The Mech Touch



Now that he had come to this point, it was time for Ves to open a portal and lead everyone back to normal space.

After Ves and a number of specialists studied the convoluted attempts of the pescans to gain control over the main control center, they found that the pescans had employed a lot of clever solutions.

"These aliens had years to decipher how these alien crystals work. It shouldn't be surprising that they managed to gain control over them in their own way."

The pescan texts and pictograms were not completely unreadable. The pescans studied humans long enough to develop rudimentary translators. It was easy to obtain the software and quickly reprogram it so that it could translate the pescan data screens.

That didn't bring them any closer to opening a portal because it turned out that the entire control system was still in a locked state.

"Oh. So it hasn't been lifted yet." Ves furrowed his brows.

Several hours ago, Ves and the pescans issued a lot of conflicting orders to the prison systems. This caused the entire controls to lock up and enter into a forced security mode.

In the end, Ves not only had to use the purple control crystal that he had fabricated inside the System Space, but also work together with a bunch of computer engineers and other specialists to lift the lock up state.

Though it took a bit longer than he wished, the people working on this problem were absolute leaders in their own fields!

After all, anyone invited to attend the founding ceremony at the VIP seating blocks were part of the cadre of their respective organizations.

Ves inadvertently impressed another batch of people in this way. They became astounded by the ingenuity of the purple crystal that he had made and how easily it was able to fool the alien controls so well.

"We did it, sir!" A virtual security engineer called. "We have managed to get past the final checkpoint. I think these settings are related to the portal."

Turning on the alien portal was not as simple as flipping a switch or pressing a button.

The reason for that was because there was no existing portal back in normal space.

Fortunately, it was not as if this portal tech was equivalent to that of human beyonder gates. A destination gate was not necessary, but recommended.

According to the information provided by the control interface, the current settings enabled an authorized user to specify the coordinates of the exit position.

Anyone who passed through the portal would appear in any space within a certain range of the center of the Government District.

This could also be used to transport people in the city directly into a cell!

"So this is how the pescans managed to abduct us in the first place." Ves looked enlightened. "Can you find out whether the aliens used this system to abduct humans in the past?"

"We have yet to find any logs. It may be buried in a different alien menu."

"Nevermind, then."

Ves was pretty certain that the pescans covertly used this powerful teleportation function to kidnap a bunch of unwitting humans in the past.

The pescans needed to learn more about the humans that had taken over their planet by force, and getting their information out of the mouths of government officials could provide them with a wealth of key information!

This may have been how the aliens who were completely unfamiliar with humans and human society in the past not only knew about the founding ceremony, but knew exactly who to target in order to gain maximum leverage!

"Did we find any human prisoners or… their remains?"

"No, sir."

"A pity."

No one cared about those unlucky victims if they existed. The former human captives just wanted to go home now. They all concentrated their efforts in understanding and deciphering the complicated portal settings.

They eventually managed to deduce enough clues to figure out how to configure the exit coordinates of anyone passing through the portal!

"Alright! Good work, everyone!" Ves clapped as all of the other experts smiled in accomplishment and relief. "Let us quickly open up a portal in the middle of the Government District and return home as victorious conquerors. You should all remember what we have done on this day. We not only managed to escape from our cells, but successfully overthrew its last jailors!"

Though Ves and Ketis did most of the work, it did not matter too much if others gained a little credit.

Ves was sure that once the story of what happened here spread out, he and his clan would definitely reap most of the glory!

Just as Ves wanted to set the coordinates, Major Durant showed up and momentarily pulled him aside.

"Wait. Don't be in a hurry to open up a passage. Let us talk about this first, patriarch."

Ves became upset at the interruption. He was sick and tired of this dreary place and wanted to get back to the Cat Nest so that he could take shelter in the protection of the many mechs of his clan.

The earlier battle had given him a stark reminder of how difficult it was to win any battle without the use of mechs. Ves spent so much time and effort designing many of them that it was painful to be deprived of them when he needed their combat power the most!

"What is wrong, major? I would have thought that you would be even more eager than me to bring your charges back to civilization and safety." Ves smiled.

