The Mech Touch

Calabast overlooked a small mining operation.

While most of the Larkinsons busied themselves with sweeping the settled parts of Ulimo Citadel, a team of Black Cats spent their time elsewhere.

After inconspicuously taking away a mining vehicle, the Black Cats began to dig deep into the moon-sized asteroid.

Ulimo Citadel was built on a very large asteroid that largely consisted of hardy rock material. The cylindrical mining vehicle slowly drilled through the hardy core until it finally emerged in a cavern.

After inspecting the large, cold airless space for any threats, a handful of Black Cats in reinforced infiltrator suits and hazard suits emerged from the mining vehicle. Lights switched on from their suits, causing their immediate surroundings to light up and allow the people to observe their surroundings in greater detail.

This was no natural cavern. The smooth surfaces, straight angles and other signs proved that someone clearly excavated this space.

The Black Cats flew around. Due to the low gravity of the asteroid, their suits did not have to expend too much energy to keep them aloft.

A couple of the personnel held large handheld scanners and meticulously searched the cavern's surface grid by grid. Calabast hovered in the center while waiting patiently for her mind to find something unusual.

"We have detected an unknown metal cube buried beneath these coordinates!"

"Dig it out." Calabast ordered. "Take it slow and be careful. Watch out for boobytraps or other triggers."

Nothing went wrong as the Black Cats slowly dug their way half a meter downwards. Once they encountered a black metal box, they carefully expanded the space around it. Some other Black Cats meticulously scanned and studied the box.

"It's a standard small container that was in popular use over three-and-a-half centuries ago." A tech concluded. "It's not a product of the galactic rim."

"Is it made of first-class alloys?"

"Yes." The man in a hazard suit replied. "The alloy formula is outdated by modern standards, but it is still incredibly strong to us. The container should be locked and very secure against forceful breaches. We would have to employ a mech to crack it open, but applying so much force to a container of this size is ill-advised."

"The container can be unlocked via an electronic code, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am. I do have to warn you that this model of container only allows for three attempts to input the code before it locks out forever. While it is unlikely for this box to contain a self-destruct module, we will have to resort to improper means to crack it open."

That risked damaging the contents, which was exactly what Calabast didn't want to see.

"We don't have to go through so much trouble. Step back and secure the mining vehicle and keep an eye on the perimeter. Make sure that no one has planted any traps."

"Yes, ma'am."

The other Black Cats knew that Calabast wanted them gone. They immediately moved out of the hole and began to fly further away.

Calabast patiently waited for the rest to go. When she perceived that no one was in the vicinity, she activated a command on her infiltrator suit that caused it to deploy a powerful interference field.

Not content with this measure, she activated another command that caused a compartment in her backpack module to open up. A small bot flew higher and deployed a large sensor-blocking canvas that covered everything below in a sensor-dampening tent.

Once Calabast was satisfied with the security measures she deployed, she began to pull out another device belt pocket.

This time, she retrieved a comm, one with a special nature.

Unlike the comm she used in her daily life, this one looked a bit plainer but packed a lot more technology inside.

This was one of the souvenirs she kept from the Starlight Megalodon.

She smiled inside her helmet and she inputted the command to hack the container's locking mechanism.

Less than a millisecond later, a small light indicator on the box shone green, indicating that the box's security system disengaged the lock!

This outcome had fallen within her expectation. The container may have been made out of very expensive materials, but it was merely used to store some general items at the time. A true lockbox would have included at least one non-electric locking mechanism to deter easy hacks like she had just performed.

She carefully deactivated her CFA officer-grade comm and stowed it away before carefully opening the box.

A shiny chrome-like badge rested on a soft velvet cushion. Its surface depicted a blazing battleship soaring through space like a comet!

Calabast carefully studied the badge. Her eyes lit up in glee behind her helmet as she studied every unique marking and confirmed the badge was genuine!

The depiction of a blazing battleship used to convey supreme honor in the past. It was only after the Age of Conquest that battlesh.i.p.s turned from symbols of strength to symbols of terror.

Badges like these weren't made anymore. The emblem it depicted had turned into a taboo.

Even so, the value of this badge was inestimable. Of all the gains she made from the Battle of Ulimo Citadel, none of them exceeded the value of this relic!

She was happy with absorbing the defectors of the Xona Stalkers. Acquiring their remarkable if unwieldy Xona Communication Crystals also pleased her a lot. Yet obtaining them both wasn't worth the threats that she and the rest of the clan faced in the previous battle.

The pirates could have easily wiped out Task Force Predator if Venerable Jannzi hadn't broken through! At the very least, the Larkinson Clan would have suffered much heavier losses!

Was it worth it to encourage Ves to attack Ulimo Citadel? She didn't know. Though the outcome of the battle ultimately meant she won her bet, she didn't think she would make such a gamble again.

