The Mech Touch

When Ves and his family finally returned to the Spirit of Bentheim, the Golden Skull Alliance's visit to Pentahull Station had come to an end.

The Larkinson Clan and its allies made productive use of their time in the Norbit System.

Ves received many reports on what his Larkinsons managed to get done during the days they spent on the space station, but he mainly directed his attention towards intelligence.

Information was more valuable than anything else at the moment, especially in light of Reynard Clarke's unexpected solicitation.

This was why he called over Calabast to his office in person so that he could discuss the latest developments in complete confidence.

"Hello again, Lucky."

"Meow~"

Lucky jumped from the desk and floated over to Calabast so that he could snuggle in her arms.

The cat comfortably purred from the moment that the spymaster began to rub and massage his metal head.

Ves was still in the process of putting the finishing touches on the experimental project that he had put on pause.

His recent visit to Pentahull Station had given him plenty of time for him to reconsider his existing ideas. He also gained a bit more inspiration as he witnessed different mechs, cultures and circumstances.

This was why he pushed back the completion of the new luminar crystal cannon for the Amaranto in order to update and tweak its design.

Though the result wouldn't be much different, Ves still believed it was worthwhile to ensure the weapon was fully equipped to handle the challenges in the future.

Calabast wasn't patient enough to let Ves finish his current design task.

"Ahem. You called, kid?"

Ves frowned as Calabast pulled him out of the zone. He let out a deep breath before he waved his hand to shut off the design interface.

"We need to talk. First off, tell me about the Clarke Clan. Have you sniffed out any information that can tell me more about how much the Rubarthans are backing the Clarkes?"

Calabast did not look worried as she continued to snuggle Lucky in her arms. "You don't need to be too concerned. The intelligence community is already aware that the New Rubarth Empire has a habit of taking advantage of outside groups that have shallow ties to the state. The Clarke Clan is merely one of many convenient cat's paws."

"What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"The Rubarthans don't value the Clarkes at all." The woman bluntly said. "I am confident in this assessment. Our Black Cats have collected an extensive amount of data inside Pentahull Station. They have infiltrated both the public and not-so-public spaces of the various hulls. Nothing we have gathered indicates that there is a solid connection between the Clarke Clan and the New Rubarth Empire."

"What if you are wrong? What if the Clarkes and the Rubarthans are much more competent in hiding their connections than you think?"

Calabast frowned. "You have no evidence for that, Ves. It is dangerous to speculate too much in my line of work. You will lose your mind in conspiracy theories before you know it. There is nothing wrong with applying Occam's Razor. The Clarke Clan is too small, weak and incapable to earn the appreciation of the Rubarthans. It does not have any powerful connections nor does it have any talented people in its ranks. Use your logic, Ves. The Clarkes don't even register in the minds of the first-raters."

Ves scratched his head. "If that is the case, then why did Reynard Clarke try to solicit me into defecting to the Rubarthans?"

The spymaster gently dropped Lucky onto the desk, much to the cat's complaint, so that she could cross her arms.

"The situation is quite clear to me. It is not the Clarkes that have taken the initiative, but the Rubarthans. Reynard Clarke is merely the spokesperson that at least one Rubarthan power has tapped to convey a request on its behalf."

That sounded a lot more serious than Ves initially thought! He straightened his back as his expression grew ugly.

"Are you saying that the Rubarthans have taken notice of me?" He asked.

"This is almost certainly the case based on the claims that Mr. Reynard Clarke has voiced during your talk. The Transhumanists are to blame for this. No matter how careful they are in keeping their secrets, it is impossible to maintain complete confidentiality in a large and divided super organization."

"Those damn mechers." Ves quietly cursed under his breath.

They were too unreliable! Master Dervidian had explicitly promised to him that he and his fellow Transhumanists would prevent Ves from getting noticed by other powerful groups.

"You can't control what has happened, Ves. The only way to handle this situation is to think about our options going forward. Right now, it is a fact that the Rubarthans, or at least a group of them, have noticed that the Transhumanist Faction are interested in your work. It is not certain yet whether the Rubarthans know about what you have been doing, but I think it is safe to assume that they do not know the details. The mechers should at least be able to protect you to this extent. However, a hint is already enough to arouse the interest of the Rubarthans."

Ves pressed his fingers against his forehead. All of this stuff was starting to drive him crazy.

"Damnit. Can we expect a visit from the Rubarthans soon?"

"You don't need to worry about that just yet." Calabast confidently replied. "There are rules in the Red Ocean that the Rubarthans need to abide by. We are currently operating in the territory of the Red Ocean Union. Not only that, we are still located within the borders of a middle zone. Rubarth has no excuse to send out one of its ships to this neighborhood. This is where the Clarke Clan comes into play. Since the Rubarthans can't contact us directly, they have decided to make use of this exiled clan to act as their proxy. Do you understand the full picture now, Ves?"

