Chaos' Heir

Khan only had to give the order and wait a few minutes inside the previous meeting room for the metal door to open. Gordon crossed it, performing a stiff military salute, and the figure following him stepped at his side to imitate the polite greeting.

Khan found the scene quite amusing. Clifford knew what military salutes were, but it had probably been years since he last performed one. The man couldn't help but glance at the noble guard beside him, studying his stance and adjusting his own in an attempt to create his best imitation.

"At ease," Khan promptly said, not wanting to torture the pirate any longer. He was already sitting at the table, so he nodded at an empty chair that already had a drink before it.

Clifford walked toward the appointed seat, but Gordon followed him, stopping at a nearby spot close to the interactive desk. The noble guard wouldn't let that shady character out of sight, and Clifford couldn't help but feel pressured under that fifth-level warrior's stern inspection.

Nevertheless, Gordon did glance away for a second. That was one of the new meeting rooms, but the interactive desk had a crack near its edge. The menus still worked perfectly, but Gordon couldn't dismiss that imperfection.

"This was me," Khan announced, pointing at the crack after noticing the glance. "Everything still works, so you can leave it."

"We will replace the desk as soon as this meeting is over, My Prince," Gordon declared, lowering his head.

"At least don't throw this one away," Khan ordered, knowing that arguing against the noble guard would be pointless. "Stash it somewhere and keep it as a spare."

"As you wish, My Prince," Gordon exclaimed.

Gordon's sternness didn't improve Clifford's mood. Khan had already proven himself to be a monster, and Clifford was now stuck in a room with him and the guard tasked with protecting him. The pirate was used to bad odds, but his anxiety inevitably flared there.

"Let's start with the obvious," Khan said, claiming Clifford's attention. "What was his name? Right, will there be problems since I killed Mister Ratré?"

Gordon couldn't help but glare at Clifford as if daring him to mention potential problems. Needless to say, that only deepened the pirate's anxiety, but Khan stepped to his aid.

"Easy, Gordon," Khan reassured. "Let's give Clifford some breathing room."

"My apologies, My Prince," Gordon exclaimed, raising his gaze to stare at an empty spot on the metal wall before him.

"Though Clifford," Khan continued. "I should warn you. Nott Station still doesn't count as resilient to me, but it's way less brittle than Blue Moon colony."

Khan didn't do anything specific, and Clifford also noticed the exhaustion in the glowing eyes pointed at him. However, the pressure that fell on his shoulders was undeniable. The air seemed to have turned liquid, struggling to enter his nostrils and lungs, vouching for how powerful Khan was.

Even Gordon couldn't help but shake under that pressure. He did his best not to show any reaction and also suppressed that instinctive tremor as soon as it arrived. Yet, he was shocked nonetheless. Less than a year had passed since his last meeting with Khan, but the latter had already grown more monstrous.

Clifford wanted nothing more than to escape that situation, but the reality wasn't kind. He was trapped, and so was his crew. Besides, he had witnessed Mister Ratré shattering like a mere piece of glass due to his lies, so he didn't dare to try anything funny.

"Mister Ratré had many men under his command," Clifford explained. "He used his businesses and goods as insurance, forcing the teams he controlled to check one another."

"So, was someone controlling you?" Khan wondered. "And will that someone come from me now?"

"Impossible, My Prince," Clifford stated. "No one should know that Mister Ratré is dead, so there should be no danger."

"Except," Khan said, "I plan to spread the news. What would happen then?"

Clifford couldn't imagine why Khan would do that. Secrecy was a valuable currency in those lawless environments, and Mister Ratré's death could be used to exploit the temporary confusion and take over all sorts of businesses.

Yet, Clifford soon realized how narrow-minded that perspective was. Khan could probably obtain what Clifford lusted for with a snap of his fingers. A fraction of what Clifford had seen while reaching the meeting room was already enough to set him up for life.

"Nothing, My Prince," Clifford guessed. "The crews would usually fight over the goods, claiming all sorts of rights, but you are a Prince."

It didn't take a genius to read between the lines. Clifford didn't specify it, but his implications were clear. Mister Ratré's goons might have tried to claim goods and businesses for themselves against fellow criminals, but no one would dare to oppose a Prince, let alone one as infamous as Khan.

Still, Khan had no interest in Mister Ratré's businesses or goods. He mainly planned on using his declaration as a way of keeping troublemakers away from his workers and the White Mouse crew. Mister Ratré's men could seize everything they wanted as long as they didn't interfere with Khan's projects.

"I'll let everyone know that Mister Ratré is dead," Khan decided, nodding at Gordon to make the announcement public. "His men can fight for his businesses. I just want them to understand that they should steer clear of my path."

Clifford didn't know whether to nod or remain silent, and his hesitation decided for him, making him opt for the latter. He was in no position to contradict Khan anyway, so he didn't try to claim any relevance in the meeting.

"The White Mouse crew will mainly assist with the works to Blue Moon colony," Khan continued. "You know the place better than my workers, so it's your job to reassure the locals and point out possible problems."

Clifford opened his mouth but promptly closed it. The White Mouse crew didn't exactly own Blue Moon colony. It had presided over it for quite a while, but most of that authority came from Mister Ratré's protection.

With Mister Ratré gone, other parties might look to seize that valuable checkpoint, but Khan was stronger than them all, and that was through fame alone, so Clifford believed the takeover would be smooth.

"What is it?" Khan asked, wanting to hear the words Clifford had suppressed.

"Ah, My Prince," Clifford gasped. "I was thinking that someone might want Blue Moon colony, but no one would challenge you for it."

Khan considered the matter but eventually dismissed it to glance at Gordon.

"I'll tell the engineers to reinforce the planned security measures, My Prince," Gordon announced, and Khan simply nodded.

"I also plan to use the White Mouse crew to transport goods," Khan added, "Which brings me to the main point of interest."

Khan tapped on the interactive desk, summoning holograms he had prepared beforehand. A star map of the nearby quadrants lit up, showing the trade routes Khan had learned from Captain Lochport.

"I want to know all the flight routes in this area," Khan declared. "Legal, illegal, secret, dangerous, safe. It doesn't matter. I want to know all of them."