The Mech Touch

Nobody really expected to gain any useful information out of interrogating the orven captives.

The pioneering groups would have better luck obtaining relevant details by hacking the scouting vessel's electronic database, but that would take a significant amount of time.

No matter what, the heritage and the technological development of the orven race was deep! Their encryption and security measures were quite mature and difficult to crack without special software and hardware.

While the Santana Group hackers were trying their best to crack open the scouting vessel's secrets before the Gemini Family decided to commence the assault, the Larkinson Clan quietly brought back a small batch of alien prisoners.

Ves still felt sour for paying 150 MTA credits just to get his hands on just three low-ranking alien spacers.

While it was not uncommon for people to pay a fair amount of money to obtain alien captives so that they could play with their new possessions, the value for most of them generally didn't exceed 1 MTA credit.

The Santana Group's negotiators were simply too good. They correctly identified the importance of this particular batch of prisoners when the temporary coalition was just about to assault the Palace of Shame.

The Santanas also knew that the Larkinson Clan was rich. They therefore set a price that was close to Ves' psychological limit for him to tolerate the deal.

Of course, the Santana Group probably never imagined that the Ves may have mastered unique capabilities that would allow him to extract real information out of the minds of the alien captives!

As long as Ves succeeded, the Larkinsons still gained a lot of value out of this deal!

Ves would gladly pay 10,000 MTA merits if he was able to find out the true secret behind the Palace of Shame!

When Ves received word that the Black Cats had successfully transferred the prisoners to the holding cells, he rose from his chair and made his way to his latest purchase.

Calabast walked by his side while continuing to give him updates on new developments.

"Now that the Santana Group succeeded in capturing an intact and virtually undamaged alien vessel, the other pioneering groups have engaged in more aggressive reconnaissance. They want to capture their own valuable orven scouting ships."

"What if they bump into a more dangerous alien warship?"

"Then that is even better." Calabast grinned. "If we can find an isolated enemy war asset, we can leverage our superior numbers to capture or destroy the threatening vessel with ease. That will save us from fighting against an additional powerful enemy once the main battle begins."

"I see. Are we doing the same?"

"That goes without saying, Ves."

"Tell our people to take it easy. We will gain access to plenty of alien ships and prisoners after we win the upcoming battle. There is no need to work too hard at this stage."

The two eventually reached a security department where the prisoners had been stuffed into special holding cells.

The orvens were accustomed to living in a different environment that was inhospitable to humans. The Larkinsons had to change the gravity, the air pressure, the air composition and the light levels of the cells in order to keep the exotic guests alive.

As Ves approached the cells in question, he slowed down and extended his spiritual senses.

He could immediately sense the alien minds and spirits. They were considerably different from that of humans.

Even if an orvan individual somehow underwent an extreme biological makeover that made him resemble a human, Ves would still be able to infer the truth by looking at how they looked from within.

"Interesting."

Ves stopped before a cell. An energy screen formed a semi-transparent barrier that isolated the captive but allowed those outside a clear view.

He was glad to see that the alien prisoner was still in good physical condition. He was afraid that the Santanas would have given him damaged goods, but they were professional enough to deliver the right products.

"This guy sure is tall." Ves observed.

The furred creature was sitting on a bench that was especially made for his height, but even then Ves could see how much the alien crew member could tower over every human.

What was interesting was that the alien was completely naked. Though his fur amply preserved his modesty, the lower caste members of the orven race generally didn't wear much clothing.

Real clothing and jewelry were seen as luxuries to the orvens. Only the higher caste members dressed themselves up in order to distinguish themselves from the masses and each other.

Though the orven crew members still carried more functional equipment on their bodies, the Santanas had stripped them all away, which was a shame.

A team of exobiologists had departed from the Dragon's Den to the Spirit of Bentheim in order to take charge of the alien captives.

The scientists all exhibited a lot of excitement. Though the Dragon's Den contained tens of thousands of pakklaton prisoners as well as a varied collection of exobeasts, this was the first time they came into contact with living members of one of the major alien races of the Red Ocean!

In order for an indigenous alien race to gain this status, it had to be powerful enough to survive and thrive in many different regions of space.

Though the orven race did not have a strong presence on this end of the dwarf galaxy, that did not detract from the fact that the orvens still managed to hold their own against the other major alien races such as the phase whales and the puelmers!

This might give every member of the orven race an inherent sense of pride that was impossible to break.

It was the same with humans. Even the poorest third-class space peasant possessed an unreasonable sense of pride and confidence in his own identity, especially when he was confronted by other aliens!

"I can already feel how intractable this guy is." Ves remarked as he continued to stare at the tall and furry alien being. "I'm not as surprised anymore by how vehemently the orvens resist interrogation. They truly believe their own race is superior."

Calabast crossed her arms as she judged the three captives from her own perspective.

"The alien prisoners have already resigned themselves to their fate. They are ready to die for a greater cause. I think it is best if you think of them as the religious nuts that you are so fond of meeting. These orvens behave closest to them than any other type of human."

Ves' lips curled in displeasure. "Great. That is just what I need to hear."

It seemed that he couldn't escape the reach of religion even if he walked among aliens!

