Chapter 1901 Delegation Angs

Ves felt incredibly relieved after he confirmed that the MTA frigate departed from the Kesseling System shortly after reaching orbit.

When he traveled to the LMC's headquarters, he reunited with Lucky and the Larkinson Mandate.

"Meow."

Nyaaa.

"Oh, you cuties. I missed you so much!"

While the Golden Cat enjoyed his ministrations, Lucky dodged his attempts and floated beyond his reach!

"Damnit, Lucky! Did you miss me at all during the last week?"

"Meow meow."

"This is not a vacation! You better work hard to pump out another gem! As a gem cat, don't you find it shameful that you produced so few gems? I could easily order a replacement mechanical cat from Centerpoint and not see any difference!"

"Meow!"

This raised Lucky's hackles! After throwing Ves a dirty look, he disappeared by phasing through the roof.

Ves hoped that Lucky was attempting to work hard to produce another greater gem, because he was seriously short on them right now after utilizing five of them at the same time!

When Ves settled into his chair, Gavin soon arrived with a data pad in his hand.

"Welcome back, boss."

"Cut the crap and tell me how our situation has changed."

"Well, it's pretty clear that you've managed to create a masterwork mech. That much has become public."

That was to be expected when the MTA delegation insisted on piloting the Quint in open space. There was no way to hide its masterwork state from someone who knew their mechs! Practically any competent mech designer should be able to tell that the Quint was a masterwork after studying a few seconds of footage!

"Great. How have the Ylvainans responded?"

"While you were preoccupied with hosting a Master Mech Designer, Calsie made sure to liaise with the Curin Dynasty in order to keep the locals at bay. The Ylvainans have expressed a lot of interest in your latest work."

"My Bright Warrior design has nothing to do with the Ylvainans."

Gavin shrugged. "They don't seem to understand that fact. In their view, any mech design you came up with is always tied to the Ylvainan Faith! You're the Bright Martyr after all. Some Ylvainans have even begun to spread a rumor that claims that the main reason why you managed to become the youngest masterwork mech designer in the star cluster is because your Quint has been blessed by Prophet Ylvaine!"

"THAT'S NONSENSE!" Ves banged his table, scaring the Golden Cat in huddling inside the Larkinson Mandate! "Ylvaine had nothing to do with my work! The Quint stands for the Larkinson Clan, not the Ylvainan people! Attributing my masterwork mech to someone else devalues my contribution!"

Of course, Ves conveniently left out that he himself relied heavily on both 'Mr. S' and 'Mr. L' to elevate his Quint to masterwork quality!

"We knew you would respond like that, boss. Calsie made sure to keep the Ylvainans from disturbing us while doing her best to encourage them to squash this rumor."

Ves expected this measure to be of limited effectiveness. Perhaps the Curin Dynasty as a whole was glad to see this rumor spread! The more he became tied to the Ylvainans, the better!

"Do I need to speak with the Ylvainans in person?"

Gavin shook his head. "Unless you really want to play the diplomat, you can leave everything to us. Your clan's Executive Council has done pretty in managing most major issues. Your relatives addressed a lot of important matters such as security, starship delivery, materials supply and many other concerns in accordance with the directions you've set. You don't have to lead every major initiative anymore, boss."

That was true. Ves expressly delegated many of those responsibilities to others. As far as everyone was concerned, the governance system he established was working as intended.

I was just.. he somewhat missed exercising greater control. He felt somewhat ill at ease with all of the delegation that went on these days.

In his worst moments, he even felt trapped within the structure he created for himself!

It was as if he had no choice but to squeeze himself into a certain mold because everyone else around him expected him to behave in a certain manner!

He shook his head. His situation hadn't come to this point yet. He still possessed an enormous amount of power, wealth, prestige and standing to be able to take charge if necessary.

He decided to change the topic.

"Tell me about the publicity we've planned."

"Well, since the MTA delegation departed on schedule, we can hold a press conference tomorrow at the soonest. Everything is ready. We've reserved an appropriate venue on a space station and invited a decent amount of reputable industry reporters on short notice. We even managed to score an interview opportunity immediately afterwards with your favorite news publication, the Rimward Star Herald."

Ves looked very pleased at that. In truth, he didn't really have the time to scour the news every day, so it wasn't as if he was a loyal subscriber to the Herald. It was simply one of the prestigious news portals in this region of space. That at least counted for something.

"How should I approach this interview, Benny?"

"I've consulted with a couple of public relations managers and other media specialists. We came up with a likely list of questions the reporter from the Herald will ask. We also took the liberty of coming up with suggestions on how to best answer these questions to ensure we gain as much advantage from this publicity opportunity as possible. Unlike last time, your accomplishment will truly capture the attention of the star cluster's mech community!"

Masterwork mechs were mainly a big deal to industry insiders. They weren't as notable to the mech market because of their extreme scarcity and lack of clear performance enhancements.

As for laymen who weren't involved with mechs, they couldn't even tell the difference between a standard mech and a masterwork mech!

For this reason, only industry reporters attended tomorrow's press conference. The interview conducted by the Rimward Star Herald might expose Ves to a wider audience, but his accomplishment would only be remembered by those who worked with mechs on a daily basis.

"Okay then. Let's talk about the bad news. How much trouble have we attracted?"

"I'm not the right person to answer this question." Gavin replied. "I believe one of your own men, Michael Crindon, is ready to fill you in. From what I have gathered, there are signs pointing to potential trouble. It's not very clear if anything is happening, though, so that means there are no acute threats."

Ves still didn't feel reassured.

"You know, if you don't feel secure enough, you can remedy that by hiring mercenaries."

"Mercenaries?" Ves adopted an ugly look. "My experiences with hiring mercenaries has been less than stellar."

The Battle Criers turned out to be alright, but that was because they consisted of Kinners.

He still recalled his disappointment in the Oodis Mudriders when he hired them to protect the Mech Nursery during his Apprentice days.

"Are you thinking about the Mudriders?" Gavin asked.

He nodded.

"We don't have to repeat that experience, boss. At that time, there weren't many mercenary corps available for hire. It's different now. Our budget is vastly higher and our reputation ensures that we can approach the largest and most reputable mercenary outfits without getting turned away!"

His assistant had a point. Ves seriously mulled over this option after he bought into those reasons.

While his mech forces grew in strength every day, Ves wasn't confident that they could fend off all of the threats that might be targeting him right now!

A thousand mechs was not enough! The protection of the Glory Battalion was also not enough!

With all the attention he attracted, he wouldn't feel safe until he enjoyed the protection of at least another thousand mechs!

"Explore this option." Ves commanded. "Reach out to any reputable mercenary organizations in the vicinity and see if they're willing to accept a contract from us. I hope we don't have to scrape the bottom of the barrel this time."

"Don't worry. The LMC is not the company of the past, and your personal reputation has vastly exceeded that of any Journeyman in the local region. We won't be forced to pick an outfit with a black mark on its record again."

"Good." Ves paused for a moment before a serious issue popped up in the mind. "If we successfully managed to contract some mercenary corps, suppose we encounter an ambush prepared by the Friday Coalition. Will the mercenaries even fight against the Fridaymen mechs?"

Gavin briefly consulted his data pad again. "I'm afraid not, boss. There is a standard clause in each mercenary contract that states that mercenaries aren't compelled to fight against mechs that are a class higher than what they are capable of fielding. Third-class mercenary corps will only fight against third-class mechs."

This meant that the mercenaries wouldn't hesitate to give way to the Fridaymen!

While Ves already anticipated something like this, he still looked troubled. The only other way to defend against the Friday Coalition was to hire a second-class mercenary corps, but these kinds of outfits were hard to find in lesser states!

It was still useful to hire regular mercenaries. They might not be able to resist the Friday Coalition, but they would always be able to lighten the burden against regular opponents.

"Okay, then proceed exploring this option, but make sure that they have a good reputation. The last thing I want to see is my own mercenaries turning their mechs around to attack my forces!"

"Will do, boss."

After that, they discussed some miscellaneous issues before Gavin left to enact his latest instructions.

Ves sat in his office and fiddled with the Larkinson Mandate for a moment. The Golden Cat purred comfortably as Ves massaged her intangible body with his spiritual projection.

He began to consider his upcoming agenda.

First, he planned to hold a press conference and conduct an interview. Shortly afterwards, he wanted to proceed with the long-delayed implantation surgery.

While he was out, he wanted his organizations to prepare for the long migration to the Sentinel Kingdom.

Along the way, he wanted his large and sprawling fleet to stop by the Bentheim System. He wanted to meet with the members of the old family in person for what might possibly be the last time.

Aside from that, he also wanted to witness the possible end of the Sand War. Perhaps he could grant one of Davia Stark's favors during this time so that she could move on from her trauma.

Ves knew that it wasn't really safe to travel back to the Bright Republic. If necessary, he was willing to split up his fleet so that only a small and expendable portion entered the Bentheim System while the rest continued on its way to the Sentinel Kingdom.

All in all, depending on how long his surgery incapacitated him, he needed to depend on his subordinates to hold the fort and keep his enterprises together.

"I really hope they are up to the task of running my organizations in my absence." He muttered.

Fortunately, if everything went well, he'd be out for a week at most before he could manage to regain confidence.

Even if he was stuck on a hospital bed for another week, he could still keep tabs on any developments and issue instructions from the infirmary.

"It's almost time." He whispered with anticipation.

The Archimedes Rubal that he was about to integrate would be a game changer for him. By expanding his cognitive functions and digitizing a portion of them, Ves would gain some considerable advantages that would skyrocket his productivity!

He expected to become a much better mech designer once his implant came online. This was extremely handy to him because he was just about ready to design his first proper second-class mech!

"No matter how much more complex these mechs can be, with the help of my implant, I'll never get lost!"

Chapter 1902 Grounded

In the Friday Coalition, there existed many prosperous star systems.

One of the more notable ones was the Warsaw Giant System. It hosted what many Fridayman arguably considered the best mech design institution in Coalition space!

The Clarion University of Mech Design was a sprawling behemoth that established extensive symbiotic relationships with the Gauge Dynasty.

While there were several rival institutions that possessed the capital to compete against Clarion's prestige and influence, it was nonetheless the foremost school in every aspiring mech design student's mind!

Those who managed to receive an invitation to study at Clarion were some of the most fortunate individuals.

Those who managed to rise up from obscurity and pass the notoriously difficult and grueling entry examinations were valued even higher!

This was how an ordinary young woman managed to do so well and catch the attention of one of the great Master Mech Designers residing at Warsaw Giant!

Years of frantic study, extensive augmentation, assisting her Master in various projects ensued. Soon enough, she became qualified to design her own mechs, even managing to publish a few modestly-successful mech designs in the Friday Coalition's notoriously oversaturated and ultra-competitive mech market!

In recognition of her talent, ability and contributions, the Gauge Dynasty invited her to become one of its retainers.

If she worked hard enough and continued to increase her value, then a day might come where she might receive an offer to be adopted into the great dynasty!

This was always one of her greatest goals in life! To become a member of the Gauge Dynasty meant that she would be granted the greatest amount of support in her future climb towards Master!

To any mech designer, the promotion from Apprentice to Journeyman was like a natural moat that blocked all but a random number of lucky mech designers.

Even the smartest, talented and most promising Apprentices never managed to find an opportunity to advance. Meanwhile, many of their lesser-deserving rivals breezed past this threshold as if it was nothing more than a curtain!

On the other hand, no amount of luck and random chance could ever allow a Senior to reach Master. Only hard work, a solid foundation, a huge amount of funding and a willingness to plunge into the unknown could give Seniors a sliver of a chance to advance to Master!

While Lady Aisling Curver was confident in her ability to become a Master through her own efforts, if she enjoyed the full support of the Gauge Dynasty, then her ascension was much more assured!

Just like the famed Master Carmin Olson, reaching Master at 100 years old was her ultimate goal! Advancing quickly would not only provide her with more time to perform true cutting-edge research, but also do wonders in raising her profile!

Of course, achieving this feat was not the only way for an ambitious mech designer to stand out from the mech industry and attract attention.

In a private estate situated in a pristine forested landscape, Aisling sat on her sofa while tuning in to a public broadcast.

[The rumors are true.] The voice of the man she obsessed over rang clear through the advanced speakers of her room. [The mech you see before you is a certified masterwork mech! The Quint is an exceptional copy of our Bright Warrior design, which is based around a modular mech platform with four different configurations. Through the assistance of an anonymous benefactor, my partner and I not only managed to design the best mech our collaboration has produced, but also managed to turn our inaugural copy into a masterwork!]

She pinched her fingers and spread them out in a diagonal fashion, causing the projection of the broadcast to grow larger until it dominated half of the elegantly-decorated leisure room!

The brilliant-looking woman in a dress spoke up next. [Not only has a Master of the Mech Trade Association conveyed her appreciation towards the Quint, she has also confirmed in person that Ves and I have substantially contributed to the making of this masterwork mech! After the honorable Master Moira Willix inspected our work in person, the MTA has officially bestowed us both with masterwork certificates. Starting from today, Ves and I have officially become the youngest masterwork mech designers from the Yeina Star Cluster!]

"That could have been me." She growled from her gritted teeth as she glared at the grinning woman standing next to the man that could have been hers! "That cow doesn't deserve Ves! She's ruining him! She already ruined him in fact! If she hadn't brainwashed him into becoming a Hexer slave, he wouldn't have hijacked our ship!"

A more demure-looking woman wearing a plain suit shook her head. "Let it be, Aisling. What's done is done. You have had your chance. Your Master has rejected your proposal to chase after Ves again. He's a problem for the Coalition Reserve Corps now. You should instead focus on redeeming yourself and get back in your Master's good graces."

The aftermath of the Scarlet Rose's hijacking hadn't gone well. Ves Larkinson not only managed to kill off the entire crew of the Scarlet Rose, but subsequently managed to take over the ship and her complement of mechs long enough to return to safety!

What was worse was that Hexer reinforcements also defeated the Terrinac and her mechs, taking the ship as an extra prize!

While Lady Curver wasn't responsible for these losses, her decisions to kidnap Ves and bring him back to Warsaw Giant directly led to these unfortunate turn of events.

Suffice to say, the CRC was quite displeased with Lady Curver! Her Master had to bail her out and keep her in place to minimize the repercussions of her missteps.

She hated it! Aisling was not only stuck on Warsaw Giant, but also had to go back to assisting her Master's design projects. This meant that she was unable to devote any time to her own projects, thereby slowing down her own progress!

What was worse for Aisling was that while she returned to doing marginal grunt work for Master Huron, Gloriana Wodin proceeded to reunite with Ves and design the most impressive mech up to his point in this career!

[Let me be honest.] Ves spoke. [We did not achieve this remarkable accomplishment alone. If you access the MTA's public record on the Quint, you will notice that Master Willix reserved a considerable amount of credit to a mech designer known as 'Mr. S'. Due to his own wishes, I cannot speak any further about his identity. All I can say is that Mr. S is one of my greatest benefactors and one of the most important reasons why I managed to reach this point. Master Willix herself expressed great respect for Mr. S's abilities. Not only did he assist us in perfecting the Bright Warrior design, he also facilitated our entry into the ranks of masterwork mech designers!]

Gloriana took over in addressing the crowd of reporters. [Let me be clear. We are true masterwork mech designers. Without the months we've spent on designing the Bright Warrior and the value we've provided to the Quint, our first mech built exclusively for the Larkinson Clan would have never become so remarkable! If you have any cause to doubt our masterwork certificates, then you can always take it up with Master Willix of the MTA!]

Naturally, no reporter at the press conference dared to issue a challenge. Nobody was crazy enough to call a Master Mech Designer a liar, let alone one who was part of the hierarchy of one of the most powerful organizations in the galaxy!

Gloriana smiled at the crowd and the recorders with supreme satisfaction. She even leaned into Ves in order to show off her affection for her lover!

"THAT COULD HAVE BEEN ME!" Aisling repeated with a heated face!

The impressive and sublime appearance Quint looming over the heads of the loving pair practically taunted her. The masterwork mech's existence was like a dagger stabbed into her heart. It physically hurt her to continue staring at the mech that bore the touch of both her greatest crush and her most hated rival!

While Aisling stewed over what could have happened if her scheme went according to plan, Patricia calmly observed the words and mannerisms of the two mech designers.

She picked up plenty of clues and made several important observations.

"My guess is true." She softly noted. "Ves Larkinson used to be an average mech design student at Rittersberg. He should have never been able to rise so quickly. Even before he managed to become Master Olson's apprentice, his trajectory had already started to jump upwards. There was no way he could have risen so remarkably without a benefactor. The question is what makes Ves so special in those early days?"

"His design philosophy, I bet!" Aisling shouted. "Ves has developed a great design philosophy! It would have matched so well with mine, but instead he hooked up with a Hexer who possessed a much more boring design philosophy! How could he possibly be so stupid to favor her as opposed to me? We could have designed the most powerful teamwork-oriented mechs in the star sector! With his glows and my neural networks, we could have empowered entire mech armies and give our side a decisive advantage against the Hexers!"

There was no way to turn back time for Aisling. Even if the rumors were true that the Big Two developed or adapted alien technology that enables them to travel through time, someone like Aisling would never be able to access such restricted technology!

For all intents and purposes, Aisling forever lost her moment to convert Ves to her side!

Patricia directed a veiled look at her colleague and superior. She suffered her own share of problems after the hijacking of the Scarlet Rose.

Though she managed to escape greater punishment as well, she sometimes regretted her decision.

Spending time with a jealous and lovesick fool like Aisling was wearing on her patience! It became increasingly harder to maintain a calm and rational mood when she was in the presence of a petulant child!

Even though Patricia respected Aisling's talent and accomplishments in mech design, the latter's rapid success also came paired with strong mood swings and an extreme personality!

"It is odd how the pair frequently refer to Mr. S and Master Willix." She observed while ignoring Aisling's outbursts. "I believe they are trying to protect themselves by implicitly sending the message that they enjoy the support of a genuine Master and a suspected Master."

The other mech designer in the room paused her tantrum. "That.. doesn't sound very clever. If they're working too hard, then that suggests that their supposed protection might very well be an illusion. It is well-known that the mech designers from the MTA aren't allowed to meddle in private affairs and state affairs."

"That is true." Patricia nodded. "And I think Ves and Gloriana are aware of this fact as well. Even so, Master Willix likely favors them in private. This counts for at least something, as it is never a good idea to earn the ire of one of the Masters presiding over our entire star sector."

This meant that the pair would still be able to achieve their goals of deterring potential troublemakers from going after their lives!

What Patricia could see, others could see as well.

Therefore, even if a lot of powerful people throughout the star sector began to notice the pair for the first time, they didn't do more than seeking ways to reach out to them with attractive offers.

When Gloriana proceeded to mention that the Wodin Dynasty of the Hexadric Hegemony officially supported the pair, most of those plans evaporated into dust.

Almost no one who was already on the side of the Hexers wished to become associated with those rabid women!

"Ves is rooting for the wrong side." Aisling said glumly.

As the Quint began to demonstrate its performance by deploying into space, she no longer wanted to watch the broadcast any longer. She flicked her finger, causing the projection to fade.

"You're right, Patricia. Mulling over my regrets won't get me anywhere. If I want to keep up with that Hexer witch and remain worthy to Ves, I have to work earnestly to get back in my Master's good graces!"

She wasn't willing to give up!

Chapter 1903 New Relationships

Inside a highly-congested space station in the Bentheim System, a lot of spacers and mech pilots were idling and relaxing at its many bars and other establishments of varying repute.

Ever since the sandmen stopped throwing their fleets against human territories like a flood, the defenders of the star systems that had been pushed to the brink all sighed in relief.

When the latest developments became known, the Bright Republic quickly grew alarmed while the other states thanked their lucky stars that they weren't in the way of the final sandman offensive!

Several months had gone by since the Sand War entered into an entirely different phase. As far as the more far-flung states like the Reinald Republic was concerned, the Sand War was pretty much over!

Only the states in the vicinity of the former Coman Federation still sweated like buckets. The Bright Republic may have been the obvious target, but the Vesia Kingdom, Ylvaine Protectorate, Independent State of Pillis and various other states might very well be next!

For this reason, the diplomats from the Bright Republic worked overtime in trying to solicit help from the surrounding states and beyond.

In the meantime, the Mech Corps and the Starfighter Corps eagerly took advantage of the months-long lull in battle to reorganize their deployments and prepare for the clash that everyone saw coming.

Though a lot of Brighters wanted to mourn and take stock of the immense amount of death and loss they suffered, the government didn't allow its population to let down its guard!

A large amount of Peaceful Soldiers regularly patrolled the streets of the major cities. They not only helped with enforcing martial law, but also instilled the correct moods among the citizens who simply wanted to forget about the sandmen!

"The Sand War isn't over."

This phrase was repeated over and over across all manner of official communication. The Brighters had to avoid falling asleep just when the sandmen were about to come back to strike one, last blow against the state that had stopped them in their tracks!

Since the Bentheim System was the likely target of the rumored sandman planet, the Mech Corps and Starfighter Corps reassigned a large amount of regiments and divisions to this star system!

Despite the congestion, despite the logistical challenges, Bentheim grew more and more formidable as soldiers and defenders from all over the state converged on the port system!

This naturally led to a lot of congestion, especially at sites where all of them liked to spend their time while on leave!

At a particularly dingy drinking establishment that had clearly seen better days, rhythmic music blasted softly from the ceiling. A low light left much of the interior in shadow, with only a scarlet-purple glow providing enough light for the patrons to pick up their glasses of beer or banter with the right comrades!

At a cramped booth located in the corner of the top floor of the bar, two young women were waiting for their third companion to return with their orders.

Ordinarily, a serving bot should have brought their drinks to their table, but all of the bots long gone out of order!

"Really now." Ketis scowled. "Of all the places we could have chosen, why did he settle for this drinking hole? The ventilation system is on its last legs! The floor is sticky with spilled liquids! The walls and ceiling are already starting to corrode!"

Through the laughter and banter of the other patrons, the noise also started to grate on her ears. While the former pirate was not unaccustomed to rougher crowds, she could always count on her fellow Swordsmaidens to back her up if someone looked at her wrong.

Now, plenty of the men sitting in the nearby chairs, booths and barstools were openly leering at the two women!

Though everyone here had the good sense to avoid going any further, the uncouth stares still bothered Ketis to no end!

If not for the very tight security systems keeping the space station in order, she would have felt tempted to march towards her 'admirers' to poke their eyes!

"Those mercenaries and gangers are not worth your time." Raella spoke from the other side of the booth. "Don't forget why we are here. Soon enough, we might have to depend on them as comrades in arms."

A solemn silence passed between the two women.

"Heya, babes! Why the glum faces?!" A loud and very male voice interrupted their musing.

Three large mugs of beer slammed against the tabletop. The newcomer soon sat down next to Raella and placed her hand on the curve of her bottom.

Raella swatted his arm with a slap. "Not here! Keep your hands to yourself!"

"I wasn't doing anything, babe!" Vincent Ricklin retorted with mock innocence. "I was just appreciating your Larkinson charm. Have I told you that you're gorgeous?"

"I really don't know why the two of you got along in the first place." Ketis interrupted as she took a swig of her beer.

"Vincent isn't so bad once you get to know him." Raella smirked as she partook in her own drink. "He's kind of like Dietrich but better in every way! I like some excitement in my life, you know. It also helps that he pilots an impressive mech."

Vincent laughed as he swung his hand around her shoulder. "Hahaha! I really do have to thank your cousin for designing my Adonis Colossus. A lot more people have begun to admire my mech ever since he appeared on the news again. I can sell my mech for a fortune if I ever accept one of the many offers that people have sent to me. You can't believe what some of these rich guys are prepared to exchange for a custom mech developed by your cousin!"

"I really hope you aren't letting your greed get the better of yourself." Ketis frowned. "From what I know of Ves, your Adonis Colossus is only designed to work with you. You'll desecrate your mech if you pass it on to someone else."

"Hey, I was just talking, babe! I love my Adonis Colossus! It's the best mech that I could ever pilot! It has brought me so much fame and success! I'd be a fool to give it away!"

The only mech designer at the booth nodded with satisfaction. "At least you know your priorities."

"I feel kind of jealous, actually." Realla sighed. "The Prideful Soldiers and other mechs I've piloted recently are not as good as yours. I really wished I pressed my relation with Ves a bit harder. Maybe that masterwork mech of his could have been mine!"

"Hey. The light skirmisher that I'm designing for you won't disappoint you, Raella. I'm already planning to show it to Ves so that he can make a pass on my design and instill it with one of his glows."

"Is that even possible?" Vincent scratched his head.

"I'm not sure, but I've tried my best to adhere to his guidelines, so I think it will work."

"It won't be entirely your design anymore, though."

"You'll get to pilot a better mech."

"Ah, that's right."

Despite the ongoing Sand War, everyone was already starting to think ahead. What would they do after human space was no longer being threatened by the sandmen? With so many devastated states and star systems, a huge wave of reclamation and reconstruction would soon take place.

Just like the invasion of the Red Ocean, there was plenty of treasure to find among the wreckage of the former border states!

Where there was treasure, there would doubtlessly be a lot of rivals looking to harvest most of the gains.

Vincent Ricklin saw a great opportunity here!

As long as he and his Ricklin's Rollers picked up a lot of valuable salvage, he could grow his mercenary corps further.

Perhaps he might even be able to claim his own planet!

As Vincent grinned and laughed at the prospect of ruling his own planet, both women shared a peculiar look.

"Really, Raella. Why date this dolt?"

"He's fun and he's great in bed! What's not to like?"

"You're not growing any younger. You should start looking for something more permanent than a casual fling."

"Hey, babe, don't call me a casual fling!" Vincent pulled himself out of his latest daydream. He squeezed Raella's shoulder. "I'm really serious about my girl here! Raella is much more than the girls I've been seeing in the past. She can be quite the tigress on and off the battlefield, if you know what I mean."

Ketis did not look amused at Vincent's obvious wink. "Ugh. I don't even know why I bother."

"Hey now, Ketis." Raella began to look concerned. "Having someone by your side who you can click with is a great way to spend your time. I would have gone stir-crazy from all the drilling sessions if not for Vincent here. Maybe you should take a page from our book and start dating yourself."

"I feel like a Hexer. None of the boys here are great. They don't understand me. Not like him..."

"Female Hexers who are disgusted with boys like to hook up with their own kind, right?"

Ketis offered them a grim smile. "The women here are not much better. It's.. not what I want. Back in my old outfit, I always considered my fellow Swordsmaidens to be sisters. I don't want to distort that impression by looking at them in a different way."

"Do you have the hots for Ves?"

Raella immediately slapped her man on the cheek! "Vincent! Don't be rude! We talked about this! This is a sore point for Ketis! Oh, you poor girl!"

"I'm not as fragile as you think I am." The young mech designer sighed and shook her head. "Ves has Gloriana now. They look happy with each other and I'm happy for them. I.. I always felt that Ves was too good for me. It's best that things turned out this way."

"Oh, Ketis.." The exiled Larkinson stretched out her arm in order to hold Ketis' hand. "If I was still with Ves, I would have smacked some sense in him. If I knew he had a fetish for Hexers like Gloriana, I would have smacked his face until he turned back to normal! He really missed out on a sweet girl like you who looked up to him all the time!"

"That part of my life is over. Just let it be. I have already started to look ahead."

"Do you need me to introduce you to some buddies of mine?" Vincent offered. "I know all kinds of fellows who would love to—"

"—I'm fine, Vincent. I can manage on my own."

"Your buddies are all thugs and lowlives." Raella complained. "I know they have been covering your back during your rebel days, but you should really professionalize your outfit. At its current state, it's far from my Blood Claws and barely better than Dietrich's pathetic Whalers!"

"Didn't that loser get kicked out from his own gang?"

"That's not the point. I'm telling you, Vincent. There's no future for you if you continue to run Ricklin's Rollers like a terrorist cell."

"I'm working on it! This isn't something I can change in a day."

He said this the last time, and the time before that. Nothing seemed to have changed. To Raella, Ricklin's Rollers acted more like a bunch of bros with mechs rather than a reliable fighting force.

"I heard Ves and his followers are about to return to the Bright Republic, if only briefly." Raella changed the topic. "My family is quite abuzz about this. What have you heard, Ketis? Are you looking forward to returning to his side? You've already spent quite a lot of time with me. While I'm glad to keep you company, I feel like you are missing out on opportunities."

Ketis frowned. She wasn't quite sure how to answer this question.

Would it be better for her to return to Ves, or try to find her own way to success?

Chapter 1904 Excessive Precautions

Ves spent several hours in the public eye. He not only held a press conference with various reporters from the Protectorate and other states, he also held an interview for the Rimward Star Herald.

He reiterated much of the same points he mentioned during the press conference. He also revealed some innocent details about the Bright Warrior design and the Quint.

In addition, he had an opportunity to present an image of himself that was a bit more eccentric and exaggerated than he was in reality.

Though Ves hadn't outright donned his crazy hat during that time, he put on a lighter version that hopefully made him appear less than right in the head in some instances.

He didn't care whether people thought less of him. He always kept Master Willix's words in mind that his mechs should do the talking in these cases!

As long as he continued to design great mechs, all of the criticism and naysayers against him would lose their sting.

Even if Ves claimed that his mechs were literally the embodiments of vile, ancient demons from the abyss, his customers would still pilot his mechs his glee as long as their machines brought them victory in battle!

In the mech industry, the mech designer was an important brand, but not the main determination in whether a mech model achieved commercial success.

Plenty of poorly-regarded mech designers managed to make the right choices and design a successful mech. In addition, plenty of reliable mech designers wasted months on a design only to achieve a fraction of their expected sales!

Though Ves enjoyed a greater share of success than his peers, that was due to various reasons.

For one, he never designed a commercial mech he didn't believe in. While that led to a severe dearth of choices in the LMC's mech catalog, pretty much every mech for sale was useful in some capacity!

He always thought carefully on what the market demanded and what he could offer to meet those demands. His desire to uphold his reputation and grow the reputation of the LMC as a supplier of high-quality mechs caused him to care a lot about the market reaction of his products!

So far, Ves was quite happy with his progress, but he could always do better. After receiving Master Willix's tutelage for an entire week, he had a much better picture of his strengths and shortcomings.

One of the best and most comprehensive ways to upgrade his design capabilities was to integrate a cranial implant in his brain.

This was the key to catching up Gloriana! It didn't miss his notice that his girlfriend probably harvested much more gains from turning the Quint into a masterwork mech and receiving lots of valuable insights from Master Willix.

Though Gloriana wouldn't be advancing to Senior any time soon, Ves estimated that all of the lessons she learned and insights she gained could very well bring forth her promotion by a decade!

This was catastrophic news from Ves!

Feeling the surgery from Gloriana's very obvious glee, Ves slogged through the press conference and interview with a touch of impatience.

While he knew that these events were vital opportunities to shape his public perception and send out the right messages, his mind no longer lingered on the present.

When the interviewer from the Herald finally wrapped up the session and departed the venue, Ves sighed and stroked Lucky's back.

"Finally!"

"You look like you have to go to the bathroom but had to hold it in. I know you're eager to start the surgery, but this is important as well."

"I know, Gloriana. It's just that I can't wait much longer! Do you know how long I've waited for this moment? Now, there is nothing that can delay my augmentation any longer! I'm going to be a completely new mech designer after this surgery. I can finally enjoy some of the benefits that you've been enjoying for years!"

His girlfriend smiled and leaned against his arm. "Cranial implants do improve the design experience, but never forget that it is the brain you were born with that is supposed to be in charge. Don't use the implant as a crutch. If you stop exercising your mind like you did up until now, you'll stop advancing."

"I already know that, Gloriana. Master Willix has also helpfully reminded us that we shouldn't grow too dependent on each other. Maybe we should design some mechs on our own from time to time, if only make sure we can still produce hits by ourselves."

The prospect of designing a mech without Ves did not sit well with her! She scrunched her face and pinched his cheek. "Let's discuss that later! For now, you should head to Ranya and prepare for your big day."

They left the public venue the LMC had rented and traveled back to the Avatar base.

There, the Frozen Leaf sat parked in the large landing zone. Dr. Ranya decided to bring her personal ship down in order to transfer some of the advanced medical machine and equipment to the surgery room prepared specifically for this purpose.

Due to his paranoia and fear that anything might go wrong while people operated on his brain, Ves made a huge number of ridiculous demands.

The room where the surgery would take place was located underground. The main chamber was built like a bunker surrounded by other bunkers. A decent amount of Breyer alloy and other advanced materials lined the walls, causing the underground fortification to be strong enough to withstand both nuclear explosions and asteroid impacts!

An independent redundant power system powered a whole host of life support systems, allowing for a completely closed circulation of air and water, thereby preventing any outside contaminants from infiltrating the operating room!

A robust array of antigrav modules precisely regulated even the tiniest tremors and gravity fluctuations. They also acted as inertial dampeners in the event the underground fortification suffered a severe impact.

As for the security arrangements, nearly all of the available Avatars of Myth had been deployed to defend the base and remain alert against any possible infiltrations or unauthorized intrusions!

The security suites had been beefed with a multitude of high-powered scanning arrays that were all tuned to detect different kinds of stealth systems.

All non-essential employees had been given a day off, leaving the Avatar base noticeably less noisy. Without the mech technicians, administrative staff and other workers, only the mech pilots and guard infantry remained at their assigned positions.

Hundreds of gold-and-black mechs bearing the Golden Cat of the Larkinson Clan and the Vesuvian mech that represented their troop patrolled the base in concentric circles.

Above in high orbit, the spaceborn contingent of the Avatars of Myth kept a very close watch on any elements in space that might pose a threat to site on the surface!

The revised Shield of Samar with its tough and incredibly sturdy Breyer alloy attracted a fair amount of attention.

Yet what impressed outside observers even more was the two mech companies of Bright Warriors!

Forty Illuminating Warriors, Twenty Nova Warriors, Ten Solar Warriors and Ten Shining Warriors all made for an imposing sight as they patrolled in formation!

When Ves tasked his Avatars and others to implement this expensive and extremely excessive security cordin, Commander Melkor quickly decried the waste!

"Are you crazy, Ves?! Do you know how many mechs we could have built with the money you are investing in these security measures?!"

"It's my money." Ves answered back then. "In my opinion, these precautions aren't good enough, but I can't wait any longer. I'm taking a very risky gamble here."

Melkor laughed. "Risky? With all of these guards and security equipment in place, not even a drop of rain can approach your treatment facility!"

"Well, regardless of what you think, my Avatars belong to me. If I choose to deploy your full ruster to stand guard, then you better obey my instructions!"

Aside from arranging the Avatars to stand guard, he also assigned a considerable amount of Living Sentinels to guard the outer perimeter.

In addition, he also requested Gloriana to assign as many troops from the Glory Battalion as possible!

She managed to assign at least twenty second-class mechs and mech pilots to guard the inner perimeter! Now that the Wodin Dynasty guaranteed his safety, the Glory Warriors did not disdain to guard a foreign boy anymore!

Perhaps the most important piece of the defense plan was the presence of Venerable Brutus. His Star Dancer silently hovered above the fortified entrance of the underground facility with its laser rifle warmed and ready to take out any approaching threat!

In addition to the mechs, a few guards on foot also stood guard at strategic locations within the underground fortification. They guarded the interior of the facility alongside the more numerous guard infantry.

A day after the press conference, Ves wore a simple gown. He inspected the highly-fortified and completely isolated operating room with his Vulcaneye scanner for the tenth time in the last two hours.

Lucky lazily floated from one corner to another corner as he watched out for any spy bugs and other unwanted intrusions.

"Did you find anything, Lucky?"

"Meow."

"I know you didn't find anything fifty-three times before, but you never know if someone slipped something in at the last minute!"

"Meow meow meow!"

Don't complain! If anything goes wrong, I can easily die! This is the most precarious moment of my life!"

Though everyone around him was quite exasperated with his paranoia, Ves didn't care. He would rather be overprepared than underprepared! If nothing went wrong in the next couple of hours, then he would gladly accept this outcome!

Even if it seemed that all of his preparations went to waste, Ves would still believe that his security precautions formed an effective deterrent against his enemies.

Moments later, Dr. Lupo briefly entered the operation room. He was garbed in a high-tech operating uniform that provided a lot of conveniences while at the same time keeping him completely sterile and free of contaminants.

"It's time. Please put away your possessions and lay down on the main operating table. We will start with the final steps before the surgery within a couple of minutes."

"Understood."

Once Ves put away his Vulcaneye with the rest of his possessions, he laid in place, but not before looking at each of the guards assigned to keep watch in the operating room.

Aside from Nitaa, Ves assigned a handful of guards with close ties to the Larkinsons as well as a handful of Glory Warriors that his girlfriend personally recommended.

Each of them could potentially pose a threat to him, but Ves already had some measures in place to watch the watchers.

In fact, he also enlisted some other personnel to watch the watchers that watched the watchers!

Once the final preparations were complete, the surgeons entered the operating room.

Dr. Ranya entered first. She held a secure case which stored the highly-modified Archimedes Rubal bioimplant.

Dr. Lupo entered immediately afterwards. Though he lacked the depth and breadth of Ranya's knowledge, his high learning ability allowed him to gain a lot of relevant competences that would doubtlessly be of help for this delicate operation!

Aside from the two exobiologists, six more older-looking individuals entered the room.

The newcomers wear very different operating suits. Their markings each signified that they were senior implant surgeons and nurses employed by different medical facilities from the Ylvaine Protectorate!

Ves wasn't relieved with letting Dr. Ranya and Dr. Lupo perform the entire surgery by themselves. Months ago, he specifically ordered Calsie to reach out to the Curin Dynasty and dispatch some of the best implant surgeons the Protectorate could offer.

After Ves, Crindon and Nitaa personally verified their reliability and ability, they cleared surgeons and nurses to participate in the operation.

Because their addition happened on short notice, both Ranya and Lupo objected to this sudden development.

Ves overruled their objections, though. He wanted those Ylvainan medical professionals to be on hand to act as another check.

Even though Ves was well aware that the Ylvainans might very pose a threat to him as well,

"We can begin now. Is there anything you wish to say or do before we begin?"

"In fact, there is something I want to do before we begin." He spoke and withdrew a device. "Please proceed with the surgery immediately after I'm done."

He activated the device, causing an energy screen similar to that employed by Master Willix to surround his operating table.

Now that he gained some privacy, he moved quickly in summoning his System comm. Once he activated its interface, he quickly browsed the Skill Tree and spent a hefty chunk of Design Points on another Mastery!

[Light Skirmisher Mastery I]: 40,000 DP

Ves grinned. "Since I'll be out for at least a week, I might as well be productive and make good use of my temporary hiatus!"

As the System comm quickly dematerialized, an intangible hook quickly latched on to his consciousness and dragged it out of his mind!

Chapter 1905 Vulnerable

"He looks so vulnerable." Gloriana commented as she observed the macabre-looking operation from the observation room. "I understand now why he fears this operation so much. He's completely defenseless if anything goes wrong."

Ves had always been a proactive person to her. He liked to take action because he was often forced into situations where he needed to react.

For him to place himself at the mercy of others seemed uncharacteristic.

He was placing a lot of faith in his precautions and subordinates. Though his preparations seemed excessive, there was still a chance that something might go wrong.

"I won't let anything happen." Gloriana whispered to herself. "Ves needs to make it through!"

For the operation, it was better if the patient was as inactive and dormant as possible. This was because the bioimplant had to root inside the brain tissue and form active new connections.

This delicate and extremely precarious step could easily go wrong if the wrong wires got plugged in the wrong sockets!

With Ves seemingly out cold, his brain activity had dropped at an unusually low level, but that was not entirely bad. While this made it a little bit more difficult to identify which parts of his brain was responsible for a specific function, Ranya and Lupo had already performed this task beforehand.

With the relatively low levels of brain activity, it became a bit easier to forge a smooth connection and determine whether it functioned properly.

A mind that was inactive also produced less clutter, thereby providing their scanners with a clear view of what went on in the patient's mind.

The surgery began shortly after the surgeons confirmed that Ves was out for at least a while.

The Ylvainan implant surgeons cooperated smoothly with Dr. Lupo and Dr. Ranya.

Though they were older and more experienced, Ranya insisted on taking the lead this time.

"Let her take charge." Gloriana commanded after she patched into a channel. "Ranya is better trained and can fully utilize all of the tools and machinery at her disposal."

She trusted Ranya to do right by Ves and turn her boyfriend into a much more productive mech designer!

"Hihihi! I can't wait to design a mech with the new Ves! With his new implant, he can partially digitize his mind. I can form a connection with him with my own implant!"

This would negate the need for speech as they could just transfer a lot of data to each other without the need to package it. This would doubtlessly push their collaboration to the next level!

Melody, who stood behind her, tutted her voice. "The Archimedes Rubal implant is quite formidable, especially when it comes to data storage. Has it not come to your attention that Ves has decided to go through with the surgery because of you? He is very concerned about the possibility that you will overtake him. With this new implant, he might be able to even the score."

Gloriana smirked. "He can try. I've made some massive gains lately. As long as I process my gains and figure out what they mean to me, my upcoming designs will definitely be an evolution compared to my previous works!"

In fact, she preferred it if Ves became better. Only when he could keep up with her would Gloriana be able to design the best mechs!

His contribution was indispensable to her, so she was truly pleased that Ves worked hard to avoid falling behind.

While she would still love Ves even if his progress no longer matched her own, she would still feel disappointed. She partnered with Ves with the expectation that he would be able to stimulate her design philosophy and push her to greater heights.

She sighed. She really hoped nothing went wrong during the next couple of hours.

"Miaow."

Clixie passed her paw through the projection that depicted the operation. Her furry limb passed through the table right next to the operating table where Lucky vigilantly guarded the surroundings.

"Do you want to go to Lucky?"

"Miaow."

"We can't. You'd have to be put into a sterile suit and I know you hate that. Besides, you just need to wait a few hours before the surgery is done."

The Rubarthan Sentinel Cat's paw subsequently passed through Nitaa's projection.

Unlike before, her high-quality combat armor featured an attachment which held a very important object.

In order to guard his body against threats with a more spiritual nature, he insisted on keeping the Larkinson Mandate in the operation room!

Though none could see the Golden Cat barring Ves, the presence of the Larkinson Mandate in the room had a noticeable effect on the surgeons and nurses.

Each of them felt considerably more determined in trying to make this operation a success!

Gloriana frowned and wanted to look away when some implements managed to 'open up' her boyfriend's head. While various advanced machinery went to work in trying to keep it in a stable condition, she still didn't want her memories to be tainted by Ves in such a vulnerable state.

She didn't allow herself to look away. Ves was her boyfriend, and he could easily become something more. She owed it to him to witness his operation in person, if only to stay alert and intervene if something went amiss.

Of course, she knew that she likely wouldn't be needed to step in. Ves prepared so many security precautions and formed so many different contingency plans that almost every possibility had been taken into account!

More than an hour went by as the surgeons carefully prepared the patient's exposed brain for the implantation procedure. Gloriana didn't understand much of what Ranya and Lupo were doing with her boyfriend's head, but the assisting Ylvainan surgeons and nurses voiced no complaint, so they must be doing something right.

At some point, the implant was ready to be inserted in the brain.

This was the most important step of the operation, as the initial insertion and integration would determine how quickly Ves could assimilate the Archimedes Rubal and turn it into his own strength!

Anything that might go wrong at this stage would easily lead to complications that prolonged the recovery period.

If the complications were serious enough, then permanent brain damage or even brain death was a very real possibility!

Ranya and Lupo carefully worked together to control a delicate machine that slowly lowered the multi-layered bioimplant to the patient's cranium.

A lot of reactions started to take place. As the implant sank between Ves' brain tissue, the initial neural connections slowly took shape.

All of the implant surgeons carefully observed the projected sensor data and multispectrum scans for any anomalies and complications.

At the same time, the bioimplant began to sink deeper as it headed closer to the center of the brain.

In order to ensure that the Archimedes Rubal formed the best possible integration with Ves, it had to be set in a very specific portion of his brain!

Settling it in any other possible part would definitely degrade the implant's functionality. If this step was botched, then the implant might warp the patient's personality and cognition to the point where their friends and family wouldn't be able to recognize them anymore!

Though Gloriana didn't understand most the readings projected by the interfaces in the observation room, they all looked relatively stable.

Time passed by. As the implant started to settle in the right place, more and more connections formed between the exterior connectors of the implant and the brain.

Due to the Breyer alloy shell and Synthra Umbra sleeve enveloping the Archimedes Rubal, Ranya had to develop a special organic outer layer in order to ensure it would stay in place.

Various curled tubes that were enveloped by multiple different layers of materials extended from the implant from multiple directions. Their addition made the implant look like a very small and exotic octopus-like exobeast.

The unnerving bioconnectors extending from the tube started to bond with specific portions of brain tissue. Ranya and Lupo had to guide this process manually.

Fortunately, both of them proved very adept with this critical process. Gloriana slowly relaxed as no major complications had occurred as of yet.

While Ves wasn't exactly the easiest patient to integrate with an advanced implant, the surgeons were managing the operation with great care and expertise.

It was at this point that Dr. Lupo jerked his hand, thereby manipulating the controls to botch the integration process in a fatal fashion!

"HALT!"

An alarm immediately swept the operation chamber while more alarms rang throughout the observation room and everywhere else!

"What is going on?!"

"Ves! Is Ves okay?!"

"MEOW!"

Nitaa and the other guards immediately brought their rifles to bear on the surgeons. Lucky instantly jumped from his perch and floated above Lupo's head, ready to slice it apart!

The Larkinson Mandate glowed as the Golden Cat sensed that something had gone awry!

No one moved except for Ranya who still needed to guide the integration process!

Even though she was forced to concentrate on her work, she still looked aghast at her fellow exobiologist!

"You! You could have killed him! How can you betray us? How can you betray your own employer?"

She was shocked because Ves should have definitely died or at least suffered serious damage to his brain!

This was because despite all of his precautions and despite all of the security measures, the implantation surgery still had to be done by hand!

All of the tools and equipment that Ranya brought from her ship only played an assisting function. She didn't own any surgery machines that could perform the operation by themselves without any human intervention.

This basically meant that Ranya and Lupo had full access to the patient's most important organ.

Even though there were safeguards in place meant to prevent accidental slips or harmful sabotage, they only kicked in when they recognized a serious threat!

Lupo, who familiarized with the machines and their rules of operation, neatly avoided tripping long enough until it was too late!

Ves should have suffered a nasty hole in his brain. Some brain tissue should have been damaged beyond repair, and the Archimedes Rubal's integration process should have encountered serious problems that couldn't be fixed!

Yet to everyone's astonishment, ever since Lupo started to jerk the controls, his body started to freeze.

An energy field surrounded his body that restricted his movements and forcibly kept him in place!

Even though he succeeded in his attempt to relay harmful instructions in the device he was controlling, it failed to execute his commands!

This wasn't supposed to happen! Lupo was supposed to have direct control over the device due to the need to react spontaneously if any critical complications arose!

The safeguards should have kicked in half a second later at the very least!

"Are you surprised your sabotage failed to kick off?"

A shimmering form appeared into existence behind Dr. Lupo.

Calabast, garbed in an infiltrator suit, pointed an unknown device at the exobiologist and culinary enthusiast!

Despite all of the anti-stealth scanners installed throughout the perimeter and interior of the underground facility, Calabast's hidden presence went completely unnoticed!

Well, all but a couple of cats failed to detect her presence!

Nyaa?

"Meow?!"

"This was why I was here. Thank you for keeping my presence quiet, Lucky."

"Meow!"

"Ves should be okay. I was keeping my eye on Lupo Guernica for the entire time. I suspected that he might have some issue, and it turned out that I was right!"

She pressed a button on her device, allowing Lupo to gain enough control to speak.

"I failed." He spoke flatly, not even bothering to deny that he showed ill intent.

"You did. Would you like to tell us why?"

Dr. Lupo smiled ruefully. "I have no excuses, only regrets. I know my fate is sealed. I'll be going now. Enjoy your impending defeat!"

His body suddenly went limp as if it lost all life!

Before Calabast and everyone else had time to process his abrupt death, a second alarm began to ring!

The guards shifted in their combat armor as they all received urgent transmissions.

"We are under attack!" Nitaa announced! "Thousands of mercenaries have emerged from hiding to launch an attack on our positions! Some of them are even fielding second-class mechs!"

Calabast looked surprised. "That's not possible! What of the Ylvainans?!"

Nitaa looked grim. "There is a total communication lockdown. The Kronon Dynasty and the other Ylvainan forces have shown no signs of stopping the incoming mercenaries. In fact, the local Ylvainan forces are actually forming a blockade around our forces."

A look of realization appeared on her face. "We have been betrayed."

Chapter 1906 Counterintelligence

No matter how many alarms were ringing, the surgery had to proceed. Halting at this moment would not only hamper the functioning of the implant, but also lead to massive complications that would certainly cripple the patient!

"Assist me!" Dr. Ranya shouted at the Ylvainan surgeons. "Take over from the late Dr. Lupo and make sure to maintain the right rhythm! This interruption and stall has already led to adverse effects!"

While the damage wasn't significant, it was very difficult to remedy the minor flaws that occurred when the integration process of some of the bioconnectors proceeded without direction.

Not did they have to prolong the surgery to undo some of the damage, but Ranya also feared that her patient required much more time to recover from the operation!

Waking up after a week of slumber was out of the question!

While Ranya and the Ylvainan surgeons desperately sought to get the operation back on track as best as possible, the guards all became a lot more alert. They no longer showed any signs of remaining as unobtrusive as possible and loomed closer with their weapons on a hair trigger.

The corpse of Dr. Lupo disappeared through the floor which folded apart upon someone's command.

As Calabast swiftly swept the chamber one last time, she exited the operation room and entered the adjacent observation room.

"Calabast!" Gloriana turned around and shouted while her comm was active. "What is going on?! Why are we under attack?! What is the Ylvainan government doing?!"

"We've been betrayed." Calabast responded.

Though she didn't activate her own comm, her eyes flitted about as if she was manipulating an internal interface with her mind!

For some reason, Calabast managed to circumvent the jamming and receive crucial information!

"Explain!"

"The reports I'm receiving are sporadic, but.. the agents I've installed in the Protectorate's government are being cleaned up at a rapid pace. This makes no sense!"

"Why?"

"The Ylvainans shouldn't be able to identify more than a handful of them! I've been exceedingly thorough in inserting them to turn them into my informants. The only way they could have swept so many of my assets is if they had help from the Friday Coalition, and not yesterday. I fear that at least some portions of the Ylvainan government has been collaborating with the Fridaymen for months or years!"

"WHAT?!"

Gloriana furiously marched up to Calabast and pointed an accusatory finger at her! "You were supposed to be on guard against these kinds of schemes! Ves always complained that you weren't pulling your weight, and he's right! Some spy you are. A true DIVA agent would never allow herself to be blindsided by some lowly Ylvainans! What have you even done for us lately?!"

"I've been guarding against your Wodins." Calabast hit back. "In addition, I have done more than inserting my agents in the Ylvainan government. You'll see the results soon enough."

"That doesn't address the fact that we are under attack! What is even going on outside?"

"Numerous mercenary corps that have been hiding in various places in orbit and on the surface are bearing down on our people and assets. Commander Magdalena and Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson have taken temporary charge over our military and non-military personnel. Fortunately, due to the extreme preparations and precautions that Ves insisted upon, none of our people have wandered off and most of our critical assets are already secured aboard our ships."

The LMC and the Larkinson Clan had already been planning to leave Kesseling VIII, but Ves insisted on moving the schedule ahead in case something awful happened during the operation.

Even though most Larkinsons objected to the hasty and disruptive schedule, it worked out quite well in the end as no one was caught outside!

Gloriana gritted her teeth as she felt as if everything around her was falling apart. She couldn't stand unexpected surprises!

"We've managed to make limited contact with the Glory Battalion through the backup hardline communication channels." Melody suddenly announced. "Your brother Brutus reports that he is preparing to go into action! An unknown and indeterminate amount of third-class mechs and second-class mechs are approaching our location from various hidden locations strewn throughout Krent!"

"What is he doing?! Tell my brother to shoot them down before they get close! The Star Dancer's effective range should be long enough to cover the entire city!"

"The unknown hostiles are using civilian houses and structures as cover."

"Shoot. Them. Down." Gloriana repeated. " Why is he showing concern to our lessers when our lives are at stake? Since the Ylvainans are in collusion with the Fridaymmen or whoever is targeting us, then they might as well reap their rewards! Brutus should be trying to save our lives, not the lives of some strangers!"

"I.. will convey your instructions to Brutus."

A few moments after Melody silently corresponded with the expert pilot, she turned back to Gloriana. "It's done. Brutus is sniping the initial wave of hostile mercenary mechs."

"Good." The female Wodin smirked, but widened her eyes yet again immediately afterwards. "Wait! Don't we employ a huge amount of Ylvainans these days?! They're practically in complete control over our fleet!"

"Ahem." Calabast coughed. "About that, you don't have to be concerned about the loyalty of Fleet Coordinator Ophelia Kronon and the other Ylvainans we've employed."

Gloriana turned back to the spy. "Explain!"

"One of my other major preoccupations in the last couple of months has been to screen our new recruits and determine their loyalty and dedication to the 'Bright Martyr'. After a lot of investigation, I've discovered that they are all genuinely devoted to Ves. There is no doubt that they will fight and die on his behalf!"

"How can that be when their very own government has stabbed us in the back!? Shouldn't the entire Protectorate be up in arms about this betrayal? The Ylvainans are acting against their very own Martyred Follower!"

This did not conform to their existing priorities! Calabast had genuinely been caught off-guard by their government's sudden turnaround!

As sporadic information kept transmitting into her own cranial implant, she gradually reconstructed the events that led to this disastrous situation!

"The Ylvaine Protectorate is the only Hexer-aligned state in an ocean of Coalition-aligned states." Calabast reminded Gloriana. "During the centuries of peace, this situation persisted without much friction because the Fridaymen never showed much interest in this little stain on their maps."

"The Komodo War changed all of this, I take it." Gloriana guessed.

Calabast nodded. "The Ylvaine Protectorate took on another meaning to the Fridaymen after the war broke out. Even though it is an inconsequential third-rate state, its inconvenient placement poses a considerable threat against its dominion over the Coalition-aligned states! It is a liability that has to be removed!"

"If you could figure that out, then why didn't you guard against this possible betrayal?"

"I did!" Calabast defended herself! "As I've mentioned before, I built up an extensive information network in the Ylvainan government in order to be on the lookout for any overtures to the Fridaymen. What I didn't take sufficiently into account was the possibility that the government forged ties with them in advance! I fear that most of my clandestine actions have been exposed because the Fridaymen have placed their own spies in the Ylvainan government to work on counterintelligence!"

In other words, Calabast entered a spider web weaved by the Fridaymen without knowing it! She had been caught in the web while being none the wiser!

Gloriana frowned and rubbed her chin. "Okay, I understand why the Coalition would target the Protectorate, but why did the Protectorate play along? The will of the Ylvainan people is highly in favor of Ves! The government should never be able to get away with their actions!"

"The three leading dynasties have a responsibility to protect the Ylvainan people and preserve the Ylvainan Faith." The spy explained. "While the Ylvainans can come across as dogmatic, do you really think the leaders of the Protectorate are ready to doom their entire state, people and fate in order to stand up to their own beliefs? Between total annihilation and selling out their Bright Martyr, the latter sounds a lot more attractive!"

"What about their people?! A huge proportion of the Ylvainan population would definitely be in up arms against this betrayal!"

"The leaders know that." Calabast shook her head. "It appears they have implemented two separate measures. First, they instituted martial law and locked down communications throughout all Protectorate space! While it is impossible to impose a complete and total communications blackout, their attempts are working out quite well so far, meaning that the events on Kesseling VIII are unlikely to spread to the rest of the Protectorate!"

"What about their soldiers? There is a considerable garrison of Protectors of the Flock in the Kesseling System! Are they really going to stand by while the Bright Martyr himself is in danger?"

"The Kronon Dynasty are obliged to protect the flock. Just like their leaders, the soldiers will choose to protect their own friends, family and people! You should also remember that the Kronons have always been trained to obey orders. They can never bring themselves to break the rules and regulations that have been drilled into their minds since they underwent military training."

"Traitors!"

"It's called realpolitik, Gloriana. The Ylvainan government and military may be based around the Ylvainan Faith, but it is their people they truly care about. The Friday Coalition forced them to make a very painful choice. Either they must choose to give up their state, beliefs and way of life, or they must stand aside while the Bright Martyr dies or loses his freedom."

If Gloriana was in their position, she would definitely choose to save Ves, but the problem was that she was not in charge!

She looked glum. "Then.. is the entire Protectorate against us? Will they stop us from leaving?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Calabast smirked. "First, just because their superiors ordered the Kronons to blockade us doesn't necessarily mean they will obey these orders to the letter. Second, not every Ylvainan has betrayed us or decided to stand aside. The folk who joined the LMC or joined the crew of our expanding fleet are all on our side!"

"How do you know that?!"

"Because.. they all belong to a faction called the New Ylvaine Dynasty."

"What?! You mean the terrorist cult led by a clone of the Great Prophet?!"

"I'll let the so-called Living Prophet explain the situation to you himself."

Calabast snapped her fingers, causing a projection of a young man in a piloting suit to appear in the observation room.

"Miss Wodin, Miss Arnlend, I am pleased to meet you both." He bowed.

"Are you supposed to be Ylvaine?" Gloriana frowned. "You look younger than I thought."

"No matter what form I take, I will always be the Great Prophet that has founded our faith!" The handsome man fervently claimed before composing himself again. "You can call me James if that makes you feel more comfortable. Mr. Larkinson knows my current incarnation better by this name."

Gloriana did not look amused. She ignored the projection of 'James' and turned to Calabast. "Why did you befriend this clone?"

"Please don't call me a clone." The projection insisted and spread his arms while tilting his head in the air. "I AM YLVAINE REBORN! I AM THE PROPHET WHO ASCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS BUT CHOSE TO DESCEND TO LEAD MY PEOPLE TO THE PROPER PATH! THE STATE THAT MY FLOCK HAS FOUNDED UNDER MY NAME HAS GONE ASTRAY! I SHALL—"

Calabast pinched her fingers, muting the projection! "Okay, that was a bad idea. Regardless of what you may think of James, his True Believers are rife within our organizations! For better or worse, we need to keep the New Ylvaine Dynasty as our allies. Without their help, the majority of our ships won't fly. Now that I think of it, it seems that the Living Prophet may have anticipated this crisis!"

Inwardly, she felt ashamed of herself! A crackpot clone managed to predict and prepare for this calamity while she herself had failed to detect any clues!

The suspected Fridaymen counterintelligence agents stationed in the Protectorate may have been able to hinder her attempts at gathering information, but they weren't capable of stopping the supposed prophetic powers of a delusional terrorist leader!

Chapter 1907 Not Alone

Everything was a mess.

Dr. Lupo attempted to ruin Ves' brain.

No one figured how the Fridaymen managed to compromise an exobiologist who had always been passionate about his research and not much else. Whether he was bribed, coerced or manipulated to commit his sabotage, that was something for later.

Right now, their enemies sprung another surprise attack after their first attempt had failed!

"Where did all of these mercenaries come from?" Gloriana wrung her hands in worry. "I thought the Ylvaine Protectorate didn't have a strong mercenary tradition!"

"They're all foreign outfits." Calabast noted. "Not a single Ylvainan will agree to raising their arms against the Bright Martyr and his people. This is why the attackers aren't counting on the Kronon Dynasty to do their dirty work, but instead invited various mercenary corps from neighboring states to act as their cannon fodder."

