The Mech Touch

Three advanced ships formed an isolated fleet in high orbit of Kesseling VIII. A patrol of mechs constantly orbited around the Stellar Chaser, the Frozen Leaf and the Serendipity, preventing any snoopers from sneaking close.

Aboard the Frozen Leaf, the smallest of the three vessels, Dr. Ranya tried her best to analyze the outcome of certain changes to the biological makeup of the Archimedes Rubal implant.

It was too bad she was playing host to her cousin, who just fled the planet in order to distance herself from her boyfriend!

"I can't believe it, Ranya. Ves doesn't want to become a Hexer. Don't you know how much that ruins my plans? I wanted him to live with me at home and help our state rise to a greater. With his expertise along with my own, our mechs are destined to boost the Hegemony just as our Desolate Soldier and Deliverer mechs have boosted the lesser states."

Ranya finally couldn't take it any longer. She turned away from the projected interface and turned her swivel chair towards Gloriana, who was currently curled up on a sofa while hugging Clixie.

"Miaow. Miaow."

"I think Clixie thinks you're being too melodramatic over a boy." Ranya guessed.

Gloriana squeezed her cat, eliciting another miaow.

"You don't know what she wants. Only Ves understands her better than me!" She sighed. "I really miss Ves."

"Really? After all he said, you're still pining for him?" Ranya palmed her face. "Face reality, Gloriana. He's never going to be the boy you want! Ves is nothing more than a brat who pretends to be a man. I get it that a boy like that can be appealing, but bad boys don't make for good marriage material. Your mother will never allow it! I think the only reason she tolerated your stay with him was because she wanted to give you a learning experience. Ves is just supposed to be a phase for you! Now that you've learned your lesson, it's time to get over him and return to the Hegemony and take your true place in our dynasty!"

Perhaps her words might drill through someone's head in ordinary circumstances, but she underestimated Gloriana's resolve!

"You don't understand, Ranya. Ves is more than a phase to me. Regardless of what you or my mother thinks, Ves is the key to everything. I literally can't bear to be apart from him. I won't allow it. I have to have him. I have to borrow his strength. It's the only way I'll make Master in my lifetime."

Ranya looked skeptical. "Plenty of mech designers made it to Master on their own. You're a great mech designer by all accounts."

Gloriana glared at her cousin. "You. Don't. Understand."

At this time, the hatch to the lab slid open, allowing entry for another Wodin.

"Brutus!" Ranya made a pleading gesture towards the newcomer. "Please help me put some sense in your sister. She's still smitten with Ves after he completely declared his hatred of our people!"

A growl escaped from his throat. Brutus possessed a great amount of devotion towards his state! The Hegemony was one of the few states in human space that had seen the light! Anyone who insulted the superiority of women was too ignorant to deserve their attention!

His anger strengthened his concern towards his sister. He sat down next to her and embraced her in an affectionate hug. Gloriana soon melted in his arms.

"Ranya is right. You deserve better. I always told you that the boys back at home are better than the rats from the lesser states. No matter how exceptional Ves appears, he can't overcome the gap between and properly-raised boys.

Unfortunately, not even her closest brother was enough to make her budge! Gloriana dug her heels even deeper!

"None of you understand what Ves means to me. No matter what he thinks about our state, I still love him. I still want to be with him. It's just so frustrating that he doesn't want anything to do with Hexers. Oh, I just want to bash his head until he can finally think straight enough to see how perfect it would be for us to be a couple in the Hegemony. Why is he so blind?"

Both Ranya and Brutus exchanged an exasperated stance. It seemed that dragging Gloriana back to the Hegemony would only make her pine after the bad boy who stole her heart even more!

Perhaps they needed to flip this around.

"Why not.. enlighten Ves more forcefully?" Ranya carefully suggested.

Her cousin looked up at her. "How?"

The exobiologist flipped her green hair and pointed her thumb at her work interface. "I can slip in some secret code in his bioimplant. Once I've installed the tampered implant in his head, he'll be your lovely little dog who will always bark on your command!"

"No!" Gloriana hissed. Her expression turned ugly. "I'll never do that to my love. Ves wouldn't be who he is if we tamper with his thoughts. I'll lose at least half of what I want if I let you sabotage my boy. Besides, do you think it will work? Ves is far more careful than you think. He is definitely on guard against you. Stop thinking about messing with Ves in this way. It will only make things worse between us. I'll kill you myself if you cross the line!"

Ranya was taken aback by Gloriana's threat! "You.."

"Maybe we don't have to go that far." Brutus quickly interjected. "Since Ves doesn't acknowledge the greatness of our state, we'll have to 'invite' him to visit our home and experience our superior culture for himself! I'm sure he can be persuaded to recognize the truth. It wouldn't be the first time our people have converted the ignorant to the light."

