Three weeks after the communication, a small ship pierced Coravis' atmosphere, heading directly for a crowded sea station. Multiple teams had gathered on a relatively empty spot of that black surface to welco their leader, and Garret obviously stood in the lead.
The ship quickly landed on the floating platform, and interference ran over its machinery once the canopy lifted open. The pilot remained in his seat, but the caped figure behind him jumped off, floating toward Garret.
"Welco back, My Prince," Garret announced, performing a military salute that the soldiers behind him echoed. Khan had finally returned to Coravis, and his appearance confird the lack of injuries or similar issues.
"It feels good to be on a planet again," Khan exclaid, breathing deeply and lifting his gaze toward the clear, bright sky. "I was starting to hate that ship."
"It's good that you didn't break it, My Prince," Garret comnted, "Too much."
Khan chuckled, not even bothering to feign innocence. Overclocking the engines had been a reckless move, but it also saved him from nearly three additional months of travel. His trip would have been even shorter if his ship hadn't started shutting down, requiring a rescue party.
Of course, Khan had sacrificed his ship for that. It wasn't only a matter of supplies and fuel. The engines were damaged, probably beyond repair. His ride would be useless until it received proper care, but that would have to wait for the other rescue teams to bring it to Coravs.
Still, Khan felt the sacrifice had been worth it. He had spent around fifteen months flying through space, unable to contact anyone for most of that ti. That was his longest solo mission yet, and he had wanted to get over it as quickly as possible once he reached its last phase.
That wasn't even about the scarlet eyes' impending threat. Khan simply needed that break for his ntal health, and breathing Coravis' air killed any regret that tried to appear in his mind.
"Did you start working on the data I sent you?" Khan wondered as he landed on the platform and faced his lead scientist.
"Of course, My Prince," Garret confird. "Shall we talk inside?"
Khan nodded, and the soldiers parted to create a path. Garret led Khan to the elevator, and the two soon reached the station's second-lowest level, the floor assigned to the scientist.
"I processed the data," Garret explained, leading Khan into the nearest office, where holograms already shone above its interactive desk. "Are you sure you want to enter that danger zone, My Prince? Even Leviathan-class ships can't survive that storm."
One of the holograms had a relatively detailed replica of the spherical array of asteroids. So pieces were missing due to the interference and the location of Khan's ship while it had gathered that data, but the scientist had done a great job filling in the blanks.
"I don't have to survive it," Khan said, shrugging his shoulders. "I have to dodge it."
Garret couldn't help but peek past his shoulder to inspect Khan. Truth be told, every simulation told him that the storm was uncrossable, but if Khan said he could do it, there was a chance.
"Very well," Garret uttered, pressing on the interactive desk to summon other holograms. "Mister Abraham and I managed to gather this while the rescue party brought you back. It's incomplete, but Prince Thomas is working on purchasing more blueprints."
The new holograms depicted ships eerily similar to the debris Khan had found on Chuwei. So were even rather detailed, highlighting pieces of Nak technology humankind had managed to decipher after the First Impact.
"Can you build it?" Khan wondered.
"We should be able to," Garret nodded. "We'll need to bring specialized engineers to Coravis, but the project is doable. Still, you'll have to test it once it's complete."
"What about the other issue?" Khan questioned.
"That's trickier, My Prince," Garret revealed, tapping on the interactive desk again. "Easy, doable, but trickier."
A series of space stations appeared above the interactive desk. Those were the candidates for the new checkpoint past Coravis and near the array of asteroids, but Garret's introduction didn't bode well.
"Teleports need stable connections on both ends," Garret explained. "Hurling a space station with that equipnt through space won't enable you to teleport there."
Khan didn't consider that point, but was hardly to bla. He didn't know how teleports worked, but the issue sounded reasonable when he thought about it. If even calls were unavailable, how could far more complicated machines function in those distant reaches of the universe?
"So?" Khan asked. As much as he acknowledged the issue, he still believed Garret had found a solution. He wouldn't have called it easy otherwise.
"We can fix this in two ways," Garret announced. "We can send antennas into space alongside the space station. Due to the interferences, we would still have to remain at so distance from the danger zone, but it'd be far better than nothing."
Garret didn't ntion it, but Khan understood the problems there. The project wouldn't only be expensive due to the additional technologically advanced equipnt it required. His soldiers would also need ti to get everything in position and establish a stable connection.
"The second?" Khan questioned.
"We litter the flight route with fuel stations and disposable hangars," Garret revealed, turning to face Khan. "It won't be nice, and so problems will remain, but it would be fast and cheap."
The plan basically involved throwing disposable checkpoints that Khan could use to refill his tank and cargo during the trip. It wouldn't shorten the flight, and communicating would still be a problem in so stretches of the universe, but Khan believed his forces could start it right away.
Khan scratched the side of his head. Ideally, he would prefer to have the best of both worlds, but space was a formidable opponent that demanded compromises. Chances were the first idea would take far longer to implent than the second, so Khan would save more ti by flying instead of relying on a teleport.
"Let's go with the second," Khan ordered, "Unless you think you can get the first done earlier."
"I apologize, My Prince," Garret shook his head. "Establishing a teleport on a planet is relatively easier, but a space station and its intended location complicates things."
"It's fine," Khan casually reassured, crossing his arms while inspecting the various holograms. "You deal with the specifics. I'm sure they'll be fine."
Garret's stern expression couldn't help but show so traces of surprise. Khan occasionally joked around, but he looked too casual about that topic now, which didn't make any sense. After all, the Nak's nightmares had shaped his entire life, and the current project was about getting rid of them.
"Did sothing happen, My Prince?" Garret eventually questioned.
"Why?" Khan wondered, pointing his genuinely confused expression at the scientist. "Is sothing the matter?"
"You look …," Garret muttered, trying to put his vague sensations into words, "Different, almost at peace."
"Oh, that," Khan exclaid, tilting his head. "I guess the impossible beca possible. Now it's just about getting everything ready."
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