The conversation led to immediate preparations. It was still early in the morning, and Khan didn"t have much, so he and Jenna could depart from the underground dome in no time.
Jenna decided to change clothes, and she obviously requested Khan"s help. She was going back to the surface, among other species, so she had to mind her appearance.
Her choice fell on a greyish dress that left her shoulders uncovered and ended in a long skirt. Khan literally had to put those clothes on Jenna since she didn"t want to hear reasons, and some young Nele brought a simple backpack for her in the meantime.
The two didn"t need anything else. Jenna led Khan toward the same elevator that he had used to reach the hidden dome. He didn"t have to go through the whole cleaning procedure at that time, so he could quickly gain access to the spectacle hidden by Lower Level 1.
The secret door inside the shop opened and revealed the familiar transparent counter. A relatively young Nele stood behind it, and he didn"t look surprised when he noticed Khan and Jenna. Khan actually felt to have seen him inside the dome.
"[Be safe out there]," The Nele announced when Khan and Jenna left the secret elevator.
Jenna revealed a smile as she led Khan toward the entrance. He only managed to exchange a glance with the Nele, but the latter made sure to nod at him during that instant.
"Maybe they are really starting to accept me," Khan thought before another event distracted him.
Khan didn"t particularly mind that Jenna always tried to hold his hand. He had even learnt to gain some comfort from that gesture during the past days, so he couldn"t help but notice how abruptly she let go of him.
The whole aura around Jenna changed when she pushed the door open and left the shop. She went from her joyful and playful self to a stoic stance as soon as she stepped into the city.
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Khan inevitably thought about their first meeting on the first asteroid. He recalled how distant and wary Jenna had been with him, but the sudden change still left him somewhat disappointed.
"[Do you miss me already]?" Jenna asked when she turned to look at Khan"s curious gaze.
"[Maybe just a bit]," Khan admitted.
"[I"ll remind you of these words once we are alone]," Jenna whispered as she suppressed the smile trying to make its way into her expression.
Khan also decided to wear an aloof expression as the two went back on the streets. He found more open shops compared to his last visit, but the scenery didn"t change much.
There was only one odd detail in that scene, something that stood out from the otherwise purple environment. An Orlats dressed as a beggar rested in a corner free of the purple lights, and its attention immediately fell on Khan and Jenna.
"[Spies]," Khan commented while pretending to glance at one of the shops.
"[It"s fine]," Jenna stated. "[This is our home. Orlats can"t move too freely here]."
Khan could only agree with that statement. The Orlats probably had ointments or similar items that could help them resist the Nele"s pheromones, but their freedom would obviously be limited on the third asteroid.
Still, the presence of the Orlats revealed an incredible truth. Khan was more than sure that no one had followed him back then, but a spy had still managed to trace him there.
"How quickly do they even exchange information?" Khan wondered before disregarding the matter to focus on more important issues.
Caja had stated that the Nele might help Khan as long as he learnt which material the factory used to produce the reinforced fabric. However, that wouldn"t necessarily lead him to the thief.
The issue was far more complicated than that. Khan might find who smuggled the illegal skin and trace those who knew about it, but that would only set another starting point.
Knowing about the illegal skin didn"t necessarily turn someone into a spy. The smugglers probably had nothing to do with the factory. Yet, the investigators had already cleared all the workers and chiefs. The absence of leads forced Khan to go deeper into the whole business.
There was also a chance that the Nele had found the actual reinforced fabric, but Khan didn"t want to be too hopeful. He focused on his first step, which inevitably involved Luke.
"[I know you don"t want to involve us]," Jenna eventually said as if she could sense what Khan was thinking, "[Yet, are you sure that your employers can get us into the dock]?"
"[They must]," Khan replied. "[The mission would be impossible otherwise]."
The walk through the city"s streets seemed normal, but Khan noticed how the Nele inside the various shops looked at him differently now. He didn"t know if Jenna"s presence had influenced them, but he could see how those aliens carried less mistrust toward him.
Khan and Jenna didn"t remain in the streets long enough to make him study the situation thoroughly. The two quickly headed for a parking area, where they took a cab with a Nele driver. Their trip inside the car went on silently, and Jenna even held herself back from exploiting that temporary privacy.