The Friday Coalition seemed to have inserted a lot of mercenary outfits in the Kesseling System.

Now, they stepped out of hiding and all began to launch an offensive against Ves and his people!

What was even more shocking was that the True Believers under the lead of their 'Living Prophet' had been infiltrating the LMC, the Avatars of Myth and the Living Sentinels for months!

Fleet Coordinator Ophelia Kronon and virtually every enthusiastic Ylvainan that chose to join one of Ves' organizations turned out to be a hidden member of this prohibited but widespread Ylvainan cult!

Gloriana detested chaos. She vastly preferred to operate during a time of order where she could calmly think and come up with a plan to address her many challenges.

A time of crisis was one of her worst nightmares! When every assumption became questionable and when the ongoing situation changed by the second, she felt swamped by the deluge of emergencies that required clear direction to resolve!

Where was Ves when she needed him? He seemed to thrive whenever a crisis erupted!

"Oh, yeah, he's out."

The timing of this attack couldn't have come at a worse moment! With Ves out of action, his enterprise not only lacked a unified direction, but also a figurehead who could rally his family and subordinates!

Not only that, but an unconscious Ves meant that they didn't have a Bright Martyr who could confront the Ylvainan people and solicit their support in resisting this vile betrayal!

"Ves.." She picked up Clixie and hugged her in concern. "What am I going to do without you?"

Fortunately, she wasn't alone in this. The Larkinson Clan was under the lead of the Executive Council in times of war and crises. Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson and eight other councilors took charge of the LMC and other dependents.

Their steady leadership and high authority prevented the spread of panic and made sure to keep the evacuation efforts on track!

The ships parked at various sites throughout Krent were being filled with mechs, assets and people at a rapid pace. Though the Larkinson Clan and the mech forces had to leave a lot of valuable behind due to lack of time, right now no one cared about those heavy goods and supplies.

Their lives and freedom were much more important!

The Avatars of Myth under the lead of Commander Melkor displayed absolute dedication in defending Ves and the Larkinson Clan, whether in orbit or on land!

Meanwhile, Commander Magdalena and her Living Sentinels assisted the Avatars. What the Sentinels lacked in quality, they made up for it with quantity!

Soon enough, the first waves of foreign mercenary mechs arrived to assault the targets!

Their offensive was split up in two different prongs.

A smaller group of mechs assaulted the spaceborn mech contingents of the Avatars and Sentinels in high orbit. Their goal was to secure orbital superiority and prevent any ships on the surface of Kesseling VIII from escaping the planet!

Even though almost a thousand mercenary mechs bore down on the outnumbered Avatars and Sentinels, the Larkinsons and other fellow mech pilots did not shy away from the fight!

"Defeat these mercs at all cost!" Commander Melkor shouted over the command channel. "We must keep the passage open in order to provide all of our people a window of escape! No retreat!"

"No retreat!"

As the waves of mechs started to pelt at each other with long-ranged weapons before clashing against each other up close, the foreign mercenaries finally found out why their targets refused to give way.

Two of their mech companies were vastly more powerful than their other companies!

Unlike the Dawnbringers, Desolate Soldiers and Aurora Titans, the Bright Warriors were uniformly better than them in every possible metric!

The Shining Warriors heedlessly charged forward and smashed their nigh-indestructible lances through the armor of the few second-class mechs that had been assigned to bolster the mercenary horde!

The Solar Warriors flew alongside the Aurora Titans and other space knights to defend the more vulnerable mechs of the Avatars and Sentinels against a barrage of lasers, missiles and projectiles!

The Illuminating Warriors proved to be exceptionally tricky to defeat! Not only did they pour a huge amount of laser fire as if heat management was not an immediate concern, they also endured returns volleys without showing any damage!

Even as light skirmishers and other melee mechs sought to close in on the resilient rifleman mechs, the Nova Warriors intercepted these swift opponents and struck their opponents down while making no pretense at parrying their attacks!

Hardly any Bright Warrior suffered a scratch during this clash! What should have been a stomp by the mercenaries turned out to be a one-sided massacre as none of the enemy mechs managed to inflict more damage than a couple dents onto the tough new mech model!

A larger horde of landbound and aerial mechs emerged from hidden warehouses, containers and other hiding locations strewn throughout Krent.

What was remarkable about the ground attack was that it featured a lot more second-class mechs! Around six mech companies in total had been smuggled onto the Kesseling VIII for the last couple of months.

As the Glory Battalion directed its long-ranged scanners at these mechs that could pose a real threat to it, the sensor operators discovered that many of the second-class mechs turned out to belong to CRC instead of some mercenary outfit from the Coalition!

The appearance of these mechs with clear CRC markings proved that the Fridaymen were ultimate aggressors!

Inside his Star Dancer, Brutus practically saw red when he observed these Fridaymen mechs coming closer.

It was clear to the expert pilot that Ves Larkinson was the primary target of this surprise attack.

That did not sit well with Brutus! The Fridaymen were his most hated opponents. Not only did they threaten to kill the source of his sister's happiness, they wouldn't let her off either!

"So this is what you've been hiding in your secret base of yours! You can shove your equality of yours in your throat!" He cried out as he fired his gauss rifle as fast as its firing rate allowed!

The magnetically-accelerated projectiles sliced through the planet's atmosphere and punched through at least one structure or obstacle before punching through the chests or legs of the CRC mechs!

Yet for every CRC mech that fell, several more took its place! There were more than a couple of hundred second-class mechs storming towards the underground facility where Ves' crucial implantation surgery was taking place.

What was almost as bad was that almost a thousand third-class mechs approached as well!

The Glory Battalion could have mopped up these inferiors in a breeze if not for the CRC mechs bearing down on them. Even if he was an expert pilot, Brutus would have to expend a lot of time and effort to defeat so many enemy second-class mechs!

"The odds are against us." Commander Magdalena spoke in a private channel to a select few mech officers. "The Glory Battalion can't contain the second-class mechs of the Coalition Reserve Corps. If even a single squad directs its attention against our inferior mechs, our casualties will quickly mount."

"We have no choice, commander." A mech captain from the Sentinels remarked. "We have our own problems to contend with. We need to prevent the third-class mechs from getting through our lines. Once they breach our defenses, they can easily envelop us or proceed to attack underground facility!"

There wasn't much time to discuss. Soon, all of the ranged mechs started to exchange fire regardless of collateral damage!

While the Avatar base boasted thick, sturdy walls and various defensive emplacements, they could only hinder the attackers at best.

As mechs from land and from the air, the amount of firepower exchanged between the two sides reached an intensity that was rarely seen outside of war!

Krent, the capital city of Kesseling VIII, instantly turned into hell as both sides completely disregarded any considerations to limit their fire!

The unwitting Ylvainans residing in Krent all cried in panic as hundreds of them died whenever a mech-grade shell or laser beam landed in a building!

Even the Grand Church of the Grey Martyr and the Grand Cathedral of Ylvaine's Mercy failed to escape the rain of fire that chaotically swept throughout the entire city!

The Kronon Dynasty, which had largey stood aside and pretended that the fighting didn't exist, finally moved into action!

The duty-bound soldiers did not attack the mercenaries and CRC mechs responsible for provoking this destructive battle.

They did not attack the Glory Battalion or the mech forces that belonged to Ves that generated the most collateral damage.

Instead, they enveloped the church, cathedral and other structures of great signature with their mechs in order to prevent any further harm from befalling them! Though many of the mech pilots and grunts wanted to do more, they received strict orders not to take any sides in the current battle!

As the waves of attackers started to approach the outnumbered defenders, Commander Magdalena looked increasingly grave.

"They're coming!"

Even though the Crystal Lords and other ranged mechs managed to soften up the wave of mercenaries, plenty of third-class mechs still made it through!

"We should have hired our own mercenaries sooner!" She angrily muttered to herself.

Perhaps it was better that they didn't. She recognized some of the markings on the enemy mechs and discovered that they belonged to some of the mercenary corps that they were hoping to hire to protect them as they made their way to the Sentinel Kingdom!

The collision between melee mechs was a violent affair. Landbound and aerial mechs from both sides dropped in rapid tempo as the mech pilot fought as if their lives depended on their efforts!

The Sentinels fared the worst out of the defenders. The cockpits of their mechs continued to launch into the air as the mercenaries seemed to take a sadistic amount of pleasure in bullying the weakest link!

The furious offensive pressured the defenders immediately. If not for their glows and their strong commitment to their duty, the Sentinels would have already started to falter!

The Star Dancer flew furiously in the air as it wielded both its gauss rifle and dual-type laser and particle beam rifle in both hands!

Bright blue beams of penetrating particle fire impacted the various CRC mechs which exerted a huge amount of pressure on the heavily-outnumbered mechs of the Glory Battalion.

Gauss round after gauss round spat out from the other rifle in a different direction, causing some of the more formidable and heavier-armored second-class mechs to drop after suffering critical damage to their weak points!

Even though the expert pilot was downing Fridayman mechs left and right, his Star Dancer was only a single mech!

Just as the enormous mob of mechs under the command of the Coalition Reserve Corps threatened to breach the defensive lines, a sudden volley of laser and ballistic fire struck the rear of the attacking outfits!

"The Ylvainans! Have they come to help us?!"

The mechs that appeared behind the waves of attackers all belonged to the Kronon Dynasty. Their mech pilots all violated their orders and went AWOL after they figured out that their own dynasty and government was prepared to throw the Bright Martyr to the wolves!

At the lead of this modest group of renegade mechs were two very familiar and very noticeable mechs.

"That's Zeal! Did Taon Melin defect?! But what is that other Transcendent Messenger? It doesn't fit with the other five copies!"

The Transcendent Messenger next to Zeal was noticeably different in many ways. It looked a bit rougher, and it possessed a distinctly different external appearance.

Yet there was one aspect about the mech that was remarkable. Its Ylvainan glow radiated throughout the battlefield as if a god had descended onto the surface!

Inside the cockpit, a very familiar-looking mech pilot smiled with absolute certainty as he beheld the chaotic battle. He activated the speakers of his mech as its rescue particle generator went into overdrive by surrounding his mech with an overpowering white glow!

"Attacking one of my Martyred Followers is heresy! Let us smite these unbelievers and show my fallen Protectorate how far they have strayed from the truth!"

Chapter 1908 Mech Colonel Adrian Jeivz

Kesseling VIII managed to escape the ravages of the Sand War.

It didn't escape the Komodo War.

Swept by the increasingly heated conflict between the Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony, the Ylvaine Protectorate finally buckled under the pressure!

With the survival of its faith, people and state at stake, its government chose pragmatism over idealism.

What Bright Martyr? What blessing of Ylvaine?

Would saving or shielding the Bright Martyr stop the Friday Coalition from annihilating their state?

Would allowing Ves Larkinson to escape from its territory unscathed save the Protectorate from being ganged up by the surrounding states?

The treaties the Protectorate signed with the Bright Republic, Vesia Kingdom and other states were worth nothing. The Deliverers that used to save their star systems from getting overrun by the relentless sandman swarm configurations completely lost their value!

As long as the Friday Coalition exerted some pressure, those states that should have felt grateful to the Protectorate for saving their people and star systems could easily turn into its mortal enemies!

This was the tragedy that befell all lesser states! No matter what kind of diplomacy they pursued, everything they built could easily collapse with a single word from a greater state!

In a hidden starship parked in an unknown location inside the Kesseling System, a dark command center lit up with the glows of dozens of projections.

Various officers and specialists garbed in the uniform of the CRC studied and manipulated the consoles with great attentiveness.

A single individual sat on a center command chair placed in the center of the command center. A whole array of projections displaying both battle footage and tactical overviews surrounded him from every side.

"The battle in orbit is proceeding poorly, sir." An aide remarked to the man sitting on the throne. "Resistance is greater than expected. While our numbers estimate has been on the mark, we have grossly underestimated the battle effectiveness of this new 'Bright Warrior' model. It is far more resilient than we have expected, which makes it difficult for our mercenary friends to damage any of the configurations of this modular platform. At best, the battle will devolve into a stalemate, but that depends heavily on whether our second-class mechs can fend off the Bright Warriors."

Mech Colonel Adrian Jeivz rubbed his stubbled chin. "It is a shame if we are unable to achieve victory in space, but we invested most of our assets on land for a reason. Killing or capturing Ves Larkinson is our only objective. Taking him off the board is a crucial step in our plan to subdue the Ylvaine Protectorate and consolidate our control of the local region."

His salt-and-pepper hair and curled moustache gave the 80-year old mech officer a dignified and valiant impression.

As a senior officer from the Vanguard Group, Colonel Jeivz had worked hard to climb up the ranks of the CRC.

Compared to the Gauge Dynasty or the Konsu Clan, the Vanguard Group was one of the weakest partners of the Coalition. Though it possessed a decent military presence, its economic and industrial might was too poor to keep up with the development of the other partners, thereby causing it to grow less relevant over time.

For the sake of the existence of the Vanguard Group as a worthy partner of the Coalition, officers like Jeivz had to excel in as many aspects as possible in order to make their group respected!

That meant he was determined to succeed in his plan this time. One way or another, Ves Larkinson had to die or fall into the custody of the CRC.

Allowing this valuable element to continue its associations with the Ylvainans and Hexers would definitely hinder the Fridaymen in several ways!

As long as the Bright Martyr remained on the board, the Ylvainan people could never be pacified!

If the Bright Martyr took his alliance with the Hexers to a deeper level and designed one of his characteristic mechs for them, he might be able to swing the Komodo War just like he swung the Sand War!

Though the latter concern sounded a bit too alarmist to Jeivz and his fellow Fridaymen, the possibility of it alone was too much to bear.

Since one of their targets of opportunity just happened to be in the neighborhood when the CRC was about to subdue the Protectorate government, it might as well target one of its recent annoyances!

"The battle on land is still in our favor, sir, but the insertion of the so-called True Believers and their Living Prophet is dividing the attention of our mercenaries. Our land assets are less likely to achieve a breakthrough if they are forced to split their attention."

"The True Believers don't have the numbers to sway this engagement." The mech colonel sneered. "The only purpose of the lesser mercenaries is to occupy the third-class combatants of our enemies. No matter how many surprises our foes present, only second-class mechs can defeat second-class mechs in this battle!"

"Our CRC mechs are succumbing too rapidly against the Star Dancer, sir. Venerable Brutus Wodin possesses too much of an advantage in this battle."

"Does he really think we haven't taken his presence into account? Valentine will take care of him soon enough."

Though the CRC hit some snags, together with the mercenaries it hired, the defenders were being pressured at every turn!

In space, hundreds of mercenaries flooded against the Avatars, Battle Criers and Sentinel mechs as if they were completely disregarding their safety!

In truth, the CRC promised to reimburse all of their losses as long as the mercenaries made a decent effort to fight. This caused the foreign mercenaries to adopt a strategy where they pursued mutual destruction!

They disregarded the safety of their mechs and only chose to prioritize the lives of their mech pilots! As long as the pilots had enough time to eject and return to safety, it didn't matter if their mechs were trashed.

In fact, the mercenary corps participating in the attack wanted their mechs to be wrecked so that they could use the compensation from the CRC to buy brand-new mechs with better specs and modern components!

The regular mechs of the defenders couldn't keep up with the intensity exhibited by the attackers.

Only the Avatars handled the pressure the best, and of their mech companies, two of them happened to perform valiantly!

The Bright Warrior model unexpectedly performed far beyond the other mechs fielded by the defenders!

Though their regular mechs succumbed to the onslaught at a worrying pace, sometimes taking their mech pilots with them, the Bright Warriors dished out several times as much damage!

Even when they were outnumbered three-to-one, the defenders were slowly gaining the upper hand!

"Hahahaha! This new mech is great, sis!" Imon laughed over his private channel with his captain and superior officer. "The Nova Warrior is so tough! Enemy attacks are crashing against my machine like sand hitting a wall. They can't do anything but scratch its coating!"

The gold-and-black Nova Warrior in question had fallen out of formation in order to rampage in the midst of a squad of mercenary mechs!

Since the swordsman mech configuration had gotten too close, the foreign mercenaries all ganged up on the interloper. They even employed a rudimentary formation that was supposed to surround the hostile mech and cut off all of its escape routes!

Yet a dozen seconds later, the Nova Warrior withstood a score of hits while making sure to evade any powerful blows directed to its slightly-vulnerable flight system.

In return, Imon Ingvar boldly bulled through whichever mech was in the way and cut their frames with brute force!

Though the Nova Warrior seemed to be doing well, Casella Ingvar worried about her brother! Even as her Illuminating Warrior sniped at the assaulting mechs with its laser rifle, she used her authority to order some elements of the 2nd Spaceborn Company to advance in her brother's direction!

Unfortunately, they were already preoccupied with their own opponents. Even though the Bright Warriors were faring well against their current opponents, there were too many enemies to go through!

She decided to solicit help from another direction.

"Joshua!" She opened a channel to her friend. "Please help my brother! The mercenaries are encircling his Nova Warrior!"

"I can't!" Joshua replied with a strained voice. "Commander Melkor needs me to take out the second-class mechs that are propping up the mercenaries and massacring our own forces!"

Salvation came from a different direction, though. Casella observed with astonishment from her Illuminating Warrior's sensors as a large and deceptively-slow mech bulled its way to her stricken brother!

Even as more and more mercenary mechs attempted to down the overextended Nova Warrior, a lastgen space knight suddenly imposed its considerable bulk in their way!

The Shield of Samar finally showed its worth against an onslaught of melee opponents as Jannzi Larkinson smashed through their mechs!

Despite its mobility disadvantage, the Shield of Samar cleverly waited for its opponents to make their approach before bashing its heavy tower shield or stabbing with a sword!

If the defense of the Nova Warrior was already perverse enough, then the Shield of Samar conveyed an image of total invincibility!

Paired with its protective glow that mingled fairly well with the brotherhood-oriented glow of the Bright Warrior model, the Shield of Samar demoralized the mercenary mech pilots who continually failed to achieve any measurable results!

"Press the attack!" Jannzi barked to Imon. "I'll cover your back. If we want to break the mercenaries, we must wreak havoc in their lines! Go forth!"

"W-Wait a moment!" Casella interrupted. "My mech company can't keep up with your mechs!"

As Casella argued with the expert candidate and her brother, the Quint finally made its first true debut in battle!

Joshua King interfaced deeper with the masterwork mech than he had ever done before. With the survival of his boss and the Avatars at stake, Joshua felt as if he had been thrown right back into the Sand War!

The biggest difference was that he was piloting a much better mech than a Desolate Soldier!

Though Joshua somewhat missed the Deliverer he practiced with for months, he knew in his heart that he wasn't completely suitable to pilot such a mech. It had been designed to pair with an Ylvainan, and even if Joshua tried to play nice with their faith, showing respect was not enough.

Instead, a mech designed to serve the Larkinson Clan and embody all of its values was much more to his liking!

With the high-capacity neural interface offering greater depth of immersion than before, Joshua did not hesitate to merge his psyche deeper with his mech than ever before!

Despite the lack of practice, Joshua became increasingly more in tune with his fantastic masterwork mech over the course of the abrupt and chaotic engagement.

A true battle was the best practice ground! The high stakes and the lives that depended the outcome of the battle drove Joshua to push himself to the utmost!

"We can't afford to lose! The space corridor must remain open!"

Right now, due to the extreme threat of the second-class mechs that were downing Avatar and Sentinel mechs every other second, the Quint entered into battle with its lancer mech configuration!

With a valiant cry, Joshua drove his Quint straight towards a powerful CRC swordsman mech.

"Hahaha! Do you think your pitiful charge can stop my Ecstralis? My mech's defenses are more than you can possibly comprehend!"

The advanced mech held a sword in one arm and projected an energy shield from its other arm. It had noticed the Quint charging in its direction and braced itself to meet the impact!

There wasn't much time left for additional maneuvers. As the Quint reached the Ecstralis mech, its spear impacted the energy shield in a violent collision!

After a bright flash, the Quint zipped passed its target with only a moderate reduction of speed!

Though the point of its lance looked severely compromised, Joshua grinned as he exulted in his first victory!

Floating behind the Quint was a debris field composed of several large chunks that used to belong to the Ecstralis mech.

Its arrogant pilot hadn't overestimated the defense of his well-rounded second-class mech.

Instead, he failed to realize that the damage the Quint could inflict with its charges was thirty percent higher than the Shining Warrior mechs!

This distinction was crucial, and failing to recognize this difference led to the downfall of yet another precious second-class mech!

Chapter 1909 Damning Decree

The Bright Warriors and the Quint of the First and Second Spaceborn Mech Companies of the Avatars slowly tilted the space battle in its favor.

Even though the Avatars, Battle Criers and Sentinels were losing a lot of mechs and a fair number of mech pilots, the defenders denied the CRC from taking orbital supremacy over Kesseling VIII.

This was extremely crucial for various reasons! Control over the space above the planet not only prevented the Fridaymen from blocking the ascent of the starships that belonged to Ves, but also stopped them from flinging artificial meteorites and all sorts of ordnance down to the surface.

Though the battle in space went well for the defenders, the battle on land was not as smooth!

As Krent's idyllic peace was shattered by the lasers and projectiles exchanged between the two sides, the heavily-outnumbered defenders tried desperately to stop the attackers from advancing to the underground facility where the surgery still proceeded!

With Ves out the picture, it was up to the remaining leaders of his organizations to hold the line and keep up morale!

The number disparity on land was much greater than in space. The CRC prepared much more assets for their land attack because their only goal was to take care of Ves!

Once this crucial leader and mech designer died or fell into its hands, the rest of his enterprise became irrelevant!

For this reason, more than a thousand mercenary mechs and a hefty amount of second-class mechs assaulted the defenders like a flood crashing against a dyke.

Among the defenders, the Glory Battalion served as the bulwark. Yet even the Glory Warriors found themselves outnumbered by the opposing Fridaymen mechs!

During the furious battle, Venerable Brutus fired his rifles continuously at the approaching waves of second-class mechs. Even though his Star Dancer was wielding two rifles at the same time, his aim remained inhumanly impeccable as ever!

Gauss rounds smashed through weak points with ease! Most of the time, the stricken mechs immediately lost a lot of functionality, opening themselves up to easy follow-up blows from the other Glory Warriors!

His dual-type energy rifle was even deadlier. Supplied with an abundant amount of power from the Star Dancer's powerful reactor, Brutus did not hesitate to switch his rifle to particle beam mode.

Rays after rays of bright blue beams tore through the enemy mechs like unstoppable needles!

Sometimes, the particle rays even tore through half-a-dozen mechs at the same time as the lesser mechs operated the mercenaries hardly possessed the capacity to resist the extremely destructive antiprotons that made up the thin beams!

Though the firepower exhibited by the Star Dancer single-handedly stalled the advance of the CRC mechs despite their overwhelming numbers, Brutus was far from relaxed.

The main reason why his Star Dancer swayed the battle on the surface so much was that it was designed to deliver as much peak performance as its frame could allow.

It fared much less in an extended engagement and battles of attrition! The Star Dancer only carried so many magazines for its powerful gauss rifle. Its energy reserves, while prodigiously huge compared to regular second-class mechs, were being rapidly consumed in order to fuel the dual-type energy rifle's hungry appetite!

Therefore, it was crucial for Brutus to make the most of his firepower. He needed to take out as many CRC mechs as possible to decrease the losses suffered by the defenders and give them a chance to turn the tide of the battle!

Just as Brutus figured that the trend of the battle was slowly moving in his favor, his mech signalled an acute threat was approaching from his flank!

With a series of thoughts, the Star Dancer glided out of the way of a barrage of powerful pulses of energy!

A very distinctive CRC light mech emerged out of the crowd of attackers and flew in the air in order to close in on the retreating expert mech of the Glory Battalion.

No mech would ever close in on an enemy expert mech unless it had the strength to stand a chance!

The reason why Brutus took this single adversary far more seriously than the other mechs of the CRC was because his sensors alerted him to a crucial fact.

The light mech that was closing in on his own mech was an expert mech!

"Brutus Wodin!" The light mech's speakers broadcasted a female voice in the open! "You'll have to get past me if you want to bully my younger brothers and sisters!"

"Your strength is wasted on the weak and divided Coalition, you delusional apostate!" Brutus shouted back as his Star Dancer returned its gauss rifle to its back.

"Don't call me apostate, you bootlicking boy! I am Venerable Raen Valentine! Remember my name because I'll be the only woman who will be owning you in this battle!"

The light mech Brutus faced was a marauder type. Though it was a little heavier and bulkier than light skirmishers, it possessed a versatile offensive profile.

By default, marauder mechs wielded both one-handed swords and submachine guns, sometimes at the same time. Optimized for harassment and opportunistic close-ranged flanking attacks, a marauder mech pilot had to be well-versed in multiple difficult skills in order to make the most out of this risky mech type.

So far, the Star Dancer's mobility staved off an interception, but Valentine's Screaming Blade was narrowing the distance with each second that passed!

"My saber screams for your blood! Stop running so you can obediently offer your eunuch body to my blade!"

Brutus scowled. Of all the opponents he faced, he hated fighting against women the most!

Every woman from the Friday Coalition he encountered on and off the battlefield were tragic figures. Raised in the ignorance and lies of their state, they each fought against the truth espoused by the Hexers.

It hurt Brutus that he was unable to persuade his foes into acknowledging that women deserved to rule over men rather than settle for the false notion of equality.

Each time he tried, the female Fridaymen rebuffed him in the strongest terms. There was no saving these deluded women!

He ignored Venerable Valentine's taunts and instead attempted to rebuff her Screaming Blade by pelting her mech with precise bursts of particle beams!

He switched his rifle from a persistent beam mode into short, pulsed activations.

He did so in order to ration his Star Dancer's energy expenditure. Longer beams might make it easier for him to inflict at least some damage onto the Screaming Blade, but his target's superior mobility would ensure that most of its power went to waste!

While over eighty percent the pulsed beams went wide, this was still a win in his book as the marauder mech exhibited an extraordinary degree of evasion.

While Brutus was skilled enough to ensure he landed his shots at least 99 percent of the time against regular opponents, Venerable Valentine excelled in dueling against ranged expert mechs.

She slowly adjusted to his firing patterns, causing her Screaming Blade to suffer less and less damage!

"Taste my blade!"

The Screaming Blade spurt out a burst of speed, boosting it forward while being surrounded by the characteristic glow of true resonance!

Brutus, though under acute danger, did not flinch from this expected occurrence. Instead, he smoothly danced his expert mech out of the way of a glowing red saber that would cut off one of the Star Dancer's crucial arms!

Though he managed to evade the first significant attack, he was still in trouble! Ranged mechs like his Star Dancer never held the upper hand against swift and agile mechs.

Whether he could fend off the Screaming Blade therefore depended hugely on whether he had the skill, experience and resonance strength to overcome this considerable disadvantage!

"You are not the only one who can resonate with your mech." Brutus grunted with a scowl. "Let me show you my dance!"

The Star Dancer began to glow as the resonating materials built into its frame began to react to his force of will.

The mech started to shimmer in various rainbow colors while exhibited several unpredictable staccato evasive movements!

While the Screaming Blade had turned around to land another lethal blow, the Star Dancer impossibly moved out of the way at the last second!

Though the Screaming Blade's saber could have nicked the Star Dancer with its resonating weapon, the ranged mech managed to remain unscathed!

"Urgh!" Venerable Valentine grunted in irritation. "You're a fool if you think that trick will save your mech from getting butchered. I like peeling the shells of tricky mechs like yours the most!"

While the two expert mechs danced against each other in the air, on the ground the larger engagement still continued without any interruption.

The absence of Brutus Wodin instantly doubled or tripled the pressure directed against the defenders. The Glory Battalion faced the brunt of this adverse development as the CRC mechs were no longer suppressed.

The Fridaymen mech pilots could finally put their advantage in numbers to good use!

Their mechs assaulted the Glory Battalition without any further ado.

Both sides fielded different mechs and employed different fighting methods. However, the quality of their mechs and the training of their mech pilots were roughly on the same level.

The CRC mech pilots exhibited a bit more discipline and coordination while the Glory Warriors were significantly more spirited.

Not only had the Wodin Dynasty trained the Glory Warriors to be absolutely obedient and devoted, they also received another mental boost in the form of many of the glows exhibited by the nearby LMC mechs!

The Blackbeaks, Crystal Lords and occasional Desolate Soldiers all turned the crowded and chaotic battlefield into a heroic stand to the mech pilots on their side.

Even the handful of Deliverers piloted by the newly-recruited Ylvainans added a touch of righteousness and fanaticism to the moods of the Glory Warriors!

That wasn't all! While all of the glows blended together to produce a dynamic aura that lifted the spirits of the defenders, the attackers weren't left off either!

Regardless if the glows affected a foreign third-class mercenary pilot or a well-trained second-class mech pilot, they both received the same degree of mental suppression!

The mercenary mech pilots exhibited a lot more hesitation in their attacks after becoming affecting by the targeted hostility from the glows. It was if the mechs they faced all couldn't wait to end their lives!

The Fridaymen mech pilots, whether they belonged to the CRC or one of the mercenary corps it contracted on a long-term basis, exhibited a considerably greater degree of mental resilience.

By relying on the strength of their superior training, the direct opponents of the Glory Battalion only displayed some suppression despite the effects piling onto their mentalities!

Even so, the impact of the glows shouldn't be discounted. Without them, the defenders would have already lost a lot of morale while their attackers would have kept their spirits long enough to breach the defensive lines!

As it was, slowing the offensive gave the defenders an opportunity to reverse the battle trend.

The arrival of the Living Prophet, Taon Melin and their band of defecting Kronons made a considerable difference.

Forced to defend their mob from multiple sides, the attacking mercenaries were forced to defend their rear.

What was worse was that the sacred glows radiating from the prototype and production copy of the Transcendent Messenger design became increasingly more obnoxious!

Ylvaine himself seemed to descend onto the battlefield as the prototype piloted by 'James' began to radiate the purest faith and certainty that an Ylvainan mech had ever showed!

"LET MY WILL BE HEARD!" The young Living Prophet broadcasted in the open. "The Curin Dynasty, Kronos Dynasty and Poxco Dynasty has forsaken the tenets of my faith! By choosing to ally themselves with the Friday Coalition instead of abiding by their beliefs, I decree that they shall be stripped of my blessings! From this moment onwards, the fallen Protectorate will never enjoy my grace again!"

The moment the Living Prophet made his decree, something remarkable occurred throughout the territories of the Protectorate.

Every single Holy Soldier, Deliverer and Transcendent Messenger aside from the ones piloted by the defectors lost their glows!

Almost every Ylvainan mech pilot, mech technician and other people panicked as they discovered that the Great Prophet had disappeared from their mechs!

Due to the state-wide communications blackout, nobody knew what was taking place in the Kesseling System, but the sudden withdrawal of all of those glows couldn't be hidden at all!

Mass panic erupted throughout the entire Protectorate as the Ylvainan people collectively became hysterical!

Chapter 1910 Emerging Heroes

The influence of the Living Prophet's damning decree couldn't be understated.

The sudden disappearance of all of the glows that had continued to reassure and inspire the Ylvainans was immense.

Mournful shouts and yells rang throughout the streets as the patrolling Holy Soldiers suddenly lost their sacred quality!

Angry shouts and ferocious accusations started to fling in every direction as mech pilots, mech technicians and mech designers mistakenly blamed each other for 'killing' their mechs!

As the parties that made the decisive choice to defect to the Friday Coalition, the leaders of the three leading dynasties immediately came under an immense amount of pressure.

Though they had instituted a communications blackout that cut off every Ylvainan's awareness of what was going on in a different city, planet or star system, not all of the quantum entanglement nodes connected to the galactic net fell under the government's sway.

Many starships possessed their own individual quantum entanglement nodes, and if they weren't controlled by the three leading dynasties, then there was a considerable chance that their captains defied orders to block their nodes.

Furthermore, some obstinate Ylvainans also defied the orders of their superiors, especially when they learned that this was all part of a plot to hide an attack on the Bright Martyr!

All of this defiance meant that a scattered and sporadic network of communication was still in place when the Battle of Kesseling VIII erupted!

Not only did billions of Ylvainans learn about the battle, a portion of them even figured out that the Protectorate government was complicit in the attack!

While the authorities managed to exert enough control to suppress the unrest and limit its spread, all hell broke loose once the damning decree came into effect.

The wrath of Great Prophet descended on the Ylvainans without warning and with no chance for mercy!

Aside from the score of mechs piloted by the Kronon defectors at Kesseling VIII, every other LMC mech that was under the protection of Ylvaine's spiritual fragment suddenly lost their greatest and most valuable property.

All life went out from the mechs as the Great Prophet seemed to have forsaken the people that allowed the three leading dynasties to turn the Protectorate away from his faith!

Millions, if not billions of Ylvainans collapsed onto their knees! They cried and pleaded forgiveness towards the heavens!

"PLEASE! I'M SORRY FOR CHEATING ON MY WIFE! I WILL DO EVERYTHING TO ATONE FOR MYSELF!"

"It's not our fault! It's not our fault! It's not our fault! I'll overthrow our greedy leaders ourselves if that is what it takes to bring our Protectorate back to the light!"

"Please enlighten me, prophet! What will it take to regain your grace? I want nothing more than to deploy my mechs against the Fridaymen that are targeting the Bright Martyr, but I'm in a completely different star system!"

No matter how much the Ylvainans decried the unfairness, the Great Prophet had made his choice.

Through his actions, the founder of their faith had signalled that the state founded by the three leading dynasties no longer represented his will!

As more and more Ylvianans came to this conclusion, their rage, despair and desperation instantly reached new heights!

Many Ylvainans began to flaunt martial law in order to protest or riot against the administration. Some of the enforcers and soldiers that were supposed to maintained actually joined the civilians instead of trying to suppress them! Their own mechs had all lost their blessings in front of their eyes, causing them to experience just as much despair!

Though the entire state rapidly descended into fury, anguish and chaos, the Battle of Kesseling VIII still raged on! Regardless if the entire Protectorate was on the brink of collapse, the CRC still wanted to win this battle!

With Brutus Wodin pressed to his limits by Raen Valentine, the rest of the combatants had to fend for themselves without the support of their expert pilots.

This was very bad news to the defenders as the influence of the glows and the intervention of the Living Prophet and his band of defectors was not enough to overcome the disparity in numbers in and might!

The crucial advantage held by the Fridaymen was their crushing numbers of second-class mechs. Each of them were able to fly or run on the ground, and all of them were clad in superior alloys consisting of alloys that cost as much as several third-class mech companies!

Not only that, but the mercenary mechs that screened these precious mechs posed a very huge hindrance against any attempts at ganging up on them. The Avatars, Sentinels, Battle Criers and Kronon defectors failed to gain any advantage against the flood of mercenaries that numbered roughly a thousand mechs at the beginning.

Even though the quality of mercenary mechs and the training of the foreign mech pilots weren't stellar, their huge advantage in numbers and willingness to trade blows for blows caused the Larkinson mech pilots and their comrade to fall back again and again!

Unlike the battle in space, the battle on land featured less individual heroes that could rally the defenders and serve as a beacon of hope in this crucial clash.

The best that the landbound mech contingent could offer was Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson!

His aerial light skirmisher darted through the skies with immense speed! The Blazing Zephyr dodged and weaved through a huge barrage of enemy fire, evading most of it while enduring just a couple of hits on its light layer Breyer alloy that had recently been applied to the mech.

While the hasty replacement of its armor system severely affected his light skirmisher's balance, Tusa thanked himself for accepting this offer to upgrade his mech, because in a major like this, his Blazing Zephyr would have already been downed if he insisted on maintaining the original form of his mech!

As he took out aerial threat after aerial threat, he zipped and weaved past several enemy light mechs that constantly tried to take his Blazing Zephyr down!

"Damnit! These second-class mechs are unshakeable!"

Against regular mercenary mechs, his mech possessed a decisive advantage, but the mechs fielded by the Coalition Reserve Corps proved to be unassailable.

Their superior performance and vastly tougher armor caused Tusa to feel profoundly helpless!

Even if his considerable skills in battle allowed him to outmaneuver his arrogant opponents, the heated daggers wielded by his Blazing Zephyr barely sank into his targets even if Tusa specifically targeted the seams or weak points!

"Goddamn Fridaymen! I'm never piloting a mech as weak as mine again if I have any say about it!" He murmured to himself. "Ves should better design a new mech for me after this is over. I can't stand letting these Fridaymen get the better out of me. Just because your mechs are tougher doesn't mean you're better!"

The disparity in skill could not overcome the disparity in performance, at least not to this degree.

Every Larkinson, retainer and employee shared Tusa's frustrations. The mechs fielded by the CRC were better than their own in every way!

Not only that, but their mech pilots exhibited superior skill as their training allowed them to make the most out of their machines!

If not for the flank attack and the initial suppression from Venerable Brutus, the CRC would have been able to overrun the defenders at this point!

Even though the Larkinsons lost the protection of a friendly expert pilot, none of them despaired. Instead, their will to fight burned hotter as they resisted with as much valiance they could show!

While the Avatars and Sentinels were unable to pose a threat against the CRC mechs, they could at least assist the Glory Battalion by shielding them from the tides of cheap but voluminous mercenary mechs!

The mercenaries showed little cohesion between their outfits or even within their outfits. The Fridaymen hadn't been very discerning when they hired them, which meant that the skill of their pilots and the quality of their mechs were noticeably below standard.

Yet for every skilled Larkinson mech pilot, there were at least two or three uncouth mercenary mech pilots who were more than willing to gang up on their opponents!

Such a significant number disparity caused the defenders to suffer continuous losses in both mechs and mech pilots!

Though many mech pilots managed to eject to safety in time, some attacks were simply too sudden to avoid. In a large and intensive battle like this, deaths couldn't be avoided.

The amount of Larkinson blood being spilled would make many clan members weep!

However, this was no time to think about the losses. The continued survival of the nascent Larkinson Clan was still in question!

If the Avatars and Sentinels collapsed, if the CRC managed to reach Ves or if the Larkinson Clan lost heart, then all would be lost!

It was in these moments when the courage and duty displayed by the Larkinsons showed their true value.

Even if they were at a disadvantage, even if they weren't entirely sure why the Fridaymen wanted to kill them, the Larkinson mech pilots each fought as valiantly as they did against the Vesians.

"For the clan!"

"For the Larkinson bloodline!"

"For the cat!"

"What?"

"Never mind, just fight!"

With the Larkinsons setting an inspiring example, the non-Larkinsons employed by the Avatars and Sentinels also endured. While their morale was not in the best condition, at the very least they weren't trying to abandon the fight and flee the battlefield!

Of the combatants taking part in the battle, the modest number of Battle Criers made a significant difference as well.

Their unflinching dedication to hold the line was absolutate! As Kinner bondsmen, the Battle Criers were bound to defend their owner at any cost!

Dietrich Krotz was one of the few members of the Battle Criers that wasn't part of the Kinner Tribe. As such, he possessed a much more sober outlook towards this battle than his Kinner comrades.

"They're mad! They would rather die than fail their orders!"

He didn't understand the Kinners. Despite serving with them for quite some time, Dietrich still failed to learn why the Kinners were so absolute in their obedience to their employers or buyers.

He even felt as if they weren't human sometimes!

Humans were selfish. Humans only looked out to themselves. Humans would never die for the sake of a stranger!

Throughout his time growing up among Walter's Whalers, Dietrich thought he already understood the depth of human nature.

The betrayal that occurred after his father's death showed him that he had been too naive in his outlook!

After losing his father's legacy and suffering an immense blow to his confidence, he thought that no one was different from the Whalers.

For example, he believed that Raella refused to take their fling any further because he didn't bring enough benefits.

He guessed that Ves only desired to hire him because he still possessed some value.

He thought the Kinners were only pretending to be absolutely loyal in order to maintain the reputation of their people and tribe.

While all of that may be true, in this perilous battle, Dietrich discovered that the Battle Criers viewed loyalty in a much different way from other people.

Whereas other people were like fickle and duplicitous cats, the Battle Criers were more akin to slavishly loyal dogs!

Though he always knew that the Battle Criers he fought alongside with were reliable, this was the first time that Dietrich saw their true nature.

"For the Battle Criers!"

"For the Kinner Tribe!"

"For our sons and daughters!"

Though the Battle Criers showed plenty of fervor and enthusiasm, their foes still downed their mechs one by one at a worrying pace. While the attackers lost their mechs faster than their defenders, soon the latter would run out of mechs to fight!

Meanwhile, the CRC's advantage over the dwindling number of Glory Warriors continued to increase!

As the battle seemed to turn for the worse for the Larkinson Clan, a rear formation consisting of rifleman mechs and other ranged mechs suddenly suffered a major upheaval!

The vulnerable mercenary mechs all exhibited cuts that separated their arms from their torsos or outright cut their frames in half!

Several companies that predominantly comprised of swordman mechs emerged from another flank!

"The battle is not yet over, Larkinsons! The Swordsmaidens shall fight by your side!"

With Commander Dise's announcement, the mob of mercenary mechs came under heavy pressure as their other flank were being savaged by a ferocious band of sword-wielding mechs that employed both savagery and skill!

Chapter 1911 Tethered

The battle on land turned more chaotic after the intervention of two additional groups of combatants.

While the Living Prophet and Commander Dise did not bring enough mechs to overcome the numbers disparity, the timing and direction of their attacks profoundly disturbed the attacking force!

The reserves covering the rear along with the vulnerable ranged mechs supporting the mechs at the front all came under heavy attack!

Though the combined force of CRC mechs and foreign mercenary mechs still possessed more than enough mechs to address the newcomers, the influence to their morale was significant!

No army liked to be surrounded from different directions. A mech force especially didn't want to be attacked from the rear which normally served as their fallback point or escape route!

The Kronon defectors and Swordmaidens also exerted a lot of pressure in different ways that significantly impacted the confidence of the mercenary mech pilots.

"OUR FAITH SHALL SHATTER YOUR WILL! TREMBLE BEFORE MY MAJESTY!"

First, the glow exuded by the prototype Transcendent Messenger exceeded the glows of any mech! Its glow was so strong and palpitating that the defectors from the Kronon Dynasty wholeheartedly believed that the Living Prophet was truly the Great Prophet!

Not only did the prototype exude a presence that would make any Ylvainan prostrate before the mech, its righteous fury and its piercing judgement caused every foreign mercenary mech pilot to quake.

Many of the secularists among the attackers suddenly started to shudder in fear. Did gods exist? Was Prophet Ylvaine truly passing judgement on them? Even though these fears sounded absurd, many mercenaries couldn't help suspect that their actions had very real repercussions on their souls!

As a consequence of this invisible suppression, the mercenary mechs lagged even further when they were pressing the attack. If not for the rich rewards and strict warnings given by the Coalition Reserve Corps, the mercenaries might have started to retreat by now!

"Swordmaidens!" Commander Dise shouted over the command channel. "Chop these flimsy mechs apart and show them that the frontier still lives!"

"Chop!"

"Chop!"

"Chop!"

The swordsman mechs piloted by the Swordmaidens all stormed forward with blades held with both hands.

Unlike other ordinary mech pilots, the Swordmaidens exhibited a passion and skill for swordsmanship that could not be equaled by an academy-trained mech pilot!

The Swordsmaidens lived and breathed with their personal swords, carrying them everywhere and training with them until their sweat soaked their hard bodies.

Their brutal physical conditioning and harsh drilling in the unique style of swordsmanship developed by the late Commander Lydia all yielded fantastic results when translated to mech piloting!

The Swordmaiden Style had been geared towards giving human warriors a chance at slaying a ferocious exobeast while armed with nothing but a sword!

Each Swordmaiden not only underwent a harsh regime of training that was equivalent to the training programmes for elites, but also passed a brutal graduation ritual that forced them to hunt and kill a deadly exobeast on an untamed planet!

Though this strict training regime had always limited the growth of the Swordmaidens as an outfit, it ensured that every single mech pilot of theirs was extremely strong, skilled and determined in battle!

With an expert candidate in the form of Commander Dise leading the charge, the Swordmaiden mechs sliced and diced their way through the hasty formation of mercenaries!

Though the mercenary mechs still held the weight of numbers, most of them were directing their attention to the front! It took time for the commanders of the respective mercenary corps to order their subordinates to turn their mechs around and face the new threat!

"Hahaha!" The commander laughed. "This is just like slaughtering Gizla Lizards! These mercs expected to lean on their Fridayman masters to do the heavy lifting! They're as spineless as the bottom feeders of the frontier when they have to face us alone!"

Much of that had to do with the oppressive glows impacting the confidence of the mech pilots. The LMC mechs fielded by the Avatars and Sentinels along with the Living Prophet's Transcendent Messenger all showed how powerful Ves' design philosophy could be in the right hands!

With the Swordmaiden mechs cutting a swathe through the rear lines of the mercenaries, the impact to their morale was particularly huge!

With all of the blows the mercenaries suffered at the rear, their offensive truly started to stall!

The Avatars and Sentinels defending the underground facility received a much-needed reprieve! The pressure exerted on them by the attackers reduced by a significant margin, allowing them to catch their breath and reorganize their formations to better cope with the challenges they faced!

The ferocity of the Swordmaidens knew no bounds. Hardly any mercenary mech lasted more than a dozen seconds against the Swordmaiden mechs. Through a combination of unrelenting aggression, exquisite teamwork and undaunted momentum, the former frontier pirates became such an acute threat that even Colonel Jeivz began to frown in his command center!

"Where do these rabble keep coming from?!" The senior officer banged his fist against the armrest of his command chair! "Why have we not accounted for their strength?!"

"Sir, since we have been able to smuggle in our mech companies onto Kesseling VIII, other groups should have been able to do so as well. Most of our intelligence support was mostly directed towards blinding our target's intelligence assets. We neither had the time nor the resources to scout Kesseling VIII extensively."

The CRC admittedly rushed this surprise attack ahead of time when they learned that Ves Larkinson would be undergoing surgery soon and depart from the planet shortly afterwards.

Along with the lack of resources directed towards the conversion of the Ylvaine Protectorate to the Coalition's side, Colonel Jeivz made the decision to shore up his shortcomings by hiring mercenaries.

Right now, those mercenaries should be supporting the main offensive while preventing any interlopers from disturbing their mission.

The mercenaries weren't allowed to falter! If they all abandoned their mission, then his CRC mechs would become exposed!

Not only would the Glory Battalion be able to direct their full attention towards his assets without any disturbance, but the lesser mechs would be able to intervene in the battle as well!

Even if the remaining defenders only fielded third-class mechs, their quantity was still very considerable! As long as they ganged up on a couple of second-class mechs at a time, it was not impossible for them to whittle away the strength of the main attacking force!

Any distraction that ensued would tip the balance in the favor of the Glory Battalion, thereby reducing the odds of victory by a significant margin!

"These sword-wielding maniacs need to be neutralized!" Colonel Jeivz decided. "Allocate some defensive mechs to stand in their path. Once their momentum stalls, their threat level won't pose any problems anymore."

"What about the so-called Living Prophet, sir?"

"This charlatan needs to be squashed directly. Dispatch an elite squad to crush his mech! In fact, shoot down his cockpit if he tries to eject! This farcical terrorist leader will continue to hinder our takeover of this state if he is allowed to retreat!"

The CRC Colonel's orders soon came into effect. As the mercenaries became increasingly less certain about their chances of victory, a number of Fridayman mechs suddenly split off from the main formations and rapidly advanced towards the hostile mechs attacking from the rear!

With their powerful flight systems, the two squads closed the distance with prodigious speed!

The mercenaries became a little more relieved now that their rear lines

"Damn! Those Fridaymen are really angry now!" Commander Dise cursed. "Get ready, Swordmaidens! The true challenge starts here! Treat them like we're hunting exobeasts!"

A squad composed predominantly of knight mechs landed on the ground with thunderous thuds!

Every part of their design was wrapped in thick, protective shells. Their all-encompassing armor system not only covered every part of their frames with armor, but their integrated shielding devices also projected various energy fields over their shields but more importantly their weak points!

No matter how well their opponents attempted to outmaneuver them, with their twin defenses, the Fridayman knight mechs could never be felled in a single blow!

Yet their formidable defenses did not deter the Swordmaidens at all! Commander Dise's mech raised its huge sword in the air.

"Look at these conceited Fridaymen. They only sent twelve of their mechs to us! Do they think we hit like little girls? Show these tin cans what our swords can really do!"

The Swordmaiden mechs did not pull back their aggression at all! They charged at the prepared Fridayman mechs as if the tech and training disparity didn't exist!

The second-class knight mechs were faster, stronger and more versatile than the mechs piloted by the Swordmaidens. Even before the Swordmaidens managed to close the distance, the knight mechs flew in the air to escape the reach of their adversaries while at the same time firing missiles from various ports of their frames!

In an instant, almost a dozen swordsman mechs succumbed to the powerful missiles! They fell so fast that their mech pilots didn't have the time to eject before their cockpits was lost in the sea of explosions!

Despite these losses, the rest of the Swordmaidens didn't falter. Even when the knight mechs flew far beyond the reach of their swords, their mechs never let go of their swords or brought out their backup pistols, if they even had any!

Instead, once they closed within several hundred meters of the flying knight mechs, Commander Dise and her subordinates all activated the special function built within their mechs.

"Did you think we're defenseless against flying mechs? Think again!"

Hooks attached to thick cables suddenly launched from the Swordmaiden mechs.

As the hooks all attempted to entangle the knight mechs, the alarmed mech pilots either tried to evade to cut the thick cables.

Though the knight mechs managed to evade or intercept at least half of the tethered hooks, the other half managed to grab or spool around the limbs of the mechs!

Though the CRC mechs were very much capable of shaking off these bonds, the Swordmaidens didn't give them the time!

The swordsman mechs attempted to drag the knight mechs down!

Though the flight systems built into the knight mechs were powerful enough to lift their weight under standard gravity, it was a stretch to think they could lift another mech!

Though the swordsman mechs all strained to drag the flying mechs to the ground, by dividing the load among multiple machines, their tethering systems barely managed to keep working!

Once the knight mechs were dragged within reach, multiple Swordmaidens laid in wait with their sharp and sturdy swords!

None of the trapped Fridayman mechs could avoid the swift and powerful thrusts. Most of them avoided the thickest part of the armor and relentlessly hit against the shields covering their vulnerable weak points.

Though the shields withstood the barrage with apparent ease, the Fridayman mech pilots noted with alarm that their shielding systems were slowly being overloaded!

With the Glory Battalion pinning the remaining CRC mechs down, it wasn't easy for the Fridaymen to dispatch additional reinforcements to rescue the stricken knight mechs!

Though a number of mercenary mechs and CRC mechs moved to reinforce the stricken mechs, the remaining Swordmaiden mechs were well prepared to fend off the sporadic rescue attempts!

"Abort our counterattack against the Living Prophet and divert our elite squad to rescue our defensive mechs!"

"We can't, sir! The Kronon traitors are overwhelming our elites!"

"What?! How?!"

"Additional reinforcements have arrived! Three Kronon mech companies stationed throughout Krent have gone AWOL and moved to support the Living Prophet!"

"These blasted Ylvainans! Their faith is blinding their good sense!"

The Kronon defectors only numbered around fifty mechs at the start, but rapidly grew in numbers as additional Kronon mech pilots arrived to support the Living Prophet!

"Our blessings have returned!"

"Praise Ylvaine!"

"The Living Prophet is our salvation! Only he can return us to the true faith!"

The reason why these Kronons decided to defy their superiors and support the defecting side was simple.

The LMC mechs in their possession slowly regained their glows when they moved towards the Living Prophet.

If they did the opposite, then their glows would definitely disappear again.

To the Ylvainans, such an outcome was intolerable! The mech pilots who had become accustomed to the reassuring glows of the Holy Soldiers and Deliverers believed that this was a test from the Great Prophet.

The only way to regain the grace of the Great Prophet was to fight by his side even if they made enemies with the rest of their state!

"The three leading dynasties have forsaken the prophet! Only the True Ylvaine Dynasty serves the prophet's will!"

Though the elite squad of CRC mechs felled plenty of Kronon mechs within the blink of an eye, they couldn't stop the rest from mobbing them from each direction! The fanatical Kronon mech pilots ignored every danger and risk of death in order to madly tear the second-class mechs apart!

Chapter 1912 Rippling Futures

Though the Swordsmaidens managed to exhaust the defenses of the knight mechs and wreck each of them, they paid a very heavy price for their victory.

Less than twenty Swordmaiden mechs remained operational. Commander Dise lost over two-thirds of the mechs she had brought to reinforce the defenders!

Though she didn't mourn the loss of mechs, she winced at the thought of losing some of her sisters. The knight mechs and the other Fridayman mechs punched far above what their mechs were capable of withstanding!

Against such superior machines, too many Swordmaidens died unjustly. The attacks directed against their mechs punched through their cockpits with such penetration power that their female mech pilots never had the opportunity to pull the emergency ejection lever!

While the Swordmaidens were saddened by their losses, the Kronons suffered an even greater tragedy!

With almost two-hundreds mobbing the elite CRC squad, the numbers disparity had grown too great for the elite mechs to fend them all off, especially when the distances were so short!

Their ranged mechs barely had the time to fell a few dozen mechs before all of the melee Kronon mechs started to surround and separate the CRC mechs from each other by physically exerting their considerable weight!

Once separated, each elite mech had to fend off against at least eight lesser mechs at the same time!

While it was very much possible for a second-class mech to defeat ten third-class mechs at the same time, it was very difficult to do so without the space and breathing to maneuver and bring their weapons to bear!

The Kronon Dynasty trained their mech pilots well. As a professional mech military, the Kronons taught their mech pilots various tactics on how to tackle superior mechs.

If a point ever came where they were ordered to attack second-class mechs, every Kronon followed the same multi-step plan!

"First, hug their arms. Even if the artificial musculature of these mechs are stronger than you can ever imagine, enveloping them with the mass of an entire medium mech will definitely hamper their functioning!"

With one or two Kronon mechs physically grabbing hold and pinning down the arms of the CRC mechs, the Fridaymen knew that they had made a huge mistake in closing in on the Kronon mechs!

Unlike the other lesser rabble, the Kronons were fully-fledged military mech pilots! Even if their strength still wasn't very impressive by the standards of the Friday Coalition, the discipline and teamwork exhibited by over a hundred high-spirited mech pilots was not something to be taken lightly!

Their arrogance and underestimation of those they considered to be inferior would force them to pay dearly!

"Second, remove their weapons. If the second-class mechs employ interchangeable weapons, then it is not as hard as you think to overpower their fingers and pry their rifles or swords from their hands! If they carry any integrated weapon modules, then just do your best to wreck or bash them apart with continuous attacks! These integrated weapon modules are just as vulnerable as any other weak point!"

Even as Kronon mech after Kronon mech got blasted away by the secondary armament built into the frames of the elite CRC mechs, the Ylvainan defectors did not abandon their plan!

Several mechs maneuvered around the machines keeping the arms of the enemy mechs trapped. After the Kronon mechs came within reach, they based, pulled or pried the ranged and melee weapons held by the mechs from their rightful owners!

The loss of their primary weaponry alarmed the Fridaymen mech pilots quite a lot, but once the crazy Kronons rabidly bashed the areas of their mechs which held their secondary armaments, they turned to full-blown panic!

"We're trapped!"

"Colonel Jeivz, we request immediate assistance!"

"Reinforcements are on their way! Don't give up!"

Once the mechs lost their weapons, they no longer posed a serious threat against the surviving Kronon mechs.

The Living Prophet issued some quick orders. Half of the Kronon mechs separated from the elite squad in order to hinder the advance of the reinforcing mercenary mechs and CRC mechs.

Though the Kronon defectors suffered enormously, the elite CRC squad no longer exited!

After losing their weapons, the trapped mechs soon lost their footing as the Kronon mechs purposefully tripped them onto the ground.

Once they lay prone and vulnerable, the Kronon mechs didn't hesitate to bash their more vulnerable parts with weapon attacks or trampling attacks!

Stepping onto the second-class mechs with the weight of another mech was not only satisfying, but also effective at crushing weaker parts while deforming the armor covering the stronger parts!

Due to all of these sudden developments, Colonel Jeivz looked at the tactical overview in shock.

The mercenary mechs no longer exhibited any drive. His CRC mechs no longer enjoyed a numerical superiority against the Glory Battalion. In fact, the Hexers were beginning to gain the upper hand as more and more momentum swung in their favor!

"The battle is no longer under our control, sir. Resistance is heavier than expected. We should cut our losses." His aide advised.

"We can still win." Colonel Jeivz gritted his teeth. His curly moustache twitched as he rapidly considered various tactics to address the threats from the rear.

The Swordmaidens and Kronon defectors may have downed a fair number of second-class mechs, but their strength had diminished! They wouldn't be able to resist another wave!

Even if the colonel wasn't able to direct any of his surviving CRC mechs against the flankers, he could still instruct the mercenaries to mob the remaining hostile elements harrying the rear!

"Sir, look! More Kronon mechs are making their way on the battlefield!"

In the extended map that encompassed half of Krent, hundreds of mech signatures started moving straight towards the site of the battle!

Though the scattered patrols and elements would still take some time to reach the battle, it didn't take a lot of thinking to conclude that these reinforcements were definitely on the side of the defectors!

The Ylvainan leaders had made it more than clear that the Ylvainans could never be ordered into attacking the Bright Martyr.

This meant that hundreds of mechs would soon begin to trickle in and continue to replenish the ranks of the flanking forces. All the while, the dwindling mercenaries would continue to lose their mechs and become less able to shield his CRC mechs from getting harassed from multiple directions.

Once that happened, the losses could easily surpass his bottom line! Once his forces suffered such a total defeat, the colonel's standing within the CRC would definitely be ruined!

Though Colonel Jeivz didn't necessary care about his personal reputation, he knew that his disgrace would also extend to the Vanguard Group!

"I can't allow the other partners to use this potential fiasco as an excuse to suppress the Vanguard Group!" He whispered.

Between a total defeat and a partial defeat, neither outcome appealed to him. Yet victory seemed to shift further and further away as his forces had already lost their numerical advantage!

In the end, he issued a very painful order.

"Retreat. Fall back as orderly as possible. I believe our adversaries won't press their pursuit. What of Venerable Valentine?"

"The Screaming Blade has slowly gained the upper hand against the Star Dancer. However, Venerable Brutus has proven to be very tricky. He has abandoned all attempts to hit back against his opponent in order to focus fully on evasion. For the last five minutes, he has managed to stall Venerable Valentine by dodging all of her attacks!"

"Shameless!"

Though Colonel Jeivz looked down on the bootlicking expert pilot, he had to admit that the woman worshipper made the right tactical choice.

Light mechs always possessed an advantage against ranged mechs. While this rule of thumb was less applicable when it came to expert mechs, the Screaming Blade still possessed an edge against the Star Dancer.

Yet due to Brutus' earnest attempts at evasion, the blood that Venerable Valentine craved was nowhere to be seen!

"Coward! You male Hexers are so craven! I knew the Hexers robbed your pride as a man, but this is a new low. You're an insult to expert pilots!"

The Star Dancer shimmered with a fluctuating rainbow glow as it illogically moved out of the way of yet another saber swing!

Throughout the engagement, the heated and empowered red blade of the Screaming Blade failed to inflict more than some surface scratches against the armor of the Star Dancer.

The mech was simply too slippery for her to land a solid hit!

The Screaming Blade did its best to take out the Star Dancer. A purple haze emanated from its frame as Raen Valentine activated her mech's own mobility resonance ability.

The problem was that unlike the Star Dancer, the Screaming Blade didn't possess a way to augment its agility. Instead, its mobility resonance ability mainly empowered its straight-line acceleration, allowing it to rapidly close the distance on a distant target!

