Chaos' Heir-Chapter 1212: Briefing

A ringing noise resounded from the console’s speakers, filling the narrow room. A blue light invaded the transparent screen, waiting for the device to connect to the other end of the call.

Liiza grew tenser during the wait. Meeting Khan’s family was a big deal for her, and for good reason. Khan had caused a mess to kidnap her, and the repercussions must have stretched to his forces. No one was immune, so she wanted to look worthy of that sacrifice.

Khan experienced all that and even understood Liiza but didn’t need any words to reassure her. His brain instinctively focused on how he felt, sharing that through the mental connection. In Khan’s mind, no reality existed where Liiza wasn’t worthy of everything he could give.

"[Stupid]," Liiza whispered when sensing Khan’s feelings, and her other hand went on his elbow while she lay her head on his shoulder.

Nevertheless, the blue light on the screen started to change, making Liiza gasp. A figure appeared at its center, and Liiza straightened herself, letting go of Khan’s hand to perform a traditional Niqols’ bow.

"He can’t see us yet," Khan coughed, pointing at the screen. A middle-aged man with a military haircut and an emotionless face had replaced the blue light, but his eyes darted left and right, clearly failing to see the other side.

Liiza scolded Khan through her expression from behind the makeshift hood, but a voice resounded from the console, making her head snap toward it.

"Nephew?" Prince Thomas’ voice escaped the console’s speakers. "Is that you?"

"It’s me, Uncle," Khan confirmed. "You must agree to a few security measures before I can activate the camera."

Prince Thomas immediately tinkered with his control desk, and Khan did the same from his end. That console was in a lawless zone inside a warehouse that performed illegal activities. Revealing any information could put the Fuveall at risk, so they implemented hefty security measures.

Not every place could meet those security measures, but Prince Thomas’ control desk obviously could, so Khan eventually received his console’s approval. He activated that function, and his Uncle’s gaze finally focused.

"I see you, Nephew," Prince Thomas announced. "The technicians will have to work overtime to remove this alien software once the call is over, but we can have a proper briefing now."

Needless to say, Prince Thomas’ eyes still occasionally darted left and right. The call on his end didn’t have the best resolution, so he couldn’t understand which of the hooded figures was Khan.

Khan removed his makeshift hood and shades at that point, exposing himself and the tattoos on his face. Prince Thomas tried to run a recognition software, but the security measures he had agreed to prevented him from doing it.

"I found the Nak," Khan stated, "Killed a big snake, and told you to fake my interest in Princess Rachel’s marriage proposal. It’s me."

A wave of foreign jealousy invaded Khan’s brain, but he ignored it for now to meet Prince Thomas’ gaze. He had only revealed pieces of information that few people inside his inner circle knew. One might have been leaked, but the chances of a foreign party knowing all three were non-existent.

"I’m glad to find you alive and well, My Prince," Prince Thomas finally declared, convinced. "We were all worried about you."

Then, Prince Thomas couldn’t help but look at the other figure. He obviously knew who she was, but it wasn’t his place to address her. Still, Prince Thomas couldn’t refrain from commenting on it.

"You had to follow my Sister’s footsteps," Prince Thomas said. "You truly are her son."

"Ah, well," Khan sighed. "I’d apologize, but I’m not really sorry. Though I should have warned you beforehand."

"My Prince," Prince Thomas called, clearing his throat. "Nephew. You have all my trust and loyalty, but I started preparing countermeasures even before updating you on the invitation."

"Of course you did," Khan chuckled, recalling who his Uncle was. "Was I that obvious?"

"The odds weren’t in the marriage’s favor," Prince Thomas responded, mincing his words. "I must congratulate you for not blowing up anything. Going dark was also wise. It gave us plausible deniability."

Khan wanted to ask more specific questions, but the mental connection was raging with anxiety. He had to address something first before resuming talking politics.

"Uncle," Khan called, placing a hand on Liiza’s back. "This is Miss Liiza, my wife."

Liiza pretended to be calm while removing her makeshift hood and shades. Her long hair fell down her body messily, but she ignored it to perform a deep Niqols’ bow.

"It’s an honor to make your acquaintance, Uncle-in-law," Liiza announced. "I’m Liiza. I’ll go by Liiza Nognes if you find it more proper."

Both Khan and Prince Thomas looked at Liiza. Khan blinked while his Uncle showed a rare instance of speechlessness. Their brains were finding it hard to process the "Uncle-in-law" title.

"The honor is mine, Miss Liiza," Prince Thomas claimed. "However, if I may, under which laws did you marry?"

Liiza’s eyes widened, but she didn’t dare to break her bow. She didn’t care for human customs or laws, but that was Khan’s Uncle. She had to try to meet him on his own terms.

"Leave it, Uncle," Khan ordered, coming to Liiza’s aid and taking her hand, forcing her to break her bow. "She is my wife."

"I see," Prince Thomas commented. "Once things cool down, we should hold a ceremony on Baoway. Your marriage can’t happen in secret."

Liiza felt surprised but also relieved and happy. She believed Prince Thomas had accepted her, but Khan had to tell her the harsh truth.

"He is only thinking about the deals he can strike during the ceremony," Khan explained. "My Uncle is very much a political animal to the core."

"You assigned me to this position, Nephew," Prince Thomas declared. "I plan to repay you for this honor to the best of my capabilities."

Liiza had never liked politics. She had been forced to pursue that career to repay her mother’s sacrifice, but the effort had nullified her. Her hesitation was evident. Liiza didn’t want to taint such a happy event with subjects she hated, but she loved Khan more, and that was his family.

