The Mech Touch

With the MTA delegation due to arrive, Ves decided he should spend the rest of his remaining time on pre-surgery preparations.

At the medical facility operated by his charity foundation, Ves underwent a number of physical examinations. Various advanced devices scanned his entire body structure from top to bottom and took various samples.

"How am I, docs?"

"Your physical state is as vigorous as ever, sir." Dr. Lupo replied as he studied some sort of graph pertaining to his blood. "We are just performing this examination as a precaution. We have already planned and modeled our steps according to your last-recorded state. We are just looking for discrepancies at this stage."

Dr. Ranya Wodin grimaced. "Upgrading and expanding the capabilities of the centuries-old Archimedes Rubal implant is not without its consequences. While the bioimplant is considerably more powerful than before, it is even harder to perform the surgery without complications."

It was more than worth it, though. Once Ves gained some of the capabilities enjoyed by Gloriana and more, he would definitely be able to catch up to her progress.

Lately, Ves noticed that Gloriana had progressed her design philosophy by leaps and bounds! Witnessing the physical transformation of the Quint and studying the footage from every angle provided her with a huge amount of direction on how to attain the perfect vessel.

To be honest, Ves felt rather threatened by her recent progress. It would be a tragedy if Gloriana advanced to Senior sooner than him! Even if she promised to respect his wishes, Ves still wouldn't feel comfortable with a power dynamic that put her on top!

Ves was a man, damnit! He still had his own pride!

His drive to keep up with the competition compelled him to demand various upgrades to the Archimedes Rubal. No matter the cost, as long as it wasn't too risky, Ves wanted the best!

The current incarnation of the implant bore no resemblance to the original implant he found underneath a toilet in a cabin aboard the Starlight Megalodon. Three centuries of technological progress was a lot of time for bioimplant technology to develop many different innovations.

However, the tech disparity couldn't be defeated so easily. Even though it was horribly outdated, the biological structure of the implant incorporated lots of high-grade exotics that were only found in the galactic center! Each of them boosted the implants beyond the means of second-rate states such as the Hegemony!

Though the Archimedes Rubal turned into a Frankenstein-like abomination due to all of the upgrades and alterations, Ves didn't mind the deviations.

Implants, especially cranial implants, were notoriously difficult to remove once installed. The mental state of an individual could easily suffer irreparable damage if the implant had to be removed.

For this reason, cranial implants were pretty much regarded as one-way permanent augmentations. While it was possible to remove them safely, the cost was prohibitive and the risks were immense.

This meant that everyone had to make a careful choice on the cranial implant they wished to integrate. Once set, there was no going back!

Once the examinations finished, Ves met with Dr. Ranya and talk to her in private.

After asking some questions related to the Archimedes Rubal, he began to address another matter.

"Please help me understand your dynasty's current stance towards me. I'm not entirely clear what has changed."

"Gloriana has already explained that to you yesterday."

"I'd like a more detailed answer, and I don't think I'll get any straight ones from my girlfriend."

Dr. Ranya looked unamused. For a moment, her eyes sparkled with disdain. She quickly remembered that the boy in front of him was no longer an upstart from a lesser state.

Third-rater or not, even Ranya was aware of how valuable Ves had become!

Even if she was inclined to disregard his personal worth, Ves had proven to be a great companion to Gloriana.

Anything that benefited Gloriana also improved the fortunes of the Wodin Dynasty. Ranya no longer considered her current excursion to be a chore. She saw it as an opportunity to get close to the latest rising stars in the mech community and ride on their coattails!

Therefore, Ranya decided that she should do her best to conform to foreign standards and keep her opinions of boys to herself.

This was a very un-Hexer-like decision of her, but with so many opportunities at stake, she didn't care if she behaved in an undignified manner!

"As Gloriana's partner and principal enabler, our dynasty has recognized your importance." She explained in a plain voice. "When it is convenient, we will publicly announce that we will be backing you. This will grant you many advantages. For example, you are entitled to better treatment when you are residing in Hegemony-aligned lesser states. This is very helpful if you choose to travel to the Sentinel Kingdom."

"I see. What else is in store?"

"We are pretty content with your current relationship with Gloriana, so we want that to continue as long as the two of you continue to benefit from each other. We are willing to assist your professional endeavors and grant some favors to ease your rise in the mech community. The reinforcements we have dispatched is just the first step. If possible, we would also like to dispatch specialists and other assistance to you. We can even provide you with monetary grants or invest in the LMC or gift you valuable assets such as fully-functional starships."

Ves blinked. That sounded serious!

While Ves normally wasn't inclined to look at a gift horse in the mouth, it was a different story when the horse in question belonged to a Hexer breed!

"I've been doing so far on my own. Right now, I value my independence. I am not inclined to accept any further 'assistance' if it comes with strings attached. Have I made myself clear?"

Ranya pressed her lips. "Our Wodin Dynasty is committed to become your friend and ally. Please don't reject our generosity. Brutus and I are part of the package."

"I appreciate that, but the Larkinson Clan and I still wish to maintain control over our own destiny. Let's make one thing clear, doctor. I do not intend to become a member of the Wodin Dynasty."

"Understood.."

