Chaos' Heir

"I can't know for sure until we retrieve better data from Coravis, My Prince," Abraham's voice resounded from the ship's control desk's speakers. "Establishing colonies isn't a problem, but everything else is a matter of Credits."

Khan sipped from his glass while staring at the dark expanse past the canopy, letting the autopilot do its work. Two days had passed since his abrupt awakening, which Khan had spent traveling back to Nott Station. His ship could go faster, but he had to ensure the White Mouse crew remained behind him.

The orders Khan had relayed from Coravis were already in the work. Specialized teams had teleported to Nott Station and were in the process of departing to address the various directives. Much had to be done, but securing Coravis had the priority.

As for Abraham, it had taken him two days to free himself from his many duties and establish a secure communication channel with Khan. Of course, he could have done it much sooner, but Khan had told him to prioritize the other matters.

"How is money an issue for me?" Khan honestly asked. He had the full support of a noble family and many beneficial agreements with extremely wealthy parties, and the Thilku Empire backed him up. Theoretically, Credits were the last of his problems.

"It's whether it's worth the money, My Prince," Abraham explained. "The data we are receiving from your scanners is promising, but the lack of land is a problem, especially since you requested natural land."

Khan had left a few scanners on Coravis before departing so Baoway could start studying the planet while he wasted time flying to space. Still, his top scientist wasn't giving him much hope.

Humankind wasn't great at colonizing planets. It had often limited itself to domes and space stations, avoiding stretching itself thin or wasting too many Credits on expensive terraforming projects.

Mana made things much easier, but some underlying problems remained. Some planets weren't worth the hassle since a space station or a dome could cover most of their needs.

Also, the universe was vast and had no shortage of suitable planets. It was simply unwise to go against nature and try to change the fate of a celestial body when better ones were available.

That actually created another problem. Many species shared that philosophy, so most good planets already had inhabitants. Khan could take them by force, but those he wanted to be at the receiving end of that gift would probably dislike the action.

Moreover, it would put them at the center of a conflict, while Khan wanted to grant them peace and stability.

The Thilku Empire was far better at colonizing, but its ways heavily relied on technology, which would conflict with Khan's intentions. After all, he planned to create a home for the Nele, and they wanted nature.

Initially, Khan believed Coravis' boundless sea would have been the perfect place to build artificial but natural environments. Yet, that idea was a delusion fueled by ignorance, which Abraham had quickly corrected. Water was the cradle of life, but terraforming wanted more than that.

In hindsight, Baoway would have been perfect for the task. Planets with such good conditions were rare, but Khan couldn't do anything about it, especially now.

First, Baoway already had inhabitants, while the Nele needed isolation. Their pheromones were too problematic to allow cohabitation, and forcing one side to adapt to the other would defeat the purpose.

Also, Baoway was fully colonized now, with many wealthy parties having vast vested interests in its quadrants. Khan couldn't tell them to go away since most belonged to friends or people he trusted.

"Study it and tell me what you think," Khan eventually ordered. "I'll trust your judgment."

Occupying Coravis was set in stone for Khan, but the method was still uncertain. If the planet could turn into a home for the Nele, he would spare no expense to do it, obtaining a valuable checkpoint and fulfilling his old promise. He would kill two birds with one stone, and few things could make him happier.

"You honor me, My Prince," Abraham responded before delaying his following question by a few seconds. "Is everything okay?"

"Why do you ask?" Khan questioned.

"You requested the same equipment we used to track your training with the pools, My Prince," Abraham pointed out. "Did the process backfire? Are there complications?"

Khan emptied his drink before heaving a sigh. He had wanted to avoid alarming his inner circle about his recent transformation, but Abraham was simply smarter than him when it came to that stuff. Khan's requests were a clear admission in the scientist's eyes.

"You'll understand better once your teams reach Coravis," Khan summarized shortly, avoiding giving details. "A different source might have tainted me. Though it's nothing as dangerous as the Nak's mana."

Khan could almost hear the worry from the other side of the speaker. Still, Abraham remained silent, respecting Khan's desire to continue the journey while relying on his expertise to provide better solutions. Khan had already covered for them, but Abraham saw room for improvement.

"I can send Mister Bizelli to lead the team, My Prince," Abraham suggested. "His expertise matches these fields."

Khan instinctively wanted to refuse to avoid creating problems for Baoway, but those were his bad habits talking. Truthfully, those matters were serious, and refusing the best support his organization had to offer would be reckless.

"Isn't Garret busy with other projects?" Khan asked.

"Many experts from his family settled on Baoway, My Prince," Abraham revealed, "Including Mister Bizelli's father. The projects are also in a slump or are steadily progressing. His expertise is better used elsewhere."

Khan didn't like the idea but decided to ignore his childish instincts. Abraham knew best, so he had to follow his advice.

"It will take me close to a month to reach Nott Station," Khan revealed. "If Garret feels he can abandon his post for a while, send him to the space station."

"It will be done, My Prince," Abraham declared.

"Update me as soon as you find something," Khan ordered. "I'll be in the training area during the flight, so keep the communications to a minimum."

"As you wish, My Prince," Abraham responded, and Khan ended the call, glancing at his empty glass before standing up.

Training inside the ship had always been dangerous, but the transformation had made it less so. Also, the White Mouse crew was on Khan's tail, so he didn't have to worry about remaining stranded in space, allowing him to make some use of that empty time.