The briefing ended on that strange note. Lieutenant Kintea couldn"t order Khan to get close to Liiza on purpose, but he didn"t hide his desires when the two were alone.
Khan had to admit that he understood the Lieutenant"s intentions. Liiza seemed to have a rebellious character. She could be the perfect lever in the relationships between the two species. Also, even if Khan were to fail to seize immediate benefits, he could always come back once Liiza was among the elders and make sure that humankind got its share.
It was an almost failproof plan since the Global Army could use Khan as a scapegoat if something went wrong. Still, he didn"t feel good when he thought about exploiting the Niqols" character for his personal benefit. He wasn"t a stranger to lies and pretenses, but he didn"t want to do that to Liiza, especially since she seemed to loathe the tactics connected to the politics.
Khan didn"t say anything about his conversation with Lieutenant Kintea when he met Paul. He limited himself to follow him toward the building where all the recruits attended their mandatory and optional courses.
The Global Army had chosen Khan"s lessons already, and he couldn"t help but approve once Paul listed them. It turned out that many recruits on Nitis aimed to become amba.s.sadors or similar political figures in the future, so the camp already had professors able to teach xenolinguistics, human and alien politics, and alien customs.
Those three subjects were the core of every good amba.s.sador, and they were necessary for the recruits living on Nitis. After all, knowing the Niqols" language and customs would significantly improve their performance during the semester, and it might even lead to positive outcomes during the interaction with the aliens.
Most professors were relatively weak soldiers who handled common subjects like "history of mana" and "mana cores". Lieutenant Kintea taught politics and customs, while Captain Erbair took care of the lessons of xenolinguistics that involved the Niqols" language.
The recruits" main task was to learn, and Khan did nothing else for the entire day. The academic year had already reached its seventh month, so everyone"s schedule was full of lessons. Khan and the others had to spend ten hours straight inside the cla.s.ses for four days a week.
That packed schedule didn"t leave much time for their training, but Khan quickly discovered that he didn"t have many options on Nitis.
The camp didn"t have any training hall since the Niqols limited the type and number of buildings that the Global Army could send on the planet. Structures meant to strengthen the humans didn"t fit those standards, and the same went for observatories and similar stations.
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Khan"s weeks still featured three free days in which he could train freely, but Paul revealed that missions executed together with the Niqols often happened during that time. They mostly involved hunts of dangerous creatures or similar simple issues, but they would still force him to waste a lot of time.
The usual darkness of Nitis unfolded in Khan"s eyes when he came out of the lessons. It was already late afternoon, and most of the recruits around him felt the need to throw themselves on their respective beds after such a long day. However, some still tried to make Khan join the few recreational activities available in the camp.
"The others are going to a river nearby," George explained once the various recruits started to separate. "I went there two days ago. It was nice, and the others aren"t bad either. I might even need your charm to get closer to a cute one."
"I don"t have a charm," Khan snorted, but his eyes inevitably fell on the recruits who had stopped near the exit of the camp.
Those boys and girls didn"t seem bad. George wouldn"t have vouched for them otherwise. Moreover, they were all eager to know the guy who had successfully tamed an Aduns.
Yet, Khan felt out of time when he checked the phone. He had yet to do his usual mental training and meditations that day, and he wouldn"t mind adding some physical practice to those exercises.
Time wasn"t on his side in the days with the lessons, but Khan would completely lose it if he left to kill time with his cla.s.smates. Also, he had something else in mind already, so he politely declined.
"Maybe another time," Khan replied while looking toward the sky.
Khan had sent a message through the mental connection when the lessons were about to end, and a foreign feeling had spread inside his mind while he talked with George.
A white figure unfolded in his vision when he raised his eyes to the sky. Snow dived toward the insides of the camp and spread its large wings when it was about to crash on Khan and George.
The other recruits had instinctively retreated during that sudden event. George had even fallen on the ground when the intense winds landed on his back. Only Khan had remained immune to Snow"s appearance, and he kept his eyes on the creature while it landed in front of him.
"You must enjoy scaring others," Khan commented, and the Aduns gave voice to a loud screech before sending a proud feeling through the mental connection.
