Chaos' Heir

759  Kneel

Ruckus happened among high and secretive parts of the Global Army. Heavy pressure fell on specific parties in charge of important aspects of a particular mission, but those political maneuvers never reached the network. Everything started and ended in silence, leading to results no one learned about or could track.

A space station moved in secret, reaching quadrants of the universe that official scanners weren't allowed to inspect. Even if those trackers ended up pointing in that direction, their recordings vanished in minutes, making spreading them impossible.

A relatively big and luxurious ship departed from the space station once it reached the intended location. The vehicle flew through precise routes meant to keep its movements hidden. Only a few parties knew about its existence, but no rumors or questions were asked.

The ship made no stops and took no breaks, flying at full speed toward the intended location. Eventually, the vehicle reached a quadrant shared between the Global Army and the Thilku Empire, where the targeted planet resided.

The ship's crew had all the relevant information and more. It knew where it would have higher chances of finding its target, but much remained unclear. That didn't only come from the vague and fragmented reports. It also was a matter of timing since planning the mission had almost taken two months. The wielded knowledge could be outdated by then.

Nevertheless, the crew made the ship descend toward the planet, heading for the best spot all the information in its possession could find. Soon, the scanners located a cliff carrying a vast charred mark, and the vehicle landed at its center.

The landing wasn't anything flashy. The ship also stood still for a while, deploying the full power of its scanners. Numerous traces of life popped out in the nearby forest, but the crew still waited for clearer reports.

Nothing moved inside the forest, and the scanners' images grew woozy when the crew tried to expand their range. It soon became clear that only a direct exploration could provide better information, and three men descended from the ship to handle that part of the mission.

The three men brimmed with confidence. Their expert eyes captured every available detail as they entered the forest. Information also reached the communication devices in their ears, adjusting their route and preventing them from getting lost. The possibility of that happening was almost null, but the crew left nothing to chance.

The exploration was effortless and tranquil. The three men encountered no hindrance, and the forest's uneven ground couldn't hinder their confident steps. Yet, at some point, the group's leader noticed something odd. The place had become silent, too silent.

That detail didn't only come from the forest. The leader checked his phone and discovered that the device in his ear had missed the mandatory update. The man even tried to contact HQ, but no answer arrived.

A single worrying issue could be a coincidence, but two became a pattern. The leader realized something was up, but the ground began to tremble before he could give any order. An earthquake enveloped the area, forcing the group into battle stances, but nothing could have prepared them for the following event.

Tens of huge figures began to appear among the tall trees, and the event wasn't limited to the group's front. Burly aliens enveloped in a purple-red glow popped out from every corner of the area, encircling the three men in a blockade that left no escape routes.

The three men were experienced enough to gauge the threat in mere seconds. They knew what those aliens were and their general prowess. Their instincts also told them that most were weak, barely as strong as second or third-level warriors. Yet, the scene generated fear anyway.

The aliens' number was the first issue. The reports in the crew's possession barely marked a few hundred Scalqa in the quadrant, including non-fighters. However, the encirclement featured more than two hundred of them. Moreover, they all looked to be proper warriors.

The purple-red glow was the second issue. The Scalqa wielded primitive weapons like wooden spears and slings, but bright and unstable marks rested on their tips and ammo. Those symbols seemed ready to explode at the first impact. They were basically bombs with enough energy to make the human group hesitate.

Of course, a single spear or rock couldn't do much against the three men. They could handle their explosion or directly dodge it. However, two hundred could level the area and the human group with it.

The group's leader's thoughts ran as he studied the situation and searched for ways out. He had learned a few Scalqa words and customs from the reports, so he quickly devised a plan. Yet something else suddenly landed on him. A heavy, suffocating aura invaded the area, bringing the three men's eyes to the sky.

A new, smaller figure had appeared in the sky. A young man with long, wild blue hair was floating below the tall crowns, inspecting the group with his cold eyes.

The man's attire was peculiar. Bone armor partially covered his body while pelts hid his crotch and half of his legs. A knife's handle popped out from the makeshift belt on his waist, and strange, black patterns covered his face and exposed torso.