Everything changed when Jenna and Khan left the cab and used the elevator to reach the main street on the first floor. The third asteroid lacked the diversity of the previous two, but it still featured a few aliens from other species, and they couldn"t keep their eyes off the scene.
Khan and Jenna weren"t doing anything special. They were simply walking side by side, but that was enough to make the scene interesting.
The event was quite rare, especially since Khan was too young to be a prominent figure in the Global Army who could handle political relationships with the Nele. It didn"t take long before murmurs started, and some aliens even picked up their devices to inform their factions.
"[Wait a second]," Jenna called before the two could enter the hangar.
Jenna browsed through her backpack to take out a clip that she attached to a strand of her hair. A couple of taps on the item made it light up and spread a purple glow that warned everyone nearby about her presence.
Khan"s expression flickered when he noticed the slight sadness and annoyance that ran through Jenna"s eyes. She clearly didn"t like that procedure, but it was necessary when leaving the third asteroid.
"[I"m used to it]," Jenna rea.s.sured since she saw what Khan was thinking.
"[You might deserve some cuddles]," Khan sighed.
"[Another line to quote when we are alone]," Jenna joked, and the two entered the hangar to approach the short-distance teleports.
The general surprise and interest from before reappeared in a more evident and intense version after the two left the teleports. The hangar had a very diverse crowd, but Khan and Jenna seemed magnets able to attract everyone"s attention.
"[What happened]?" Jenna commented as a short giggle found its way out of her mouth.
"[Oh]," Khan exclaimed when he understood that Jenna was talking about his spiked hair. "[I don"t want to show my mana]."
Jenna and Caja knew about Khan"s mana anomaly since they had seen him in action. They didn"t address the issue, so Khan believed that his condition wasn"t a proper illness in their culture. Yet, his answer didn"t confuse Jenna, which revealed how she could connect his problem to his actions.
"[I"ll be slow]," Jenna said in a sweet voice. "[Pay attention]."
Jenna placed a hand on Khan"s head before sending faint requests to the synthetic mana around her. Her energy flowed slowly and culminated into a soft spark that made his hair fall.
"[Did you get it]?" Jenna asked while bringing her hand back to her side.
"[I might be able to replicate it with some training]," Khan confirmed.
"[I"ll show it again later]," Jenna smiled before moving forward.
Khan followed her, and he even did his best to keep his gaze straight, but his senses caught the many gasping eyes fixed on him. Jenna had touched him in public, and the crowd couldn"t hold back their surprise.
The rumors spread, and they incredibly reached the hangar"s outsides before Khan and Jenna could exit it. The two found countless stares pointed at them as they made their way through the second asteroid, but they instinctively moved toward the nearest elevator to escape that situation.
Khan felt a bit guilty when he found himself thanking the purple light that accompanied Jenna. No one had dared to get close to them because of it. The crowd had actually moved away from their path as soon as they noticed them.
"[Is every day like this for you]?" Khan sighed in the privacy of the descending elevator.
"[It"s usually easier]," Jenna explained. "[It"s rare for us to walk with humans]."
"[You would be stressed even without your urges]," Khan stated.
"[That"s the price we have to pay for sharing this home]," Jenna replied while taking Khan"s hands. "[Though, Milia 222 has its perks at times]."
Khan didn"t even try to hold back. Jenna"s sweet face carried too much, and the elevator was still far away from the city. He pulled her until she fell into an unexpected hug.
"[Thanks]," Jenna softly whispered once she managed to immerse herself in the hug. She couldn"t express how relaxing that gesture was for her, but she believed that Khan could understand her emotions.
The landing of the elevator forced the two to separate. The streets that followed didn"t spare them from unwanted attention, and that problem continued during their wait in the parking area.
It was hard to find a cab with a Nele driver on the second asteroid, but Khan and Jenna didn"t mind waiting a bit longer for something suitable to arrive. The alien didn"t hide his surprise when he saw Jenna with a human, but he decided to remain silent and lead the two toward their destination.
Another problem appeared when Khan and Jenna stepped out of the cab. They had arrived in front of Luke"s building, but Jenna"s light wouldn"t do much in that closed environment. However, Khan had no intention of leaving her outside.
"[I guess I need to use it]," Jenna announced even before Khan could mention the problem.
