The Mech Touch

The Mirror Raiders slowly limped towards the vicinity of Ulimo Citadel.

The Bloody Fang battle damage was not cosmetic at all. The inherent instability of her propulsion system caused the ship to vibrate, shudder and sometimes even skip. It was as if she was a wounded pig limping back to safety while leaving a bloody trail on the ground!

Due to their damaged state, the Mirror Raiders adopted a defensive posture. Their mechs might not be in the best of shape, but with danger potentially lurking around every corner, the 'pirates' did not dare to drop their vigilance!

Their course led them closer and closer to Ulimo, but not in a direction that suggested they were familiar with the route. They acted as if they stole the route from hacking an enemy ship's navigational database or beating it out of a captured ship captain.

This disguise appeared to work. The Dry Snakes soon noticed the arrival of a small outfit and diverted a patrol. A small frigate and a squad of mechs slowly came into view. Their green and yellow coating along with the symbol of a snake immediately caused the Mirror Raiders to slow their approach.

The pirate frigate transmitted a message to the newcomers.

[HALT! YOU ARE ON APPROACH TO ULIMO CITADEL. CEASE TRANSLATING FORWARD AND PREPARE TO BE BOARDED FOR INSPECTION. RETRACT YOUR MECHS AND SHUT THEM DOWN. TRANSMIT YOUR CARGO MANIFESTS, YOUR MECH ROSTER AND YOUR PERSONNEL ROSTER WITHIN 120 SECONDS. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL LEAD TO BLOCKING YOUR ENTRY.]

As if expecting these demands, the Mirror Raiders quickly complied. All of their mechs that currently guarded the two sh.i.p.s meekly withdrew into the hangar bays. This was a fairly time-consuming process as only so many mechs were able to land at a time.

During this time, the two carriers also accelerated backwards in order to stall their forward momentum. This was no joke. If the vessels strayed too close to Ulimo without undergoing any inspections, the Dry Snakes would definitely shoot them to pieces!

After some time, the Dry Snake frigate coasted forward. The pirates affixed a large, modified sensor array on her bow. The vessel soon began to pump a prodigious amount of power to the sensor array, causing it to perform powerful active scans that penetrated straight through the hulls of the two carriers!

Such a brute force scanning method was very invasive and discomforting. Though there were ways to block or frustrate the scanning, the Mirror Raiders did not dare to voice a protest.

Along with scanning the newcomers, the Dry Snake frigate also dispatched a shuttle. After landing inside the cramped hangar bay of the Bloody Fang, a pair of inspectors in uniformed vacsuits emerged from the vehicle.

Lieutenant-Commander Abis Firelight of the Flagrant Vandals along with some of his officers greeted them immediately.

Unlike the clean and utilitarian uniforms they wore when they were part of Task Force Predator, they had all changed into flamboyant, trophy-laden dress uniforms.

Their simple black and white uniforms were barely visible under all of the bones, banners, pelts, emblems and other trophies they adorned on their bodies!

In most cases, it was easy to judge the status of a pirate. The Dry Snake inspectors quickly glanced at the quality and quantity of the trophies adorning the officers of the Mirror Raiders and made a silent impression.

In their experienced judgement, the Mirror Raiders were experienced but not that successful. None of the trophies on their officers were exceptionally valuable or came from strong opponents. The fact that they dared to wear so much was a signal that they had been in the pirate business for some time.

"Welcome aboard the Bloody Fang." Abis welcomed. "I am Commander Domis, the boss of the Mirror Raiders. We are seeking a harbor where we can repair our ship, buy some mechs and recruit new crew. We are not short on Kavenit."

The lead inspector smiled. The open tone of 'Commander Domis' meant that the Mirror Raiders weren't trying to hide their condition. This underscored their submission towards a stronger and more superior pirate organization.

Only the most deranged among their 'noble' profession ranted and raved against stronger pirates. Those idiots that dragged down the reputation of pirates never lasted long, though there always seemed to be more taking their place.

"We have detected plenty of Kavenit in your holds. I am sure that you will be able to obtain what you desire." The inspector spoke in a firm but slightly amiable tone. "We are slightly concerned about some of your cargo and the areas that appear fuzzy on our scans. Please allow us to inspect your two carriers. We cannot allow any threats to approach Ulimo."

"Please feel free to observe our ship. Mind you, some of those areas contain.. sensitive goods."

"We understand. We care not for your business. Our job is only to ascertain your threat to our base."

The inspectors took their time to do their jobs. If not for their piratized uniforms, this process looked no different from the inspections carried out in civilized space!

Along the way, the pair of inspectors behaved very professionally and did not ask any questions that did not relate to their duties. When Abis attempted to slip a K-bar into their hands, the lead inspector silently accepted it but did not alter his standard.

This was an unspoken custom among savvy pirates. 'Commander Domis' did not bribe the inspectors in order to gain an exception or be allowed to bring something dangerous into Ulimo. He merely wanted to grease the wheels and avoid any preventable delays.

Whether the inspectors intended to stir up some trouble in the first place was not important. All that mattered was that the Dry Snakes were so overwhelmingly powerful that they could do anything they wanted to Mirror Raiders. The only reason why the Dry Snakes refrained from doing so was to keep Ulimo attractive, but that did not mean that they could put up a fuss!

