The Mech Touch

　　In human combat, boarding actions were precarious when there was no guarantee that the losers would receive proper treatment.

　　If it became clear that the occupants would die anyway, then there was always a chance that an engineer would rig a power reactor to blow.

　　Even without this final measure, there were plenty of other ways to frustrate intruders. Many military ships contained to so many anti-boarding measures that it was practically suicide for any unwelcome guests to step inside.

　　This was because it was too common for corridors and compartments to turn into killboxes at the press of a button!

　　In order to capture a ship properly, the attackers had to be smart about their moves. Ironically, pirates were some of the most skilled people in taking over starships.

　　From planting their own people aboard the ships to employing psychological pressure to induce the occupants into keeping the ships intact, pirates were professionals when it came to capturing ships when they still held value.

　　The Larkinsons weren't pirates, and the alien ships were different from what they were accustomed to. Even if all of the data suggested that the pakklaton vessels wouldn't blow up anytime soon, there was always a chance that something might go wrong!

　　This was why the Larkinsons kept their ships at a healthy distance from the disabled alien ships.

　　This was also why the Larkinsons did not dare to dispatch any important personnel aboard the partially-secured vessels.

　　The soldiers who volunteered the board the pakklaton ships were all disposable footsoldiers from the perspective of the clan.

　　Recruiting, training and outfitting these troops was a lot cheaper than doing the equivalent with mech pilots.

　　The soldiers also took up relatively little space aboard a ship and did not need much investment to keep them happy.

　　All in all, Ves almost never paid attention to them and wouldn't shed a tear if any of them died. The steady trickle of soldiers dying among the Larkinson boarding parties did not bother him at all. They had chosen this vocation and knew that they could die for any reason at any place and any time.

　　While he could accept the deaths of trivial soldiers, the demise of Ketis was another matter!

　　"Ketis!" Ves roared as he opened a direct channel to his former student's combat armor. "What are you doing over there!"

　　"I'm doing my job." She said as she led a contingent of elite Swordmaiden troops to the heart of the evacuation ship. "I can't easily turn my back on a good fight."

　　"If you want a good fight, why don't you wait until we return to Davute?! There are plenty of arenas over there where swordswomen like you can fight to your heart's content!"

　　Ketis contemptuously snorted as her greatsword hacked through a bulkhead without encountering any resistance. "Those aren't real battles. If I want to remember this feeling and find the true meaning of swordsmanship, I need to challenge myself at the junction between life and death. I am already getting inspiration from the fighting so far! I can't obtain any of this progress if I stay on the Spirit of Bentheim."

　　Ves wanted to tear his hair out! Though he understood her desire to seek out battle, she was no longer an ordinary swordswoman!

　　"You can pick your battles more carefully, you know! Think of who you are and how much you matter to us all. You're one of the key Journeymen of our clan and you're also Venerable Joshua's wife. Your death will affect more than just yourself!"

　　"You don't need to remind me of that, Ves. It is exactly because so much is at stake that I need to find my strength in battle. These pakklatons and voribugs are weak compared to the greater threats we may face in the future. If I don't take this opportunity to improve myself, It will be too late in the future!"

　　She no longer listened to her words and completely focused her attention on the battle at hand.

　　Right now, she and her team of Swordmaidens made a lot of progress inside the evacuation ship.

　　They encountered a lot of voribugs so far, but none of them lasted long against the might of a swordmaster and the firepower of heavily-armed troopers.

　　With Ketis and Sharpie working together, not a single enemy succeeded in killing a human!

　　"Watch out." She said as she halted before a hatch that the pakklatons had recently reinforced. "There are lots of pakklaton life signs in the next compartment. If the aliens have prepared an ambush, then be prepared to fall back."

　　Her Bloodsinger hummed with the anticipation of tasting alien blood. It also spilled plenty of them but it would never say no to more!

　　With a single, powerful chop, the hatch blasted open from the middle!

　　The thick layers of metal that should never be cut so easily with just a sword had completely made way for Ketis' unyielding will!

　　She and her fellow Swordmaidens stepped inside without taking too many precautions. They had taken the measure of their alien opponents and did not fear their means.

　　Yet just as they swept their gazes, their swords and rifles faltered.

　　A gaggle of pakklaton guards glared angrily as they stood in front of over a hundred younglings.

　　The small and immature chicks were larger than human children, but that did not take away the fact that they were civilians who didn't even have the strength to harm a human soldier!

　　"Caww! Cawww!"

　　"Caaaaaaaaw!"

　　"Caaaw!"

　　The pakklaton children exhibited a mix of emotions. Many of them exhibited fright. They were so afraid of the human boogeymen that they flapped their featherless wings in panic!

　　Other children exhibited pure and utter hatred towards the foreign invaders that had wiped out their star nation and most of their fellow pakklatons.

　　Even though aliens usually thought and acted a lot differently from humans, Ketis had little doubt that the most resentful among the alien kids would definitely try to take revenge if they managed to survive this encounter!

　　However, that was only one of many possible outcomes. For now, they children. Alien children, but young and innocent nonetheless.

