the first round of shipments.

As for Khan, he dealt with the settlement's impending necessities before focusing on his other tasks. He had a complicated martial art to learn, and finding the time among his leader's duties wasn't easy. Also, Monica demanded his attention, and her cooperation was necessary for another project.

"This should have worked," Khan sighed, watching the charred and melted metal lump in his hand.

"The next one will be better," Monica reassured, leaning on Khan's shoulder as crystalline drops fell from her wet curls.

The couple had settled on a river at some distance from the settlement. The experiments with Monica's elements were dangerous and explosive, so Khan couldn't perform them near his force. However, privacy brought other pleasant consequences.

Khan and Monica sat naked on the river's rocky edge, with their feet immersed in the cold running water. Baoway's star shone on them, and the nearby trees created a peaceful atmosphere. The scenery would almost be heavenly if it weren't for the burned marks on some of the tall crowns.

"I need to make a bigger design," Khan shook his head. "I still can't compress it into a bracelet."

"Why not call Abraham here?" Monica suggested. "He could coordinate with the Thilku lab once it arrives."

"I can't abandon the Harbor altogether," Khan explained. "It would make me too easy to eliminate."

"With the Empire here?" Monica wondered.

"Eliminate," Khan repeated, "Or cut away politically. I need trustworthy people doing important stuff among humans to retain relevance within the Global Army."

Monica was already considering her parents and Khan's cousin for that task. Yet, she understood what Khan meant. Abraham's trust was undeniable, and his job would be smoother in the Harbor, increasing its relevance and success rate.

"If only your element were as easy to tame as your temper," Khan shook his head again, closing his hands to reduce the now-brittle metal to dust.

"It's not my fault when you consider bringing that witch here," Monica snorted. "Snapping is the least I should do."

"I only considered it," Khan said. "If I thought it feasible, they would already be here."

Except for the security issues, Khan had other reasons for excluding the Nele from the list of potential allies. Their pheromones in the middle of Scalqa, Thilku, and humans were a recipe for disaster, and Khan didn't want to give them a home where they would have to live like they currently did on Milia 222.

"You and your promises," Monica complained.

"Did you forget Jenna put us together?" Khan teased.

"After sleeping with you for months," Monica scoffed. "And she even kissed you once we were together."

"I was kind of dying there," Khan pointed out.

"How fortunate," Monica whined.

Khan chuckled, wrapping an arm around Monica's back before pushing her forward. She let out a cry while falling into the river, but her pout disappeared when she discovered that Khan had joined her.

"Aren't the Thilku shipments due to today?" Monica giggled, jumping on Khan to let him hold him.

"It's not like I'll miss them," Khan reassured, but his words acted like a bringer of bad luck. Something touched the symphony before he could kiss Monica, and a groan almost escaped his mouth as he lowered his head to her chest.

Monica didn't need to question Khan since the faint whooshing of engines reached the area. She lifted her head, peeking past the gap created by the river, and distant, huge vehicles appeared in her vision.

Khan shot up, still carrying Monica in his arms, to leave the river and land on the rocks. Both their uniforms and underwear were on the ground, but the two quickly dressed up without saying a word. Monica jumped on Khan again afterward, and he sprinted into the forest, hurrying back to the settlement.

The couple reached the settlement quickly, and Khan dropped Monica to retrieve his red cape and hurry toward the canyon area. By then, the vast, circular ships had almost landed, but due to what they carried, the process required more care.

The ships had nothing of importance. Instead, what was attached to their bottom was. The vehicles carried two buildings, one short and rectangular and the other tall and square. The latter showcased the traditional Thilku architecture, even if shields covered its large balconies.

The vehicles made sure to avoid destroying the trees while dropping the buildings to the barren ground. The landing lifted a storm of dust and sand, but Khan walked through it with his eyes closed, quickly arriving before the structures.

While the dust settled, some movement happened in the forest. Khan watched the ships detach themselves from the buildings as shields deactivated. Doors also opened, and rows of red capes walked out.

The newly arrived Thilku arranged themselves into two groups and four lines. There were almost seventy of them between scientists and soldiers, but Khan recognized a familiar face. Amox stood before them, seemingly implying that he was in charge.

"[The Empire sent me to keep an eye on you]," Amox laughed, stepping forward to greet Khan.

"[Your wife must hate me by now]," Khan commented.

"[She hates me more]," Amox joked, shaking hands with Khan.

In the meantime, the army of Scalqa arrived, but Khan reassured it with a few cries. Everyone stood down, allowing Khan and Amox to deal with the specifics of their stay.

"[Colonize this area]," Khan ordered, indicating the barren ground. "[How is the state of your supplies]?"

"[We can last for about a month]," Amox explained.

"[You won't run out]," Khan reassured. "[The next shipments will take care of that]."

"[Khan]," Amox called, lowering his voice and leaning forward to whisper something. "[Where do you plan on putting them]?"

The canyon area was long but narrow. The two buildings barely left enough space for the workers, and adding assets along the gorge would eventually create a distance issue. Khan could solve that with ground vehicles and similar rides, but the matter sounded troublesome nonetheless.

Khan didn't reply and pointed at the gorge, making Amox walk toward its edge to peek below. The canyon was deep but spacious, and a few elevators could solve the height problem.

"[The Empire can handle the construction]," Amox pointed out.

"[I have to give work to my other allies, too]," Khan explained. "[Things should take the proper shape in a few weeks]."

That was exactly what happened. By the time more ships arrived, the Thilku had wholly settled in the canyon area. The latter were human and belonged to the Nognes family, which delivered more soldiers, workers, and technicians.

The Nognes family ships settled at the bottom of the canyon, building rows of elevators connected to the surface. Moreover, they erected living quarters, control rooms, and greenhouses to solve many of Baoway's problems.

The control rooms finally fixed the communication issue, allowing connection to the network even inside the settlement. The abundance of the chaos element still created some problems, but those were minor and temporary.

Instead, the greenhouses cultivated a relatively large variety of products. They weren't the tastiest of the bunch, but the Global Army had engineered them specifically for that purpose. In a few weeks, food wouldn't be a problem anymore for the current headcount.

Things accelerated once the Nognes family's soldiers settled. The new, reliable connection to the network allowed Monica to deal closely with minor parties, and the results didn't take long to arrive.

Only two more weeks had to pass before a massive vehicle loomed above Baoway's sky. Khan recognized it with a mere look and connected it to its owner. That was a Leviathan class ship, something he had boarded before his mission to Lauter.

As usual, Khan flew to the canyon to encounter the newcomers, but the area was too small for the ship, so smaller vehicles descended to handle the meeting. Two only had soldiers, but the third carried a familiar face.

"Prince Khan," Lucian Hencus announced. "It has been too long."

"Do you have what I requested?" Khan asked.

"Obviously," Lucian confirmed. "Also, I've already warned the Nognes family. This delivery will be free of charge to show our commitment to our friendship."

Lucian nodded at his companions, who sent orders to the Leviathan class ship. Another vehicle shot down, landing near the Thilku structures. The former was rectangular, but its surfaces split and moved to open up and change shape.

Soon, the structure gained an oval shape, with two curved horns at its sides. The piece of tech lacked power sources, but its design made it unmistakable. Baoway finally had a teleport.

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