Every eye on the scene fell on the gory corpse. Khan had killed Izraz, increasing his number of cris. The action crossed the line, and the witnesses included one Lord.
Nothing could save Khan from facing the consequences of his actions, but it was unclear what they would be. The situation had gone beyond complicated several events ago, and Khan didn't know how things would develop.
Khan looked at the corpse at his feet before floating to his right. He landed on the nearest patch of intact floor and turned, showing his cold gaze to the surprised Lord. He even glanced at the company, and running his eyes over the soldiers made them shrink back.
Nevertheless, Khan imdiately focused on Lord Exr again, and the latter recovered from his shock and put on a stern face. The Thilku knew how serious the situation was, and handling it was his top priority.
"[Blue Shaman]," Lord Exr called, his tone slightly grim. "[I demand an explanation]."
"[The weak dies to the strong]," Khan responded, using Lord Exr's words. "[I was stronger]."
"[The Empire had to deliver the punishnt]," Lord Exr stated. "[The Empire would have delivered it]."
"[The insult was personal]," Khan explained. "[Now, it won't happen again]."
That was the true core of the issue, for Khan, at least. He had done the sa to the Global Army, too. His slaughters had been a ssage to his enemies, and executing Izraz was ant to hold the sa aning to the Empire.
Lord Exr was at a loss for words. Most other humans would have been executed on the spot, but Khan was unique. He had earned his Thilku cape, helped the Empire in many ways, and even bound it to various business agreents. Moreover, the Thilku respected him.
"[Let's talk]," Lord Exr invited. "[Follow ]."
Lord Exr then glanced at the company and shouted. "[Fix this ss]!"
Lord Exr approached the platform's edge, which featured a tal staircase that led into the city. The area also had an elevator, but the Thillku only wanted to descend deep enough to avoid the company's gaze.
Khan followed Lord Exr and stopped when he turned to lean on the handrail. Blocks of factories and tall buildings stretched behind him, but Khan only focused on the Thilku. Both parties knew the imminent talk would be no small thing.
"[No feast for my arrival]?" Khan asked, seemingly taunting Lord Exr. Truth be told, he didn't want to insult anyone. His cape and position demanded a similar welco.
Lord Exr looked past his shoulder, gazing at the city before focusing on Khan. He wasn't supposed to learn about that planet's existence, but it was too late for that.
The idea of killing Khan never crossed Lord Exr's mind, either. That would be the simplest solution, but the action would be highly dishonorable. Besides, Khan had just defeated a fifth-level warrior, and Lord Exr was in the fourth level. The planet would have to throw armies at him to put him down.
"[Explain how you got here]," Lord Exr requested. "[We'll see about the feast later]."
"[I only have bits of information]," Khan revealed. "[It seems Izraz plotted with so human parties to take down. I suspect politically]."
"[Ah]!" Lord Exr snorted. "[That Izraz, compromising the Empire for his ambitions]."
"[You knew about them]," Khan pointed out, reading Lord Exr's mana.
"[I did]," Lord Exr admitted, "[But My Lord trusted him and appointed him to this position]."
"[Did Lord Rsi appoint you instead of him as Lord]?" Khan asked.
"[Yes]," Lord Exr confird. "[My Lord found worthier of this position. You must now realize he made the right choice]."
Khan could only agree. Lord Exr's domain bordered the Global Army, so a xenophobic leader wouldn't work. Izraz simply wasn't suited for the job.
"[He plotted with humans]," Khan comnted. "[This planet must have more criminals]."
"[I'll run a thorough sweep]," Lord Exr promised. "[You know the Empire isn't kind to criminals]."
Khan couldn't contradict Lord Exr on that point, either. The two had actually argued the first ti they faced a similar situation, and Khan had changed his mind on the topic now.
Words inevitably stopped flying. Khan and Lord Exr fell silent after running out of relatively superficial topics. Only the heavy matters remained, and neither wanted to speak first.
"[I don't care about this planet]," Khan eventually announced. "[I won't speak about it]."
"[In exchange for]?" Lord Exr asked. He initially planned to hesitate to study Khan's intentions, but that conclusion was already better than anything he could hope for.
"[Tell the Thilku what happened here]," Khan replied.
Lord Exr's expression remained stern, but it was clear he didn't like the answer. Spreading tales of Khan's actions on the planet would make the Empire and Thilku look weak. Still, he also understood why Khan would ask for that.
