The Mech Touch

Ves grinned as he watched on from above as the imaginary setting engulfed an increasing amount of mercenaries.

Whether they got lost in the illusion or merely decided to play along because it was fun, the people who chose to attend his product reveal event seemingly forgot all about their real identities and embraced the roles of disgruntled colonists that had rebelled against their oppressors!

The funny part about all of this was that the uprising on Epteon III actually took place. It was one of the numerous failed cases that showed up in the news a few months ago. This was a scenario that happened once and could happen again!

The events that were about to take place in this illusionary scenario would end differently, however.

Just as the guests all thought they were winning as they shot down the guards in black, a quartet of bare, metallic mechs approached from a distance!

The mechs did not fly quickly, but their appearance already sent a surge of fear and intimidation through the spines of all of the visitors.

Each of them knew that their infantry weapons stood no chance of penetrating the armor of a mech. The differences in scale and power were simply too vast!

Nonetheless, affected by the aggressive glow emanating from below, the attendees all became driven by an impulse to continue shooting!

"We have no way out!"

"Even ants can fell an elephant!"

The four silvery mechs all split up and surrounded the large mob of 'rebels' from all sides. None of them utilized their fluid projectors as of yet. Instead, they merely stood and allowed the fake laser beams to strike their armor with no concern.

Suddenly, the mechs activated special lights that caused their forms to look more powerful and inviolable than before!

At the same time, the mechs all expanded their identical glows at once, covering the entire main hall with a strong field that completely overpowered the existing glow that aroused everyone's aggression!

As soon as the new glow imposed its presence on everyone, their aggression suddenly deflated as they abruptly became beset by an invisible field that forced them into complete calm!

The transition was too quick. Nobody could think clearly about what had happened to them as the tranquility field was so strong that the unprepared guests did not think to fight against their current state of mind.

Only the stronger and more experienced soldiers and warriors among the audience retained enough clarity to fight back against the current effect!

It was only after half a minute had passed that the new mechs dialed down their glows so that the guests were able to regain all of their wits.

"The uprising that engulfed Epteon III could not be suppressed." Ves resumed narrating. "The colonists had inflicted too much damage and had completely given in to their anger and indignity. With the help of guards who were sympathetic to their cause, they forced a deadly confrontation that ultimately led to the deaths of over 90 percent of the settlement's population while also destroying every piece of valuable infrastructure needed to develop a colony."

The surrounding projections shifted to show the aftermath of this struggle. Images of burned corpses, broken mechs and exploded structures surrounded all of the attendees.

"Think of how this rebellion would have ended if the pioneers included these four mechs in their arsenal. No matter how much the rioters spread themselves out and hide inside various structures, the glow of our new Pacifier model can pass through every obstacle and sap the fury and the passion from the rebelling crowd. Without the heat of their own emotions egging them on, they do not have the heart to rebel any further."

None of the guests were stupid. The glows they experienced and the scenario that they took part in was a powerful demonstration of how a small number of so-called Pacifier mechs could quickly end an insurrection.

It did so not through the use of noise, fluid projectors or more lethal and dangerous options.

No. The mechs instantly took the wind out of the sails of the would-be rebels by suppressing much of their thoughts and emotions!

"The Pacifier model is a revolutionary new product co-developed by the Living Mech Corporation and Voiken Industries. It combines the deep expertise and and accumulation in non-lethal mechs of Professor Taigen Herman Voiken with the glows and other unconventional features that I am known for to produce a fantastic offering that excels at subjugating unruly mobs."

The devices of Akairos Hall switched up the illusionary environment to depict an alien settlement.

Thousands of sentient insects used their alien weapons to fight and resist the human invaders that sought to suppress them without killing them entirely.

The job was a lot harder to accomplish with ordinary mechs, but as soon as the Pacifiers descended from above, many of the aliens resistance units found it difficult to fight as intensely as before!

"Our glows are effective against any living organism that can feel emotions." Ves explained. "Conquering and subjugating alien settlements has become easier than ever. No matter the species, those who oppose you will always lower their resistance when affected by the Pacifier's glow."

Kairos Hall began to showcase more scenarios. They ranged from trying to break up a brawl between two opposing mercenary outfits to calming down a scared and panicked crowd of colonists that had been affected by a disaster.

The Pacifier mechs showcased their value in each of these cases by robbing the hysterical and emotional individuals of the fuel that pushed them forward!

What impressed all of the guests the most was that not even mech pilots who were interfacing with mechs in the heat of battle were exempt from this effect!

"The Red Ocean is a dangerous and chaotic dwarf galaxy." Ves spoke as the illusionary environments faded away. "Violence is prevalent in every zone. There are too many cases that show that soldiers tasked with guarding a site or protecting a population are unable to control a crisis with their existing functions. They are simply not equipped to adequately contain these incidents. They can only suppress violence by exerting greater violence."

