The Mech Touch



The last group of resisting pescans had laid down their arms!

Ves earned a lot of admiration from the various leaders who had witnessed his discussion with the alien leader.

The Larkinsons had proven with their deeds today that the reputation they earned from concluding several successful expeditions was well-earned!

They not only freed the captives from their cells, but also led the fight against the pescan remnants that had camped in the upper floors of the prison facility.

If this was the extent of the contributions of the Larkinson Clan, then the various movers and shakers of Davute would only conclude that the Larkinsons were brave and resourceful.

It wasn't until Ketis exploded with power that virtually matched that of an ace mech that the group of helpless leaders truly experienced the gaps between the Larkinson Clan and their own organizations!

Many of them didn't have an ace mech at their disposal, let alone an expert mech. Their advantages in business, trade channels, infrastructure and specialized services may exceed that of the Larkinsons, but they were absolutely inferior when it came to exploration and combat!

The Red Ocean was not a peaceful dwarf galaxy. Years of comfortable living in a well-developed port system such as Davute had eroded their sense of danger.

Too many colonists and pioneers had lost their respect towards the indigenous enemies that possessed an undying hatred for humanity!

The insane chain of events that happened today served as a wakeup call to many of these self-assured leaders.

Their faith in the institutions of the colonial state of Davute had either collapsed or suffered a lot of damage.

Perhaps they wouldn't go as far as the Larkinson Clan and invest a lot of money to build up a fully-fledged mech army, but they would definitely take their security more seriously after this ordeal!

The stakeholders of Davute also became a lot more interested in deepening their relationships with the Larkinson Clan!

Nobody disliked befriending a strong and highly competent local power. If they could gain the backing and the protection of the Larkinson Clan during a future crisis, then they would gain a strong guarantee that they would be able to survive a future calamity!

Of course, not everyone was willing to bet on a single horse, but it was absolutely not a bad idea to take advantage of the moment and brush up their favorability with the Larkinson Clan.

Who knew whether they could walk over and talk to the leaders of this flamboyant clan without needing to wait in line.

A lot of CEOS, executives and owners converged onto the key figures of the clan.

Gatherings formed around Chief Minister Novilon Purnesse, Minister Shederin Purnesse and even Gloriana Wodin as they took the lead in opening up a dialogue with many different organizations.

"We have built an extensive transportation network in our newly established colonial state. Together with the numerous logistic hubs that we have established at multiple strategic locations, we are well-poised to supply mechs and other necessary war supplies to the frontlines of the upcoming war. We can offer your mech company priority access to our shipping lines, allowing you to ship goods and parts to your customers in a matter of weeks rather than months. As long as you sign an exclusivity deal with us…"

"Our business operations in the Krakatoa Middle Zone may not interest you, but we have a sister company that has invested in the Magair Middle Zone earlier than us. With the help of our extensive contacts within the local governments of the colonial states, we can provide you with instant access to their markets and reduce the tax and regulatory burdens they impose on your mech company…"

"What a lovely set of children you have over here. Your girls are so adorable and your baby son is such a cutie! Could you share their designer baby formulas with us? We would love to have children that are just as cute and well-behaved."

Meanwhile, Ketis thankfully did not have to entertain the blathering of self-important people. She had taken refuge among the circle of Larkinsons who had nothing to do at the moment because they weren't soldiers or weren't good with talking to outsiders.

Right now, both her son Kirian and her student Andraste were looking up at her with stars in their eyes.

"That was a copy of the Heavensword, right?!" Kirian asked. "Did you make it or did the Heavensworders give it to you as a present? How come you became so strong when you wielded it? Can you teach me to become just as cool as you while whacking down aliens by the hundreds?"

"You were so strong, teacher!" Andraste bounced on her feet while trying her best to hold back her glee! "I really liked it when you slashed your sword and sent out huge sword attacks. You became just as strong as a mech at the time! Can you show me how to become just as strong as a mech?"

Despite her weariness, Ketis felt a bit more energized after listening to the childish requests of the two presumptuous brats.

She reached out with her armored hands and lightly tapped them both on their helmets.

"You need to learn how to walk before you can run. Do you think swordplay is all about swinging a sharp blade and launching energy attacks? You may as well polish your marksmanship instead and wield a rifle if that is what you are after. Every form of swordsmanship is rooted in the fundamentals. You need to be able to learn how to fight both flawlessly and creatively with the basic set of sword techniques that every beginner learns before you can move on to more powerful and lethal techniques. You can forget about learning such destructive moves before you have become adults."

"Awww…"

"That's too long!"

