The announcent forced Khan to remain in the encampnt for a while.
Lieutenant Dyester interrupted his task as the celebrations resud. Food, drinks, stories, and cheers flowed throughout the night and planned to continue until dawn. They could very well last for the entire week, but Khan left before Baoway's star rose.
As promised, Khan forced himself to eat sothing. He didn't feel hungry but still stuffed his stomach with all kinds of food and drinks. Part of him hoped that would improve his mood, but the celebrations had only worsened them.
Khan couldn't feel good leading the Scalqa into another battle, especially against a human force, and the cheers during the celebrations only worsened his internal conflict. War almost sounded like a happy event in those environnts, but Khan knew its true nature and couldn't see its point.
The true enemy was out there, sowhere in the depths of the universe, and that in-fighting only served to lower the world's overall battle prowess. It was a waste of precious lives over sothing Khan considered trivial. Sure, the interspecies treaties and the border security were serious topics, but Khan couldn't accept that level of escalation.
Of course, that mindset was unique to Khan. He had never seen differences among species and domains. His broader perspective prevented him from relating to everyone's concerns, but his position forced him to act anyway.
That was the weight of leadership and the political environnt, which belonged to a ga of compromises, hidden rules, secret deals, and inborn values. Khan could understand the forr but was alien to the latter, which affected his overall acceptance.
Khan returned to one of his bedrooms with a heavy mind, with his crown adding an invisible pressure. He was angry, bitter, and exhausted, and noticing the moving figure on the mattress reminded him of more problems, worsening that mood.
Monica looked at Khan's blue light through her sleepy eyes. She would typically ask questions, but Khan's face had already answered them. He didn't need more words now. Khan only required support to go through that annoying period.
Khan hesitated when his eyes t Monica's, but she simply smiled and pushed her blanket away, exposing her appealing nightgown. She also spread her arms, inviting Khan.
The couple didn't speak. Khan soon found himself on top of Monica, trapped between her arms and legs and imrsed in a passionate kiss. Words couldn't work, so the two would rely on what they did best.
Like that, a week went by.
Khan mostly delegated everything to his underlings, refusing to appear in public and alternating between long, wordless nights with Monica and solitary flights.
Many people tried to contact Khan, especially on the Global Army's side, but he remained unavailable. It didn't matter whether those parties sent ssages or representatives to the planet. He would address everything only after showing the world what it ant to attack him.
On that note, the Global Army was almost panicking. Many Generals wanted to delay the battle and negotiate agreents, but Prince Thomas was a wall. He didn't accept anything and refused any attempt to oppose Khan's orders.
The Generals could only accept the helplessness of the situation, eventually agreeing to the war declaration and making the news public. The network went into turmoil, but nothing got in the way of the battle's preparations.
Everything was set by the end of the week. Khan and five hundred chosen Scalqa gathered in the appointed landing area to board a series of ships. Those rides could easily reach their destination, but Khan had opted to use the Leviathan for security reasons.
The teams on the Leviathan had to work overti to unload everything from Senerth and load the equipnt for the imminent battle, but Garret managed things perfectly. Khan could depart imdiately. He only had to take care of the usual goodbyes.
A relatively small audience had gathered before the landing area. The nobles, the Nognes representatives, Monica, Prince Rebecca, Lieutenant Dyester, and many Scalqa stood before the battalion. The soldiers had also begun boarding the ships, leaving only Khan behind.
"I'll co back in ti for your birthday," Khan promised Monica. "Just keep your eyes on the network."
"Co back in one piece," Monica requested. "And give them a good show. I'm tired of watching you leave."
"It will be the last ti," Khan swore, hoping he wouldn't need to break that promise.
"It won't," Monica shook her head, "But that's okay. It's who you are."
"I told you we should have beco space pirates," Khan teased, leaning forward to kiss Monica.
Monica giggled and let Khan go. Watching his departing figure added bitterness to her smile, but she kept it up for appearances. No one had to know the two were going through so mysterious and unspoken struggle.
"Yes," Monica whispered when Khan was too far away to hear her. "We should have."
So understanding dawned upon Monica, but she pushed it away. Her knowledge beca her worst enemy, but she silenced it. That wasn't the ti for pointless worries. Monica could only hope and trust in her man.
The boarding process ended swiftly and without causing problems. Soon, the Scalqa battalion filled the familiar makeshift encampnt on the Leviathan's cargo area, which felt larger due to the fewer troops.
Khan let the Scalqa settle in peace before reaching the bridge. Human soldiers were already handling all the necessary procedures, leaving him with little to do. At that ti, the area didn't have Lieutenant Dyester, Garret, or other figures with similar authorities, so Khan's job mainly consisted of giving the final orders.
Needless to say, the atmosphere wasn't great. War was always terrifying, but those workers were launching an attack inside the Global Army's territory now. Their loyalty beca conflicted, but no one dared to speak those concerns in Khan's presence.
As for Khan, he simply stared at the screens at the bridge's end. The scanners reflected the universe inside them, allowing him to ignore the human team's distress. That dark scenery almost had a magnetic pull toward Khan, but the ti to freely explore it hadn't co yet. Only war existed now.
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