Khan remained silent while Jenna took out a cylindrical item from her backpack. She appeared disgusted at its sole sight, and her expression didn"t improve when she pressed on its tip to spray a white gas all over her.
Khan was immune to Jenna"s pheromones, but he couldn"t fail to notice how her natural aura affected her surroundings, especially in an environment with synthetic mana. Yet, the spray suppressed that ability and slightly dimmed her innate beauty.
"[That"s the ointment for the pheromones]," Khan exclaimed once Jenna put away the cylindrical item.
"[It always itches, especially on my face]," Jenna cursed without hiding her disgust. "[It"s also a pain to remove. You"ll have to scrub me properly later]."
"[Sure]," Khan replied, avoiding cracking jokes due to how disgusted Jenna appeared. "[Anything you ask]."
"[I didn"t think you would turn so permissive]," Jenna uttered. "[I might decide to use this spray more often then]."
"[Don"t push it]," Khan sneered. "[Come on. It"s time to work]."
Khan only needed to show his phone to get him and Jenna inside the building. The main hall was empty, but waiters were probably on their way to welcome them. Still, Khan sent a message to Luke before approaching one of the couches with Jenna.
The waiters obviously arrived before Luke, and they showed their vast experience in the field by suppressing any type of surprise at Jenna"s sight. The youngest struggled a bit, but Jenna and Khan didn"t care.
Khan sent the waiters away, but the main hall didn"t remain empty for too long. Familiar auras soon seeped out of the elevator, and the faces that followed failed to suppress their surprise.
Luke, Bruce, Monica, Francis, and Martha entered the main hall and remained stunned to see Khan and Jenna comfortably sitting on the couch. The presence of a Nele inside the building was shocking, but the group also remained surprised at how close the two looked.
"Khan!" Luke exclaimed after snapping out of his amazement. His social skills also kicked in and made him address Jenna with a polite "[Ma"am]".
The others didn"t have poor social skills, but the surprising scene prevented them from using them to their full extent. They only nodded at Khan before imitating Luke"s "[Ma"am]".
Jenna had gotten entirely into her part by then. She wasn"t Khan"s friend or a special guest now. She was a Nele inside a human structure, so she acted as detached as possible. She didn"t even answer since she knew that Khan would take control of the conversation right away.
"Luke, we need to talk," Khan exclaimed as he stood up from the couch. "In private."
"Sure," Luke replied as his gaze darted between Khan and Jenna.
Khan bent toward Jenna to approach her ear and whisper words that his companions couldn"t hear. "[I"ll take care of this quickly]."
"[I"ll wait for you here]," Jenna whispered as she placed an arm behind her waist.
Bruce and the others could only remain stunned once again. Khan didn"t actually touch Jenna, but that didn"t really matter when the two could get so close so comfortably.
Instead, Jenna"s stance revealed how she wasn"t comfortable around the group. Khan left her to reach Luke, but she had no intention of socializing. Bruce and the others could only remain silent as Khan warned them through a cold gaze and followed Luke to the nearest room.
"You are incredible!" Luke didn"t hold back from shouting as soon as the metal door closed. "How did you get so close to a Nele in less than three days? You could write a book and become rich in an instant."
Khan didn"t share Luke"s happiness. He inspected Luke coldly for a few seconds before going straight to the point. "Why didn"t you tell me about the dock on the fourth asteroid?"
Luke seemed to freeze, but he wasn"t the type to come up with lies once caught red-handed. He heaved a sigh and wore his business face as a simple explanation left his mouth. "I told you that a lot of stuff is cla.s.sified. Even I shouldn"t know about the dock. I had to threaten one of the investigators in private to learn about it."
"So strict," Khan commented in his mind before following with another cold remark. "Didn"t you think we would have found the information useful?"
"Why?" Luke asked. "The dock sees all sort of illegal stuff, but it rarely exports. The reinforced fabric is also too precious to end up in that environment."
"How can you know that?" Khan questioned.
"Because the smugglers are easy to buy," Luke stated. "They usually refuse merch that is too hot, and you can"t imagine how quickly the rumors about a well-paid job spread here."
"I sort of can now," Khan thought while reviewing his trip back to the building. "Also, the smugglers might not have known that the reinforced fabric was so precious."