Though this had served Venerable Valentine well against most opponents, the Star Dancer she currently faced was just swift and agile enough to react and evade against all of her swooping attacks!

This caused the two expert mechs to fall into a stalemate. Both expert pilots bet on their endurance and hoped to last longer than their opponent, because maintaining these empowered states was very taxing on their resonance strength and energy reserves.

The general retreat ordered by Colonel Jeivz put a stop to this dance.

Once Venerable Valentine received her latest instructions, she grunted in frustration! "What a waste! How come these third-raters and dirty bootlickers trounced our forces? We had the upper hand!"

Yet no matter how much she complained, she couldn't reverse the orders that instructed the surviving mercenary mechs and CRC mechs to disengage and retreat to the fallback point!

"This isn't over yet, Brutus!" The female expert pilot hissed through the open channel. Her mech raised its saber menacingly at its foe. "My Screaming Blade may have failed to taste your blood, but your tactics won't work next time! Once my crew adjust the configuration of my mech, you won't be able to escape my attacks again!"

The Star Dancer hovered in the air while it slowly lost its shimmering rainbow glow. It bowed at the Screaming Blade.

"If you wish to dance with me again, then I shall always be ready to accompany you for another waltz."

"Grow a pair!"

Venerable Valentine no longer lingered any longer. With her friendlies starting to disappear back into the city, she needed to leave as well before the Glory Battalion boxed her Screaming Blade in with its surviving mechs!

The departure of the CRC expert mech caused every remaining defender to sigh in relief.

Now that they had withstood and repelled the Fridayman surprise attack, they finally started to take stock of the losses.

"Damn! Just look at how many wrecks are strewn on the ground! This place has turned into a junkyard!"

Overall, the original defenders lost over half of their mechs! The reinforcements fared worse, especially the Kronon reinforcements who mainly employed risky swarming tactics against the enemy second-class mechs.

While their bold tactics succeeded in felling a fair amount of CRC mechs, the Kronon defectors still suffered enormously!

Commander Magdalena, who presided over the Avatars and Sentinels, hailed the Transcendent Messenger piloted by the Living Prophet.

"Mr. Prophet.. thank you for your assistance."

"Call me James, if that is what makes you comfortable." A young but charismatic voice replied. "I know you have many questions. This is not the time to ask them. I suggest you proceed with taking charge of your surviving and order your support personnel to scavenge and triage the surviving wounded. Fleet Coordinator Ophelia Kronon should have already dispatched a handful of transport ships and light carriers to our location to pick up the salvage and take in the wrecks."

"YOU!" The old Larkinson commander sputtered. "How can you read my mind?! How come the fleet coordinator accepted your orders!? Is she one of yours?!"

"I am Ylvaine reborn. The past, present and future are all within my grasp!"

"As if!" Magdalena scoffed. "I'd be more inclined to believe you if you weren't so obviously unprepared to aid us against this surprise attack. Just admit it. You were just as blindsided by the CRC as us!"

"I knew this attack was coming. I tried to prevent it as best as possible. I attempted to persuade the three leading dynasties to reconsider their betrayal. Their leaders disappointed me by going through with their blasphemous intentions."

"If you were truly capable of seeing the future, then you would have anticipated their obstinacy."

"It's not that simple! The future is always in flux! Each response I make directly affects the future trends in an unpredictable and chaotic fashion!"

Commander Magdalena no longer had the patience to listen to the nonsense of a clone. She cut off the channel and began to issue the necessary orders to clean up this battlefield and reorganize their remaining forces.

Just because the Fridaymen pulled back didn't mean they could launch a second attack!

Chapter 1913 Picking up the Pieces

Almost a thousand different mechs had fallen on the surface of Kesseling VIII. The amount of value destroyed during this engagement was enough to make anyone bleed!

Ves and the Larkinson Clan invested heavily in expanding the Avatars and Sentinels in recent times. Now, all of their efforts were almost entirely undone as the landbound contingent of the two mech forces lost a lot of mechs after they were taken out with contemptuous ease by the Coalition Reserve Corps or the flood of mercenaries.

The Battle Criers suffered substantially as well. Though not as numerous or attention-grabbing as the other forces, their unflinching Kinner loyalty compelled them to brave every possible danger directed at them. They would rather die than allow their owner to fall victim to his enemy!

The Kronon defectors lost a huge amount of mechs as they had been the most valiant in confronting the attackers. Their fanatical devotion towards Prophet Ylvaine all compelled them to throw themselves into battle against vastly-superior mechs without enjoying the protection of the Glory Battalion!

Though the glows of their LMC mechs had returned, the Kronon mech pilots all turned numb as they had no idea what they should do now. Many of them had families that tied them down to the Protectorate. Would they have to abandon everything they worked for in order to avoid punishment from the Friday Coalition or their own superiors?

Fortunately, the Living Prophet was ready to lead the flock of lost sheep. His Transcendent Messenger along with the Zeal approached the scattered formation of military mechs and began to envelop them in a warm glow that was unmistakably pure and sacred.

"If you truly believe, then you should not have any doubt." James softly said as his mech seemed to fade a bit as its glow seemed to have run out of steam. "The Protectorate as you knew it is gone. The Curins, Poxcos and Kronons have turned their back on the true faith. The beliefs they upheld are corrupted by their self-serving distortions. It is not without reason that I retracted by my blessings from the rest of the Protectorate!"

While James worked to convert the confused and listless Kronons to his side, the other combatants started to pick up the pieces.

Various ships belonging to the Larkinson Clan emerged from various locations, including the Avatar base.

Though a fair number of functional aerial mechs had been assigned to escort them to the battlefield, the CRC did not attempt to take them down, which was a huge relief.

Once the ships landed on the cleared locations of the battlefield, various mechs, bots and people started to go to work.

The highest priority was to rescue the trapped mech pilots who survived the fall of their mechs but were unable to eject to safety.

The next priority was to ensure that the mechs belonging to the hostels were properly neutralized.

Many of the surviving friendly mechs cautiously swept through each downed mech and made sure they wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

The third priority was to recover any salvage that could allow the damaged forces to regain some of their strength!

Though the crew on scavenger duty prioritized the recovery of LMC mechs, they also showed no hesitation in stealing the remains of second-class CRC mechs!

Even if it was not that easy to restore them to functionality, if the mech technicians could accomplish this task at all, at the very least their materials could be recycled to yield all kinds of valuables.

Though the mechs they lost could be replaced with time, effort and money, the lives who perished in this battle could never be regained!

Some of the Larkinsons already started crying or mourning for the loss of their family, friends or comrades!

This battle was much more brutal than a typical engagement against the Vesians! Not only was the attack too sudden, but the CRC mechs were also extraordinarily lethal against third-class mechs.

A small but considerable portion of fallen consisted of Larkinsons. Notable people who left a part of their blood and spirit in the Larkinson Mandate had become the very first Larkinsons who died to preserve the future of their clan!

Skilled mech pilots like Rhode Larkinson could have enjoyed a bright future as a skilled second-class mech pilot if not for getting speared by a spear attack that punched straight through the thick chest armor of his striker mech like it was cheese!

Though resentment and recriminations welled in the bitter survivors, they were professional enough to keep their complaints to themselves.

As long as they remained under threat, they needed to focus on their immediate survival! Casting blame at this point would only invalidate the sacrifices of the fallen! They did not die only for the survivors to squabble amongst themselves and make themselves vulnerable for another attack!

Commander Magdalena frowned and pressed her forehead with her fingers after she issued the latest raft of orders.

?We won, but we can't fight this kind battle again! We lost too many mechs and mech pilots!"

The strength of the defenders had fallen to a new low. Even the Glory Battalion was smarting as the CRC mech pilots directed most of their attacks towards those they considered their equal in battle!

Fortunately, the Glory Warriors boasted a much higher survival rate. Even if their mechs succumbed in battle, they offered enough defenses for the Glory Warriors to eject in time and reach safety.

This meant that as long as the Glory Battalion received enough time to repair their fallen mechs, it could quickly exhibit eighty to ninety percent of its original strength!

As the hasty evacuation proceeded with haste, the underground facility finally exhibited a change.

A number of armored plating shifted apart as some underground rooms began to shuffle in order to make way for a floating and detached chamber.

This was the operation room built according to Ves' design! Inside this precious chamber, Ranya and the Ylvainan surgeons were still focusing on facilitating the connection and integration of the Archimedes Rubal implant with the patient's brain!

Though the furious battle that happened on the surface didn't do the operation any good, the underground facility was so well designed that even the largest impacts only resulted in a minor tremble by the time the ripples reached the center.

Now that it was clear that the Larkinsons needed to evacuate the planet, Gloriana activated one of the contingency functions that allowed the operation chamber to separate and float in the air.

Soon, Gloriana's Stellar Chaser arrived to take the operation chamber in her cargo hold before ascending into orbit while being escorted by the remaining operational Glory mechs.

Since it was clear that the Coalition Reserve Corps was targeting Ves, bringing him away would directly decrease the danger directed at the remaining assets and people on the surface!

The Larkinson Clan still required a few more hours to complete their evacuation. Though the victims of the attack wanted to flee the Kesseling System as fast as possible, they couldn't afford to leave too many assets behind.

If the Friday Coalition were determined to pursue them, then they needed to be prepared for battle as best as possible!

Due to the Ylvaine Protectorate's unfortunate position in the Komodo Star Sector, it would take at least several months to flee to a Hexer-aligned region of space!

With Ves still out of the picture, the leaders of his respective organizations tried to keep everything together as best as possible.

Even though the CRC and their mercenaries were beaten black and blue, Kesseling VIII simply wasn't safe anymore.

Not only were the Larkinsons afraid of the arrival of enemy reinforcements, they were also concerned by the growing anarchy in the Kesseling System!

As ground zero of the battle that led to the disappearance of the glows throughout the Ylvaine Protectorate, the local Ylvainans had all become hysterical!

The destructive battle that led to the defeat of the CRC had ruined half the city of Krent!

Countless shops, office buildings and residential apartments had fallen from the collateral damage that both sides inflicted without any restraint!

Though the casualties among the civilians no longer rose as much when they reached the nearest underground shelters, over a hundred-thousand Ylvainans still lost their lives in the span of half an hour!

The death, chaos, destruction and outrage all caused the services and existing order on the industrial planet to break down!

In order to avoid getting swept by the protesting and rioting Ylvainans, the Larkinsons tried to hurry up their evacuation as expediently as possible!

Within Gloriana's stateroom aboard the Stellar Chaser, two Hexers were having a very important conversation.

SLAP!

"You failed! Again! How many times has it been, Calabast?"

"I deserved that." The former intelligence operative said flatly. "I won't allow you to lay a hand on me again. You are welcome to try if you want to lose your hand."

Gloriana scowled and pressed her fists against her hips. "Don't act all superior against me. We all trusted you to foresee these kinds of attacks in advance! How could you have missed so many suspicious movements?!"

"I have told Ves time and time again that intelligence gathering is not precise. In addition, this time I faced an entire team of Fridayman intelligence agents who were proficient in counterintelligence. They successfully negated much of the work I put in the Protectorate."

"Excuses! You Vrakens are always so easy to weasel your way out of blame whenever you fail! I don't even know why Ves continues to see you as an equal partner! If it was up to me, I would have already booted you from your partnership!"

Calabast sneered at the younger woman. "I may have dropped the ball this time, but you can't imagine how many times I saved Ves' hide. It's the nature of my profession that most of my successes go unsung while some of my failures become painfully clear. If you don't appreciate what I bring to the table, then I don't care! Once Ves wakes up, he'll back me up. He's a sensible boy."

"He won't be waking anytime soon due to your intelligence failure!" Gloriana shouted. "According to Ranya, the complications that arose disturbed the integration process between the bioimplant and my boyfriend's brain tissue. While she has managed to fix most of the damage, Ves will certainly need to be out for at least a month before it is safe enough for him to wake!"

"A month without Ves. I feel tempted to celebrate."

"Don't joke around! With all of the losses the Larkinson Clan and our other mech pilots have suffered, some of the survivors are already furious at our leadership! If Ves didn't provoke the Friday Coalition or led their people to a state that was in their crosshairs, so many mech pilots would have never died!"

"This is a good test of leadership for the people that Ves put in charge in his absence. Will they rise to the challenge? As long as they pass this challenge, Ves will definitely be able to entrust them with greater responsibility."

"Don't treat this like a mere test, you heartless spy! Everything that Ves has built is at risk!"

"I know." Calabast calmly replied. "Am I concerned? Yes. Am I afraid? No. Don't underestimate how much influence Ves has built up. Even if he's incapacitated, people like Melkor Larkinson and Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson are too invested in Ves to let this incident tear down everything they have been working towards. I believe as long as the Larkinson Clan can get past this crisis, it will emerge stronger and more cohesive than ever before! It is only in the direst of situations that people's true nature becomes clear."

Nothing Calabast said so far reassured Gloriana. Though she wasn't a Larkinson, she was bound by the clan by the Larkinson Mandate resting on her deck!

Ves had invested so much in the Larkinson Clan that she felt compelled to protect his interests.

She would never be able to forgive herself if Ves woke up only to find out that his clan voted to disband itself!

Chapter 1914 Stepping Up

An exodus ensued after the Battle of Kesseling VIII.

After a hard-fought victory, the forces aligned with Ves and the Larkinson Clan cleaned up the battleground and picked up as much valuable scrap the cargo holds of their vessels could hold.

No one believed the crisis was over. The Coalition Reserve Corps may be one of the lesser paramilitary branches of the Friday Coalition, but when it gathered all of its might, the CRC could easily overrun dozens of lesser states in an instant!

The only reason why the Larkinsons managed to foil the CRC's surprise attack was that it possessed a very broad mandate. It had to split up its forces across multiple territories in order to fulfill a multitude of different responsibilities.

However, just because the CRC spread its forces out didn't mean it had to stay that way. As long as the need was great enough, the CRC could easily order their nearby assets to converge on each other like the sandman converged in the former Coman Federation.

Just like the sandman planet that was rumored to attack the Bentheim System, the CRC could very well form an armada that could easily defeat the forces of the Larkinson Clan ten times over!

Every leader under Ves knew the precariousness of their situation. If the Friday Coalition truly decided to expand the Komodo War to the lesser states, then they were basically stranded deep behind enemy lines!

The distance towards the nearest state that was under the Hexadric Hegemony's umbrella of protection was at least two months away, and that only assumed their fleet would travel on the most direct and predictable route!

"Ves would know what to do in this situation." Gloriana sighed as she leaned her head against her palm. "He's been in these kinds of flight situations several times."

She missed Ves. She missed his decisiveness during a crisis.

Though Ranya recently informed her that Ves made it through the extended implantation surgery without any permanent impairments, it would still take at least a month for him to heal the remaining damage.

"Damn traitorous doctor." She scowled. "You got off far too easily!"

She always thought that Ves went a little overboard with his preparations and precautions, but now she realized that he was very right to invest so much in prevention and disaster preparation.

"It's not paranoia if they are really out to get you!"

She felt as if she understood this phrase for the very first time after this long and exhausting day.

Previously, she thought that her boyfriend irrationally feared the prospect of installing a cranial implant in his head. Back at the Hegemony, her peers installed such implants all the time with hardly any stories about botched surgeries or problems related to sabotage.

Yet her friends and acquaintances weren't like Ves. They weren't third-raters who managed to provoke the CRC. They weren't as talented as Ves, nor did they possess an inkling of his potential.

None of the mech designers he knew possessed the power to influence the course of a war or swing the destiny of entire states like Ves!

Even when he was in a coma, her boyfriend still managed to make an absolute mess out of the Ylvaine Protectorate!

With the scattered communications blackout, the Battle of Kesseling VIII couldn't be hidden from the population for long. Many Ylvainans soon found out the truth, and their rage and ire at the government was immense!

In fact, many members among the middle and lower ranks of the Curin, Poxco and Kronon Dynasty joined the opposition as well!

The loss of the Great Prophet's grace was very evident! No one had to look any further than all of the Holy Soldiers and Deliverer mechs that lost their blessed glows.

How could any devout Ylvainan support the blasphemous actions of their leadership? A huge uprising swept throughout the Ylvaine Protectorate, causing the entire state apparatus to become completely paralyzed!

While Gloriana didn't really excel in crisis leadership, she knew that she needed to take advantage of the current circumstances while they were still favorable!

With the absence of Ves, his remaining people lacked a single voice. He never appointed a second-in-command. No one possess enough clout to step up and be accepted as the temporary leader in charge of the Larkinson Clan!

To address the issue of leadership, Gloriana convened an emergency meeting in the conference room of the Stellar Chaser. Various shuttles arrived at her personal ship. Various passengers continued to enter the opulently-decorated conference room.

The new entrants all frowned when they took in the Hexer influences in the interior design.

The conference table was shaped like a hexagon. Six unobtrusive but very symbolic images were projected from six sides.

Along with what the passengers saw when they walked through the corridors, it became clearer and clearer that Gloriana was completely different from the rest of them! Their apprehension and alienation towards Hexers only increased!

Unfortunately, Gloriana failed to pick up their discomfort. If Ves was still awake, he would have convened a meeting on the Barracuda or the partially-refitted Scarlet Rose rather than the Stellar Chaser!

"Miaow."

Clixie flicked her head against her owner's palm.

Gloriana smiled and petted Clixie's head. "I'll do my best."

The cat went back to the center of the table in order to brush her body against a very large and ornate book!

The Larkinson Mandate placed on the center of the table could not be missed. Its inspiring glow, which was identical to that of the famed Glory Warrior mechs that had earned them a decisive victory in space, was core to the identity of the Larkinson Clan!

No one was allowed to take outright possession of the book. Ves surprisingly designated Nitaa as the primary caretaker of the book.

Right now, Nitaa refused to leave the recovery room where Ves was resting after his surgery.

Therefore, the book temporarily fell into the care of Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson, but only for this meeting.

The glow of the book reminded Gloriana what she needed to do. The people depending on Ves needed direction. During this pivotal moment, she needed to step up!

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's begin." Her clear and cultured voice interrupted the low conversation between the attendees.

Though she fell short in some aspects, Gloriana was very much at home in other aspects.

She adopted a serious and imposing demeanor as she sat at the conference table. Everyone who had been invited for the meeting settled down and turned their attention to the woman they needed to keep happy in order to save their lives.

No matter what they thought about Hexers or the Hegemony, they all knew they had to play nice with them! No one else in the star sector could protect them against the aggression from the Friday Coalition!

Therefore, a certain degree of tension descended on the conference room. Not everyone was happy with their current circumstances. They never wanted to become enemies of the Friday Coalition!

Fortunately, this was just a smaller meeting. Gloriana only invited those who were likely to be on Ves' side.

"We managed to achieve a very great victory, but we have all suffered greatly in return." She spoke in a measured way. "We can mourn later when we are out of the reach of the Fridaymen. What is more important is that we need to discuss how to go forward. Let us begin with our troop disposition. How many mechs and mech pilots have we lost?"

Everyone looked at each other before Commander Magdalena Larkinson decided to bite the bullet.

"The Living Sentinels have been savaged. Over two-hundred of our mech pilots have either perished or have become permanently unfit to pilot a mech. We've lost at least double the amount of mechs. The good news is that while our landbound mech companies have suffered a disproportionate amount of losses, our spaceborn assets are in a much better shape. My Sentinels are still reasonably combat-effective in any spaceborn engagements."

Commander Melkor stood up next.

"The Avatars of Myth have suffered a similar proportion of losses. We lost around 150 mech pilots, though most of them were recent recruits. Like the Sentinels, our landbound combat capabilities are severely crippled. Not only have we lost a lot of mech pilots, but we don't even have enough intact mechs to put up a decent fight on a terrestrial environment."

"Your spaceborn combat capabilities are still strong, correct?" Gloriana interjected.

Melkor nodded. A grim smile appeared below his visor. "The Bright Warrior that you and Ves designed has proven to be remarkably effective against a mixed force of mercenaries and second-class mechs. Admittedly, we faced much less CRC mechs in space than on land, but we are all immensely grateful that your mech has given us a chance to defeat second-class mechs without resorting to reckless dogpiling tactics."

As the Sentinel Commander and the Avatar Commander projected a brief overview of casualties and the state of their current forces, everyone lightened up a bit.

The casualties suffered by the Avatars and Sentinels in space was fairly light. The CRC heavily underestimated their spaceborn contingents, not expecting that the so-called bridge mechs could defeat their superior mechs!

"What about you, Commander Dise?" Gloriana turned to the dark-skinned woman who attracted more than her fair share of attention.

Surprisingly, it was Calabast who was sitting next to the Swordmaiden Commander who opened her mouth.

"My Swordmaidens have lost over forty mech pilots and even more mechs. Our spaceborn assets, though relatively small, are still fully intact, as I saw no reason to deploy them during the previous battle. We can still make a contribution in any space battle."

No one begrudged the Swordmaidens for holding back their mechs in space. The impact they made on the land battle was very great, and the losses they suffered when they boldly confronted the squad of CRC defensive mechs was horrendous!

"Our Glory Battalion is effectively down a mech company." Venerable Brutus stoically said. "While our mech companies may be slanted towards land or space, they can fight in both environments. We haven't lost as many mech pilots as the other forces. This means that as long as we can restore our mechs, our excess mech pilots can contribute their strength once again."

A short pause ensued as everyone tried to estimate how well they could withstand any follow-up attacks.

"At the risk of sounding callous, we are rather fortunate." Ovrin Larkinson mentioned.

As Benjamin Larkinson's brother and the Speaker of the Larkinson Assembly, the old and respectable Ovrin was one of the most important civilian leaders of the clan!

As a veteran mech pilot who had gone through his fair share of war in his youth, Ovrin was no stranger to crises. His words, while blunt, served to focus everyone's attention to their current needs.

"I agree." Director Clinton Larkinson said. "Our landbound losses, while grievous, can be disregarded for the moment. Right now, we must flee across a large stretch of space before we can shake off the inevitable retaliation from the CRC. There is no reason to land on any planets during our flight. For this reason, we should focus all of our efforts on repairing our spaceborn assets and transferring as many landbound mech pilots to spaceborn units as we can. Stick them into our spare Desolate Soldiers if needed."

Almost just as old as Ovrin, Clinton had also been bestowed with authority within the clan. He was currently one of the few respectable Larkinsons who had received the assent of the Assembly to assume a position within the all-important Larkinson Court!

Though it wasn't entirely proper for Director Clinton to attend this kind of meeting, he cared too much for the Larkinsons to miss out on this pivotal meeting!

"Your suggestion is in line with my thoughts." Commander Magdalena nodded in support.

The director and judge made a very sensible argument. Hardly anyone objected to its merits, so the attendants all agreed to prioritize their ability to fight in space.

This quick consensus may have been a small victory, but it put everyone in the right mood. A faint optimism spread throughout the conference room.

Their situation wasn't as untenable as they feared. As long as they enhanced their strength in space, they might be able to make it to safety!

Chapter 1915 Belonging

After gaining an overview on their current state and the amount of manpower, assets and resources at their disposal, the attendees quickly began to form an action plan.

They decided to focus their efforts on enhancing or restoring as much spaceborn combat capacity as possible.

They assigned expanded responsibilities to various leaders. A lot needed to be done, and many people needed to step up in order to manage the vastly-increased workload.

They also addressed the elephant in the room.

It was no secret now that a vast majority of the Ylvainans that joined their various organizations were actually members of the True Ylvaine Dynasty!

Known as a cult and terrorist group within the Protectorate, most of the Larkinsons never thought that the Living Prophet and his band of fanatics would side with them against the entire Protectorate!

No one really possessed a good grasp on Prophet James Ylvaine, or just James as his current incarnation preferred to be called.

The handsome, brown-haired young man shared a disturbing amount of similarities of the older, bearded and inviolable depictions of the original prophet!

The fact that he was a clone unsettled many people. It was well-known in the galaxy that clones weren't really 'equal' to normal sentient life!

Many of them exhibited severe mental defects and impairments. Even if their bodies were completely identical to another human being down to the tiniest cell, there was still a huge difference in how alive they were and how human they could act!

Compared to the stereotypical view of clones of flawed Frankenstein monsters or idiots who possessed the intelligence of a six year old, James appeared no different from any charismatic cult leader!

The presence he exuded and the natural charm he exhibited with his pleasant smile made it clear that he was not deficient when it came to socializing with other people!

With everyone's attention turning to James, the Living Prophet spread his arms.

"Please don't regard me with such suspicion. We are all brothers and sisters now. My True Believers and I have decisively thrown my lot with the Larkinson Clan. We are committed to support Mr. Larkinson and his clan no matter where he wants to take us. I believe that following him will lead my worshippers to a much brighter future than remaining in a state that has egregiously forsaken its faith and principles in favor of expedience."

Though he sounded well-meaning, no one could believe that James didn't have ulterior motives in mind when he and his True Believers secretly joined the LMC and growing fleets and mech units of the Avatars and Sentinels.

The fact that Fleet Coordinator Ophelia Kronon decided to sit demurely next to James signified that he wielded an uncomfortable amount in their group!

"We never asked for you to join us." Gloriana said. "Please enlighten us, James. Why are you here?"

"The reasons for our joining are myriad. Let me reassure you that we do not intend to hijack the Larkinson Clan or attempt to impose our beliefs on you. We just want to be part of great undertaking started by Mr. Larkinson. As my Bright Martyr, I am very clear on how great he is and how much he is able to accomplish in the future. Consider our participation as an investment. We are willing to provide your group with badly-needed manpower in the form of ship crew, mech pilots and other specialists that you so desperately need."

"Every investment expects a return." Director Clinton frowned. "What is it that you are aiming for? If you just want to find a new home for your True Believers, then you can easily do so on your own! I don't understand why you are willing to share power."

Though James tried to reassure the other Larkinsons, they still harbored a lot of suspicions on his motives. The True Believers could single-handedly cripple the functioning of most their ships if the Living Prophet gave the command!

This effectively gave the radical Ylvainans a huge amount of leverage at this point of time. No Larkinson wanted to be beholden to another power ever again!

James was aware of their concerns. His smile hadn't faded at all. He faced the room of skeptical Larkinsons and wary Wodins with the assurance that he would be able to allay their suspicions!

Ophelia Kronon moved without warning. She leaned over the conference table and snatched the Larkinson Mandate!

"Miaow?!"

Though Clixie looked alarmed, she refrained from taking action as Gloriana gestured her to remain still.

Ophelia carefully held the ornate tome and reverently offered it to James.

James raised one hand in the air and placed his other hand on the cover until his palm rested over the solid medallion that depicted the head of the Golden Cat.

The atmosphere in the conference room changed!

"We are friends of the Larkinson Clan. Please believe me when I say that we am committed to support your endeavors. My True Believers will always serve their functions honestly as long as they are treated fairly. Let the Larkinson Mandate judge me whether I am sincere!"

To everyone's surprise, the Larkinson Mandate seemed to emanate a little more warmth!

Instinctively, everyone connected to the Larkinson Mandate felt that the book actually approved of James!

At the very least, he appeared to be truly sincere!

Gloriana didn't feel relieved, though. Just because James and the True Believers were harmless now didn't mean they remained that way.

"Is this.. okay?" Melkor puzzlingly frowned. "We're just supposed to follow the cue of a book?"

"That's the Larkinson Mandate you're talking about! It's not a regular book!"

A contentious argument ensued on whether they should take the Larkinson Mandate seriously.

Even if it possessed a dynamic glow, it was still a simple object? How could it possibly have a say in this meeting?

"Ahem!" Gloriana slapped the table with her palm. "Before you discuss any further, let me show you what Ves has to say about his joining?"

"Is Ves alive?!"

She shook her head. "No. He is still in a coma, and will remain so until his new implant has fully integrated with his brain. What I meant is that Ves has prepared a very extensive database of contingency plans. He has already accounted for many possible situations, such as what we have to do in the event of an attack or what needs to be done if the Protectorate turns hostile to our group. I saw no need to bring them up since our previous decisions largely fall in line with his intentions."

"Ves prepared a contingency plan for the True Believers?"

"He did." Gloriana smiled ruefully. "Even though he treated it as an extremely low-probability event, he actually prepared a statement in the event that James and his faithful had become attached to our group."

Ves prepared over a thousand plans and decision trees! His paranoia caused him to frantically document all of his desired responses towards all kinds of wild events!

From being hunted by the Mech Trade Association to the death of 95 percent of the Larkinson Clan, Ves prepared a contingency plan for each occurrence!

A projection of Ves soon appeared above the table.

[Hello everyone. If you are watching this recording, then something may have happened which caused us to require the support of the New Ylvaine Dynasty. Let me tell you that while I do not have the greatest impression of the new Living Prophet and his band of.. faithful, I am inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. If you are hesitant on whether to accept the assistance of the True Believers, please employ the Larkinson Mandate as a test to see whether he is sincere. If you can't trust the Living Prophet, then at least trust in the judgement of our clan heirloom. That is all.]

Everyone blinked after the projection faded away. Many Larkinsons turned to James with an odd expression. Even before Ves' recording instructed them to use the Larkinson Mandate, the Living Prophet had already taken the test!

"How did he know?"

"Did he truly see the future?"

"That's nonsense! Maybe it's all a coincidence!"

"Can we even trust that book?"

"Ves has spoken!" Gloriana raised her voice, causing everyone else to fall silent. "The Larkinson Mandate has shown no hostility to James. This means he bears no ill will towards the Larkinson Clan."

"Excuse me, Miss Wodin, but what gives you the right to make decisions on behalf of our clan?" Magdalena asked.

The question distracted everyone from James.

This was a very important point. Since the meeting started, Gloriana had taken charge all this time.

This wouldn't be a problem if she was not a Wodin!

Gloriana didn't look flustered. She expected this question to pop up. "That is a good question."

She waved her hand towards the Larkinson Mandate. "Pass me the book."

The Larkinson Mandate floated from the hands of Ophelia Kronon and floated over the conference table until she grasped it as if she held her lover.

With a gentle smile, she opened the book and reached the page where Ves had signed his name and left his blood on the page. She flipped the page until she reached the one where she did the same!

She turned the book until her page faced the Larkinsons.

"Look. I took part in the founding of the Larkinson Clan. I may not have tied the knot yet with Ves, but he already already considers me part of his family! Will you deny my membership of the clan just because my surname is different?"

"You are still a Wodin."

"I can be part of multiple families." She retorted. "This is very common in upper society. Now, do I need to show you a recording in which Ves affirms my right to take part in this discussion?"

Raymond shook his head. "That isn't necessary. I have seen you with Ves many times and I know how close you are to his heart. Despite the consequences of your joining, you have also been pivotal in keeping us alive. Without Venerable Brutus and the rest of your Glory Battalion resisting the CRC's strongest assets, we wouldn't be sitting here. The fact that a number of Hexer mech pilots died for us is enough to earn my trust!"

A lot of mixed expressions appeared on the faces of the other Larkinsons.

Though it was true that the Glory Battalion had paid a significant price to defend their group, the critics within the clan weren't very happy about the Hexers.

Notwithstanding their poisonous man-hating culture, Ves' relationship with Gloriana was the entire reason why the Larkinsons suddenly became an enemy of the Friday Coalition!

If not for the ongoing crisis, the discontent Larkinsons who were pissed about provoking such an immensely powerful enemy would have voiced their recriminations by now! Opposition against Gloriana and the Hexers had truly ballooned within a significant portion of the Larkinson Clan!

Once this episode had passed, the meeting resumed by addressing their flight from Protectorate space.

"I can assist in this." Calabast spoke up. "While the Fridaymen have hindered my intelligence network, I still have a lot of eyes and ears inside the Protectorate and many of the states we have to pass through in order to reach a friendly region of space. My subordinates and I have already charted a rudimentary route that steers clear of any known CRC or Coalition forces."

She projected the chart above the conference table. No one except Ophelia Kronon could glean more than a few surface details from the projection. Everyone else pretty much regarded the route as a random line connecting to various starry dots.

"This route is moderately circuitous, but not too much to delay us overly much." The fleet coordinator remarked. "The issue is that this chart suggests that the best way to avoid CRC pursuit is to pass through the ravaged and recently-abandoned star systems of the states that fell during the Sand War!"

"What?!"

Chapter 1916 Orders are Orders

In the end, the Larkinsons who attended the conference meeting agreed to the proposal to put Calabast in charge of planning their escape route.

First, she was truly the most qualified individual to plan their escape. Though flawed, having at least one information network was better than possessing no network at all!

Only the Wodins could offer something comparable, but the Larkinsons were very hesitant towards the idea of letting them take charge of their clan!

The Larkinson Clan was never supposed to become a vassal of the Wodin Dynasty! Hardly any Larkinsons would agree to such a ridiculous prospect!

Second, as a former intelligence operative, Calabast also possessed a lot of expertise in these matters. Even if she didn't excel in space navigation, she had plenty of specialists in her employ that could provide her with the necessary scientific expertise to form a clever route.

The Larkinsons lacked a strong naval tradition. They were almost completely devoted to piloting mechs.

Out of all of the attendees, only Fleet Coordinator Ophelia could make an informed pushback.

"While I am not entirely comfortable with the suggested route, I believe it is safer than passing through active space. The Bright Republic, Vesian Kingdom and etcetera are all aligned with the Friday Coalition."

Though Ophelia's backing didn't count for much since she was a True Believer, it was a different matter when Ves himself threw his support behind his strategic partner!

Gloriana looked pained as she reluctantly tapped a button on the projected interface of her comm.

Ves appeared over the conference table yet again.

[Hello everyone. If you see this, then a situation might have arisen where you may be wondering whether you must put your faith in the Hexer known as Calabast. Let me tell you that while she is slimy, arrogant, deceitful, absent, inscrutable and unreliable, she is still worthy of our trust because our success is linked to her own success. Both of our goals are aligned, and Calabast truly brings a lot to the table. Don't reject her voice just because she isn't a Larkinson. She can be a very staunch ally of ours. Don't underestimate her capabilities.]

Calabast offered everyone a shaky smile. Her relationship with Ves was obviously more than just a mere business partnership given how many insults he hurled at her. Some people even switched their gazes between Calabast and Gloriana as if there was a hidden subtext!

"You heard it from the clan patriarch himself. He knows I am the only one who can successfully lead us to safety. I did so before when Ves escaped the clutches of the CRC and I can do so again!" The former spy smiled and leaned back against her chair.

"Let me remind you that the Fridaymen don't look kindly on us Hexers." Gloriana noted. "Calabast and I are not welcome in this region of space. We want to escape the reach of the Friday Coalition just as much as you. Therefore, even if you have cause to doubt Calabast's motives, please don't doubt her willingness to avoid our mutual enemy."

This caused the Larkinsons to lay down some of their objections. While none of them really wanted to trust this strange woman completely, it was undeniable that they were on the same boat.

After addressing a few more topics, the conference meeting finally came to an end.

With the help of Ves' contingency plans, everyone had a clear idea on how to go forward. Right now, they needed to do everything possible to escape pursuit! Once they reached a region of space where they were no longer under threat of annihilation, they were free to address other priorities, but until then they better focus on saving their hides!

Once the attendees bid farewell and returned to their shuttles, Calabast lingered while Raymond reverently took hold of the Larkinson Mandate.

"Let's stop by Ves." Gloriana suggested as she picked up Clixie.

"Miaow."

"Hihihi!" Gloriana giggled, completely losing her stiff and stately demeanor. "I did well, right?"

"Miaow."

"Oh, I'm sure Ves would be proud of my performance!"

"The reason why the meeting proceeded so amiably is because you invited all of Ves' closest supporters along with some pliable guests like James." Raymond gently remarked. "If you had to face the entire Larkinson Clan, I can guarantee you that it won't be nearly as easy to come to a consensus."

The mounting discontent among the survivors was still welling up. Plenty of Larkinsons exhibited some form of buyer's remorse. They wished they would have rather remained with the old family rather than get drawn in by one of Ves' troubles!

They soon arrived at the entrance of a heavily-guarded compartment. After passing a few security checks, Gloriana, Raymond and Calabast entered the chamber.

Dr. Ranya was standing next to a very advanced recovery machine. She inspected the readings projected by the pod-like machine.

Gloriana carefully stepped close until she loomed above the transparent cover that showed Ves' body immersed in some kind of nourishing fluid.

His head looked intact, but Gloriana knew that it would take a long time before Ves was ready to emerge from his coma.

"Miaow."

"I want him to recover as soon as possible. It's not the same without him. If he was still awake, he would have been able to squash any possible revolt before it becomes a threat."

Clixie squirmed out of her arms and jumped over to a table where a mechanical cat was watching over the pod.

"Miaow."

"Meow."

Meanwhile, Raymond gently returned the Larkinson Mandate to Nitaa, who carefully slotted the book into a holder built into her suit of combat armor.

That Ves decided to entrust Nitaa with the Larkinson Mandate while he was incapacitated was a very perplexing decision! Gloriana wasn't sure why he didn't entrust it to Raymond as usual, but even she couldn't fully fathom his genius or madness.

"I have to leave in order to take charge of the LMC and the Executive Council." Raymond respectfully spoke to Gloriana. "Hopefully, Ves can recover sooner than a month, because all of his contingency plans aren't enough to keep us going."

"I know." Gloriana whispered as she placed her palm on the surface of the transparent cover.

Once Raymond left, Gloriana turned to her cousin.

"Is there anything new?"

"No. My estimates are still the same." Ranya closed the projected interface. "Ves came off very lightly from the incident at the operation room. The traitor could have done more damage if his control to the operating machines hadn't been cut off. I guess we owe Calabast a lot of thanks."

"Yes. Thanks."

"I need to study and analyze the latest developments in order to optimize Ves' recovery."

"Thank you for what you've done."

Once Ranya departed from the compartment, Gloriana was left with Calabast, some cats, the Larkinson Mandate and a few guards she disregarded entirely.

"So." She spoke to Calabast. "Tell me about our situation. Are we on the right track?"

"You're doing fine so far." The older woman said as she leaned against one of the bulky medical machines. "The losses we suffered are great, but our core strength is still intact. So long as Ves remains alive, we can always recover. We just have to make sure that his clan still exists when he finally wakes up from his coma."

Gloriana frowned as she twirled one of her locks of hair. "The Larkinson Clan..."

"The clan is too young. Even though it branched off from the Larkinson Family, for all intents and purposes it is still a fragile entity. Many of the Larkinsons who decided to join the clan did so in order to pursue greatness or prosperity."

"Do they expect to achieve greatness without making sacrifices?! Do they think they can grow rich while sitting back and relaxing all day?! Ves chose the Larkinson Clan's motto for a very good reason! His clansmen won't amount to anything if Ves isn't there to push them forward!"

"I don't think your words are without merit, Gloriana, but tell that to the Larkinsons who expected a mech designer like Ves to shovel easy money into their bank accounts. Expectations and reality often seem to find a way to diverge, and this battle has brutally popped their fantasies. Over forty trueblood Larkinson mech pilots died, do you know that? In a clan composed of less than a thousand members, that is a painful loss, especially when you realize that the amount of Larkinson mech pilots is only a fraction of that number."

The clan suddenly lost a substantial amount of landbound mech pilots after the Battle of Kesseling VIII. This meant that their representation in Avatars and Sentinels had dropped, especially in their landbound mech contingents!

The Larkinson Clan was not like the Mech Corps. Unlike the military which could always supplement its lost manpower by replenishing it with transfers and fresh recruits, the Larkinson Clan required decades to birth and raise new mech pilots!

Therefore, these losses were especially painful to the clan!

Usually, the original Larkinson Family managed to keep their numbers stable because the Bright-Vesia Wars always erupted roughly once every generation.

Even if a number of Larkinsons had fallen, the survivors would still be able to return and pass on their genes and teachings to the next generation!

While this model had served the Larkinsons well, frequent battles threatened the foundation of the clan.

If the clan lost too many mech pilots, it risked losing its military tradition!

Just when Gloriana didn't think the situation could grow any worse, Calabast suddenly stiffened as she received some sort of message.

"What is it, Calabast?"

The spy looked grave. "Now that the Coalition Reserve Corps moved to decouple the Protectorate from the Hegemony, the Friday Coalition has shown that they are very willing to drag the lesser states in our war. Don't forget that there are more Larkinsons than the ones who have joined the clan."

Gloriana widened the eyes. "That means the Fridaymen must have exerted their influence on the Larkinsons living in the Bright Republic as well! Damnit! I hope Ves' grandfather and other relatives can make it out. If the Fridaymen truly dare to lay a hand on the Larkinsons in his old home state..."

"It hasn't come to that." Calabast smiled. "My agents have always been ready to assist the Larkinson Family into evacuating the Bright Republic. Besides, they aren't being hunted right now. The CRC has dispatched most of their available assets to assist in their operations in the Protectorate. Officially, the Fridaymen relayed instructions to the Bright Republic to take the Larkinsons into custody."

"Again?! How dare they?!"

"Don't be alarmed! This time is different. It seems the Bright Republic's government has learned its lesson this time."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let's just say that the Brighters are.. less than eager to stab the backs of one of the most honorable military families of their state. The centuries of loyal service and selfless duty by the countless descendants of the Larkinson Family is not something that their government can ignore! Unlike the Protectorate, power is more divided and based on laws and public opinion. Just because a couple of higher ups and a few founding families like the Cavendishes support the measure doesn't mean the rest of the state is eager to betray their ideals and principles!"

"Does that mean they are safe?!" Gloriana looked hopeful.

"It's.. complicated. Some Larkinsons have it easier than others to escape the clutches of their own government. My agents are doing the best they can to facilitate their flight, but we can't help every Larkinson!"

Across the Bright Republic, many areas became turbulent!

This was because the Larkinson Family had abruptly been designated as enemies of the state!

Though the government tried its best to keep these controversial movements secret, they quickly leaked onto the galactic net within a matter of minutes!

The amount of public indignation directed towards the Bright Republic's government may not be as great as their Ylvainan counterparts in the Protectorate, but it could not be ignored!

Practically the entire Mech Corps threw its full support behind the Larkinsons! After the disgraceful attempt to capture Ves and sell him out to the Friday Coalition, the military was highly opposed to this latest measure!

Though the government was still able to dispatch Spotlight and some other groups to arrest the Larkinsons, Flashlight and many other groups were openly obstructing their progress!

In one space station at Bentheim, Raella and Ketis hastily boarded her Blood Claw carrier under the urging of one of Calabast's agents.

"Hurry up! Spotlight is right on our heels!"

At the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense on Rittersberg, a pair of Spotlight agents immediately restrained Benjamin Larkinson and escorted him out of his office.

A senior agent nodded respectfully at Benjamin. "Orders are orders. I hope you understand, sir."

"I'm old." The elder Larkinson sighed. I don't care what happens to me. I just want the rest of my family to be safe."

On a combat carrier stationed at the edge of the Bentheim System, Ghanso Larkinson shook his head at the security officers that arrived at his stateroom.

"I appreciate your offer, but I can't in good conscience allow you to violate your orders."

The young expert pilot held out his arms. "Put the cuffs on me and escort me to the brig. I am confident the government will absolve us loyal Larkinsons."

At an immense fleet floating in an empty star system in deep space, Ark Larkinson pressed a button on his uniform that caused all of his badges and rank insignia to fade away. He saluted the ranks of soldiers who gathered at the hangar bay to send him off.

Over a thousand soldiers returned his salute!

After bidding farewell to the 1st Havensworth Division, Ark solemnly boarded his Bright Star and departed from the fleet carrier.

As he flew his expert mech towards a smaller civilian vessel that would bring him and a number of other Larkinsons in his division away, his arm gripped one of the controls in a crushing grip.

His face displayed so much pain and agony that his Bright Star started to shake and resonate in a discordant manner!

Chapter 1917 Heartless Choice

The calamity that befell the Larkinson Family was both sudden and controversial. Compliance was anything but adequate, and many Larkinsons managed to slip the net.

That said, the Bright Republic still took plenty of Larkinsons into custody, including virtually every Larkinson who resided in Rittersberg. The capital planet was simply too well-guarded and well-regulated to give any Larkinson a chance to escape!

Word of the capture of hundreds of Larkinsons, many of them spouses and children, alarmed and enraged the rest of the family.

The Bright Republic went too far!

Many Larkinsons exhibited a lot of indignation towards the state for bowing to the unreasonable demands of the Friday Coalition. What of their loyalty? What of their unflinching duty? How could the Bright Republic be so dishonorable to ignore centuries of service and sacrifice?

The betrayed Larkinsons couldn't help but recall Ves' words of how foolish it was to serve a state instead of themselves.

Was he right?

"No! If not for Ves provoking the Friday Coalition, we would have never become at odds with the patrons of the Bright Republic! It's all his fault!"

Rather than blaming the Bright Republic or their own choices, they instead turned their ire towards the controversial Larkinson who split off from the old family and started his own clan!

"You're right! It's all his fault! It's fine if he is seeking death for himself!"

The mood among the escaped Larkinsons was very turbulent. These discontented members of the family soon made contact with the members of the clan, causing both groups to share each other grievances.

Both of them fed from each other's indignation! Calabast, who was keeping a very close eye on the Larkinsons, noticed this alarming trend and realized that the problem had suddenly exploded to a very substantial threat to the continued existence of the Larkinson Clan and everything Ves had built!

"This is bad." She told Gloriana after she paid a personal visit to the Stellar Chaser. "Only a week has passed since we have left the Kesseling System, but already there is word among the clansmen that some of them want to bring Ves to account!"

"How ungrateful!" Gloriana displayed an ugly scowl. "These Larkinsons continue to disappoint me! Ves should be rolling in his recovery pod if he heard about their spoiled reactions. Per angusta ad augusta. What part of this motto don't they understand? This kind of setback is very common among family groups in their infancy! Plenty of clans and houses have suffered worse disasters, yet managed to survive through these hardships and used the lessons they learned during those arduous times to thrive!"

"You shouldn't blame those Larkinsons." Calabast crossed her arms. "The old family are truly victims. No matter how much it wants to pretend that Ves and the clan share no relations with them anymore, their blood and heritage still share a common relation. I would be pissed as well if I was a part of the old family."

Both of them fell into a momentary silence.

"The Larkinsons will soon demand a response." Gloriana guessed.

The former spy nodded. "Ves should be the one to face the angry Larkinsons. Since he isn't here, someone else needs to step up. No matter who speaks for Ves, the stakes are extremely high."

"Wait a minute. I think Ves prepared a contingency plan for this eventuality. Let me browse the database..."

After half a minute, Gloriana managed to find the right plan. She projected the recording that Ves attached to the plan.

[If you are watching this recording, then the old Larkinson Family may have become an enemy of the state. Whether the Friday Coalition or the Bright Republic has moved into action, it is clear that the old family stands no chance against the might of an entire state. If any of these states have unjustly and dishonorably captured the members of our old family, then I can foresee that many Larkinsons from my clan and the old family will request that we should do something to free them. Either we give in whatever demands the captors issue to us, or we organize some sort of breakout attempt.]

His projection seemed to stand proud as his eyes swept throughout a crowd that didn't exist with an imperious stare.

[Don't entertain any foolish fantasies. If the old family succumbed to the power of a state, how will it be any different if the clan tries to intervene? The reason why I led the Larkinson Clan away from the Bright Republic is because my former home state has proved that it doesn't deserve our trust! Before I left, I warned the Larkinson Family how foolish they are for continuing to cling to their duty to a state that has already stabbed a Larkinson in the back! If my blind and foolish relatives in the Bright Republic insist on putting their lives in the hands of those who don't care about them, then I don't see any need to risk everything to undo their grievous errors!]

Both Calabast and Gloriana looked shocked! Was this really the Ves who cared so much about family? His response would definitely result in an immense backlash from his own clan if Gloriana dared to show this recording to the clan!

"Ves is mad!"

"He's being selfish." Calabast grunted with respect. "He's also making the most rational choice. Whatever ransom or blackmail demand the Friday Coalition plans to issue will inevitably hamper him in a very severe way. If the Fridaymen really plan to push Ves around, then the most rational course of action is to write off the hostages."

[Let me be clear.] Ves' projection continued. [As the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan, I have a duty to protect our clansmen. While we share a bond with the Larkinson Family, I will not sacrifice the lives of the former to go on a futile quest to save the latter! This is not an action drama! Even if our clan was ten times stronger, we still wouldn't be able to succeed in rescuing our captured family members! Therefore, instead of demanding that we sacrifice ourselves in vain, we should instead demand the captured Larkinsons to sacrifice their own lives and wellbeing for our sakes! As far as I'm concerned, this is the price for their foolishness! They should have taken my warnings seriously if they wanted to avoid this foreseeable fate!]

His arguments, while twisted and outrageous, made sense. Yet even Gloriana knew that the principled and family-oriented Larkinsons would never be able to respect Ves again if his opinion on this matter became known!

With everything that happened, realising this response might very well turn over eighty percent of the Larkinson Assembly against their founding leader. This was disastrous as the Assembly could easily vote to strip Ves from his leadership position and hand it to another Larkinson!

[I am very much aware how harsh I sound, but don't think that I am callous or cruel. I love my clan. I love our Larkinson heritage. It is out of my love for our lineage that I choose to support the decision that best preserves the strength and future of our clan. I can promise you that while I might not be able to rescue our captured relatives, I will certainly do my utmost to avenge them! The Bright Republic or the Friday Coalition are making a big mistake if they think they have leverage over me! In order to preserve the lives and freedom of the captured, I believe it is better to resort to deterrence rather than appeasement!]

"I like his thinking direction." Calabast smiled in approval. "It's unfortunate that his relatives are Larkinsons, not Vrakens. If Ves was like this all the time, then he would fit right in with my former dynasty."

"He'd have to be a woman, though."

"True."

Ves' projection spoke again.

[If you disagree with my stance, that is fine. If you want to mount a rescue attempt, then that is fine as well. Just don't drag the rest of the clan down with you. Therefore, if you are entertaining any suicidal notions, then please leave the Larkinson Clan first. I don't care if you join the remnants of the old family or defect to the Friday Coalition. Just like the Larkinsons who stubbornly insisted on following tradition, you are responsible for your own actions!]

"He is not mincing any words!"

[Now, If you wish to leave the clan to mount a rescue attempt or because you're disgusted by my choices, then you can leave whenever you wish as far as I'm concerned. I don't need any clansmen who turn out to be fair-weather friends! I promise that each of you will receive 1 million hex credits as a farewell gift. If you or your direct relatives have contributed significantly in battle or suffered a major loss, then you will receive 10 million hex credits! This is what you deserve. Just remember that as long as you turn your back on the clan, the clan will also turn its back on you. The Larkinson Mandate will no longer recognize you if you abandon the clan in its time of need! Choose carefully and make the decision that you think is best!]

The projection finally disappeared, leaving Gloriana and Calabast numb. The Ves they heard today was completely different from the Ves who always showed at least affection towards his family.

"Delete it."

"What? I'll never do that!"

"I'm serious." Calabast turned to the younger woman. "Delete this recording and all of the files associated with this contingency plan."

"Didn't you just approve of his choice?"

"I approve of his mindset. That doesn't mean I think he is making the right choice in this situation. Ves may have prepared a contingency plan for thousands of scenarios, but even he can't foresee every single possibility!"

"What are you talking about?"

"There is a better option than the binary choice that Ves thought that he would face." Calabast grinned.

"You mean.."

"As long as I cash in my favors and promise some more, I might be able to persuade DIVA and some other Hexer elements in the Bright Republic to break the Larkinsons out. What is out of the reach of the clan is well within the reach of our state as long as it is willing to undertake action! We just have to move quickly while the hostages haven't been transferred into the care of the Fridaymen!"

Gloriana widened her eyes as a bit of hope started to light up her darkness. "That's right! The Hegemony might be able to do something! It's just.. will DIVA or our other government institutions even care?"

"On the surface, they won't." Calabast soberly explained. "Ves is just a boy. Even if he proved himself to be valuable, he's mostly a concern for your Wodin Dynasty. Therefore, we need to offer DIVA something that will make them invested!"

"That doesn't sound easy."

"I know. I'll think of something. For now, I want you to delete this recording and anything related to it. Just keeping it in the database is an immense risk. Going by its current state, the Larkinson Clan will certainly disintegrate if they hear what Ves has to say."

Though Gloriana felt a bit hesitant, she eventually agreed with Calabast that it was for the best. She resolutely erased the recording and the rest of the documents related to the contingency plan, making sure to scrub the storage chip thoroughly in order to foil any recovery attempts!

Once she was done, she turned to the spy. "You failed Ves several times already. I hope you won't fail again. He won't be happy when he hears what we've done to his contingency plan. The only way to placate him is to deliver a better result than what his choice would bring!"

"Relax. DIVA should definitely be capable of rescuing the Larkinsons. Their strength shouldn't be an issue as long as the Fridaymen aren't involved. It is motivating them into action that is our biggest concern. I will definitely need the support of your Wodin Dynasty to convince them to move."

"I'll try my best to convince my mother."

Chapter 1918 Rion Aaden

While Calabast and Gloriana plotted to find a way to rescue the captured Larkinsons, Ves remained blissfully ignorant.

As his body quietly rested in a recovery pod, his consciousness had traveled far away.

Dragged across both time and space, Ves had barely been cognizant of where the System was taking him before his consciousness finally smacked into someone else's mind!

This wasn't his first rodeo. Upon arrival, Ves immediately sought to hide presence!

His methods were a bit more skillful and refined since the last time he underwent a Mastery experience.

Through the strength of his detached mind and spirit, Ves immediately became a nonentity in the mind of his host.

Only after Ves made sure that his consciousness was sufficiently hidden and secure did he venture his senses outwards.

The mind he occupied looked very dull. Ves immediately felt a bit disappointed, but what could he expect from a first-tier Mastery Sub-Skill that cost only 40,000 DP?

He was not in a hurry to perform an intrusive inspection. He wanted to observe everything he needed to know in a passive way. Only after he gathered enough information would he contemplate other actions.

As Ves mysteriously connected to the senses of his host, he experienced a brand new life.

"We are not slaves."

A strong and rough hand let loose of the controls. Rion Aaden's suited form exited the mining vehicle and swept his resentful eyes at the vast cavern turned into a mining outpost.

Vast stretches of mining vehicles and mining equipment occupied the open ground before the entrance of the outpost.

Alloy walls and menacing turrets prevented anyone from stirring any trouble. Numerous tall and menacing armored guards patrolled the interior of the crudely-constructed base.

The planet of Desala X was interspersed by lots of underground outposts like these.

The giant, terrestrial planet was a frozen rock orbiting a listless red giant. Due to its harsh conditions, humanity decided not to turn Desala X into a livable planet.

Instead, House Kantis of the Paramount Kingdom opted to turn Desala X into a resource extraction site.

The Smiling Samuel Star Sector was an old and poor star sector in the galactic rim. Its glory days, however short they lasted, was long over. The star sector was so poor in resources that its decline hit every single state hard!

The Paramount Kingdom was no exception. Once a great and powerful third-rate state, it had now degenerated into a shell of its former self.

From the way its royals and nobles revelled and feasted, it was hard to see that! House Kantis was no exception. Its long existence stretched back all the way to the heyday of the Age of Conquest. Subsequently, its descendants inherited the pride of their predecessors at their peak!

Everyone who worked and toiled in the mines were very much aware that the cold, frozen, radioactive and lifeless planet they called their home was a cash cow to House Kantis.

It wasn't enough for the greedy nobles to extract every possible value from Desala X. They wanted to reduce their expenses as much as possible, thereby raising the profit margin from the relatively low-value bulk exotics they extracted!

Rion hobbled over to the security checkpoint where a number of tall guards contemptuously ignored the suited miners that passed through the scanning devices.

No one was allowed to smuggle any weapons or unauthorized objects into the outpost.

Anyone who violated this rule would immediately be shot down on the spot!

Rion shuddered in his suit as he remembered the blood that sprayed on his hazard suit when he witnessed the guards gunning down his friend!

His crime? Trying to smuggle a single pebble of Xantur iron into the outpost!

Xantur iron was one the most abundant and least valuable junk exotic on Desala X. A single pebble wasn't worth much at all, and it wasn't as if the miners could smuggle it out from an outpost that was almost completely controlled by House Kantis!

Yet the rules had to be obeyed. For this reason, Rion meekly subjected himself to the penetrating scan before shuffling through the gates while trying to attract as little attention as possible.

A bedraggled town came into view. The cheaply-made prefab structures showed lots of signs of wear and tear. An unending number of assembly, disassembly and moving caused the container-like structures to gain an unending number of scratches! In addition, it was rare to see any structure that was devoid of at least some form of corrosion.

In his entire years of existence, Rion lived in these kinds of settlements without experiencing anything better.

He lifted his helmet towards the cavernous ceiling. No sun or star shone down on him. Living underground was all he knew for his entire life.

He couldn't imagine what it would be like to live under an open sky that was as blue as a verdant ocean.

Such sights only belonged to the nobles and the privileged, Rion had been taught.

In contrast, poor and dirty miners like him deserved to live in poor, restrictive settlements like this outpost!

His gloved fist clenched as he realized the indignity of it all! He was not a slave! He was a human!

It was futile. House Kantis cared little for the miners. They saw people like Rion as little more than free labor.

There was almost no way for those born on this planet to escape the fate of becoming a miner. What passed for school on Desala X were only meant to give future miners the necessary knowledge to operate the mining equipment.

Those who did well in school got to be in charge of better machines!

Their reward? A better hovel to live in! Nothing else!

There was no way for the miners to quit and depart from this planet. House Kantis fully controlled the only ships and shuttles that descended and ascended from the outposts.

The miners weren't able to solicit help or make their distress known in the hopes that someone might come and rescue them. None of the miners had access to the galactic net. They didn't even own the fabled comms that Rion had seen on wrists of the guards and overseers!

After reaching a container-shaped housing unit, Rion pressed his suited palm against the airlock, causing the front to slide open for a brief period of time.

He hurried inside as fast as possible, which took quite some effort!

After entering the chamber, Rion briefly waited as the airlock started to scrub his suited form of contaminants before pumping in some stale-smelling air.

At least it was breathable.

Once Rion emerged from the airlock, he barely paid any mind to the battered, makeshift junk metal furniture.

Instead, he freed himself from his hazard suit as fast as possible. He carefully hung the suit onto a rack before pausing in front of a slightly-polished surface that he used as a mirror.

An ugly, dark-skinned form greeted Rion. His skin was brown and rough. His yellow eyes looked sickly on his squashed face. His dark hair hadn't been washed in days due to the scarcity of water on Desala X!

If anyone normal encountered Rion, they would doubtlessly scream and mistake him as a demon!

As Ves tapped into Rion's senses and viewed his current host's appearance, he inwardly exclaimed at the shocking sight!

"Damnit, System! Are you on stimulants or something!? Of all the possible hosts you could have chosen, why pick a dwarf of all people?!"

It became clear that Rion wasn't just short for a human. His short and very stocky body was clearly out of the norm compared to the standard human physique.

Though Ves estimated that Rion was only 140 centimeters tall, his muscular form probably massed more than 200 kilograms!

For someone as poor and underprivileged as Rion, there was no way he had cultivated this body through training or surgery.

Instead, he had been born as a dwarf! As the child of two heavy gravity variant humans, Rion inherited the same artificial genes that House Kantis used to form an entire population of eternally-bonded serfs!

Slaves in all but name, Rion had been taught throughout his entire life that dwarves like him were never equal to the so-called 'tall folk' who controlled their lives!

Real humans were different from lowly dwarves. They enjoyed something called human rights. That was what other dwarves had told him. If not for joining a resistance movement, Rion would have lived the rest of his life with his fat and ugly head bent towards the ground!

