<h4>Chapter 722 Landing</h4>


    The Global Army had shown its nning and plotting skills to allow a safe and silent departure.


    Khan''s lessons were a big deal in the Harbor andwork as a whole, and the strict policy over the released information made them one of the period''s hottest news. Their end would attract immense attention, and the Global Army used that to hide the departure.


    Everything was ready after two weeks of constant preparations, so a private ride picked Khan up from the embassy in the middle of hisst lesson. The Global Army had made the announcement, so the scientists still inside the building baited the public''s attention, allowing Khan to reach the hangars unnoticed.


    The scientists were partially aware of the situation and didn''t mind their role in that ploy. They didn''t have much choice in the matter either, so they yed along and waited for the right time to leave the embassy to handle the reporters.


    The same went for the soldiers inside the buildings. Usually, Khan would be escorted everywhere, but his path toward the hangars featured almost no one. The cab''s rider was the only one of two exceptions.


    As for the second exception, Monica obviously upied that spot. It was the beginning of the weekend, and the Global Army was cutting away thest instance of the couple''s free time. Monica and Khan couldn''t ept that, so she made sure to be inside the cab.


    Intimate moments unfolded during the trip to the hangars, and silent but meaningful goodbyes happened after thending. That wasn''t Khan and Monica''s first rodeo, so they handled the event like pros, albeit with the usual sadness.


    The political envoy was already inside the ship, and Khan''s arrival triggered onest inventory. The team set off right afterward, leaving the Harbor and diving at full speed into the depths of space.


    Although the Global Army hid the departure, Khan''s absence was bound to be noticed. He was too famous to disappear, and no amount of security could stop the public from asking questions.


    News would eventually appear on privateworks and spread everywhere, but Khan didn''t care. That was the Global Army''s mess to handle. As for Monica, she was better than him in the field.


    That mindset and the constant paranoia allowed Khan to focus solely on the mission. Baoway was distant, and the treaties between the two species prevented the use of space stations for short stops or simr breaks. The ship had to fly directly to the alien, but the fuel was plenty.


    The political envoy couldn''t say the same aboutfort. The ship was a marvel of modern technology but with efficiency in mind. The vehicle''s spaces didn''t waste a single centimeter, providing all kinds of features except room for true rxation.


    That could create problems with the time the team would have to spend trapped inside the ship, but everyone handled it well. Khan and the others were used to sleepless nights and ufortable living spaces. They didn''t even have amon room where they could eat together, but no oneined.


    Of course, the team could have solved the issue, but the equipment got in the way. The ship could hold up to twenty soldiers, but the various supplies upied that extra space, making itplicated even to attempt the matter. Besides, no one mentioned the topic, so peaceful and simple days passed.


    Simr situations usually gave the time and set up the mood for bonding. Nothing could teach more about someone else than forced cohabitation inside narrow spaces. However, life on the ship was unusual, and social interactions rarely happened.


    The teammates had thoroughly prepared before setting off, but the mission''s stakes were too high to spend the flight rxing. There was always something else to study and do, and the specialists never failed to keep themselves busy.


    Kirk and Marcus usually stayed in the cargo area, tinkering with the mechanical equipment and preparing it for the arrival. Celeste spent her days ying with her software, developing algorithms and hypotheses about the Scalqanguage. Randall did a bit of everything, from studying to reviewing anything that reached the main deck.


    As for Khan and Amy, their usual spot was side by side at the front of the main deck. They were pilot and copilot, but Amy mostly observed since Khan dealt with everything by himself.


    The two also studied. Their stations had interactive holograms connected to the entire ship, so any update passed through them. The two often slept on thosefortable chairs, although Khan was mostly to me there. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Amy wanted to observe Khan for as long as possible, but his regimen was impossible to imitate. He hardly slept and closed his eyes only to meditate. He even ate on the pilot seat, spending almost all his time inside the main deck.


    Short naps were the only method Amy could use to prolong her time beside Khan, but even that made her miss part of his routine. Moreover, Khan could tell when she was asleep, so he performed check-ups and inspections on the ship''s records during those periods.


    As for the flight itself, the ship had top-of-the-line artificial gravity, significantly reducing the pressure steep elerations and decelerations could cause. Khan could push the vehicle''s speed far past what any teammates could withstand with that feature, shortening the time required to reach Baoway.


    Even with that feature, the ship still took two weeks to reach Baoway''s system and another half a day to get in sight of the. Eventually, the scanners found the bluish sphere standing in the middle of space, and approaching it revealed more details.


    None of the details were new. The first exploration teams had already scanned the, albeit with inferior equipment. Khan''s envoy would have to take care of acquiring reliable data, and he prompted the ship to do just that.


    "Get ready for deceleration," Khan announced, using the ship''sms to make sure everyone heard him. "Take your seats and strap on."


    Khan''s orders regarding the flight were absolute, so everyone dropped their tasks and upied different seats before fastening their belts. At that point, the ship gave the all-clear, and Khan activated the required gravity functions for the abrupt deceleration.


    Once the ship gave the okay, Khan activated the engines, filling the ship''s interior with heavy pressure. Even with the gravity functions, the weight of the deceleration was ufortable. Kirk and Marcus almost fainted and vomited, and the others didn''t feel too good either. Only Khan endured it well, but the torture didn''tst long.


    The ship stopped above Baoway''s atmosphere, and Khan ran check-up software to search for damage caused by the abrupt deceleration. Some menus were still fuzzy, but the vehicle rebooted them, returning them to normal function.