"You are not wrong, patriarch, but it is the manner of our return that I wish to discuss." The officer of the Davutan guard forces replied. "It is in my judgment that it is better to put the exit location as far away from the center of the Government District as possible. We just survived not one, but two separate attempts to harm the foundation of our colonial state. Enemies may still be abound, and the center plaza is too exposed of a location to serve as a safe exit point. We should put the exit at a side street and send one of us ahead so that we can confirm that the portal is working correctly and inform the local military units to reinforce this position."

All of that sounded logical to Ves, and it was probably the best way to go forward if they wanted to maximize their safety while minimizing any fuss.

It did not sit well to Ves, though. He had a different sort of exit in mind.

"No. I get what you are coming from, but I will not allow you to deny the victory that we have secured today. Let me tell you how we will go about this. We will open a portal in the center of the Government District and file out with our heads held high as we invite the media to witness our successful return. My clansmen will bring out the pescans that we have taken captive and show to the citizens of Davute that we have dealt with the culprits of our abduction."

Major Alden Durant did not like what he heard. "While I appreciate what you and Swordmaster Ketis have done, the rest of us have contributed to the battle as well, so please do not dismiss our opinions. This is a sensitive matter, Patriarch Ves. All matters pertaining to this pocket space and alien prison must remain confidential. Holding a victory parade will do the opposite."

The man's words caused Ves to lose patience with the Davutans. He stepped forward and did not hesitate to make his displeasure known!

"Now you listen here, you drone. I am sick and tired of all of the crap that your state and government has pulled off. I know you aren't personally responsible for any of its screwups, but it is undeniable that Davute has erred in letting the remnants of the pescan race retreat to this pocket space. You guys also failed to prevent the Karlachs from infiltrating your planet so that they could pull off a devastating surprise attack during the founding ceremony. What I find most awful was that you didn't even allow us to bring enough mechs and combat equipment to guarantee our own safety. A lot less people would have died if you took our security a lot more seriously!"

"We deeply apologize for that, patriarch. Our state will provide you with a satisfactory answer with regards to your"

"I'M NOT FINISHED!" Ves roared back as his anger boiled over! "The point I am trying to make is that you Davutans have put us into this dangerous situation to begin with! Out of all of the people involved here, it is only my clan and I that managed to bail you out and give us all a chance to climb out of the pit you dug for us. If it wasn't for us Larkinsons, you and your precious charges would have remained stuck in your cells until the pescans had managed to hatch their nefarious plan! If it wasn't for our swordmaster using one of our costliest and most precious trump cards, your men would have all been dead as the pescan soldiers depleted our ammunition and swarmed us with numbers! In short, this is mostly my victory, so I get to decide what to do, understood?! Besides, your state owes a lot of compensation to my clan."

It became clear that Major Durant truly did not want Ves to go through with this, but it was clear that he no longer had enough say in the matter anymore.

Hardly any human in the pocket space took the Davutan guard soldiers seriously anymore. It had always been the Larkinsons who took the lead and produced various miracles that ultimately allowed them to obtain the hope of returning home alive.

The reputation of Davute had diminished while the star of the Larkinson Clan had risen. Even the guard soldiers themselves started looking up to the Larkinsons!

Under these circumstances, Major Durant had no way of convincing enough people to oppose anything the Larkinsons wanted.

Ves did not blame Major Durant and his hapless soldiers. They were merely guards when it came down to it. They did not have the equipment, training and preparation to deal with many of the crazy events that happened today.

He softened up and lifted his arm so that he could pat Durant's armored shoulder.

"It isn't just our clan that needs this morale booster. It is also the other VIPs that need to go through this unique experience. If you force them to sneak in a back alley before whisking them off to a secret facility so that you can ensure they will keep their mouths shut about what they have experienced, how many of them will retain a good impression of Davute? Let this day end on a positive note for them. If you make them feel that they have participated and completed a wild but ultimately victorious adventure, they will not be as eager to blame your state or pull out of it. Trust me, I'm a politician. I know how stuff like this works."

Ultimately, Major Durant stood no chance against Ves. Even though the seasoned infantry officer should rightfully have the greatest say among the trapped people due to his status as the representative of the government, the man ultimately bowed down to the leader of a private organization.

This was the power of prestige. Ves had become too much of a bigshot to be ignored. The higher his reputation, the less the prevailing rules and conventions fettered him. He could simply say stuff and force everyone into making it happen.

He liked it. He liked it a lot.

The only downside was that he would also have to deal with the negative consequences of becoming more famous, but that came with the territory.