"I do."

Much of the situation became clear to Ves now that Calabast gave her analysis. Though she did not have solid proof for most of her assertions, the chain of logic along with the evidence gathered by the Black Cats all supported her interpretation.

Calabast tapped her fingernail against the desktop. "There is a massive difference between receiving a referral from a bunch of nobodies and receiving an indirect invitation from Rubarth itself. Has my analysis changed your stance in any way?"

"Nope. Not at all. My own logic hasn't fundamentally changed. I told my wife that I would still stick to my guns even if the Star Emperor himself deigned to visit me in person. I don't like to surrender control to anyone. There is no way I will ever change my mind!"

He expected his spymaster to agree with him, but she instead opted to slam her palm against the desk!

"Meow!"

"Stupid!" Calabast growled! "You are being just as obstinate as the expert pilots that you frequently malign for their inflexibility. The future is always in flux, Ves! No one can predict with total certainty what will happen in the future. Sure, you have managed to earn the favor of the Survivalists and the Transhumanists, but what if an event takes place that causes your relationship with the MTA to crumble? You will be all alone with no powerful patron to protect you. The mechers that you have previously depended upon may even turn against you! Have you ever thought about this possibility?"

Ves looked troubled. "I did, but… maybe I didn't think it through. It is difficult for me to imagine a way forward if the MTA itself turns against me. There is no way to beat one of the Big Two."

"That may be true, but you can still fend off the mechers if you take shelter in one of the first-rate superstates. This is what I have been trying to steer you towards, Ves. You need to get rid of your irrational disgust and contempt towards Terra and Rubarth and start treating them as potential escape routes. Neither of them are perfect and neither will satisfy all of your desires, but that is not the point. Their greatest value to you is that they will be willing to shelter you as long as you exchange enough benefits."

She made a good point. Ves truly believed that neither of the first-rate superstates were any good. Their flaws were too many to count and it would be incredibly difficult for a newcomer like the Larkinson Clan to be able to gain their footing in their incredibly messy and tangled societies.

However, Ves would rather deal with all of these problems than lose his life or freedom!

Every other alternative was better than those awful outcomes!

His mindset shifted after Calabast had wisened him up. The reality of life was that no one always got what they wanted. Not even the most powerful humans such as the Star Emperor or god pilots could satisfy all of their desires and fulfill all of their ambitions!

Since that was the case, how could Ves be any better?

Now that his mentality had become a little more open towards the Terrans and the Rubarthans, he struggled to figure out which camp he should lean towards if he was ever in need of shelter.

"If the MTA can no longer give us the protection that we need, I would prefer to knock on the doors of a group that is willing to respect our autonomy as much as possible." Ves spoke. "As much as I appreciate the Rubarthans for giving me an invitation, I would probably side with the Terrans if they promise to leave my clan alone. They shouldn't be interested in meddling in our affairs."

Calabast snorted. "Turning to the Terran Confederation is a serious mistake. I wouldn't join it unless we have exhausted every other option. The power of the ancient clans, the majority of which have a history that goes back millenia, are too deeply rooted in the fabric of Terran society. You would think that a society that is led by highly augmented humans would have its own house in order, but that is not the case. The incompetence, decadence and hedonism that has plagued the Terrans since the Age of Conquest are still as prevalent as ever."

Ves directed a deep glance towards his spymaster. "It sounds as if you are in favor of defecting to the Rubarthans first."

"I make no secret of my preference for the Rubarthans." She replied. "The culture of our clan already shares a resemblance to Rubarthan culture. The politics and intrigue of Rubarth should not be underestimated, but I can assure you that it is a lot more straightforward than the snake pit that is Terra. The best way to get accepted in Rubarthan society is to be successful in something. You just happened to excel at this. That means that you will not have any problems with integrating into the Rubarthan power structure."

Though Ves agreed with her assessment, he took her earlier words under account and did not immediately dismiss the merits of the Greater Terran United Confederation.

He eventually waved his arm. "There is no need to discuss this contingency in such exhausting detail. The two first-rate superstates are so goddamn huge that we can talk all day about which one suits us better."

"If that is what you wish."

This was only a remote consideration in the end. Ves was still as thick as thieves with the MTA and there was no reason for the mechers to turn him into an abandoned son.

"There is one more thing that you should take note of." Calabast said before she left. "The Rubarthans have approached us first. The question I have is whether the Terrans will follow suit. Their actions or lack thereof will tell us how extensively the secret has spread."

"Hm, you're right. Please pay attention to this matter and contact me the instant the Terrans or anyone tied to them has passed on a message."