Chaos' Heir

Chapter 1398: Bribe

Rodney’s physical appearance couldn’t surprise George. The two had already met a few months ago, so that bridge had been crossed.

Yet, Rodney’s presence in Aynor remained surprising, especially since he appeared in charge of the reinforcements. The man had the authority and connections to plan and command that mission, but George still expected the first wave of rescuers to come from Baoway.

After all, Baoway was the de facto headquarters of the allied front against the Scarlet Eyes. All the different technologies and findings converged there. Also, unlike other species, Khan’s forces wouldn’t hesitate to face that enemy.

Still, Rodney occupied a peculiar position that partially justified his prompt arrival. He was the human asset Khan had chosen to interact with humankind. That partnership was far from solid, but it did disperse some of George’s confusion.

"Patriarch Ildoo," Rodney called as the ship descended toward the terrace. "This is a battlefield. I don’t mind you using my name in private, but it’s improper here."

George knew what Rodney meant, but the idea irked him to no end. That man had a talent for annoying others, but he remained right.

Titles and keywords had a specific purpose, especially on the battlefield. Relying on a unified and accepted language would shorten reactions to orders and avoid confusion, leading to an overall better performance and fewer mistakes.

George also had to admit that he owed Rodney for that providential intervention. Rodney had indeed saved him from a troublesome situation, but that only earned him part of his compliance.

"Brigadier General Semmut," George exclaimed, emphasizing the first part of the title to highlight Rodney’s lower status among Generals. "I thought you were busy getting rejected by Monica in some fancy restaurant."

The relatively small battleship had landed on the terrace by then, and Rodney jumped off its opening to land on the metal surface and approach George. The veiled insult didn’t affect his stern, confident face and firm advance, but he addressed it anyway.

"This is no time or place for that, Patriarch Ildoo," Rodney calmly rebuked. "And the specifics of my relationship with Miss Solodrey are between me and her."

George snorted, his lack of a proper response speaking louder than a thousand words. Monica wasn’t someone who could go unnoticed, so the entire network had instantly learned about Rodney’s interest in her after their first dinner together.

Actually, George knew far beyond that superficial gossip. He was friends with Monica and had married her best friend. Chances were that he was the only man in the universe who was aware of all the details of that attempted relationship.

"However," Rodney added, stopping a few meters from George. "I would appreciate it if you could reassure your wife about my intentions."

"I’m not meddling with any of this stuff," George immediately refused. "If you want Anita to put in a good word for you, you must ask her yourself."

"I’m only asking for Madam Ildoo to consider being open-minded," Rodney explained. "I’d also be willing to part ways with a bottle of Iblis Vendemmia if that were to happen."

George had to hide the gulp that hearing that name caused. He knew that brand. He had only gotten the chance to taste it once during one of the many lofty events he had been forced to join and had instantly fallen in love with it.

Yet, despite George’s machinations, searches, and status, he had been unable to get his hands on that mystical booze. As for how Rodney had it and knew how much George liked it, he didn’t bother wasting thoughts over it.

"I’m under strict instructions not to accept bribes on the matter," George revealed. "And the order comes from my wife, which I somehow happen to love more than booze."

"Noted," Rodney commented, advancing again to reach the terrace’s edge to stare at the distant mushroom-shaped pillars. "I’ll bribe Madam Ildoo directly then. She seems to be the one wearing the pants in your marriage anyway."

"Your politeness lasted longer than I expected," George scoffed. "But really, do you have such a hard-on for Khan that you must go after his ex-fiancée?"

The two men were relatively distant from the battleship now, and the roars still lingering in the sky created the opportunity for a more private and informal conversation.

"It’s so disappointing how no one can look past what that alien-lover did to her," Rodney sighed, his brown eyes reflecting the apocalyptic scene in the distance. "Miss Solodrey is far more than someone’s ex-fiancée."

George did his best not to find the praiseworthy aspects in that comment and distracted himself by studying different details. He peeked at Rodney, who was now by his side, before inspecting the fleet in the distance and the battleship on the terrace.

Bickering aside, the fleet was truly keeping the True Chaos at bay, even managing to push it back, killing the bloated-backed monsters spreading it. That was achieved by technology alone, which didn’t make any sense.

Still, the battleship’s insides revealed some details. George only caught a glance of a few soldiers running past the open entrance, but that had been enough to highlight their sloppy military uniforms.

Of course, that detail could mean nothing. Yet, George knew that Rodney had become a General only recently. That wasn’t enough to give him access to any meaningful number of troops, let alone a fleet that could contend with the True Chaos.

"This can’t be from the Niqols," George commented.

"I lost the Niqols’ trust forever after my mistake on Nitis," Rodney responded, his eyes still on the apocalyptic horizon. "I consider you a smart man, Patriarch Ildoo. I’m sure you can understand what I did and why."

"Criminals," George stated.

"If the alien-lover can turn pirates and smugglers into workers," Rodney announced, "I don’t see why I can’t enlist criminals into my force to get ahead of the other Generals."

"The Hive?" George wondered. "The people who turned Wayne into a weapon?"

"All of them, obviously," Rodney revealed. "It was surprisingly easy, too. It’s incredible what you can achieve when you don’t only listen to aliens."

"Drop the act," George sighed. "There’s pride in humankind, and there’s xenophobia. You don’t belong to the latter, no matter how much you like playing the bad guy."

George shifted his attention to Rodney again, voicing the only explanation he could find on the matter. "Even if you went behind everyone’s back to involve Raymond Cobsend in your project."