　　The pakklaton guards that had been guarding these children against intruding voribugs tensed up for a fight they knew they could not win.

　　They stood their ground anyway because they were all prepared to fight to the death in order to give the children of their race a chance to slip away!

　　Nobody started any attacks for the moment but the tension in the hall made it difficult to maintain this state.

　　Ketis could feel the desire to strike the aliens down from her fellow Swordmaidens.

　　She could also feel the alien but also very familiar determination from the pakklaton soldiers.

　　She slowly let out a deep breath.

　　"Lower your weapons. Slowly."

　　"Wait, what? Are you sure, Ketis?"

　　"The aliens don't pose a threat to us and killing them won't provide any significant gains."

　　The Swordmaidens did not take well to this message. The older veterans especially couldn't agree with her decision.

　　"With great respect, Ketis, but these aliens are our enemies. Back in the Faris Star Region, we either kept our blades sheathed or we stained them completely with blood. You know what half-measures can produce. The longer they stay alive, the more we have to worry about what they can do to us. We cannot afford to keep so many uncertain elements alive."

　　Ketis shook her head even as she let go of her Bloodsinger. Her weapon floated in the air and was still close at hand, but the symbolism of this move was undeniable to the tense and jumpy pakklaton soldiers.

　　"Cawww…"

　　The avian juveniles all quieted down even as their protectors slowly lowered the muzzles of their rifles.

　　"Times have changed, sisters." She stated even as her force of will remained sharp. "We are no longer as weak and vulnerable as before. We have grown stronger, and that puts us in a different position."

　　"That doesn't take away from the fact that the aliens are our enemies." Someone insisted. "We are Swordmaidens. We never show mercy on the battlefield. The comrades of these aliens have tried their best to kill us. Other human troops have already died from the attacks of these crazy birds. Let us act according to our training and rid ourselves of this threat."

　　"You will do no such thing, sister! We are Swordmaidens, but we are also Larkinsons! We must uphold the honor in our hearts and pay closer attention to our actions. Forget about any orders that you might have. I want you to disarm and incapacitate all of the armed pakklatons in this chamber. Do it gently and do not make any aggressive moves. Do the same for the alien children, but try not to get overboard. They just need to stay in place before others take them away."

　　The Swordmaidens remained silent as they mulled over her incomprehensible order.

　　"Do it!" Ketis barked!

　　The Swordmaidens were conflicted. They wanted to obey Ketis, but her authority was a bit nebulous at the moment. It didn't help that she boarded an assault shuttle without warning.

　　Ves, who had been watching her actions from his factory ship, decided to intervene at this time.

　　"You can go ahead and take the aliens prisoner." He instructed. "Don't take any risks and don't let yourselves get fooled. You can capture any other pakklatons if they don't show any resistance. I'll pass this order to the rest of our boarding troops."

　　He initially wanted to get rid of these potential threats. After all, keeping them alive and watching over them took up manpower that could have been used to secure the ship faster.

　　However, he just recalled the worth of living prisoners rather than dead corpses. The former was much more valuable to him than the latter!

　　As Ves thought about what he might be able to do with his next batch of test subjects, the Swordmaidens no longer hesitated.

　　They followed their new instructions and tried to coax the aliens into allowing themselves to get bound.

　　"Cawww! Caww!'

　　Unfortunately, the alien soldiers were unwilling to let themselves be disarmed.

　　"What is the problem?"

　　"I think the pakklatons are worried that they'll get eaten by voribugs if we leave them defenseless."

　　"Oh. Then just promise to them that we will keep watch over them. We will repel any voribugs that attempt to eat their kids."

　　It took a while, but the pakklatons eventually lowered their guard. They reluctantly surrendered their weapons and allowed the humans to take custody over their group.

　　Even if a handful of pakklaton children attempted to resist, the human soldiers easily pinned them in place.

　　If necessary, Ketis employed her force of will to force the recalcitrant alien chicks to submit!

　　Once the prisoners were secured, Ketis left half of her squad behind to guard their charges against voribugs.

　　Before she moved on, she took one last look at the sad and subdued pakklatons.

　　It looked as if the humans had enslaved the avian individuals.

　　A part of her even thought that it would have been a mercy if she commanded her troops to cut them down on the spot.

　　Had she grown too soft? Was she letting her emotions get in the way of becoming a better swordswoman?

　　She gazed down at her armored hand. The limb actually shook a bit as she became engulfed in doubts.

　　Was it possible for a swordmaster to wield a sword of mercy, or were they only ever allowed to hold a blade that was stained with blood?

　　The old Ketis would have never hesitated to act as her fellow sisters suggested.

　　The current one was different. Though she had grown a lot stronger, she was also planning to be a mother.

　　Had her desire to bear a child made it less bearable for her to kill kids?

　　"There is no honor in slaying children."

　　Since when did she care about honor, though?

　　Her mood and will grew turbulent as she struggled to make sense of herself. She found that she did not know herself as well as she initially thought!

　　"Ugh. Now I know how Joshua felt."