Khan and Fergus' return to the ships attracted much attention from both teams. After all, they were the de facto leaders of their squads, and their appearance raised countless questions.
Fergus had lost his military uniform during the exchanges, so Khan had given him the upper part of his clothes to hide his most private parts. Basically, they were both half-naked, and their teams didn't know whether to cry or laugh at that sight.
Moreover, the two n were quite good-looking, and their perfect builds attracted specific looks. Celeste and the scientist found themselves staring at Fergus' bulging muscles rather often, while Amy almost scolded Khan with her eyes for ending up in a similar situation again.
Still, no one said anything, and they waited for the two leaders to announce the conclusion they had reached. The absence of injuries from both sides seed to hint at sothing good, but tension built up anyway due to the prolonged silence.
"Margaret," Fergus called once the two got close to the ships. "Give the Major a tour of the lab."
"Yes, sir," The scientist responded, wearing a military salute. However, a tinge of hesitation appeared in her mana when she looked at Khan.
"We are still going to the settlent today," Khan continued, looking at his team. "Major Veril will join us."
Amy nodded and hurried inside the main ship to retrieve the necessary equipnt. anwhile, Randall wore a questioning expression, and an exchange of stares with Khan told him that the answers would arrive later.
Khan headed directly for the scientist, who turned to escort him inside her ship. The two soldiers beside her even stepped away to open the path, so Khan and Margaret climbed the tal ramp without encountering any obstruction.
"It's ssier than your ship, Major," The scientist exclaid, crossing the small main deck and living quarters to head into the back of the ship. "We had the necessary equipnt ready but no ti to assemble it. Most of that was done during the trip here."
Margaret led Khan into the ship's cargo area, a clustered ss of various machines. He saw scanners, interactive tables, needles, transparent containers, and more, yet his experience told him he was inside a lab.
"Is it even operational?" Khan wondered. The ss made it hard to navigate the lab, so he couldn't imagine it being functional right away.
"Everything is online and working, sir," Margaret revealed. "We plan on sorting things out in the following days, but all the equipnt is operational."
'Can a Scalqa even fit in here?' Khan wondered before moving to his next question. "Describe the equipnt."
"There's more than fifteen different tools, sir," Margaret explained. "So have functions so specif-."
Margaret couldn't finish her line because Khan stared at her with a look she knew far too well. He wasn't asking. He had given an order, leaving no room for complaints.
Moreover, Margaret was only a third-level warrior. Khan's re presence applied a pressure she couldn't ignore, and sothing told her he was holding back. After all, it seed Fergus had acknowledged him, and he was a fifth-level warrior.
"I'll start with the basic ones, sir," Margaret eventually said, clearing her throat.
Margaret complied without hiding anything. She even added explanations whenever Khan asked more specific questions. His lack of expertise made him unable to understand everything, but Margaret repeated herself and added details to bring a certain level of clarity.
After ten minutes, Khan gained a general understanding of all the lab's functions. Everything was in line with Khan's description of the Scalqa and their potential uses. The second ship could provide answers Khan's eyes couldn't see, but blood and corpses were the price for that knowledge.
"Theoretically," Khan broke his silence after sorting out his thoughts. "You can cultivate the Scalqa cells without needing alive guinea pigs."
"Not right away," Margaret responded. "That's supposed to be the last phase of the experints since we can't remain chained to a finite resource."
Margaret realized her mistake as soon as Khan pointed his eyes at her. A chill ran down her spine, but it was too late. She could only lower her head and hope Khan wouldn't snap.
'Finite resource,' Khan cursed. 'That's how the Global Army sees the Scalqa.'
The news didn't co as a surprise, but Khan still disliked it. It would have been different with Tainted animals and monsters, but the Scalqa's sole fault was in their primitive state. They were simply powerless against a superior species.
'The weak die to the strong,' Khan thought. 'Planets die to stars.'
Lord Exr's words echoed in Khan's mind, and he couldn't find any flaw in them. The Global Army could crush the Scalqa in a single day. That primitive species was enjoying the current peace simply because the Thilku Empire and humankind had opted for a similar deal.
"I'll provide tissues," Khan declared. "Maybe even entire corpses if the situation allows it. We'll stop at that for now."
"Sir," Margaret called. "What about the alien with you? He seems loyal enough."
"Zu-Gru is no guinea pig," Khan stated. "I'll allow you to scan him but nothing else."
"But-" Margaret wanted to complain, but her throat suddenly went dry. Saliva vanished from her mouth, and lights flashed in her surroundings. The equipnt was flickering, almost malfunctioning, and the cause felt obvious.
"It's either you won't do it," Khan threatened, "Or you won't be able to do it."
Khan's eyes lit up, and Margaret could only experience fear. Her knowledge beca her worst enemy. She had seen and studied all kinds of strange stuff, so looking at Khan revealed his nature. That was no human.
Khan didn't care about Margaret's reaction. He had given his warning, so his ti inside the lab was up. The scientist remained stuck in her spot while Khan turned and left the ship on his own.
The scenery outside had changed. The audience of nomadic Scalqa had returned to the forest's edge while most teammates had reentered the ships. Only Amy, Randall, and Zu-Gru were in the open, and the forr had sothing for Khan.
"What's the schedule for today?" Amy asked, handing Khan the upper part of a military uniform.
"Major Veril is a fifth-level warrior," Khan announced, seizing the clothes and dressing up. "I want him to try the plant's liquid."