Fortunately, the lead inspector appreciated the K-bar enough to provide some helpful tips.

When they entered one of the hidden compartments, they faced a trio of very special bombs that were secured in their own separate protective and shock-absorbing harnesses!

The faces of the inspectors grew slightly grave.

"You are not allowed to land on Ulimo with these nuclear bombs in your cargo holds."

Abis looked reluctant. "These are our trump cards. I heard that the landing zones are placed far apart from the main base. Surely these bombs can't threaten you at all, right?"

"I don't know who made these bombs or where you have obtained them, but their yields are powerful enough to inflict serious damage to the asteroid where Ulimo rests upon!"

"Really?!"

Ves secretly cobbled these nuclear bombs together from the warheads taken out of the disarmed Alpha Bombs of the Crona Lords. Though Ves did not specialize in nuclear bombs, he knew enough about explosives to be able to build fairly simple bombs himself.

He deliberately added in some other energetic exotics into the mix in order to alter the distinctive composition of his new bombs. He had no idea if the exact formula of the Alpha Bomb was unique to the Crona Lords.

After a quick discussion, the lead inspector issued a demand. "You have three options. You can leave this perimeter entirely. You can allow one of your sh.i.p.s to stay outside our security perimeter. You can land both sh.i.p.s on Ulimo, but you will have to temporarily surrender these nuclear bombs into our care."

No pirate liked to be robbed of their trump cards. That was their strongest deterrent and guarantee of safety against stronger opponents!

Abis acted as if he found it difficult to accept the three options that he had been presented with. However, he also appeared to be in control of himself. It was as if he already expected to hear such demands.

"I choose the last." He squeezed out of his lips. His face looked pained. "Where will you take my bombs?"

"Do not be concerned, Commander Domis. Your bombs will not be confiscated. We are merely holding them for you until you are done with your business on Ulimo. We shall store them carefully in one of our outer vaults dug into one of the many asteroids in this asteroid field."

This was critical news! Abis only stirred a tiny bit. The existence of these vaults and the practiced way in which the Dry Snakes demanded to take over custody of dangerous superweapons meant that their vaults must contain quite a number of taboo weapons!

"What are the fees." Abis asked.

The inspector grinned. A lot of visitors overlooked this seemingly trivial issue. "A single K-bar is enough to guarantee the safety of your bombs for a couple of months."

"We will not be staying at Ulimo for long. I will prepare several hundred K-coins instead."

"Good. You may deliver the coins to us when we complete this inspection."

They exited the hidden compartment and headed down to the brig. Along the way, the lead inspector gave out another tip.

"Oh, by the way, our vaults contain a sizable number of 'unowned' trump cards. If you are interested in bolstering your arsenal, please let us know."

"What happened to their previous owners?" Abis asked.

"They fell apart and lost their claim. They broke one of our rules and suffered our punishment. They traded their secret weapons to another pirate group who left before receiving their purchases. They no longer possessed any sh.i.p.s to take their goods away. They made a foolish gamble and lost their bets. They fought in our arena and lost their lives."

There were many different reasons why so many pirate outfits left lost their ownership of these valuable trump cards. The causes mentioned by the lead inspector proved that Ulimo Citadel was not safe! Every visitor needed to pay close attention to their lives and possessions.

"How can we acquire these powerful weapons?"

"We conduct a periodic auction where a selection of these goods are put on the block." The inspector proudly explained. "We also import these types of weapons from our other partners, so there is always something that fits your budget and your needs. I heard that we have recently received a batch of ship-grade lasers that can be mounted on light carriers such as yours. For a reasonable commission, we can install these weapons onto your sh.i.p.s. The Gap has grown more dangerous as of late. Your bombs may be powerful, but they are also consumables. You would do well to add a more sustainable trump card to your arsenal."

Bribing the inspector sure paid off! This was critical news that the Larkinson Clan needed to know as soon as possible!

Abis did not hide his excitement too much. The inspectors probably thought the Mirror Raiders were desperate to acquire the powerful laser weapons.

"When is the next auction? How can we take part? With all of the unrest stirring in the Gap and crazies such as the Larkinson Clan rampaging in Maynard Fields, there is no use keeping all of our Kavenit in our cargo holds. The sooner we obtain those lasers, the greater our chances of survival!"

The inspectors stirred a bit as soon as Abis deliberately mentioned the Larkinson Clan.

By now, practically every pirate had heard how the Larkinson Clan completely broke the status quo in Maynard Fields. Their strength and ruthlessness turned them into even greater demons, on par with the bigger pirate alliances that truly ruled the Nyxian Gap!

Even the inspectors expressed a bit of fear.

"Don't talk about the Larkinson Clan when you arrive at Ulimo. Mentioning it will only spread more panic. There is no reason for you to fear these ignorant brutes. Ulimo Citadel is fully prepared to repel the Larkinsons. If they think that Ulimo is just as exploitable as Xiphard, then they are sorely mistaken. Even their pet Hexers shall fall if they dare to enter our security perimeter!"

Though the inspector might be exaggerating, Abis did not think so. The Dry Snakes seem fully confident that they were able to defeat the full might of Task Force Predator!