The four Pacifier mechs that had previously showcased their abilities to the guests all activated their flight systems and lifted from the ground. The lights shining down from above caused them to look increasingly more impressive and impactful!

"From today onwards, this is no longer the case. Violence has met its ultimate nemesis. The tranquility that our Pacifier model can impose on the perpetrators of violence is the most effective method to end their aggression! Not only that, but our Pacifier model can respond to many other situations such as ending mass hysteria and controlling large amounts of captive individuals."

Ves grinned as he saw how much his presentation had captivated his audience. "The Pacifier model is the ultimate tool to control a hostile and unruly population. Completing suppression and subjugation missions will be a breeze as long as you have at least a couple of Pacifiers in your mech roster. For the generous and affordable price of just 1 MTA credit per unit, the Living Mech Corporation and Voiken Industries are ready to allow your outfits to be the first to possess this power in the Red Ocean! Order today and be the first to harness this exclusive advantage!"

As Ves ended the presentation, many of the guests enthusiastically discussed among themselves.

They shared their thoughts on what they just experienced and discussed the merits of the new Pacifier model.

The copies of the new mech had not disappeared. They had taken up positions in the further corners of the main hall. Those who wanted to experience their surprisingly effective glows again could approach the new machines on their own accord.

Soon enough, one mercenary leader after another recognized the opportunities presented by the Pacifier model and approached the LMC's sales representatives that had made themselves available at this time.

"I wish to place an order for three Pacifiers!"

"Are there any spaceborn variants for this model?"

"Is this mech designed for war?"

"I am willing to order a batch of fifty Pacifier mechs as long as you ship them to my company first!"

While only a small proportion of guests decided to place their orders after the event, Ves was happy with the results.

The demand was enough to keep the Larkinson Clan's new large-scale manufacturing complex busy for a few weeks and maybe longer!

As Ves smiled at this encouraging sight, Calabast approached from behind and shared her own thoughts.

"I have to admit that using illusions to immerse your audience into different scenarios is a brilliant move. The use of glows to put them into the right mindsets is also a nice touch."

"These people need to feel what my product can do. Reading or hearing about its features is not enough." Ves told her. "You can see the results for yourself. Soon, we'll be spreading hundreds of Pacifier mechs throughout the Krakatoa Middle Zone."

"That is not an impressive sales figure compared to the total amount of sales of this region. It took great effort and quite a bit of funding to organize and promote this product reveal event."

"I don't need to hold any repeat events." Ves retorted. "This is already enough. As long as hundreds of Pacifiers begin to make their mark in the region, I don't think that others will miss the incredible value and potential of my work."

Calabast turned towards her strategic partner. "I don't think I need to remind you that you are making a dangerous move, Ves. You are marketing a mech designed for public law enforcement agencies to private mercenary companies. The latter does not have to abide by as many rules and are much less restricted in how they utilize their mechs and tools. They are also much less accountable to the public."

"I know what that means. I admit the Pacifier is prone to abuse, but you can say that about any mech. It is not my place to judge how my customers make use of my products."

What happened in the weeks and months that followed from this remarkable product reveal event aligned his expectations.

As the LMC delivered their newly-produced Pacifier mechs to the first batch of customers that ordered the new product, numerous early adopters enthusiastically put them in the field whenever possible!

For example, a strike took place at a lifeless mining planet. The disruption in operations was costing the mining company thousands of MTA credits in lost revenue and contract breaches.

Though the mining company possessed enough mechs and troops to put down the striking mining personnel, the problem was that the disgruntled workers took all of the expensive mining equipment and mining vehicles hostage!

There were numerous engineers among the crew that had disabled all of the safeguards on the gear and improvised different parts into defensive emplacements.

For a long time, the workers thought they held the advantage. They were assured that the mining company did not want to go bankrupt by losing the expensive mining equipment that could not be replaced. 

However, much to their shock, the mining company ended up hiring a mercenary company to end the strike by force!

"THIS FARCE ENDS NOW!"

Hundreds of mechs flew in but did not employ any of their weapons.

Though the miners resisted against the invasion by bringing their mining lasers and other improvised weapons to bear, the mercenary mechs were able to resist these attacks long enough to get close to the blocked entrance.

As soon as the striking personnel thought that the mechs would barge through the defenses and destroy precious machines worth at least tens of thousands of MTA credits, the strange non-lethal mechs all began to expand their glows at once!

The Pacifiers made an immediate difference. Many strikers who fought because they thought they were being exploited and trapped in an increasing amount of debt that they could never repay all lost their anger and motivations all of a sudden.

Why were they fighting?

Why did they threaten to blow up their own workplaces?

Why must they take a stand?

Wasn't it better to clear their minds and embrace peace? Many of the miners manning the defenses started to drop their resistance as they were incapable of summoning any form of resistance at this time.

In the end, the mercenaries easily managed to regain control of the mining complex without causing any serious collateral damage!