"That's dangerous," Randall pointed out. "We have yet to study samples of that substance."
"The Major is tough," Khan reassured. "And this is the faster way to make the Bone Tribe accept him."
"What about the other matter?" Randall questioned, crossing his arms and glancing at the second ship.
"We did," Khan confird. "Now, we should be going. Are you ready?"
"Have Kirk help sort out the lab," Khan ordered. "I'll see what I can deliver in the following nights."
"Did you and the Major reach an agreent?" Amy wondered.
"We did," Khan confird. "Now, we should be going. Are you ready?"
Khan didn't ask Amy. His gaze went on the second ship's ramp, where a tall figure had appeared. Fergus stood there, donning a spare military uniform, and his head promptly perford a nod.
"[Go Bone Tribe]," Khan ordered to Zu-Gru before dashing toward the forest. Fergus couldn't understand those words, but seeing Amy and the Scalqa follow Khan made him hurry behind them.
The trip didn't take long, and the four quickly arrived at the tribe's settlent. They didn't carry supplies to trade at that ti, but the Scalqa imdiately voiced cries, and Kru-Zi promptly appeared to welco them.
"[Kh-Han]!" Kru-Zi welcod the group at the rocky barrier's opening, but noticing Fergus prompted a question. "[More sky tribe]?"
"[More sky tribe]," Khan confird, pointing at Fergus. "Fergus."
"[Feh-Ru-Gus]?" Kru-Zi attempted to pronounce the Major's na.
"[Feh-Ru-Gus]," Khan nodded, and the Major smiled. He didn't care about getting his na pronounced correctly.
"[Rok-Go]?" Khan continued.
"[Rok-Go ho]," Kru-Zi explained, moving inside the settlent to escort the group. "[Kh-Han go to Rok-Go]?"
"[Rok-Go et Feh-Ru-Gus]," Khan shook his head. "[Feh-Ru-Gus drink plant]."
Kru-Zi stopped in his tracks to show his serious expression. He inspected Fergus before looking at Khan again. Drinking the dark green liquid was a big deal with the tribe, but Khan was the one asking that.
"[Rok-Go decides]," Kru-Zi eventually said, and Khan nodded before watching him hurry toward the rectangular tent.
"What is happening?" Fergus asked as Khan led the group toward the settlent's center.
"I asked for you to drink the toxic substance," Khan summarized. "You should get an idea of what I said in the report like that."
"Why didn't you discuss it with first?" Fergus asked. He wasn't completely against the idea, but the report ntioned unwanted reactions. He didn't want to drink the dark green liquid without additional tests.
"You should be fine," Khan reassured. "You are actually perfect for this."
"How so?" Fergus wondered.
"You are tough," Khan explained, "And a fifth-level warrior. If soone can confirm my theory, that's you."
Fergus fell silent. His resilience was off the charts, even when it ca to poison. Also, if Khan were right, the exposure to the dark green liquid would help with the evolution. That advantage was priceless for soone in the fifth level.
"What if I go wild like you did?" Fergus asked.
"You are a human," Khan reassured again. "Also, I'm here."
"Do you think you can contain ?" Fergus almost challenged.
"I know I can," Khan responded. Khan and Fergus weren't looking at each other, but even Zu-Gru could feel the tension building between them. Amy could only hope the two Majors didn't end up fighting in the middle of the tribe's settlent.
Luckily for the group, Rok-Go soon left his tent, interrupting the discussion. The partially blind Scalqa followed Kru-Zi toward Khan and the others before focusing on Fergus. He tapped his cane on the tall man a few tis to check his muscle density, and it soon beca clear that another monster had entered the settlent.
Rok-Go retracted his cane before muttering sothing, and Kru-Zi echoed that order, bringing life to the settlent. The Scalqa left their tents to gather around the human group while two aliens carried the sa bone cauldron from Khan's first visit.
Rok-Go sat before the cauldron, and Khan nodded at Fergus to make him do the sa. Another Scalqa then retrieved a bone cup and handed it to Khan, who dipped it in the fuming liquid to fill part of its contents.
Fergus wore a stern face when Khan handed him the cup. The latter had poured less liquid than before but still a consistent amount, and Fergus stared at it for a while before gulping it all down.
The man grunted and closed his eyes while Khan inspected the changes in his body. The liquid was spreading, albeit eting more hindrances. Fergus' elent activated to stop that foreign substance, but the latter lted inside him, slightly altering the nature of so of his tissues.
Fergus recovered rather quickly without showing side effects. He looked slightly dizzy, but nothing a fifth-level warrior couldn't endure. Even his complexion had remained the sa, and a questioning look soon unfolded in Khan's vision.
"Try to ditate," Khan suggested, and Fergus complied. He crossed his legs and entered a ditative state to force his mana to flow.
Fergus exited the ditative state after a matter of seconds. A frown invaded his expression as he looked at his chest. He had felt sothing, so he promptly unbuttoned his military uniform to inspect his skin.
To everyone's surprise, dark blue patches had appeared on Fergus' chest. Those spots moved, expanding and shrinking according to the flow of his mana. They almost seed alive and breathing, but Khan recognized them. They carried the sa shade Fergus wore when using his elent.
Fergus lifted his head to show his wide eyes as if to confirm Khan's idea. Even without heightened senses, he knew what was happening, and his mind struggled to acknowledge it. That truly was a partial imitation of the evolution process.
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