"Yes, they can"t stand your might," Khan added, and the Aduns showed a satisfied expression before realizing that he had been sarcastic.
Still, Khan was already on its back when that realization arrived. His legs were even clung at the base of its wings by then.
"Let"s go to the mountains," Khan sent through the mental connection.
Snow understood what Khan wanted and quickly set off under the astonished gaze of everyone in the camp. Even Captain Erbair and Lieutenant Kintea had come out to inspect the scene, and faint smiles appeared on their faces when they saw the white spot disappearing in the distance.
The flight felt far more comfortable at that time. The injuries suffered during the test had mostly closed after a day and a short meditation performed before going to sleep. Khan felt perfectly fine, and he didn"t fear the Aduns" sudden movements anymore after establishing the mental connection.
Khan let Snow fly freely. He didn"t give orders nor force it to slow down. He even tried releasing the grip on its neck to see how stable his legs were.
The almost complete lack of fear and insecurities allowed Khan to enjoy the flight properly. He felt free among the sky. The problems that had afflicted his past weeks couldn"t reach his mind with the winds blowing on his face.
Snow eventually descended toward the base of a mountain and left Khan there before resuming its flight. The screeches of the other Aduns echoed in the sky as Khan sat on the cold, rocky ground and crossed his legs. The environment was perfect for his mental training.
Khan spent a few hours on the ninth lesson of the mental training before a sudden flapping of wings awakened him from the exercise. A dark-grey Aduns appeared in his vision when he opened his eyes, and Liiza"s charming face soon peeked out of that feathered neck.
"I"ve never seen a human training outside the camp," Liiza announced without jumping off her Aduns.
"The cold helps," Khan explained while showing a faint smile. "I didn"t think I would have seen you today."
Khan had spoken the truth about his training. He had almost completed the ninth exercise, and the tenth wouldn"t be a problem since his expertise with the mental barrier had increased a lot after Istrone"s events.
It was only a matter of months before Khan could approach the Wave spell, and he could barely contain his excitement. His achievement wasn"t much when he compared himself to George, but the nature of his element made him accept his pace.
"Why wouldn"t I?" Liiza asked. "I"d rather be here than at home."
"Did your mother say anything about me?" Khan asked as his smile became complicated.
"I rarely see her," Liiza revealed while wearing an emotionless face. "I guess they told you about her. Does that mean that you can"t fly with me anymore?"
"I"ve already called Snow," Khan laughed as he straightened his position.
Liiza arched her eyebrows, but a faint smile appeared on her face when she saw the white Aduns landing next to Khan. He didn"t hesitate to climb on his eagle, and the duo left as soon as Liiza set off.
Liiza led Khan across the mountain chain. Her flight was reckless and fast, and Khan couldn"t help but appreciate it whenever he saw her smiling face. Risking his life almost felt worth it to make that usually aloof Niqols happy.
The two Aduns eventually landed on a large flat area that expanded from the center of a mountain. The structure was quite peculiar, but it allowed Liiza and Khan to jump off their rides in a spot that wasn"t too cold and didn"t risk getting submerged by snow.
"Why did you call it Snow?" Liiza asked. "Doesn"t that mean [snow]?"
"The snow is white on my planet," Khan explained while patting his Aduns and letting it fly on its own.
Liiza did the same with her eagle. The two soon remained alone in the middle of the mountain, and their eyes inevitably met.
Liiza was wearing longer clothes that hid most of her skin at that time. Khan didn"t know if yesterday"s matters had something to do with that, but he didn"t mind her new look. Her white tracksuit managed to hide her curves, but it couldn"t diminish her beauty.
"You have yet to explain what Paul meant with his gesture," Liiza reminded Khan while walking toward the edges of the flat area and sitting with her legs laid on the rocky side.
"You really don"t want to let that go," Khan laughed while imitating her.
Khan sat next to her and put his legs past the area"s edges while supporting himself with his hands. The dark scenery of the mountain chain was marvelous from that position, but the few strands of fluttering white hair that appeared in his vision often made him turn toward Liiza.
"Is that a secret?" Liiza asked as honest confusion appeared on her face.
