The Mech Touch

The reception plaza steadily became more and more crowded. VIPs and other privileged guests arrived from various locations at a steady rate.

The mood continued to remain positive and upbeat. The bright colors, the aromatic flowers and the low music played by a prestigious band added to the uplifting and hopeful atmosphere.

Military mechs consistently flew above everyone's heads as they diligently guaranteed the security of the elaborate, city-wide event.

No one exhibited any elevated fear, hesitation or wariness. Over the years, the colony had worked hard to create an image of competence.

As a colony that aimed to become the largest trading hub in the Krakatoa Middle Zone, Davute tried its best to overfulfill all of the basic requirements in order to beat all of its rivals.

The Clive Consortium, the Dogen Collective, the Serenitas Foundation and numerous other wealthy groups based in the old galaxy refused to settle for less!

Tens of thousands of people who constituted the biggest contributors to the future colonial state had all gathered together in the large but increasingly more busy Government District.

Under the backdrop of this joyous and uplifting occasion, Ves gradually concluded his friendly chat with General Herman Foraine.

Though he wanted to talk to the interesting mercenary general for a few more hours, Ves did not forget about his original purpose.

In the face of a possible surprise attack that could kill a lot of people and put his family under threat, Ves could not let down his guard and get distracted by other concerns.

He decided to wrap up this conversation and try to seek out other contacts. He reached out and patted his hand on the older man's shoulder.

"The talks between our alliance and your fleet have been progressing well as far as I know. If nothing goes wrong, we should welcome you into the fold in a month or two. If you are eager to become stronger and increase your position in human society, then I can say that you have made a great decision. However, nothing comes for free. I just want to warn you that you are in for a wild ride."

General Foraine did not look squeamish. "We are aware of that, patriarch. We did our research. Mercenaries such as us are acquainted with the truth that every opportunity is paired with danger. That is why we have sought you out. Your alliance not only knows how to grasp the right opportunities, but also manage to earn amazing profits out of them. That is an advantage that only a few pioneers in the Red Ocean are able to master."

Ves briefly smiled before adopting a serious expression. "Thank you for the compliment, but what I am trying to convey is that we do not live peaceful lives. There may be stretches of time where we can enjoy relative peace and calm, but we often get embroiled in violent or crazy incidents, often against our will. It comes with the territory, I am afraid."

"Hey, we have already prepared ourselves mentally for the difficult journey that you are describing. Do not worry. We are not like most mercenaries. We have more courage and we are not afraid to sweat a lot more in order to earn richer rewards. We will fulfill whatever you ask for us because we know you will be right by our sides when you go deeper."

"Thank you for your trust in us, but that is not exactly what I am talking about." Ves replied and leaned in so that he could lower his tone. "When you live a life of danger, you need to start building up the habit of expecting it to come at any time, including moments where you least expect it to appear. While you are not a Golden Skuller quite yet, I suggest you immediately review the current posture of your forces and make whatever adjustments you can in the short term."

These words sounded out of place in the current situation. General Foraine was many things, but he was not stupid. He picked up on Ves' body language and tone and started to generate different ideas.

"You are correct in principle." The mercenary general responded. "It is always better to take more precautions. I have not lived in the Red Ocean as long as you, so you are able to speak with greater authority on this matter. That said, the majority of our forces remain stuck in orbit. We have only received permission to bring over a limited number of mechs as we are purely guests in this star system. We were forced to mark most of them in the outskirts of Kotor City."

This was different from the Larkinson Clan. The Davute Branch alone easily housed over a thousand combat-ready mechs. Years of business and cooperation had built up a lot of trust between the local branch and the colonial government. A newcomer like the Adelaide Mercenary Company simply couldn't compare.

Fortunately, Ves never counted on them anyway. There was only one particular combat asset that Ves valued the most.

"Your ace mech is stationed elsewhere on the planet, right?"

"Correct. Saint Marissa Lewandowski is not pleased at being forced to observe the founding ceremony in a distant city, but Davute has promised to open up access to a large amount of priority services."

"Try and avoid those kinds of obligations next time." Ves sincerely advised. "People like us must always have strong and reliable protection close at hand. Anytime a situation arises where our lives are under threat, it is the assets that are closest to us that we can rely upon. If I was in your place, I would find a way to remain in regular contact with Saint Marissa so that your ace mech can take action in the fastest possible timeframe. How quickly can the Jedda Sandivar reach this district?"

General Foraine frowned. "It will take more than an hour normally."

"That long? I thought that ace light skirmishers are supposed to be the fastest machines around."

"You are correct, but even ace mechs cannot completely disregard the effect called air resistance. The Jedda Sandivar can move much faster in space where there is no meaningful atmosphere to impede its forward progress."

