strokinit Chapter 1038: Contingency
Chapter 1038: Contingency
Chapter 1038: Contingency
"Stop," A gentle, melodious voice suddenly resounded from the trunk, making Colonel Norrett jump back.
Colonel Norrett instinctively wore a battle stance, but the tree no longer spoke. Only its odd vitality remained, which the previous word didn't affect.
The Colonel couldn't help but consider whether he was hearing things. After all, the experiments in the underground labs were far from orthodox, so side effects were to be expected.
However, Colonel Norrett had seen his fair share of strange things during his career and had never heard of a talking tree. Sure, Khan's organization was home to many unheard-of and odd events, but that still sounded too much.
Moreover, Colonel Norrett knew those woods and had never seen anything similar during his previous strolls. Something must have changed, so he didn't believe he was ill just yet.
The tree seemed to sense the Colonel's unconvinced stance and spoke again. "Colonel Mark Norrett, I must ask you to pretend you didn't see any of this."
The Colonel's eyes widened when the tree spoke his name but became serious the following second. Something was definitely up there, and his political brain immediately got to work to provide plausible answers.
Khan had fixed his political situation just to ruin it again. His family, the nobles, and other allies couldn't be happy about his decision to leave humankind and return as a Thilku Lord.
The quadrant and planet as a whole were also in quite the unrest. Many factions had formed while Khan was away, and his dramatic return had probably added fuel to most of those causes, prompting some to take action.
The general unrest was the perfect opportunity for Khan's enemies to plant spies or worse on Baoway. Admittedly, many already resided on the planet. Still, the recent development might have forced some factions to take things one step further, and Colonel Norrett had probably stumbled on one of them.
Knowing what Colonel Norrett knew about the political world, things couldn't simply end there. Unless the talking tree belonged to Khan, repercussions would hit the Colonel before he could leave the woods. After all, only dead men told no tales.
Colonel Norrett only had to decide how to behave. Running away and warning Khan or anyone with some authority could work, but the tree felt stronger than him. The sole fact that he couldn't understand its real nature said as much, making an eventual escape unrealistic.
"So," Colonel Norrett exclaimed, "Can I just leave? Forgive me for not believing that."
"Of course," Miss Christen replied, "Not. Yet, this encounter doesn't need to turn ugly. I must ask you to let me escort you off the planet."
"Just like that?" Colonel Norrett questioned.
"Prince Khan's political situation is complicated now," Miss Christen explained. "He would believe you left due to disagreements with his actions. Also, this is the only way of preserving your life."
Colonel Norrett almost cursed, but his face remained stern. He was no idiot, especially when it came to politics. He knew Miss Christen had spoken nothing but the truth, but his options weren't that limited yet.
"Allow me to add, Colonel," Miss Christen continued. "My presence on Baoway carries no ill will. I'm merely here to report back to the Nognes family."
"What if the Nognes family gives different orders?" Colonel Norrett asked.
"I'm also here as a contingency," Miss Christen replied, not hiding anything.
Colonel Norrett felt no surprise at the revelation. Clearly, the Nognes family was considering whether to activate Miss Christen against Khan and his organization.
"That little shit has a talent for causing problems," Colonel Norrett sighed.
"Colonel, let me assure you," Miss Christen added, noticing that opening. "Your safety will be paramount, and the Nognes family can meet any request and price for the right services." "My apologies, Miss Christen," Colonel Norrett said, shaking his head. "I'm quite the loyal soldier, and Prince Khan's ideals happen to align with mine."
"I take you won't be leaving willingly," Miss Christen concluded, her melodious voice hiding
a trace of displeasure.
"You are correct," Colonel Norrett confirmed, mana suddenly leaking out of his body, highlighting yellow patches on his exposed skin. "Also, this is a good chance to check where I stand against someone who relied on the aided metamorphosis."