"We are also humans!"

It was futile to speak those words. Though Rion had learned from the resistance that 'human space' also counted dwarves among the human race, House Kantis resolutely denied this statement!

Rion spent an hour resting in his small and cramped home. He opened a nutrient pack stored in his pantry and ate the tasteless nutrient with a numb expression.

To dwarves like Rion, real food was a fantasy. Only tall folk deserved to eat real food!

The only food that dwarves were entitled to eat were recycled and synthesized nutrients the biochemical factories created out of the sewage produced by the outposts!

As for water, Rion carefully opened a bottle of water with his rough and clumsy hands. His strong fingers gripped the unusually-resilient bottle and carefully sipped its contents.

The water was clean and filtered. Each trickle of water that descended down his throat quenched the considerable thirst that he accumulated during his previous shift!

On Desala X, water was life. With no source of water at all, it had to be recycled as efficiently as possible.

Due to evaporation, spillage and usage in many industrial processes, water constantly circulated out of the cycle set up by House Kantis. Transport ships frequently arrived at the outposts to deliver precious water. The vessels would then depart from the planet with cargo holds filled with junk-grade exotics.

Rion never saw a real ship in his life. These immensely huge and expensive vessels were the stuff of legends to the dwarves of Desala X.

A ship represented freedom!

A ship could bring them away from the bondage of House Kantis!

A ship could provide them with a brand new future!

Though most dwarves usually discarded these thoughts, Rion was different.

He may be a dwarf, but he was also a human!

"It's time." He muttered.

Rion headed to his bed and slid it aside, causing the scratchy metal legs to scrape sharply against the metal floor.

He knelt carefully, making sure not to lose stability. If Rion lost his balance and fell, he would definitely suffer a severe wound!

Desala X boasted gravity that was 4.6 times stronger than the so-called 'standard gravity' that the tall folk frequently mentioned.

Rion couldn't imagine what it was like to live on a planet where the gravity was several times weaker than what he was used to. Would he float through the roofless skies if he jumped? Would he be able to live if he fell down a kilometer-long ravine?

The dwarf may not be able to experience what it was like to live in this fabled environment in person, but there was another option available to him, courtesy of the Desala Resistance Movement!

Once Rion removed a floor panel, he pressed a button built into the side of a tunnel leading downwards.

Nothing seemed to have happened, but according to the technicians that excavated the chamber underneath his home, this was a necessary step to prevent House Kantis from finding out what was going inside!

Rion carefully descended the shallow steps until he reached a chamber that was only slightly taller than his already-short form.

With his hair brushing the smoothed rocky surface, he stepped forward while the interior of the cramped chamber lit up from the light strips installed around a damaged-looking machine.

Following the instructions of the technicians, Rion carefully stripped himself down to his underclothes before opening the crudely-repaired machine. He employed the lightest amount of force he could manage, as he was always afraid he would break some component!

Once Rion slipped in place, he manually closed the top cover, sealing him inside a dark coffin!

Locked within a lifeless cavity, the dwarf grinned savagely and spoke the phrase the technicians instructed him to say.

"Simulator pod, activate!"

Chapter 1919 4.6

If Ves had eyes, they would have widened until they reached the size of dinner plates.

"A dwarf! Of all the humans the System could have chosen in the history of human civilization during the Age of Mechs, it chose a heavy gravity variant human!"

He resisted the urge to bash his consciousness against the walls of Rion's mental walls!

Though the specific variant that House Kantis used to cultivate the dwarves Desolate X was not as extreme as the wildlings of Aeon Corona VII, Ves still couldn't get over the fact that his latest host was a dwarf!

"Goddammit System! Can't you give me someone normal? Rion doesn't even pilot a real mech!"

Though Ves hated the System's decision to put him in the mind of a dwarf, he resented his host's circumstances even more!

Rion Aaden was a dwarf!

On Desala X, that meant he was a miner!

As a slave in all-but-name, Rion never enjoyed proper schooling. He never attended a mech academy. He never received proper instruction from an experienced and seasoned mech instructor.

"He hasn't even piloted a single mech in his entire life!"

So what made him eligible to become the host of Ves' latest Mastery experience?

His simulator pod!

Ves disdained the poor excuse of a pod the resistance movement salvaged from somewhere and managed to make it functional again.

The simulator pod was at least useful in estimating the approximate time period of this Mastery experience.

So far, Ves hadn't been able to glean a lot of clues of his current setting. House Kantis strictly controlled the information supplied to the dwarves in order to make them as pliable as possible.

It was a lot easier to control a population of ignorant sheep than clever monkeys!

All Rion knew about his location was what the rebel dwarves had mentioned to him in passing.

Ves gleaned the basic circumstances of the Smiling Samual Star Sector and the Paramount Kingdom.

Both of them were in decline. For a time, it barely had anything going for it except for the modest deposits of slightly-valuable exotics.

Then these valuable exotics ran out. The humans living in states like the Paramount Kingdom destructively extracted as much value as possible to fuel their decadence and wasteful spending.

Now, there was hardly anything to smile about in this poor and forgotten star sector in the galactic rim.

There was one very relevant detail about Smiling Samuel though. When the rebels once showed Rion a galactic map in order to emphasize how small they were compared to the scale of human civilization, Ves discovered that this star sector was not that far from his own!

Certainly, Ves would have to travel through several star clusters in order to reach Smiling Samuel, but it was very much possible to reach it within a year on a very fast ship!

He mentally shook his head. This was no time to think about the possibility of meeting his Mastery hosts in the flesh.

His goal was to learn the essence of piloting a light skirmisher from the perspective of a mech pilot. He really didn't need anything more out of this than a thorough understanding of how a skilled mech pilot made the most out of piloting a light skirmisher.

As soon as Rion booted up the simulator pod, the dwarf didn't have that much to choose from aside from the preinstalled scenarios loaded into its databanks.

The pod didn't possess a connection to the galactic net.

In the time since Rion first trained with the pod, he first learned the ropes by going through the virtual training sessions.

Every simulator pod came loaded with a basic but foolproof virtual training program by default. This allowed potentates who weren't able to attend a mech academy for some reason or another to self-study their way into becoming a mech pilot!

Of course, that didn't mean that physical mech academies had lost their value. Ves knew that a true academy was countless times more effective in teaching mech cadets than a low-quality virtual training program!

Any mech pilot who emerged from a cheap virtual training program always became a bottom-feeder pirate or gang member!

This was because their poor and irregular piloting foundation was too worthless in the eyes of more respectable employers!

"Urgh! What is this performance? Does Rion even know how to pilot a mech at all? He's making a complete mockery of light mechs!"

The training scenario Rion selected first was a simple arena duel. The dwarf entered the virtual cockpit of a generic landbound light skirmisher armed with two knives.

His opponent? A heavy mech of all choices!

Theoretically, light mechs were supposed to counter heavy mechs. If the latter was not a striker mech, then the light mech could easily run rings around the lumbering machine and stab through the weak points that didn't require as much force to damage!

Though heavy mechs were often regarded as invulnerable shells that should never boast any weaknesses, Ves knew very well that heavy mechs often exhibited a lot of holes in their defense.

Every mech exhibited such vulnerabilities, especially on their rear!

A skilled mech pilot and a swift and agile light skirmisher were therefore capable of neutralizing a mech that was at least four times heavier and more expensive!

Therefore, it was very much worthwhile to dispatch light mechs to close in and disable these huge and sluggish mechs.

Even if more light mechs fell than heavy mechs, it was still a worthwhile sacrifice!

It was no surprise that the main rationale for light mechs was how cheap they were. Lighter and smaller than other mechs, they cost less expensive materials to build.

Naturally, that also made them vulnerable to damage. Unlike larger and bulker mechs, light mechs had to make do with the equivalent of a bedsheet as their armor.

Aside from resisting small-arms fire, they weren't very useful against resisting mech-grade ordnance at all! Just a few targeted hits from a normal ballistic rifle was enough to cripple their legs!

For this reason, light mechs depended entirely on the poor man's version of armor, namely evasion.

Dodging enemy attacks and evading various hazards was one of the most critical advantages of a light mech.

In fact, light mechs didn't possess any other advantages aside from their superior mobility!

It therefore became necessary for mech pilots to make the most out of the superior speed, acceleration, agility and range of motion of these fast and nimble war machines.

Ves expected Rion to perform decently. The Desala Resistance Movement provided Rion with a pod that only contained training scenarios that put him in the cockpit of a virtual light mech.

The rebels wanted Rion to become good at piloting a light skirmisher!

Yet when Ves saw the virtual light skirmisher drunkenly dragging itself towards the virtual heavy mech, his heart began to sink.

The light skirmisher wasn't accelerating as fast as it could! The mech model, which was a few generations out of date compared to the present, was capable of running so much faster. Ves didn't need to perform a detailed analysis on its mech model to realize that truth!

"Wait a second! This simulation takes place in a heavy gravity environment!"

It soon made sense why Rion's virtual mech performed such awful motions. The dwarf was trying to pilot a mech built for speed in an environment that was doing everything possible to slow everything down!

That said, from his experiences with the Vandals and Swordmaidens on Aeon Corona VII, he knew that there were much more efficient walking techniques to propel a light mech forward under these conditions!

As the brief practice duel against the heavy mech proceeded, Ves saw to his dismay that Rion wasn't only bad at walking.

The heavy mech he faced was a sturdy knight mech. It wielded a thick tower shield and a sword that looked hefty enough to tear Rion's mech in half!

Though the heavy knight exhibited the typical sluggishness inherent to its weight class, its AI mech pilot was clearly more adept than its opponent!

Combined with the reduced complexity of piloting a slower mech, the AI opponent skilfully kept pace with Rion's clumsy attempt at circling around the heavy mech!

Eventually, the AI mech pilot decided enough was enough. The knight mech's considerable bulk drove forth, causing its shield to slam in the path of the light skirmisher's circular route!

"Ahhh! Damned tall folk! I won't let you get the better me! Taste my dwarven ferocity!"

The light skirmisher awkwardly regained its balance. Ves surmised that Rion learned how to regain the balance of mech quickly not because he systematically trained for it, but because he encountered this situation too many times to count!

Though Rion's mech managed to recover quickly, it didn't possess the right angle to attack the heavy knight's weak points!

Only a solid shield and thick frontal armor was within reach. His light mech's knives would probably break sooner than the frontal armor cover of the knight mech!

With the heavy knight on the offensive, the light skirmisher could do nothing to evade and distance itself from the heavy knight.

Normally, a light skirmisher could easily disengage from an unfavorable brawl and generate some distance.

However, the skill disparity between Rion and the AI mech pilot was too vast! The latter piloted fairly close to the standard of a fresh graduate from an average mech academy.

Meanwhile, Rion piloted worse than what Ves expected out of a self-taught mech pilot trying to learn how to pilot at 4.6 g!

"The gravity is the real problem!" Ves concluded. "If Rion went through a more standard training program first, he would have been able to form a proper foundation before branching out to heavy gravity operation!"

Mechs were originally designed to work between 0 g and 1 g. It took extra effort and a lot of adaptation on the part of both the mech pilot and the mech to make them suitable for planets such as Desala x.

Yet because the rebel technicians foolishly modified the virtual training program to start off with 4.6 g right away, Rion's instruction started off flawed from the very onset!

"Those idiots! Don't these rebels have a single person in their employ who worked or piloted with an actual mech for once? This is ridiculous! Any half-decent mech pilot would have been able to point out Rion's basic flaws!"

Seeing Rion trying to disengage was a sight that would make any Larkinson mad!

Seeing Rion switching gears and trying to fight the heavy knight head-on was a catastrophe on multiple levels!

With his clumsy knife swings ineffectually deflected by the heavy knight's solid shield, Rion failed to pull his light skirmisher back in time to evade the painfully-telegraphed counterattack!

The heavy knight's solid sword sung across the lower torso of the light skirmisher with undaunted momentum!

With just a single blow, the mech managed to chop at least half of the waist portion of the light skirmisher apart!

DEFEAT

"Ahhh!" Rion yelled in frustration inside his simulator pod. "Almost! I was almost there! Victory will surely be mine next time!"

Rion repeated the scenario five more times. Each of them resulted in swift defeat.

Ves became more and more frustrated at Rion's mule headed use of his practice time.

The stupid dwarf wasn't even aware of how bad he was! He had no idea how much better a real mech pilot performed in the same circumstances.

Proper mech pilots such as Joshua or the Larkinsons could easily pass this scenario within a couple of minutes! All they had to do was skillfully adapt to the heavy gravity while adopting modified walking techniques in order to outpace the rotation of the heavy knight.

Rion's futile practice session lasted for two hours. That was all the time he afforded himself before he needed to emerge from his secret chamber and sleep for just four hours.

House Kantis did not raise the dwarves to laze around. Their only purpose was to work as much as possible without causing them to expire too soon!

Chapter 1920 Incompetence

Several days went by as Rion Aaden followed a very boring routine.

Desala X was a mining planet. Nothing more. Hardly any amenities existed in any of the poor and bedraggled outposts that served as the hubs of all of the mining operations on the planet.

Though accurate information was hard to get, Ves managed to pin down a rough estimate of how far he traveled back into the past.

From the mining equipment, the gear worn by the tall folk, the simulator pod and other clues, he estimated that he travelled at least seventy years in the past.

This was a fairly short time disparity. Was the System growing lazy or something?

Just like Axelar, an opportunity existed for Ves to reunite with Rion when he returned to the present time. Assuming that Rion still resided in the Smiling Samuel Star Sector, it was very much possible for Ves to be able to be able to meet his Mastery host within their lifetimes!

Of course, Ves had no intentions to meet with any of his former hosts, especially an inept mech pilot like Rion!

Over the course of several practice sessions, Ves witnessed failure and incompetence to a degree that he had never seen from any of his mech pilots!

"He's not a qualified mech pilot at all! He's too ignorant!"

To be fair, it wasn't Rion's fault that the rebel movement foolishly tried to train the potentate they discovered among the planet's dwarf population without knowing anything about mechs.

It was clear to Ves that the Desala Resistance Movement was not comparable to the more formidable rebel organizations he knew of. The Bentheim Liberation Movement and the Vesian Revolutionary Front were at least a thousand times stronger!

The main reason why Ves looked down on the DRM was because it consisted entirely of the indigenous population of dwarves.

Without the support of a single outsider or tall folk who actually knew a thing about how mechs actually worked and how they fought against other mechs, the DRM stood no chance against the guard forces keeping the dwarves in line!

If there was one detail that tilted the odds in the DRM's favor, it was that House Kantis invested very little in their operations on Desala X.

The decadent nobles could have easily run a proper mining planet that was fully compliant with all of the standards of human space if they were willing to treat the dwarves like regular salaried humans.

But no, House Kantis insisted on saving as much money as possible, and this included treating the main workforce like slaves!

The lack of willingness to invest in their operations on the mining planet extended to other aspects. Most of the mining gear was several decades old and extremely worn-out. Their frequent malfunctions and breakdowns probably cost the House more than replacing with cheap but brand-new equipment!

The guards consisted entirely of thugs and former mercenaries that didn't even properly meet the standard of household troops. They were nothing more than prison guards in all but name.

Their equipment was fairly light and was oriented more towards detecting contraband and illicit goods than resisting a properly-armed and properly-trained raiding force.

"House Kantis is too cheap." Ves mentally shook his head. "Admittedly, there is no need to invest any further to keep the dwarves in line."

Against the captive dwarves who could employ nothing more than mining equipment to threaten the guards, this was enough!

Of course, all of the mining equipment and mining vehicles were under the complete control of the overseers. Even the dwarves knew how futile it was to rely on this gear as each of them incorporated many safeguards that forestalled any possible abuse!

As for mechs, he had seen a couple in the distance through Rion's eyes.

Ves surmised that House Kantis only stationed the mechs at the outposts as a form of deterrence rather than a precaution.

The chance that any of the dwarves could override all of the safeguards built into the formidable mining vehicles was low. Yet if that ever happened, the handful of mechs patrolling the outposts could easily wipe the civilian vehicles out with just a few attacks!

The handful of mechs he had seen so far at Outpost 35 didn't impress him at all. House Kantis tried to be as cheap as possible, which wasn't easy as mechs were considerably more expensive to operate on heavy gravity planets.

Most of the mechs consisted of frontline mechs. Due to the heavy disadvantages that ballistic weapons enjoyed in heavy gravity environments, the cheap and simple mechs were solely armed with laser weapons.

Ves begrudgingly approved of the frontline mech models that House Kantis chose. Weak and low performance they might be, they fared quite decently under heavy gravity and wouldn't be falling apart anytime soon.

A handful of other mech types made the rounds as well. Each dwarf cowered and scrambled out of the way of the domineering machines as they passed through the outpost.

The mechs deliberately ignored the dwarves in their path. Sometimes, their degenerate mech pilots even entertained themselves by landing their feet just a few breaths away from a miner!

There was no way for the dwarves to outrun a mech. The heavy gravity slowed everyone down, and dwarves didn't exactly boast the longest legs.

Fortunately, the mech pilots only restricted themselves to terrorizing the local population of miners. Killing them off cost money to their bosses, so the sadistic mech pilots had to abide by the regulations that ensured the workforce remained as productive as possible.

Though Ves hadn't been able to observe the patrolling mechs long enough to judge the overall skill level of their mech pilots, he guessed it didn't amount to much.

"Hardly any incident has happened on this planet that requires the intervention of mechs." He mentally surmised. "There is no glory or honor to be found here. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Only the dregs of the piloting profession can be found here. All of those guards could easily fit in with pirates and other scum."

Mech pilots who were willing to work as dwarf bullies desired easy pay and easy lives. Ves doubted whether any of the mech pilots even kept their rusted and untested skills up to standard by performing daily simulation drills and exercises.

"Desala X is a trash can of a planet." Ves concluded. "Nothing here is up to standard! The entire planet should be condemned as far as I'm concerned!"

House Kantis only cared about the bottom line. Their short-sightedness and lack of moral fiber trickled down in the way the overseers and guards ran the outposts.

Cutting corners was rampant. Nothing was up to date. The incompetence of the guards and mech pilots under the employ of House Kantis was only viable because the Desala Resistance Movement was just a band of disgruntled dwarves rather than a proper rebel organization!

So far, Rion hadn't met with his fellow rebels. Their work and sleep schedule was very tight. If there was one thing that was good about the 'breed' of dwarf on Desala X, it was that people like Rion were hardy workers who didn't require much 'maintenance' in order to remain functional.

This meant that Rion had to work several shifts a day with hardly any breaks in between. Only when some unforeseen accident happened or some very infrequently-planned breaks occurred did the minors enjoy some precious reprieve.

Accidents happened all too frequently, sadly. When a nearby mining tunnel collapsed when the breaks of a mining vehicle no longer worked, ten of Rion's fellow miners had lost their lives!

Of course, the tall folk hardly cared about the dwarves that perished. Instead, the high-and-mighty humans wanted to excavate the tunnel and recover as many vehicles and other hardware as possible!

The brief interruption due to the shuffling of assets and personnel gave Rion a rare break.

As he and his fellow miners returned to the outpost, Rion did not follow his usual path to his hovel.

Instead, he turned to a different district within the outpost. After entering some alleyways and some other areas that were completely obscured by the unmaintained monitoring system, he passed through a secret entrance that was apparently built below the workshops without the knowledge of the owners of the outpost!

The sheer incompetence of the guards were galling to Ves! Though he wasn't as obsessed about perfection as Gloriana, as a mech designer he hated it when something wasn't working properly.

"The guards aren't only incompetent, but also complacent!"

Decades without any major trouble from the dwarves had worn down the readiness of the guard forces. The miners obviously weren't capable of resisting their mechs, so why should they be so tightly-guarded?

Perhaps in the beginning, the quality and quantity of guards may have been adequate enough to forestall any attempts at insurrection.

Yet over the span of several decades of milking the mining planet, House Kantis continually sought to make their operations more 'efficient'.

Funding and manpower slowly dried up, causing the guard forces to be understaffed. Combined with the laziness and general apathy displayed by the so-called tall folk, the dwarves were somehow able to get away with digging an entire underground base underneath Outpost 35!

After descending a long tunnel guarded by a sparse number of dwarves wearing bits and pieces of metal scrap welded onto discarded hazard suits, Rion passed one final tunnel before he entered into an open cavern that looked a lot more impressive than Ves initially thought!

"They have mechs?" Ves' consciousness shook in astonishment. "Wait a minute.. those aren't mechs!"

The vehicles he initially mistook as mechs turned out to be nothing more than scrapped and salvaged mining vehicles strapped with makeshift armor and weapons!

The craftsmanship of these improved 'tanks', for lack of a better word, was abhorrent!

It became apparent to Ves that the engineering knowledge mastered by the rebel technicians amounted to little more than welding random metal scrap onto machines!

"How could they have even restored a simulator pod if their war machines look like they are liable to collapse at the first blow?"

The tanks armed with mining lasers and other potentially-lethal mining implements as their armament might be impressive to the dwarves, but Ves knew that they were wholly incapable of defeating even a single frontline mech of the guards!

These rebellious minors had no idea how powerful a mech could be, especially against war machines that enjoyed none of the advantages of a super weapon platform!

"Even if the heavy gravity handicaps the mobility and various other functions of a mech, they're still built for combat, which is a lot better than these repurposed mining vehicles!"

Just like how a converted carrier was not on the same level as a combat carrier, the makeshift tanks were completely weak against any form of attack. All of the scrap attached to the exterior of the mining vehicles didn't do anything to strengthen their internal structure!

Like a fragile egg, once their fragile exteriors were broken, the soft internals would definitely collapse!

Of course, an ignorant dwarf like Rion didn't know any better. He gazed up at the six scrappy 'tanks' with the same amount of reverence he directed towards the mechs operated by the guard force.

Rion clenched his fist and raised it to the surface!

"With these great battle wagons, we will fight our way to freedom!"

Ves mentally rolled his eyes. The chance of victory should the dwarves deploy the six sad excuses for fighting vehicles was virtually nil!

"That said, where are the mechs? Do the rebels even.. have any?"

The cavern might be large, but it only held enough room to hold the six giant battle wagons. If this was their only base, and the base consisted of just a single hollow cavern, then the rebels were more foolish than he thought!

"This is no rebel movement. This is a suicide pact!"

Chapter 1921 Gion Greybeard

So far, Ves was wholly unimpressed by his current Mastery experience.

Compared to the splendor of the Terran Confederation he witnessed while he rode in Axelar's mind, the shabby conditions on Desala X were completely opposite!

Was this the System's attempt to express its perverse need for balance? Since Ves learned a lot from how some of the most powerful humans lived in one of the most prosperous territories in human space, perhaps it was only fair for him to be dumped in one of the poorest star sectors of the galactic rim!

"What am I even supposed to gain this time?" Ves mentally scratched his head. "Rion is even worse than an academy cadet when it comes to his expertise in piloting mechs! He is hardly representative of the huge group of properly-trained light skirmisher specialists who will become my next customers!"

There was little Ves could gain from observing a mech pilot operating a virtual mech. There were various aspects that were simplified or outright absent from a real piloting experience.

Rion didn't even possess his own mech!

What was Ves supposed to do in Rion's head? Was the System attempting to screw him by abiding by the letter but not the spirit of the transaction?

"I'd like to contact customer service to file a complaint!"

As Ves inwardly vented his ire at the System for sticking him in the head of one of the worst 'light skirmisher specialists' in the history of the Age of Mechs, Rion finally entered a tent where a number of solemn-looking dwarves garbed in various scrap-covered suits had gathered around a makeshift conference table.

The dwarves all looked the same. Genetic diversity seemed to have been a low concern to House Kantis. Each dark-skinned dwarf looked uglier than the rest.

It was very hard for Ves to muster up any sympathy for these rebels!

While he found the ill treatment of the dwarves to be repugnant, enslavement and exploitation happened in many places.

Ves was not a politician, visionary or liberator. He was no saint who made it his life's mission to better the lives of the oppressed.

He was a mech designer. His job was to sell mechs to paying customers like House Kantis!

Certainly, Ves didn't like being confronted with how his customers abused his products, but strictly speaking it wasn't his responsibility to act as the galactic police!

When Rion stepped up to his seat, the dwarves around him all greeted him with respect.

"Our savior!"

"How many mechs have you defeated in the simulations?"

"Haha, with your 'genetic aptitude', defeating a hundred mechs is trivially easy!"

Instead of telling the truth, Rion conceitedly thrust out his barrel chest and slowly slapped his meaty hand against his belly!

"I can crush a mech in my sleep! Piloting a light mech is as easy as operating a mining vehicle to me! The guard mechs that keep up trapped inside Outpost 35 are as good as dead as long as I can pilot a mech!"

A voice that was deeper and older than the rest of the dwarves suddenly interrupted the banter.

"Good. You will have your chance to prove your skills against the tall folk very soon."

"Master Gion Greybeard." Someone uttered with utmost respect.

Every dwarf bowed as an old, robed dwarf entered the tent. Though his dignity was marred by his dirty clothes and the scars of age, Ves noted that Gion seemed to be a rare individual who possessed a talent for command!

No wonder the shabby Desala Resistance Movement managed to survive so long without a single rebel dwarf selling the organization out! With a leader like Gion presiding over the poor but motivated rebels, the dwarves were much better organized than he expected!

Then, Gion opened his mouth.

"Rion, our ace pilot, are you ready to crush the machines of the tall folk?"

"I am!" The enthusiastic but equally-ignorant dwarf answered in reply!

The old dwarf leader's eyes began to cloud as he recalled a memory. "Long ago, I have eavesdropped a conversation between the tall folk about the mythical ace pilots. They are able to defeat a thousand mechs with just a single machine! One of the traits that turns a mech pilot into an ace pilot is their high genetic aptitude. According to the machine we used on you, your genetic aptitude is B+, which is one of the highest scores you can receive!"

"I have not wasted my talent!" Rion incredulously boasted! "While I am not ready to defeat a thousand mechs piloted by the tall folk, I am confident I can liberate Outpost 35 as long as I have a mech!"

"NONSENSE!" Ves inwardly screamed.

If Rion was an ace pilot, then Ves was a Star Designer!

These dwarves were basing almost all of their understanding of mechs and pilots from scattered hearsay and blind observation!

Due to their lack of understanding, the dwarves completely misinterpreted the information they gathered from the tall folk!

Ves even suspected that the guards and overseers were deliberately exaggerating what they said in the presence of the dwarves! It was a good way to instill more fear in the slaves!

"I really can't believe that these dwarves believe that Rion is an actual ace pilot." Ves mentally shook his head.

"You will have your chance very soon, my hero." Gion declared, causing the surrounding dwarves to look surprised!

"We.. we aren't ready!" Someone protested. "Our mighty tanks are not fully under our control! We have been studying its programming for years, but we barely managed to identify some of the secrets that make the battle wagons surrender control to the tall folk!"

Gion grimly shook his head. "We must do what we must, because our time is running short. Have you heard about the recent mining tunnel collapse?"

Everyone nodded, including Rion.

"It is not an accident. The large mining vehicle responsible for collapsing the tunnel was driven by one of our brothers!"

That caused every dwarf to sit up straighter on their short and stubby seats.

"What has happened?"

"I am not aware of the full details. However, before our brother drove the vehicle to collapse the mining tunnel, he passed on something remarkable to one of our other brothers. That heroic dwarf managed to take the excavated mineral away and hide it in one of our dead drops where we have stashed it somewhere safe."

"What did our miners excavate?"

Gion answered by activating a rickety projector that displayed the mineral in question.

Everyone fell silent as they stared at a projection of a shimmering chunk of ore the size of a dwarf head.

The dwarves were genetically engineered to possess a greater understanding of materials, but even Rion didn't have to rely on his half-baked schooling to realize that the chunk of ore was different from the junk exotics they extracted from the planet on a regular basis!

There was something about extraordinary valuable exotics that always seemed to reveal how much potency they possessed. Almost no one was able to mistake a low-grade exotic for a high-grade exotic because the latter always seemed more impressive!

"This.. this is nothing like Xantur iron." A dwarf stated the obvious. "What is it? Does anyone know?"

Ves tried to study the lustrous exotic ore, delving deep within his Metallurgy and other knowledge in order to identify its name and properties!

He came up with nothing!

Whatever it was, the ore was definitely at least a high-grade exotic. Even through a projection, Ves could clearly observe that it was too exceptional to be put in the ranks of anything lesser.

In fact, there was even a possibility that the exotic transcended the quality of a high-grade exotic! All of the money House Kantis spent on setting up and operating mines on Desala X was probably less than how much money this exceptional ore was worth on the open market!

"The overseer who was present at the mining tunnel called for an immediate halt of the excavation once this ore became visible." Gion recounted. "After consulting the database on his 'comm', the overseer failed to identify this new exotic."

A few dwarves looked dismayed. "Then do we know anything at all, Master Gion?"

Ves inwardly cringed at the rebel leader's title. In much of civilized space, the title of Master had gradually become exclusive to mech designers who broke through the shackles of Senior-rank and realized their mech design!

These exceptional mech designers were truly worthy to be regarded as Masters of their profession!

As for a dwarf like Gion, no matter how commanding he looked, there was no way Ves would ever call him a Master! His appropriation of this sacred title was a profound insult to the mech designing profession!

"While the overseer and our brothers at the dig site have failed to identify this exotic, once it fell into our hands, we employed our own ways to identify it. This wasn't easy." Gion lowered his head. "We had to sacrifice several of our brothers and sisters in order to access the 'internal network' of the tall folk for just an instant. After cross-referencing the descriptions of high-value exotics to the ore we have secured, we have managed to learn the name of this material."

Every dwarf, including Rion, leaned forward to capture every word that escaped their leader's mouth.

The rebel leader smiled and stroked his scraggly grey beard. "The wonder material that we have obtained from our mother planet is one of the greatest treasures on this planet! When this ore is processed, it will yield a supreme material called 'Timpala Steel'!"

Though none of the dwarves had any clue what Timpala Steel could actually do, they all reacted as if a million MTA credits had fallen into their laps!

While the dwarves went wild, inside Rion's mind, a mental earthquake struck Ves!

Timpala Steel!

"Why does that sound familiar?!"

Ves did some mental digging. His existing knowledge base did not contain any mention of this simple-sounding name for what was clearly an exceptional exotic.

It wasn't until he dug through the dusty memories he stuffed in some forgotten hole that he suddenly realized why Timpala Steel evoked so much attention from his consciousness.

"Timpala steel is one of the materials demanded by the System!"

Now that he dug out one of his neglected memories, he quickly recalled the relevant mission details.

[Supply Mission]

Mission: Material Supply 3

Difficulty: S-Rank

Prerequisites: Advance to Journeyman Mech Designer

Description

The Mech Designer System needs to be supplied with several rare materials to facilitate future upgrades.

This Supply Mission can be completed by offering 49.53 kilograms of Timpala Steel.

Reward: 1 use of the Inventorize ability, 10 golden lottery tickets.

"I didn't remember wrong! The System truly asked for 49.53 kilograms of Timpala Steel!"

"How much Timpala Steel can this ore yield?" Someone who worked at an ore processing plant asked.

"At least fifty kilograms." Gion answered with certainty. "From what little the database entry has taught us, even a single gram is enough to buy all of our lives! With fifty kilograms, the escape plan that we have been preparing all these years is finally complete!"

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Our plan has always been to defeat the guards, overthrow the overseers, and hijack one of their 'transport ships' while it is parked on the other side of Outpost 35 and escape from this 'star system'!"

"We will definitely succeed with an ace pilot by our side!" A dwarf jubilantly boasted.

Gion shook his head. "That is true, but that is not the end of our enslavement. In my long service to the tall folk, I have overheard many conversations. There is a fabled organization called the 'MTA' that is purportedly a guardian of all humans. The guards and overseers are clearly afraid at this righteous organization. Each time one of our brothers has mentioned this name, the guards always beat them up until they die!"

"The MTA will save us fellow humans from captivity!"

"We are dwarves!" Gion slammed his powerful fist against the metal table! This was very impressive considering the gravity amplifying the impact! "After much investigation, I have discovered to my dismay that the MTA consists almost entirely of tall folk!"

"What?! This cannot be? Surely they must have dwarves among their numbers? The MTA stands for all of humanity!"

"This is where our Timpala Steel comes in." Gion grinned, making his ugly face look exceptionally terrifying! "We may not know much of the ways of tall folk, but the transactions they conduct amongst themselves is something that is known to us. Timpala Steel is the key of our salvation, because as long as some of our brothers manage to take control of a ship and leave this cursed planet, I hope that they will be able to take this treasure and offer it to the MTA as tribute in exchange for freeing those who are left behind!"

Ves' consciousness reacted with shock! He was impressed by Gion's astuteness. He was also abhorred at the thought of giving this valuable exotic!

"This cannot stand!"

Chapter 1922 Vulcan

The moment 'Master' Gion Greybeard revealed that they managed to obtain an ore that could be processed into Timpala Steel, Ves couldn't help but feel shocked!

Timpala Steel! This was the essential exotic the Mech Designer System demanded from Ves!

For a long time, Ves paid no mind to the five Supply Missions the System issued.

None of the materials mentioned by the System were average products that Ves could casually order from the galactic net.

After realizing how impossible it was to obtain the materials needed to complete the Supply Mission, Ves simply decided to pay no further mind to them. He consciously pushed them to the back of his mind where they lay forgotten and covered in dust.

In truth, a part of Ves simply didn't want to dance to the tune of the System anymore. In the last few years, Ves felt that he had largely outgrown the System.

While he was very grateful for the help the System provided him during his early years, that didn't mean he was committed to making it essential to his progression!

Now that he had reached his current strength, it was very much possible for him to work towards Senior and Master without relying on the amenities provided by the System!

Even if the System decided to abandon Ves and take away all of its toys such as the Amastendira and his System comm, Ves would still be okay as long as his permanent enhancements were still intact!

For this reason, he always adopted an opportunistic attitude towards the Supply Missions. As long as Ves caught word of one of the extremely valuable exotics demanded by the System, he didn't mind diverting from his current goals in order to pursue one of these exceptional materials.

However, if Ves had to travel through half the galaxy in order to reach an auction house that sold one of these materials, then he would just forget about it! He was not ready to waste decades of his life and disrupt all of his long-term plans just to chase after some shiny rocks with a higher rarity than other high-grade exotics.

"It seems the System isn't happy about my disregard for its missions." Ves ruefully thought.

This was a ridiculous situation! In order to push Ves towards completing one of his neglected Supply Missions, the System straightforwardly took advantage of his decision to acquire Light Skirmisher Mastery I to send him on an adventure that just happened to make him bump into enough Timpala Steel to satisfy one of its needs!

"This is a conspiracy!"

It wasn't enough for the likes of Ghanso and Aisling to plot against him. Now, even the System showed that it wasn't beneath manipulating his circumstances so that he would be compelled to dance its tune!

"You're really forcing me down this road, is that right?"

For some reason, Ves had absolutely no doubt that the incompetent dwarves had misidentified the ore. It truly radiated a sense of excellence that hinted at the awesome power hidden within.

As long as Ves managed to secure the ore and stash or ship it somewhere safe, it might be possible for him to obtain the Timpala Steel once he returned to the present!

"So it's not a coincidence that my Mastery experience is situated in the Smiling Samuel Star Sector."

The System accounted for almost everything to get the Timpala Steel within its reach. The various hindrances that deterred Ves from completing the Supply Missions no longer applied in this case!

It was clear what the System wanted Ves to do. It wanted him to assist the dwarves in their wild scheme to overpower guards and gain at least partial control over Outpost 35.

That in itself would not help the dwarves gain their freedom. Desala X was a lifeless giant planet that was completely devoid of life. No other life existed on the planet instead of other dwarves, guards, overseers and various other people working for House Kantis.

Therefore, no matter if the dwarves managed to take over Outpost 35, there was no way for them to go any further because the forces under the control of House Kantis would certainly retaliate!

Each of the dwarves knew in their hearts that the retribution from the tall folk would be terrible. Every dwarf from this underground outpost might be purged in order to squash any word of this rebellion!

For this reason, Gion Greybeard's plan also included a follow-up plan. He wanted to capture one of the transport ships and dispatch as many dwarves as possible out of the star system.

The rebels didn't expect to evacuate the entire population of dwarves at Outpost 35. There wasn't enough time, the ship likely didn't contain enough food and water to keep them all alive and her life support systems were only able to accommodate a couple of hundred or so dwarves at best!

Gion instead wanted to allow the most worthy and deserving dwarves to board the ship before hastily sending her off to a star system where they might be able to deliver their precious tribute to the MTA!

As Gion patiently reiterated the steps of his plan, Ves became more and more dismayed.

The more he heard, the more he wanted to palm his face!

"These stupid dwarves don't know anything! There are too many holes in his plan!"

The worst part about this flawed escape plan was that neither Gion nor the other dwarves knew any better! None of them had ever lived a normal life or enjoyed a proper upbringing that was more in line with what the rest of humanity enjoyed.

"The dwarves aren't to blame for their ignorance." He mentally shook his head. "House Kantis may be miserly and inattentive, but they made sure to keep the dwarves in the dark."

How could they ever fathom the power of a mech when they never witnessed them in true combat?

How could they be so confident that their improvised battle wagons could actually become a worthy opponent to the mechs piloted by the guard force?

How could they ever mistake Rion Aaden as an ace pilot?

How could they ever believe that hijacking a starship was anything but simple?

There were so many loopholes to their plan that there was not a chance in hell they would succeed in their rebellion!

Forget reaching the spaceport situated in the 'tall folk' section of Outpost 35, the underprepared rebels wouldn't even make it past the first couple of steps in their wildly-inflated plan!

Ves didn't really care about the dwarves. He possessed very little sympathy for Rion. His Mastery experience was supposed to enrich his understanding of how mech pilots made use of light skirmishers.

Where was any of that when Rion didn't even have access to an actual mech?

Surprisingly, the dwarves didn't elevate Rion to an 'ace pilot' to serve as their mascot. Gion abruptly turned to their star and revealed something very impactful to the plan.

"Our mighty war machines may be able to overwhelm some of the mechs under the control of our enemies, but they possess at least a dozen of them. In order to crush these mighty weapons made in the image of the tall folk, we must rely on your strength to ensure our victory is total."

Rion looked solemn for a moment. "I am confident I can single-handedly defeat all of their mechs, but..."

"You need a mech."

"Yes, Master Gion. I long to pilot one of the machines of the tall folk. Once I become as tall or taller than our enslavers, I can finally exact revenge for all of the oppression they inflicted on us with their own weapon!"

Every dwarf either laughed or roared as they foresaw the punishment they would mete on their oppressors!

Ves was starting to boil over. The sheer hubris and ignorance displayed by the dwarves was too much for him to bear! There was no way the dwarves would ever succeed in their wild schemes!

Unfortunately for him, if the dwarves failed to overpower the guards and hijack a transport ship, there was almost no chance for him to secure the Timpala Steel for himself!

He needed the ore that the rebels managed to obtain. He needed it not because he was eager to obtain the mission rewards. He instead wanted to appease the System!

"Will you stop screwing with my Mastery experiences as long as I secure this ore for you? I really hope this is the last time you put me in the head of a dwarf!"

In the meantime, Gion finally revealed his plan to provide Rion with an actual mech.

"We will enable you to do what you have promised." The old dwarf smiled in an ugly fashion. "The reason why I wanted you to learn how to pilot a light skirmisher is because there is an exiled son of House Kaltis in this outpost!"

Every dwarf gasped! The mere mention of this hated noble house was enough to evoke both fear and fury in their short and muscular bodies!

"This son pilots a mech that the tall folk state is superior to the mechs piloted by the guards!"

Gion switched the projector to display a light skirmisher coated in white and bearing various noble emblems and insignia.

The dwarves all gasped at this beautiful machine. They had never seen something so graceful before! They spent their entire lifetimes surrounded by rust, corrosion and cheap materials. The serviceable mining equipment and the poorly-maintained mechs operated by the guard force were anything but elegant!

To the unknowing dwarves, this light skirmisher might as well be an ace mech!

"This mech is the other key to our salvation. It is just as valuable as the wonder ore we have excavated. According to what we have been able to gather, the Genie Pearl is the personal mech of Richard Kantis, a scion of the hated house! For whatever reason, he and his mech have been exiled to this planet."

To Ves, the mech actually wasn't half-bad. The Genie Pearl was clearly a cut above the budget and bargain bin mechs of the guard force. He would classify it as a premium mech on the same level as the Blackbeak or the Crystal Lord, though the light skirmisher was a few generations older.

Unfortunately, all of the might of the Genie Pearl would probably go to waste if Rion took control!

"The Genie Pearl is ours!"

"Richard will be the first of House Kantis to die by our hands!"

Gion grinned. "This mech is ours, no doubt about that. We just have to give Rion an opportunity to reach this mighty machine. The entire purpose of our initial attack is to breach the central district of Outpost 35, reach the facility where the tall folk have parked the Genie Pearl, and take control over the mech! Once our ace pilot enters its cockpit, this prison is as good as ours!"

"For victory!"

"For Rion!"

"For the dwarves!"

Ves couldn't take it any longer. Gion's plan was based on so many faulty assumptions that he could drive a battleship through its holes!

There was no way the dwarves had any chance of success if they launched their foolish plan at this juncture!

Since the success of one of his Supply Mission was dependent on the success of the dwarf rebellion, Ves was not willing to hide in the depths of Rion's mind any longer.

"Make way, Rion! I'm going to make much better use out of your body than your ignorant self!"

With practiced ease, Ves repeated the same action he performed against Axelar and bumped Rion's consciousness out of its place!

Due to the enormous spiritual strength disparity between the two, Ves hardly expended any effort at all!

Soon, his consciousness began to take over part of Rion's mind and body.

Heavy!

Immediately, Ves fell victim to the divergent conditions of his temporary body! The dwarf physique and the heavy gravity acting on the body exacerbated his clumsy attempts in gaining full control over the foreign body!

"What's wrong, Rion?"

Unfortunately, his new body's jerky movements and abnormal convulsions immediately attracted the attention of Gion Greybeard and the other senior dwarves.

Uh oh.

Ves wanted to address the rebel dwarves, but he wouldn't be able to impress them if he moved like an imbecile!

He panicked a bit and did some quick thinking. He decided to resort to the most extreme possibility he had in mind to command the attention of the dwarves.

He concentrated his consciousness. Due to some rules that Ves wasn't familiar with, he somehow had access to much of his spiritual energy and spiritual strength, especially now that he had grown stronger.

He began to construct a hasty image and inflated it with a dash of spiritual energy before donning it onto Rion's mind like a mask.

Due to his haste and lack of time, the aura that Rion began to emanate was almost exactly the same as his own!

To the dwarves, Rion seemed to have changed. His eyes shone with an edge as the glow centered around him began to grow in strength until not a single dwarf was blind to how their 'ace pilot' seemed to have become a different dwarf!

"Rion.. what.."

"You are not talking to the friend you know." Rion spoke with a shaky and slightly unstable voice.

"Then.."

"Rejoice, my children! You have received the honor of witnessing my descent to the mortal plane!" Ves dramatically lied. "Your cause is worthy, and as the patron of your people, I have decided to possess your hero's body in order to bestow my divine blessings to your rightful cause!"

Every dwarf widened their eyes! Even the old and wise Gion looked flabbergasted!

The glow he emanated began to impress upon each the dwarves, lowering their instinctual shock, fear and suspicion towards their suspected friend.

"Who.. do we have the honor of greeting?"

Rion's body grinned. "I am Vulkan, the great and powerful God of Dwarves, Mechs and Craftsmanship! As long as you worship me, I shall lend you my divine assistance and lead you to freedom!"

A god had descended upon the rebel dwarves!

Chapter 1923 Ves the Benevolen

The glow emanating from the dwarf known as Rion Aaden was unlike anything his fellow rebels ever experienced!

The dwarves of Desala X were completely cut off from the rest of the galaxy. House Kantis held a vice grip on their slave population and would never let them learn more than they needed to mine the planet.

In fact, in this suspected time period, the existence of glows shouldn't even exist because Ves hadn't even been born yet!

Let alone regular people, the dwarves completely blanked out for a time as Ves strengthened his glow.

Ves did not filter his glow too much. His Spirituality was a reflection of his values, principles and design philosophy.

In essence, that meant that Ves was currently expressing his love for mechs and life. He exposed some of his typical Larkinson traits such as duty, courage and fellowship.

His mask filtered out some of the more irrelevant traits, such as his mixed feelings for dwarves.

Instead, he tried to form a slightly favorable impression towards the dwarves.

It was difficult. Ves didn't exactly possess a lot of optimism about the dwarves, but lying to others was a practiced routine for him by now. He just had to exert enough effort to come across as a friendly entity.

So far, it was working! Many of the dwarves did not question the fact that a god had descended upon them at all! In fact, many of them weren't really familiar with the concept of gods, but the naked glow acting upon their minds at close proximity immediately converted many naive dwarves by virtue of the persuasiveness of the method!

However, a few of the older and more jaded dwarves slowly shook themselves out of their stupor. Master Gion Greybeard adopted a stern expression as he faced the possessed Rion with obvious suspicion.

The old dwarf had been screwed around too many times by the tall folk to take a gift for granted!

"Vulcan.." Gion carefully spoke with his low voice. "We are honored by your presence. We are very poor dwarves. We have never heard of your existence. Please excuse us, but could you..."

"I am aware of your lack of awareness of my august existence." Ves spoke through Rion's mouth. "You are fortunate that I am a generous god. Out of all the variants of humans that exist, I cherish dwarves like you the most. The hardships that dwarves like you endure on an all-too-frequent basis is tragic, but this makes me love you even more. I know the dwarves have the potential to be great. Life is a test, and some tests are harder than others. It is best if dwarves like you are able to overcome your challenges by yourself."

His control over Rion's body gradually increased as time went by, but he still needed to stall in order to proceed with the next steps of the plan!

"Great Vulcan, if you are the protector of dwarves, why have you not shown yourself to us before now?" Master Gion pressed, unwilling to surrender himself to what could possibly be a prank from the tall folk!

Rion's possessed head adopted a solemn expression. "Many dwarves throughout human space require my assistance. As powerful as I may be, I can only assist the ones who need my aid the most. I am being hindered by other gods, demons and eldritch entities at every turn. The entire galaxy is trying its best to prevent dwarves like you from ascending to your rightful throne!"

"Do the tall folk possess their own god?" Someone else asked.

"Yes. In fact, they enjoy the care and protection of many gods!" Ves spontaneously spun a tale. "The tall folk are the favored variant of humans in the galaxy. They are the original breed of your race, and while they are weak in many aspects, they excel at being cunning, deceitful and strong."

Many dwarves looked shocked! They bought his tale without any skepticism because it conformed to their elevated view of the tall folk.

No wonder the lengthy humans were so powerful! They possessed the backing of many gods!

"How can you resist the might of these gods when they are so many?"

Ves randomly supplied the first answer that came to his mind. "The tall folk have many gods, but there are too many normal humans to count! Most humans never even know of their gods because the great beings already have their hands full with their existing worshippers!"

"And we are different?"

"Yes. You are dwarves. You are special." Ves purposefully flattered them. "As a powerful god, I have chosen to turn my back against the cruel and duplicitous tall folk. Instead, I chose to favor your race because I see greatness in you! Do not believe in the poisonous lies of the tall folk who are doing the best to press your people down. Dwarves are the most superior variants of humanity!"

Every dwarf, including Gion, perked up at his words. Their self-esteem was so low that any positive affirmation by someone greater than a dwarf evoked a lot of ecstasy and irrational pride in their bones!

In the meantime, Ves not only gained more control over Rion's body, but also refined his application of his Spirituality.

He had become increasingly more adept at manipulating people over the years. He especially liked to persuade crowds because it was easy for him to affect the overall consensus pattern through his spiritual manipulations!

Lies alone weren't enough to hoodwink a crowd of people. Most words didn't go much further than confusing someone's logic.

In order to make his audience believe his words, he needed to manipulate their hearts!

Even if their mind and logic warned them that his words had issues, as long as Ves managed to capture them on an emotional level!

As Ves observed the rebel dwarves through Rion's eyes and his spiritual senses, he noted that aside from a couple of old dwarves like Gion, the others quickly fell under his sway.

The dwarves of Desala X were pretty much the opposite of the rational and enlightened people who populated much of human space. They developed many scattered beliefs of their own. Adding yet another myth in the form of Vulcan, the God of Dwarves, Mechs and Craftsmanship did not sound so strange when their rudimentary culture was already rife with superstition!

Of course, the holdouts just happened to be the most senior dwarves. Their age and wisdom elevated them slightly above their more gullible dwarves.

These skeptics just happened to be the people that Ves needed to persuade the most!

Though Ves could easily fool the younger dwarves among the rebels, they weren't capable of launching a rebellion on their own. Respect for their elders was ingrained among the dwarves, and witnessing a split between their familiar leaders and an unfamiliar god would prove devastating to his attempt to correct the course of their foolhardy plan!

Gion Greybeard stared straight into Rion's eyes. "You stated earlier that you are a god who helps the dwarves that need your help the most. Since you have decided to appear before us, does that mean that our escape plan is flawed?"

Finally. Ves had been waiting for this question. His possessed body grinned.

"I admire the audacity of what you are planning. I applaud the resourcefulness of your rebel movement for setting up this secret base. Dwarves like you are strong, honest and talented in craftsmanship. The mighty battle wagons that you have built are impressive considering the limitations constraining your efforts."

A couple of dwarves wearing tool belts and technician overalls beamed with pride!

"We have spent years to arm and modify our mining vehicles. The tall folk will tremble at the might of our great war weapons!"

Rion's face turned serious. "Is that what you believe?"

"We.. do?"

A tense silence descended in the tent as the conversation took a darker turn. In order to emphasize the seriousness of his next statement, Ves tweaked his glow so that it started to restrain his positive attributes while amplifying his negative attributes!

An invisible aura that expressed his worry, paranoia and fear of greater threats began to engulf the dwarves in an illusion of hell!

"The battle wagons may have been the best that you have managed to build, but the tall folk are so much greater than you. The guard force hired to guard Outpost 35 possess much better gear and machines. Even a single mech can crush all six of your battle wagons without falling in battle! As the protector of dwarves, I implore you not to attack the tall folk in your current state. This dwarf body of mine will never have the chance to pilot the Genie Pearl because it is impossible to breach the central district at your current strength!"

Despair struck the dwarves as they believed in his words! Even Gion seemed swayed as the doubts he carried in his mind suddenly came to the fore.

As the leader of the Desala Resistance Movement, the dwarf master was used to fostering optimism among his dwarves. If he didn't do so, morale among the slaves would quickly drop, thereby splintering his rebel group before it even had a chance to fulfill its purpose!

Though Gion tried his best to set a good example for his fellow rebels, in his heart he possessed a lifetime of scars inflicted by the tall folk.

It didn't take that much effort for Ves to reach inside the old dwarf's heart and tear open the scars!

A couple of dwarves howled and cried with grief! Were the dwarves meant to suffer their entire lives? Were their children and grandchildren destined to become the playthings of the tall folk?

It was only in the darkest of times that a single light reached its maximum value.

Like a profiteering merchant who purposefully starved a planet of food before arriving with a shipment of nutrient packs, Ves inwardly grinned like a shark as he completely reversed his glow back to normal.

All of the doom and gloom in the tent disappeared. The breath of life and the limitless potential of mechs started to lift up their darkened moods and grant them some much-needed hope!

Before the dwarves could question Ves further with their inane and ignorant questions, he forestalled them by slowly standing up from his short and sturdy chair.

"Words are the weapons of the tall folk. I am aware that dwarves aren't as good at them. Let me borrow your tools and show you a glimpse of my power!"

Rion's body slowly turned around and stepped forward with shaky but increasingly more confident steps.

The other dwarves robotically followed after the descended god as if they were no longer in charge.

Even if leaders such as Master Gion wanted to assert their authority, no one would listen to them right now as long as Ves commanded the full attention of the rest!

As Rion's body stepped out of the tent, the other dwarves in the vicinity all stopped and stared at the dwarf they previously hailed as their ace pilot.

"What is the matter?"

"Why is Rion different?"

"He is no longer Rion! He is a god!"

"A what?"

"Make way, make way! A god called Vulcan has descended upon us! He is a patron of dwarves, a master of mechs and the embodiment of craftsmanship! He is on his way to prove his might and demonstrate his godly power among our blessed people!"

That certainly caught every rebel's attention! Word quickly spread and dwarves continued to hobble over as quickly as possible! Their bodies strained against the heavy gravity as they reached one of the central workplaces where a lot of tools and materials were strewn around.

Once the dwarves came within a certain distance of Rion, they noticed that he was the source of the odd and pleasant aura that affected their moods!

None of the dwarves came up with a reasonable explanation of why Rion seemed so special. What was happening to them right now was completely unprecedented in the history of the dwarves of Desala X!

Gion trailed after the rest of the curious and eager dwarves. Both worry and hope welled within his eyes.

Would the rebels

Chapter 1924 Showmanship

As much as Ves could keep droning nonsense to the crowd of dwarves, he knew it wasn't enough to secure his command over the rebel group.

To put force into his words and convince the most jaded among them that Ves was an actual god, he needed to demonstrate his divine might!

He had to impress the dwarves by doing something so far out of their reach that they were unable to rationalize what they witnessed.

In other words, Ves had to hoodwink the rebels into believing that he was performing a miracle!

As Ves calmly used Rion's senses to inspect the shabby tools and stock of low-quality parts and materials at hand, he tried to figure out the best way to convert the dwarves into his believers.

He thought back on his interactions with religion. In particular, his thoughts strayed in the direction of the myth built around Prophet Ylvaine.

Of all the religions he came into contact with, he was most familiar with the Ylvainan Faith. While his knowledge of the scripture and tenets of the faith was not that extensive, he still knew enough about its founder that he was a good showman!

Naturally, some people preferred to use the less charitable description of a conman to describe Prophet Ylvaine. The ease in which he seemed to convert decent, rational people into fanatical believers was too unreal!

How could the so-called prophet amass a following of trillions if he didn't possess a talent for scamming people?

Whether the Prophet acted in good faith or bad faith, Ves had no doubt that this historical figure excelled in showmanship!

It was not enough to convert people to a new belief than dropping some religious scripture in front of their faces. People needed to be persuaded in a more visceral way.

As a designer and seller of mechs, Ves knew all about how necessary it was to impress his customers with his product offering.

He treated this opportunity in a similar fashion to his product reveal events. His goal was to turn his audience into his customers or supporters.

As long as he managed to dazzle them with his show, Ves would succeed in solidifying Vulcan's place as their god!

Of course, because Ves aimed to perform a good show, he couldn't take too long to demonstrate his divine might. The dwarves might be a patient folk, but they probably weren't willing to wait for hours until Ves produced a great tool!

He needed to do something that would impress the dwarves without taking too much time. He had to make an immediate impact so that they were much less likely to question the truth behind his inexplicable appearance!

As Ves finished his brief survey of the tools and resources he had at hand, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

The dwarves obtained most of their tools and resources from junkyards and discarded piles.

House Kantis didn't bother to invest too much in trash disposal on this planet. Valuable salvage would be shipped out of Desala X when the next transport ship arrived.

Scrap that was too poor in value would cost House Kantis more to recycle than dumping them into the nearest pit.

Evidently, the overseers failed to take into account that their slaves managed to find a way to smuggle all kinds of goodies from these junk pits.

The upside to this was that the dwarves managed to salvage all kinds of goods, both intact and broken.

The downside was that the goods they appropriated for themselves were inevitably awful. Their quality ranged from poor to abysmal.

What grated Ves the most was that the dwarves failed to establish a proper recycling operation. Their limited technical competence and lack of proper equipment meant that their attempts to break down scrap and separate its constituent materials was half-hearted as best.

Every bar of metal and alloy contained a substantial amount of impurities.

Not only did this weaken the properties of the materials, the varying proportions of materials in each poorly-refined bar of alloy also caused them to be highly inconsistent!

This was a massive no-no in the mech industry and many other industries. If one bar of steel was weaker than the other bar of steel, the resulting product built with these materials would inevitably be riddled with weak points.

Ves imagined that Gloriana would go berserk if she saw the state of this workplace. Nothing was proper and everything was wrong in some way.

Fortunately, this wasn't the first time he worked under awful conditions.

Right now, Ves wasn't trying to impress a crowd of knowledgeable mech insiders. He only needed to exhibit enough flashiness to impress the dwarves. It didn't matter if his creations failed to pass muster if he presented it to Gloriana or someone who actually knew something about real craftsmanship!

As Ves contemplated many possibilities, he decided to opt for an expedient but very impactful creation. His choice would also make the Desala Resistance Movement a little stronger!

He started off by grabbing a hefty plasma cutter the size of Rion's current legs. Plasma cutters were common enough tools, but they devoured a lot of energy to operate, so the dwarves only used them if they had no other choice.

Another downside to plasma cutters was the myriad of precautions built into the hardware of software of the heavy devices. They were never supposed to be used as weapons and would forcibly shut its systems down if it detected any flesh or organic materials in their way!

With all of the knowledge that Ves had at his disposal, this was an easy problem to solve.

It also happened that the plasma cutter was a very outdated model from his modern perspective. He easy managed to gain access to the core of its programming by hooking it up with an interface and exploiting one of the known security exploits that had long been patched in the present time.

After fiddling a bit with the programming, he managed to override the software locks and tweak many different settings to the point where the plasma cutter operated completely different from the norm!

"This isn't enough." He mentally concluded.

To truly impress the dwarves, he needed to reengineer its hardware as well!

With the clock continuing to click, Ves tried to move faster. As his control over Rion's body continued to improve, Ves began to disassemble portions of the plasma cutter in order to remove or modify the parts.

He wasn't able to implement a better version of what he wanted to create due to the lack of proper facilities, but he was still inventive enough to craft a lesser version.

His knowledge of jury rigging and extensive familiarity with hands on work served him well. Despite the lack of options, he managed to make do with what he had in order to effect substantial changes.

All this time, Ves also made sure to keep his Spirituality active. Rion's body continued to emit the glow that the gathered rebel dwarves all started to associate with Vulcan, the God of Dwarves!

He wasn't improvising something at random either. He followed a truncated design cycle that was tailored for modifying existing mechs or objects.

Ves may not have designed and built this specific plasma cutter, but he could slowly make it his own as long as he worked on it long enough!

As he hastily managed to tweak the internals to his liking by applying a couple of fast and easy trick, he looked at the plasma cutter and saw that it still looked too much like a mundane tool.

The dwarves wouldn't be as impressed by his work if he showed off something that looked identical to what they were using on a daily basis.

He needed to show the dwarves the true meaning of craftsmanship!

Ves looked around the workplace and identified some rudimentary hammering and forging machines. While they weren't as capable or versatile as a 3D printer, there was no way the dwarves could steal something so advanced and expensive under the noses of the tall folk!

He wasn't discouraged, though. This may be one of the worst workshops he'd been exposed to, but at least it was better than working with medieval tools!

Though Ves extended the completion of his creation, the dwarves showed no impatience.

The way Ves worked with the tools and equipment of their makeshift workplace was a sight to behold.

Unlike the dwarves whose technicians had only been taught the basics of maintenance, Ves was a fully-fledged Journeyman Mech Designer.

The disparity between their technical expertise was as vast as the void between star systems!

Though Ves had to move slowly in order to maintain his control over Rion's possessed body, every move and decision he made expressed his skill and confidence in craftsmanship.

One surprising advantage of dwarves was that their movements were surprisingly precise when needed. Ves was able to manipulate Rion's limbs as if the dwarf was an experienced mech technician.

