Sadly, the universe wasn’t a simple place, especially when politics were involved.
From a simple, superficial, and even romantic perspective, Khan had rely followed his heart, running away with a woman who shared his feelings, pursuing his happiness.
However, the situation involved far more than that.
The arranged marriage was the Niqols’ chance to establish a proper foothold in the universe, joining hands with an equally weak species that would compensate for their greatest flaw.
That was a perfect plan that would have established a tight alliance, elevating both Kros and Niqols equally. The agreent wouldn’t have had any leaders or subordinates, fostering an ideal political environnt where that new force could develop in harmony.
Nevertheless, Khan had shattered that plan, and the entirety of the bla fell on the Niqols due to Liiza’s involvent.
Politically, the Niqols had now lost their chosen ally and reputation. No one in the universe would trust them anymore, and that betrayal would affect any future deal they attempted to make.
Liiza’s actions would serve as an original sin that any potential ally would use against the Niqols to impose unfavorable terms. The Niqols had beco an unreliable partner, and every force in the universe wouldn’t hesitate to exploit that trait.
The easy solution would be to join hands with Khan’s force. After all, he had already expressed his goodwill toward the Niqols, and his offer was more generous than anything that species could ever hope to attain through ordinary negotiations.
Yet, Khan’s force wasn’t sothing the Niqols could match. Whether they considered his connections with humankind or the Thilku Empire, it was evident who would be in charge of that alliance. The two sides would be heavily unbalanced, and the Niqols couldn’t just trust his word.
Moreover, Khan had been a key elent in the betrayal. He wasn’t trustworthy by any stretch of the imagination, and accepting his offer would lead to troubleso repercussions that mostly had to do with appearances.
If the Niqols chose to side with Khan, it would give the universe the impression that he and Liiza could make decisions for that entire species. It would appear as if a single married couple could affect the Niqols’ fate as a whole, turning them into de facto leaders.
The Niqols couldn’t risk giving so much power to two people who had disregarded their situation to follow their feelings. Khan and Liiza had a terrible track record already, and the Niqols didn’t want to turn their Elders into puppets for their whims.
Truth be told, the damage was done. Nothing could fix it. Even the chase was nothing more than a flimsy attempt to regain a modicum of respect. It was a mandatory response to the insult, which didn’t aim to solve anything at all.
Therefore, Khan was lost, and Doku seed to share that sentint when he heard his question. If feelings could be enough, the matter would be instantly solved. However, politics demanded their price, and Doku couldn’t set it.
Still, Doku had brought soone who could.
Doku threw a hand into his robe, retrieving a cube that featured bright blue symbols. He ntally communicated with soone, eventually storing the device.
"[Soone is coming down]," Doku explained, glancing at the sky far past the encirclent. "[You can discuss this with her]."
"[Thank you]," Khan voiced, also turning, following Doku’s gaze.
It didn’t take long before the symphony showed signs of the incoming event. Sothing big and radiating synthetic mana tainted that natural scenery, appearing as nothing more than a black dot in the distant sky.
Nevertheless, the dot quickly expanded multiple tis, eventually revealing its actual size and nature. A huge black ship had crossed the planet’s orbit and was descending toward the improvised camp, seemingly planning to stop at so distance from it.
The scene was surprising for Khan since he knew how bad the Niqols were with technology. That huge ship wasn’t quite as big as Leviathan-class vessels, but it definitely tried to imitate them. Also, it was oddly spherical, hinting at its connection to the Kros.
"[Did you say daughter]?" Doku whispered while everyone was busy focusing on the huge ship’s landing.
"[She looks like a Niqols]," Khan confird, "[But is warm and has so of my blue colors]."
"[And you nad her Yeza]," Doku added. "[You are done for]."
"[Don’t you think I know that]?" Khan comnted, and both n held back a snicker, which the huge ship’s landing helped suppress.
Despite the size, the ship didn’t lift any grey sand during its landing. It also didn’t do anything special, standing motionlessly in the distance while towering above the makeshift encampnt, shrouding it in its shadow.
Still, a change eventually appeared. A red symbol lit up near the base of that vaguely spherical vessel, and a narrow door opened without releasing anything. That was an invitation, which Khan accepted without consulting anyone.
Khan instantly teleported before the narrow entrance, and his glowing gaze didn’t bother to linger on the ship’s black surface while he crossed it. He wasn’t scared. Nothing could worry him after what he had just faced, but his mind grew serious nonetheless.
The entrance unfolded into a long tal corridor illuminated by red symbols. Their light was quite intrusive, seemingly attempting to inspect Khan, but nothing could pierce his aura as he made his way through the passage.
Instead, sothing else happened, coming directly from inside Khan’s mind. A feeling he had almost forgotten ca back to life, getting stronger with each step he took. Sothing that had long since atrophied regained vitality, spreading nostalgic emotions through his brain.
That strange feeling skyrocketed when Khan reached the corridor’s end. The passage opened into a massive, cold warehouse filled with dark-grey snow. The place resembled an artificial environnt, similar to what the Nele had done in Milia 222’s third asteroid, and its purpose quickly beca evident.
Khan’s eyes went wide when a screech reached his ears. He lifted his gaze only to see a big white figure shooting at full speed toward him, and a laugh escaped his mouth before it could crash on him.
Khan’s laugh only grew louder and happier when that ss of pure white feathers jumped all over him, screeching wildly while trying to push him down. Foreign feelings also spread through his brain, telling him exactly how that bird felt.
"I missed you, too," Khan laughed, letting the white Aduns push him down on the dark-grey snow, "You big, beautiful bird."
Despite being on a planet far away from Nitis and past the edges of the regulated universe, Snow had appeared before Khan, greeting him enthusiastically and violently.
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