The Mech Touch

"Are you a Terran? A Rubarthan? Who do you work for? Where do you come from? ANSWER ME, PLEASE!"

Lord Pearian's lethargy had completely disappeared now that someone other than the fixed pair of nunser guards showed up. He had experienced so many monotonous days that he had almost reached the end of his rope!

He had never been so alone in his life as this period of captivity!

Isolation was a completely foreign word to him. Ever since he was born into the Yorul-Tavik Clan, he was constantly surrounded by people, many of whom catered to his needs.

His guard troop ensured his personal safety.

His team of maids took care of his ordinary daily needs.

His personal assistants took care of his administrative obligations.

His fellow clansmen increased his sense of belonging to the Yorul-Tavik Clan.

His friends made him happy and felt he was among his equals.

His subordinates helped him fulfill his ambition to become an adventurer by running his pioneering fleet on his behalf!

No matter what, Lord Pearian was never left alone for an extended amount of time.

The only solitary moments he enjoyed was when he did his bathroom business, but even then a hidden monitoring system constantly tracked his condition. The absence of people only provided him with an illusion of privacy.

These past few weeks had therefore been the worst period of his life. The mental torture of never being able to share his thoughts with someone was agonizing to someone who had never been alone in any time in the past.

If not for the fact that those alien guards came in person to toss a nutrient pack into the cell every once in a while, he would have probably cracked by this time!

Now that a human had apparently shown up in front of him, Lord Pearian was determined not to extend his spell of isolation!

It didn't matter to him whether the figure standing on the other side of the cell was a false projected image of a human.

At this time, Lord Pearian was desperate for any companionship!

He even ran towards the energy shield and banged his fist against the energetic surface!

"SPEAK TO ME ALREADY!"

It was at this point that the desperate prisoner finally heard another person speak to him in standard language.

"Lord. Pearian. Yorul. Tavik." The mysterious person spoke in a synthesized voice.

"You… you can talk…"

The ragged Pearian almost couldn't believe that he had heard the robed figure address him like he was an actual person. "Hahaha… you can talk… YOU CAN TALK! HAHAHAHA!"

The scion of a powerful first-class clan became completely beset by a cocktail of emotions!

If his implants were still functional, then they would have regulated his emotions so that he wouldn't lose his composure like this. As it was, Pearian couldn't care less how undignified he looked.

Someone had finally come to talk!

Tears practically welled in his eyes as he gazed at the mysterious masked figure as if he was the most beautiful lover in the cosmos.

Warmth and joy radiated from the desperate prisoner as he savored this moment. He did not want to miss this opportunity to regain a part of his humanity again after so many weeks of being treated like unwanted cattle!

"Please… talk to me." He begged the figure. "Are you… real?"

Surprisingly enough, the other figure no longer maintained his silent and stoic demeanor.

"I am physically present here." The figure spoke with normal dictation this time. "Before you ask, I am a human like yourself. I am the only human aboard this homeship."

Now that Pearian finally managed to get within reach of a human that responded to his questions, he did not want to miss this opportunity to obtain the answers that had eluded him for such a long time!

"What is this warship we are on?" Lord Pearian desperately asked. "Why does it look different from other nunser ships?"

The robed figure remained silent for a few seconds before his synthesized voice spoke again.

"The vessel whose translated name roughly corresponds to the Fractured House of the Collapsing Star is not strictly a nunser ship. She belongs to a multi-racial alliance that has members of every significant alien race of this dwarf galaxy. She is primarily led and crewed by nunsers, but she also hosts a sizable minority of other alien crew members. She is one of many multi-race warships that will serve as one of the most prominent symbols of cooperation beyond racial lines."

Lord Pearian really didn't care about all of that. He only cared about learning the name of the ship and finding out that there weren't only nunsers crewing this vessel.

Now that he satisfied a part of his curiosity about the ship, he turned his attention to the strange human who the aliens hadn't restrained in any obvious way.

"Why are you not in a cell like me? Are you on parole?"

The silver-masked figure faintly shook his head. "I am not in captivity. I have voluntarily chosen to reside on the Fractured House of the Collapsing Star to liaise with her 'housemaster' and the alien alliance that he represents."

"...What?" Lord Pearian looked shocked. He took a few steps back from the energy barrier. "You mean… you're one of those traitors who has been leaking human technology and secrets to the natives?!"

Pearian became horrified with the realization of crimes committed by this other human.

Even an incompetent pioneer like Lord Pearian knew that there were a couple of lines that could absolutely not be crossed, and what the mysterious human figure had admitted to doing just now was enough to damn him to an eternity of punishment!

"Who… are you?" He asked again. "Who do you belong to? What is your agenda?!"

"I am not here to pamper you, 'Lord' Pearian. You may call me Jugal Meren if you wish, but I do not have time to satisfy your curiosity. Come with me. The housemaster of this ship has called you forth in order to test your mettle."

"What do you mean by that, Mr. Meren?"

The robed figure declined to say anything else. He merely waved his hand and caused the energy shield to drop.

"Come." Mr. Meren's synthesized voice commanded in a way that conveyed great authority.

Despite Lord Pearian's fear and revulsion at the other person, he instinctively obeyed his instructions and cautiously followed the human liaison.

He made sure to wear his damp shirt. He did not want to meet an alien savage when he looked more uncivilized than the primitives who occupied this galaxy.

