The Mech Touch

When Daphania sat atop her throne of bone that provided her with a commanding view over the bottom of the high temple compartment, her eyes turned grim as she was reminded how far the cult she led had fallen.

Daphania was one of the most eminent existences of the Five Scrolls Compact. She was the latest in a long line of chosen men and women to ascend to the top of one of the most powerful organizations of human civilization.

Words could never describe the sheer amount of power, influence and authority she wielded.

Despite the fallen and diminished state of the Five Scrolls Compact, it was still one of the oldest and most far-reaching influences in human society.

Its tentacles stretched everywhere. Its cultists were legion and its vassal organizations spread through every part of human space and beyond.

Whether the Five Scrolls Compact possessed the might to contend against either one or both of the Big Two was still in question.

Yet there was no doubt that in the minds of those who occupied positions at the top of human society that no third organization ever came close to keeping up with the MTA and CFA!

The three organizations shared a common root. The Mech Trade Association and the Common Fleet Alliance may be the current dominators of human civilization, but the shadow of the Five Scrolls Compact was still present in places where few people looked.

It was not an exaggeration to say that Daphania was one of the most powerful humans in human space and the rest of the galaxy.

In fact, her actual power exceeded that of an MTA Galactic Mech Councilor or a CFA Grand Admiral!

This was because each of the Big Two was led by a hundred of their highest-ranking officials.

The MTA presided over pivotal, galaxy-changing affairs whenever they convened their Galactic Mech Council. Every Galactic Mech Councilor was an absolute elite in the galaxy, and not all of them consisted of mech designers. Yet this diversity also bred an alarming lack of common ground, causing this supreme governing body to be rife with factions that sought to pursue their own interests.

Each CFA Grand Admiral enjoyed a considerable amount of autonomy, so they did not convene as often as their mecher counterparts. Yet when they did, they rarely came to a consensus because of the considerable differences between each individual Grand Admiral, who each stood at the head of a separate faction within the warship-oriented organization.

The Five Scrolls Compact was different. Its highest leaders weren't chosen by a huge population of members. Its supreme authority figures did not have to pander to their supporters or earn the appreciation of any human within the ranks in order to remain in power.

The only demand that Holy Sons and Daughters had to meet in order to stay in power was to retain the approval of the Sacred Scrolls. As long as these exalted artifacts maintained the blessings on their chosen heralds, the Holy Sons and Daughters wielded absolute power over the entire Compact.

Since Daphania only had a single peer within the Compact, she effectively ruled half of arguably the third-most powerful organization in human space!

This means that she was effectively the closest thing to a human empress in this day and age. Though few inhabitants of human space ever learned of her existence, her decisions and her direction had the potential to alter the course of human history.

With a single command, she could plunge every star sector into chaos!

With a single sentence, she could end the lives of several Galactic Mech Councilors or Grand Admirals!

With a single thought, she could compel trillions of cultists to commit suicide!

The reason why she was able to wield so much power without ever encountering any opposition from the lower ranks was due to the golden laurel wreath crown that rested above her head.

It was her chosen symbol of authority and the most visible proof of the Water Scroll's favor.

This was because it was not made of regular gold or other exotic substances.

If anyone looked closely enough at the crown, they would notice that it was actually liquid. Near-invisible flows of gold swirled while simultaneously maintaining the shape of a perfect laurel wreath.

This was the blood of an immortal god!

When Daphania ascended to her supreme calling a few years ago, the Sacred Scroll bestowed the holy blood to her in the most central hall of the Ruined Temple!

It was a tradition for each Holy Son or Daughter selected by the Water Scroll to shape the large drops of sacred blood in whatever form they wished.

Daphania chose to wear it as her crown, because she was one the youngest and also the most abrupt to assume her current position.

It did not matter what identity she possessed in the past. Yet the past chosen of the Water Scroll was still in her prime and could have reigned over the Five Scrolls Compact for at least several centuries!

Yet the Water Scroll withdrew its blessing a few years ago, causing Daphania's predecessor to fall from grace.

Though she was still an honored figure within the Compact, the Scroll had removed her right to assume leadership.

These days, Holy Mother Alesia entered the deepest halls of the Ruined Temple and lived in seclusion, cutting herself off from all of her former subordinates, allies and power base.