"I'm not Ves. I don't like to live by putting my life on the line." She muttered.

The badge l.u.s.tered from the light of her infiltrator suit. After picking it up and turning it around, she read the series of codes and letters engraved on the back.

Her concerns faded once she interpreted the codes. "This time, it was worth it. I still can't believe that someone took something so valuable all the way to the Nyxian Gap."

The early history of the Komodo Star Sector was filled with excitement and endless struggle. When the Big Two opened it up for colonization, a large number of refugees, outcasts and exiles fled from the more populated parts of the galaxy.

It wasn't easy for these people to travel all the way out here. They had to spend decades to travel this far, and various perils slowed or stalled their progress during their lengthy journey.

In truth, not a lot of fleets sought to flee all the way out to the frontier. Many of them simply sought safe harbor and wanted to leave the troubles of their home star sector behind. As long as they flew far enough, they could settle down in any foreign state or star sector.

There were generally two reasons why refugee and settler fleets traversed all the way to the outer border of human space.

The first reason was because the colonizers wanted a new start. Many older star sectors were already dominated by old, established states that exerted a heavy influence to the rest of their star sectors.

It wasn't easy for newcomers to develop and grow into a large and accomplished power. There simply wasn't enough room for development, and with their strength they were incapable of dislodging existing states.

Therefore, even if the journey was long, settling a newly-opened star sector conveyed many benefits. Though the competition was intense, those who succeeded were destined to form foundations that eventually led to the formation of powerful second-rate states such as the Hexadric Hegemony.

Those that lost out had options as well. With so much unclaimed real estate, even the losers and weaklings were able to found states such as the Bright Republic and the Sentinel Kingdom.

All of these colonizers voluntarily chose to take part in this game. While a frontier star sector was situated in the most remote parts of human space, the chance to make a new start and mold a state in their own image attracted many people such as the Hexers.

There were also those who traveled to the edge of human civilization on a less-than-voluntary basis.

This was the second reason why someone traveled all the way out here. Perhaps they made some very powerful enemies. Fleeing across a couple of star cl.u.s.ters didn't cut as long as the enemies were powerful enough. The only way to escape their extensive reach was to flee much further away, thereby making it impractical for anyone to take revenge!

In the more central and developed parts of human space, punishment through exile actually happened quite a lot. Those who lost in power plays and those whose identities became awkward because they were rivals to a throne had to be removed from the picture.

Killing these threatening individuals was the most convenient way to get rid of them. Yet slaughtering the losers of a political struggle was not always proper.

Hence, exiling people was the next preferred people. Even if the galactic net allowed humans to communicate instantly across the galaxy, sheer geographic distance made it impossible to realize any substantial plots!

Whenever a ruler or other powerful figure issued a decree to exile their enemies, they often specified that their victims had to be driven to the edge of the galaxy or the furthest reaches of human space.

This was why the Komodo Star Sector used to be visited by some powerful figures. Of course, by the time they reached this place, most of their wealth, power and influence had evaporated.

"That doesn't mean they lost everything. Some possessions still hold value after many centuries of neglect." Calabast grinned.

This badge still held an immense amount of value. This wasn't due to its materials, or its subtle but exquisite craftsmanship.

Instead, the badge was merely a proxy to something greater. Calabast carefully stowed in an inside pocket of her infiltrator suit. She resolved to store it more securely so that no one, not even a curious mechanical cat with a penchant for snooping could discover what she gained!

She eventually deactivated her security measures and flew out of the hole. She recalled all of her Black Cats and returned to the mining vehicle, which slowly reversed through the tunnel it had dug.

Ten minutes later, a large explosion engulfed the cavern, destroying and collapsing much of the interior!

The Black Cats hadn't noticed a thing. All of them sat silently in their assigned seats as they waited to return to the surface.

Various plans flitted through Calabast's mind. Several new options opened up after she obtained the badge. While it was largely useless in the Komodo Star Sector, the relic could still play a very large role if she brought it to the issuer.

Normally, she needed to travel all the way to the galactic center to reach one of the most powerful states in human space.

However, times were changing and humanity had begun to conquer another galaxy, if only a satellite to their native galaxy.

The Red Ocean was a melting pot of human cultures. People who emerged throughout the Milky Way all entered a dwarf galaxy that was just a fraction of the size.

The representatives of every first-rate state had already entered the Red Ocean. Calabast just had to approach one of their new colonies and bring the badge to the right institution in order to change everything.

However, as soon as she began to think certain thoughts, a faint pressure weighed on her mind. She grimaced.

"I'm.. a Larkinson now."

This incident reminded her that she had already committed herself to the Larkinson Clan. No matter how valuable the badge appeared, it couldn't beat partnering up with Ves. That said, the badge was still immensely useful in the right circ.u.mstances.

"I'll see what I can do with it once I reach the Red Ocean."