The Mech Touch

"I take it the Carnegies and the Vermeers aren't faring too well either, correct?"

"Yes. Their colonies are suffering just as many attacks as the ones founded by the Puffers and the Vanguarders. You can say that the settlements of all four coalition partners are easy marks to the Hexers."

That did not sit well with Tristan. The four weakest coalition partners didn't deserve to get beat up so much. They suffered many injustices over the years and could never do anything about their grievances because of their lacking military might.

"What about the remaining two coalition partners?"

Miss Monater adopted a wry expression. "What do you think? The Gauge Dynasty and the Khonsu Clan have retained most of their strength after the Komodo War, and were therefore able to dispatch more mechs and starships to the Red Ocean. Their colonies are the strongest on a comparable basis and that has made the Hexers leave them alone for the most part. The longer the Hexers continue with their harassment campaign, the greater the disparity between the top two and the bottom four will grow. Therefore, as far as the Gaugers and the Khonsus are concerned, they are not so eager for the Hexers to stop their bullying actions!"

This stance was completely contrary to what the Friday Coalition stood for. The union of partners might not hold that many common ideals, but every Fridayman should have ben united in their common goal of resisting the Hexer people!

For the arrogant Gaugers and Khonsus to not only do anything to lend a hand to their weaker partners, but also make convenient use of the Hexers as proxy raiders went too far!

"Aren't they afraid that their colonies would collapse next once the Hexers are done with the weaker ones?"

"That's the thing, Tristan. The two are highly confident that they can use this buffer period to rapidly build up their colonies into strongholds. They actually have a decent chance at doing so as the Gaugers and the Khonsus are the only groups to build up their strength. Everyone else is constantly engaged in so many fights and skirmishers that they are suffering from constant attrition."

The scheme of the Gauge Dynasty and the Khonsu Clan were so obvious now that Tristan obtained the full story.

The two just wanted to hole up in their hills and look down as their old enemies and their unqualified partners tore each other apart!

Once this conflict proceeded long enough, everyone would suffer so much damage that the mech forces that the Gaugers and the Khonsus had painstakingly built up could easily sweep the depleted obstacles that remained in the new frontier!

Of course, what the two strongest coalition partners wanted to see the most was the Hexers wiping out every Carnergie, Vermeer, Puffer and Vanguard colony by their own power.

This would save the Gaugers and the Khonsus from doing the dirty deed themselves! All they had to do was to 'avenge the fallen' and roll up the Hexers as the rabid women had exhausted their forces after fighting in so many battles!

"The Gauge Dynasty and the Khonsu Clan will have the last laugh at this rate!"

The implications and ripple effects of his mission became even more convoluted than before.

It wasn't enough for Tristan to decide the future of the Friday Coalition's colonial ambitions in the Red Ocean. His negotiations could also alter the balance of power between the different coalition partners that made up his state!

As Tristan struggled to understand his vastly expanded responsibilities, Perla Monater moved to his side and softly padded his shoulder.

"I can understand that you would rather not undertake this important duty in the first place, but if you think about it carefully, would you rather be the person to control the outcome of the negotiations or do you want to leave this vital responsibility to another Fridayman?"

"..."

Perla smirked. "Let me tell you that the Gauge Dynasty would have loved to push forth their own representative in order to control the proceeding, but everyone correctly recognized how this would have resulted in another disaster."

"Because of Lady Aisling Curver."

"Primarily, yes. It doesn't help that the Gauge Dynasty has also been the strongest proponent to launching the original deep strike operation against the Golden Skull Alliance."

"Hahahaha!" Tristan couldn't help but burst out in laughter. "Let me get this straight. Years ago, Ves became one of the Gauge Dynasty's most wanted enemies. The Gaugers wanted to kill or capture him so badly that they even agreed to deploy an expensive deep strike fleet carrier. Yet now that the Hexers have become a convenient source of pressure towards the weaker coalition partners, the Gaugers don't want to reconcile so quickly."

Though Tristan had long been exposed to the internal division of the Friday Coalition, he and his fellow Fridaymen always assumed it was a fact of life.

The rivalry and infighting between the coalition partners hadn't been that bad when the state was in a time of peace. Very little events took place that encouraged the Gauge Dynasty and the others to plot against their fellow brothers.

All of that changed in a short amount of time. The outbreak of the Komodo War as well as the coincidental opening of the Red Ocean caused so many changes and opened up so many new opportunities that the strongest coalition partners recognized that there was a great chance to widen the distance from the weaker partners even further!

The greed of the Gauge Dynasty and to a lesser extent the Khonsu Clan had grown so rapacious that they invested most of their attention on plotting the downfall of their close compatriots instead of their common enemy!

Was this what the Friday Coalition had descended into these days? Had the Komodo War and its uneven outcome towards the different coalition partners corrupted his state to such an extent that it was creeping towards self-destruction?!