"Well, let's get to it, then. Please take one of these guys to an interrogation room so that I can have a chat with the fellow in person."

"How would you like to set up the interrogation room? Do you want to keep the prisoner isolated or do you want to talk to him in a more personal setting?"

Ves briefly thought about it. "The latter, please. I want him to see me in the face and vice versa. It will be much easier for me to manipulate the capture when there is as little separation as possible."

It took a few minutes to set everything up. Ves in the meantime opted to equip his Unending Regalia. The only change he made was that he opted to wear a thin, transparent helmet as opposed to a heavier helmet that would make him seem impersonal.

He changed to his personal suit of combat armor not just because he needed to protect himself from the inhospitable orven environmental conditions, but also because it made him look more impressive.

According to the MTA database, the orven race equated impressive looking clothing and accessories to higher caste superiors.

Though the Unending Regalia probably didn't fall in line with orven tastes, it was still an impressive and imposing piece of equipment.

This was especially the case when it had been infused with so much of his spiritual energy!

As a living product, the Unending Regalia gradually took on a life of its own, gaining spiritual weight that allowed the combat armor to function as an increasingly more effective ceremonial dress!

Whatever the restrained orven captive expected to meet, the male alien definitely did not expect to see an impressive red armored figure stride into the low-lit interrogation room.

"%#$#*%#." The orven's strong voice echoed across the room.

Ves did not bother to activate his translation program. The one provided by the MTA was adequate, more or less, but he did not completely trust it to convey the full and accurate meaning of every sentence.

A man of his talents had no need to make use of a translation program.

"#$&#$#*@."

It appeared that the alien captive still remained talkative despite his doomed status. Ves could hear from the tone alone that the shackled orven remained defiant and did not intend to surrender any ground.

The only favorable sign so far was that the orven displayed a bit more wariness and respect towards Ves.

Compared to the other 'humans' the orven had met, this one clearly looked like a high caste member!

"Hello there." Ves smiled and greeted as he approached the table and sat down on the other side of the chair. "I would like to hold an interspecies dialogue with you. Is that alright?"

"#@$#&$*&."

Of course, the alien had no idea what the human was saying.

Ves also didn't understand the gibberish that the orven captive was spewing, but that was because he deliberately closed his spiritual senses.

He decided to change that by concentrating his mind and try to get a better grip on his prisoner's mental and spiritual state.

"#$&."

The alien vaguely sensed that something had changed, but he lacked the ability to understand what just happened. His spirituality was even dimmer and weaker than that of an ordinary human!

Ves leaned forward and spoke with a slightly different inflection in his tone. "You should be able to understand me now. Do not be afraid to respond."

The orven exhibited a strong physical reaction to what just happened. The alien would have risen to his feet if not for the invisible bonds keeping his body in place!

The creature's four eyes widened by a minute degree as the prisoner looked at Ves with incredulity.

"Human… not real. Cannot say. No. You are not orven. Why can I understand human words?"

Ves grinned. His first goal was to throw the orven captive off-balance.

"My powers are beyond your comprehension. I am not like those other weak humans that you have met or learned about. The humans that have captured you are merely slaves in our society. I am different because I am their master. Do you understand the difference?"

The mix of truth and lies along with the way that Ves delivered his meaning evoked another reaction from the orven spacer.

As a living being who was firmly a part of the bottom of the totem pole, obeying and respecting his superiors was ingrained in his mind and spirit!

Though the alien's intense hostility and rejection of other species prevented him from submitting to Ves on the spot, it was clear that he had lost his mental balance!

"Let us get to know each other." Ves suggested. "What is your name, orven?"

"My designation is Aruva-QkrnRa-81."

"I see. I have many names and titles, but you can call me patriarch. I am the leader of a clan that encompasses 500 trillion humans. Thousands of planets have fallen under my sway and I answer to no other human aside from the Polymath, the smartest and most brilliant leader of the human race. By the way, I am over 1 million years old. Do you know how long that is? I have lived over 3000 times longer than your maximum lifespan! I am ancient, wise and powerful beyond belief!"

Aruva-QkrnRa-81 or whatever he was called looked so shocked that he simply couldn't believe in Ves anymore.

"Lies… you are speaking false, human! No member of your race can grow so old!"

"Oh really now? Are you certain about that, Mr. Aruva-QkrnRa-81?"

Ves leaned forward while concentrating a bit more. He consciously reached out to the Phase King and invited the design spirit to inhabit his mind for a time.

A powerful spiritual presence descended in the dim and moist interrogation room. Ves suddenly gained an aura that conveyed an undeniable sense of age and power.

The Phase King was by far the oldest design spirit in Ves' collection. Though it was easy to lie with words, it was a lot harder to fool the spirit!

When Aruva-QkrnRa-81 looked at Ves as the latter embodied the Phase King, the orven captive felt as if he was sitting right in front one of the highest leaders of his race!

In fact, Aruva-QkrnRa-81 couldn't imagine that there was any orven ancestor that could match Ves in his current form!

Compared to the limited amount of orven leaders that the alien captive had the privilege to glimpse from afar, those high caste members of his race paled in comparison to the human patriarch!