Though Ranya obviously had a lot to say about that decision, she refrained from voicing them. This was unprecedented! She couldn't remember when she had ever reined herself in because of a boy!

Throughout the conversation, Ves made his stance clear. While he didn't refuse the Wodin Dynasty's goodwill, he did not wish to lose his independence!

While Ves knew that the power disparity between himself and a mighty dynasty from the Hexadric Hegemony was still considerable, it was better than before!

At least now he possessed value that was impossible to replace! This improved his bargaining power to the point where he actually felt bold enough to negotiate with the Hexers!

His gamble seemed to pay off. Ranya, far from pushing back and attempting to assert Hexer primacy, instead gave ground to most of his requests and demands.

It was a surprisingly refreshing experience. It wasn't every day that a boy managed to get a female Hexer to compromise!

While Ves wasn't entirely sure if Ranya was able to speak on behalf of the entire Wodin Dynasty, he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt for the moment.

Once he gained the answers he wanted to hear, he left the medical facility and spent the remainder of his time preparing to welcome the incoming MTA delegation.

He changed his clothes to a more formal outfit prepared by Gavin to reflect his raised stature.

Though Ves briefly contemplated wearing his Pride of Dusk, considering that the delegation would likely include a mech designer, he decided to leave it in the closet.

"Do you think the delegation includes a Master Mech Designer?" Ves asked Gavin as a bot styled his hair.

Gavin shook his head. "Most of the Masters employed by the MTA in this region reside at the sector headquarters in the Centerpoint System. From what I've managed to gather, those Masters are rarely stationed elsewhere in the star sector."

That meant that the delegation likely wouldn't include a Master.

This was a bit of a letdown. Ves and Gloriana practically broke records when they managed to make a masterwork mech! Such an amazing accomplishment deserved to be noticed by the MTA!

On the other hand, maybe it was for the best. From his own interactions with Master Olson, Ves learnt that mech designers at his exalted height were very astute.

There was no telling what a Master could figure out when he personally examined the Quint!

In the worst-case scenario, the Master might discover that there was a huge issue with how Ves and Gloriana managed to make their masterwork. If the MTA deduced that the pair relied on external methods to forcefully elevate the quality of their mech, then that would spell deep trouble for them both!

Though Senior Mech Designers were quite observant as well, Ves believed it was a lot easier to keep them in the dark. The gulf between a Senior and a Master was immense! The two didn't even belong to the same species at all!

Once Ves completed his makeover, he began to head to the exit, but paused.

He turned around and looked at the floating Larkinson Mandate. This book continued to radiate a powerful glow that affected its entire surroundings!

Though Ves, Gavin, Lucky and everyone else around them had already become accustomed to its glow, the same could not be said for the MTA delegation!

In order to avoid any unfortunate incidents, Ves grabbed the Larkinson Mandate and put it in his assistant's hands.

"It's not very convenient for us to dangle this book in front of the faces of the MTA envoys. Please bring it to Raymond for safekeeping, Benny. I trust he will keep it safe."

Gavin frowned as he accepted the large and sturdy book. "Are you sure, boss? They say that the one who holds the book possesses a mandate to command the Larkinson Clan!"

Ves dismissively waved his hand. "Raymond won't try anything when I'm around. This is just a casual phrase. Book or not, I'm still the clan patriarch!"

While his assistant reluctantly brought the book away, Ves picked Lucky up and boarded a shuttle that brought them to the Avatar base.

There, Ves joined Gloriana in waiting for a ship that was about to descend from orbit.

"Are you nervous?" Gloriana curiously asked as she adjusted her ocean blue multilayered dress.

"I'd be lying if I say no. My relationship with the MTA is.. not as simple as you think."

"Oh?" Gloriana raised her eyebrow towards him. "What's wrong? Have you been naughty, Ves?"

Ves smiled sardonically at her. "I wouldn't put it that way, but I would highly prefer it if you take the lead in our upcoming interactions with the MTA. For various reasons, the less they know about my design philosophy, the better. I also don't want them to snoop too much in my other affairs."

"Okay. I'll do my best to attract their attention."

The time had come. In the distant skies of Kesseling VII, Ves and Gloriana noticed a small object among other objects in the sky becoming larger.

An MTA frigate-sized vessel cut through the air with such speed that it could have been mistaken as a destructive asteroid if not for the transponder broadcasting the ship's identity!

A pair of grand multipurpose mechs escorted the rapidly-descending ship without showing any difficulty in keeping up! Once Ves and Gloriana used their comms to zoom in on the mechs, they both became fascinated by their design!

"What a powerful mech!" Gloriana sighed. "I've seen better at Centerpoint, but this design is truly outstanding in its own way! It's so rugged!"

Rugged was a good way to describe the model of the two mechs. Ves had an impression that the large and well-equipped mechs were capable of operating in any environment, including underwater or in a gas giant environment!

Choosing to arrive at the site of a pair of young and unconfirmed masterwork mech designers with such an escort was a powerful statement.

Masterwork mech or not, the Quint was still vastly inferior to the first-class mechs flanking the MTA frigate!

This was the power of the MTA! In terms of quantity and quality, nobody in the galaxy could possibly equal its might!

Even a pair of exceptional mech designers had to bow their heads in front of one of the greatest powers in human space!