The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5716 Keynar VIII-C

The Selan Middle Zone was located much closer to the starting point of humanity's invasion of the Red Ocean. It had been settled a lot sooner than many of the other middle zones that Ves frequented.

The overall air and atmosphere of the colony settlements in this region of space was different. An important port system such as Keynar was largely dominated by the successors and off-shoots of many different old powers that used to have deep roots in the Milky Way.

Despite the catastrophic consequences of the Great Severing, many of the branches and subsidiaries that had set up shop in the Selan Middle Zone managed to survive the ensuing financial crisis with only a modest degree of bankruptcies and consolidation.

This was because the branches that had lost their access to practically unlimited funds from the old galaxy had already reached an advanced stage of their development.

Their factories were already up and running. Their research institutions were making all kinds of valuable discoveries. Their sales channels had already become thoroughly embedded into the bustling frontier economy.

The branch organizations had already overcome the cumbersome investment stage and had reached maturity to such an extent that they could already stand on their own merits!

With brighter, younger and more ambitious leaders in charge of these newly independent conglomerates and family organizations, they pivoted quickly and made sure to cement their dominance over the regional economy and politics of the Selan Middle Zone.

This created a commercial atmosphere that was welcoming to visiting customers but quite resistant towards the arrival of additional competitors.

The regional markets here might be less dynamic as a consequence, but they were also stable and less susceptible to external shocks.

Not even the LMC managed to gain as much ground in the Selan Middle Zone. Only when the insane demand for the Fey Fianna and the Ultimatum models became too great to bear did the regional players relent and allow the Larkinsons to expand their branch in the Keynar System.

When the Bluejay Fleet arrived in orbit of Keynar VIII-C while attracting a 12:04

great amount of attention, Ves said goodbye to Jovy and Vector before getting When the Bluejay Fleet arrived in orbit of Keynar VIII-C while attracting a great amount of attention, Ves said goodbye to Jovy and Vector before getting teleported down to the surface of the terraformed moon.

His entourage which consisted of a number of his staffers, bodyguards along with a certain cat arrived in the middle of the landing zone of the branch headquarters of the Larkinson Clan as well.

"Meow."

Lucky experimentally jumped in the air a few times.

"The local gravity here is only 0.81 g." Ves mentioned as he experienced the reduced pressure on his compressed body as well. "It takes a bit of time to get used to. Baseline humans who lack gravity adjustment capabilities occasionally have to swallow pills in order to keep their bones strong."

Everyone had to adjust their gait a bit in order to maintain stable motion. As Ves and Lucky took in the local environment, the branch director soon arrived and led the patriarch to his office in order to discuss the itinerary for the next few days.

"You have arrived just in time." The older Larkinson man spoke to Ves as both of them sat down. "We have already organized the wrap-up of the contest at one of the largest exhibition halls in this colony settlement. We have worked together with both the Red Association and the local authorities to strengthen the security arrangements and thoroughly inspect every guest before they can proceed inside."

A projection of the venue appeared along with a detailed diagram of all of the security arrangements. Ves took a brief look and became satisfied with what he saw. The mechers and everyone else had taken the near-catastrophe that took place on Bortele III to heart and added a lot more redundancies to prevent a repeat incident.

"It's regrettable that I won't be able to come close to any of the guests or contest participants." Ves said. "I suppose it is for the best. There is no real need for me to interact with all of those people in person."

The branch director smiled in relief. "I am glad that you are making our lives easier. Moving on, this event is not just about announcing the winners of the Fey Shaper Contest, but also marketing the variety of functional fey that have become available in the past half year. To that end, we have made sure to acquire copies of the top 50 fey models and put them on display so that they can impress our audience. There are at least a dozen of them that have attracted the interests of many Larkinsons."

That was one of the reasons why he wanted to preside over this event in person. The Fey Fianna was one of his more recent cash cows. The development of lots of new and different fey directly enhanced the value and the longevity of his new drone mech platform.

"What about the top 10?"

"We have invited the lead designers of the top 50fey models to attend the ceremony in person. Most have already arrived, though a few could not make it unfortunately. The ones that are currently on Keynar VIII-C ready to present their works and receive their prizes. The prizes they are entitled to receive has yet to be determined."

"That's my job." Ves spoke. "I deliberately did not spend much time on studying the fantastic new fey models that these inventive designers have released over the months. I have a general overview of what has come out, but I am not familiar with their specs or finer details as I want to preserve the element of surprise. I think there will be plenty of times where I will be pleasantly delighted with what I have come across."