"If it will help my husband’s family," Liiza exclaimed, "I’ll serve in this political ceremony."

"[Liiza]," Khan couldn’t help but call, only for a resolute face to expand in his vision.

"[I was ready to do it for my species]," Liiza announced, "[And I abandoned it for you]."

"[We aren’t doing something you don’t like]," Khan stated.

"[But I will like it]," Liiza corrected. "[I want to see you in your ceremonial robe, and I want you to see me in my wedding dress]."

Khan and Liiza seemed about to fall into their own world during that meaningful exchange of looks, and Prince Thomas couldn’t help but feel surprised at the scene. He had seen Khan interacting with Monica many times, but the difference was clear for everyone to see.

"Nephew," Prince Thomas eventually cleared his throat, claiming the couple’s attention. "I might be in charge of our noble faction, but everyone knows who its true leader is. Your marriage must be announced and celebrated publicly."

Khan’s eyes darted between the screen and Liiza’s resolute expression, making him scratch his head. His fingers met more braids than usual, but only a helpless sigh escaped his mouth. He didn’t exactly hate the idea of telling the whole world about his marriage, but that event had to wait.

"Let’s postpone this talk," Khan explained, refocusing on the screen. "I plan to lay low and kill time on Merth 290 until the forces on Coravis are ready for my trip."

"We can find connections on Merth 290," Prince Thomas revealed. "Your stay wouldn’t compare to Baoway’s buildings, but we can find something appropriate."

"I can’t use the Nognes connections," Khan refused. "We’ll join a few criminal jobs and keep moving around to be safer. I also want to see if I can recruit more forces, and no one will trust me if I play the noble card."

"As you wish, My Prince," Prince Thomas announced. "I’ll prepare alibis in case someone finds out about these activities and tries to use them for leverage."

"How are things on your end?" Khan didn’t forget to ask. "Do the other factions need a reminder of their place?"

"The other Nognes factions showed signs of complaints," Prince Thomas explained, "But sending them some data about the creature you killed on Coravis created a newfound unity."

Khan couldn’t help but smirk. His Uncle was a man of political alliances and numbers, but his expertise didn’t end there. Prince Thomas didn’t hesitate to use his Nephew as a deterrent, which inevitably worked.

"As for everything else," Prince Thomas continued. "The Global Army has tried to make problems for us, but the tournament has overwhelming approval. No family wants to go against us, so humankind can’t publicly condemn you."

The Global Army had personal forces, but the bulk of its troops came from various families. Even the representatives in humankind’s government came from them. As long as Khan kept them happy, the Global Army’s hands would be tied.

"The Kros and Niqols let the Global Army handle contacting us," Prince Thomas exclaimed. "We didn’t receive any official communication, but they are out there, looking for you. They might already know you were headed for Merth 290."

"I dealt with as many encounters as possible," Khan explained. "Garret should see many crews reaching Coravis in the following weeks."

"Some have already arrived," Prince Thomas revealed. "They all kept muttering "Big Snake" like they were possessed. Mister Bizelli almost thought we had a mole on Coravis."

"It was a codeword for Liiza’s restrictions," Khan summarized, nodding at his side. "Thanks to her, I could refrain from killing anyone."

"Then, you have my gratitude, Miss Liiza," Prince Thomas expressed. "Thank you for looking out for my Nephew and Prince. It must be quite the demanding job."

"It’s the least I can do to repay my husband and his family," Liiza politely responded, performing another traditional bow.

Khan promised himself to tease Liiza about that polite behavior once he was done with the call, but Prince Thomas eventually added something troubling.

"Our forces are virtually unaffected," Prince Thomas commented, "But Princess Rachel Montares’ status suffered. She didn’t ask for help, but we know she lost the support of her faction."

Khan cursed internally. Princess Rachel was using him to dodge marriage proposals and improve her status, but everything was based on a lie. Once that was uncovered, her faction turned against her.

"Can’t we adopt her or something?" Khan wondered, knowing that noble families engaged in those practices. "I don’t want to force her to marry into the family, but that’s another option."

"The Montares were promised you, Nephew," Prince Thomas pointed out. "I’m proud of how my Desmond turned out, and even my Richard finally became worthy of his title, thanks to you. Yet, even marrying them both to the Montares won’t be enough to replace you."

An unpleasant headache tried to rise through Khan’s mind, and the foreign jealousy he felt didn’t help. No political action could fix that problem, so Khan gave up on using that field.

"Whatever," Khan sighed, waving his hand dismissively. "If you find the chance, tell the Montares that Rachel is under my protection. We’ll negotiate once I’m available again."

"The Montares won’t be happy about that," Prince Thomas commented. "They might stir problems among other noble families, turning them against us."

"The forces on Coravis should have a useful video," Khan stated. "It involves nukes. Show it to the nobles if they try something. Remind them that I’m still playing nice."

"I know that video, Nephew," Prince Thomas revealed. "It will be done. I’ll take care of the political situation and Princess Montares."

"Thank you, Uncle," Khan exclaimed. "I’m sorry for dumping all these problems on you."

"Our faction would have disappeared without you, My Prince," Prince Thomas declared. "This is nothing."

There were a few other subjects to discuss, but Prince Thomas suddenly turned toward his office’s entrance, and the video stopped on both ends. The interference activated the Fuveall’s security measures, cutting off both cameras, but the speakers in Khan’s consoles soon released a voice that sent a chill down his spine.

"Did my cute Nephew finally call?" Princess Rebecca’s voice resounded from the speakers, and Khan finally experienced the same anxiety as Liiza, as well as an even stronger headache.frёeweɓηovel.coɱ