"[Izraz was My Lord's trusted soldier]," Lord Exr explained. "[Many Thilku also looked up to him. I can't authorize that]."
"[But Lord Rsi can]," Khan said.
"[It seems the eting is unavoidable]," Lord Exr accepted. "[Still, on which intentions should I summon it]?"
"[I don't want to cause problems for the Empire]," Khan explained, "[Or interfere with its businesses. I only want my na to be respected]."
An ordinary Thilku would usually take those words as an insult. After all, Khan was a single man, and the Empire was huge. Claiming he could cause problems for such a proud species was a heavy offense.
However, Lord Exr couldn't argue. Part of Khan's ability to inflict that damage ca from the Empire itself. Besides, the Thilku were at fault there due to the work of criminals.
"[I'll contact My Lord]," Lord Exr stated. "[In the anti, let's feast]!"
Khan knew Lord Exr's announcent had deeper intentions but followed along anyway. The two climbed back to the landing platform before using the elevator down to the city. The runes on the various buildings shone on their faces as a ride picked them up and crossed a few blocks to lead them to a seemingly restaurant.
The place was simple, featuring the sa open balconies Khan had witnessed on Neuria. Yet, Lord Exr's presence granted the two access to the building's roof, where soldiers arrayed a long table and filled it with food and drinks.
The table's size didn't change the number of seats. Only Khan and Lord Exr sat down to enjoy the feast, and questions about the landing's details inevitably flew.
Khan granted access to his ship's logs while explaining the chase in great detail. The Thilku didn't learn about Rebecca's lab, but everything that had happened afterward beca part of the Empire's records. The aliens also took the prisoner, who corroborated Khan's story and feats.
Needless to say, the tale of Khan's actions against the enemy ships stunned Lord Exr, who awarded a few complints. Yet, the conversation quickly returned to the main issue, leaving Lord Exr powerless.
Khan had committed so political mistakes but remained the event's victim. His actions were in line with his character, which was what the Empire had acknowledged. Punishing him for being himself wouldn't feel right.
The murder on Empire's soil was a harsher cri, but Lord Exr didn't want to use politics against Khan. He would have done the sa in his position and also understood his situation. Looking for quibbles to improve the Empire's leverage wasn't his style.
"[You have gotten stronger again]," Lord Exr comnted once the report was complete and every bowl was emptied. "[Izraz was a powerful warrior, too, but you defeated him without suffering a single wound to prove it]."
"[The Thilku will also grow stronger with the resources I'm providing]," Khan exclaid. "[Hopefully, the next years will be a ti for growth]."
"[They will]," Lord Exr nodded. "[As long as you deal with your human variable]."
"[That will be handled as soon as I get back]," Khan promised. "[Though, I don't want to be backstabbed by the Empire again]."
"[It wasn't the Empire]," Lord Exr corrected.
"[It wasn't the Thilku, either]," Khan agreed. "[Just a handful of them, but I need people to punish, and I don't want to start a war]."
"[The Empire will handle things on its end]," Lord Exr declared. "[Blue Shaman, mind your side]."
"[I can help in the search for criminals]," Khan pointed out. "[It would be justified]."
"[It would]," Lord Exr confird, "[But I wouldn't press the matter with My Lord]."
"[Would Lord Rsi disagree]?" Khan wondered.
"[Yes]," Lord Exr responded. "[And letting the Empire handle its internal affairs without interference would show trust]."
"[I need to hear Lord Rsi say it]," Khan demanded. "[I hope he can put aside his distrust toward ]."
"[It's not distrust]," Lord Exr revealed. "[My Lord respects you. It's simply a pity you were born human]."
"[No human can do what I do]," Khan announced, "[And our agreents are under the Blue Shaman's na, not Khan's na]."
"[I won't speak for My Lord]," Lord Exr uttered. "[However, My Lord isn't irrational. Your treatnt will be appropriate]."
A ssage reached Lord Exr, interrupting the political talk. The Thilku checked his armguard, reading the ssages on its screen before sharing the information with Khan.
"[My Lord is coming here this very mont]," Lord Exr revealed. "[Blue Shaman, can you handle another feast]?"
"[I was still hungry]," Khan said. His cold face almost killed the joke, but Lord Exr laughed anyway.
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