Though Ves hoped for better, the general's answer did not fall outside of his expectations.

The entire point of transferring the Jedda Sandivar away was to prevent it from posing an immediate threat to Davute and the founding ceremony.

Ves bet that as long as the Adelaide ace mech abandoned its post and immediately raced towards Kotor City, alarms would begin to ring among the armed forces of Davute.

An ace mech belonging to the Internal Group would definitely get dispatched to intercept the Jedda Sandivar at all cost!

"Oh well." Ves shrugged. "Hopefully I am just being overcautious. I have often been accused of exhibiting too much paranoia."

"Given your track record, I am sure that you are more than justified in questioning your safety." General Foraine generously said. "I shall mull over your words and think more critically on the issues that you have raised."

The two separated so that they could mingle with other dignitaries. A massive event like this gathered a huge amount of important figures together. Many of the more reclusive and powerful leaders were hard to reach during normal times.

Although the most influential individuals in Davute usually moved to a more private and exclusive chamber where they could hobnob directly with Yenames Clive and his team of senior officials, it was still possible to catch a few important figures in the meantime.

Ves did not have any desire to do this. Even without bearing a heavy burden, the Larkinson Clan was already doing well. He did not see much of a net benefit by drastically increasing his cooperation with local companies and institutions.

Of course, the Davute Branch thought differently. After a bit of looking around, Ves had managed to spot Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson and his own team of executives.

The director of the rising side branch had become a much more popular figure as of late. The arrival and commissioning of General Ark Larkinson had caused the Davute Branch to become a much hotter commodity in the local and regional scene!

Even Ves became subject to increased attention. A lot more eyes turned into his direction than normal, though he did not particularly mind this change.

The opinions of the people around him did not particularly matter to him. Though he cared a lot about his reputation in a general sense, he was not willing to demean himself and alter his behavior on the spot just to cater to the tastes of a specific group of random strangers.

After gently pushing away a few annoying flies and sycophants that sought to take advantage of the Larkinson Clan, people no longer bothered him as much.

Anyone who gained Davute's approval and received an invitation to become a part of this high and mighty gathering possessed a lot of intelligence on average.

Ves also altered his demeanor to convey a less welcoming and more intimidating posture. This quickly drove away any of the weasels that sought to build a connection to him and his clan.

It took a while for Ves to find the Boojay delegation.

The men and women of this old Terran-descended family wore more traditional and exotic formal garments that caused them to stand out from the crowd.

Right now, the two-dozen or so representatives of this family had settled down in an open lounge where they partook in the drinks delivered by cheerful-looking bots.

The matriarch of the Boojay Family rose to her feet and greeted Ves as he arrived in a dignified manner.

"I bid you welcome, patriarch of the Larkinson Clan. I am pleased we can see each other after letting our lawyers and our experts speak to each other over the course of several weeks."

"I feel the same way." Ves replied as he assumed a friendlier posture again. "So how do you Boojays like Davute so far? Is it a place where you think you can settle on a more permanent basis?"

The members of the Boojay Family all looked at each other before shaking their heads.

"We do not consider any star system in the Red Ocean to be a viable candidate for our ancestral home." Matriarch Rezzie Boojay replied in a grave voice. "We have never forgotten that our rightful home is unfairly and unjustly occupied by the Chabran Ancient Clan. We will not stop and retire on any colony because it does not fall in line with our goals. The Red Ocean is only a single stop in our long quest to return to the Greater Terran United Confederation and reclaim our rightful throne."

"Err… that is an admirable stance. You Boojays are highly goal-driven. I like that. So you have no interest in setting up a branch office or something in Davute?"

Matriarch Rezzie Boojay shook her head. "No. We have already strayed too far from our ancestral home as it is. Establishing a permanent branch on this planet will start to trigger a metamorphosis that is irreversible. We are the proud descendants of an ancient feudal kingdom that has since been absorbed by the Greater Terran United Confederation. I do not want to see our subsequent generations forget about our illustrious past and transform into feeble Davutans that mainly answer to the Clives and the other ruling powers of this colony."

Her views sounded incredibly sensible and far-sighted to Ves.

He should have taken the same stance in hindsight. Maybe he would have been able to prevent the Davute Branch from developing too many ambitions and breaking away from his central development strategy.

"Well, I am not sure how long it will take for your family to reach its ultimate goal, but I wish you luck in this long endeavor."

Matriarch Rezzie Boojay let out a chuckle. "Hehehe. We do not need your luck. All we need is for you to lead us to further wealth and riches. We must make more haste in growing stronger as interest in this goal is waning among our younger generations. If we cannot regain our old power in time, it may be far too late for us to regain our ancestral holdings."