The Mech Touch

The Larkinsons and Glory Seekers arrived earlier than the guests of honor. The Infinity Guards shuttle had to traverse a longer distance because their fleet kept a respectful distance from the expeditionary fleet.

Even though they already signed a contract that was recognized by the Mercenary Association, they were still strangers to each other.

This initial meeting was meant to break the ice and see whether the two sides would truly be able to get along with each other.

If this wasn't the case, then it was better to cancel the deal. The contract already incorporated this scenario. If the clients changed their mind, they only had to pay a relatively modest fee to compensate the mercenaries for mobilizing their fleet and travelling all the way out here.

"Meow."

"Hm? Oh. I see. Their shuttle is finally approaching."

Lucky and Clixie didn't do much aside from resting by the feet of their owners. They licked each other, sniffed the other people and remained on guard against any unanticipated threats.

The shuttle utilized by the Infinity Guards looked grander and more embellished than the vehicles used by the alliance.

Markings that belonged to both the Star Striders and the Infinity Guards prominently branded the armored shuttle.

The logo of the Infinity Guards consisted of rows of armored soldiers holding shields that were shaped like infinity symbols. The logo was designed in such a way that it suggested that there was an endless amount of identical soldiers.

The colors of the Infinity Guards were purple and black. Ordinarily, this should have given them a serious and martial impression.

However, as soon as the first mercenary stepped outside of the shuttle, Ves was taken aback at the amount of embellishments the lead figure wore.

The man that could only be Colonel Amos Pendulum wore a peaked cap that was as high as his own head, an embroidered uniform that was bedecked with gold and was covered by over thirty medals of all shapes, sizes, colors and materials.

Perhaps to most people, the leader of the Infinity Guards may come across as incredibly accomplished. His overflowing pride and confidence certainly helped convey a lot of strength.

The other Infinity Guard officers weren't as extravagant, fortunately. They wore less medals, though they still wore fancier uniforms than Ves was accustomed to. What they lacked in pomp, they made up in professionalism. It was good to see that the rest of the 14th Fleet was made up of warriors who knew their business.

Patriarch Reginald Cross stepped forward as soon as the honored guests almost reached the greeting party.

"Welcome to the Hemmington Cross! We have been awaiting your arrival with great anticipation. Thank you for reinforcing us on short notice. It must have been quite a rush to mobilize your forces and reach our side as soon as possible."

"That's what you are paying for." Colonel Pendulum smiled as much of his confidence was sapped out of his body.

Though people like Ves, Gloriana, Colonel Ariadne, Professor Benedict and so on were mentally resilient enough to hold their ground against Patriarch Reginald's forceful presence, this did not apply to the latest people who arrived.

Patriarch Reginald was the strongest and most developed expert pilot in the alliance. His force of will was so domineering that it practically demanded the submission of those who couldn't withstand his will.

Naturally, even weaker-willed individuals were able to mitigate the consequences after getting used to the effects. Otherwise, Patriarch Reginald wouldn't be able to get anything done if he met with his subordinates in person.

Still, the first impression was the strongest. Even though Ves was the most prominent leader of the alliance, they all agreed that Patriarch Reginald should become their spokesperson at this time.

It turned out to be a great choice. Let alone Colonel Pendulum, the rest of his entourage all lost their momentum!

Even though they were all grown men and women, they seemed to have been turned into kids who couldn't do anything in the presence of someone who was larger than life!

To his credit, Colonel Pendulum didn't completely blank out. His social training was still good enough to compel him to maintain appearances.

He even stepped forward to shake hands with the leader of the Cross Clan.

"I have heard great tales about your plight. While it is a tragedy that your clan has fallen to this point, you have still been able to retain your legacy. With a proven war leader and expert pilot like you in charge, I am certain that I will be hearing about your return to glory very soon."

Patriarch Reginald smiled. He felt flattered by the compliments.

"I appreciate your well wishes. We have gone through so much darkness that we have shed all of our weaknesses. Our enemies will rue the day they failed to finish us off. It's too late for them now. Under my leadership, my clan shall rise from the ashes and ascend to greater heights than ever before!"

As the patriarch kept ranting about his hopeful vision for the Cross Clan, Colonel Pendulum completely lost the opportunity to regain the initiative.

Ves and the rest who stood a small distance away couldn't help but be a little disappointed. While the strength of the person at the top did not necessarily reflect the performance of his underlings, it was nonetheless a sight they didn't wish to see.

Still, the meeting between the two leaders revealed some additional details. Colonel Pendulum was still someone who was trained to meet all kinds of forceful personalities. Even if he lacked enough exposure, he was eventually able to find a way to cope with the pressure.

Once he regained his own sense of self, he stood a little straighter and diverted his attention to the other members of the Golden Skull Alliance.

"Patriarch Larkinson, Colonel Wodin, it is a pleasure to meet the two of you as well."

He grasped the chance to distance himself from Patriarch Reginald's strong force of will and moved to the other two leaders.

The mercenary leader exhibited some of his slickness as he lightly bowed to the Glory Seekers. "We don't see many Hexers outside of the Komodo Star Sector. The rest of the galaxy holds many different states, each of which have developed their own unique way of life. I have always become fascinated with people who go against the status quo."

