Chapter 33: Vague (1/2)
The morning lessons changed again in the third week. A new professor called Ava Holmer took care of teaching ”basics of the society” and ”politics”. Khan ended up hating those subjects, but he desperately needed to learn them.
Ava Holmer was an old woman with long grey hair combed in a large bun and cateye-shaped glasses. Her uniform featured a single star on both shoulders, and her demeanor was quite stiff.
Khan found the lessons incredibly boring, especially since they didn't involve the fantastic qualities of the mana. The only interesting details in those classes concerned the various relationships between humankind and the known alien species.
It turned out that the Global Army had mainly established peaceful alliances with four of the intelligent alien species found throughout the universe.
Obtaining those alliances had required a few battles or compromises during the first meetings, but everything had reached a stable situation now. The last political crisis had been on Istrone when a faction of the Kred had decided to rebel.
”The Kred are a peaceful alien species,” Professor Holmer explained, ”But they also worship mana. The radical groups on Istrone believed that humans were tainting that energy with their technology. That eventually led to a rebellion.”
”My professor in Ylaco told me that the Kred struggle to control mana,” Luke added while the lesson continued. ”Their bodies are better than ours, but we can surpass them once our attunement reaches high percentages.”
Khan never stopped absorbing information about the world. He didn't care that Professor Holmer's teaching style could match Professor Conche's dullness. His attention never faltered, and he promptly lowered his headphones whenever one of his friends added pieces of knowledge to the lessons.
”It's a pity that Professor Holmer didn't say anything about the other cities on Earth,” Khan commented once the group hit the canteen. ”I hope she teaches something about the social structure of the world.”
”Why would you even wait for a professor to teach you that?” Bruce laughed at those words. ”You can learn that from your phone. The network of the Global Army can teach you a lot if you know how to look.”
”The professors will probably skip what they deem as common knowledge,” Luke explained. ”They only go through those topics when they have classified information to add.”
Khan felt a bit lost. His phone contained some answers to his doubts, but he had never thought to use it.
”I'll teach you how to use the network later,” Martha eventually sighed.
Khan revealed a grateful expression when he turned toward Martha, and the other boys and girls on the table couldn't help but stare at that interaction.
”It's quite bold of you to be with him,” April Rotston commented. ”My mother would kill me if I were to date a boy from the Slums.”
Martha and Khan shot a surprised glance toward the girl. They didn't think the rumors already saw them as a proper couple.
”Khan will definitely go far,” Bruce added. ”He will easily reach high ranks in the Global Army. He is the first in the entire training camp to reach twenty percent of attunement with mana, and he always works hard. Even Professor Norwell wants to rope him into special training programs.”
”The soldiers with poor backgrounds statistically go further in the army,” Luke continued. ”Many known heroes of the Global Army have started with little more than a few Credits.”
Luke and Bruce's approach to Khan's background was directly opposite to Martha's new friends. The two boys saw Khan's potential as a valuable asset in future platoons. Instead, the three girls only considered his worth as a spouse.
”Getting my attunement to twenty percent was only luck,” Khan tried to tone down those praises.
”Don't sell yourself short,” Luke contradicted him. ”I know you'll go far. Who knows? You might even enter the personal guard of the noble families.”
”You are exaggerating now,” Bruce laughed. ”He must really become a hero to get there.”
”You'll understand later,” Martha whispered, and Khan limited himself to nod.
Martha didn't bother to address the rumors. She knew that her words wouldn't change her friends' opinion, so she limited herself to finish her meal and leave with Khan.
Khan could go to the prisons of the camp right away since Professor Norwell had exempted him from her lessons. However, he had to take the training program for his element that day, which would inevitably delay his meeting with Lieutenant Dyester.
Professor Norwell wouldn't arrive in the camp's main building right after lunch, so Khan had some time to kill with Martha. The girl took the chance to walk him through the menus of the phone, and Khan happily discovered that the network of the Global Army was fairly easy to use.
'A large group made of ten representatives from the noble families and one hundred diplomats from the other families govern Earth,' Khan read on his phone. 'The ten noble representatives rarely change due to their privileged position, while the others can vary depending on the political influence of each minor family.'
The explanation on the network was short and lacked many details, but Khan could gain a general idea of how the Global Army administered Earth.
Martha explained how the number of spots for each minor family depended on the achievements of their members. They changed every year, and the ten noble representatives handled that decision.
”The noble families have a lot of influence,” Martha revealed. ”Building a connection with one of them is the dream of every soldier. They basically have unlimited power on Earth, so even creating a family from scratch wouldn't be a problem once you gain their favor.”