This didn't surprise him very much. Dwarves were designed to perform manual work. Operating tools and driving vehicles were literally programmed in their genes!

However, just because dwarves possessed an excellent aptitude in manipulating tools didn't necessarily mean they were born craftsmen.

The dwarves of the Desala X lacked the systematic education and upbringing that proper professionals enjoyed!

By applying the wealth of techniques that Ves learned from school and experience, he easily managed to open the eyes of his audience to what they could have become!

What made the sight even more impressive was that Rion's body was doing all of the work!

The sight of a dwarf expressing so much skill and expertise presented a model of what a dwarf could become.

Their people weren't worthless! Dwarves were capable of matching or exceeding the tall folk in creating great works. Vulcan himself demonstrated what their stocky bodies were capable of as long as they were free to follow their own pursuits!

A tear streaked down the eye of Master Gion Greybeard. There was a sense of beauty in the craftsmanship on display. To a dwarf who yearned to free his people and lead them to paradise, the sight of a 'dwarf' operating the machines with greater skill than the tall folk in their better-equipped workshops was a dream come true!

"It is complete." Rion's body announced.

Anticipation welled among the dwarfs surrounding the workplace. They tried to lean over the shoulders of their fellow dwarves in order to catch a better glimpse of what Vulcan had produced!

Ves mentally wiped the sweat from his nonexistent brow. It wasn't easy trying to modify a low-quality plasma cutter into something different. Along with all the previous disadvantages, he also had to account for the heavy gravity!

Fortunately, adjusting to the gravity hadn't hampered his end product that much. As Ves picked up his creation, he showed off its full appearance to everyone.

It looked like a magnificent piece of art.

Gone was the functional barrel-like contours. Gone was the scratches and marks of corrosion. Ves completely stripped the exterior of the plasma cutter and put brand-new parts in their place.

Each of the exterior components were not only smooth and polished, but Ves also applied a bit of creative artistry by decorating them with some aesthetic flourishes.

The plasma cutter had become something different. It had become something more.

The dwarves all gasped with admiration as they beheld one of the most beautiful objects they had ever seen in their lives!

The plasma cutter now resembled a barrel shaped in the form of a green dragon. The most impressive part about the cutter was the way Ves managed to work the metal until the front muzzle was shaped like the jaws of a celestial beast!

Aside from its visual appearance, its intrinsic glow also appealed to the dwarves on an emotional level.

The dragon-shaped creation exuded an aggressive and inviolable impression. This immediately enhanced the impression that the object was a genuine divine creation that could have never been produced by anyone other than god!

"What.. what is it, Great God?"

Rion's body grinned as he grabbed the handles of the object. He carefully turned it online and waited for it to finish its warmup cycle. He then proceeded to look around before aiming it at a stash of broken plates.

PWHISH!

When Rion's body pulled the trigger, an unstable bolt of plasma propelled from the muzzle! Almost instantly, the plasma bolt impacted the messy pile of plates, instantly engulfing them with superheated matter!

Some of the dwarves yelled in fright. The closest ones jumped away in order to avoid the wash of heat and nasty fumes

As soon as the light and dust settled, a huge chunk of metal plates had turned into debris!

"It's a weapon." Ves addressed the dwarves. "As long as you embrace my help, I shall craft many wonders that will help you defeat the tall folk! Now, will you kneel before me and accept me as your god?"

It only took a few seconds for the dwarves to drop to their thick knees en masse!

"Vulcan! Vulcan! Vulcan!"

Chapter 1925 Too Many Disadvantages

Once Ves completed his weapons, the dwarves instantly regarded it as a divine creation.

In their ignorant minds, only a god could turn a regular plasma cutter into something that was both powerful and beautiful!

As Ves inwardly grinned at the sight of the dwarves prostrating before he possessed his body, he knew he succeeded in commanding their obedience.

Even the oldest dwarves such as Gion Greybeard bent his weary knees in front of the entity known as Vulcan.

His willingness to surrender authority to this powerful but unfamiliar god reflected his recognition that he was no longer the ultimate dwarf in charge!

No matter how much Gion worked to build up the Desala Resistance Movement, his diligent efforts over several decades paled in comparison to the show that Ves performed in just over an hour!

This was the hour that marked a permanent shift in direction for the dwarven rebellion.

No longer would the dwarves be forced to fend for themselves. With a god on their side, their fear towards the tall folk inevitably dropped!

The dwarves possessed even more confidence that their escape plan would succeed!

Though Ves was glad he managed to fool the dwarves, that didn't mean that success was guaranteed!

In his heart, he knew that he wasn't really Vulcan. He was Ves Larkinson, a Journeyman Mech Designer from the Komodo Star Sector.

He couldn't waste too much time on this Mastery experience. The LMC and Larkinson Clan needed him as well, and the longer he took to free the dwarves, the more time he would waste in the present time!

As much as he looked down on the inadequate security arrangements of House Kantis, the mechs guarding over Outpost 35 were still formidable war machines.

No matter how cheap they were or how much their maintenance had suffered, they were still capable of crushing any insurrection attempt with ease!

The main reason he wanted to take charge of rebel dwarves was that their plan was completely doomed from the start if they continued to hold their false assumptions!

Half an hour after Ves managed to convert the dwarves, he met with Gion Greybeard in a private meeting.

No further shows were necessary. Even if a couple of skeptics still remained, the consensus of the crowd ensured that alternative viewpoints wouldn't be accepted!

He retracted his glow and weakened its outwards expression in order to lighten the burden on his Spirituality. While he still emanated enough of a glow to make it clear that he was more than mortal, his presence wasn't as blinding anymore.

He still managed to make Gion nervous, and that was good. Ves did not want this wise and sober dwarf to question his godhood.

"What is it you require, my lord?"

Rion's body slowly strode forward until it reached a projector placed on a table. Ves activated it and navigated its heavily-outdated interface until it projected a view of one of the dwarven battle wagons next to a view of one of the guard mechs.

"Tell me honestly, Gion. If this battle wagon confronts this mech, which one will win?"

"Our mighty tank will win!"

Bang!

Rion's fist slammed against the surface of the metal table! Due to his dwarven physique and the heavy gravity, the slam actually dented its surface!

"You are the greatest dwarf among your rebels! You are responsible for their lives! While it is commendable that you have managed to keep up their spirits, it is not the time to boast on the eve of your breakout attempt! Now, tell me your true opinion. Which machine will win?"

Greybeard lowered his head. "..The mech."

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Tell me in your own words why you believe the mech will vanquish over the battle wagon."

The old dwarf sighed. "I may not be anywhere close to good with machines as your godly eminence, but I fear that our large tanks may not be as good as a mech. According to the technicians who turned the scrapped and discarded mining vehicles into fighting machines, the battle wagons are large and slow. A normal mining vehicle is already rather slow, but mounting all of the extra armor and weapons onto its chassis will slow it down even further."

"Your battle wagons possess a decisive mobility disadvantage." Ves nodded in agreement. "That wouldn't be so bad if not for the inadequate protection. Don't think that they are tough enough to withstand mechs because they are big. In the eyes of a divine craftsman such as myself, there are countless holes in their design and construction! Mining vehicles themselves aren't built to resist mechs, so your so-called tanks have inherited their weak internal structure. Not that it matters, because the reinforced shell your dwarves have built around them is just as poor at keeping them alive."

Ves began to describe all of the major issues he discovered. The list could go on and on, but after pointing out a dozen critical flaws, Gion had already gotten the message!

"I.. I knew our battle wagons weren't as good as we all made them out to be, but.. I never knew they were so weak!"

"It is not necessarily a detriment if your battle wagons aren't as promising as you boasted. It is only a problem if your opponents are able to field stronger machines."

Rion's body put the projection of the battle wagon aside to focus on one of the typical frontline mechs of the guard force. "Look at this mech. It is a medium mech that has very few virtues compared to other products of this nature. Yet despite its many constraints and obvious neglect, it is still a serviceable war machine."

"What makes this mech better, my lord?"

"There are too many aspects to count." Ves replied. His borrowed body pointed at the laser barrels mounted at the side of the armless mech. "Since ballistic weapons encounter all kinds of constraints in heavy gravity environments, House Kantis opted to arm the guard mechs with laser weapons as their primary ranged armament. Laser weapons are characterized by their lack of impulse and relatively weak penetration power against well-armored mechs. This normally makes this frontline mech model weak against other machines. Just not this time."

"How fast can this mech defeat our battle wagon?"

"It depends." Ves didn't answer straightforwardly. "There are ways to stack the deck in your favor by employing clever tactics and making use of the advantage of surprise, but even then the mech will still be able to burn holes through your battle wagon before it suffers any serious damage."

"That bad?"

"Any mech-scaled laser weapon will be able to penetrate the poorly-designed armor cover of your battle wagons with ease. The plating is highly heterogeneous. On top of that, their fit isn't even seamless, which means that their surfaces are riddles with weak points that almost entirely negate the work your dwarven technicians have done to reinforce their outer surface!"

The words struck Gion like a barrage of punches. The old dwarf looked completely defeated!

"What about our own ability to harm the mechs? Will we be able to inconvenience the tall folk at all?"

"The extra mining lasers and other mining implements that you've managed to mount on your battle wagons are fairly interesting. Assuming that you have managed to override all of their safeguards and backdoors, they can indeed threaten a mech.. but only until the mechs of the guard force promptly crush your hardware with their superior machines and numbers. The quality and quantity disparity is simply too big. Even if you try to split up the guard force and make the most of your initiative advantage, you will still run out of battle wagons long before the guard force runs out of mechs."

"This..." Gion looked downcast for a time before he suddenly lit up a bit. "Wait, our battle wagons aren't the only machines we intend to use against the tall folk! As long as we hijack the Genie Pearl and put.. the dwarf you possess inside its cockpit, we can turn the tall folk's own weapon against them! With this great mech under our control, we will certainly be able to defeat our oppressors!"

Rion's body looked grim, causing Gion to lose his optimism.

"It won't work. As I've said, the battle wagons are too weak to allow you to breach the walls impeding any dwarf from entering the central district. Even if you managed to smuggle Rion into the central district, mechs are anything but easy to hijack. In many cases, the machines are locked to a designated mech pilot, meaning that anyone else won't be able to commandeer the mech. Did you dwarves even account for this problem?"

"No.."

Rion's body shook its head. "Let me ask you an important question. Is this body the only mech pilot among your rebels?"

The old dwarf nodded. "Yes. We have managed to salvage a scrapped medical machine that can be used to detect whether someone possesses the right genetic aptitude to pilot mechs. Rion is the only one among us who scored positive in the machine. We had a number of other dwarves who possessed the right genetic aptitude, but.. They are no longer among the living."

"I see. So in effect, out of all of the dwarves in your band, the only one who is capable of wielding the weapons of your enemy is this body's owner. That.. is certainly problematic."

Ves paused for a moment in order to list out his available resources and assets.

He quickly realized that any attempt at breaking out of this mining planet would not succeed if he attempted to put all of his hopes on a single mech pilot.

It was still possible to succeed, though. The dwarves may be weak on their own, but with a Journeyman from the future by their side, they could turn into something completely different by the time Ves was done with his preparations!

"You can still succeed." Ves spoke, causing Gion to look towards the God of Dwarves with hope. "We need time to overhaul the battle wagons. They need to be a lot hardier in order to ensure they will be able to fulfill their roles before they inevitably fall against the enemy mechs. As for hijacking the Genie Pearl, the plan needs to be changed if we want this risky gambit to succeed."

Ves briefly outlined a revised plan that refined the straightforward assault the dwarves had in mind.

Though Ves wasn't a tactician or military officer, he had lived through plenty of battles. The key that he kept hammering on when he offered the revised version of the dwarven plan to Gion was that they needed to make the most out of the few advantages they possessed!

"The tall folk can field at least a dozen mechs. They have eyes and ears everywhere. The outpost features many checkpoints and fixed defenses. The guards on foot can easily wipe out your poorly-equipped dwarves. These are the advantages of our enemy. They are large and they are significant, but that does not mean they are invincible!"

Gion prostrated himself before a god yet again! "Great Vulcan. I implore you. Please teach us how to defeat the tall folk!"

"As long as you follow my instructions and provide me with unrestricted access to all of your assets, I shall bless your rebels with my divine creations and godly wisdom! As the protector of your race, it is my obligation to rescue you from this prison of a planet! It is just..."

The old dwarf questioningly raised his head at the god.

"What is it, my lord?"

"I require sacrifice from you in return." Rion's body stretched out its large and rough hand. "I believe you have come into the possession of a very remarkable ore. Instead of offering it to the MTA as tribute, I demand that you hand it over to my possession! This is my price for my blessing!"

The dwarf widened his eyes! "My lord! That is the precious treasure that we are all depending on to free our folk!"

"You don't need to offer the MTA such a special treasure in order for them to exact justice on behalf of your dwarves."

Gion looked dismayed. "Then what will we be able to use to encourage this mighty organization to rescue my people?"

"I have my ways." Ves vaguely replied. "I will address this issue once our escape plan succeeds. Right now, I want you to make a choice. Surrender the Timpala Steel to me or try and escape this planet without the blessing of a god!"

Chapter 1926 The First Human Produc

It was strange.

How did Ves end up in this situation?

He just wanted to enjoy a normal Mastery experience for once. How did that lead to possessing the body of a dwarf and hoodwinking a large number of height-challenged miners to accept him as a god?

If he ever told what happened to Gloriana, she would probably collapse in laughter!

Of course, then she would likely jump on him and attempt to strangle him for deifying a male god instead of a female god!

Rion's body awkwardly coughed.

Controlling the body of a dwarf was a novel experience. Ves certainly never expected to view reality from a height he had never experienced since he was a younger boy.

Living through the life of a dwarf, even for an instant, gave him a brand new appreciation of the benefits and downsides of a divergent breed of humanity.

Heavy gravity variant humans were different from baseline humans. They were designed and cooked up by geneticists in highly-advanced labs and institutions to fulfill specific purposes

In other words, they were both humans and products married in a single, compact package.

As their official name suggested, dwarves were excellently adjusted to living on giant planets with elevated gravity.

A lot of planets like this existed in the Milky Way Galaxy and probably the Red Ocean Dwarf Galaxy as well.

The usual method to make them livable was to break some pieces of the planet up and chuck them into space to make the gravity more tolerable for baseline humans.

This worked fine when the gravity was only 20 percent stronger than standard gravity, but what about a superplanet like Desala X where the gravity was 4.6 times stronger than the gravity of Old Earth?

Turning Desala X into a livable planet for normal humans was too costly! Cracking it up until only a fraction of the original planet was left would not only throw countless resources away, but also result in an enormous financial loss!

It simply wasn't cost-effective to transform these giant planets into normal planets.

Therefore, humanity much preferred to adjust to the heavy gravity environment rather than the other way around.

The next solution was to rely on antigrav technology and other advanced solutions to adjust the gravity downwards.

This was a realistic solution, but one that made humans too dependent on a piece of technology to survive.

What if an antigrav module malfunctioned? What if terrorists or enemy saboteurs managed to cripple the antigrav network of an entire city?

The fact of the matter was that humans did not fare well in heavy gravity environments under a sustained period.

In the Age of Stars, some colonists attempted to live on a 1.5 g or 2 g planet without any gravity adjustments!

What happened was very interesting. Though the rate of injuries increased and childbirth became a lot more problematic, baseline humans actually managed to cope in this environment.

With the passage of years and decades, their bodies slowly morphed in response to the constant gravity acting on their body mass.

Their bones became denser, their muscles became stronger and their hearts became more vigorous.

They also tended to stop growing taller. THis was especially evident over the generations as their descendents became increasingly shorter and stockier!

Despite these encouraging developments, the human descendants that naturally adapted to a heavy gravity environment failed to pass muster.

Their brains started to regress as it came under a lot of pressure. The gravity acting upon its sensitive tissue combined with the difficulty of supplying it with lots of blood meant that the descendants were actually becoming less intelligent with each subsequent generation!

Evolution didn't work very fast. A couple of hundred years was not enough to remedy all of these issues!

Since natural adaptation appeared to be ineffective, why not resort to artificial adaptation?

The controversy this decision ignited among the bright and adventurous humans during the Age of Stars had led to a lot of outrage.

Was it ethical to modify a new breed of humanity? Would these 'new humans' supplant baseline humans as the new masters of humanity? Or would the opposite happen were natural humans lorded over an entire caste of subhuman slaves?

Regardless of the arguments, humanity back then was far more divided compared to the present time. Even if the powerful Terrans were too squeamish to explore this option, plenty of smaller and more radical star nations were eager to try!

The first true human product was born.

The earliest incarnations basically took human descendants of settlers of heavy gravity planets as a starting point and extrapolated their evolution over the span of millions of years!

They were shorter because being tall was a huge discomfort under heavy gravity.

Their bones were thick and strong to endure various accidents such as falling.

They were very muscular because they needed the strength to fight against the enormous gravity as they went about their day.

Their brains were significantly altered in order to better cope with the gravity pressuring them downwards.

Their heart and blood circulation grew more robust in order to sustain the prodigious needs of their oxygen-hungry brains and muscles.

Their skin grew rougher and thicker in order to withstand the external pressures of living in a heavy gravity environment.

Their metabolism grew a lot more efficient and robust in order to keep up with the enormous demand for energy and nutrients of their bodies.

Due to various coincidences, the resulting breeds of heavy gravity variant humans just happened to resemble the race of dwarves in human fantasy.

Before long, no one used the term 'heavy gravity variant humans' anymore to refer to this specialized breed of humanity. It only showed up in official documentation and academic literature.

Everyone called them dwarves these days.

Soon, the amount of dwarves in human space exploded in numbers! Their popularity rose among many rulers of human star nations and star empires because they solved a problem that many of them had grappled with over the years!

The introduction of dwarves allowed human space to utilize the abundant real estate of heavy gravity planets in a cost-effective manner!

Many superplanets in human space that had previously been passed aside suddenly became hot again as a lot of groups started to dump dwarves onto their surface!

With minimal investment, a star nation or a commercial mining company could easily turn an empty heavy gravity planet into a profit-generating machine!

Of course, the overt commercialization of dwarves led to a very worrying trend.

Dwarves were predominantly used for resource extraction. Hardly anyone intended to develop a heavy gravity planet beyond what was needed to rob its immense supply of valuable exotics and other minerals.

Why should the people in power waste any effort trying to develop these planets past this point?

Why should the 'true humans' work so much to better the lives of their miners?

To many people in the ruling classes, there was no benefit to providing further opportunities in this tailor-made heavy gravity mining race!

It didn't help that heavy gravity variant humans inherited many of the traits associated with fictional dwarves. Everyone considered them to be so good at mining and manual labor that they could hardly envision these strong and stocky humans as scientists or administrators!

The abuses had gotten very bad over the years. Dwarves were being increasingly treated as subhumans. This meant that the vast majority of humanity basically kicked out their shorter cousins outside of their group!

Part of the reason to do so was to make it easier to exploit the dwarves. Enslaving humans had become taboo as the Age of Stars made way for the Age of Conquest, but what if the slaves weren't 'human'?

It was a sad truth of human race that they were capable of committing countless horrors on others as long as they no longer recognized their victims as their own people!

Once the mainstream branches of humanity no longer regarded dwarves on the same level, the abuses that ensued resulted in a very shameful chapter in the long history of human civilization!

"It should have been better these days." Ves inwardly muttered.

Even though Ves had traveled a bit in the past for this Mastery experience, dwarves like Rion Aaden should still enjoy the rights of actual human in this day and age!

To see that greedy groups like House Kantis still employ this out-of-fashion method of exploiting heavy gravity planets by enslaving an entire population of dwarves was very perplexing.

From a rational perspective, this decision made little sense.

Keeping dwarves on Desala X and forcing them to mine all day without their consent was not really needed.

As long as House Kantis paid them a meager but decent salary and gave them the option to exit the planet freely would not cost them all that much.

While Ves wasn't very knowledgeable about the planetary mining industry, he had seen enough mining equipment at Outpost 35 to know that all of the hardware was a much bigger expense than manpower to House Kantis!

Paying the dwarves nothing as opposed to paying them minimum wage would not increase the total expenses all that much.

Desala X would still be able to turn a healthy profit for the nobles.

Yet... it was undeniable that the bottom line would be impacted. Even if the drop in profits was modest, for some reason the greedy nobles couldn't stand such a minor loss!

As a result, Desala X became home to another egregious abuse of human rights. Ves continually wanted to shake his head at this idiodic decision.

House Kantis would incur a lot of outrage and possibly sanction if their exploitation of dwarves became known!

Yet... from what Ves had observed so far about this entire arrangement, it seemed that no one really cared what was being done to the local dwarves.

House Kantis operated a slave mine with complete impunity.

The Paramount Kingdom which should have been receiving a share of the proceeds of the planet in the form of taxes also didn't show any intentions to stop the abuses.

The MTA's Smiling Samual Branch shouldn't be ignorant to what was going on inside the star sector. Desala X was a huge planet that orbited its star on a stable orbit. There was no way to hide this huge satellite from the many forms of observation at the Association's disposal!

Yet just like in the Komodo Star Sector, the local MTA branch seemed to be taking a lax approach towards the enforcement of its rules.

"This isn't even a coincidence anymore." Ves frowned.

He always thought that the MTA in his home star sector was just being lazy, but to see the same thing taking place seventy years in the past was an eye-opener to him. Had the MTA started to rot from within? How long ago did the mighty organization stop standing up for the weakest and most vulnerable populations of humans?

"Gion Greybeard is rather smart to realize that the MTA will remain apathetic to his pleas."

The MTA predominantly consisted of tall folk, after all. Ves had already experienced how high-and-mighty they acted towards space peasants.

This was also why the batch of Timpala Steel was the key to reversing the fortune of the dwarves. As long as the dwarves managed to shock the MTA and attract some genuine attention, there was a very good chance that it would finally meet its obligations!

It was too bad that Ves could not allow this wondrous exotic to slip out of his grasp. Vulcan may be a generous god, but he didn't work for free!

For now, Vulcan made an agreement with Gion Greybeard and his rebels. The God of Dwarves, Mechs and Craftsmanship promised to help their plan succeed in exchange for the Timpala Steel they excavated.

As for how to convince the MTA to intervene? The god promised to take care of it. With his divine powers, it should be as easy as cake to attract the MTA's attention!

"What is a cake?"

"A yummy food."

"What is yummy?"

"Imagine a nutrient pack that you actually enjoy eating."

The dwarves in Vulcan's presence blanked out.

Chapter 1927 Divine Vacation

Knowing the history of the dwarven race was not the same as living like a dwarf.

Certainly, Ves grew impressed by how well the dwarven physique coped with 4.6 g. Rion's body remained vigorous and strong even after walking around or working all day.

Plenty of blood was being pumped into the brain, keeping Rion fully cognizant throughout his day.

A typical dwarf was multiple times stronger than a baseline human. Though the difference wasn't felt on a heavy gravity planet, Ves imagined that a dwarf would be able to lift several people with ease on a standard gravity planet!

As the first human products created by human civilization, the dwarf breeds underwent numerous updates and revisions throughout the centuries.

Each generation that passed, the geneticists continually optimized their genes a little further. Ves guessed that the dwarves of Desala X belonged to a fairly recent version of dwarf breed, because Rion's body experienced no discomfort at living in this environment at all! It was as if his species of dwarves had naturally evolved from this heavy planet!

The dwarf breed that Rion belonged to also didn't contain any of the illegal cognitive impairments that turned them into primitives. The extreme breed of dwarves on Aeon Corona VII were aptly called wildlings for their intellectual degeneration.

Ves suspected that the only reason that House Kantis veered away from the illegal dwarf breeds was because they didn't want to waste too much funding on schooling.

The dwarves on Desala X still needed to be smart enough to learn how to read and write and study all kinds of technical knowledge to operate the mining equipment.

In fact, Ves didn't consider the local dwarves to be mentally handicapped at all. As Ves observed the dwarves following Vulcan's orders and trying to cobble up new parts by following his precise instructions, he found that they were adapting faster than he expected!

Though their knowledge and technical foundation was full of holes, as long as he instructed them on how to do something, they didn't require much time to internalize his lessons!

"Are they actually.. smart?"

After days of observation, the enterprising dwarves continued to impress him on their speed of adaptation. As they partially disassembled their battle wagons and started to produce proper replacement parts, his impression on the rebels gradually improved.

Their earlier works were awful because they didn't know any better. With House Kantis restricting much of their knowledge, they were millenia behind the development curve when compared to mainstream human civilization.

What they managed to accomplish under all of these adverse circumstances was actually rather commendable.

Yet now that a veritable god had descended onto the rebels, some of their promising potential finally found purchase!

As Ves continued to parade as a god, he patiently treated the dwarves as if they were his students.

Ves could not do all of the work alone. He needed to activate all of the manpower that the Desala Resistance Movement had at their disposal to finish the preparations of his revised plan!

He taught the eager dwarves how to purify their metal scrap, how to forge uniform armor plating that fit seamlessly with each other and how to put parts together with greater precision.

He showed them how their tools should actually be used, he corrected their many misconceptions around technology, he instilled many of the rules and customs that proper mech technicians took for granted.

At some times, Ves truly felt he was embodying the god he invented and pretended to be. The lie was slowly becoming true as he continued to uplift the dwarves into something better than House Kantis wanted them to be. He felt as if he had become the father of a promising new race of humans!

The more Ves taught, the more he became impressed by his students.

They rarely failed or disappointed him. Their eagerness to please the God of Dwarves caused them to exhibit an incredible amount of drive. Their motivation and passion for their work had skyrocketed and reached a level that they had never achieved in their entire lifetimes!

At best, working for House Kantis was drudgery. At worst, it was torture!

There was practically no reward for the dwarves to work harder or more earnestly for their slave drivers. The only reason to keep up their work at all was because they would be punished if they failed to meet their daily quotas!

Their bodies were very demanding in terms of consumption. All of the power exerted by their bodies did not come for free! Dwarves ate at least three times as much as regular humans in order to supply all of the nutrients and calories needed to go about their day!

The moment the overseers curtailed their food rations was the moment a dwarf might starve to death!

For this reason, fear constantly motivated the dwarves to work diligently.

They had never worked with something to look forward to. Vulcan's simple encouragement and illusions of hope was something completely novel to the dwarves.

Once Ves corrected their work methods and provided enough guidance, the productivity of the rebel dwarves soared!

A week into his Mastery experience, Rion's body stood on a ramp and looked down on the battle wagons as they turned into partial skeletons.

Their crude and improvised designs were profoundly ugly to Ves. While he worked best with mechs, he was still able to reengineer the battle wagons into better machines!

Design work was something that was still out of the reach of the local dwarves. The amount of upbringing needed to turn a typical dwarf into a competent and well-rounded designer of mechs or other hardware was too much!

Vulcan had to supply the designs. Each of the ones he issued managed to impress the dwarves beyond reason.

Their impression of him as a god continued to rise! Worship in him increased and the dwarves became more overt in their attempts to please their god so that they might be rewarded with his blessings!

It was all rather funny to Ves. This charade was becoming increasingly more impactful as his stature among the dwarves continued to rise after every day.

"Great Vulcan, are you proud of us?" Gion Greybeard asked from his side.

The robed dwarf had been spending the most time with Vulcan. Just as Ves learned more about the dwarves, so did Gion become more familiar with their new patron.

"Your dwarves are quick learners." Rion's body grunted. "I have seen worse dwarves. They are.. not as quick on the uptake as your rebels. I am proud to count these dwarves among my people."

"You have given us hope when no one extended their hand to us. For that, you have earned our eternal gratitude."

"That is good to hear, but I will only be able to assist your people up to a point. The tall folk enjoy the protection of many gods. While I am capable of displaying far more power than I have shown up until now, I will inevitably draw the attention of cruel and deceitful deities if I persist."

"We will make sure to meet your expectations, my lord! The hardships we have suffered has readied us for the challenges to come! No matter how much the tall folk wish to keep us trapped, they cannot deny our humanity forever!"

Rion's body smiled. While Ves did not expect to become a savior of dwarves in his Mastery experience, he no longer held any animosity towards the System for forcing him to give the rebels a chance.

It was odd how much satisfaction he derived from guiding the dwarves. The previous problems he faced in the present time such as trying to escape the clutches of the Friday Coalition or the immense pressure to make a masterwork mech all faded away.

This diversion in his life was completely divorced from his actual life. It was a much-needed vacation that not only exposed him to a completely different setting, but also allowed him to experience the weight of responsibility from a different direction.

It was difficult to be responsible for so many people. He needed to think over every decision and find creative ways to overcome many problems.

He enjoyed it. He enjoyed pretending to be a god. Even though it was built upon an enormous lie, he became increasingly more immersed into his roleplay.

Unfortunately, Ves wasn't in charge of Rion's body all the time.

Even though the dwarf had been hailed as both an 'ace pilot' and an 'avatar of Vulcan', Rion was still a miner as far as Outpost 35 was concerned!

Rion couldn't hang around in the underground base all the time. His absence would quickly be noticed if he didn't return, and that might cause the guards to search the outpost of his whereabouts!

For this reason, Rion still needed to show up at his regular shifts and operate his mining vehicle for long hours.

In these times, Ves surrendered control of the body back to its rightful owner.

Though Rion was initially confused about his possession, after a long talk with the other dwarves, he turned into one of Vulcan's most devout worshippers!

"Great Vulcan, will you really be able to deliver me to the Genie Pearl and help me take control of this mech?"

"Can you bless me with the knowledge on how to defeat the tall folk mechs?"

"Are there more gods like you who we can worship alongside you?"

"SHUT UP!" Ves mentally yelled in the inquisitive dwarf's mind! "I am in the process of designing newer and greater weapons! Do not interrupt my holy labor!"

Aside from dealing with the stupid dwarf's nagging, Ves also had to keep his composure together when it was time for Rion to practice his piloting.

The first time Rion returned to his abode, Ves directly took control of his body in order to fiddle with the simulator pod.

There was no way for the escape plan to succeed if Rion still remained incompetent! Forget about piloting a frontline mech, there was no way the incompetent, self-trained mech pilot would be able to make good use of the Genie Pearl!

For this reason, Ves took direct charge of Rion's future training sessions. He threw out all of the default training scenarios and programmed some scenarios from scratch based on his knowledge on how mech pilots were trained.

"What.. what is this gravity?!" Rion exclaimed when his virtual light skirmisher immediately tripped because he mistimed his steps!

"Welcome to standard gravity." Ves mentally replied. "This is the gravity of the tall folk. It is weak and light, which is proof of how your oppressors are weak. You can defeat them at their own game, but to do so, you must first go back to the beginning and learn how to pilot a mech the proper way."

"This.."

"Don't complain that this is useless! I have studied the stolen footage of the Genie Pearl, and it hasn't escaped my notice that it is equipped with an antigrav backpack! This means that the mech will be able to move just as fast and effortlessly as it does in standard gravity conditions! We need to take advantage of this speed in order for you to outmaneuver and defeat as many enemy guard mechs as possible!"

"W-What about piloting mechs in familiar gravity, my lord?"

"Forget about it!" Ves immediately responded. "We need to end the battle faster before the antigrav backpack runs out of energy. We also need you to become so proficient in piloting light mechs that you will be able to avoid damage to this critical module. In short, you will need to learn how to make the most out of leveraging the speed of this mech type!"

"I can't! This mech is too fast! I am afraid it will fly into the open sky if I do something wrong!"

"Don't be silly, you dolt! Mechs don't randomly float into space if it jumps! Gravity doesn't work that way!"

Ves could already foresee that it would take weeks to instill the fundamentals of mech piloting into Rion. There was no way he could turn the dwarf into a passable mech pilot within a week!

Chapter 1928 Ambrosia

Was it possible for a mech designer to train a mech pilot?

Ordinarily, Ves would answer with no, but now that he was forced into this position, he somehow had to make it work!

Certainly, Ves stumbled a lot when he tried to make Rion forget about his self-taught methods and start over from the beginning.

It wasn't easy to shake off habits, especially bad ones! The dwarven mech pilot spent years trying to figure out how to pilot mechs without anyone knowledgeable or intelligent telling him what was right or wrong!

Fortunately, as a Larkinson who grew up in a family of mech pilots, Ves picked up a lot of information on the general structure of how they were raised.

Combining that with his mech designer expertise and the lessons he learned in his previous Mastery experiences, Ves was not a novice when it came to training mech pilots.

He was not a proper mech instructor, though. He possessed plenty of holes when it came to training mech pilots, and that showed when Rion continually stumbled during his training sections due to an oversight!

"Pick yourself up and complete the obstacle course!" Ves shouted as Rion's virtual light skirmisher failed to climb up a wall! "A light skirmisher is both fast and nimble! You must capture its essence and turn it into your strength! So long as you are unable to master this speed, you will never be able to defeat so many tall folk mechs!"

"I am trying!" Rion teared up as he attempted the obstacle course again. "I have never moved so fast in my life! I'm too scared!"

"Get over your fear! You can do it! Just because you are a dwarf doesn't mean you are destined to remain slow. Speed is life. Speed is freedom. Speed is the key to victory!"

Becoming a mech instructor certainly wasn't one of the jobs he signed up for. He really didn't want to depend too much on Rion to succeed.

Unfortunately, after a lot of thought, Ves still couldn't avoid giving Rion the starring role in his revised plan.

No matter how many surprises he planned, no matter how much better the battle wagons performed after the dwarves implemented his redesign, the guard force still held an overwhelming advantage!

With at least twelve functional mechs at their disposal, the tall folk possessed a nearly insurmountable advantage over the dwarves.

As long as at least one mech remained functional, the insurrection attempt would definitely fail! The dwarves could forget about hijacking a transport ship if the guard force still possessed the power to crush any opposition!

As a mech designer, Ves often admired the power and might of the machines he learned to design.

Yet now, he was forced to respect the power from an entirely different power! Taking on the side the oppressed was a very jarring experience to him. As a proponent of mechs, he truly found it disturbing when they suddenly became his biggest obstacle to turning this Mastery experience into a success!

"Great Vulcan.. is relying on the Genie Pearl the only way we can succeed?"

"Yes."

"But you are the God of Mechs and Craftsmanship as well, are you not? Can you not perform another miracle for us and bestow us with a dwarven mech?"

"INSOLENT!" Ves spiritually stung Rion's mind, causing him to fail the virtual obstacle course yet again! "I already told your people that I cannot bestow your people with too much help! You and your fellow dwarves must fight to earn your freedom. All I can do is give you a chance. Now get back to your training and make sure you become good enough to perform the job you are expected to fulfill!"

Ves really tried to find a way to design and fabricate a mech for the rebels.

Sadly, the underground base was too shabby compared to a mech workshop. The dwarves were forced to work with the few production equipment they managed to salvage from the junkyards.

The lack of a 3D printer meant that he was unable to fabricate much of the delicate and precise components that was necessary to make a mech work.

The dwarves also lacked many of the critical materials that were necessary to produce the more advanced components

Even if Ves dumbed down the design to the point it was one of the weakest mechs in existence, i was still too impractical to fabricate!

The logistical challenges were so bad that Ves saw no choice but to abandon any attempt at fabricating his own mechs.

Instead, he turned his creative energies towards designing and supervising the production of all kinds of other equipment.

Converting the old battle wagons into his improved version consumed the majority of everyone's attention.

Yet that did not mean that Ves was done. He offered many different adapted designs. Aside from the improvised infantry-sized plasma cannon he created to dazzle the dwarves, he also offered them various other designs such as armor-piercing swords, knock-off railguns, combat armor that actually protected them against small arms fire and more.

Ves was particularly proud of all of the ECM and electronic warfare equipment he designed.

While he didn't specialize in this field, he knew enough about it that he could easily leverage his future knowledge into making effective gadgets that would certainly disrupt the coordination and communication between the guards!

Sadly, this was one of the few ways in which he could leverage his future knowledge to his advantage.

If he had access to enough resources and facilities to create what he wanted, he could easily reproduce a mech that was seventy years ahead of its time and soundly crush the inferior mechs that were too far behind the tech curve!

Yet that was impossible. The underground base was more of a slum than a mech workshop. Ves had to dumb down all of his designs and withhold many of the goodies that he would have liked to include in his equipment and vehicle designs due to their lack practicality.

Nonetheless, the quick-learning dwarves were making headway in producing all of the equipment that Vulcan demanded.

The pile of finished gear continued to grow larger as the dwarves proved to be inordinately productive.

Three weeks had passed since Ves revealed himself as Vulcan. More time had passed than he wished, but Ves wasn't confident in launching the plan sooner.

"I hope Gloriana and the people back in the present time don't mind if my vacation takes longer than usual." He inwardly muttered.

It should be fine, he hoped.

Even though Ves wanted to stall the plan as much as possible in order to make sure their preparations were as effective as possible, the tall folk wasn't giving them a chance.

"Great Vulcan! This is bad!" A rebel dwarf slowly waddled up to Rion's possessed body. "The tall folk are searching everyone's homes!"

"What?! Explain!"

"The guards have received orders from the overseers to comb over the entire outpost. From what we have learned, the guards are on the lookout for a valuable exotic!"

Damnit! The worst-case scenario had occurred! The tall folk managed to recover the logs of the mining machine that collapsed the tunnel or something. Whatever the case, it was clear to him that the tall folk somehow managed to discover the existence of Timpala Steel!

"How much time do we have left."

"A few days, we believe. There aren't enough guards to inspect all of the buildings in the outpost in one day. However, they are searching a lot more diligently than before."

All in all, Ves expected the guards to stumble upon the underground base in three days at most.

"Our preparations may be a little insufficient, but we have produced enough gear to give your people a chance! That is all you need to earn your own freedom!"

Ves decided to launch the plan in two days, which was far sooner than any of the dwarves expected!

Both Gion Greybeard and Rion Aaden were alarmed!

The former knew how tough it was to overpower the well-equipped guards. The latter was still struggling a lot in trying to perform basic maneuvers with his virtual light skirmisher!

Ves couldn't really supply any good solutions to both problems. If there was one thing Ves had learned during crisis periods, it was better to pull the trigger decisively rather than hesitantly!

"DWARVES!" Ves shouted as he flared up his Spirituality once again! "Silence your quails! I know you are afraid, but gaining your freedom is anything but easy! The tall folk may be aware that there is something hidden underneath their outpost, but that is no excuse to falter when you are closer to success than ever before! As long as we take one more step, the rest of the galaxy will open up for your people!"

"B-But my lord! We don't have enough weapons! Our battle wagons aren't fully armored yet! Our other preparations aren't close to finishing!"

"Your strength has already grown by leaps and bounds since my presence has graced upon your people." Rion's body calmly spoke while radiating a sacred aura. "Believe in my craftsmanship. Your god will not forsake you! Are you willing to continue to live the rest of your lives in the dark and dangerous mining tunnels of Desala X?"

"NO!"

"Are you willing to fight and possibly sacrifice your lives in order to give your children a life without shackles?"

"YES!"

"Are you able to prove through your thoughts and deeds that you are humans?!"

"WE ARE!"

"Then count down the final hours and prepare for the greatest struggle for your fellow dwarves, because we will rain hell on the tall folk!"

"FREEDOM TO THE DWARVES!"

"DEATH TO THE TALL FOLK!"

"GLORY TO VULCAN!"

The rebel movement worked harder than they had ever done. Motivated by Vulcan and urged on by the tall folk carpet search, the dwarves were fully committed to finishing what they started!

There was no room for hesitation or doubt. Though plenty of dwarves feared what was to come, Ves observed them very closely to see if any of the rebels might crack and spill the beans to the tall folk.

As long as a single traitor emerged among their group, the rebellion would definitely fail!

Master Gion Greybeard knew this as well, and he already had his loyal cadre in position to keep an eye on every dwarf.

After an exhausting and frenetic day of work, Ves gathered the dwarves in a corner of the underground base.

"You have worked hard." Rion's body smiled at the sweaty and exhausted dwarves. "It brings me joy to witness your diligence and dedication. Work is not just about bettering others. It is also about bettering yourself. In order to give you a taste of what it is like to work for yourself, here is one of the rewards you can look forward to once you become free!"

He pulled a large sheet covering a large object, exposing a dozen barrels!

"What is this, my lord?"

Ves did not reply immediately. Instead, his possessed body approached one of the barrels, cracked it open and retrieved some of its contents with the help of a transparent mug.

The yellowish, bubbly liquid and foreign fermented aromas immediately attracted the attention of all of the dwarves.

"This.. is the nectar of the gods, the ambrosia loved by gods and deities, the liquid that does more than quench your thirst! This is nutrient beer!"

Every dwarf looked both shocked and fascinated at this divine creation!

Ves couldn't help but chuckle. He knew that heavy gravity variant humans developed a peculiar liking for alcohol due to their altered metabolism and physique.

Whether purposely or accidentally, the geneticists who developed these breeds of humans continually reinforced their affinity for alcohol.

Ves wanted to take advantage of this well-known trait in order to motivate the dwarves once more.

As he handed his mug to Gion Greybeard, the dwarf thanked Vulcan profusely before taking his very first sip.

His eyes lit up with wonder and ecstasy. Every other dwarf waited for the verdict of their eldest and most respected leader.

Gion practically shuddered as his eyes rolled backwards. "This.. this.. is truly a divine creation! Thank you Vulcan for giving me an opportunity to taste such a wonder medicine!"

Rion's body smiled and clapped. "What are you waiting for, dwarves? Grab a mug and drink to your heart's content! All of you deserve it for gaining this god's approval!"

A huge cheer erupted from the gathered dwarves before they stormed over after picking up the mugs that Ves had prepared for their convenience.

Ves inwardly smiled as he saw the dwarves begin to drink and revel for the first time in their lives.

He never expected to express his craftsmanship in the form of homebrew beer. He never expected to utilize his casual knowledge on how to ferment the contents of nutrient packs in this way!

Though his first attempt at brewing craft beer was a piss poor attempt, none of the dwarves said no to a drink!

"For freedom, victory and Vulcan!" The dwarves toasted.

Chapter 1929 Liquid Courage

The time had come. Almost two days after the tall ones began their search, Ves noticed that the guards had grown more vigorous in their search.

In order to give the impression that everything was still normal, the dwarves still showed up on their assigned shifts. Rion had to waste precious time at work in order to avoid drawing any suspicion towards him. At this crucial moment, arresting him early would immediately spell the end of their escape plan!

As Rion numbly drove his mining machine deeper, Ves constantly lectured him on how to pilot a mech against the guard force.

"The Genie Pearl is a cut above the other mechs. It's not only a premium model, but also the only mech that retains much of its original speed characteristic. The antigrav backpack it is wearing exerts at least 3.6 g's of counter gravity on the mech, allowing it to move as swiftly as any other standard planet. Do you realize what an advantage this brings? It will be the only rabbit in a mob of snails!"

"Forgive me for asking, Great Vulcan, but what is a rabbit? What is a snail?" Rion ignorantly asked.

"Forget about that." Ves mentally waved his hand. "The point is that the speed of your mech is the key to victory. The guard force is fully alert and ready to respond to any incidents, so we can't completely catch them by surprise. Their main shortcoming is that they have dispersed their mechs to cover the entire outpost. This is the critical vulnerability which we can use to dismantle their mechs one by one. The premise is that you are able to run and defeat the separated mechs fast enough to prevent them from converging together!"

A light skirmisher was known as a supreme one-on-one duelist. Popular in mech arenas, a skilled mech pilot could make these mechs dance against even the most formidable machines.

They were often known as the underdog mechs, both in the dueling arena and the battlefield. Light mechs were cheaper and easier to maintain than larger mechs.

As long as the mech pilot was skilled enough, a light mech could easily defeat mechs that were ten times as expensive!

Of course, results like these did not come for free. The disparity in skill between mech pilots was crucial.

The good news was that the mech pilots of the guard force were not up to standard. Though Ves could only infer their actual strength, from everything he had seen so far, the tall folk were so used to bullying the dwarves that they didn't bother to keep up their training and fitness!

This was a crucial weakness!

The bad news was that the dwarves weren't in a better shape either. None of the dwarves underwent any systematic combat training. The only remedy that Ves could offer was a half-baked crash course in tactics and maneuvers based on his personal experience.

Though the dwarves lacked decent training, they made up for it with enthusiasm and drive.

Though the rebels were lacking in other aspects, Ves in his guise as Vulcan managed to reduce many of their shortcomings.

Each rebel dwarf possessed a suit of makeshift combat armor. While the reinforced hazard suits were not comparable to actual combat armor, they at least prevented the foot soldiers from dropping after getting hit just once.

Ves also made sure the dwarves possessed the weapons to crack open the shells protecting the guards on foot.

He already observed their combat armor in detail and realized that most of them consisted of cheap models of light and medium combat armor.

Though Ves was not impressed by their gear, the guards did not need anything more to keep a population of slaves in line. If not for the extensive preparations made by the Desala Resistance Movement, the foot soldiers alone could have easily crushed any attempted rebellion without resorting to their mechs!

Even so, the rushed and makeshift equipment fashioned for the dwarves only evened the odds. The dwarves still had to fight an uphill battle, and that caused many of the rebels to grow nervous as the final hour arrived.

Once Rion finished his shift and sneaked into the underground base, a large group of rebels had already gathered.

Clad in their crude and bulky barrel-shaped combat armor, the dwarves looked more valiant than ever. In order to prevent the patchwork armor from reinforcing their shabby impression, Ves ordered the dwarves to coat their armor in a uniform red-and-blue coating.

The red stood for Vulcan and his domains.

The blue stood for freedom and the boundless void of space.

Painted on their broad chest was a giant black X surrounded by a stylized cog. The X stood for the planet that they had called their home, while the cog stood for their future potential.

To be honest, Ves wanted to bestow the dwarves with a more sophisticated emblem to unite around. However, the symbolism would doubtlessly be lost to their inadequately educated minds.

The large X's surrounded by cogs made a very powerful impression on the dwarves. The rebel movement had never adopted a simple symbol before. Now that so many dwarves were wearing the same colors and symbols, an unprecedented feeling of unity emanated from their group!

This simple transformation completely elevated them from a collection of disgruntled miners. If their gear was of a higher quality, then the dwarves could easily be mistaken as a professional troop!

"The reckoning draws close." Ves in his guise as Vulcan declared. "The tall folk have enslaved us long enough. Now, it is time to pay back all of the enmity we have accrued!"

Every dwarf looked solemn as they tried to psyche themselves up for battle.

None of the dwarves had ever fought a battle against the tall folk!

Though the rebels largely consisted of the most reckless and resentful dwarves, all of them bore the scars of decades of tall folk suppression.

The superior human oppressors cast a very long shady in their hearts and minds.

It was all well and good to talk about rebelling against the tall folk when a confrontation was far away.

Now that they actually had to put their lives risks, the dwarves began to waver in their determination.

Fear was a powerful deterrent. Fear was one of the most important weapons employed by the tall folk.

Ves studied the fearful expressions of the dwarves and mentally shook his head in disappointed.

The rebels weren't the trained combatants he was used to. The soldiers of the Mech Corps, the privately-groomed troops of his mech forces and the ferocious gangsters from various gangs were much more firm in the face of combat!

The dwarves lacked the training and discipline to suppress their fear. Ves didn't want to see this. In his heart, he hoped that the rebels were able to find enough determination to steel through their fears.

Sadly, that wasn't enough. The scars they incurred from a lifetime of tall folk oppression caused many of the dwarves to hesitate when the critical moment drew close!

Ves could not allow the dwarves to second-guess their motives! They needed to focus on their roles and fight the guard force with as much courage and determination as possible!

Fortunately, he anticipated that these untrained dwarves might exhibit the flaws plaguing many unprofessional forces.

Rion's body faced the crowd of dwarves with a proud expression. "My dwarves, do not feel discouraged. The tall folk may be strong, but we are stronger! The difference between you and them is that you have a god at your side! With all of the blessings that I have bestowed upon you, none of the tall folk can escape our retribution!"

The dwarves hardly looked any better. Words no longer had effect. It was not easy for Ves to cure an affliction to their hearts through his words alone!

Fortunately, Ves anticipated that as well. He directed his possessed body to a corner where he withdrew a long pole of Xantur iron along with a folded sheet of fabric.

He returned to the center of the crowd and lowered the end of the pole to his chest. He then proceeded to unfolk the fabric and attach it to the end of the pole.

His movements were slow and precise. Yet every dwarf in the crowd felt compelled to look.

Once Ves was finished, he raised the pole until a long and fairly narrow banner fluttered from the top!

The banner looked no different from the armor worn by the guards. Dyed in both red and blue, the large X surrounded by a cog immediately drew everyone's eyes!

Unlike other objects, the banner radiated a glow that was similar to what they felt from Vulcan!

It was as if Vulcan sacrificed a part of his divinity to impart the banner with his blessing!

This was not that far from the truth. While Ves hadn't imparted the banner with a spiritual fragment or a spiritual product, he empowered it with an empowered image of Vulcan.

While this didn't make the banner as potent as the Larkinson Mandate, the banner still made a very powerful impression on the deprived rebels!

"This.."

"This is the Banner of Vulcan!" Ves announced as he raised the pole in the air! "This will be the flag that represents your people! I bestow this sacred gift onto you in order to bless your courage. Even if this body is not able to fight alongside you, I will always be watching over you through this banner! Fight for freedom, fight as if your life depends on it, because a god will always be on your side! FOR VULCAN!"

Every dwarf raised their fists in unison! "FOR VULCAN!"

"FOR FREEDOM!"

"FOR FREEDOM

"FOR THE DWARVES!"

"FOR THE DWARVES!"

Instilling this shouting ritual was yet another tool that Ves employed to rally their hearts and unify their thoughts. There was something intrinsically encouraging about shouting the same cries as your comrades.

For a moment, the dwarves actually resembled disciplined and eager soldiers!

Of course, how long their temporary boost of courage would last was still in question. In order to shore up their confidence once again,

Rion's body approached a pile of barrels. "Let us toast our impending victory!"

"Hooray!"

No dwarf said no to a good drink!

The dwarves, who never ate or drank anything other than water and nutrient packs in their lives, eagerly partook in the nutrient beer as if it was literally the nectar of the gods!

The ambrosia succeeded in driving away their fears. The positive atmosphere along with the encouraging glows of Vulcan and his recently-made banner infused each of them with hope and determination.

They were willing to risk their lives in order to free their people!

Death was not so scary as long as they proved themselves worthy enough to earn Vulcan's grace!

Ves happily looked on as the dwarves required no further encouragement to confront the tall folk!

He wasn't worried whether the dwarves drank themselves stupid. There wasn't enough nutrient beer to satisfy their desires. In addition, their formidable dwarven physiques raised their tolerance for alcohol to a ridiculous level!

Of course, after a bit of deliberation, Ves forced his possessed body to take a few sips as well.

He knew that Rion was just as prone to fear and hesitation as the rest of the dwarves. 'Ace pilot' or not, Rion was far from an actual half-god in terms of will and determination!

Fortifying his heart and mind with some liquid courage might affect his coordination and precision when piloting a mech, but Ves believed the tradeoff was more than worthwhile!

"You're not a bad kid, Rion." Ves mentally addressed his host. "You shored up decently well in the last week of training. As long as you can overcome your mental block, I'm sure you will be able to perform well in battle!"

Once the barrels ran out of nutrient beer, the dwarves started to move into action.

"Let's go."

Chapter 1930 Tunnelers

The rebel movement split up into two.

The main element consisted of the bulk of the dwarves. They were further divided into battle wagon crews and foot soldiers.

Though lightly-armored and lightly-equipped, the foot soldiers played an essential background role in the plan. The dwarves on foot were needed to stall their tall folk counterparts and prevent them from effectively supporting their mechs.

In contrast, the battle wagons were supposed to occupy the enemy mechs as much as possible. After several weeks of overhauls, their armor coverage was much more cohesive and resistant against damage.

Not only that, but Ves also reimagined their weapon systems. Their improvised mining lasers were capable of outputting much more damage, and their huge and bulky chassis also hosted a few other surprises.

Even so, Ves did not expect any of the battle wagons to defeat any mechs on their own without heavily stacking the deck in their favor.

Their armor might look thick and formidable, but the underlying materials all consisted of low-quality scrap. There was nothing praiseworthy about their armor systems aside from their thickness, which also meant that the giant vehicles possessed no mobility advantage!

The battle wagons also possessed no effective means of defense against melee mechs.

Fortunately, the guard force predominantly fielded frontline mechs, but they did boast a number of knight mechs that could resist any firepower the vehicles could throw at them before they drew close!

For all of these reasons, it was impossible for the dwarves to stall the mech force for long!

The true purpose of the battle wagons was never about defeating the mechs. They were merely supposed to distract the enemy mechs and buy enough time for the other group of rebels to complete their mission!

Right now, Rion, clad in a piloting suit, moved forward while surrounded by a squad of better-armed dwarves.

The group snuck forward like a band of tipsy commandos. What they lacked in precision, they made up for it with better equipment and greater courage.

Gion Greybeard specifically selected these dwarves to perform the most critical part of the plan.

The dwarven 'commandos' were tasked with sneaking Rion into the central outpost and escorting their only mech pilot all the way to the mech stable where the Genie Pearl was stashed!

The rebels needed the premium light skirmisher in order to defeat the enemy mechs. Without this high-quality machine, it was only a matter of time before the tall folk regained the initiative!

After a bit of sneaking, the group finally reached a tall but corroded prefab alloy wall.

Though the wall section looked like it had endured at least three decades of environmental exposure, it was still sufficient enough to keep the dwarves outside the central district.

Ves already made sure to compromise the monitoring system of this section. With his modern modern knowledge of hacking and security exploits, Ves could easily tamper with the functioning of the monitoring system.

"Let's go under."

Instead of trying to drill through the wall, the dwarves instead opened a hidden entrance and squeezed into a tunnel.

The smell of corrosive chemicals suffused the narrow tunnel. The dwarves already started to prepare this tunnel days ago when the dwarves embraced his revised plan.

While the soil of Desala X was extraordinarily hard, it was easy for Ves to soften it up by synthesizing some chemicals. The dwarves utilized the chemicals to weaken the soil and dig a tunnel that bypassed the wall by circling underneath its foundation!

Ordinarily, a proper base should have boasted underground defenses. Tunneling was a real concern and many seemingly impregnable fortifications had fallen due to underground shenanigans.

Unfortunately for the tall folk, House Kantis refused to invest more in the security of their outposts.

Due to the nature of their mining model, the outposts only occupied a single location for a couple of years to a decade. After the local ore veins were exhausted, the tall folk disassembled the prefab structures and moved them to a fresh new location.

All of this assembly and disassembly meant that no outpost resided in a single location long enough to warrant any further investment.

Since the guard force all believed the dwarves were incapable of mounting any significant resistance against their might, they never adopted any thorough precautions against tunneling!

This was a big mistake. The dwarves may not be good in many things, but they happened to possess a wealth of experience in tunneling and mining!

The only complication was that the tunnel had to be established quickly. The guard force wasn't completely derelict in their duties and regularly patrolled the perimeter. They also deployed various technical gizmos to detect any irregularities in their surroundings.

"Careful. Keep an eye on your sensors and make sure your ECM systems are active."

Though Ves hadn't been able to outfit the dwarves with infiltrator suits, he did incorporate various rudimentary ECM systems into their combat armor that worked particularly well in reducing their signatures against long-ranged sweeps.

This was vital in their attempt to sneak in the central district. Ves could only trust in the superiority of his future knowledge to carry them deep into the central district.

Eventually, they emerged aboveground in a yard where a number of storage containers were stored.

They emerged in the grounds of one of the warehouses that stored all of the ore excavated by the miners.

While the warehouse was tightly-monitored, it was light on guards. The technology bestowed by 'Vulcan' managed to fool the former, while the sparse number of the latter meant the dwarves were easily able to circumvent their lazy patrols.

Due to the importance of the warehouse, the mech stables just happened to be situated next door.

Rion observed the shiny, spotless exterior of the prefab structures of the central district.

Unlike the outer districts, the tall folk regularly cleaned and maintained their own living environment. The dwarves all exuded jealousy as they observed the cleanliness of their environment.

"Don't get distracted." Ves took control of Rion's body. "You'll be able to live in much better homes once we manage to succeed. All of this can be yours as long as we can sneak into this stable!

The mech stables adopted a modular layout just like the rest of the structures. Each tall structure accommodated at least four mechs.

While the dwarves managed to determine that the Genie Pearl was stored in this specific stable, they weren't able to find out if there were any other mechs. The rebels could not allow the tall folk to activate any of the mechs!

"Security is low." Ves softly whispered as the dwarves halted before a side entrance.

Just as he expected, the guards were understaffed and not at all alert against intrusions.

In the history of the mining operations, hardly any dwarf had succeeded in breaking into the central districts! No dwarf had ever managed to intrude in one of the mech stables!

Due to the latest carpet search, the guard force redirected many of their available manpower to scour the outer districts. This left the guards in the central district woefully undermanned.

After making sure there wasn't any human presence at the side entrance, the dwarves crept forward. Rion's body held a device and brought it close to the entrance.

Ves fiddled with the settings until the door slid open.

"Get in quick! I don't know how long it will take for the guards to discover this anomaly, but we don't have long!"

The dwarves hurried as fast as their short feet and the heavy gravity allowed.

Their armored boots should have made a lot of noise as they clanked against the metal deck if not for the sound dampeners built into the combat armor.

While the dwarves didn't make a lot of noise, there was nothing Ves could do to stop the slight vibrations and tremors from their movements.

"Contact!" One of the dwarves hissed in the local communication channel.

Ves observed a handful of off-duty mech technicians sitting next to a table and playing some kind of virtual card game out of boredom.

Further in the distance, Ves heard the footsteps and echoing voices of other tall folk. Some of their steps were light, denoting mech technicians garbed in light suits and overalls.

Other steps were noticeably heavier, which suggested the active presence of guards!

"This is it." Ves told the dwarves. "On my mark, storm in and shoot everyone taller than you. Clean them up as fast as possible, because the alarm will soon attract a lot of other guards!"

After he made sure that everyone understood their instructions, Rion's body clutched the pistol in a determined grip.

"Three, two, one, MARK!"

"For Vulcan!"

"Death to the tall folk!"

The dwarves kept their battlecries in their communication channel. Aside from the increasing tremors, the unsuspecting tall folk had no idea that a bunch of murderous dwarves were sweeping forward!

Once the dwarven rebels came close enough, they chaotically opened fire!

Dwarves armed with plasma projectors instantly enveloped the card-playing mech technicians with superheated matter! Their thin work uniforms offered little protection against the plasma devouring their bodies into ash!

Ves wanted to curse at the dwarves. They were meant to reserve this weapon against armored targets!

Instead, the dwarves armed with laser cutters and other eclectic energy weapons began to pelt the other mech technicians and guards with rays, heat and other types of energy.

"Attack! We're under attack!"

"AARRGH!"

"Sound the alarm!"

The dwarves successfully caught the tall folk off-guard! Though the enthusiastic and tipsy dwarves missed the majority of their shots, the sheer volume of fire meant that hardly any normal human escaped the rain of fire for long!

The only issue was that the pair of guards on patrol managed to resist the opening volleys long enough to dive into cover!

Huddling behind a giant mech component, the guards were probably trying to sound the alarm and call for backup!

"Heh, it's not that easy to call for backup!" Ves inwardly grinned.

The ECM and jamming equipment he cobbled up for the dwarves successfully most remote forms of communication in the mech stable!

Unless the guards were able to reach a console and rely on a hardwire connection to pass on their distress, there shouldn't be any way for them to call for help!

"Encircle the guards!" Ves quickly commanded. "You three, go left! As for you guys, circle to the right!"