Gloriana shook her head. "It won't work. Have you forgotten what he did to the last people who forcefully attempted to bring him away? Aisling Curver limped back to the Warsaw Giant System in disgrace while the Coalition Reserve Corps lost an entire mobile supply frigate. Ves captured the ship by himself together with his cat of his, killing dozens of Fridaymen in the process. Don't underestimate Lucky. If my guess is right, none of us can block him from doing what he wants."

"Is that cat that good?"

"Miaow."

"Clixie is better, of course." She affectionately rubbed the head of her cat. "Lucky comes close, though. He has some unique tricks that we simply can't guard against. I advise you to drop any notions of using force against Ves. If you've studied his record and gained access to some of the classified files on him, you'll realize he's a much greater threat than you can possibly think. Plenty of soldiers, pirates and assassins attempted to capture him or take his life, but what is the result? They all failed without question, and I don't think it's a coincidence that Ves has managed to survive and get on top of the situation time and time again."

"Aren't you exaggerating too much, cousin? I get that you adore Ves and don't want him to develop any bad blood against us, but we're not dummies like the Fridaymen."

"Drop it. I'll free him myself if any of you attempt to do something so stupid. I won't let anything risk our relationship any further, especially now that it has become shaky. I won't tolerate any mistakes."

The argument continued. Both Ranya and Brutus wanted Gloriana to get over Ves, while Gloriana thought her two relatives were taking her boyfriend far too lightly!

As someone who was obsessed with Ves, Gloriana knew far more about him than any other person! Not even the Larkinsons could match against her understanding of him! All of the times she kept him under observation was not in vain!

After a few minutes of fruitless persuasion, Gloriana finally had enough.

"Stop." She raised her palm. "None of you understand what is at stake. Ves is more than a boy to me. He is my best possible partner and the key to produce truly great mechs. I won't allow you to do anything that jeopardizes my relationship."

"Perhaps it will help us if you tell us exactly why Ves is so great for you." Ranya suggested.

A calculating expression appeared on Gloriana's face. A lot of thoughts passed through her mind as she deliberated on what to do. Eventually, her eyes glinted as she came to an important decision.

"I'll tell you what I know and what I've guessed, but this must stay between us. Ves is intensively secretive and he'll respond horribly if he finds out what I've done. Understand?"

Both Ranya and Brutus reluctantly promised to keep a secret. In the meantime, Gloriana ordered the guards of the Glory Battalion to step out before activating a jamming device.

"Alright, come closer." Gloriana huddled forward. "I don't want this conversation to be leaked. Clixie, can you keep watch? I'm depending on you to warn us if he's near."

"Miaow."

Her cat dutifully patrolled the lab and kept her senses out for any sign of Lucky!

Once that was done, Gloriana finally turned to her two close relatives. "What I'm about to tell you sounds fantastic, but it's the truth. First, let me explain to you about the divine powers he commands…"

Both Ranya and Brutus looked more and more incredulous as Gloriana plainly revealed Ves' ability to create proto-gods, mastery over the domain of life and the immense potential of a monopoly on divine components!

"T-That's absurd!" Ranya looked shocked. "You're painting him as a god!"

"Is there any proof of your assertions?" Brutus managed to retain his calm. "It's not that I'm doubting you, sister. It's just.. difficult for me to suspect that he's been deceiving you all this time. It sounds too improbable that a random boy from a lesser state is capable of so much."

"You've been here for a while, Brutus. Haven't you ever studied the mechs he designed? Haven't you experienced all of the Desolate Soldiers, Holy Soldiers, Deliverers and other mechs up close? The so-called 'glows' that are at the heart of these machines aren't as simple as you think. They are actually the external manifestations of the proto-gods that Ves has created. I even helped him with this miraculous process a few times."

"This.."

"There's more." Gloriana added. "If I'm right, Ves probably found a clue on what allows a mech pilot to become an expert pilot. It's related to his design philosophy. Since he can create proto-gods from scratch, he can also turn people into gods. Just watch the mech pilot called Silent William closely over the next couple of months. Ves has been trying to turn him in an expert candidate in order to complete an assignment from the MTA. I can tell you now that he will definitely find a way to succeed."

This time, Brutus couldn't remain composed anymore. This news was truly too shocking! "This is absurd!"

"It's the truth." Gloriana confidently stated. "Look. Even if half of what I said is wrong, that still leaves plenty of value in Ves. Do you realize now why I can't allow anything to worsen our relationship?"

A brief silence ensued as both Ranya and Brutus struggled to make up their minds.

"Suppose.. this is true, then it's not wrong to pursue him." Brutus gruffly admitted. "We'll have to intensify our observation of him and dig deeper in his history. As long as my sister is right, we can't lose an asset as valuable as him to the Fridaymen or some other beneficiary. The Hexadric Hegemony must secure him at all costs!"

Ranya reluctantly nodded. "And we have to do it in a way that doesn't involve force or coercion. Ves is not as simple as he looks. His strengths and abilities sound way too advanced for him to be a simple boy from the boondocks of the Komodo Star Sector. If he doesn't manage to turn the tables, then perhaps a backer of his will make us pay!"