"How would smugglers even get inside the factory?" Luke continued. "You have seen the place. You can"t get in there without multiple authorizations."
"I"m not saying that the smugglers have something to do with the thief," Khan pointed out, "But they might have leaked something to interested parties. I"m unable to look for all the potential culprits right now."
"You wouldn"t get answers anyway," Luke revealed. "Smugglers rarely stay on Milia 222 for too long, and even the residents only do a few shifts a month. There are no official records either since everything is illegal, so finding who brought and unloaded related materials is impossible."
"I might have a way to find them," Khan stated before pointing at the door behind him. "The Nele might be able to help."
Luke felt a joke surging inside his mind, but the conversation was too serious even to make it reach his current thoughts. He could only mutter a confused "why?" while his face remained serious.
"Partial cooperation," Khan half-lied. "They help us search for the fabric, and we share information. They take things at heart when they involve skins and similar materials."
"Khan," Luke called before taking a moment to sort out his thoughts. "That"s a dangerous game. They might blame my family if the Nele end up causing some major problem."
"I can act alone," Khan rea.s.sured. "Well, with Jenna. I only need you to get me in the dock."
Luke appeared conflicted about the matter. Khan"s offer made sense, but it remained a faint hope. Moreover, it could lead to many problems if something goes wrong.
"How do you intend to proceed?" Luke asked as he turned to his right and placed a hand on his forehead to think.
Khan quickly voiced a simple list. "Enter the dock, question the Nele, question the smugglers, get new leads about the thief."
"This sounds ridiculous," Luke scoffed. "If you are right, these smugglers had meetings with members or representatives of important families. Someone will warn them, and you"ll put yourself against powers that I can"t keep at bay."
"Do you have other ideas?" Khan asked.
Luke"s eyes darted back to Khan, but he didn"t speak. The mission had yet to go anywhere, and Milia 222 was so secretive that even his connections were failing to put his companions inside illegal activities.
Luke felt sure that he would eventually succeed, but that would put his companions in danger anyway. The mission was nowhere near easy or safe, so Khan"s offer was in line with its requirements.
The vague doubt that Khan was pursuing his goals crossed Luke"s mind, but he had no right to voice it. He had basically forced Khan to come, so he needed to show trust to earn it.
"I honestly don"t care about Milia 222"s politics," Luke eventually announced. "Still, it"s an important strategical point that my family can"t lose. You"ll need to lie if you get captured or worse."
"That"s not a problem," Khan uttered.
"Also," Luke continued, "If you do put the blame on my family, I won"t be able to affect the eventual consequences. The same goes if you stay silent, but my family suffers anyway. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"It won"t be hard to pretend that I fell for a Nele," Khan declared.
Luke"s business face trembled for an instant, but it stabilized when he voiced a question. "Did you?"
Khan wore a faint smirk that made Luke drop the matter and heave a loud sigh. He crossed his arms as thoughts ran through his mind. Khan had no idea how troublesome his request was, but that reaction revealed enough.
"I need some time to get you in the dock," Luke exclaimed at some point. "Also, the others did investigate in these days. It might help to hear their reports before the leaving."
"We can plan meetings," Khan agreed.
"Don"t mention the dock during those meetings," Luke warned. "And, yes, the Nele can be there. I guess that"s part of our cooperation."
"Correct," Khan replied.
"I swear," Luke declared. "I would have refused anyone. I agree only because you"ll be on the field."
Khan wore his faint smirk again, but his lack of answer told Luke that the private meeting had ended. The two left the room to reunite with the group, and they found them in the same atmosphere as before.
"[Ma"am]," Luke took control of the conversation right after entering the main hall, and his good accent surprised even Khan. "[I"ll have the best room in the whole building ready for you in no time]."
"There is no need for that," Jenna spoke in her perfect human language as she left the couch.
Bruce and the others opened a path for Jenna as she walked toward Khan, and their eyes widened in shock when she grabbed his elbow.
"I"ll be with Lieutenant Khan," Jenna announced.
"I"ll see you all later," Khan stated before glancing at Jenna. "[Let"s go]."
Luke and the others couldn"t speak. They even held their breath as Khan and Jenna reached the elevator and disappeared behind its metal doors.
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