"Lead the way."

Pearian knew better than to attack Mr. Meren or take him hostage. There were so many invisible security measures around him. Aside from that, someone who dared to collaborate with the native aliens was bound to have a lot of protection!

He instead sought to engage the other human in conversation again while carefully studying the decor of the interior.

The corridors and compartments were larger and wider than what Pearian was accustomed to, but they were still a bit cramped for the nunsers. Space was at a premium on this starship and there were only a few large halls that provided enough of a stomping ground for the quadruped aliens to run free and go wild.

Few aliens were about at this moment, but perhaps the alien commander had already cleared the way in advance.

"Which state do you hail from, Mr. Meren? Are you a Terran or a Rubarthan?"

"My origin is not your concern, Pearian." The man replied in a more emotionless tone. "I would be much more concerned about how you are about to present yourself to the master of this ship."

Lord Pearian knew that, but he didn't really care about talking with an alien whose language he couldn't understand anymore.

He would much rather extract more answers from this human who had gained the privilege to walk freely on an alien ship!

From the lack of reactions of the few aliens that were present along their route, Mr. Jugal Meren was apparently a common sight on this homeship!

They eventually arrived at a massive elevator that could fit a dozen nunsers and began to ascend upwards.

The cells were apparently located close to the bottom of the mixed alien warship. The ride upwards would probably take a fair amount of time as the speed of ascent wasn't that impressive.

Lord Pearian used this time to ask many questions related to Mr. Meren's identity, organization and motives.

The filthy collaborator refused to provide any answers! His mask and robes made him difficult to read, so there was no way to infer any responses by studying the man's body language.

"Fine!" Pearian threw up his hands. "Tell me about this housemaster."

"The Trampler of Stars is a renowned warlord among the nunser people." Mr. Meren spoke again. "He not only holds authority within nunser society, but has also earned the respect of numerous alien races. He is part of the cadre of the aforementioned multi-racial alliance and can summon many warships to further his objectives. Do not disrespect him. If you anger him in any way, I will not be able to prevent you from getting trampled by his hoofs."

Lord Pearian became more pensive. He never learned how to talk or engage in diplomacy with aliens because it hadn't been needed in the past.

Right now, he felt that was a serious shortcoming! He knew too little about nunsers or whatever else Mr. Meren talked about.

Pearian briefly froze. What was he doing right now? Why was he obeying the instructions of a traitor?

"No."

"..."

Mr. Meren's masked head stared back at Pearian.

"No." The captive dressed in basic prisoner clothes repeated. "I will not take any further step until you tell me exactly who you are and what you are trying to accomplish."

"You are scheduled to have an audience with the Trampler of Stars."

"NO! I am not going! I may have fallen into the most pathetic state of my life, but I am still a human! I will not betray my race by collaborating with this trampler alien!"

"...We will drag you in front of the housemaster if that is what it takes."

"Then I will do my best to spit on the alien commander and deny him any satisfaction!"

The masked human fell silent for a slightly longer period of time before he made a concession.

"Very well. What do you wish to know? I will answer your questions until this elevator has arrived at its destination."

"What is your agenda?" Pearian asked this question again. "I need to know. What do you intend to accomplish by helping these aliens?"

"...I am human, as you know." Mr. Meren's synthesized voice spoke. "My agenda is extensive, but my goals are clear. Despite your impressions, I am not a traitor to the human race."

"Pardon? That sounds like a contradiction to my ears. Your actions pose a direct harm to humanity!"

If Mr. Meren didn't wear a silver mask, he likely would have smiled at Pearian.

"Your logic and comprehension are deficient. While I readily admit that my ongoing collaboration with the local alien races will cause humans to incur greater losses, it is all worth it in the end. Our true enemy is the Big Two, not humanity as a whole. The Mech Trade Association and the Common Fleet Alliance have held human civilization captive for too long. It is time for them to be swept aside in an uprising of immense proportions, but humanity cannot do so without an impetus spurring them forward."

Lord Pearian began to feel intimidated by the strong conviction conveyed by the synthesized voice.

"What… impetus are you talking about?"

Mr. Meren gestured his robed arm around him. "The remarkable and diverse aliens of the Red Oceans are more resilient than you realize. They may not be as technically advanced as humanity, but that can be remedied by our actions. Once the local alien resistance has grown strong enough to resist and push back the Big Two's unwarranted encroachment of their ancestral territories, their infallible reputation will crumble into pieces! Once the vast majority of humans realize that they are not strong enough to win every battle and that the alien opposition can wipe them out if they become any stronger, our people will soon change their minds about their own invincibility!"

"W…What?"

"Don't you see, Lord Pearian?! We humans have won too much! We have defeated too many alien civilizations and conquered too much territory! This pattern will lead us to a dangerous future if it persists any further. There are existential threats on the horizon that will take more than human supremacy to defeat! The only way to wake up our conceited race and teach every human that it is better to cooperate with our alien neighbors is to strengthen the latter so that they can prove our point!"

It was at this time that Lord Pearian finally recognized what kind of crazy fellow he had been talking to all of this time.

He took a few more steps backwards as his eyes shook with fear.

"You… I know who you are. You're… you're a cosmopolitan!"

A cosmopolitan!

Lord Pearian thought that they had all gone extinct, but apparently they managed to survive long enough to interfere with the invasion of the Red Ocean!

This was a disaster!