Daphania's mood grew grimmer, though her stony expression did not reveal a glimpse of her fluctuations. Her soft blue corona made it even more difficult for the grey-robed dignitaries standing before her throne to notice her very human-like concerns.

The blessings of the Sacred Scrolls came and went without warning. They could vault even the most humblest of cultists without warning, yet withdraw the holy blood that signified their authority a few months later!

Fortunately, the Sacred Scrolls were not that erratic in the long span of history of the Compact. As long as the Holy Son or Daughter acted in accordance with the intentions of the Sacred Scrolls, they were able to retain their eminent positions for at least a century.

Daphania had no intention of becoming the youngest 'Holy Mother' in the history of the Compact.

To that end, she needed to show her initiative, brilliance and competence like any new CEO that just took over a company.

Yet in a relatively calm and stable galaxy where the light of the Big Two shone across all of human space, how could she make her mark and stabilize her position without risking a backlash?

Her attention turned to one of the most important goals of the Compact in this day and age.

The loss of multiple Sacred Scrolls wounded the foundation of the cult and directly caused it to relinquish its throne to the upstart MTA and CFA.

Returning just one of the Sacred Scrolls would strengthen the Compact by 50 percent, and would definitely earn her the approval of not just the Water Scroll, but the other ones as well!

This was the reason why she quickly honed in on the news surrounding the missing Metal Scroll!

She had made its retrieval her sacred purpose. Her future within the organization rested upon the success of her current endeavor. Her bet was so big in fact that she did not feel assured in dispatching her minions to complete this incredibly pivotal task.

Only she could ensure that the retrieval happened smoothly and without any chance of failure! She did not hesitate to enter the sphere of influence of the Big Two and risk running into their warfleets in order to personally handle the most important undertaking of the Five Scrolls Compact in the Age of Mechs!

"Temple Protector Kravitz." She spoke, her voice thrumming with soul-shaking authority.

A ripple spread through the bodies of the grey-robed high officials. They all lowered their heads aside from one of them. The man who answered by this name and title stepped forward and slammed his fist against his chest.

Even though this man possessed enormous might and could easily extinguish all life in a star system, the temple protector adopted an utterly submissive posture in front of the woman that only lived a fraction of his years.

There was no dissatisfaction nor discontent in his mind and soul. She was the voice of the Water Scroll while he was not. It was that simple to him and everyone else in the high temple.

"Have you succeeded in finding the location of the failure?" Daphania asked in an imperious tone.

"We have achieved some results, Your Holiness. Since we have come close enough to peer past the distortion of time and space, my team and I have succeeded in locking in the coordinates of Temple Protector Dista!" Kravitz shouted, his low voice booming throughout the massive hall!

Daphania's mouth curled into a humorless smirk. "Then can we jump to his position and question him why he has failed to perform his holy mission?"

Her right-hand man did not dare to provide anything less than a satisfactory answer, but the truth was that he had nothing better to say. He shook, which Daphania could clearly perceive even if she closed her glowing eyes.

"SPEAK!"

"The coordinates that we have locked in are still within the outer range of the hazardous region in the remote star sector, Your Holiness. Jumping in rashly can easily lead to casualties among our supplicants and structural damage to our great vessel."

"Are you doubting the ability of our great flagship and my ability to navigate the currents of the universe?"

"I do not dare, Your Holiness! You are the Wearer of the Golden Crown! You are the Voice of the Immortal Gods! I have never questioned your ability to bring our great vessel to the target destination. It is just that.. a considerable amount of insignificant lives may be lost. The violent fluctuations of a direct jump will most certainly cause our great vessel to fall into momentary disorder."

Daphania dismissively waved her hand. "The poor and pathetic lives of slaves and supplicants are inconsequential to the Compact. It is their honor to die in this sacred journey. We have crossed hundreds of thousands of light-years in the span of just a couple of months. That is already too long. Each day that passes brings us further and further away from the heretic who holds our missing Sacred Scroll. Do I need to remind you of our priorities?"

Temple Protector Kravitz shook again. "Your Holiness, we will do our utmost to punish the thieves and return the Metal Scroll to its rightful place in our great temple! However… our powers might not be enough to lead us directly into the Nyxian Gap. We.. humbly request you demonstrate your blessed might and deliver our vessel to our chosen destination."