    "Marcus," Khan called through the ship''s functions. "I need check-ups to the files in section F, numbers from eleven to seventeen."


    "On it!" Marcus shouted from the cargo area. His voice wavered, but his condition didn''t interfere with the task.


    Khan had yet to say anything, so everyone else remained seated. They waited as he stared at the control desk past the flightmands. The gged software could have additional malfunctions that might get in the way of other tasks, and only a human eye could confirm their state.


    "Sir," Marcus'' voice eventually resounded in the main deck. "Everything is green on my end."


    "Initial scan of the in three," Khan eximed, pressing on the ording pre-set program, "Two, one, and we are online."


    The engines restarted at far more moderate power, flying the ship around Baoway. Meanwhile, the scanners studied the''s atmosphere and the surface under it, doing the thorough study the first team couldn''t.


    As per the initial reports, Baoway was simr to the Earth before the First Impact. Threerge oceans separated multiple continents filled with different kinds of flora and fauna. Still, the heavier gravity didn''t prevent Baoway from being slightly bigger in everything.


    Randall had already cross-referenced the initial reports, so the ship dived toward the explored areas after scanning the. The first explorers had aimed for ces with a high density of life, and the political envoy would follow the same pattern. Khan and the others wanted to meet Scalqa aware of the existence of humans.


    The descent was smooth and wless, and Khan opened multiple maps to check for potentialnding spots. He had reports about the tribes that had seen humans, so he wanted to find a ce close to their domains.


    A barren and shallow cliff near a forest turned out to be the ideal ce. Three tribes lived among the nearby trees, and the open space would make the shynding visible to everyone. Khan only had to nce past his shoulder and find Randall''s nod before initiating the procedure.


    Thending procedure was also automated since it involved precise calctions and functions. Since saving fuel was the priority, Kirk and Marcus handled that part. Khan only had to press a key to start it.


    Nothing reached the ship''s insides, but the scanners provided a perfect view of the event. The engines pointed downward, releasing beams of blue mes that scorched the yellow terrain. Charred ck marks spread as the vehicle descended, and their dark fumes rose into the sky.


    The ship touched the ground, but the engines continued to burn fuel to prolong the fuming spectacle. Eventually, a pir of dark grey gas enveloped the vehicle, rising to heights visible from kilometers away.


    "Landingplete," Khan said once the autopilot warned him. "Moving to shuttle 1. Randall, the pilot''s seat is yours."


    "Yes, sir," Randall eximed, unfastening his belt and shooting to his feet. "I''ll boot the groundms and wait for your signal. Good luck."


    Khan also stood up, and Amy imitated him. The two didn''t exchange a single nce as they headed for the area between the main deck and living quarters. Two doors stood on opposite sides, and Khan opened the one with the number "1" painted on its surface.


    A narrow passage unfolded, and Khan and Amy crossed it to enter the narrow shuttle. The vehicle could hold four people, but the team had removed two seats to make room for necessary equipment, leaving Khan and Amy side by side.


    "We are ready," Khan sent through the ship''sms. "Authorize the detachment of shuttle 1."


    "Detachment of shuttle 1 online in three," Randall sent back, "Two, one, themands are yours, Major."


    The shuttlescked many of the ship''s amazing functions. Everything around Khan and Amy trembled when their ride''s engines turned on and the metal bridge released its grip. The side vehicle was finally free, and Khan promptly pushed down the driving wheel.


    The shuttle shot forward, circling the pir of smoke a few times before diving into the forest. Khan had to contain the speed to dodge the thick array of massive trunks, but his reflexes came in handy, allowing a rtively smooth flight.


    Once the shuttle''s menus gave the awaited warning, Khan stirred the ship toward a rtively open area the scanners had found. The vehicle nimbly crossed a few trees before suddenly stopping andnding on the grass below.


    The engines'' whooshing noise quieted down until itpletely disappeared, and Khan performed onest scan before unlocking the canopy. The ss-like structure above him rose, and fresh air blew on his face. Still, that wasn''t the only change.


    Heavy air and additional weight fell on Khan''s shoulders. He felt slightly ufortable, but his body adapted quickly. As for Amy, she grunted, but her expression rxed after a series of deep breaths.


    Khan didn''t wait for Amy. He unfastened his belt and jumped outside, gracefullynding on the green grass. His senses unfolded, absorbing the symphony at full speed, but the trunks around him managed to im part of his attention.


    ''I knew they were big,'' Khan thought, lifting his head, ''But.''


    The bigger sizes were a detail in the first explorers'' reports, and Khan had also seen a lot during the twondings. Yet, the effect was different when inspecting with bare eyes.


    Trunks as wide as small buildings stretched from the ground and rose into the sky for a few hundred meters. Moreover, mana flowed inside them, and the same went for all the vegetation around them. Life had evolved through mana on Baoway, and Khan couldn''t help but feel curious.


    "Major!" Amy called, also hopping out of the ship. "I''ll set up camp and boot thems."


    "We agreed on using names," Khan reminded. That mostly was for the Scalqa to avoid eventual misunderstandings during future interactions. Titles were something the political envoy would rather exinter.


    "I''m sorry," Amy apologized, "Khan, sir. I''ll get the equipment."


    "You should stay still," Khan said, diverting his gaze from the big green leaves above. "I think you are in their spears'' range."


    "What?" Amy gasped, freezing in ce. That reaction wasn''t out of shock. Her instincts told her to avoid sudden movements.


    "They reacted quickly," Khan exined. "We are surrounded."