"We think so as well." The branch director confidently smiled. "Our branch along with many other branches I am familiar with has already adopted a number of them. Pairing them up with our existing Fey Fiannas has significantly increased the utility and versatility of our powerful drone mechs."

Minutes passed by while they talked a bit more about other topics. Ves asked a few questions relating to the local economy and business atmosphere. Nothing he heard surprised him particularly much.

Keynar was a bit of a boring place. It benefited from its relative proximity from the much more bustling Vulit Central Star Node, but also suffered from the downsides of being so close to a top trading hub.

Nonetheless, it had become more popular as the Red War continued to drag on. Its safe and relatively rear position made it an attractive refuge for groups that were looking to shift their operations away from the frontlines.

Perhaps the Larkinson Clan might need to do so as well if locations such as Davute became a lot more exposed to the encroaching alien offensives.

"It is difficult for us to expand our operations in this port system, patriarch. This is not a question about money or influence. The fact of the matter is that the early movers have already occupied all available lands and built their own houses, offices and factories on top of them already. This is a fairly small moon, so it did not take too much time and resources for the wealthy old powers to construct a thriving globe. The only way for latecomers to put down their roots on Keynar VIII-C is to purchase existing property at vastly inflated prices. This is one of the means in which the local powers are able to maintain a positive cash flow despite their enormous investment into their defenses. Their efforts to make this port system safer is driving up the price of land and property even further. You do not want to know how much it costs to purchase a single square meter in this settlement."

This spoke of a larger trend in which the existing players who had put down their roots in the hinterland of human space rejected the flood of newcomers who chose to abandon their risky investments that had come under greater threat.

It was a rather sad state of affairs because it showed that much of the public lacked confidence in red humanity's ability to keep the aliens at bay.

The leaders of all of these relocating organizations were not stupid. They were able to analyze their situations in a rational manner. They had evidently come to the conclusion that the war would only grow worse.

The branch director shared an interesting rumor related to these movements.

"Word has gotten around that the Red Cabal is planning to launch a big offensive in the near future." The older man almost whispered. "Talk of that has spurred on many doubters to make the hard choice to abandon their old foundation and move to the rear. The possibility of a coordinated invasion that is substantial enough to break through at least a couple of our defensive lines has spooked many people. Those with a lower risk appetite are feeling more scared than ever."

Ves narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "From the way you are saying that, you think there is something fishy behind these movements."

"I cannot say whether the upcoming offensive is a legitimate concern or not. I cannot help but think that the cosmopolitans have deliberately sparked all of this upheaval in order to divide red humanity even further. The more people are being forced to share a dwindling amount of available space, the more conflicts will arise among them. This falls in line with the goals of our enemies."

"Hmm." Ves rubbed his hairless chin in thought. "I am not sure whether that is actually the case, though I can definitely imagine the cosmopolitans pulling off this kind of scheme. The offensive doesn't even have to be real to produce the desired effect."

"Keynar will only grow more popular and desirable in the future. It will probably grow less stable as well as a consequence."

None of that mattered too much to the Larkinson Clan. The local branch was not that big and mostly dealt with ordinary commercial matters.

Even if Ves wanted to expand his clan's foothold on the planet, he couldn't, as there was simply too little development space to accommodate so many more clansmen.

Ves continued to talk to the branch director for twenty more minutes before he became satisfied with what he learned.

Once he retired to a suite that had been especially prepared for him, he finally enjoyed a moment of relative privacy.

While he was in the process of preparing for the big event that was scheduled to begin in a few days, he motioned for Lucky to come over.

"Meow?"

"You know what to do." Ves said. "You have free reign as long as you can remain discreet and undetected. Take a peek at the locations that I have pointed out and record anything that looks suspicious to you. I do not believe that a place like this is devoid from cosmopolitan influence. Master Xieliq Quan originally came from the Selan Middle Zone. I bet that other hidden traitors may be lurking in this neighborhood."

"Meow meow."

"No, I haven't cleared your mission with the mechers, but I believe they won't care even if they know. At most, they don't want to claim any responsibility if you happen to get caught. Don't let that happen."

"Meow!"

"Haha, it is good that you feel confident. Just remember that you shouldn't get too distracted by irrelevant stuff that you have managed to find. Your main goal is to root out the cosmopolitans or at least find clues that hint at their identities."

"Meow meow meow."

"I know the mechers have interrogated Master Quan and are in the process of conducting their own operations, but so what? These cosmopolitans have made the wrong decision by messing with me. Do they really think that I will let them take aim at my head without consequence? Hah! The mechers may be great at monitoring, but the cosmopolitans know them far too well to expose themselves so easily. If we want to catch more of them, it is best to employ less conventional measures."