Pinned down and with no way to pull back safely, the dwarves quickly managed to get a good firing angle on the outnumbered guards and melt through their combat armor after bombarding them with badly-aimed plasma bolts.

Though the plasma projectors proved to be effective, they already lost two-thirds of their charge due to the lack of trigger discipline exhibited by their wielders!

Ves was very much aware that while the dwarves managed to clear this facility, they didn't have much juice left to resist a counterattack!

A very loud alarm rang throughout the entire outpost. They had been discovered!

"Damnit!"

Time was against their side. Ves needed to crack open the Genie Pearl as soon as possible in order to allow Rion to pilot this pivotal mech!

"You know what to do." He told the dwarves.

"We will stall the tall folk as long as possible to buy time for you to perform your miracle, my lord. Please bless our souls and reserve a place for us in your paradise!"

"You will no longer have to fear any tall folk in the afterlife." Ves shamelessly lied. "The suffering you have endured in this life will all be washed away once you have fulfilled your duty to the end."

The fatalistic dwarves nodded. All of them knew the score. Separated from their comrades and armed with shabby weapons, the dwarves wouldn't be able to hold back the guards stationed in the central district for long!

Rion's body saluted the dwarves for their sacrifice before turning to one of the two mechs in the stable.

Ves ignored the large and ugly knight mech in favor of the beautiful white light skirmisher.

The machine may be locked and secured against unauthorized intrusions, but Ves designed and built many mechs for a living! Intruding into one was not impossible for a mech designer!

Chapter 1931 Shorties

The moment Outpost 35 sounded an alarm, the other rebel dwarves interspersed throughout the outer districts knew it was time to make their moves.

"Our intrusion has been discovered!" Gion Greybeard announced. "Let us give the tall folk something to worry about! Attack!"

He raised the banner that Vulcan himself had passed to him! With the banner held aloft, the armored dwarves all advanced and followed their assigned routes in order to stir up as much trouble as possible!

Many guards suddenly came under fire. Though the alarm had turned them less complacent, they never expected to be confronted by a team of armed and armed dwarves!

Their surprise often proved fatal as potent plasma bolts scorched through their armor and vaporized their bodies!

Not every ambush succeeded, though. Plenty of fireteams encountered more alert guards who cleverly dove behind cover or simply took advantage of their slight advantage in mobility to disengage.

Once the dwarven teams lost the advantage of surprise, the battles turned a lot more even.

What was crucial for the dwarves was how effectively they utilized their plasma projectors. The standard batteries hooked up to the modified plasma cutters only lasted for a minute if the dwarves kept firing.

Though it was possible to switch out their batteries, this was a time-consuming process. The original developers of the plasma cutters made it deliberately harder to swap out their batteries in order to prevent the kind of abuse that the dwarves were engaging in! Normal plasma cutters were never meant to be employed as weapons!

What was even more concerning about this adapted weapon was the incredible heat build-up. There were not a lot of solutions to this problem other than swapping out heatsinks. This burdened the dwarves even further as they had to carry even more gear onto their person!

Fortunately, the dwarves were very strong and could easily handle the extra mass. The only problem was that replacing the heatsink was another time-consuming process.

Even so, the plasma weapons consumed so much energy and generated so much heat that the dwarves could only reload them a couple of times!

This meant that while their opening moves successfully tipped the scales in their favor, the tall folk would definitely regain the advantage soon enough!

"Unleash the battle wagons!"

Six heavily-armored vehicles emerged from a secret entrance. They advanced into the wide streets of the outpost and proceeded to split up into different directions!

The dwarves had long anticipated the clash between a battle wagon and a guard mech.

Was Vulcan truly correct when he said that the battle wagons stood no chance against mechs?

Many of the rebels, Gion included, hoped that the opposite was true. They poured so much time and effort into securing these wagons and building them up that they wanted their vast and mighty vehicles to prove the strength of the dwarves!

As soon as the battle wagons emerged from the underground entrance, the vehicles began to activate their jammers and other ECM modules.

In turn, the dispersed teams of dwarves activated their smaller modules as well.

More dwarves launched sudden attacks on communication nodes and sensor arrays.

Soon enough, the local guard force elements cut off from each other! Almost none of their communication channels worked anymore. Coordination broke down and confusion began to reign as the guards finally paid for their complacency!

If the guards were better prepared, they would have followed one of the contingency plans and converge at predetermined rallying points!

Instead, the guards acted like headless chickens. Some fled in random directions. Others held their ground and awaited for backup that wouldn't be coming anytime soon. The rest attempted to bring the fight to the dwarves, believing that the ugly subhumans were not as formidable as they thought!

Unfortunately, the dwarves often proved to be stronger than they expected! The guards had bullied and looked down on the miners for such a long time that they lacked the psychological preparation to treat them as actual threats!

Many guards paid for their mistakes with their lives, but the problem was that the guard force was too numerous!

The dwarves on foot were particularly unsuccessful in their attempts to overwhelm the checkpoints and other well-guarded positions!

Using these fortified positions as anchors, the tall folk eventually wisened up and converged their scattered soldiers at these miniature strongholds!

Fortunately, the plan did not rest on the outcome of the infantry struggle.

Success and failure largely rested on the performance of the bigger vehicles!

The battle wagons each drove towards the known positions of different guard mechs.

Aware that these vehicles fared very poorly against melee mechs, the battle wagons were all moving towards isolated frontline mechs!

One battle wagon was supposed to confront one enemy mech at a time.

Both Ves and Gion contemplated the option of throwing multiple battle wagons at a single mech. While the local numbers advantage might give the dwarves a better chance at defeating their opponents, eventually the other guard mechs would certainly rally together!

The dwarves could not allow the enemy mechs to concentrate their forces!

While the huge disruption in communications and sensors prevented the befuddled and isolated mech pilots from receiving orders or reaching out to their comrades, they were still able to make their own decisions!

As long as the mech pilots felt insecure enough to return to the central district or gather somewhere else, Rion Aaden and his hijacked light skirmisher would have to contend against multiple mechs at the same time!

Even with a huge advantage in mobility, how could a single light skirmisher overcome ten mechs gathered in a single location?

It was impossible!

For this reason, Ves reluctantly decided to split the battle wagons up in order to occupy at least six mechs at a time.

Their mission was never to win against an enemy mech. Their crews were merely tasked with stalling the mechs as long as possible while softening them up. Even if they held up the guard mechs for just five or so minutes, that was still a success!

The first battle wagon moved into position after being directed by a couple of dwarves on foot. The diminutive figures waved at the wagons and pointed them to move through specific streets and avenues!

Eventually, the wagon slowly turned a corner and faced the rear of an oblivious frontline mech. The mech pilot of the mech had decided to take position in the crossroads of a main avenue.

Without any orders, the mech pilot grew confused on what he should do. Though he was supposed to memorize a set of fallback options in case a situation like this arose, it had been seven years since he last brushed up on those protocols!

This gave the battle wagon a prime opportunity to ambush the mech from the rear.

Though the heavy jamming in the air prevented the mech from noticing the battle wagon's approach, once the latter rounded the corner, its huge bulk was too obvious to ignore!

The mech pilot quickly noticed the threat from the rear. In a rare act of quick thinking, the guard pilot did not attempt to turn his mech around.

Instead, the pilot ordered his mech to swivel his side-mounted laser barrels around so that they pointed towards the rear!

Almost before the mech pilot pulled the trigger, the battle wagon finally finished rounding the corner!

Five mining lasers and one improvised mass accelerated fired at the mech!

The vulnerable rear armor of the frontline mech suffered significant damage! The low-quality armor system quickly shed a few layers of armor due to all of the heat and impact damage it suffered!

Fortunately for the mech, frontline mechs often boasted thick armor belts. Even if their exterior largely consisted of cheap armor plating, even the rear armor was well-protected enough to endure several attacks of this nature with ease!

The surprised frontline mech did not allow the battle wagon to bombard its rear armor for long!

After firing a salvo of lasers in retaliation that carved deep rents into the battle wagon, the mech fought against the heavy gravity in order to orient its damaged armor section away from its opponent!

The crew of the battle wagon cursed. This was not fair! Unlike the two-legged mech, the large but cumbersome battle wagon was unable to replicate this maneuver!

"Dirty tall folk!"

"Hammer the mech from all sides if need be! This tall folk machine won't be able to resist our mighty weapons forever!"

The battle between the frontline mech and the battle wagon soon descended into a slug fest.

Once he regained his wits and shook off his surprise, the mech pilot started to battle the battle wagon with confidence.

His mech was a lot better than this abomination of a mining vehicle!

Though the mining vehicle was large and bulky, that also meant that its armor was spread relatively thin. The huge surface area of the battle wagon failed to resist the retaliatory laser beams from burning through the low-quality armor plating and cutting through its vulnerable internals!

Since a mining vehicle was never designed for battle, the battle wagon boasted a distressingly small degree of redundancy and compartmentalization! This meant that any internal damage impacted the vehicle to a much greater degree than mechs!

Not that the battle wagon managed to penetrate the armor of the frontline mech. The pilot cleverly rotated his mech so that he always managed to face the slow-moving battlewagon with the least-damaged section of his machine!

Knowing that it was relatively pointless to pound the upper armor of the frontline mech, the battle wagon belatedly directed its weapons towards the lower sections of its opponent.

The legs of the mech quickly started to incur a lot of scars!

Due to their smaller size and surface area, it was not as easy for the frontline mech to endure too much damage to its bottom side!

"Hah!" The mech pilot taunted on an open speaker. "Do you think this is enough to down my mech? You filthy dwarves are too weak!"

The frontline mech ceased fire and began to turn a corner. The mech didn't move very quickly because it didn't possess an antigrav backpack or any form of gravity compensation.

Nevertheless, the mech still possessed enough strength to maintain a faster pace than the battle wagon. Once it turned the corner, the mech huddled behind a prefab structure while exposing just a fraction of its bulk to the battle wagon.

The mech's only exposed laser mount seared into the huge vehicle with great accuracy! The mech pilot sinisterly aimed his laser at an existing wound.

Normally, opponents moved too quickly in battle to enable such precision. ECM systems and other interference technology further degraded the accuracy of ranged weapons.

While Ves managed to outfit the battle wagons with a lot of ECM systems, the distance between the two combatants was too close!

The mech pilot didn't even need to resort to any targeting systems to land this hit. The wagon was so large and sluggish that it was practically a stationary target in the mech pilot's eyes!

The crew of the battle wagon did its best to retaliate. Lasers began to rake the corner of the structure, breaking it down and exposing the mech to damage!

However, the frontline was already drawing back and turning the corner behind the next intersection once the battle wagon reached its old position.

The difference in mobility was too glaring! The frontline mech may not be able to resist an endless amount of damage, but it was easily able to run behind any available cover in order to keep whittling down the slow-moving battle wagon!

The crew of the dwarven vehicle gritted their teeth and hurled insults at the mech pilot. Their target never stood in a single place long enough for their weapons to finish the job!

Though the dwarves failed to defeat the enemy mech, at least they managed to stall it. Time continued to pass as the frontline mech attempted to whittle down its only opponent.

There was no way the mech pilot would allow these stinking dwarves to force him to retreat!

"You primitive dwarves! I'll kill each and everyone of you shorties!"

Chapter 1932 Genie Pearl

Outpost 35 became engulfed by explosions and destruction!

The rebel attack took everyone by surprise! The tall folk never expected the poor and stupid dwarves to cobble up so many weapons under their noses!

Many of the ordinary dwarves had been caught off-guard by this rebellion as well. Many confused dwarves looked around in confusion, only to be shot by a laser or hit by shrapnel from a nearby explosion!

Screams engulfed the outpost as various dwarves tried to run towards shelter. Due to the heavy gravity and their short physiques, it took a lot of time for these panicked dwarves to shelter inside the nearest structure.

"What is going on?!"

"Are you crazy?! The tall folk are our masters! You'll doom us all!"

"I'm a good dwarf! I'm a good dwarf! Don't hurt me! I don't want to die!"

The rebels did not take the cries of their fellow dwarves to heart. Vulcan was watching over all of them! With their blessed weapons and armor, they finally discovered that the tall folk were also mortal!

Bolstered by liquid courage, the rebels vented their grievances in the most violent fashion possible! Their foot soldiers ferociously picked off many isolated guard patrols, achieving a significant edge at the start.

Though the surviving guards eventually regained their footing by converging on their strongholds, losing over half of their outlying patrols significantly impacted their morale!

None of the guards who chose to work on an undeveloped planet like Desala X desired a fight. Years of boring guard duty, lack of threats and lax training sessions had eroded their fighting spirit.

Hardly any tall folk wanted to risk their lives! Especially when it wasn't necessary to suppress the dwarven insurrection!

"Hold this guard post! The dwarves don't have many heavy weapons! As long as we let our walls soak up the damage, we can easily outlast them! Backup will arrive sooner or later. There's no way these dwarves can crush our mechs!"

The guard infantry saw no reason to expose themselves in order to launch a counterattack. The weapons wielded by the dwarves may not be strong enough to demolish the fortified prefab structures, but they were more than powerful enough to penetrate the light and medium suits of combat armor worn by the tall folk!

Sadly for the trapped and surrounded guards, heavy support would not be coming anytime soon!

The mechs of the guard force were scattered and isolated from each other. The chaos and fighting erupting from every corner of the outer districts confused the mech pilots.

Their rusty preparedness and habitual complacency prevented them from taking the right course of action!

Though a handful of mech pilots attempted to converge upon their comrades, several of them encountered hindrances.

Dwarf saboteurs exploded various prefab structures, causing them to collapse onto the mechs!

Though the mechs were tough enough to withstand such damage, the saboteurs weren't done! They deployed smoke grenades that frazzled their optical sensors. They tunneled the ground and caused the mechs to lose their footing. They fired at the mech from each direction, causing the mech pilot to move around in circles!

Other mechs encountered more formidable opposition in the form of battle wagons!

Though the dwarven vehicles targeted the weakest guard mechs, the frontline mechs they confronted packed a very hefty punch!

Though the battle wagons mostly obtained an initial advantage, once the mech pilots realized what they were dealing with, they aptly made use of their mobility advantage to outmaneuver the sluggish dwarven vehicles.

The battle wagons didn't fare very well against the mechs! Their excessive volume and low-quality armor cover effectively turned them into giant punching bags for the guard mechs.

Though their mining lasers and other adapted weapons posed a threat to the mechs, their power was too low and the weapon mounts were completely exposed.

It was not that difficult for the mechs to target these weapon mounts and disable them with a couple of hits!

The dwarven crews of the improvised mining vehicles attempted to do the same, but their opponents constantly used their mobility to their advantage by ducking behind various forms of cover!

None of the battle wagons could stall the mechs for long. Their crews would be lucky if they managed to last more than ten minutes against these formidable war machines!

Though the vast majority of rebels committed themselves to attacking the guard force, none of them were expected to win their battles.

The humans possessed too many advantages! With at least a dozen mechs at their disposal, the tall folk possessed an undeniable advantage in the long run!

With time running out, the rebels needed to change the game before the tall folk succeeded in linking up!

Back at the mech stables, Ves could hear the dwarven commandos fending off the guards who were instructed to advance into the facility!

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" A spoiled voice shouted from the entrance! "You filtry dwarves actually think you can steal my Genie Pearl? Fools! My mech is locked to my DNA and life signs! There's no way you ignorant brutes can unlock my mech! Lay down your arms and I will consider sparing the rest of your stupid ilk. Keep resisting and I'll kill every single short-statured freak on this planet!"

The dwarf commandos kept fighting. None of them had any illusions that Richard Kantis would keep his word! His cruelty against dwarves was too well-known for any of the rebels to believe he would show any mercy.

The lives of every dwarf on Desala X rested on their shoulders!

"Keep fighting." Ves muttered as his possessed body manipulated a console connected to the white light skirmisher resisting his intrusions.

He underestimated the security systems of the Genie Pearl. House Kantis may have developed a pattern of cheaping out and cutting corners, but they never skimped out when it came to their own interests!

The premium mech model had been excellently maintained. Its security suite was fully up to date. Ves even noticed that an experienced mech designer performed a lot tweaks and adjustments on the mech over a span of several years.

All of this meant that Ves did not encounter a smooth ride in his attempt to subvert the locks to the mech!

"This isn't enough to stop me!" His possessed body smirked.

Though Ves wasn't an adept hacker, he knew enough about mech software and their most common vulnerabilities to circumvent a security suite that was seventy years out of date by his standards!

The only problem was that it took a lot of time to accomplish this task. The extra minutes weighed on him heavily. A lot of dwarven rebels were doing their best to hold back the tall folk from rallying their troops and reorganizing their ranks.

If Ves took too long in hijacking the Genie Pearl, the sacrifices of all of those dwarves might be in vain!

Once that happened, Ves could forget about securing the Timpala Steel!

A beep sounded out from his console.

"Success! Finally!"

He didn't bother running up to the Genie Pearl with Rion's stubby legs. Instead, he directed his body to step onto a lifter platform ordered it to float up to the cockpit.

Once the dwarven body slid into the cockpit, Ves surrendered control of the body back to its original owner.

"Activate the mech, Rion. Interface with the Genie Pearl and defend your fellow dwarves against the wrath of the tall folk!"

It took precious seconds for Rion Aaden to regain his wits. "I.."

"No more hesitation! This is not the time to doubt! The longer you stall, the greater the casualties! Your fellow dwarves are dying left and right to provide you with this precious opportunity! Don't let them die for nothing!"

His alarming words succeeded in jolting Rion to action. The alcohol that Ves forced into his body earlier also played a useful role. The dwarven mech pilot was a bit more prone to action than usual!

Once the dwarf initiated the activation sequence, the entire cockpit lit up in a bright glow. Rion closed his eyes until the exaggerated light show died down.

[Genie Pearl online. Interfacing in three, two, one…]

The moment the mech initiated a connection, Rion froze in his seat.

Ves split his attention in two.

One part kept an eye on the readings projected by the cockpit interface.

Another part studied Rion's condition.

There was a very significant difference between interfacing with a simulator cockpit and a fully-fledged mech.

Rion had never piloted a physical mech in his life. This was a completely new experience for him, and the foreign sensations temporarily overwhelmed his consciousness!

"Focus!" Ves mentally barked at Rion! "Harness the mech, or else it will harness you! Premium mechs are more powerful than other mechs, but that power comes with a price! Don't succumb to the flood of input. Do your best to filter out the irrelevant data. The sooner you get a grip on the data stream, the sooner we can fight!"

Premium mechs were mostly designed for advanced pilots who were capable of exerting more control over their mechs. The Genie Pearl was the personal mech of Lord Richard Kantis.

While the noble was a spoiled brat and a heartless bully, he was not a slouch when it came to piloting mechs!

The Genie Pearl interfaced with Rion in the expectation that its mech pilot would effortlessly adapt to its enhanced data stream.

This was something that Rion's simulator pod had not been able to replicate! The dwarf had to process at least twice as much data than he was used to, and this was something that completely stumped the inexperienced pilot for a short time!

"The Genie Pearl is a mech, not a monster!" Ves continued to encourage his host. "Don't fear the mech and don't reject the input. You are the master of this mech! You are the savior of the dwarves! Believe in yourself and tame the data stream!"

It took half a minute for Rion to begin his adaptation. Precious seconds passed as the dwarf pilot finally exhibited some of his piloting potential.

Though this was Rion's first attempt to interface with a physical mech, his potent mind began to harness the data input on its own accord. Instinct and prior training with the simulator pod both combined into an adaptation process that saw the Genie Pearl slowly bending to Rion's will!

His B+ genetic aptitude finally showed its value.

Though it was possible to pilot the Genie Pearl with a lower grade of aptitude, the mech pilot had to exert more effort in harnessing the powerful mech.

Rion didn't require too much training to gain a measure of control over the mech. His relatively high aptitude smoothed his adaptation process and finally allowed him to take the reins with confidence!

"Vulcan!" Rion shouted with glee. "I did it! The Genie Pearl is mine! I can control every limb!"

In truth, Rion's control was far from impressive. His genetic aptitude may have provided him with an advantage, his inexperience and lack of training was very telling!

The moment the Genie Pearl stepped forward, the mech almost lost its balance! Rion was completely unused to piloting this kind of mech! It was substantially different from the virtual light skirmisher he was used to practising during his training sessions!

"Stop! Don't take another step! Focus on regaining your balance!"

"Why is this so difficult?!"

"You forgot to activate the Genie Pearl's backpack module, you dolt! Your mech isn't designed to operate under heavy gravity conditions! Turn on the antigrav backpack as soon as you regain your balance."

The mech bent backwards and almost tipped over backwards!

"W-What's wrong, Vulcan?!"

"YOU IDIOTIC DWARF! Don't activate the antigrav backpack while your mech is still unbalanced! You almost made the Genie Pearl fall flat on its back and crush its vital attachment! Take a deep breath and remember your training. This mech may be different from what you are used to, but it's still a light skirmisher!"

With great difficulty, Rion Aaden slowly adapted to his powerful new mech.

Chapter 1933 Overcome Your Fears

The Genie Pearl was too much of a mech for a half-trained mech pilot like Rion. The light skirmisher was a mech tailored for duels and exquisite maneuvers.

Ves guessed that Richard Kantis, its original owner, likely used his sparkling white mech to stroke his ego and impress the ladies.

What discomfited Rion the most was the customized tweaks applied to the mech. The modifications increased the Genie Pearl's fit with Richard Kantis to the detriment of other mech pilots!

As a mech designer who designed a number of custom mechs with Gloriana, Ves knew how egregious this problem could be. It was especially bad in this situation as Rion was completely unprepared to pilot such a deviating mech!

Even Ves didn't expect the Genie Pearl to be so honed for a specific mech pilot!

As a result, Rion wasted even more time until he finally gained a grip on the idiosyncratic rules that made the Genie Pearl a fitting machine to its original mech pilot.

"Hurry up, Rion!" Ves urged the dwarf. "Now that you have activated its antigrav backpack, its power source is continually being expended to negate 3.6 g's exerted onto your mech. Do you know what that means? It basically means the backpack module is single-handedly lifting almost four Genie Pearls under standard gravity!"

Ves wasn't sure how long the antigrav backpack would last. At the very least, it should last at least forty minutes before the Genie Pearl needed to replenish its energy reserves.

While the Genie Pearl was lighter than other mechs, its capacity wasn't very much. Its smaller size and torso profile meant that its backpack module also needed to be smaller. The lack of capacity also reduced the amount of energy cells carried by the mech.

All of this meant that Rion was under a lot of time pressure. It took a lot of time to replace the depleted energy cells of a mech under heavy gravity conditions. This provided their enemies with a generous window of opportunity to retaliate and take the Genie Pearl down when it lacked the ability to defend itself!

"Finish this off in one go." Ves instructed Rion. "The success of the entire rebellion rests on your shoulders. There are at least a dozen mechs standing in your way."

"That's too much!" The dwarf complained.

"You can do it!" You aren't piloting a regular mech. You're piloting a premium mech, a light skirmisher! As long as you gain control over your machine, you can outmaneuver any of the guard mechs by virtue of your supreme mobility! Look at the mech in front of you. Take out the Genie Pearl's primary armament and slay your first mech."

A forgotten knight mech rested silently in the opposite bay. Leaving this mech behind would only give the guard force an opportunity to bring this mech online!

Rion needed no further encouragement. After a brief pause, the Genie Pearl withdrew its knives and approached the dormant mech.

The light skirmisher stabbed the knight mech straight against its upper chest!

"STOP!" Ves mentally shouted at his host! "What are you doing?! Have you forgotten all of your training?! The Genie Pearl may be a premium mech, but it's still a light mech! Just because your current mech is more expensive than the knight mech doesn't mean it lost all of its weaknesses! If you stab your knives straight into the thickest part of the enemy mech, you'll only be dulling and chipping your blades! Target its weak points!"

"..Where are its weak points?"

Ves mentally palmed his face.

"Forget it, I'll point them out for you! Open your mind and accept my input. I'll highlight some sections on the enemy mech. Stab the Genie Pearl's knives into those spots. Make sure to put some extra heft into your stabs by leaning your mech forward. Light mechs are supposed to strengthen their attacks by borrowing the momentum of their mechs!"

This method was common to every melee mech, but it was especially vital to light skirmishers!

The artificial musculature of a light mech was lighter and smaller, but that directly translated to a reduction in strength.

It was very difficult for Rion to make his Genie Pearl exert enough force behind its blows! The mech missed its mark several times because the dwarf pilot was not very accustomed to attacking in this fashion!

Ves couldn't do much to help. He already advised Rion on how to perform the right movements. It was up to the dwarf to execute his instructions.

The Genie Pearl's clumsy movements caused it to take at least twenty extra seconds to cause the dormant knight mech to collapse.

This was a shamefully long time! Several times, the Genie Pearl's knife hit a thick armor section instead of a thinner joint or gap! If Rion's performance against a completely stationary opponent was already this bad, how much worse would he perform against a mech that could fight back?

Ves began to doubt whether he was right to rely on Rion to carry the rebels to victory.

Even though he was disappointed with his host, Ves refrained from showing any further dissatisfaction. He had to work with what he got. Right now, that meant he needed to guide Rion like a professional coach.

"Your dwarf buddies at the main entrance won't last much longer! Half of them are already dead. Hurry up and rescue your fellow comrades!" He urged.

"Damnit! I forgot!"

The din of fighting had never ceased. Rion had become so preoccupied with disabling the knight mech that he ignored everything else! His awareness was clearly very deficient!

After receiving Ves' reminder, Rion directed his mech to the main entrance of the facility. Due to the size of the mech, it didn't take a lot of steps for the Genie Pearle to reach the site where the dwarves were putting up a desperate fight against the infantry under the command of Richard Kantis!

The footsteps of the approaching mech had already caused the two sides to halt their firefight.

"It's Rion!"

"Thank Vulcan!"

"We're saved!"

While the dwarves whooped and cheered at the appearance of the mech, their opposition momentarily froze.

One particular figure garbed in a rich and frilly green outfit dropped his jaw. "That's.. my mech! Who is piloting my mech?! I never authorized anyone else to pilot my ride!"

"That must be Richard Kantis." Ves murmured, causing Rion to zoom in the mech's optical sensors onto the shouting fop. "Look at how small he is compared to your mech. Outside of the cockpit, he's just a human wearing an antigrav belt."

"Vulcan.. Can I..?"

"I am not a squeamish god, Rion. Do what you have to do. Only one side is able to survive after this day. Take your revenge against your oppressors by killing your first scion of House Kantis."

It was not easy for Rion to get over his considerable fears against House Kantis.

Throughout his entire life, his fellow dwarves taught him to respect the tall folk at all costs. House Kantis was the ultimate collection of tall folk in charge. They were responsible for everything and could easily decide the life and death of their entire people!

Even if Lord Richard didn't enjoy a very high status within his House, he still possessed a considerable amount of say in the running of Outpost 35! If he wanted to wipe out every single dwarf in this settlement, his underlings would likely execute those orders to the letter!

"Reach out and pick him up!" Ves goaded Rion on! "This is a good test of your balance and precision!"

Under the dwarf pilot's direction, the Genie Pearl started to move. It holstered one of its knives and reached out into the middle of the stunned and frozen guards.

The large fingers knocked away the surrounding guards like they were ragdolls. Richard shrieked and attempted to run away, but no human could outrun a mech!

With seemingly little effort, the Genie Pearl managed to envelop the defenseless noble in a cage of fingers.

Rion exhibited great care in lifting his captive in the air. Though the Genie Pearl wasn't gripping the human's body at all, Richard was still constrained from all sides!

"Unhand me, you dwarf! I don't know how you managed to unlock my mech, but that doesn't mean you win! House Kantis is more powerful than you comprehend! Desala X is just one of many planets under our control! We have so many ships and mechs in space that you will never be able to run away from my house's revenge! Your only chance of saving your sorry lives is to keep me alive! Take me hostage. I'll even order my men to stand down!"

Rion hesitated, and so did the other dwarves. As long as they leveraged their hostage to order the guards to stop their counterattack, the battle was as good as won!

However, Ves mentally shook his head.

"After all this time, do you still trust the tall folk to keep their word?" Ves admonished his host. "As long as you give your enemy a reprieve, they'll certainly rally their mechs and counterattack when you have just let down your guard!"

Rion's face hardened. He recalled his grievances he suffered at the hands of the tall folk. He remembered the stories shared by his fellow rebels. He imagined Master Gion Greybeard looking at him with sadness.

"Do it." Ves urged. "Make a statement and show everyone your commitment to fight!"

The dwarf hesitated no longer.

The hand caging the shouting noble in the air slowly began to clench.

"W-What are you doing?! Do you realize who I am?! I am Richard of House Kantis! I have noble blood in my veins! My life is worth more than all of the lives of your dwarves put together!"

His pleas fell on deaf ears. With resolute determination, the giant mech's fingers continued to clench until Richard shouted no more.

The noble blood that he was so proud of began to flow through the gaps. Every guard and rebel dwarf watching from below looked completely shocked as the drops of blood fell onto the smoothed soil.

"Desala X has been soaked by the blood of dwarves for too long." Ves solemnly said. "It is time for the blood of the innocent to be washed away by the blood of the tall folk. Let none survive."

Rion gritted his teeth. Even though he hated the likes of Richard Kantis with all his heart, he knew his action just then irrevocably doomed the lives of his fellow dwarves.

Unless they achieved total victory today, the tall folk would certainly wipe them all out!

"Fight!"

The young dwarven mech pilot finally overcame his mental block. Disabling a guard mech and crushing a tall folk noble completely caused him to lose his fears towards his enemies.

"Kill them all! Let no tall folk survive!"

The mech moved forward and slammed its feet against the hapless human guards!

Their small arms fire failed to scratch the coating of the Genie Pearl. Their servo-assisted legs failed to carry them far enough to outrun a mech built for speed!

After crushing each and every guard in sight, Ves prodded Rion to run to the outer districts.

"Trampling the guards on foot won't change the overall situation. You've wasted enough time here. Can you hear the sounds in the distance? Those are the sounds of battle wagons dying to enemy mechs!"

Rion understood the urgency. He urged his mech into a jog. Though he was late in moving out, the speed of the Genie Pearl finally showed its value.

With its antigrav backpack, the mech took seconds to traverse a distance that took other mechs minutes to cross!

Its light and agile steps breezed from intersection to intersection. Many of the guards and tall folk present in the street foolishly cheered the racing mech onwards.

None of them realized that its mech pilot was a dwarf! Every tall folk thought that Richard Kantis was finally coming to their rescue!

Ves noted the reaction of the guards and overseers with mild surprise. It seemed the communications blackout was a lot more effective than he thought! The fact that the tall folk were still unable to restore communications meant that their enemy had no clue of the Genie Pearl's true allegiance!

"We can use this..."

Chapter 1934 Impostor

A single mech raced through the streets of Outpost 35. The sparkling white mech contrasted sharply against the dark soil and plain metallic buildings.

Its speed was incredibly astounding to the surrounding people who witnessed its passage. On a heavy gravity planet like Desala X, nothing moved quickly. To see a mech breaking the pattern that everyone was accustomed to was a very jarring sight!

In fact, the mech could run even faster. The Genie Pearl was truly unencumbered by the heavy gravity. As long as its antigrav backpack module continued to compensate much of the gravity acting on the mech, the light skirmisher could easily sprint from one end of the outpost to the other end of the outpost within a minute!

The only problem was the mech pilot. Rion Aaden still exhibited many instances of flawed and suboptimal control. Any decent light mech specialist would probably slap Rion stupid for his abysmal running gait!

It was so bad that Ves prohibited Rion from increasing the speed of his mech. The Genie Pearl was truly liable to trip and fall if it ran any faster!

While the mech passed through the checkpoint that separated the central district from the outer districts, both the dwarves and the outnumbered guards halted their fire.

The dwarves looked towards the Genie Pearl with anticipation while the guards reacted the same!

Just as both sides expected the impressively fast mech to halt and help them out, the Genie Pearl passed them by without any hint of slowing down!

Both sides looked astonished as their promised backup left them to fend for themselves.

Rion felt immensely guilty for ignoring the dwarves who were fighting and dying on his behalf. All of those dwarves were doing their best to keep the tall folk from linking up and restoring their broken communication lines!

"Remember your role." Ves reminded Rion. "Wasting half a minute in crushing the guards on foot won't bring you any closer to winning this battle."

"I could have tipped the balance in our favor!"

"Don't blow your cover! The guards are still under the impression that your mech is piloted by Richard Kantis. We should take advantage of their misconception while they are still in the dark. Any time you display any hostility against the tall folk, you risk exposure."

"Aren't the tall folk isolated from each other?"

"Never assume anything, Rion! Battle is inherently chaotic and plans often fall through!"

"Then how can I possibly succeed?"

"Don't think too much. Just follow the plan and minimize your mistakes. Once something unexpected happens, don't freeze and let the tall folk catch you off-guard. You need to be cautious and be ready to adapt to changing circumstances."

As Ves continued to teach his host, the Genie Pearl soon headed towards the sounds of active conflict.

"Don't go forward! Turn left! There should be a knight mech in that direction that isn't being confronted by a battle wagon. We need to take it out before it links up with another mech!"

"My lord! Shouldn't we reinforce our battle wagons so they can help us fight against the other mechs?"

"Leaving the other mechs alone is a fatal error. The battle wagons are still fulfilling their mission in occupying the other mechs. We don't need these vehicles to survive to win the battle! What matters most is defeating every enemy mech, and the only way we can do so is to prevent them from banding together."

Though Ves believed he was making the most logical decision, it was very hard for Rion to go against his impulse to rescue the crews of the battle wagons.

Most of those dwarves would probably die by the time the battle ended! Knowing that he could have saved them if he came to their rescue was very painful!

Still, Vulcan himself commanded him to turn left, so he had no choice but to do so. Displeasing the god that aided the rebel dwarves so much was not an option!

Right now, neither side possessed a complete picture of where everyone was. Ves could only glean the location of enemy mechs from the intelligence gathered by the dwarves.

The guard force hardly varied their patrol routes. Though a decent amount of time had passed since the start of the battle, many of the mechs had hardly moved from their original position.

Aside from the harassment they endured, the mechs weren't able to hurry up no matter how much their mech pilots wanted to drive them forward!

Though the guard mechs had all been adjusted to heavy gravity operation, that only meant that the machines were strong enough to walk forward without risking too much damage.

While these mechs were slowly moving away from their original positions, the Genie Pearl finally confronted one of these machines.

"According to the intelligence gathered by your fellow rebels, House Kantis has stationed at least three knight mechs at this outpost. You've already dismantled one of them, but that was an unpiloted mech. This time is different."

"What should I do, Great Vulcan?"

Don't slow down. Keep jogging towards the mech but don't make any attempt to communicate with it. When you get close enough, the jamming won't be as effective, so the enemy mech pilot will definitely attempt to hail you. Just ignore the attempt and move close to the mech. Try and maneuver to the knight mech's rear without giving away that you are a dwarf. Once you get in position, I'll highlight an area you need to stick a knife in. Make sure to leverage the weight of your mech properly this time!"

Rion did his best to follow his god's advice. His concentration grew sharper as he focused less on his fears and more on the task at hand.

The knight mech easily noticed the approaching light mech. It waved its sword aim in a friendly gesture.

It paused when the Genie Pearl declined to reciprocate the wordless greeting.

Soon enough, the cockpit of the mech beeped in order to notify Rion of an incoming hail.

As instructed, Rion didn't accept or reject the hail. Instead, he let it hang, causing the enemy mech pilot to grow confused.

Ves observed the movements of the enemy knight mech carefully. Right now, the guard mech still looked unguarded, but who knew how long that would last.

If not for the strong association between Richard Kantis and his personal mech, the enemy mech pilot would have probably guessed the truth by now!

As the Genie Pearl drew close to the knight mech, it gradually slowed down. With casual movements, the mech moved to the knight mech's rear.

The light skirmisher cunningly moved to the knight mech's rear as if it wanted to take advantage of the defensive mech's shelter.

The mech pilot was so used to friendly mechs huddling behind its resilient shield and frame that the Genie Pearl still didn't draw suspicion!

Once the Genie Pearl entered stabbing range, the knight mech belatedly started to draw away.

"Too late!"

A loud rupturing sound echoed the streets as the Genie Pearl suddenly leaned forward and pushed its knife into a weak point situated in the lower back.

The strike hit home! Caught completely by surprise, the mech pilot belatedly attempted to turn his knight mech around.

Unfortunately, the backstab inflicted by the Genie Pearl was truly sinister! The knife just happened to pass through several critical power lines and connections. The mech engine instantly lost half its mechanical power.

This was truly fatal to the mech as a reduction in strength meant the knight mech was hardly able to move under heavy gravity conditions!

"Keep facing its back and stab all of the points I've marked out!" Ves eagerly instructed. "This mech can't turn fast enough to block your strikes!"

Once the mech lost half its strength, its fate was sealed. The unencumbered Genie Pearl methodically stabbed the weak points that Ves marked out. Soon enough, the knight mech collapsed.

When the Genie Pearl attempted to stomp the rear of the fallen mech, Ves jolted Rion's mind.

"Don't waste any time trying to finish the mech pilot off. This outpost doesn't have any spare mechs. As long as you finish off all of the mechs, there's no way for the tall folk to make a comeback!"

"You're right, my lord. Please point me to the next mech."

Under Ves' direction, the Genie Pearl moved straight to where the only other knight mech was situated and took it out in the exact same manner.

Through the Genie Pearl's sensors, Rion looked down at the fallen mech with astonishment. He never expected to take out these mighty machines with such ease.

"Keep moving! The tall folk won't remain ignorant for long!"

Rion regained his wits and piloted his mech forward.

Roughly fifteen minutes passed as guard mech after guard mech suffered various deadly stabs. Ves had drafted an optimal route that allowed the Genie Pearl to waste as little time as possible in moving from place to place.

Eventually, the good times didn't last.

Ves noted from the Genie Pearl's communication systems that the guard force eventually succeeded in restoring their communications network!

The survivors among the tall folk had worked hard in amplifying their signals and restoring some of the interrupted lines.

Immediately, an urgent warning proliferated throughout the network.

[LORD RICHARD KANTIS IS DEAD. GENIE PEARL HIJACKED BY DWARVES. GENIE PEARL IS HOSTILE. DO NOT LET THIS IMPOSTOR APPROACH YOUR POSITION. DATABASE UPDATE INCOMING.]

The Genie Pearl was promptly cut off from the communications channel.

"What do we do, Vulcan?! We only disabled five mechs!"

"Six if you count the knight mech at the central district." Ves corrected the dwarf. "You have already overcome half of your opposition. If we're lucky, we can still catch two or three enemy mechs as they are slowly converging on each other."

At this stage of the battle, the dwarven battle wagons had already fallen. None of them managed to defeat their opponents, but they did not go down without a fight!

The Genie Pearl eventually turned a corner and confronted a wounded frontline mech. It lost its left laser barrel mount and exhibited lots of scars across its entire torso and a portion of its legs.

Ves gleamed as he saw the state of the enemy mech. To a mech designer like him, the damaged mech was full of vulnerabilities!

"AHHH! I'm being shot at!"

The Genie Pearl finally suffered its first blow as the frontline mech resolutely fired at Richard Kantis' mech!

With communications restored, the mech pilots of the guard force were no longer in the dark! All of them received orders to treat the Genie Pearl as a high-priority target!

So far, Rion had performed well enough that Ves forgot that he was a rookie. Being shot at by a weapon was very unpleasant!

"Don't flinch! You're not facing this mech with your naked body. You're piloting a multiton war machine. Even if the Genie Pearl can't endure too many hits, it is still incredibly fast! Circle around the frontline mech and prevent it from bearing its only weapon on your machine. Use your mobility to your advantage!"

If Ves wasn't in his mind to direct Rion's actions, the dwarf would have fallen long ago! The difference between an academy-trained mech pilot and a self-taught amateur like Rion was too wide!

Though the Genie Pearl moved much less fluently than before, Rion was still able to outpace the rotation of the frontline mech. The damage it suffered to its legs caused them to move a bit slower than normal, giving the light skirmisher an excellent opportunity to face its left flank!

"Stab the points I've marked out!"

It only took three stabs to down the mech. The frontline mech had already been softened up, so Rion only had to finish the job.

"Seven down, five to go! If you hurry fast enough, we can still intercept another mech, particularly if it's damaged!"

Three minutes later, the Genie Pearl slowed down its advance as a wide plaza came into view.

Standing in the center of the plaza was a team of five mechs!

Though none of them were melee mechs, the frontline mechs all adopted a formation that allowed them to cover each other's back!

As soon as the Genie Pearl came into view, the mechs locked onto the light skirmisher and unleashed a torrent of laser beams!

The light mech failed to dodge due to Rion's momentary surprise. The Genie Pearl instantly incurred a lot of damage!

Chapter 1935 One against Five

The dwarves had gone mad. To the guards and workers in the employ of House Kantis, the actions of their slaves completely made no sense.

Where did they get their gear? How could they have armed themselves with serviceable armor and deadly weaponry?

Where could they have possibly hidden their battle wagons? Why had the guards failed to sniff out something so enormous?

Half an hour after the start of hostilities, most of the fighting at Outpost 35 died down.

Most of the unarmed dwarves and tall folk already managed to flee to the nearest shelters and hunker down. Most of the deaths occurred in the first ten minutes as plenty of dwarves and tall folk got caught up in the firefights that erupted all over the outposts.

The battles between the dwarven battle wagons and the guard mechs resulted in a lot of destruction. The prefab structures may have been tough enough to endure the heavy gravity, but they were wholly insufficient in withstanding enemy fire!

Plenty of civilians huddling inside those structures died when their buildings got crushed by collisions or raked with lasers as the mechs used them as cover!

On the street level, the vigorous battles between the foot soldiers produced much less collateral damage, but a lot more deaths!

Master Gion Greybeard observed silently from the top of a tall prefab as the bodies on the streets of the underground outpost increased.

What pained him the most was that most of the bodies were fairly short. Ever since the rebels launched their offensive, the tall folk showed no restraint in killing as many dwarves as possible!

The old dwarf held the Banner of Vulcan with an iron grip. Though few of the rebels were able to see the banner or feel its strong and distinctive glow, the rebels still fought as if their god was watching over each of their actions!

"For Vulcan!"

"Kill the tall folk!"

"Freedom is within our reach!"

Some of the street fighting turned exceptionally cruel as the dwarves fought far beyond what was asked of them! Combatants from both sides became so engulfed by violence that they took as much advantage of the situation as possible to unleash their darker urges!

Dwarves formed roaming hunting parties and began to seek out the hiding holes of the overseers who tormented them for all their lives. Once the armed dwarves broke into their homes or offices, the defenseless overseers finally paid for all of the punishments they doled out when they were drunk on power!

The tall folk did not restrain themselves either. Several guards or armed tall folk snapped and started to proactively seek out dwarves to massacre!

Neither side considered the other to be human anymore. Hardly any dwarf showed any respect or restraint towards their opposition.

In their eyes, every fellow of the wrong height needed to die, no exceptions! Throughout the outer districts and parts of the central districts, the streets and interiors of the prefab structures were dyed in red as the stink of blood and weapons discharge suffused the entire surroundings!

Though Master Gion Greybeard felt increasingly more squeamish at the sights and sounds of battle, he knew that this was a necessary consequence of battle.

He had already made peace with all of the dwarves that would perish as a result of an insurrection that he had plotted for more than a decade!

The old dwarf gazed up towards the red-and-blue banner with an X surrounded by a cog in the center.

"Do you see our determination, Vulcan? We are more than slaves. We are more than miners. Each of us are ready to sacrifice our lives in order to regain our freedom! We shall never put down our arms until we have finally escaped this planet! This we swear!"

Eventually, an armed dwarf approached the leader.

"Master Greybeard, our ace pilot has achieved a magnificent victory! With the white mech of the tall folk, Rion has managed to demolish seven of our enemy's blood-soaked mechs!"

The old dwarf gruffly grunted. "How many enemy mechs remain?"

"That.. is what I am here to report. The white mech is confronting five of the armless mechs at the southern plaza. Once the tall folk restored their communications, they have become much more difficult to deal with. Their surviving guards have stopped attempting to counterattack. They are all huddling in their fortifications."

"What of their mechs?"

"Their mech pilots haven't taken our bait. They're stubbornly staying in place."

"As expected. Vulcan is right. Once the tall folk suffer too many losses, they will no longer go on the offensive." Gion slowly smiled and turned around. "Let us proceed to the next step of the plan. Now that the tall folk are all locked in place, their 'spaceport' is exposed!"

The dwarves around him roared in jubilation! The ultimate objective of this attack was never about taking over Outpost 35!

They didn't even have to defeat the enemy mechs! As long as the fighting forces of the tall folk were eliminated or occupied, the rebels possessed a straight shot at the spaceport situated on the far side of the outpost!

"Let's go capture their ship! Don't let it escape!"

As the dwarves proceeded to complete their most essential objective, back at the southern plaza, the Genie Pearl slightly pressed its frame against a prefab structure.

The mech was quickly forced to move elsewhere as a volley of laser beams systematically melted holes in the structure!

"There are too many lasers!" Rion panicked as he clumsily piloted his mech backwards! "I can't beat five of them at the same time! It's impossible!"

Any light skirmisher specialist who heard those words would probably feel ashamed for Rion!

Sure, it was not very realistic for a single mech to overcome a formation of five alert mechs.

Yet the odds weren't as lopsided as Rion thought.

First, there was a significant difference in quality. The Genie Pearl was the personal mech of a scion of House Kantis, while the surviving hardware of the guard force consisted entirely of cheap and worn frontline mechs!

In fact, Ves estimated that the Genie Pearl might even be more expensive than all five frontline mechs put together! Even though the latter consisted of a lot more metal and components, their market positioning was completely different!

That said, even if the difference in market value between the two sides was negligible, the side with more mechs usually possessed an advantage.

In normal situations, the side with more mechs would be able to surround and flank the outnumbered side.

This was not a normal situation.

"Calm down, Rion." Ves mentally conveyed to his host.

He began to concentrate a bit and increased the glow his consciousness emanated.

Feeling the familiar presence of Vulcan strengthening in his mind did wonders in calming Rion down. The dwarf had become his devout believer!

"Don't forget who I am. I'm the God of Dwarves, Mechs and Craftsmanship. I might not be as omnipotent in other areas, but when it comes to mechs, hardly any mortal or immortal being can compete against my mastery of these machines!"

Though Ves exaggerated a bit, his host was too naive! Rion completely bought into his claims!

It helped that Ves had already showed off his prowess. Not only did he manage to unlock the Genie Pearl, he also assisted Rion in battle by directing his actions and exposing the most critical weak points of the enemy mechs!

"Please guide me, my lord." Rion humbly beseeched the god in his mind. "How can I defeat the enemy mechs?"

Ves inwardly smiled. "You don't necessarily have to defeat them. You merely have to keep them in place. This outcome is already within my projections."

"Pardon?"

"As long as these mechs are trapped in place, they won't be able to reinforce their spaceport! If the spaceport doesn't receive any heavy support in the next twenty minutes, our dwarves will probably be able to overrun the undermanned defenses and capture a transport ship!"

Rion's eyes widened. "Oh."

"The problem is that once the mech pilots find out the truth, they'll probably march to the spaceport in unison!" Ves cautiously warned. "While the frontline mechs are rather slow, they can probably reach the spaceport in fifteen to twenty minutes while covering each other's backs."

Once the mechs reached the spaceport, the escape plan was as good as over!

"What do I need to do?"

"Fight." Ves answered simply.

"Against all five?"

"You have no other choice. While it's enough to keep them occupied, it's best to take them out entirely because capturing the transport ship and trying to gain control over its systems can't be done without my help! And the only way I can offer my assistance is if you aren't needed anymore."

In the end, Rion still needed defeat the mechs in order to ensure that the tall folk possessed no more means to foil the escape attempt!

"Don't waste anymore time. Remember that our antigrav backpack has already consumed more than half of its energy reserves. You effectively have only ten minutes to make the most of your mobility advantage."

In addition, the dwarven rebels needed to hurry up in capturing a ship and launching into space!

Outpost 35 was just one of many outposts on Desala X. There were larger outposts which hosted a more substantial guard presence. Once they dispatched their reinforcements, it was only a matter of time before the tall folk recaptured their fallen base!

Ves conveyed some instructions to Rion.

"Your Genie Pearl is a light skirmisher. Not only that, but your mech is countless times faster than those sluggish frontline mechs! While their formation looks formidable, it's primarily geared towards keeping enemy mechs at a distance. Once you brave the fire and manage to close the distance, they're completely exposed! Even if they turn their weapons on your Genie Pearl, they're liable to hit their own side!"

"I see!"

Though Rion wasn't the brightest dwarf, even he could see how poorly the enemy mechs would be able to fend him off!

Once Rion understood what he needed to do, he hesitated no further and rushed his mechs out of cover.

The frontline mechs never lost track of the Genie Pearl. Once the mech dove out of cover, the enemy mech pilots instantly opened fire with their warmed up laser weapons!

Each mech fired twin beams of searing hot lasers. Though a medium mech could easily withstand a series of hits without suffering any significant damage, it was different for light mechs!

Even if the Genie Pearl was a premium mech, even if it was clad with compressed armor plating, its exterior was still too fragile!

"Dodge!" Ves urged! "Never advance in a straight line! Just trust in your instincts and side step as much as possible!"

"This street is too narrow! The distance is too close! Their lasers are too accurate!"

"Don't complain! Even if you can't avoid getting hit, lateral movement will still reduce the damage by spreading out the energy of laser beams across a wider surface!"

"What?"

"Just do as I say!"

Though Rion was right, all of the side stepping and turning succeeded in spreading out the damage of the laser beams.

If the frontline mechs managed to concentrate their fire on a single point, then the Genie Pearl would have definitely collapsed by now!

Yet because the light mech was using its mobility advantage to good effect, the light mech succeeded in closing the distance!

Even though some of the laser beams succeeded in penetrating the armor, the internal damage only resulted in a slight reduction in performance.

The light skirmisher was still functional enough to retaliate!

"Don't stop! Keep moving! Weave between the mechs and stab your knives in the sections I've pointed out! Even if you miss, it's okay! What's more important is that you always need to put an enemy mech in the way of the other mechs!"

Rion did as instructed. His Genie Pearl clumsily danced around the befuddled frontline mechs and got in a couple of cheap shots.

However, the enemy mech pilots weren't stupid. Once they realized that they failed to keep the Genie Pearl away, they fired at the light mech regardless of the friendly mech in their way!

The light skirmisher suddenly suffered several malfunctions, interrupting Rion's rhythm!

Chapter 1936 The Critical Hi

A trained light mech pilot would have kept fighting with as little interruption as possible. Even if his mech was falling apart around him, a true daredevil never gave up until he had no other choice but to eject!

Unfortunately, Rion was far from reaching that standard. As one of the Genie Pearl's legs lost some strength, the mech temporarily stalled, giving the enemy frontline mechs a golden opportunity to concentrate their fire!

Four of the mechs concentrated their fire on the Genie Pearl's left arm!

Due to the damage the left arm already incurred, the sudden laser barrage soon caused the limb to go limp!

Though the energy damage failed to cut off the arm, the lasers successfully severed all of the internal connectors that provided power to the lower half!

The loss in power caused the left hand to become limp as well, causing the Genie Pearl to drop one of its knives!

"I lost a weapon!"

"Then just make do with a single knife! The fight is not over yet! Your Genie Pearl is not the only mech who sustained damage! Look at the mech on the right! It has suffered a lot of friendly fire to its rear and lost most of its mobility! One more push will topple it over!"

Due to the tactics employed by Rion, none of his attacks managed to fell an enemy mech, but that did not mean their enemies were feeling good!

Many of the places the Genie Pearl stabbed were debilitating weak points. While the damage wasn't enough to disable the frontline mechs, their energy transmission, motive power and weapon functionality all dropped as a result of the hijacked mech's sinister attacks!

What was even more infuriating was that the frontline mechs suffered plenty of damage as a result of friendly fire!

Though the mech pilots made the right choice, some of those lasers softened up entire armor sections while occasionally inflicting crippling damage to the exposed internals!

The enemy was practically doing half the work for Rion! The only thing the dwarf needed to do was to land the killing blows!

Though the Genie Pearl kept getting raked by laser after laser, Rion no longer paid attention to his fears.

Ves saw the potential of a great mech pilot in Rion. Even though his skill and training was anything but passable, the ability to set aside your fears in order to achieve a greater goal was an essential quality to a soldier or warrior!

Many mech pilots, particularly poorly-trained mercenaries and pirates, frequently fled the battlefield at the first sign of danger!

Even so, Ves would have rather ride in the mind of a proper mech pilot like Axelar, Eloise or Barley.

Any half-decent light skirmisher specialist would have been able to dismantle these frontline mechs at all! This was the power of a melee mech in the hands of someone skilled!

Instead, Ves had to keep refraining from admonishing Rion as he made a hundred tiny mistakes.

Throughout the course of the battle, Rion had grown a lot. Much of his shakiness and lack of fluency slowly smoothed out as Rion learned many lessons.

However, this did not turn the self-trained dwarf into a proper mech pilot! The problem became worse as the Genie Pearl suffered more and more damage.

Rion failed to orient his mech so that its damaged side faced away from the bulk of his opponents.

Rion forgot that the left side of his mech could no longer attack. Several seconds went to waste as the Genie Pearl attempted to stab a knife that the mech had already dropped!

Rion did not sufficiently compensate the Genie Pearl's balance as it started to lose mass and power over several different sections. Several times, the Genie Pearl came close to tripping!

What pained Ves the most was that Rion no longer attempted to shield the Genie Pearl's rear. The fragile light mech only managed to remain functional up until now because its antigrav backpack kept compensating for the planet's gravity!

Although its power was already close to running out, the Genie Pearl still needed it to last long enough to finish off the ranged mechs!

"KILL!"

One of the five frontline mechs finally succumbed! Surprisingly, the guard mech on the right didn't fall from a stab.

Instead, its comrades ruthlessly poured their laser fire in its direction in an attempt to pile up the damage on the nimble ranged mech! A few laser beams just happened to burn through a critical node that caused the mech to lose all motive power!

The frontline mech soon tipped over, causing it to crash against the ground with a hefty impact due to the heavy gravity!

The fall of one of their comrades shocked the mech pilots. Their attack rhythm momentarily slowed, giving Rion a chance to approach another mech!

"Kick at the damaged knee section of the nearest mech!" Ves urged his host. "A battle wagon has already peeled off some of the armor protecting this joint. Once you damage the knee, the mech will buckle. Use this opportunity to stab into its exposed rear while using its bulk as a shield against enemy fire!"

The dwarf did as instructed. Though the light kick wasn't enough to snap the frontline mech's knee, it was enough to lock it up as several failsafes came online to freeze the leg in order to prevent the mech from falling!

The Genie Pearl, its coating marred by dozens of laser attacks, circled around the immobilized mech's rear and finished the job.

"Two down, three to go! You can do it, Rion!"

The dwarf released a wordless cry and threw all of his caution to the wind. His damaged mech advanced at one of the mechs and rapidly circled around in order to hinder the fire of its comrades.

"Three down!"

At this time, Rion finally understood the essence of light mechs. Though he wasn't a good mech pilot, all of those long hours of simulator practice hadn't been in vain!

His connection with his stolen mech deepened as Rion became more and more in tune with the mobility of his mech.

His performance slightly increased as Rion became more used to piloting a mech built in the image of the tall folk!

"I have to move faster!"

The Genie Pearl, though far from pristine, still had some fight left in it! With just a single functional arm and an antigrav backpack that was close to running out of energy, the light skirmisher was still an unfathomable opponent to the guard mechs!

"As long as I'm fast enough, I can outrun any laser!"

This was a ridiculous statement to Ves! He suppressed the urge to groan.

The only way for a mech to outrun a laser was to travel faster than the speed of light, which was a ridiculous notion in itself!

However, Rion's meaning wasn't entirely wrong. What he actually meant was that his Genie Pearl was still fast enough to outpace the enemy's weapon tracking!

"Our mech is close to collapsing!" Ves warned. "We can't incur anymore damage, especially to the antigrav backpack. Focus on taking out a laser weapon mount from each mech! Reducing their firepower is key to attaining victory!"

Defeating three of the five mechs had substantially lightened the pressure on the Genie Pearl.

This gave the light skirmisher enough of an opportunity to close in on a frontline mech and disable one of its weapon mounts!

Though frontline mechs often reinforced their exposed weapons against incidental fire, it did not take long for a melee mech to put it out of action!

Instead of trying to disable his current victim's other laser weapon mount, Rion listened to his god's advice and approached the last mech in order to do the same.

Soon enough, the enemy only possessed two intact laser weapons.

Even as the fourth enemy mech kept firing its sole intact laser beam at the Genie Pearl, Rion cleverly used the fifth frontline mech as a shield!

Because the light mech was hugging the damaged side of the fifth mech, its mech pilot was completely unable to bring its sole weapon to bear!

"It's over!"

One mech fell.

Just as the Genie Pearl turned towards the final enemy mech, a critical laser beam happened to land on an exposed section of its backpack armor!

After enduring so many laser attacks, the Genie Pearl exhibited a considerable amount of holes in its armor coverage. What was more, its vulnerable antigrav backpack also suffered some hits!

It only took one more attack to shut it down, and the only surviving enemy mech managed to land the critical hit!

The Genie Pearl abruptly slowed down as 3.6 g's suddenly acted on its frame. The abrupt transition not only slowed it to a crawl, but also caused its damaged internal structure to suffer further damage!

"No! I'm so close!" Rion despaired.

"DON'T GIVE UP!" Ves shouted. "THE FIGHT ISN'T OVER YET! YOUR MECH CAN STILL MOVE!"

Even though the Genie Pearl was almost on the verge of collapse, the mech slowly managed to regain its balance once Rion righted the machine.

"Advance!"

With heavy, heaving steps, the burdened light mech slowly approached its final opponent.

The only frontline mech left kept firing its only laser at the approaching light mech. Due to the Genie Pearl's loss of mobility, it was completely unable to stop the ranged attacks from targeting its weak points!

Not only that, the frontline mech also started stepping backwards, thereby lengthening the distance the Genie Pearl had to traverse in order to reach knife-fighting range!

"I won't make it! My mech is falling apart at the seams! I can feel its pain!"

"Don't give up! You're already very close to it! Just a dozen more steps! Rotate the torso of your mech to the left! The left arm is already useless, so just let it absorb some hits!"

Once the Genie Pearl rotated its torso, it not only exposed its most useless side, but also shielded its only remaining functional arm!

Therefore, even as the enemy frontline mech kept landing solid hits against its opponent, none of them managed to land the decisive blow!

It didn't help that the enemy mech pilot lacked the vision of a mech designer. Many of his attacks landed on sections that weren't very optimal!

In addition, the sequential fall of every other guard mech severely frazzled the mech pilot's confidence. Outpost 35 had largely fallen in the hands of the rebels and friendlies were nowhere to be seen!

His comm channels kept transmitting calls for distress and orders to retreat and guard the headquarters, the materials warehouse and the spaceport at the same time!

In contrast, Rion tried so hard to advance his half-crippled forward that he no longer paid attention to anything else! Not even the voice of his god could distract him from his final task!

"I... am.. faster!"

The difference between a light mech and a medium mech was still relevant. Though the Genie Pearl's mobility dropped even further due to all of its accumulated damage, its inherent advance in speed was not something that could be negated so easily!

Step after step, the smaller and lighter mech came closer and closer to its opponent.

After an agonizing couple of seconds, the Genie Pearl finally came within range!

"You're finished!"

