Chaos' Heir

The Scalqa had no idea what the red cape meant, but Monica, Gordon, and the Thilku on the other side of the table immediately turned serious at that sight. The latter also stood up out of respect, and Khan imitated them.

"[Blue Shaman]," Lord Exr announced, seizing the cape from the box to hold it with both hands. "[You have earned the Empire's trust. Accept this as a sign of our friendship]."

Monica, Gordon, and Lieutenant Dyester stood up as Khan crossed the imaginary table. The Scalqa didn't understand what was happening but rose to their feet anyway. The air was thick with solemnity, and Khan wasted no time showing his back to Lord Exr.

"[This goes to the Blue Shaman]!" Lord Exr shouted, repeating himself while placing the cape on Khan's shoulders. The hidden meaning behind his statement was clear, but Khan ignored it for now.

The cape was heavy and too long for Khan, but he didn't complain. He adjusted the thick fabric on his shoulders to make it more comfortable before eyeing the Thilku group. Amox directly nodded while the others wore solemn expressions. Khan had stopped being an outsider to the Empire. He was one of them now.

"[It suits you]," Lord Exr exclaimed. "[Come, Blue Shaman. Let's walk]."

Khan uttered a few alien cries and glanced at Monica before departing with Lord Exr. The two remained silent as they exited the settlement's perimeter and dived into the forest. They didn't have a clear destination, but Lord Exr seemed content inspecting Baoway's environment.

"[It's a good planet]," Lord Exr eventually broke the silence. "[Its location is also useful]."

"[It will change soon enough]," Khan stated, "[Once the Empire settles here]." Novel Fire - novelfire.net

"[Settles]?" Lord Exr repeated, ignoring the forest to look at Khan. "[The Empire chose the Global Army to avoid settling here]."

"[One lab and one station should be enough]," Khan continued. "[The Global Army will provide the rest]."

"[Or what]?" Lord Exr asked, sensing that a negotiation had begun.

"[It's symbolic]," Khan explained. "[You'd give this force to me, not the Global Army. It will preserve our alliance and establish a direct line of communication with the Empire]."

"[The Empire just awarded you its cape]," Lord Exr pointed out. "[It's too early to make requests]."

"[Imagine the leverage you'd have on the Global Army]," Khan stated. "[The Empire would set the prices, deals, and timing with minimum investment on the planet]."

"[It would also make you necessary to both species]," Lord Exr commented.

"[Am I not]?" Khan asked.

"[If the Empire wanted this planet]," Lord Exr announced, "[It would take it]."

"[I'm handling that part]," Khan responded. "[I only need things to look more official]."

The Empire had its own way of politics, but Lord Exr was privy to the Global Army's methods. Face could go a long way, and Khan had barely asked for two buildings anyway.

Still, the issue remained. The Empire had just bestowed Khan with great honor, but his first move consisted of a request. That couldn't work since it would make the Empire look weak.

"[The Empire won't do your bidding]," Lord Exr refused.

"[I'm asking for a favor]," Khan uttered, "[Which will be repaid in no time]."

The different wording made Lord Exr hesitate. A trade sounded much better than a simple request, but he had superiors, too. Justifying the deal required hard numbers.

"[What do you have in mind]?" Lord Exr asked.

"[In the next months]," Khan announced, "[Many human allies will deliver resources and equipment here. They'll establish labs, barracks, and stations. The planet will be open for interplanetary traders afterward]."

"[And how does the Empire benefit from this]?" Lord Exr questioned.

"[Having Thilku presence will justify priority deals]," Khan explained. "[My human allies are powerful, but the Empire is far superior]."

The praise didn't influence Lord Exr's mind, but his knowledge of the Global Army's political environment confirmed Khan's words. Humankind was fragmented into countless smaller parties while the Empire was united. No individual organization could hope to oppose it.

"[Isn't the Blue Shama enough to justify them]?" Lord Exr wondered, trying to make things difficult for Khan.

"[Is the Empire asking me to win it another planet]?" Khan jabbed back.

Lord Exr smirked. Khan's help had been vital in Cegnore, but the Empire had done most of the heavy lifting afterward. Instead, Baoway would be the opposite, with Khan handling almost every detail.

"[Who would the Thilku force answer to]?" Lord Exr asked.

"[Me]," Khan shortly replied.

"[Ah]!" Lord Exr cried. "[Are you aiming for a crown, too, Blue Shaman]?"

"[I don't need a crown to seize authority]," Khan declared. "[Still, I won't ask for it]."