Ketis placed her hands on her hips. "Now who is the swordmaster here?! I do not want to deny you the opportunity to become as strong as a sword as me one day, but you need to follow a strict training regime in order to train your body and drill all of the fundamental techniques in your muscles and bones. It is only at the point where you have mastered the basic techniques and become proficient in a basic sword style that you will be able to perform all of those moves in battle without requiring conscious thought. That is the absolute minimum that I expect from you before you develop your own sword styles."

As Ketis and the two sword-enthused children kept talking, Ves became preoccupied by entirely different matters.

Since he had negotiated the surrender of the final pescan survivors who could still resist, it was up to him to make sure that the aliens actually abided by their word.

This could still be a trap, so Ves and the human soldiers remained on high alert as the transphasic energy shields powered down.

It was not until the pescans exited the top floor and walked down the ramp in an orderly line that Ves became convinced that the bluff succeeded.

This was the best possible outcome in his opinion. Neither Ves nor the aliens wanted to keep fighting each other. It was great that the remnants of the pescan race decided to take refuge in the Larkinson Clan.

Although such a major promise upset plenty of people who wanted the pescans to suffer retribution and be wiped out from existence, Ves did not intend to break his word.

As an individual who got betrayed and screwed over far too many times than he could count, he could never bring himself to break a serious promise made to another party. He did not want to go down this dark path where people could no longer rely on his word.

Ves knew that he would have to put quite a bit of effort into convincing the colonial state of Davute as well as the Mech Trade Association to keep the final members of the pescan race alive.

This was a troublesome affair. Humanity's general policy towards intelligent and sentient alien races was to get rid of them entirely in order to minimize any possibility that they could grow into a serious threat and competitor.

After all, one of the reasons why humanity managed to rise up so quickly in the Milky Way during the Age of Conquest was because far too many rival alien empires underestimated the upstart race.

Given this explosive history, it would be foolish for human civilization to exhibit similar complacency towards other alien races.

This was especially a concern with sentient aliens!

Any non-human race that could potentially grow into a serious competitor to humanity had to be cleaned up sooner rather than later!

It was seriously against humanity's best interest to keep both the pakklatons and the pescans alive.

Even the thought of keeping them alive as zoo exhibits or test subjects was controversial. The entertainment industry loved to make lots of action or horror dramas about captive aliens breaking out of their cages and eventually coming back with an enormous fleet to raze everything humanity had built on top of the corpses of rival alien civilizations!

"It shouldn't be too difficult to convince the MTA to let me keep these pescans." Ves judged. "I'm not as weak as before. Besides, the pescans are so weak that they can hardly make anyone feel threatened."

The aliens continued to surrender themselves to custody. Pescan soldier after pescan soldier arrived downstairs. They voluntarily allowed the human soldiers to restrain their bodies and disable the combat capabilities of their battle suits.

The rank and importance of the pescans continued to increase over time. Ves decided to call over Helena again in order to have a like-minded person to chat with and to increase his intimidation factor.

"How… remarkable." She whispered as her translucent body turned in a complete circle. "So many humans and aliens have recently died here, but… there is nothing for me to pick up on this battlefield. Do you know how special that is, Ves?"

"No?"

"Another authority has absorbed the traces of the deceased! I bet it has to do with that all-powerful sword that Ketis wielded earlier. That weapon is special in many ways."

Ves perked up. "So it is true that Ketis really wielded the Heavensword in battle?"

"Oh, yes, brother. Even I was able to feel the sheer power and age of that blade. It did not look as if Ketis had any control over the Heavensword. It looked clear to me that it was the weapon that wielded Ketis. She is still marked by its presence in several different ways."

"Is that good or bad?"

"It depends on how you categorize them." Helena shrugged. "The Heavensword has its own presence and signature. If they do not match with Ketis' own intentions, then you have a serious conflict on your hands. I highly suggest you give Ketis a good checkup when you get back to normal space. She has been marked by heaven when she shouldn't be a part of it. That sort of exposure can never be worked away so easily. This is also a warning to you that you should not handle stuff that is too powerful for you to control."

Ves understood her sister's concerns, but he was pretty confident in his ability to resist all kinds of unnatural influences.

"Sir!" One of his honor guards called. "Great Chief Jaharon of the former city-state of Davute is descending from the ramp. He will be arriving shortly."

"Understood."

The alien leader himself immediately stood apart from his fellow pescans. Jaharon not only possessed the gravitas of a long-time leader, but also wore an elaborate green-and-blue robe with various alien markings.

The physically formidable alien did not walk like a defeated soldier who had put himself at the mercy of his opponents.

Instead, the great chief strode forward while radiating grim determination and resignation.

As the leader who had ultimately negotiated a surrender to the humans, he had changed the course of his alien race's history forever!

Whether Jaharon would be remembered as a sinner or forgotten by everyone depended on how well Ves could abide by his promises.