Chapter 16: Trade (1/2)

Everyone in the world knew the meaning of those stars. The Global Army was so important that even the citizens of the Slums could evaluate a soldier from that feature.

The Lieutenant had three stars on each shoulder. He was a third-level warrior and a third-level mage. He had the shape of a human, but he hid enough power to earn the label of a monster.

Bloke didn't dare to speak anymore. His surprise slowly vanished to make room to regret. The boy knew how the ranks in the Global Army worked, so he had never expected that a mere Lieutenant could wield so much power.

”You must be pretty strong,” Khan commented while feigning naivety.

”I won't buy your act,” The man snorted. ”Remember that I've watched your fight.”

Khan smiled, but he didn't add anything. The man could see right through him. Pretenses were useless in that situation.

”How can you be a simple Lieutenant?” Bloke eventually asked. ”You can become a Major at your level. I can't understand how you can even accept to be a mere guard in the prisons of the camp.”

”You are too young to understand the intricacies of the politics,” The man sighed. ”I'm a simple soldier. Fighting is what I do best.”

”Wait a moment,” Another boy said while nearing the metal bars. ”I think I've heard about you. You are Carl Dyester, the butcher of Istrone.”

Khan limited himself to listen to that conversation. He had heard about Istrone from Martha, but he was completely unaware of the events that involved that place.

”That's impossible,” Bloke replied. ”I've also heard those stories. The crisis on Istrone happened forty years ago, and Carl Dyester had already become a Major by then. Look at him. He is too young!”

The man was tall and burly. Khan didn't manage to inspect his skin because the light of the electric torches was too dim. Still, he wouldn't give the Lieutenant more than forty years from his facial features.

”Mana can keep you young if used correctly,” The man sighed. ”I didn't think kids these days could still learn stories about that mess.”

”How could we not?” The second boy asked. ”You have singlehandedly suppressed a revolt. The Global Army would have lost the planet if it weren't for you.”

Carl suddenly punched the door of an empty cell. A clanging noise resounded through the basement as the metal bars bent and shattered under the might carried by his arm.

Everyone fell silent at that scene, but Carl soon understood that he had gone too far. He scratched the corner of his eyes before explaining his reasons. ”Stories rarely are accurate. I had my entire platoon on Istrone. I wouldn't have been the only survivor of the crisis if it weren't for my troops.”

Silence spread through the basement, but a beeping noise quickly broke it. Carl took his phone and browsed through the notifications before nearing the screen to Khan's cell.

”You can go,” Carl explained as the cell unlocked. ”The others must remain here a bit longer.”

Khan left the cell, but he didn't immediately leave the basement. A soldier who had been on other planets was right in front of him, and he couldn't waste that chance to satisfy his curiosity.

”Did you ever see a Nak?” Khan asked without bothering to add the annoying ”sir”.

The sudden question took Carl by surprise, but he still shook his head to answer.

”Do you think that they are still out there?” Khan continued to question him.

”They must be,” Carl replied while moving back to his table. ”We have learnt a lot from those aliens, but there are immense blank spots in their history.”

”What do you mean?” Khan asked.

The entirety of the human race had studied those aliens for more than five hundred years. The Global Army had also developed methods to deploy their power and surpass their peaks. It was impossible to know everything about them, but Khan still believed that there couldn't be many doubts left.