Khan's statement had two purposes. The first part was a simple show of strength, which Lord Exr couldn't deny. Khan was already a monster on Cegnore, so his current power had to be acknowledged.

Instead, the second part wanted to reassure Lord Exr. The Thilku respected strength, and Khan had already proven himself inside the Empire. Many Thilku would listen to him and follow his orders, and his unclear flag could create internal problems.

"[What are the terms]?" Lord Exr changed topics.

"[The Empire will get priority the biggest share of results and resources]," Khan explained. "[I'll get all of them. We'll coordinate afterward to decide what to sell back to the Global Army]."

"[What will you do with those resources]?" Lord Exr wondered. "[They are of no use to you]."

Lord Exr didn't say it, but Khan understood his point. Khan didn't have the assets to exploit Baoway's resources. Selling them to other parties was his only use for them. Yet, with the priority deals with the Empire, the effort seemed pointless unless Khan had secret negotiations in mind.

"[I won't turn my quadrant into a wasteland]," Khan declared, "[And I have some use for a few resources. The matter is personal]."

"[Make it less personal]," Lord Exr almost ordered.

"[My force needs to grow]," Khan explained. "[My quadrant won't be anyone's playground but mine]."

Lord Exr wanted to know more, but Khan wasn't talking as a mere soldier anymore. Cape aside, Khan was the de facto owner of the quadrant. His force was minuscule compared to the Empire and Global Army, but it was a force nonetheless.

Prying into Khan's personal business could be seen as an insult. Obtaining that knowledge also required a price now, but Lord Exr didn't mind privacy. He only cared about potential ploys behind the Empire's back.

"[Can the Empire trust you]?" Lord Exr directly asked.

"[It granted me the cape]," Khan pointed out, lifting his left shoulder to show the thick red fabric.

"[I'm the one asking the question]," Lord Exr clarified.

"[Yes]," Khan confirmed. "[You can]."

Lord Exr and Khan fell into a silent stalemate. They stared at each other, hoping to gain a glimpse of the machinations inside their respective brains. Truth be told, they both knew what their opponent was thinking, but trust was the only solution.

"[Very well]," Lord Exr eventually agreed. "[I'll have the specifics in a few hours. Do you have a representative]?"

"[Monica Solodrey]," Khan responded. "[My wife-to-be]."

"[That's acceptable]," Lord Exr uttered. "[How many soldiers are we talking about]?"

"[Fifty would be more than enough]," Khan declared. "[Enough to show their presence and pretend to defend the lab]."

"[Pretend]?" Lord Exr questioned.

"[I'm the best defense in the quadrant]," Khan replied. "[They'd mostly handle chores]."

"[Ah! Chores]," Lord Exr snorted. He didn't seem to like Khan wanting to use the Empire's soldiers like that, but the issue wasn't too relevant.

"[The Empire wants immediate results]," Lord Exr continued. "[We expect a trade route to open soon]."

"[It will open soon]," Khan promised. "[I just need the Empire's assets first]."

Lord Exr smirked. He liked how Khan had turned out, but another critical matter popped into his mind. Actually, that new topic was more relevant than anything discussed until now.

"[What about the Global Army]?" Lord Exr asked.

"[What about it]?" Khan wondered.

"[This is a big planet]," Lord Exr explained, "[And you only own a quadrant. The others can be negotiated]."

Lord Exr didn't pretend the Empire would claim his half of the planet. Both he and Khan knew it lacked the manpower to occupy that vast space. Ideally, the Thilku would continue to leave everything to the humans as long as they received something in return.

Nevertheless, Lord Exr raised a reasonable issue. Nothing stopped the Empire from sealing different deals with the Global Army. The Thilku could score big with Khan and earn slightly less in other quadrants, basically double-dipping without moving a finger.

"[The Empire won't get better deals anywhere else]," Khan stated.

"[True]," Lord Exr agreed, "[But the Global Army has a competitor now]."

Khan felt a curse rising through his throat, but nothing escaped his mouth. Lord Exr was right. The Global Army would probably try to compete with Khan's force to retain a direct relationship with the Empire. Mister Cirvags still had his cape, so the Empire wouldn't lack trustworthy figures, either.

"[Do it]," Khan almost challenged. "[Seal deals with the Global Army]."

"[You don't sound against it]," Lord Exr commented.

"[Those quadrants aren't mine]," Khan said. "[Yet. If the Empire wants immediate gains, it can lock itself into long, unchangeable deals]."

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