Khan had acted too quickly, leaving the Orlats no chance to run away from their problems like they usually did. At most, the ships heading for the party would make U-turns and leave Chigoilara in a hurry, but that was outside Khan’s control.
anwhile, the Orlats at the party knew without a shadow of a doubt that they were stuck with Khan. He didn’t voice that demand, but his presence stated as much, acting as an ethereal prison that pressed down and kept track of everyone.
So, Khan’s statent was t with complete stillness, with only the crackling of the various fires adding a trace of life to that tense silence.
The Orlats were nothing if not resourceful, but the evolved warriors on the stage knew that their options were limited there. As much as they would rather avoid it, they could only escape that situation through words, which couldn’t have much weight with all the hot loot at that very party.
No matter how the Orlats tried to spin it, they were guilty as charged, and the judge, jury, and executioner were now sitting among them. Khan’s mood didn’t look great, either, so a sentence was unavoidable, but the Orlats could still try to shift the bla.
The five evolved aliens standing around the table exchanged glances, or rather, four of them quickly ca up with a joint plan. The fifth, central Orlats imdiately understood what was happening, so he decided to speak before his situation could worsen.
"Prince Khan!" The central Orlats exclaid, even wearing a broad, fake smile, unleashing his politest human accent. "Your presence on Chigoilara is most welco."
Khan heard those words but didn’t pay them much attention. He had spotted the previous silent interaction, so his glowing gaze fell on that central, older Orlats, knowing what was happening.
Politics was a complicated field in which Khan had never truly excelled. He couldn’t compare himself to old monsters or people brought up and educated all their lives to swim in those ssy tides of ploys, appearances, and secret agendas.
Still, Khan wasn’t bad at politics, either. His ti in the slums had made him quite canny, which was a priceless weapon when paired with his reckless strength. His disregard for the rules was one of his greatest assets, becoming a proper leverage that his opponents had to respect.
Nevertheless, unlike almost everyone else, Khan had an innate knack for dealing with aliens. He could imagine himself in their shoes, easily understanding how their customs and brains worked.
Unknowingly to Khan, he had achieved the status of political monster when it ca to interspecies politics. He understood the Orlats wanted to put all the bla on their business partner, and he could use his leverage to prevent that.
"[Sit]," Khan ordered in the Orlats language, unfazed by that fake politeness. "[We’ll have this eting in your language, and please, don’t make repeat myself. Let’s skip the part where we pretend I won’t kill you all if necessary]."
Grim faces unfolded around the table, but everyone complied. The evolved Orlats sat down, seizing their drinks, gulping them down as if making sure they would have that last bit of booze.
Khan did the sa, emptying his tal cup, only to eye a nearby bottle. He could reach it himself, but his blue light rose toward the earrings Orlats right in front of it, conveying a silent order.
The earring Orlats’ displeasure skyrocketed, but his species was quick to discard pride when their survival was at stake. The evolved warrior took the bottle and stretched his arm to refill Khan’s drink.
Khan calmly watched the scene unfold and even took another sip once his cup was full. Needless to say, the booze on the stage was far better than what the underlings in the camp had, but he didn’t recognize its source.
"[Good booze]," Khan praised. "[Where can I get more]?"
The question put the evolved Orlats on the spot. They all knew where those bottles ca from, but responding honestly would be an admission of guilt.
Yet, division already was in full force, so the central, older Orlats decided to respond in the hope of earning Khan’s favor.
"[It’s from the Bise’s stashes, Prince Khan]," The Orlats revealed. "[The stashes they don’t trade away to other species]."
"[Well]," Khan muttered, savoring another sip of that good booze, "[They should have done a better job at protecting it]."
The Orlats at the table were almost about to snicker, but their predicant kept them silent and stern. They also expected a rebuke or threat after that clear admission of guilt, but Khan didn’t seem to care and continued to enjoy the drink.
By the fourth, silent sip, the evolved Orlats started to get annoyed. Prince Khan indeed demanded their respect, and they were also guilty, but his apparent unwillingness to move that eting forward was utterly insulting.
However, no one really wanted to stand out there since it would earn them questions, so furtive glances fell on the central Orlats again, prompting him to do sothing.
"[Prince Khan, I’m glad you are enjoying our little party]," The central Orlats said. "[But, if you could tell us what]-"
"[Your na]," Khan casually interrupted, his attention still on the drink. "[You all seem to know mine, but I don’t know yours]."
"[I’m Bahram]," The central Orlats replied, wearing another fake smile that deepened the many wrinkles on his face. "[My clan mostly operates on Chigoilara. If there’s anything on our planet that catches your interest, my clan will be more than willing to negotiate]."
"[Bahram]," Khan called, finally stopping caring about his drink. "[Were you saying]?"
"[My mistake]," Bahram chuckled. "[I was wondering about the reason behind your visit. If you would so kind as to state it]."
"[I did state it already]," Khan declared. "[I believe I told you I didn’t want to repeat myself]."
The grim faces at the table grew even uglier. The Prince had indeed stated his intentions as soon as he arrived, but they were so unreasonable that the Orlats had taken them as a simple threat.
"[I’m sorry, Prince Khan]," Bahram coughed, "[But we trade in wares. Our lives aren’t negotiable]."
"[What do you an]?" Khan wondered, feigning confusion. "[Can’t you see? You are all dead, and only I can give your lives back. If the offer is good enough, that is]."
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