The knife swept forward at a much-reduced speed. The gravity weighing down the mech along with the loss in power transmission weakened the force the mech was able to exert in its attack.

The knife missed its target!

Instead of hitting one of the holes in the enemy mech, the frontline mech possessed enough time to rotate its torso and lean backwards!

This caused the knife to bounce off an intact armor section!

"NOOO! THIS ISN'T OVER YET!"

Desperate to finish off the final mech, Rion madly drove his mech forward! The Genie Pearl only drew back its knife enough before driving it into a weak point with substantially more speed and force!

Ves looked stunned at the final attack!

Instead of relying on the failing systems of the Genie Pearl to deliver the final attack, Rion madly decided to trip his mech and rely on the falling motion to drive the knife into the frontline mech!

Two mechs collapsed on the ground with an earth-shattering impact! The Genie Pearl's cockpit justled as the light mech fell on top of the frontline mech!

"I did it! I defeated the final mech!"

Chapter 1937 TR-3851

Vanquishing the final mech of the guard force sealed the outcome of the battle. The dwarven rebels succeeded in their insurrection attempt!

Though the guard force still retained some combatants, their numbers were too few to overcome the surviving rebel dwarves.

There were too many rebels and too few tall folk!

Therefore, even if the dwarves lost their sole borrowed mech, the rebels still shouted in victory!

Outpost 35 was theirs! The rebels finally succeeded in their revenge against the tall folk! Most of their overseers and guards turned into corpses as the vengeful dwarves eagerly took advantage of their local superiority!

As the rebels declared victory, the rest of the dwarven population cautiously began to celebrate.

They weren't aware that this was only a temporary victory. They didn't know that reinforcements were probably on their way to recapture the fallen outpost.

All they cared about was that the tall folk were finally deposed! Many dwarves started to go crazy as they slowly waddled over to the central district in order to break into the luxurious homes and apartments of the tall folk!

Soon enough, the dwarves looted the possessions of the tall folk to their heart's content!

The jubilant dwarves dressed themselves in ill-fitting clothes.

They drank their first bottle of wine.

They filled their bellies with organic bread, crispy fresh fruit and other actual food.

For a time, Outpost 35 turned into a paradise for the liberated dwarves. With no tall folk in sight, the former slaves liberally acted on all of their repressed needs!

"No more rules! No more punishment! This outpost is ours from now on! We will never let the tall folk terrorize us again!"

While many of the dwarves were occupied with their newfound freedom, the rebels quietly started to head to the spaceport.

Situated a small distance away from the districts where the dwarves ordinarily resided, the spaceport was strictly off-limits to any of their ilk!

For years, the only reason a dwarf passed through the spaceport was if they were transferred in to bolster the existing workforce. Other than that, any dwarf who attempted to sneak into these restricted grounds were shot on sight!

An hour after the dwarves achieved victory, groups of rebels and their families continued to reach the spaceport.

They didn't reach this site by walking. They were far too slow to reach the spaceport on foot. Instead, they used lifter platforms, mining vehicles and other means of transportation to bring the dwarves to the only exit of the outpost.

Every rebel and their family looked forward to leaving.

"Look at that giant hole above our heads. Is that really..?"

"Master Greybeard told me that this hole leads outwards into 'space'. He said that as long as we board a ship, we can escape the gravity of our planet and fly to the heavens!"

Some of the dwarves looked happy. Others looked scared. A few even glanced back in the direction of the outpost districts.

"Are we abandoning the dwarves in the city?" A teenage dwarf asked his mother.

"We are."

"Why? Some of them are my friends! I can't leave them behind!"

The short-statured woman shook her head. "We can't fit too many dwarves on the ship."

"That's stupid! Just look at the size of that ship! Entire mining vehicles can fit inside the belly!"

"How much food do we have? How much water? How much oxygen?" The dwarven mother looked sad. "Great Vulcan personally told us that the transport ship won't be able to fit more than a couple of hundred dwarves, and only for a limited time. The more dwarves we bring, the more we strain the ship. This is why we can't bring your friends."

"What.. will happen to them, mother?"

"I don't know."

In fact, every adult dwarf knew that the dwarves who were revelling in the outpost wouldn't meet a good end. Once the tall folk reinforcements arrived at the outpost, they would probably retaliate against any dwarf in sight!

The rebels, though furious at this possible outcome, could do nothing to stave off the wrath of the tall folk!

The rebellion only won because they overwhelmed an undermanned, underequipped and unprepared guard force.

Now that they emerged in the open and lost the element of surprise, the rebels were completely vulnerable to retaliation!

Not only their lives, but the lives of their fellow dwarves were forfeit!

Since their fate was sealed if they stayed, the only way out was to flee the planet and escape the reach of House Kantis.

At least this way allowed a portion of the dwarves of Outpost 35 to live on and spread their deeds.

An armored dwarf eventually approached the crowd of milling dwarves.

"Alright laddies, the 'ship' is ready to take you in. Step onto the lifter platforms as they come and they'll bring you into the 'cargo hold'!"

As the dwarves began entering the massive cargo hold of the ship, elsewhere on the vessel a group of dwarves were observing their god hacking the systems of the transport vessel.

In fact, Ves could have gained access to the ship much faster if the dwarves took the captain and crew hostage.

The vengeful rebels were too eager. They forgot about their orders to force their opponents to surrender and just shot their bodies until they were no longer in one piece!

Fortunately, the security systems of the ship were fairly awful. Although her crew was diligent enough to keep them up to date, the ship called the TR-3851 was far from matching the security of the Scarlet Rose.

The only reasons why Ves took longer into taking over the TR-3851's command privileges was because he lacked good hacking software and because he wanted to do a thorough job.

It would be a catastrophe if Ves somehow overlooked a backdoor that allowed her owners to regain control of the transport ship!

Time was running out, though, so Ves wrapped up his explorations for later. "The ship is under my control. Since none of you are able to crew the ship, I'll be operating her in dummy mode. Her performance will drop, but that won't affect our escape too much."

Ever dwarf in the compartment bowed in front of their god.

"Thank you for your blessing, Vulcan!"

"You're welcome." Ves casually shrugged his possessed body.

A few minutes later, the hatch to the bridge slid open and a dwarf slowly strode forward.

A handful of dwarves had already gathered here. The most prominent among them was Gion Greybeard, who still clutched the Banner of Vulcan as if it was the most precious treasure of the dwarf race!

"Great Vulcan!"

Each of the dwarves bowed and conveyed their deepest respect towards their god! None of them believed their rebellion could have ever made it this far if not for Vulcan's many blessings!

Their eyes glowed with worship as they beheld Rion's body.

It was clear that Vulcan was in control. The god adopted a much more confident posture than a typical dwarf, and his glow was unmistakably divine.

"All of the dwarves we intend to bring out have entered the cargo hold." Gion stated. "Are we ready to leave? I am rather concerned the tall folk will cut off our escape."

Ves didn't reply immediately. He directed his possessed body to step onto a smal crate and sit in the captain's chair.

He used his new command permissions to access the captain's interface and slowly bring the ship online.

In fact, the previous captain had already gone through most of the startup sequence. It was a pity that he and many of the tall folk at the spaceport underestimated the ferocity of the dwarves!

It only took ten more minutes for the TR-3851 to finish her startup sequence. As Ves activated the vessel's dummy mode, he didn't even need to take direct control over her helm.

Like a bot, the vessel turned into an obedient artificial pet, especially after Ves flipped a few emergency switches that allowed for such widespread control.

While Ves commanded the ship to ascend and overcome the planet's heavy gravity, he accessed her sensor and communication systems.

He let out a sigh of relief. "Our way shouldn't be blocked. According to the logs and previous observational data, House Kantis didn't bother to station any guard forces or defensive platforms in orbit. The tall folk are also too late in dispatching reinforcements. While a couple of ships are already on their way to our outpost, as long as we ascend into the air first, the tall folk won't be able to catch up as they're carrying at least a squad of mechs!"

House Kantis did not station a single dedicated carrier vessel on this planet. Instead, a couple of transport ships made the rounds.

Not every outpost of base housed a ship. The transport vessels were constantly needed to transport ore, water and other goods between Desala X and Desala V.

This was why it took a lot of time for the tall folk to dispatch one of their transports to an outpost with a larger guard presence and load up all of their mechs and troops!

Even though the tall folk attempted to dispatch their forces to Outpost 35 as fast as possible, the delays still bought enough time for the TR-3851 to blaze upwards and escape the humongous gravity well that had kept the dwarves trapped for their entire lives!

In order to make the dwarves understand where they were heading to, Ves helpfully projected a view of the outside as well as a map of the local star system in front of the other dwarves.

"This.. this is incredible! Have we entered heaven?"

"No! This isn't heaven! This is emptiness! There is no rock in the sky! We are falling into an endless pit!"

"I'm scared! There is only darkness up ahead! Where are we going?!"

Though the ignorant dwarves weren't coping too well, Gion Greybeard and the other leaders among the rebels did their best to reassure the hysterical dwarves and assuage some of their worries.

Even if they didn't know what they were talking about, they at least managed to calm everyone down.

Right now, every dwarf believed Vulcan and Gion Greybeard. The two had worked together to achieve the impossible and give the dwarves an entirely new lease on life!

That said, even Gion didn't really understand the complete picture.

After the TR-3851 entered deep space, Ves programmed her trajectory to head straight to the edge of the star system. Because of Desala X's distance from the sun, it shouldn't take long until the ship was ready to engage her FTL drive!

While worn and neglected, the transport ship was still capable of FTL travel! Ves dutifully studied Smiling Samuel's star map and identified the nearest star system which the dwarves could apply for asylum in person.

Along the way, Ves also wanted to make another stop.

Once he programmed the route into the navigation systems, he slid off the captain's chair and approached Gion Greybeard with a spry step.

Once the ship left Desala X, every dwarf became subject to the ship's artificial gravity.

Unfortunately, the maximum setting did not go higher 1.5 g! Ves couldn't crank up the gravity any further!

This caused many of the dwarves to grow busy or walk around like they were drunk and on the verge of floating in the air.

Only Ves managed to retain his dignity as he moved his possessed body forward.

"We need to talk." He softly told Gion.

The old dwarf nodded. "Please lead the way, my lord."

The two dwarves exited the bridge and entered a nearby office compartment.

Ves didn't bother taking a seat. He wanted to get right to the point!

"Where is the ore? Where is my Timpala Steel?"

"It is with my men in the cargo hold." Gion steadily replied. "Is there any way we can keep this

rock?"

"No. We made a deal. Your freedom for this rock. I have upheld my end of the deal. It is time for you and your people to pay the price for my assistance."

The bearded dwarf looked troubled at this response.

Chapter 1938 Vindictive

TR-3851 belonged to a bog-standard transport ship class. Ves had even seen similar ships flying in his native star sector, which showed how much value the class provided to its customers.

For a ship built to last for a century, their robustness and ease of maintenance was paramount. This was not easy to achieve if the starship manufacturer wanted to minimize the cost of construction, but somehow this specific transport ship class managed to achieve an appropriate balance.

The TR-3851 wasn't the fastest, safest or most secure transport, but she was definitely one of the more reliable vessels he had seen.

Even in dummy mode, the ship exhibited very few problems despite lacking a crew. House Kantis also exerted a bit more effort into maintaining the TR-3851, but this was likely due to the ship's frequent trips to Desala V, the jewel of House Kantis.

Regardless, aside from her sturdy construction and resilient components, the TR-3851 was still a ship characterized by the demands of the market. Aside from the need to make her last as long as possible, the ship designers cheaped out in many different aspects.

One of the areas she obviously lacked in was the low upper limit of her artificial gravity system.

Even confined in the manned compartments, the ship was unable to replicate the gravity of Desala X.

This gave the dwarves a lot of discomfort. Many dwarves had already grown nauseous to the point of vomiting. Ves had to raid the very limited infirmary and issue sedatives to the most severely-affected dwarves.

In the long-term, the dwarves risked growing weaker. Human bodies constantly adapted to the environment, and just like transport ships, they always sought to minimize their costs and increase their efficiency.

Why maintain a body that was strong enough to withstand 4.6 g when it only needed to adapt to 1.5 g?

Usually, dwarves venturing outside their optimal habitats tended to wear gravity belts that constantly amplified their weight.

It was too bad the former miners of Outpost 35 lacked such luxuries. The rebels possessed much higher priorities when they planned their escape. They never seriously considered their next steps after gaining their freedom. They were seriously lacking in information of the rest the galaxy.

While most dwarves became sick or lethargic due to the change in circumstances, a group of armored dwarves were quietly gathering in front of the entrance of the cabin that used to belong to the captain.

Eight of the most loyal and committed rebels that Gion Greybeard could command had answered his call.

He left behind the Banner of Vulcan in his own cabin down the corridor.

"Are you ready?" Gion quietly asked.

The armored dwarves softly stamped the deck with their armored feet. They were fully helmeted and they were all carrying fully-replenished plasma projectors, handheld mining lasers and even a sledgehammer!

The dwarves were geared for combat.

"As soon as we breach this hatch, don't slow down no matter what. Remember what we are fighting for. For the sake of our fellow dwarves, we need to do everything possible to better their lives, even if it means condemning our souls to eternal torment!"

The notion of attacking a god, especially one that had aided their people so much, was almost unthinkable to the rebels!

This was why Gion only invited the dwarves who were most likely to obey his intentions.

"Don't show any mercy. Just kill whoever is inside regardless if you are facing Rion or Vulcan. Both of their lives are tied. Even if Vulcan has left, he can always return so long as our comrade stays alive. For the good of our people, we need to sacrifice Rion so that we can stave off Vulcan's wrath!"

At this point, no one pleaded for Rion's life!

Even though he was their only mech pilot, even if he single-handedly defeated a dozen guard mechs, even if he was the chosen vessel of a god, Rion needed to die to retain possession of the wonder ore!

As long as the dwarves were able to offer Timpala Steel to the mighty MTA, the humans would never ignore their demands!

Once Gion made peace with his choice, he chopped his hand forward.

"Breach the hatch."

A couple of armored dwarves stepped forward. They held some old-fashioned plasma cutters and loudly began to cut a rectangular section through the hatch!

The ship's cheap interior design meant that the dwarves only encountered some hindrances in their attempt to breach the captain's cabin.

Eventually, the dwarves shut off their plasma cutters and pushed the cut-off section forward.

Once the block of metal had been pushed aside, the dwarves stepped into the cabin as quickly as they could under the unusually-light gravity.

As Gion carefully stepped over the heated portions with his short legs, he halted in surprise.

Their target was awake. Even in the middle of the night shift, Rion sat on top of the bed with his simple miner uniform as if he had never gone to bed!

What was even stranger was that the dwarf was crying despite his calm expression!

The incongruent sight briefly weirded out the rebel leader, but that did not deter him from his goal!

"What are you waiting for?" Gion puzzlingly frowned. "This is not the time to second-guess our choice! Shoot him before it's too late!"

"Our weapons aren't working!"

"What?!"

The dwarves hadn't withheld their fire because they were caught off-guard. Their armored fingers were constantly pulling the triggers or buttons of their improvised weapons, to no avail!

The crying dwarf stared calmly at the befuddled rebel dwarves as their weapons all ceased to function without exception!

"Vulcan is too powerful!"

"It was a mistake to attack a god!"

"How could our weapons fail?"

Ves observed their confusion with grim amusement. "Turning your weapons against your god? Foolish dwarves! I crafted those weapons myself! Each of them are extensions of my own will!"

Gion slowly looked at the possessed body with horror. "You knew."

"I've been betrayed too many times to count to let down my guard. I have become accustomed to accounting for betrayal, especially when others possess very compelling reasons to stab me in the back. I really hoped you dwarves turn out to be better than the tall folk, but in the end you are just as human as your taller cousins! Besides, did you really think your infantile plot was hidden from my eyes? I am the master of this ship. Her monitoring system is under my complete control. I may not be here in my full guise, but I am as good as omnipotent on this ship!"

The dwarves hardly doubted his words. Every time they met Vulcan, the god had performed one miracle after another. His power was far more encompassing than any of the rebels anticipated!

Something suddenly snapped inside Gion's mind. "It's an act! Vulcan wants to scare us into submission! Don't buy into his words! Even if our weapons can't fire, we can still beat him up with our hammers!"

The armored dwarves immediately did as instructed. They threw aside their inert plasma projectors, handheld mining lasers and other weapons blessed by Vulcan.

Afterwards, they held their sledgehammers, pickaxes, knives and other implements. Their low-tech nature provided Ves with no opportunity to hack their systems!

Even though Rion's body never stopped crying, his expression still remained calm and in control.

Just as the armored dwarves stepped forward, they all began to float in the air.

The thick soles of their improvised combat armor failed to find any purchase on the deck!

"We're flying!"

"Vulcan has eaten our gravity!"

"Forgive us, Vulcan!"

Ves released his finger from a small projected interface from the comm he commandeered from the former captain of the ship.

He openly shook his head in disappointment at the sight of the floating dwarves. They truly knew nothing about ships. Even if Ves was alone, his command privileges allowed him to manipulate every system of the ship without limits!

The dwarves attempted to throw their melee weapons at Vulcan in desperation, but the heavy objects merely stopped in place before travelling too far.

Though the dwarves couldn't see it, Ves had already turned half the cabin into an invisible gravity trap!

If the dwarves wore proper combat armor, then their magboots would have been able to anchor bodies onto the deck.

If the dwarves were actually knowledgeable about ships, then Gion would have chosen to betray Ves earlier.

If the dwarves hadn't been so greedy about retaining the wonder ore for themselves, then they wouldn't have attracted the ire of a god!

Both Ves and Rion knew these truths. The reason why the dwarf pilot's body was constantly leaking tears was because its original owner knew that a tragedy was about to ensue!

As the dwarves impotently flailed around in the air, Ves no longer felt the need to give them any further chances. His possessed body slid off the bed and calmly stepped forward until he reached a discarded plasma projector.

Ves still remembered cobbling this specific weapon together. He casually fiddled with its frame in order to trigger a hidden backdoor.

Several indicator lights on the weapon began to glow as the plasma projector came to life. A low whine sounded as the weapon's chambers started to heat up the cooling plasma.

"It's truly a shame." Ves muttered without guilt. "Your people need your leadership. Without you all, the remaining dwarves on this ship will have to navigate this heartless galaxy without your guidance."

"Spare us, then!"

Ves chuckled. "You should have thought of that before launching this ill-conceived betrayal. Even if I am the God of Dwarves, I will never allow my subjects to tarnish my dignity! The punishment for attempting to break a divine contract and slaughtering my avatar is death!"

He fired a plasma bolt at the first armored dwarf. Searing heat and light instantly engulfed the cabin before a cloud of ashes and an ugly collection of scorched flesh and metal parts took his place!

Ves fired a second time. He fired a third time. He fired a fourth time.

Dwarf after dwarf met their end regardless of their pleas and cries for mercy. Ves completely closed his ears to their remorseful begging.

Since they made the choice to attack a god, they should suffer the consequences of their blasphemous betrayal!

Even after the plasma projector ran out of plasma, Ves simply dropped the weapon and picked up another one to finish the job!

In the end, only two dwarves in the cabin remained alive.

Gion Greybeard watched on with a grim and lifeless expression as his god slaughtered his fellow conspirators without any mercy!

Ves dropped the half-spent plasma projector and activated his comm again. Soon enough, a port in the ceiling opened up which sucked away all of the floating ashes, debris and body remains!

Some fresh air pumped through the ventilation system, allowing Ves to get rid of the nasty smell of death.

"You're not a god." Gion suddenly said.

"Pardon?" Rion's body raised its eyebrow.

"You are not a god." Gion repeated. "Even if you have us in your grasp, you are just like the tall folk. They always throw their weight around when they think they have all the power. Yesterday showed that they are far weaker than we thought. I think the same applies to you. Am I right, Vulcan?"

A sly smile appeared on Rion's face. "I like your spirit. More dwarves should think this way. However, just because you think the gods are fallible, it is a grave mistake to turn your back on our deal. This wasn't needed, Gion. I would have found a way to save your people without using up the Timpala Steel."

Gion bent his head in regret. "You're right, but.."

"It's too late."

The bearded dwarf nodded.

"I have one last request, my lord."

"Ask. You deserve at least that much, Gion."

"Will you continue to guide our dwarves to safety? Please don't hold our actions against the hundreds of dwarves who are huddling in the cargo hold. I've never involved them in our betrayal because they are too devoted to you to go along with our plan. They are good, honest dwarves who will continue to worship you as long as they are alive!"

The tear-streaked face of Rion gradually nodded. "I will ensure that the dwarves on this ship and the dwarves left behind on Desala X are saved. I won't punish them for your transgressions. I am a just god, not a vindictive one. Any last words?"

"Death to the tall folk!"

The rebel leader died after Ves stabbed his neck with a knife picked up from the deck.

The tears on Rion's face doubled as his body collapsed after his god surrendered control of his body.

Chapter 1939 Undeserved

Days after Gion Greybeard's attempted betrayal, TR-3851 emerged in a quiet red dwarf system.

According to the transport ship's database, there was practically nothing of value in this worthless, lifeless star system.

Though it was a bit too close to the Desala System for his liking, Ves was running out of time. This Mastery experience lasted far too long already. He really didn't have the time to leave the territory of the Paramount Kingdom and bury his treasure in an even more obscure star system!

As a result, Ves had to make do with the Trion Enze System.

After making sure there wasn't any ships or signs of human life, Ves instructed the ship to travel to the inner asteroid belt.

While the ship made way, Ves continued to move his possessed around the ship in order to tweak the transport ship's systems.

While TR-3851 wasn't the most sophisticated ship he had ever seen, Ves wanted to make sure to erase every single log or record of her route.

No one was allowed to find out that TR-3851 visited the Trion Enze System!

It was easy to keep the dwarves in the dark. Most of them were confined in the cargo hold where they did nothing but sit on their thumbs while trying to adjust to the reduced gravity.

While Gion Greybeard and his most trusted men had died, Ves decided to withhold the news from the rest for the time being.

While the dwarves in the dark were already starting to ask questions, their trust in Vulcan was still strong! After Ves instructed the rest of the rebel cadre to keep their people in line, the dwarves no longer posed any trouble for the time being.

No one else had access to the ship's systems except Ves and his host. For the time being, Ves did not give Rion any chance of respite except for sleep.

Every waking moment, Ves continued to scour through every section of the ship. He tampered with the sensor system, the navigation system, the communication system and more in order to ensure the ship was as untrackable as possible.

In fact, one of the first steps he did was to manually dismantle the quantum entanglement node that connected the ship to the galactic net.

He didn't just isolate this crucial component or switched off its control system. He ripped the entire component out of its place and wrecked it until it was nothing but a pile of broken scrap!

This was just one of the many extreme measures that Ves resorted to in order to ensure the ship would not leave any clues behind. He just needed to retain enough functionality to reach a couple destinations while keeping his passengers alive. Everything else was completely redundant!

Once TR-3851 reached the asteroid belt, Ves observed the sensor input closely until he identified a large and distinctive-looking hook-shaped asteroid floating in the belt.

He memorized the mineral composition and other characteristics of this specific asteroid.

Though no asteroid remained completely the same after many years of floating alongside countless other rocks, Ves had no other choice but to draw the equivalent of a treasure map in his mind in this fashion.

There was no way Ves entrusted his Timpala Steel to anyone else.

He considered several alternatives.

For example, he thought about mailing the ore to the Komodo Star Sector, but how could a dwarf ever pay for it? How could he trust a courier company to faithfully keep his parcel secure for several decades?

He also ruled out stashing the ore in a bank. If Timpala Steel was just a regular chunk of high-grade exotic, then Ves didn't have much to fear that a bank would stoop to robbing its own customers.

It was a difficult case for a substance that was worthy enough to earn the System's notice!

Ves wouldn't put it past the MTA or the Paramount Kingdom to swoop in and serve an official document to the bank that allowed them to commandeer the Timpala Steel!

He was so paranoid that he even ruled out the Shadow Couriers, who even in this time period already fostered a reputation of reliability in the underground community!

"I won't be there to 'get my money back' if the Shadow Couriers fumble my parcel." Ves dryly noted.

Ves possessed no identity, money or reputation in this time period. It was seventy years in the past, so he wasn't even born yet. His grandfather Benjamin was likely still a young but prominent expert pilot in the Mech Corps.

For some time, Ves felt tempted to take advantage of his future knowledge to affect the course of history.

He could have sent a message to his grandfather that would warn him of the battle that led to his crippling.

Even if his grandfather didn't take the message from a random stranger seriously, he might still keep some of Ves' words in mind and avoid permanent damage to his brain!

Yet Ves resolutely refused to resort to this option in the end. He instinctively felt that interfering with the course of history might lead to very severe consequences, both to the timeline and to himself!

What if his grandfather died in battle? What if his grandfather never met the wife that would birth Ark and Ryncol?

What if his grandfather raised his children in a different way?

What if Ryncol was born as a girl rather than a boy?

What if Ves never had a chance to be born because his father never came into existence?

All of these what-ifs continued to frighten Ves so much that he resolutely swore off any attempts to affect the Larkinsons!

Even if he had good intentions, Ves truly did not want to return to a future where the Larkinsons no longer existed or where his mother had never met his father!

While he didn't exactly like his current life, Ves didn't want to exchange it for anything else. All of the good and bad he experienced throughout his lifetime turned him into a successful and exceptional mech designer.

Of course, even if Ves did not wish to affect the course of history, his actions during his Mastery experiences had already altered the original timeline.

Whether the present time he lived in was already affected by his actions in the past before he underwent his Mastery experience was a question that Ves did not bother entertaining.

He doubted the System would allow Ves to do anything that affected its own interests. Confining his actions to the Smiling Samuel Star Sector was the most Ves could get away with. Even if the changes in this star sector rippled out to the rest of the galaxy, it was doubtful that his actions resulted in a major upheaval elsewhere.

Once TR-3851 maneuvered close to the hook-shaped asteroid, a hatch opened up. A small floating mining vehicle emerged from the hatch. Ves piloted the vehicle to the surface of the asteroid and landed it into the deepest pit on the immense rock.

Soon enough, the mining vehicle began to drill into the rock at a steady pace. Ves continued to dig until he reached the center.

After that, the vehicle planted a heavily-reinforced crate in the asteroid before retreating back to the surface, collapsing the tunnel and fusing the drilled rock back together as it gradually emerged in the open.

Once the vehicle reached the transport ship, the ship slowly withdrew from the asteroid belt and moved to translate out of the system.

Just to be sure, Ves also commanded the ship to approach the orbit of one of Trion Enze's gas giant in order to dump the mining vehicle and some other potentially-incriminating objects.

By now, large portions of the transport ship were already crippled, but Ves didn't care. The TR-3851 just had to make it far enough to reach a star system with a substantial MTA presence.

After the transport ship transitioned into FTL, Ves planted some improvised explosions and programmed some timed instructions into the ship's systems.

Time was running out. As soon as Ves dug the wonder ore into the asteroid, his consciousness faintly started to feel some attraction.

The System was calling him back. Now that he secured the Timpala Steel, there was no point to prolonging this Mastery experience any longer!

Ves hurried up with his final preparations before surrendering control of Rion's body to its original owner.

Rion looked numbed at the incomprehensible consoles of the bridge.

He hadn't gotten over Gion Greybeard's death.

Though his grief had settled, the memories of his own body stabbing his leader's neck would always haunt him in his dreams!

"Are you leaving, my lord?"

"I am." Ves mentally replied. "I am no longer needed here. There are countless dwarves in human space who still need my help."

"I.."

"Whatever you may think, once you made your bed, you need to lie in it. Gion Greybeard acted against my intentions on his own accord and suffered the consequences of his own decision."

"He didn't have to die!"

"You're still too naive. If you ever have a chance to grow up, you'll learn that the galaxy is a hundred times crueler than Desala X. The indignities you've suffered at your former home are trivial compared to the tragedies that take place on the galactic scale!"

While Rion wasn't the brightest tool in the shed, he couldn't help but shudder in fear.

"You.. are you going to kill me?"

Ves didn't answer.

"Why? I never thought about violating your dignity! I devoted myself to you! I surrendered my body to you! I had nothing to do with Gion's betrayal!"

"You know too much. I don't need to kill you after you have betrayed my trust. I just have to end your life before the MTA has a chance of extracting all of your memories and secrets from your body. You can't imagine how powerful they are and how much their technology is capable of. Even if you are determined to keep your mouth shut, the MTA has countless ways of extracting information out of you. In order to prevent you from leaking my divine secrets, you'll need to make the ultimate sacrifice."

"This.. this isn't fair.."

"Life isn't fair, kid." Ves mentally shook his head. "I don't like this anymore than you do, but it is the only solution that minimizes the risk that someone manages to dig my treasure."

Rion practically collapsed onto his seat. The dwarven mech pilot fought so hard to achieve his promised freedom. Now that he finally liberated himself from the oppression of the tall folk, his god wanted to kill him because he couldn't be trusted!

He wanted to live!

He wanted to see the galaxy!

He wanted to lead his dwarves to freedom!

Why did his god force him on the road of death?

What could he do to save his life so that he could fulfill all of his ambitions?

"Please! I'll keep your secrets! I promise!"

"Promises aren't enough."

"You're a god, aren't you?! Can't you scour my memories from my mind?"

This suggestion actually didn't sound that bad. Ves seriously considered this question. The problem was that even if Ves messed with Rion's mind and spirit, his flesh would still hold a copy of the memories that Ves wanted to wipe.

If Ves was a doctor or had access to Ranya Wodin, then he probably would have been able fulfill the dwarf's wish.

Sadly, Ves lacked this vital expertise, so he had to resort to a more direction solution to silence this potential vulnerability.

All the while, the pull to his consciousness increased. The System really wanted to end this Mastery experience!

Ves mentally sighed.

"I'm sorry, Rion, but time is running out. I'm sorry I can't give you the time to bid farewell to your comrades or make peace with your end. However, I have already made sure to include a record of your life and accomplishments in the database of this ship. Your physical body may die, but your memory will always live on through the memories of your fellow dwarves. You are a hero to your people, Rion. You will be honored as such for times to come."

"I.. thank you, my lord." Rion looked downcast.

"Are you ready?"

"I'm not."

Ves ruefully smiled. "No one looks forward to their death. I don't blame you for feeling this way. Again, I'm sorry, Rion. In a different time and circumstance, I would have been able to preserve your life."

He no longer let Rion speak. Instead, he hijacked the dwarf's body once again and slowly withdrew a ballistic pistol from a belt holster.

Ves had looted the weapon from the former crew of the transport ship. He personally serviced it in order to make sure it functioned properly.

He lifted the pistol and pressed its muzzle against Rion's temple.

"This is goodbye, dwarf. Even if your fellow dwarves forget your name, I will always honor your contributions!"

A loud boom echoed in the bridge as a dwarven finger pulled the trigger!

Chapter 1940 Salvageable

When the TR-3851 transitioned out of FTL, she emerged in a populated star system under the control of a different noble house of the Paramount Kingdom.

The ship still flew under the identity of a transport ship under the control of House Kantis.

Though her arrival at this star system was unexpected, the ship did not catch anyone's notice.

It was only when the ship started flying straight towards an MTA space station while transmitting a lot of data in every direction that people started taking notice!

Though Ves had already trashed the TR-3851's quantum entanglement node and many other systems, he still retained enough unidirectional broadcast arrays to flood the local space with mountains of data!

Most of the data consisted of extensive documentation and footage of the exploitation of the dwarves by House Kantis.

Plenty of trade ships and other vessels flying in and out of the star system captured the data first.

Soon enough, one of the vessels rapidly proliferated the data through the galactic net!

Enemies and rivals of House Kantis quickly pounced on the data and tried to publicize it as much as possible!

Even if they were already aware of the shenanigans that took place at Desala X, every noble house had made an unspoken agreement to avoid airing each other's dirty laundry.

However, this rule didn't apply if third parties were already doing their best to besmirch a noble house's reputation!

The data that Ves collected and organized all consisted of strong proof. From raw and untampered footage to a mountain of official documentation, Ves provided a very compelling collection set of files that strongly indicated that House Kantis egregiously robbed the dwarves of their basic human rights!

This wasn't enough to condemn House Kantis. However, it was more than sufficient to evoke outrage and call attention to what was truly going on at Desala X.

Regardless of whether the accusations were true or false, the public outrage quickly grew to a point where a greater authority within the Paramount Kingdom was forced to investigate the suspected slave operation!

Naturally, if the royal house or a branch of the kingdom led the investigation, then there was a good chance the misdeeds of House Kantis would be swept under the rug.

Every member of the upper echelon of the Paramount Kingdom was in collusion with each other to an extent. The diminished state was far from its height and the rot continued to seeper into its roots.

Ves already anticipated Paramount's desire to suppress the scandal, so he never directed his message to the nobles to begin with. He just wanted to spread the word among the public in order to keep another party in check!

While the TR-3851's data broadcasts was primarily directed towards the MTA, the local branch of the powerful organization was not inclined to pay attention.

Paramount was a poor and insignificant third-rate state to the mechers. They had much more important concerns to worry about!

Gion Greybeard was right to suspect that the MTA wouldn't be moved by the obvious injustice that took place on Desala X.

To be fair, injustices to the same degree happened all over human space. The dwarves were hardly the only deprived folk who lived under oppression.

At the very least they were still properly clothed and fed!

However, the MTA quickly changed its tune when the TR-3851 transmitted a very explosive message.

"Timpala Steel can be found on Desala X. A small sample of the ore that can be refined into Timpala Steel is stored on this ship."

The data stream then proceeded to transmit detailed scanning data of the sample. The evidence was so convincing that a lot of vessels in the star system immediately began to divert to the TR-3851!

However, a half hour after the bystanders attempted to reach the ship, a small portal formed at the side of the hijacked transport ship!

A small but deadly MTA frigate emerged from the portal! The ship immediately deployed a couple of mechs to patrol the perimeter.

The MTA vessel didn't need to dispatch any shuttles to secure the transport ship.

Instead, the frigate directly teleported a boarding crew throughout the ship!

A group of tall folk in armor immediately emerged in the cargo hold, panicking the distressed and confused dwarves!

Another group of MTA marines emerged on the bridge and immediately started to take control of the transport ship.

A third group teleported at the infirmary where a number of dwarves were in the middle of mourning their hero's passing.

When a couple of dwarves finally encountered Rion Aaden's corpse at the bridge, they were devastated!

Gion Greybeard's disappearance already caused them to lose one of their pillars of support.

The death of their only mech pilot completely caused them to despair!

The MTA lieutenant that led the small squad observed the grieving dwarves and the body stored in the shabby medical chamber with a stoic expression.

"Tall folk!"

Once the dwarves realized that a group of normal humans emerged in their midst, they senselessly charged at the armored figures!

One of the marines discharged an energy wave that caused the dwarves to lose strength and collapse onto the deck!

"Interesting." The lieutenant murmured as he stepped past the crowd of dwarves until he loomed over the chamber.

The corpse made for an ugly sight. The gaping hole in the head and the poor condition of the rest of the body meant that the dwarf was undeniably dead!

"Is this the source?" He softly asked.

"Get away from our ace pilot, tall folk!" One of the stunned dwarves managed to regain some of his strength! "Our great Rion is blessed by Vulcan! The God of Dwarves will smite you for murdering our hero!"

The lieutenant furrowed his brows. "We did not kill this dwarf."

"You lie! You tall folk always lie!"

"Would you still accuse us of this if we bring him back to life?"

"You.. what?"

"We are part of the Mech Trade Association. This body might be a corpse in your eyes, but in our perspective, there is plenty of tissue left of your 'hero' to reconstruct his body. While we are unable to guarantee he can be restored in full, his body is anything but unsalvageable."

Hope started to well in the eyes of the dwarves.

As the MTA took stock of the TR-3851, Ves' consciousness travelled far and wide across space and time!

After an indeterminate time, his consciousness eventually sunk back into his own mind and body!

Ves was ready to resume his old life!

There was just one problem.

"Why am I not waking up?"

After a few sluggish minutes passed, Ves discovered to his horror that his body seemed unresponsive!

His current state was unprecedented! His consciousness hadn't fully integrated back into the center of his mind, therefore causing it to be detached from the state of his body!

"This is weird. What is going on? What has happened to my body?!"

Ves slowly took stock of his situation and realized that while his body remained unresponsive, his Spirituality was fully accessible and under his control!

Perhaps he could take advantage of this to make sense of his current condition.

He focused and forced a portion of his Spirituality to venture outside his mind.

He soon discovered what while he was capable of sensing some spiritual senses such as Gloriana, the Golden Cat and some of his mechs, he wasn't able to observe his surroundings with his normal senses!

His current condition resembled the time where he astrally projected a part of his Spirituality into the imaginary realm.

The biggest issue right now was that he was blind to the material realm!

Could he solve this problem?

"There's probably a way. Otherwise, how else can my intangible mother interact with the material realm?"

His mother could obviously see and hear what was going on around her. Despite her lack of flesh outside the crystal builder leader's body, she was still able to interact with Ves and Lucky without any issue!

Ves tried to fumble around for a bit. He tried but failed to shape his Spirituality in a way that allowed him to reconstruct his sense of sight or sound.

"This is harder than it seems!"

He possessed no foundation in this kind of technique. His half-baked theories and guesses all turned out to be nonsense as his experiments continually failed.

"Wait a minute. Why should I reinvent the wheel when others have obviously already figured the required techniques?"

He wasn't alone in his spiritual wizardry! Aside from his absent mother, Ves could beg for help from a range of spiritual entities!

After a bit of thought, he decided to approach the Golden Cat. He still possessed an active spiritual bond with the ancestral spirit, so it didn't take very long for him to spiritually hail the cat.

"Hey Goldie, I'm back! My body seems to be recovering from the implant surgery, but my consciousness is back to normal!"

Nyaa?!

The Golden Cat, who was likely residing in the Larkinson Mandate, reacted with surprise at Ves' spiritual reappearance!

Nyaaa~!

Like a kitten yearning after her mother, Goldie affectionately embraced his spiritual projection.

"Hahaha, I missed you too. I've been out for a while. How is the Larkinson Clan faring?"

Nyaaa... nyaa...

"What?! A lot of Larkinsons have died?! Who killed them? When did they die?"

The Golden Cat wasn't able to communicate the full details, but she conveyed enough information to get him up to speed.

"The Ylvaine Protectorate surrendered to the Friday Coalition?! The CRC launched an ambush on our clan with the help of foreign mercenaries?! Larkinson mech pilots died to repel the surprise attack?! My personal chef tried to assassinate me?! What the hell?!"

Ves first became alarmed. Then he turned furious!

The betrayal of one of the men he trusted to operate his brain was a horrible misstep. He had failed to investigate the exobiologist! He never imagined that the Friday Coalition was able to compromise one of his closest subordinates!

What happened afterwards made him even angrier. The Friday Coalition not only targeted his life, but even convinced the Protectorate government to dance to its tune!

Though the Golden Cat didn't convey too many details, Ves could easily figure out the reason why the government turned against the Bright Martyr.

He didn't blame the Ylvainans too much. They were under heavy pressure from the Friday Coalition and the surrounding hostile states to defect to their club.

What truly made him angry was that the Friday Coalition and the CRC simply wouldn't let him go!

"I was already planning to leave this stupid star sector! Why must you hound me and threaten my life?! It's not enough for you to aim at my life. Killing my fellow Larkinsons is a step too far! Blood must be repaid with blood!"

Ves was not a vindictive mech designer, but right now his entire Spirituality thrummed with fury!

He wanted to make the Friday Coalition pay!

He wanted the Hexadric Hegemony to win the Komodo War!

He wanted to kill Lady Aisling and Patricia in person for embroiling him into a feud with the CRC!

"I need to wake up! I can't remain stuck into a coma forever!"

He remembered why he contacted the Golden Cat and quickly requested her to teach him how to observe his surroundings in a Spiritual fashion.

Nyaaaaa? Nyaaaa.

Though the Golden Cat was surprised that Ves wasn't able to do so, she was eager to show him how to perceive the material realm through pure Spirituality.

The technique was very profound. It was so complicated that Ves immediately grew confused!

"Stop! Don't teach me this method! Don't you have a simpler one? I just need to observe my immediate surroundings."

Nyaaa.

Several hours passed by as the Golden Cat slowly instructed Ves on how to construct a 'spiritual eye', for a lack of a better description.

Once Ves figured out the broad strokes of the Golden Cat's techniques, he began to run with the idea and added his own touches to the spiritual eye. He incorporated several principles of mech sensor technology into the eye in order to increase its sensitivity and resolution!

The moment he infused the spiritual eye with energy and brought it to life, he finally gained an omnidirectional view of his body's surroundings.

Though the 360 degree vision disoriented him a bit, he couldn't help but perceive something very alarming!

"Gloriana? Why are you licking my face?!"

Chapter 1941 Spiritual Sensors

"Hihihi! You're so adorable, Ves! You're so warm, soft, comfy and cute!"

Gloriana snuggled against Ves' comatose body in her bunny pajamas as she woke up. She kissed her boyfriend's cheek before licking it like an ice cream cone.

Of course, Ves happened to wear a matching set of pajamas, courtesy of his girlfriend!

Several weeks after the nearly-botched operation, Ves was recovering according to schedule.

Though the newly-installed Archimedes Rubal bioimplant still needed to settle in, the gradual process of integration went smoothly without any complications.

Dr. Ranya no longer needed to observe his condition night and day. After guiding the connectors of the implant to connect to the right lobes and sections of the recipient's brain, the rest was just a matter of time.

This allowed Gloriana to take Ves away from the infirmary and put him in her bed in her stateroom aboard the Stellar Chaser.

"Miaow."

"Meow."

Nyaaaa.

No one stopped Ves from being used as a living doll by his girlfriend, not Nitaa, not her Glory Warriors nor their cats!

In fact, two of the three cats snuggled comfortably on Ves' body. Lucky and Clixie practically treated his belly like their nest!

There was just one problem with this situation.

Ves was not unconscious anymore!

Sure, his body may still be as limp as a noodle, but his independent consciousness had transcended his physical state!

With the help of a crude spiritual eye, Ves was able to observe the material realm in an entirely new fashion!

His eye, shaped like a miniature version of an optical sensor of a mech, was capturing the full details of his body being treated like a cuddle toy!

"Really, Gloriana, can't you wait until I'm awake?!"

Of course, Gloriana couldn't hear him at all, though Ves could probably find a way to connect with her and communicate with her through some spiritual means.

He didn't want to, though.

Since no one knew he had regained his 'consciousness', Ves figured he might as well take advantage of his state!

He never thought about it before, but observing reality through his Spirituality was a very good way to spy on other people!

Though he wasn't able to extend his spiritual projections too far away from his body, it was enough to extend it to another room or compartment!

Walls, shields and other technological barriers posed no hindrance to his spiritual projections!

"Well, that's not entirely true."

Ves guessed that the Big Two and other advanced states and organizations definitely developed technology to guard against spiritual intrusions.

The Five Scrolls Compact and anyone adept in spiritual sorcery could probably school him in this field.

Therefore, while his trick was fairly impressive, Ves did not dare to make brazen use of this ability to spy on others!

At the very least, he should make sure to never use it around the MTA and the CFA!

Fortunately, his body was aboard the Stellar Chaser, so Ves did not have to restrain himself.

The Golden Cat, who was comfortably perched inside the Larkinson Mandate, was the only one in the compartment who could view his spiritual manipulation.

Nyaaaa.

"Don't tell anyone, Goldie. I want to see how everyone acts when they think I'm not around. By the way, can you teach me how to perceive sound?"

Nyaa.

Goldie freely showed him the Gloriana finally emerged from her bed in order to shower and dress herself up, Ves patiently attempted to construct a 'spiritual ear'.

Since Ves already comprehended some of the fundamentals of the spiritual eye technique, he caught on very quickly.

In particular, once he stopped treating the spiritual ear like a biological organ and started to treat it like a spiritual auditory sensor, he managed to construct a very basic but functional ear.

While he hadn't figured out advanced features like stereo or positional hearing, that could wait for later. Simply being able to interpret sound waves through spiritual means was quite a breakthrough!

"Is this what spiritual engineering is like?" He wondered.

Constructing a spiritual eye and ear was anything but straightforward. Yet it shared many of the same rules and paradigms as traditional engineering.

Ves became more and more interested in whether he could translate more of his mech designer abilities to the spiritual arena.

In fact, this was the entire reason why he decided to go through with implanting the Archimedes Rubal to begin with! While he regretted the fact that he lost patience and decided to undergo the operation while his enemies were waiting to pounce on him, what was done was done.

While Ves did not care that much about the deaths of nameless mech pilots, his heart bled at the loss of more than a dozen valuable clansmen.

The clan only boasted a limited number of mech pilots, and losing even a modest amount of them in battle would affect the Larkinsons for years to come!

"So Rhode Larkinson died as well? A pity."

Though he wasn't as promising as Jannzi, Ves was hopeful that Rhode would become the backbone of the Avatars and the Larkinson Clan one day.

Sadly, his future had been cut off, and Ves bore a substantial portion of the blame.

As Ves succeeded in constructing a spiritual ear, Ves could finally hear what Gloriana said when she was in the vicinity of his dormant body.

She emerged from the bathroom an hour later, all dressed up and ready to lead the clan in Ves' absence.

As Gloriana bent down to plant a kiss on her boyfriend's cheek, Melody calmly reported her itinerary for the day.

"Calabast will be arriving soon to update you on DIVA's progress. After that, you have a virtual meeting with Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson to discuss the upcoming motions up for discussion at the Larkinson Assembly and the Executive Council. In the afternoon, your presence is needed at the workshop to assist in the restoration of the remaining salvageable wrecks."

"Are there any signs of enemies in our next destination?"

"The Barracuda sent to scout ahead reports no sandman or human presence at the star system."

In order to prevent their fleet from diving head-first into an ambush, the Barracuda always flew a few hours ahead of the rest of the ships.

If they wanted to be truly thorough, then the Larkinsons should dispatch even more ships flying further ahead. However, in all of their ship-buying spree, they hadn't procured another corvette.

Soon enough, Calabast entered the stateroom. She had been staying aboard Gloriana's ship for this leg of their lengthy journey. Due to her need to stay in touch with her former employer, she had to borrow the Stellar Chaser's slightly more secure quantum entanglement node.

As Ves observed Calabast's entry, he noted with surprise that his strategic partner was wearing an entirely new uniform!

The spy wore an elegant and fitting black uniform with the symbol of a black cat perched in the middle of a blue hexagon!

Gloriana frowned when Calabast entered. "When are you going to return to your own ship?"

"Who knows. I come and go where I'm needed. Right now, I'm needed here. Besides, I like to keep a closer eye on Ves here. I have to make sure you don't compromise his dignity while I'm away."

"I'm not that bad!" The younger woman protested and gestured to one of the guards standing at the side! "Look! Nitaa has always been around Ves!"

Nitaa didn't bother to voice her opinion. Her only duty was to guard Ves' life and hold the Larkinson Mandate on his behalf. She didn't feel inclined to meddle in other affairs!

The two women eventually got down to business. Both of them sat at her desk as Calabast briefed Gloriana on various matters.

"The Larkinsons are still disgruntled, but for now they are waiting for us to fulfill our promises. There is still a strain of clansmen who have already decided to leave the clan once we rendez-vous with the remnants of the Larkinson Family."

"How are the escaped Larkinsons doing?"

"Ark Larkinson and a number of other senior members of the family have managed to collect almost all of the scattered Larkinsons who escaped on their own or with the help of my agents. They've already hired a mercenary corps to escort them to the Sentinel Kingdom."

Gloriana sighed in relief. "So they chose the Sentinel Kingdom in the end."

"The majority of the Larkinsons finally came around to the fact that there is very little point in trying to reconcile with the Bright Republic and Friday Coalition. So long as Ves remains a threat to their interests, our enemies won't look kindly to his relatives regardless how uninvolved they are. It's not fair to the Larkinson Family, but I agree with Ves that they were stupid to put their faith in the Bright Republic."

The discussion turned to DIVA's upcoming rescue operation.

"We can thank the Tovar Family for facilitating our attempt to rescue the captured Larkinsons." Calabast spoke. "Their allies in the Mech Corps and the government have managed to force Spotlight to gather all of the Larkinson captives in a single location. The last of the prisoners have just been transferred to a secret asteroid base in the Rittersberg Region."

Ves reacted with surprise as he eavesdropped on their conversation. How did Calabast convince DIVA to divert precious resources and manpower to mount a rescue operation? He also didn't expect the Tovars to favor the Larkinsons!

"How are the preparations for the rescue attempt?"

"They're proceeding well. DIVA is already capable of infiltrating the secret base. In fact, they have even managed to insert agents in the guise as prison guards and other critical personnel with the active collusion of the Tovar Family! The agents are just waiting for DIVA's main strike force to arrive at the star system before beginning the operation."

As Calabast described some of DIVA's preparations, Ves realized that the Tovar Family wasn't the only faction within the Bright Republic who offered their support.

A portion of the government and the military had willingly offered their assistance to free the Larkinsons!

They weren't traitors. They harbored no affection to the Hexadric Hegemony.

They simply thought the Larkinsons deserved better for all of the honorable service they provided to the state.

No matter how much the government tried to convince the public otherwise, many Brighters remained disgusted by their dishonorable actions!

Of course, the Tovar Family wasn't among them. Ves knew very well that Senator Tovar continued to hedge their bets.

While their actions probably didn't endear them to the Friday Coalition, the Tovar Family would be able to reap considerable rewards if the Hexers won the Komodo War!

Regardless of the reasons, despite the considerable security surrounding the secret base, DIVA was in a good position to succeed as long as there weren't any Fridaymen in the vicinity!

"What about the Fridaymen?" Gloriana asked.

"We're pretty clear about the CRC's movements. They've already dispatched a small fleet to transport the captives back to the Coalition, but they were delayed by several weeks due to the need to suppress the riots and mass uprisings in the Ylvaine Protectorate."

Ever since the Protectorate turned against Ves, the Ylvainan people believed that the Great Prophet had forsaken them! Nothing could be more clear to them after the Transcendent Messengers, Holy Soldiers and Deliverer mechs lost their glows!

While the leaders of the three leading dynasties tried their best to counter this narrative by arguing that the glows were actually under the control of Ves rather than the prophet, the ardent believers among the population didn't buy it! They had become so accustomed to the reassuring presence of the glows that their absence practically induced withdrawal symptoms among the addicted!

If the Friday Coalition wanted to gain complete control of the region, they had to prevent the Protectorate from collapsing and spreading its chaos to the surrounding states. The CRC had been forced to assist the three leading dynasties in squashing the uprisings!

Ves mentally shook his head as he heard about the situation. The Protectorate had it coming as far as he was concerned!

Chapter 1942 Wrong Hypothesis

Gloriana had a fruitful and informative talk with Calabast.

As Ves kept listening in on their conversation with his spiritual ear, he learned a lot of new developments.

He discovered that the Living Prophet and the True Ylvaine Dynasty offered their assistance to the Larkinsons in their time of need. Now, they comprised the majority of the Larkinson Clan's naval personnel as well as a substantial minority of the Avatars and Sentinels!

He found out that Calabast offered substantial concessions in order to convince DIVA to mount a rescue operation. What annoyed Ves the most was that Calabast was acting smug about it because it would largely be him who would be paying the price!

"You scammer!" Ves shouted impotently at Calabast. "Who's side are you on? When you negotiate a deal on my behalf, you're supposed to stand up for me instead of the Hexers!

Fortunately, Calabast didn't go too far. From what Ves gleaned from her words, he would just have to cooperate and collaborate with DIVA for certain ventures. He wasn't very sure of the details, but it seemed that Ves would not be able to distance himself from the Hegemony anytime soon!

Though he was rather annoyed that Calabast sold him out to the Hexers, he reluctantly agreed with the tradeoff.

If it was possible to rescue the captured Larkinsons, then Ves was willing to give up much as long as his core interests or the future of the clan wasn't at stake.

He recalled he prepared a very extreme contingency plan in response to any potential misfortune that had befallen the old family, but it seemed that Gloriana and Calabast threw it in the recycler chute.

He felt rather mixed about that. On one hand, the two women clearly opted for the better solution. On the other hand, they readily disregarded his own wishes as if he was a foolish little boy.

"When Ves wakes up, he'll probably be pissed."

Calabast smirked and inspected her manicured nails. "As long as the rescue operation succeeds, he won't complain for long. His family is important to him. He should thank us for preventing his grandfather, his cousin Melinda and hundreds of other relatives from being used as hostages."

"And I suppose you want him to repay his debt of gratitude to you as well. Don't think I haven't noticed that you've started corresponding with the Living Prophet. The two of you are up to something. What are you plotting?"

"Let's wait until Ves wakes up." The spy remained coy.

Their morning meeting soon came to an end. As Calabast stood up, she approached the bed where Ves' body continued to slumber. She reached out and squeezed his cheek.

What was it with Hexers and his cheek?! Was he some kind of baby to them whose cheeks were open to abuse?

"Back off!" Gloriana barked. "He's mine!"

"Do I look like a lovesick rival to you?"

Gloriana hissed. Calabast just looked amused.

"Ves is a lucky boy. I don't think he ever has to worry about infidelity."

As Calabast moved away, Gloriana approached the bed and stroked Ves' cheek. "Hehehe. Ves is a sweet boy. He's not the kind of person who's unfaithful to me. His rejection of Aisling's advances already makes that clear!"

She kept stroking his cheek as Calabast shook her head and walked away. Soon enough, Gloriana had to leave as well.

She bent down and licked his cheek one last time before she left!

"See you soon, Ves!"

As his girlfriend picked up Clixie and happily skipped away, the stateroom descended into silence.

Ves attempted to extend his spiritual ear and eye forward, but failed to reach further than the next compartment.

He never took issue with the range in which he could project his spiritual energy in the material realm. He mostly worked on mech designs and objects that were right in front of his face.

Yet now that he was starting to venture into the more advanced applications of spiritual engineering, this range constraint increasingly started to grate on him. How could he stave off his boredom in his current condition when all he could see was a bunch of empty compartments and Nitaa doing her best impression of a statue?

"Lucky." He concentrated his Spirituality and directed his attention to his lazy cat. "Lucky!"

The gem cat lounged comfortably at the foot of his bed. Lucky openly yawned while rolling on his stomach as if he was attempting to scratch his back.

"LUCKY! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! I'M AWAKE!"

"Meow?!"

Lucky jumped back onto his feet in alarm!

"My body is asleep but my spirit is awake!"

"Meow meow?"

"I'm not joking and I'm not a figment of your imagination! Now tell me, have you produced any new gems lately?"

"Meow!"

"I don't believe you. Show them to me. And before you ask, I have a way of seeing stuff around my body."

His cat reluctantly phased through the deck and returned a moment later with a pair of new gems.

Through some unknown System shenanigans, Ves was able to observe the two gems with his System sight.

[Bastet's Whisper]

The echoing whisper of a feline patron can be found within this gem. Enhances the acceleration of a tiger mech by 30 percent.

[Whipping Boy]

The fear of a boy towards women is encapsulated within this cursed gem. Increases the dread of a mech by 50 percent to males.

The first gem didn't sound so bad. While it was oddly restricted to tiger mechs, Ves was not a stranger to this mech type.

It had been quite some time since he last designed the Devil Tiger. Ves never gave up his intention to minor in tiger mechs, but so far Ves was too preoccupied with spaceborn mechs to divert his attention to landbound mech types.

Bestial mechs tended to fit the environment. While it wasn't odd to encounter tiger mechs with wings, aerial specialists generally preferred avian mechs due to their superior performance in the air.

It made even less sense to field a quadruped mech in space. More legs only decreased the efficiency of a mech in an environment where walking on solid surfaces wasn't relevant.

Certainly, many battles took place in asteroids, moons and other low-gravity vacuum environments, but tiger mechs were anything but optimal on those battlefields!

Due to his desire to form an expeditionary fleet, Ves still intended to prioritize spaceborn mechs. However, at a certain level, the division between spaceborn mechs and landbound mechs became so fuzzy that tiger mechs started to show up in space again!

"I've already designed a custom tiger mech." Ves mentally murmured. "I should design a mass market tiger mech to round out my experience. This gem can help me build another masterwork mech if my first production attempt is good enough."

He was slightly more hopeful that he would be able to get within reach of the masterwork threshold in his next attempts.

An increase in mech affinity always enabled a mech designer to persistently raise the quality of his work. This effectively meant that masterwork mech designers like Ves entered into a virtuous cycle.

The quality of his mechs increased, so the chance of creating a masterwork increased.

Each successful masterwork mech improved his mech affinity further, thereby raising the quality of his mechs even further!

Though it was a lot harder than it sounded, many Masters managed to repeat this cycle to the point where making masterwork mechs was no longer an exception!

Of course, Ves was far from reaching this point. He had no clue if he could ever take advantage of Bastet's Whisper when he wouldn't have many opportunities to design a tiger mech.

As for the other gem...

Why did its description sound so personal? How the hell did Lucky manage to create this gem?!

Was his hypothesis wrong? Were the attributes of his gem not affected by external stimuli?

Maybe it wasn't just himself who determined the properties of his gems. Perhaps the people around him played a role as well!

"LUUCKKYYY! How the hell did you produce the Whipping Boy?! What's with this name, anyway?!"

"Meow!"

Lucky immediately took back the gems and phased through the bed and deck in order to make himself scarce!

After Ves vented his frustrations, he mentally sighed and blanked out for a few minutes.

With Lucky running off to parts unknown, Ves was growing bored.

"Maybe I should plant my consciousness back into its proper place. There's no telling what kind of harm I'm doing to my body and mind if my spirit remains absent."

He inspected his mind and body carefully. Aside from their abnormally low levels of activity, Ves didn't see anything wrong.

Perhaps he could continue to take advantage of his abnormal state to experiment a bit further.

First, he needed to do something about his limited observation range.

One way to stave off his boredom was to extend his projection distance.

After ten minutes of fumbling and trying to push his spiritual projections further, Ves gave up. His consciousness had become very burdened by his fruitless attempt and he didn't feel he could make any progress.

"Perhaps my projection range is a function of my spiritual strength. I should test this out when my Spirituality grows stronger. Perhaps my range will balloon once I advance to Senior."

Since he couldn't increase his detection range, he tried to do something else. He wanted to see if he could move his consciousness or some kind of sensory node in order to move his omnidirectional projection away from his body.

"It's like building a drone." Ves imagined. "I can just build the spiritual equivalent of a very simple spy drone. It has to be able to see and hear the material realm while also possessing the capability to move semi-autonomously. Furthermore, it has to maintain an active spiritual connection with my Spirituality. Otherwise, how can I receive all of the input?"

This was an interesting exercise to Ves. He soon began to put his engineering knowledge to use and attempted to design a very basic spiritual observation drone.

He failed.

"What?"

It was not that difficult for him to create a spiritual eye. It was no problem for him to conjure up a spiritual ear.

Yet putting them together in a drone-like construction was a step too far!

One of the main issues he faced was his inability to keep track of all of the parts, dimensions and other parameters of the drone!

Its complexity reached a point where Ves could no longer concentrate on keeping every single aspect together!

The Archimedes Rubal was supposed to solve this problem. However, Ves only had access to his consciousness and parts of his dormant mind and Spirituality!

The bioimplant was still in the process of integrating with his brain tissue. Until this process finished, its systems were not allowed to come online!

As a result, Ves could only limit his spiritual manipulations to basic applications.

Though he found it a bummer that he was unable to create a sophisticated spiritual 'machine', he took what he could get and started to pass the time by creating all sorts of simple creations.

Inspired by his ability to reproduce some of the components of a mech with his mind, he created various other useful parts.