Tristan's eyes suddenly sharpened. He scooted a bit away from Perla Monater and regarded her in a different light than before.

"Who do you work for, woman?!"

"What do you mean, dear Tristan?"

"Don't treat me like a fool. I may have been a sheltered mech designer once, but I've dealt with way too many schemes when I took part in the rebuilding operations back in our home star sector. You may look like an agent of the Friday Coalition on the surface, but from the way you've been manipulating me all this time makes me think you are partial towards just a part of our state."

The diplomatic attaché did not look ashamed at all for getting exposed. She hadn't been trying that hard to hide her true loyalties in the first place, so perhaps this was all a carefully staged routine.

"Clever, clever. You do not disappoint me in this regard, Mr. Wesseling. Your ability to read other people and discern their true motivations will be essential in the times to come. There are way more people paying attention to our initiative than you think. Perhaps other people will approach you in the future who will speak on behalf of other interest groups. You can talk to whoever you want, but don't lose sight of your true loyalties."

"And what are my true loyalties, exactly?" Tristan cynically asked. "Evidently, it is no longer enough to describe myself as an envoy of the Friday Coalition when it is already fracturing from within."

Miss Monater crossed her arms. "Since you're so curious, I will let you know who I am truly speaking for. I'm a citizen of the Vermeer Group, and I feel it is my duty to guard the interests of my fellow comrades from my home."

"...Isn't it taboo for people who work in state-level branches such as you to put your own coalition partner ahead of the other five ones?"

"We're no longer stuck in the past, Tristan. We live in a post-Komodo War era where the Hexadric Hegemony no longer poses a common and existential threat to our home state. Without this Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads, our greatest threats are no longer the lunatic women from afar, but the brothers-in-arms that used to cover our backs. While there are many Fridaymen who are slow to accept this new reality, I am not one of them. I am a child of Vermeer first and a citizen of the Friday Coalition second."

"I see."

Her unabashed description of her true allegiance put Tristan in a difficult spot. He had this mission and traveled all the way to the Davute System on the assumption that he would be undertaking a role for the good of his entire state.

It was only now that he realized that the Coalition had become so splintered that it was impossible for him to satisfy every coalition partner at the same time.

If he was able to accomplish anything in a future talk with his old friend Ves, he was keenly aware that he needed to make hard choices about which concessions he favored!

No decision could be separated from the taint of factional politics. A straightforward promise of withdrawal from the Hexers was no longer universally good to the entire Friday Coalition. There were selfish people within the state that were more than happy to continue to allow their former archenemies to continue their harassment campaign!

Tristan let out a deep breath as he pressed his fingers against his forehead. For an instant, he felt incredibly tired by this nonsense.

It did not help that he never enjoyed a proper break since the outbreak of the Komodo War.

The closest thing to a vacation that he enjoyed was the lengthy transit to the Krakatoa Middle Zone, but all of that traveling around did not grant him enough rest to deal with these complexities with a fresh and sober mind.

"Okay, Vermeer woman. Now that you have informed me whose side you are on, what do you want me to do?" Tristan asked with a hint of impatience.

"There is no reason for you to be on guard against me. Our coalition partners are both on the same boat. Both of their territories suffered a lot of damage from the Hex Army's invasion. The Fortune Legion and the Blue Cavalry both bore the brunt of the Hexer offensive as well. That has turned both of our coalition partners into the Gauge Dynasty and Khonsu Clan's new punching bags."

"So what you're saying is that what is good for Vermeer is also good for Carnegie, is that right?"

"Correct." Miss Monater confirmed. "We happen to enjoy an important advantage in this initiative. Patriarch Ves Larkinson might not think highly of the Friday Coalition, but of all of the coalition partners, his regard towards the Vermeer Group and the Carnegie Group should be the highest. We were the first to expose and introduce the Novice Mech Designer that he was back then to the world of true mech design. Without the opportunities we extended to him at the Leemar Institute of Technology, he would have never been able to step up his career at such an early stage. We hope that he still retains enough pleasant memories of that important time in youth to grant us extra allowances."

Tristan's expression turned skeptical. "I would say that you are being overly optimistic about your expectations. Will Ves truly allow his nostalgia override his justified sense of animosity towards our state? I am not sure that he understands the Friday Coalition well enough to understand that we are more of a collection of six squabbling siblings than a single united family."

"If he does not understand, then it is your job to make him understand. Besides, I am sure that he has enough advisors on his side to enlighten him on the deplorable relations within our state."

"What is the point of all of this, Miss Monater?" He asked. "It sounds to me that you are trying to get me to achieve a different goal than what is part of my original mission briefing."

The woman smiled. "You are correct in that, but let's not get into a hurry. There is another dimension to this complicated situation that you will need to learn."

"And what is that?"

"The patriarch's children."