"Of course not," Khan laughed before scratching the side of his head. "It"s just embarra.s.sing, I guess."
"How can a gesture be embarra.s.sing?" Liiza continued.
"Trust me on that," Khan replied, but Liiza"s expression grew detached at that answer.
"Hey," Khan said before clearing his throat and continuing, "I want to remind you that I still don"t know much about the Niqols. I wish you could tell me what"s wrong instead of having to watch you growing sad."
Khan"s sudden burst of honesty startled Liiza. She didn"t expect him to be so direct. It was even hard to contradict him when he fixed his azure eyes on her.
"I don"t understand you," Liiza eventually revealed while giving voice to a sigh. "We learn a lot about humans from a young age, but we only know what those on the camps show us. You are definitely different."
"How so?" Khan asked as a tinge of interest filled his mind and made him widen his smile.
"I sensed your pain," Liiza explained, "But you can joke around easily. Your behavior didn"t change after learning about my mother, but you still keep secrets for the army. I just can"t see you clearly."
His decision to keep the meaning behind Paul"s gesture a secret ended up creating a big misunderstanding. Yet, Khan could learn more about Liiza"s character from her words.
"Do you also hate secrets?" Khan asked.
"I hate lies," Liiza revealed. "I understand the need to keep a face in front of your superiors, but I can"t stand fake people, and my mother is their leader."
"I thought Niqols were straightforward," Khan commented.
"Straightforward doesn"t mean honest," Liiza replied, and the two moved their eyes back toward the dark scenery past the mountain.
"I"ll tell you," Khan eventually sighed, "But don"t get strange ideas."
"I can"t control my ideas," Liiza coldly replied. "You wouldn"t have an Aduns otherwise."
Khan sighed before tilting his head and giving voice to a simple explanation. "Paul thought that I was. .h.i.tting on you. He was only expressing his worry."
"Hitting on me?" Liiza turned to show a confused expression to Khan. "What does that mean?"
"You know flirting?" Khan tried to explain while turning toward Liiza and trying to summon his entire knowledge about the Niqols" language. "It should be something along the lines of [romance] if I"m not wrong."
"Oh," Liiza seemed to understand at that point, and her gaze returned toward the scenery past the mountain"s edges. "Did your superiors think the same?"
"They are just worried that I might create a mess with the Niqols," Khan sighed while looking toward the dark scenery too. "Some of them even want me to use you to get more benefits for humankind."
"Why are you telling me this?" Liiza gasped while turning again toward Khan.
"You like honesty," Khan said while shrugging his shoulders. "I give you honesty."
Liiza didn"t know what to say, but a smile ended up appearing on her face. Khan looked at the scenery and avoided her eyes, and she couldn"t help but appreciate his cold vibes.
"Get down," Liiza eventually ordered while lying on the ground and pulling Khan from his shoulder. "The sky is better than the mountains."
Khan let Liiza pull him to the ground. The two ended up side to side with their eyes toward the sky. Their shoulders and arms touched, but neither of them said anything about that.
"Was he right?" Liiza eventually asked.
"Who?" Khan promptly replied with a question.
"Paul," Liiza continued. "Were you hitting on me?"
"A bit," Khan honestly revealed. "You can blame the Nak if you want. They must have done something to my taste."
"Am I ugly then?" Liiza asked while supporting herself on her elbow and turning toward Khan.
Liiza"s curves inevitably touched Khan"s shoulder and arm. She seemed about to lie above him, but she made sure to keep her free arm on her side.
"No," Khan sighed. "I struggle to stop looking at you."
Liiza giggled as her eyes met Khan"s. The two continued to look at each other even after Khan spoke again. "You did the same, right? I don"t know how to recognize the signals of your species."
"Niqols use signals only when actions might cause problems," Liiza revealed. "They don"t bother to talk when they know that everything is fine."
"Were they signals the-?" Khan was about to ask, but Liiza suddenly placed her free arm on his chest and lowered her head above his.
Her long white hair fell to the sides of Khan"s head, but her glowing white eyes allowed him to see her perfectly. The light started to vanish as Liiza continued to lower her body, and it completely disappeared when their lips met.
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