A heavy silence ensued after the man said his piece. If not for his exquisite control over his own body, buckets of sweat would have poured from his body!

Daphania pinned the temple protector with a stony stare. The man in question had lived for centuries and faced all sorts of beasts and horrors. Yet the attention he received from one of the Sacred Speakers caused him to lose all thoughts of resistance!

"If not for the fact that our current mission takes precedence, I would have crushed your body, devoured your blood and shred your soul into pieces for your incompetence!"

"Forgive us, Your Holiness!"

The Holy Daughter let out a disgusted sound. "I shall spare for now, if only because I still need a dog to handle our affairs at our destination in my stead. Let us get on with it, then. Hand me the coordinates."

The temple protector did not dare to delay and concentrated his mind. He transmitted an invisible signal from his head that bumped into the soft blue corona of the Holy Daughter.

Daphania did not even have to lower her guard. She directly extracted the coordinates from the air and already began to activate something hidden in her vast and powerful mind.

Her red-robed body began to rise to her feet. The black-robed supplicant that acted as her footrest did not dare to grunt even as her weight caused his spine to snap!

The blood-winged Holy Daughter strode forward, her heels slamming into the backs of one supplicant after another. She strode down the carpet of bodies until she reached a position that opened up a hole.

The supplicants who laid there in order to act as human carpets plunged into the hole and dropped into the depths of the pyramid temple without a scream!

Their fate was anyone's guess, but no one cared about their insignificant lives.

A head-sized orb of grey that was enveloped by glowing blue runes rose from the pit. The runes had been carved on the surface with absolute precision by the Holy Daughter herself!

Now, Daphania directly placed her palm against the surface.

An invisible control system activated that interfaced with her mind. She issued a large series of commands that already caused her vessel to turn into a hive of activity.

Soon, she fed the coordinates she received before issuing her final commands.

"Ghohocolabadis!" She shouted! "Carve your way through the fabric of space and time! Let no obstacle hinder you! Let no barrier halt you in place! Let the edge of the galaxy and the scum who live at our destination tremble at your passage!"

The pyramid temple and the entire high temple compartment shook as something massive began to move.

In fact, every compartment and section of Daphania's new flagship vibrated at this time!

The shaking kept getting more and more intense. A strong surge of energy descended across the humongous organic vessel. The pressure kept building up and soon the fluctuations grew too strong for the weakest people aboard the ship to bear!

Daphania and the high-ranking officers and officials at the top of the temple pyramid completely ignored the uncontrolled screams ringing throughout the massive compartment.

Instead, the Holy Daughter counted down an invisible clock. As soon as she saw that the time was right, she issued her most important command!

"Ghohocolabadis, consume the gift that I bestow you and tunnel your way to your destination!"

Her words triggered a pivotal process in a hidden chamber. A precious quantity of phasewater that was enough to make the MTA jealous entered into a large vein.

Seconds after this simple process took place, the entire vessel that Daphania was one started to warp and shift in a manner that was completely unnatural and out of the ordinary!

Ghohocolabadis was not a regular starship or warship!

Within a starry backdrop that was close the Komodo Star Sector, a massive living space worm wriggled its body. With a length of thirty kilometers, this artificially-cultivated 'ship' was one of the biggest megaprojects that the Five Scrolls Compact had completed in recent times!

Designed and grown for the express purpose of utilizing phasewater to cross unimaginable distances, Ghohocolabadis was one of the most powerful and massive starships that humanity had ever conceived in the last couple of decades!

Though the Five Scrolls Compact could have cultivated an even larger abomination, Ghohocolabadis was already more than powerful enough to serve Daphania's purpose.

What she required the most was speed. She had to travel from the galactic center to the outer reaches of the galactic rim in the most expedient manner possible. She could not let the trail of the Metal Scroll run cold due to any delays in reaching her destination!

Ghohocolabadis did not disappoint. After consuming enough phasewater, the giant worm gained enough power to breach through space!

The gigantic worm disappeared. Its entire, thirty-kilometer length seemed to dip into a space crack.

Moments later, the head of the giant worm reemerged in a vastly different region of space. Thousands of floating asteroids crushed into nothing as the massive worm emerged out of an unstable-looking space portal and emerged into the dark and anomalous region that was known as the Nyxian Gap!

"We have arrived!"