The group's leader had only seen older pictures but squinted his eyes to find familiar details. When he ignored the attire, black patterns, and long, messy hair, he recognized the man as the target of his mission. The partially hidden blue scar on his chest had given him out.

"Major Khan!" The group's leader shouted. "I'm part of a rescue mission to bring you back to the Global Army's domain."

The man's statement only led to utter silence. Khan didn't reply and continued inspecting the group. Even the forest seemed to grow quieter during the process, intensifying the pressure on the humans on the ground.

The three men were by no means weak. Two were fourth-level warriors while their leader was in the fifth level. Yet, they felt naked under Khan's eyes. His gaze seemed able to pierce their skin, muscles, and organs, reaching for their very souls.

The prolonged inspection began to get on the men's nerves. Sweat accumulated on one of the fourth-level warriors' forehead as cramps invaded his muscles. Remaining perfectly still under that tension felt like torture, and an instinctive twitch eventually ran through his right hand.

The scenery in the man's vision instantly changed. He was looking at the sky, but something had materialized before him. Khan had landed in front of the man without showing any trace of movement. His action bordered proper teleportation that the air itself failed to notice.

The fourth-level warrior felt the urge to jump, but his body couldn't move. He lowered his eyes to meet Khan's, but the gesture only intensified the pressure on his mind. A foreign, violent killing intent invaded his brain, triggering survival instincts he thought to have learned to control years ago.

Khan's sudden movement alerted the other two men, but only the leader felt able to move and react freely. Still, he limited himself to peeking past his shoulder to inspect Khan's back. He experienced the same fear as his companion, but his orders remained clear. That truly was a rescue mission.

"Major," The leader called. "Miss Solodrey spent months searching for you. This mission is the culmination of her efforts."

Khan didn't move nor flinch. Using Monica's name was the most obvious tactic in the book. Everyone in the Global Army knew about their relationship, so the leader's words didn't add anything new to Khan.

The leader realized the issue, and seeing his companion's breath growing ragged added a trace of anxiety to his efforts. He didn't know what Khan would do if the fourth-level warrior fainted, so he had to act quickly to prevent eventual tragedies.

"Major!" The leader called again, raising his voice. "Miss Solodrey contacted your father, who handled the rest."

The leader didn't add details. He simply couldn't for various reasons, but his second statement seemed to do the trick. Khan stopped torturing the fourth-level warrior with his intense presence and diverted his gaze, turning his head until his eyes could point at the speaker.

"What is the Nognes family doing here?" Khan finally spoke, his emotionless tone reeking of pure coldness.

The leader's mind went into chaos. He didn't say anything about his allegiances, and nothing on his body could reveal them. He had been cautious about that. Yet, Khan had hit the mark on his first question.

"Stop thinking lies," Khan ordered. "Your companions on the ship were smarter than that."

A second blow hit the leader's mind from two different angles. Khan couldn't only see what he was thinking about doing. He had also visited the ship, making its status unknown.

"I-," The leader muttered before acknowledging the seriousness of the situation. Giving up was the only viable path toward his goals.

"I cannot reveal many things," The leader admitted, "But this is a rescue mission. I am to escort you to a special location to meet His Excellency."

Khan's lack of reactions worried the leader. He had hoped he would have been convinced by then, but his mind and expression were inscrutable. Nothing in Khan's behavior gave his intentions away. Still, he eventually spoke.

"Kneel," Khan ordered.

"Sir?" The leader asked, frowning.

"Nognes should kneel before their Prince," Khan explained.

The leader wasn't the only one to feel shocked now. The other two men gulped at that order. Khan recognizing their identity was surprising but manageable. Yet, claiming the status of Prince was a different matter altogether.

Baoway was a distant planet, so many political issues could be ignored. However, if the mission succeeded, Khan would return to the Global Army, bringing any decision with him. That could have heavy repercussions on the three men, who lacked the authority to make those important choices.

Nevertheless, the leader was one step ahead of his companions. He had more experience and understood the situation better than them. He even had a better position, shielding him from some repercussions. The decision was still risky, but the man made it anyway.

"My Prince," The leader announced as his knees went to the ground. He even lowered his head to convey submission, and his companions soon imitated him.