"We are just passing through here." Colonel Wodin spoke bluntly. "We have no intention of imposing our order on the locals here. We are aware that our ideology is difficult for others to embrace. This is of little concern to us. We much prefer to enlighten those who take the trouble to approach us. This is much easier to do in the Red Ocean where the powers haven't established themselves yet. The new frontier will be our true stage to spread our beliefs."

"Well.. I wish you good luck on your endeavors." Pendulum said before he quickly turned to Ves. His smile widened. "Patriarch Larkinson! Your fame precedes you. Even my colleagues back in Winged Serenade sing praises about you. I heard that you have just unveiled some very fantastic mechs during the last battle."

Though Ves felt flattered by the man's appreciative words, he did not lower his guard.

"I don't know where you got that information, but don't believe in all of the rumors. Our clan did indeed employ some new mechs and techniques, but they are not prepared for the market."

"That is a shame to hear." Pendulum expressed his disappointment. "Our security group has long been interested in your products, but your mech company doesn't offer anything suitable for customers such as us. Your third-class mechs are no doubt powerful, but the Star Striders don't do business at this level. When will you be publishing your promising second-class mech designs?"

"Thank you for expressing your interest, colonel, but we cannot discuss our business plans at this time." Ves gently pushed back the inquiry. "Entering the second-class mech market is a huge endeavor and not something to be taken lightly. We will not be offering any commercial second-class mechs anytime soon. You may have to wait a number of years before our company has grown to the point it is able to roll out more powerful mechs."

Colonel Pendulum likely sensed the underlying meaning behind the message. "Our security company has been in business for many decades. We can spend a few more years without benefiting from your products. I hope to hear the good news fairly soon, though."

"That time may come if some of our plans go right." Ves mysteriously replied.

Once the initial meet and greet was over, the entire group moved deeper into the Hemmington Cross. They passed by many spacious hallways and important-looking compartments before entering a formal dining hall.

The compartment was richly-furnished but conveyed a distinctly martial theme. Banners of fallen opponents, helmets of defeated enemies and pieces of fallen expert mechs took up positions of pride.

Each of these trophies had stories behind them. Ves even recognized the centerpiece of the grand display. Hovering atop some pedestals were pieces of recognizable debris that originated from the Erin Tear, the Imperial Verdict and the Trost.

When Patriarch Reginald approached his latest trophies, he smiled proudly and began to boast some of his feats to Colonel Pendulum.

Though the Crosser Patriarch was undoubtedly beating his own chest, he also revealed some details about the battle that they hadn't publicized before.

Ves didn't know whether that was good or bad.

Still, at least the tales put the expeditionary forces in a good light. They had to fight against qualitatively superior opponents who came for the express purpose of defeating their old foes.

The glorious battle impressed all of the Infinity Guards. They look like they wanted to take part in it as well, but that was just because Patriarch Reginald glosses over the considerable losses.

As bots began to fly in and deliver the first dishes, Colonel Pendulum turned to Ves and asked a question.

"There are a lot of rumors flying around in our circle. Is it true that you developed some sort of superweapon that could wipe out the crew of an entire fleet carrier at once?"

Ves hesitated a bit. How should he approach this question?

"Did you see that big golden capital ship in our fleet, Colonel Pendulum?"

"It's rather hard not to miss such an excellent fleet carrier."

Ves smirked. "The only reason we managed to capture her intact and in such a pristine condition is because none of the crew were left alive to activate any of her self-destruct mechanisms. If just one Fridayman crew member survived, he or she could have at least blown the core systems such as the data banks and the valuable long-range FTL drives."

He didn't need to say anything more. The truth was there for everyone to see. Colonel Pendulum and his command team all looked a little horrified!

After all, if such an attack could affect a vessel like the Auralis despite her shield generators and thick hull plating, then the Hemmington Cross or their own flagship were just as vulnerable!

It took at least a minute for them to push aside the frightful implications.

"Doesn't this qualify as a superweapon to the MTA?" A chief engineer of the Infinity Guards asked. "So far, the MTA has not made any announcements concerning your recent battle or your exploits."

Ves shrugged as he raised a spoon and took a sip of some thick vegetable soup that tasted far too bland to his taste buds.

"I have friends in high places. Besides, while my trump card is exceedingly powerful, its destructive potential isn't enough to wipe out entire cities. There are plenty of other mech designers and weapon developers who invented arms that can kill thousands of people in a city all at once. They aren't immediately banned from the onset."

"That is because the MTA likes to take its time on their investigations. That said, if the weapon is too powerful or used too often, the MTA may decide to issue their judgement within days."

"That's true." Ves acknowledged.

He wasn't sure what the MTA thought about his battle formations. It was very powerful but also very destructive. In the wrong hands, it could easily lead to a lot of loss of life.

Still, as long as the Larkinsons controlled this method, the issue shouldn't be a high priority. His clan just had to keep his battle formations in reserve in order to avoid raising the priority level on this powerful invention.

Also, Ves had to make sure he stayed chummy with Master Willix!