He attempted but failed to find a way to replicate his sense of smell and touch.

He succeeded in his attempt to create a life detector.

He managed to create a very simple alarm that would warn him if a spiritual entity was approaching.

He developed slightly more sophisticated spiritual shields that responded to spiritual attacks a bit better. Just like with his other attempts, he did so by borrowing some of the principles related to mechs.

While he failed too many times to count, his rare successes brought some joy in his life. He felt as if he was making constant progress in spiritual engineering.

What used to be a mysterious and unfathomable field to Ves turned out to be a lot less convoluted than he thought!

As long as Ves slowly delved into the rules that governed spiritual creations, he would definitely be able to build an imaginary mech some day!

Chapter 1943 Babbling Gloriana

When Ves tired out his consciousness with his constant attempts to invent a new spiritual creation, he diverted his attention to the Golden Cat.

The young ancestral spirit was the closest spiritual entity to his comatose body.

Ves wanted to see if he could move his consciousness out of his body. There were several advantages to accomplishing this feat.

First, he wanted to visit other spiritual entities at their own abodes. He wanted to take a peek inside the Larkinson Mandate. He wanted to approach the places where his design spirits resided.

Second, he wanted to gain the ability to move his observation range in the material realm. Being confined in the same place all day was not doing his sanity any good.

Ves had always been an active person! Every moment he was awake, he tried to be as productive as possible.

He was either working on a mech, leading his clan, keeping Gloriana happy or doing something else. Even when he relaxed, he made sure his leisure time was meant to recharge him so that his productivity increased when he went back to work!

In short, Ves was not used to doing nothing.

Perhaps someone else might see this as a good opportunity to take advantage of their semi-detached state to meditate on an entirely different level.

Not Ves. Meditation was a waste of time for him. Even if Patricia told him that meditation and the like were good for mech designers, he didn't want to rest! He wanted to do something!

Unfortunately, his first attempt to move his consciousness out of his mind without the System's assistance ended in disaster!

Like a vampire exposed to the sun, his consciousness endured an unimaginably painful degree of corrosion!

It wasn't so bad when Ves only extended an unimportant spiritual projection outside of his mind, but as soon as his core consciousness stepped out, it was as if he threw himself out of the airlock on a ship travelling in FTL!

Ves returned his consciousness to the protective confines of his mind right away! This was one experiment that Ves would not be repeating anytime soon!

"Is this what mother has to deal with all the time?"

Probably not. Her mother's intangible body seemed to resemble his spiritual projections. Perhaps her outer appearance mainly functioned as a shell for his consciousness so she could withstand the corrosion better.

"Maybe I can try that out?"

Once he enveloped his consciousness with a protective spiritual, he hesitantly ventured out of his body and mind once again.

This time, it worked. The raw corrosive winds and forces no longer crashed against his consciousness.

However, Ves encountered other problems.

The further his consciousness moved from his body, the more his control over his spiritual projections decreased!

In addition, his intuition started to ring alarm bells. There was something very dangerous about moving his consciousness out of his body!

While he wasn't sure what kind of danger was looming over his head, Ves swiftly put his consciousness back into his mind!

His metaphorical heart was pounding! It was as if Ves would definitely die if he didn't listen to his intuition!

"My consciousness is the source of my sentience! It is the most critical component of life that determines my existence!"

In short, losing it was bad!

After Ves calmed down, he realized that he had been acting a bit recklessly. There was both promise and danger in spiritual engineering.

Ves didn't have to think further than Cassandra Breyer and Silent William to know that spirituality was rife with danger.

"Maybe it's time to end this state and get back to normal."

He didn't let his fears get in the way of ending his experimentation, though.

While he wasn't sure when his body was ready to wake up, he had a feeling that it would take some time.

Spending all of that time out cold and completely unaware of everything that was happening in the meantime was a very frightening prospect!

Ves was already beating himself up for gleefully partaking in a Mastery experience while his clan and enterprise were subjected to another existential crisis!

After some time, evening rolled on and Gloriana returned to her stateroom with a tired expression.

"I'm back, Ves! Did you miss me? Of course you did!"

She bent down and kissed his cheek before adding a quick lick.

Ves observed his girlfriend's actions through his spiritual sensors with mild irritation.

What was up with Gloriana and licking his face?! Was she some kind of dog in her previous life!

Of course, Gloriana couldn't hear his silent complaints. She endearingly patted his head before she headed to the bathroom.

Though Ves felt tempted to move his spiritual eye through the bulkhead in order to observe what Gloriana was doing in the bathroom, he quickly scoured this lurid idea from his consciousness!

He was a gentleman, not a creep! He respected Gloriana too much to violate her privacy!

Roughly half an hour later, Gloriana emerged from the bathroom looking fresh while wearing a more casual outfit. She moved back to the bed and jumped on top of it in order to cuddle with his body for a while.

Her body moved all over his chest and other portions of his body.

"You're so strong, hihi!"

More worryingly, she also pressed her face up against his own and started to rub her cheek against his own!

Ves had no doubt that he would both enjoy and be weirded out by her physical intimacy. Unfortunately, since he wasn't in control of his body right now, only the latter applied!

Seeing his girlfriend continue to treat his body in this fashion disturbed him to an incredible degree.

Was it too much to ask to leave his body alone while he was recovering from his surgery?

Had she been licking his face ever since they first started to sleep in the same bed?

Would Gloriana mind it if he reciprocated her actions?

His spiritual eye turned towards Nitaa.

"Come on! Aren't you my bodyguard?! There's a crime happening right in front of your eyes! Don't you think there's something wrong with that?"

Just like Lucky, Clixie and the Golden Cat, Nitaa did not see Gloriana as a threat at all! Even if his girlfriend was being a bit too liberal with her touches, it was all harmless in their eyes!

"Goddammit!"

Ves finally gained a reprieve after thirty minutes. Gloriana seemed to have gotten her fill of Ves for now and gently embraced his comatose body while leaning her head against his chest.

"Oh Ves. I miss you so much. I hope you wake up soon. According to my cousin, your brain should recover to the point where you can wake in another week. I hope I can talk to you again, because I really don't know if I can keep everything together in your absence!"

She started to vent some of her private complaints to his body, unaware that Ves was able to listen in with the help of his spiritual ear.

"Calabast is hiding something huge from me. It's so obvious that she's cooking something up with James." She frowned. "What do those two even have in common? They're completely different!"

He agreed. Calabast was a secularist and James was a delusional cult leader. There shouldn't be any reason for them to collaborate with each other!

"She even rolled her spy network and her Swordmaidens into a new organization called the Black Cats. Why is this necessary? Is she trying to emerge out of the shadows? I liked her better when she wasn't around. You're mine!"

Did Gloriana even have to worry about this? Ves was truly committed to her! He would never betray her affection!

"Ever since she got in touch with DIVA, she's become a lot more circumspect. I have a feeling she's not as unattached to the intelligence agency as she claims to be. There is something very fishy about her associations!"

That sounded rather concerning to Ves. While Gloriana always disliked Calabast, if she started to become concerned, then he would do well to heed her judgement!

Ves was absent for too long. So much had happened while he was out that he feared he wouldn't be able to recognize his new surroundings. The Larkinsons Clan, the LMC, the Avatars, the Sentinels, the Glory Battalion, the Black Cats and the various states had all been undergoing changes while he was merrily pretending to be the God of Dwarves in the past!

The payoff was worth it, though. As long as no one found his buried treasure, Ves would be able to complete one of the System's Supply Missions as soon as he reached the Smiling Samuel Star Sector!

While it would take a lot of time to travel across multiple star clusters, it didn't matter as long as Ves had no intentions of returning to his home star sector!

He had already adjusted his medium-term plans in order to account for this detour.

As a mech designer, he always liked to explore and experience something novel.

While there was plenty for him to discover in his current star sector, it was ultimately just a small corner of human space.

The galactic center was the pinnacle of human civilization.

The Red Ocean Dwarf Galaxy was humanity's next great frontier.

His Mastery experiences fueled his wanderlust. Experiencing different star sectors, different lives and different facets of human civilization fueled his desire to explore them in his own body!

While Ves dreamt of exploration, Gloriana continued to babble as if she was alone.

"My mother doesn't like it when Ranya, Brutus and I are on our own. I've rejected every offer to bolster our group even further with other Wodins."

What a good girlfriend! Ves wanted to pat Gloriana's head for honoring his request! The last thing he wanted to see was slowly turning the Larkinson Clan into Hexers!

Gloriana snarled ferociously at an invisible enemy. "It's already bad enough that I have to fend off Calabast. I'll never allow any other competitor to come close to you! I'm the only woman you need, Ves! All of those women from the Hegemony can just stay put in my home state!"

Okay, he misjudged her. Ves wanted to rub his ears. Did she really refuse any further help from her state because she wanted to keep him for herself?

Who did she think he was, a skirt chaser?

His name was Ves Larkinson, not Vincent Ricklin!

"The sandmen have begun their inexorable advance. As everyone suspected, they formed a giant sand planet which has slowly been moving towards the Bentheim System. The MTA's Compliance Department is fully prepared to finish off the sandmen once and for all. I don't think the Sand War will last much longer, though that doesn't mean this region returns to peace. The CRC's movements make it clear that the Friday Coalition doesn't want the lesser states to act as bystanders in the Komodo War."

This.. sounded very concerning. Ves was always afraid that the feud between the Fridaymen and the Hexers would spill over into the rest of the star sector.

"According to my mother, the frontlines have all ground down into stalemates. If this situation continues, the war won't end anytime soon. This means that trade and a stable supply of goods and resources becomes even more important. Even if the lesser states are rather scattered and poor, they can all fuel the Coalition or Hegemony's war industries by a noticeable margin, and that doesn't even account for inter-sector trade! It's not a good sign to either side if the third-rate states become vital to their survival."

Ves did not want to see this either. A quick and decisive war would have been better for everyone. At least most of the bloodshed could be avoided this way as the most prominent losers fled the star sector.

"Oh yeah, the Friday Coalition even became desperate enough to recruit any available expert pilot from a lesser state. According to Calabast, Ghanso Larkinson has just acquired Coalition citizenship in exchange for wearing the uniform of the CRC!"

WHAT?!

Chapter 1944 The Selfless Larkinson

A uniformed figure appeared in front of an energy screen and peered into the cell.

A woman wearing a standard prisoner's outfit quietly brooded on the single bunk. She took no notice of the other figure's arrival.

"Melinda." Ghanso spoke as he adjusted the collar of his new Coalition Reserve Corps uniform. "Have you reconsidered your choice?"

Though the smart clothing automatically adjusted to his physique, he wasn't used to such technology. A part of him missed the stiffer uniform of the Mech Corps.

The former captain of the Bentheim Planetary Guard resolutely ignored her cousin.

"I know you're close to Ves, but he's the main reason our family split up and went astray. Why do you continue to support him? Even if you're a woman, you should know that the second-rate state that is backing him is poisonous to our star sector! If we follow Ves in siding with these man-haters, half of our family will lose its value!"

The captive finally couldn't remain silent.

"So much for your loyalty and principles. You refused to choose family over the orders of your state. Now, you've turned your back on that very state in order to wear the uniform of the same service that has Larkinson blood on its hands!"

An ugly expression appeared on Ghanso's face. "I admit that the Friday Coalition may have been rather.. heavy-handed in their attempts to hinder Ves. However, it was his fault to begin with that turned the Fridaymen against our family. He's a Larkinson. Family or clan, he should know that his decision to side with the Hexadric Hegemony would definity drag in every other Larkinson over to the other side! As a family that has always served in lockstep with the Bright Republic, turning our back against the patron of our state has endangered us all!"

"And that makes your betrayal right? Dozens of Larkinsons died in the Kesseling System! Most of those Larkinsons used to be your fellow cousins, uncles or aunts! I still remember their faces and their stories! Now, we never have a chance to hear their voices again because the service whose blood-stained uniform you wear decided to paint all of us Larkinsons with the same stripe!"

Though Ghanso clenched his fists, he forcibly calmed himself down. He was no longer a part of the Mech Corps. He represented a greater service now. The Friday Coalition was much more immense and its rules were a bit more strict and formal.

In fact, the only reason why he gained the chance to talk to his captive relatives was because the Bright Republic wanted him to convert more Larkinsons to their side.

"Don't you think I know that?" Ghanso responded with a difficult expression. "What happened previously was a consequence of getting involved in a war we had no business of getting involved in. A Larkinson dragged us into a conflict against the Friday Coalition with his selfishness. Another Larkinson is needed to right his wrongs, and I'm the only one important enough who is willing to step up and make the most selfless decision of my life."

He bent his head.

"You're right, Melinda. I broke my oath and betrayed my loyalty to my home state. I broke the tradition of the Larkinsons and offered my loyalties to a stronger state. I carry this guilt for the rest of my life, but I accept this consequence because I am working to redeem the Larkinson Family in the eyes of the Friday Coalition!"

"The Fridaymen don't care about our family!" Melinda scowled. "They're using you, isn't that obvious? They just want to turn Larkinson against Larkinson and fracture our clan and family even further! Once your utility is used up, the CRC will probably put you aside like garbage!"

"The Friday Coalition is the future of the Komodo Star Sector! Resisting its will is meaningless. Whether I owe my loyalty to the Bright Republic or the Friday Coalition is moot. They're effectively the same! The Coalition Reserve Corps may seem heartless to you, but that is because it hasn't appreciated our value yet. Once we demonstrate that we can be of use, our family will probably receive favored treatment."

She didn't believe in his words. She continued to express her disgust at Ghanso and the Friday Coalition.

"All the logic in the galaxy can't change the fact that you have sided with the killers of our family. Since when did Larkinsons develop the habit of waving the white flag? What you have done is no less than surrender!"

Neither Larkinson managed to persuade the other.

Ghanso was convinced his actions would save and redeem the Larkinson Family.

Melinda detested the Friday Coalition for killing her relatives.

Their differences were too great. Ghanso finally realized that persuading Melinda to join his side was fruitless for the time being.

"I wear this uniform to save our family." The expert pilot emphatically stated while he patted the brand-new emblems on his chest. "You may hate me all you want, but I still love each and every relative."

"Except Ves."

The CRC officer immediately snarled. "I should have crushed his neck while we first took him captive. If not for him, the CRC would have never attacked the Larkinsons in the Kesseling System! It's all his fault! He is a devil and a merchant of death! He has no morals and doesn't hesitate to advance the interests of the tyrannical Hexers in order to further his ends!"

Melinda threw a disapproving glance at her cousin. "Those are not the words of someone with honor. You are not a Larkinson. Not anymore. The moment you sold out your own relative, you've already gone astray. I should have joined Ves when he offered me a place in the clan. I wouldn't suffer the indignity of hearing your empty rationalizations."

Ghanso shook his head and turned away from the cell. "As I've said, I don't blame any Larkinson for thinking ill of me. I never expected to gain any gratitude from my relatives, though a part of me hoped that at least some Larkinsons are able to appreciate the sacrifices I have made. It appears my hopes are in vain."

"Go away."

"I will. A Fridayman fleet will soon arrive to take you and your fellow Larkinsons away. The CRC has promised me that they will make sure that you'll be treated with respect while you're being confined in Coalition space. You can sit out the war while I will do my best to redeem the family."

With that, Ghanso turned around and departed the cell block.

A number of other Larkinsons resolutely ignored Ghanso as he passed by on the other side of the energy screens.

He tried to persuade them as well, but all of them responded similar to Melinda. His less farsighted relatives all couldn't get over the fact that the CRC attacked the Larkinson Clan.

"This is war." He whispered.

Every war generated casualties. The Larkinson Clan picked a side and suffered the consequences of their decision.

"For all their talk about valuing family above all, none of them are willing to make the right choice."

He felt more and more detached from the rest of the family. Ever since Ves corrupted and split up the family, hardly any Larkinson was willing to talk to him anymore. He had become a pariah to his relatives.

It hurt. Ghanso always considered himself to be a proud and honorable Larkinson. He believed in his heritage and tried his best to continue the efforts of his predecessors.

Therefore, even if every Larkinson hated him, even if the family wanted to kick him out of the family, he would still do his best to fight on the family's behalf!

People like Melinda were wrong. He did not betray the family. He loved it more than any other Larkinson. Every choice he made in his life was for the good of the Larkinsons, and he didn't intend to abandon this life mission anytime soon!

Eventually, Ghanso reached the end of the corridor. A pair of female prison guards nodded curtly at him as they performed a routine security check on him before allowing him to proceed.

Even the citizens of the Bright Republic turned against him. All they saw was Ghanso shooting down mechs piloted by Larkinsons. They felt betrayed when he discarded the uniform of the Mech Corps for the uniform of the CRC.

It didn't matter. The young expert pilot possessed a much stronger determination to do the right thing than everyone else!

"Maybe this is what Ves feels like sometimes." He murmured. "To ignore everyone's opinions and go your own way is a heavy burden. Sometimes, the crowd is right. Sometimes, the crowd is wrong."

Naturally, Ghanso believed he was in the right and Ves was in the wrong.

If Ves was allowed to go his way, the Friday Coalition would only develop an even deeper animosity against the Larkinsons!

His will to prove his value to the Fridaymen and undo the damage to the Larkinson Family grew even stronger!

Eventually, Ghanso left the base and boarded a frigate. As much as he wanted to stay and keep his fellow Larkinsons company, his new employers were not very patient.

He needed to prove his value sooner rather than later.

As he settled in his room aboard the frigate, he soon received a comm call.

Another young woman appeared into view. Unlike Melinda, the woman exuded far more class and confidence.

This time, Ghanso bowed his head. "Lady Curver. It is a pleasure to talk to you again."

The projection of Aisling smiled. "You don't need to be so formal to me. It doesn't matter if you come from a lesser state. As a talented expert pilot, you'll be able to master second-class mechs in no time. It is an honor to be a part of the development of your first Fridayman expert mech. Please rest assured that you are in good hands. Master Huron possesses extensive experience in designing expert mechs, and he will definitely take into account your transition to second-class mechs."

Her words reassured Ghanso. "Thank you, Curver. How long will it take before I can pilot my new mech?"

"Your project doesn't have the highest priority, but it won't take too long to design an expert mech according to the specifications provided by the CRC. While we won't be providing you with the best, you'll definitely be satisfied with what we have to offer."

Ghanso briefly furrowed his brows. "From what I've heard, Master Huron is a specialist in neural interconnectivity. I…"

"You're wondering why our specialty is relevant to an expert mech that is often employed alone, right?"

"Yes."

"You're not the first expert pilot who has asked that question." She smirked. "Suffice to say, you won't be deploying into battle alone. One of Master Huron's more creative applications of his specialty is the development of the asymmetric neural network."

"What does that mean?"

"In our terms, an asymmetric neural network features one master and thirty-nine slaves. The CRC will provide a company of rifleman mechs whose mech pilots will take part in a neural network centered around your mind. You'll be at the head of your own neural network and be able to direct and influence the decisions and thinking patterns of your subordinates!"

Ghanso widened his eyes! This sounded insane!

"Is this tested?"

"It's an ongoing development." Aisling dismissively waves her hand. "Don't worry. Master Huron is one of the great pioneers of this field. He has spent an enormous amount of effort to make it viable."

"What of the mech pilots who will follow my direction? From my understanding, neural interconnectivity works best when the mech pilots are closely aligned to each other."

"There is a bit more leeway when it comes to asymmetric neural networks." Aisling reassured him with a smile. "It would have been best if you succeeded in persuading your fellow Larkinson mech pilots to join your cause, but that's okay. It would have taken too much time to retrain them all into capable second-class mech pilots. The CRC will just have to supply like-minded mech pilots from its own ranks!"

The expert pilot began to look concerned.

Chapter 1945 It"s Personal

"I'm baaaaack, honey! Did you miss me? I sure did, hihihi!"

After yet another long day of meetings and technical problem solving, Gloriana entered her stateroom on the Stellar Chaser with giddiness that belied her exhaustion!

No matter how many difficulties she encountered throughout her day, returning to Ves always cheered her up! Like a sleeping prince, Ves was just begging for a kiss!

Gloriana cheerfully approached the bed and bent down to place a chaste kiss on his lips. She sniffed his face and took in his fresh and slightly-moist smell.

The caretaker bots must have freshened his body up, causing his skin to glow in the light as far as she was concerned!

Sometimes, she liked to cuddle with Ves when he hadn't undergone his period cleaning cycle for a while.

However, she liked variety as well. It kept each cuddling session from growing stale.

"Miaow."

In the meantime, Clixie hopped on top of Gloriana's desk and bumped her nose against Lucky's flank.

"Meow."

Lucky yawned and nuzzled his nose into Clixie's furry neck.

While the cats started playing, Gloriana left for the bathroom and emerged some time later looking just as fresh as her boyfriend.

Her elegant, recently-dried hair trailed straight down her head and embraced her smiling face like an elegant curtain.

She hopped onto the bed and started to press herself up against her sleeping boyfriend. She kissed his cheek and started to trail her finger on his chest.

"I miss you, Ves. How long will you remain comatose? I really hope that implant of yours finishes its integration process soon. I only have our old memories to remind me of what it's like to be your lover. I miss our collaboration projects!"

As Gloriana began to blabber, she faced Ves' delectable cheek with an adoring gaze.

She couldn't resist her urges any longer!

She just had to lick Ves' cheek!

"Hihihi!"

She stretched out her tongue and stretched her head forward.

Just as the tip of her tongue was about to touch her boyfriend's jaw, a pair of fingers suddenly snapped it, preventing Gloriana from starting her lick!

"Bwu?"

A pair of eyes opened and turned towards Gloriana. "How long have you been licking my face?"

"Ues?"

"What is it with my cheek?! It's not enough for you to kiss it or caress it with your fingers. Why do you have to lick it?! Do you think you're Clixie or something?!"

"Miaow?" The Rubarthan Sentinel Cat looked up from the desk as Ves mentioned her name.

"Uu 'aste ood!"

"What kind of an excuse is that?!"

"Ueees!"

Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!

Ves bonked her three times on the head before letting go of her tongue.

Gloriana drew back her head with mocked aggrievedness.

"Don't bump my head!"

He smiled and rubbed her head instead. "Is that better?"

"Oh Ves..."

After sharing a proper kiss, Gloriana no longer hid her happiness.

"You're awake! I've waited so long for you to recover. It's strange you woke up ahead of schedule, though. Ranya was sure it would take at least four more days for you to regain consciousness!"

He shrugged. "I'm weird like that."

"How are you feeling, Ves? Do you feel the implant expanding your mind?"

"Uh, no? I do feel a lot more sluggish in my thinking, but I haven't noticed any of the effects you've described. Has the integration process finished?"

"Ah, I remember. Ranya told me that your implant is probably on standby mode. This is the final step of the integration process. You'll need to head to the infirmary and undergo one more checkup. Ranya has to make absolutely sure your implant has settled in properly in your head before we turn it on. The first activation of a cranial implant is always a doozy. The transition in the way you think and the way you process your memory will change completely. Adapting to the changes requires even more time."

Ves nodded. "A part of me is afraid. Another part of me looks forward to what I can do. This will be the last time I think in this fashion."

He would probably diverge even further from humanity after this change.

They soon turned to more serious topics. "How much time has passed?"

"Almost a month."

"What happened while I was out?"

"A lot..."

Though Ves already knew most of what had occurred due to his eavesdropping, he pretended to be ignorant and earnestly listened as Gloriana described all of the developments since his surgery.

Gloriana did not waste any time and immediately informed him of the most critical developments!

The CRC's surprise attack on the Larkinson Clan, the mass arrests of the members of the Larkinson Family, the escaped Larkinsons making their way to the Sentinel Kingdom and the possible rescue attempt by DIVA all came as a 'shock' to Ves!

"These Fridaymen have gone too far!"

Ves did not need to pretend very much to express his indignation against the Fridaymen's actions.

He had been repressing his anger for days. Now that he managed to wake up, he could finally vent his frustrations to someone other than Goldie!

"I know." Gloriana nodded her head like a chick. "Those Fridaymen always pretend to be better than us, but deep down they are hypocritical, sanctimonious fools who will do anything to advance their interests."

Didn't that apply to everyone?

"Regardless, it's one thing if the Friday Coalition targeted my clan. That is something that I hadn't done enough to protect against. It's another matter when the Fridaymen targeted the old family! We're clearly not affiliated with the Larkinsons in the Bright Republic, yet the CRC decided to paint us all with a single brush anyway!"

Ves truly felt a bit helpless. No matter what he did, the old family would always be vulnerable to retaliation.

Enemies who weren't able to get at him directly could easily direct their ire against the Larkinson Family!

It would have been great if Ves could absorb the members of the old family into his clan. Once the Larkinsons got back together, he no longer had to worry about protecting a group of far-flung Larkinsons that would continue to grow more distant as Ves moved away.

Yet Ves already knew that the members of the old family were too stubborn and set in their ways to join his clan.

"I recall leaving behind a contingency plan that calls for abandoning the captured Larkinsons." He spoke to Gloriana while he embraced her with an arm. "It was a bad solution to a difficult problem. I don't blame you for ditching it for something better. If there is a good chance of rescuing my relatives without risking the lives of other Larkinsons, then I'm fully behind this alternative. It's just.. I'm worried about DIVA. If Calabast is representative of this organization, then I'm very concerned about what they demand from us in exchange for your services!"

Nothing came for free! There was always a price, and people like Calabast embodied this principle!"

"You should ask Calabast for the details." She replied. "It's not light, though. Calabast and I had to offer a lot of concessions on your behalf in order to satisfy DIVA's appetite."

"What do they want from me? I hope you didn't promise anything ludicrous."

"Don't worry, Ves. It's just a lot of favors. Once you've finished scratching DIVA's back, we'll be even with them. That's a good deal considering you'll be freeing a lot of Larkinsons."

"Not all?"

"Well, there's one Larkinson who bucked the trend..."

Once she told him about Ghanso, Ves gritted his teeth.

"This fool of an expert pilot just won't go away! What is he even doing?!"

"From what our intelligence has gleaned, the Friday Coalition is already looking to absorb some of the expert pilots of the lesser states. Venerable Ghanso isn't the only expert pilot to defect to the Friday Coalition. It's part of a broad initiative to break the stalemate by strengthening their top-level mech forces."

This was new. Ves looked genuinely surprised. "That doesn't sound very common. A lot of expert pilots are very dedicated to their home states."

"There are some expert pilots like Ghanso who aren't as inflexible. As long as the Friday Coalition can recruit twenty percent of the expert pilots of its client states, then the frontlines will not remain stagnant for too long!"

It didn't take much effort to see that his girlfriend was genuinely concerned for her home state.

"You're afraid?"

"The Hegemony is attempting to do the same, but we are one step behind. We didn't anticipate the Coalition would move to take advantage of the lesser states so soon!"

Ves believed that the Hexers were about to get schooled by the Fridaymen in this regard.

The Fridaymen might be divided to the point where they didn't possess a unified culture, this also happened to be their strength!

Their culture was friendly and open to diversity. While the Fridaymen didn't respond too well to religion, they were quite lax towards every other culture.

In contrast, the Hexers were openly known as man-haters. The female supremacists didn't endear themselves to the Komodo Star Sector at all!

With their discriminatory practices, the Hexers would probably encounter a much less enthusiastic reception among the mech pilots of their client states!

Even if states like the Sentinel Kingdom gave up some of their expert pilots, the only reason they acquiesced was because they were too far away from the Friday Coalition to beg for help!

Though Gloriana probably knew this outcome as well, she didn't look too concerned.

"The Hegemony will find a way. If necessary, we'll resort to quality instead of quantity." She grinned. "Maybe we can help in this regard. One of the favors you need to fulfill is to work together with DIVA to design a mech that encapsulates the advantages of your design philosophy, but is made suitable for Hexer mech pilots!"

Ves immediately frowned. "I thought you Hexers hated the thought of piloting a mech designed by a boy."

"That is still true, but there are many ways to go around it. Now that we've become masterwork mech designers, some of the rules that restrict from participating in the Hegemony mech market don't apply anymore."

It sounded like this mission was a lot more significant than designing a punishment mech for the Penitent Sisters!

In truth, Ves did not reject this development. In fact, he embraced it because it was the best way to take revenge on the Friday Coalition!

Since they killed his relatives, Ves had become truly angry at this enemy state. He no longer wanted to leave the Komodo Star Sector while leaving behind loose ends.

The Coalition Reserve Corps made it personal!

Gloriana didn't know much more about the details, or if they did, she foisted the job of explaining the situation to Calabast.

Ves knew that his girlfriend could be rather shrewd. He suspected that Ves wouldn't like what Calabast would have to say!

"Before I talk to Calabast, could you tell me what DIVA is like?"

"DIVA is arguably the Hegemony's most flamboyant intelligence agency." She answered. "In fact, to call it an intelligence agency is something of a misnomer. While they definitely do spy work, they're mostly known for their daring operations. A lot of women from the Hegemony admire the agents of DIVA for their strength and their exciting lives."

"That sounds as if they're the protagonists of an action drama."

Gloriana chuckled. "It's all true, though, at least I think so. You know Calabast pretty decently, right? Does she look like a woman who can take care of herself?"

"Ah. Well, if you put it that way, then DIVA does sound formidable. What is their involvement in the Komodo War?"

"It's mostly secret, so I don't know. If I had to make a guess, then I think that DIVA is definitely responsible for monitoring and sabotaging the Fridaymen as they move to take greater control over the lesser states. The agents of DIVA do much more than that, though."

Perhaps Ves might have an opportunity to take revenge against the CRC...

Chapter 1946 Partial Digitization

After Ves woke up, he wasn't in a hurry to get back into the saddle.

He knew he had to make a lot of important decisions soon, so he needed to make sure he was in the best state possible to tackle all of the problems that came up during his month-long absence.

Though Gloriana wasn't always the best source of information, Ves patiently questioned to her throughout the evening in order to gain a complete picture of their ongoing situation.

Currently, the LMC, the Larkinson Clan and his other organizations successfully evacuated the Kesseling System.

Along the way, their large fleet encountered little hindrance. The CRC didn't seem to have any pursuit forces in place that could intercept their flight.

The Ylvaine Protectorate, which could have stopped their escape by mobilizing its entire military, descended into anarchy.

Betraying the Bright Martyr and the loss of Ylvaine's glow immediately roiled the Protectorate as a huge majority of citizens rose up against their leaders!

The three leading dynasties not only lost the support of the common people, but also many of its own members!

With all of the unrest taking place, no one was in a position to prevent the Larkinson Clan from leaving Protectorate space and crossing over into the region of space that was ravaged by the sandmen!

Hearing that the fleet was crossing through the ruined border states worried him a bit. Even though he agreed with the logic of this decision, he wasn't sure whether they would bump into the sandmen along the way!

"You don't have to be concerned, Ves." Gloriana said as she settled into the bed for the night. "We've been passing through the former territory of the Coman Federation while encountering nothing but sanded ruins and greedy scavenging fleets. You should be more concerned about humans than aliens, because some of those scavengers were likely thinking about raiding our fleet!"

"Are they that threatening?"

"Not really." She shrugged. "We may have taken a beating at Kesseling VIII, but that mainly applies to our landbound contingent. We've repaired and bolstered our spaceborn assets to the point where hardly any scavengers or pirates dare to get close to us when we translate back into realspace!"

That sounded about right.

"Where are we heading to next?"

"We're not sure yet. Right now, we're continuing our flight from Coalition-aligned space. Brutus wants to take a detour to the Vindmar Republic while most Larkinsons just want to reach the Sentinel Kingdom as fast as possible in order to obtain some much-needed respite. They're not happy with remaining stuck on a vessel for months on end."

This was a very considerable problem to Ves. How could he ever embark on his grand expedition if his own clan preferred to go back to life on land?

"I understand. I'll consider this matter later when I talk to the Council and the Assembly."

They eventually grew tired and fell asleep. Both of them slept while enjoying each other's company.

The next morning, they woke up in each other's embrace. After a bit of cuddling, they went through their morning routine and enjoyed a much sober-looking breakfast.

"I'm sorry, Ves." She told him. "After your exobiologist's betrayal, we don't have anyone who can prepare ingredients as well as him. Once we reach the Sentinel Kingdom, I intend to remedy this problem. For now, my guards are taking extra care to scan our meals."

Ves waved his hand. "It's okay. I'm not a picky eater. It's a shame about Dr. Guernica though. Did you ever get to the bottom of the reason why he betrayed us? He had a promising future under my employ."

"We're not sure. The Friday Coalition has many ways to incentivize someone to turn traitor. It doesn't happen a lot in the Hegemony, but there are always Hexers who are greedy enough to betray the Hegemony for money and status."

"If it happened once, it can happen again."

"I agree. Cabalast is already addressing this issue."

This was yet another topic on the agenda. Ves certainly had a lot to talk about with Calabast, but first he wanted to complete the Archimedes Rubal's integration process!

With the implant boosting some of his cognitive functions, he hoped he would be better equipped to navigate his problems.

Once they finished breakfast, the pair left the dining room and headed to the infirmary.

"Good morning, Ranya."

The exobiologist threw a resentful look at Ves. "It's about time you woke up. Gloriana insisted that I stay aboard the Stellar Chaser in order to be on call if you ever suffer a problem. Now that you're up and walking, I can finally go back to my ship and resume my personal research projects."

"Hey wait a minute! Don't forget to activate my implant!"

"Oh. Yes. That. Let me see. Go ahead and enter that machine. We'll need to perform a complete scan of your body."

This was a familiar if time-consuming process to Ves. It took hours before Ranya gathered the data she needed. She spent a bit more time inspecting his condition before she was ready to issue her verdict.

"Your body hasn't atrophied at all while you remained dormant." She told him. "Your alien organs and the CFA's gene optimization treatments have done much in ensuring that your physical state remains in peak condition."

Ves didn't feel any worse despite lying dead in bed for a moment. "Sounds great. What about my brain?"

She smiled. "While the Archimedes Rubal took its time to integrate with your brain tissue due to the complications that arose during the surgery, it has settled in without any meaningful issues. In fact, your brain is taking onto the implant a lot better than I expected. I don't think you'll have a very long adaptation process. It must be the gene optimization treatments. Almost every fleeter possesses a cranial implant."

It also helped that the Archimedes Rubal was originally a CFA implant. It would make sense that the CFA would tailor the gene expression of its spacers to increase their compatibility with its implants.

After a long and somewhat technical discussion, Ranya finally got to the point. "While I can't rule out the possibility that something might go wrong, there aren't any glaring risks. The only issue I'm concerned about is whether the alien part of you develops an adverse reaction to your implant."

So far, this problem hadn't arisen, so the likelihood that this would happen was very small. Ranya was only mentioning the possibility in order to do her due diligence.

"Let's start."

"If you're sure."

Gloriana quietly stood by Ves' side as she held Clixie in her arms. She hugged her cat in worry as if she was afraid that something might go wrong.

Lucky on the other hand appeared much less concerned. He floated alongside his body as he laid in a diagnostic machine.

"Meow."

"Thank you too for your concern. How is your constipation, by the way?"

"Meow!"

Ves ignored his cat as Ranya pressed a device against the side of his head.

"This only works a single time. Once the implant turns online, it's active for good barring any accidents. Cranial implants aren't mechs that are only brought online when necessary. The Archimedes Rubal will become a permanent part of your central nervous system. You can think of it like updating your brain. After it goes online, it's not a separate entity entity anymore. It's a part of your brain in the same way as the temporal lobe that's responsible for storing your memories is part of a greater whole."

"You don't have to explain any further. I'm a mech designer. I make complex war machines for a living. I understand the analogy."

"Unlike mechs, you can't disassemble your brain, and it's at least a thousand times more difficult to repair any brain-related injuries."

If brains were so easy to repair, then a lot more mech pilots wouldn't have been forced to retire.

The greater implications of her words was that it wasn't easy to replace his current implant with another model.

If he ever encountered a better implant made by the MTA or something, Ves could only let it pass. Only the top implant surgeons in the galaxy could remove the Archimedes Rubal without inflicting lots of damage to his original cognition. Those kinds of super experts only offered their services to the upper echelon of the Big Two and the first-rate superstates!

"Do it." He told her. "I've already made my choice. The Archimedes Rubal may not be the best implant in the galaxy, but it is exactly what I need to facilitate my work. I'm already the most successful Journeyman Mech Designer in the entire star sector without relying on a cranial implant! I don't think I actually need an implant to reach Master, but it will definitely help make it easier!"

Once Ves gave his consent in writing for legal reasons, Ranya finally activated the implant.

A small signal passed through the device she pressed against his head. The signal traveled through his skull and brain tissue until it reached a receptor extended from a veiled and armored tube.

The receptor tingled a bit as it received the signal. Immediately after it passed on the signal, the main body of the implant absorbed the receptor tissue!

The Archimedes Rubal came online in full for the very first time.

Ves only felt a subliminal area in the back of his mind when it was on standby. Now that it activated its functions and made it available to him, he froze as his mind seemed to expand in a very strange fashion!

The experience was indescribable. It was as if his mind gained add-ons that inexplicably increased his cognitive functions beyond his wildest means!

Eating all of those Intelligence Candies long ago had already improved his cognitive functions to the human limit and beyond. Yet the candies improved his thinking ability in a broad and comprehensive manner.

The Archimedes Rubal was different. It ignored many parts of his mind and instead improved a certain number of discrete functions.

First, his memory expanded A LOT. Even though the Archimedes Rubal was smaller than his temporal lobe, with the latest technology humanity had at its disposal just three centuries ago, even the shabbiest memory implants could easily store a billion times more data than the human mind!

Suffice to say, a CFA implant that specialized in data storage would not be running out of storage space anytime soon!

As Ves glanced at Lucky's floating body, he had a feeling he could reproduce his entire physical makeup to an incredible degree just by relying on his memories!

"How frightening!"

As he continued to observe his cat, he also noticed something else.

He had a feeling he could form a data connection with his own cat!

It wasn't just his cat. He gained an entirely new sense of electronic connections. There were tons of devices around him which he could patch in if he possessed the right permissions. He could form a silent connection with his comm, his girlfriend's comm, the medical machines and many, many other devices!

Of course, there was a risk that a hacker might abuse this connection, but Ves instinctively found out he could retract the connectivity of his implant when he didn't need it. In addition, the implant already came with a ludicrous amount of safeguards and its security suite was fully up to date.

Related to his ability to establish electronic connections was the partial digitization of his thoughts!

He no longer had any difficulty in performing complicated mathematical equations. He didn't have to input a formula in his comm anymore. He could get the answer directly from his mind!

"How formidable!"

Aside from this, he also gained the ability to read and process many types of digital data without requiring any electronic tools!

Ves experimented by uploading some design files from his comm to his implant.

The Archimedes Rubal stored the files without a problem!

Not only that, but Ves could even 'open' the files in his mind and observe the design schematics as if he turned into a processor!

This was one of the most useful functions of his implant! With the partial digitization of his mind, his efficiency in designing mechs would probably skyrocket!

"This.. this is fantastic! Now I know what it feels like to have an implant like you, Gloriana!"

Chapter 1947 Machine Organ

It took hours for Ves to get the hang of some of the functions he could perform.

By far, the partial digitization of his cognitive functions boosted certain capabilities through the roof!

The most powerful of which was his memory. It was as if he upgraded a very old and outdated comm with the most powerful data chip for sale in the galaxy!

He could record nearly any piece of data flowing through his neurons if he wanted to. The possibilities were endless.

He could record his own brain waves and analyze it later to see if his thoughts were being tampered with from an outside influence.

He could record any book by flipping through its pages for just a fraction of a second.

He could turn himself into a surveillance sensor and record everything that happened around him before uploading it to a server which processed the data for anything suspicious.

That last ability was possible due to the way the Archimedes Rubal was both an organ and a machine. It was a bioimplant, which meant that it was built using organic materials but functioned like a machine.

This meant that while he was able to interface it with his brain, he could also use it as a bridge to connect to various electronic systems!

He didn't translate the contents of his mind into a terminal or his comm by dictating his words manually. He could just upload it directly in a matter of milliseconds!

The amount of time he saved which this adaptation alone was immense!

It also explained how Gloriana could keep up her prodigious rate of learning.

She had always been faster and more precise at work as well. Now that he had an implant of his own, Ves found out that it wasn't necessarily natural. Much of her strength relied on augmentation.

Of course, the implants didn't make the mech designer. Ves fully recognized that much of Gloriana's success came from her passion, her diligence, her persistence and her diligence.

Yet it was undeniable that she wouldn't have risen up to become a Journeyman so soon without her excellent Erestal-015 implant.

Their two implants also differed a lot from each other.

In general, while Gloriana's implant didn't come with a ludicrous amount of data storage capacity, it had been designed from the ground up to facilitate mech designers in their work.

It came with all kinds of handy features such as inbuilt mech modelling and various sophisticated algorithms that assisted in performing calculations and projections.

The central focus of the Erestal-015 was to improve a mech designer's judgement. Among other functions, it allowed Gloriana to look at a design and know exactly what was wrong with it and how to improve it with the least required effort.

Ves did not possess these proprietary features. The Archimedes Rubal was an implant designed for the CFA, and it was originally an outdated one to boot, so why should it share any relations to mechs?

The implant used to revolve around data storage, but Dr. Ranya and the late Dr. Guernica had both attached various add-ons to the implant in order to expand its utility.

It now came with a fairly robust processor that was useful in all kinds of calculations. While it wasn't as suited for mech design as the Erestal-015, it was more than enough to suit his day-to-day purposes.

Ves acted like a kid in a nutrient pack store. He curiously explored each and every function and already formed a general strategy in how to make effective use of his new addition.

"I should take advantage of this implant to boost my learning."

There were plenty of textbooks in his library that he wanted to read. Before, he never had the time, but now, he could just upload them wholesale to his Archimedes Rubal and learn from them whenever he was idle!

Aside from that, Ves also wanted to make some headway into designing imaginary mechs.

His previous experimentations with spiritual creation already showed him the limits on relying on his intrinsic memory capacity. As an independent consciousness, Ves could only memorize as much as his ordinary brain allowed, which wasn't very much when he tried to create anything more complex than a rudimentary spiritual eye.

Yet now that he possessed the Archimedes Rubal, he could upload trillions of highly-detailed mech designs into it and be able to recall the full details with just a momentary thought!

When Ves proceeded to do so with his own mech designs, he began to call up the Bright Warrior design in his mind.

Different from before, his impression of the schematics wasn't limited to the broad strokes. He was able to recall the dimensions and other properties of millions of components at the same time!

"How powerful!" Ves gasped.

Gloriana smiled happily at him. "It's great, isn't it? Now, you don't have to rely on me all the time to optimize our mechs! You should be able to do it as well. We can also share our solutions and proposals to each other without even having to talk!"

She demonstrated this by establishing a simple data connection.

It was as if they linked their comms together. Gloriana transferred some files. Ves opened them up in his mind and saw that it was just an unfinished mech concept that she hadn't fully explored.

If it was before, then Gloriana would have needed to take at least ten minutes to explain her concept.

It was different now! Gloriana did not just transfer over her design schematics, but also a bit of her thoughts and reasoning in digital form!

This was something that transcended simple data exchange. It wouldn't have been possible for Gloriana to explain her perspective so accurately and intimately if not for the partial digitization of her mind!

Ves widened his eyes. "This is incredible!"

The one flaw with this method was that her thoughts did not convey her emotion and other intangible properties. Ves would have preferred to hear her thought process through words because she would be able to convey her passion with the inflections of her voice.

While not perfect in any means, it was still useful in many situations, especially if they were in a hurry to finish their work!

All in all, the various possibilities opened up by his bioimplant definitely brightened his day. Though he regretted the problems that followed after he underwent his surgery, he still regarded this boost as an extremely important augmentation!

After Ves was finally tired of playing around with his new toy, he left the infirmary in order to start addressing the huge pile of issues that had been building up in the last month.

"You should talk to Calabast first before you meet with the Larkinsons or anything else." Gloriana suggested as she was cradling Clixie was if she was a baby. "She told me that she has some very impactful suggestions in mind, some of which might change your working relationship with her. I don't like her, but she did save you from getting your brain scrambled, so I'll tolerate her presence. She better not sink her claws in you, though!"

Ves smiled and leaned forward to exchange a brief kiss. "I love you, Gloriana. Even though the galaxy is surrounded by treacherous bastards, I'm not one of them! I have always been faithful to you. I don't trust many people, but I trust you. I can't say the same for Calabast."

That reassured her. As someone familiar with Ves as her, Gloriana knew that her boyfriend valued trust very much.

"You're right." She patted his shoulder. "I should extend my trust to you as well. You won't be having affairs behind my back, right?"

Her nails suddenly started digging in through the fabric of his suit!

"RIGHT?!"

"Miaow!"

"Haha, of course! I'm not a womanizer, Gloriana!"

"Good."

They separated from each other. While Gloriana addressed her own affairs, Ves entered the compartment set aside for Calabast.

He entered what appeared to be an improvised command center of some sorts. Ves had never seen her with any of her subordinates aside from Commander Dise.

This time, she had an entire team of men and women manning various consoles. They were analyzing footage, writing analyses and modelling the outcomes of various actions.

What struck Ves the most was how they each wore a standard black uniform with subtle grey patterns.

Though the uniform's appearance looked simple, the fabric and cuts looked rather stylish in an understated fashion.

Each uniform also featured a distinctive badge that looked almost completely black to the less discerning eye. It featured a black cat with bright yellow eyes perched in front of a dark blue sea of stars!

"Ves." Calabast greeted him from the opposite side of the compartment. "I see you have noticed my new Black Cats. Do you like our new look?"

Calabast wore the new uniform of the Black Cats the best, of course. She enjoyed one more round of CFA gene optimization treatments over him and doubtlessly resorted to other technological means to enhance her appearance like other women.

However, unlike most women, Calabast not only worked on her appearance, but also her demeanor.

Ves always felt a little repressed in her presence. Calabast exuded a sense of competence and superiority that reminded him of his mother.

Now that he gained a cranial implant, this sense of discomfort became a bit more obvious to him. Due to the partial digitization of his mind, he found out that an alarmingly large proportion of thoughts revolved around fear, doubt and worry ever since he entered the compartment!

He shook his head and tried to distract himself from his negative thoughts.

"The uniform is too plain and monotone. I like how you or your uniform designers spruced it up with a bit of grey, but it's still a bit too basic. Even your badge exhibits so little contrast it's hard to make out that it depicts a cat at all. From a design standpoint, the uniform succeeds in bonding everyone who wears it, but fails in making your club stand out from other organizations."

"That's the point, Ves. We aren't meant to draw attention. It's okay if our existence is known, but we should never stand out from the background."

As Calabast talked, Ves tried to probe her with his implant in order to see if he could glean any more information from her. As his implant began to process his observation data, a spike of dizziness suddenly interrupted his attempt!

"Ouch!"

The spy chuckled. "Did you just try to probe me with your implant?"

"What the hell? What did you do?"

"I just performed a simple anti-surveillance countermeasure. Here's some advice to you, Ves. Don't go around scanning and probing everyone with your shiny new augmentation. People with means have many ways to block, mislead or outright counterattack any attempt to probe them beyond the surface."

Ves looked disturbed. "I see."

"Don't look so glum. You can still use this function on regular people who aren't as guarded, and you can still take secret images of me in order to keep you satisfied when you are by yourself."

He didn't even deign to respond to this statement.

"Is there anything else I should be aware about?"

"Just stick to the general precautions. Your implant already comes with a very powerful security suite, courtesy of Dr. Ranya and myself, but you should always exercise prudent behavior. In particular, you should never open up your implant to outside signals unless you have no other choice. Try to rely on solid contact and wired connections to transfer data."

"How do I do that?"

"Your implant makes it possible to receive data through touch when enabled. Just touch a port in a comm or a terminal to enable secure data transfer. You can also touch Gloriana's finger or press your forehead against hers if you want to exchange data."

All of this sounded very useful to him. Wireless transmissions had their place, but Ves should try to stick to more secure connections as much as possible.

"I didn't come here to talk about my implant."

"I know." She jerked her head to a different compartment. "Let's head to my office so we can discuss the future."

As they filed into the office, Nitaa and Lucky followed inside as well. Calabast glanced at them with an unwelcome expression.

"I'd like to hold this discussion in private."

Ves shrugged. "Nitaa is loyal to a fault and Lucky is a cat. Whatever secrets you want to share with me are safe."

"Very well. Don't blame me if they can't keep their secrets. The people around you aren't as reliable as you think."

"Does that apply to you as well?"

Calabast smiled ruefully. "Even me. This is part of what I want to discuss with you today. A lot has happened in the last month and it's clear you will have to make some changes in direction."

"Let's hear it, then."

Chapter 1948 In Decline

Lucky lazily dozed off on Ves' lap. The cat had already inspected the entire interior and was disappointed when he found nothing of interest. Calabast was too careful to leave any traces behind.

As Ves stroked his cat's metallic back, he faced Calabast with a guarded expression.

His girlfriend had already made it clear that Calabast had been very busy in the last month.

"What's up with the Black Cats?"

She smiled as she sat on the other side of her desk. "Let's address that later. To understand my Black Cats, we should first address the situation facing the Larkinson Clan."

"I'm about to meet with Raymond and the other Larkinson leaders later."

"Then it's even more important to talk about your clan with me, because they are going to spring a very unpleasant surprise on you. A lot of Larkinsons are having second thoughts about your leadership, Ves. The Battle of Kesseling VIII may have granted them a victory, but they never asked for this fight to begin with. It's inevitable that you'll be suffering the repercussions of your past decisions and actions."

"I never asked to be targeted by the Friday Coalition!" Ves protested. "Why are they even attacking me to begin with? I'm just one of the countless mech designers in this star sector!"

"That's a lie and you know it." Calabast verbally stomped. "You were never an average mech designer, and your latest exploits only increased your threat level. What you did to the sandmen could easily be done to the Fridaymen as well. When any analyst from the Coalition studies your work and the impact you've made to the Sand War, it's not that difficult to extrapolate your past exploits to the Komodo War."

"You're telling me that I'm a threat to the Friday Coalition. I don't even care about the Komodo War!"

"They don't know that, Ves! To them, your girlfriend is a Hexer and you are becoming increasingly more valued by the Wodin Dynasty. To them, it seems that there is a very realistic possibility that you will lend your strength to their war effort. Even if your work is not as strong as the Fridaymen fear, they can't rule out the possibility that you can achieve more."

"They're afraid."

"That's right. They're not only afraid, but they're also strong. That is a deadly combination. It means that the Friday Coalition isn't willing to wait and see what you'll do. They want to nip this potential problem in the bud, so they aren't showing any scruples in trying to neutralize you as a threat! Whether it's killing you, kidnapping you or blackmailing you, one way or another the Friday Coalition doesn't want you to do anything that will strengthen the Hegemony!"

Anger welled within Ves. His repressed animosity towards the Coalition flared up yet again!

"Is that why they kidnapped the members of the Larkinson Family in the Bright Republic?"

She nodded. "It's a dirty move, and one that has led to a lot of indignation in the Bright Republic, but the Fridaymen doesn't care. The Bright Republic is their client state in their perspective and leveraging the Larkinson Family to influence you is fair game."

"Those bastards!"

"Look. It's too late to mend fences with the Friday Coalition. The moment it designated you as a threat to their interests, they won't sit still and let you act with impunity, especially when you are within reach."

His decision to remain in the Ylvaine Protectorate proved to be a mistake. Ves didn't expect the Friday Coalition to be so shameless and force the religious state to defect to the other side!

A storm raged across his face. "The Fridaymen have made a very big mistake. Touching me is one thing. Touching my relatives is another thing! I didn't want to pick a fight with them, but now that they've killed my clansmen and kidnapped some of my distant relatives, I'm not going to let their actions go unanswered!"

Calabast observed Ves carefully before smirking in satisfaction. This was exactly the response she wanted to see!

"I can help you with taking revenge, Ves. Before we discuss that, let's get back to the clan. There's no simple way to put it. A number of Larkinson clansmen have already decided to leave the clan. They want to join the growing group of exiles from the old family who have managed to escape the Bright Republic's persecution."

Ves paused for a moment. He couldn't say this news came as a surprise to him. He still reacted with surprise, though.

"How many?"

"We've been doing our best to stem the bleeding, but.. The number of trueblood clansmen who want to leave will probably amount to two-hundred Larkinsons."

"That's around a fourth of our clan." Ves flatly said.

"After accounting for the casualties, the proportion is slightly bigger. What is more painful is that many of those Larkinsons consist of valuable mech pilots, administrators, mech instructors and other highly-skilled personnel. They serve as valuable pillars in your various organizations. Their absence will be deeply felt."

Ves gritted his teeth. "Many of them have signed the Larkinson Mandate. They made an oath. Now they want to leave just when we suffer our first setback?"

"It's the remnants of the Larkinson Family that is partially luring them away. The old family that is fleeing the Bright Republic has reached out to the clan and offered them a place in their company. The exiles are being led by Venerable Ark Larkinson. You should know how much pull he has over the rest of your relatives."

Ah. That explained much. Given a choice between following a young and trouble-prone mech designer like Ves and a pillar of the family like Ark, a lot of Larkinsons probably yearned for the more stable choice.

"The departure of some of your clansmen can't be avoided. They don't have the stomach to live a life of excitement and danger. They just want to lead a steady life with their families. I think the attitude you took in one of your contingency plans is right. It's better to let go of these fair-weather opportunists go. Their loyalty and commitment to the clan simply isn't sufficient enough to entrust them with heavy responsibilities."

She was right. Ves fully agreed with her. The main reason he was upset was because he considered this to be another form of betrayal.

It was one thing to refuse his offer to join the clan. Melinda, Ark, Benjamin and many other relatives declined his invitation.

Yet hundreds of Larkinsons signed up with the clan. The Larkinson Mandate contained the names of every founding member. Ves now faced the unenviable prospect of striking the names of the leavers from the most important relic of his clan!

"If they want to leave so badly, then let them walk." Ves eventually came around and accepted this outcome. "Where will they go?"

"Right now, both us and the escaped members of the old family are fleeing to the Sentinel Kingdom. From there, the old family will probably go their own way. Ark Larkinson and his followers have already made it clear that they don't intend to join our clan. Many of them blame you for ruining their lives. Others don't want to subject themselves to your leadership. Whatever their reasons, unless you put your Devil Tongue charm to work, I doubt you can absorb these Larkinsons into your clan."

"I don't want them anyway." Ves shook his head. "If their loyalty is so hard to gain, then they're not a good fit for our clan. What about the clansmen who remain? How committed are they?"

"You still have many supporters among the Larkinsons, Ves, so you don't have to worry too much on this front. While they're pained by the losses, they are a bit more understanding about the dangers they must face in order to thrive. It helps that we offer a lot of rewards that the Larkinson Family can't match."

Ves crossed his arms. "Risk is accompanied with reward. Asking my Larkinsons to fight and brave death is not possible unless I give them something to fight for. Evidently, I haven't offered enough to retain 200 clansmen.

"Their impending departure is going to sting, Ves. Aside from leaving lots of holes in your hierarchy, the morale of the clan will also sink. That's not a very good development for a family organization that hasn't existed for long. The foundation of the clan is too weak. One more setback might bring it to the brink of collapse."

He knew that Calabast wasn't exaggerating. While he hadn't talked with any Larkinsons yet, he could imagine how the Battle of Kesseling VIII inflicted a huge blow to their confidence.

"How bad is the problem?"

"Right now, the news isn't so good. After fleeing the Bright Republic, your clansmen have to flee again. Confidence has already sunk to a precipitous level. I believe that Raymond Billlingsley-Larkinson and the other senior Larkinson elders will want to discuss how to turn it around."

"Won't the impending rescue attempt by your 'allies' ease their worries?"

"We haven't disclosed the news of DIVA's rescue operation to anyone else except a few of those elders, Ves. Secrecy is paramount. The good news is that we don't have to stay quiet for much longer. While DIVA hasn't informed me when they will start the operation, they have to do it soon before the CRC arrives to take the hostages back to the Coalition."

Ves hoped that he could restore some trust from the remaining members of his clan. At the very least, showing that he wasn't about to abandon his relatives would show that he still cared.

What worried him the most after this setback was that his clan would continue to diminish in numbers. The Battle of Kesseling VIII was not going to be the last scuffle where his clansmen sacrificed their lives. Continuous battles and other dangerous incidents would keep chipping away at his clan, especially if they happened frequently!

He needed to reverse this trend, because if he kept going at this pace, his clan might collapse before a single generation had passed!

Calabast seemed to read him like a book. "I know what you are concerned about. I've been thinking about this issue as well. With the life you lead and the ambitions you hold, conflict can never be ruled out. It takes an immense effort to earn passage to the Red Ocean, and it takes even more effort to thrive in that ruthless environment."

"Am I being unfair to my clan?"

"I don't think so." She replied. "Many clans and families have taken the risks. The founders of the Bright Republic, the various partners of the Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony all used to be similar to the Larkinson Clan. They weren't satisfied with the status quo and decided to brave many dangers in order to chase after fortune. What's important for you to realize is that you have more supporters than just your relatives. That's something I wanted to address today."

"What do you mean?" Ves looked at Calabast with suspicion.

He had a feeling that she had something very important to say.

"Your Larkinson Clan is about to diminish in numbers. It seems to me that your clan could use some fresh blood. Now, you just happen to have a lot of followers who are just as loyal if not more than your own clansmen. They don't have to share a blood or family relation with you in order to fight and die on your behalf. I've been talking about this with the Living Prophet. He agrees with me that the way you run your current groups is too disjointed. After a fruitful discussion, we came up with a proposal that will not only solve some of your problems, but also lead to a much clearer direction!"

Ves wasn't stupid. Talking about the decline of the clan and mentioning the loyalty of his non-family subordinates were both related!

"Don't tell me you want to induct my workers into my clan!?"

The grin on Calabast's face was an answer in itself!

"How many?" He hesitantly asked.

"Everyone."

This was a radical proposal! Just under ten-thousand mech pilots, ship crew, support personnel, managers and various other employees made up his current fleet!

While Ves had to admit that all of those people made a lot of contributions, if he turned them into Larkinsons, the clan would become a completely different group! The Larkinson Clan he envisioned would be no more once his trueblood relatives became a minority!

Chapter 1949 Worthy Larkinsons

Expand the Larkinson Clan!

Invite thousands of employees and retainers to take up the Larkinson name!

If his grandfather Benjamin and his uncle Ark heard this suggestion, they would probably accuse him of ruining their heritage!

This was not within his plans!

In his dreams, he wanted to grow the Larkinson Clan organically. Over several generations, the children and grandchildren of the current clansmen would solve its number shortage and transform it into a stable entity!

Yet Ves had to admit that if past events were anything to go by, the amount of Larkinsons born might not exceed the amount of Larkinsons who died or left.

While he was confident he could navigate this problem on his own terms, what Calabast proposed was nothing less than using a mech to swat a fly!

Expanding the ranks of the Larkinson Clan by adopting a couple of meritorious retainers was within an acceptable tolerance.

It wouldn't be much different from welcoming outsiders who had married into the clan. The main bloodline of the Larkinson heritage would still remain vigorous as it flowed through their children.

Yet if the clan suddenly invited more than ten times the number of trueblood clansmen to become its members, it would not be easy for Ves and other original Larkinsons to remain in control!

What was most egregious about this suggestion was that the introduction of so many newcomers risk diluting or outright destroying the Larkinson heritage!

"This is unacceptable! I refuse!"

"Are you that insecure about the strength of your clan?" Calabast retorted. "You have the Larkinson Mandate, right? You've built a very strong culture and you have made a lot of strides in earning people's loyalty. The True Believers under the lead of James aren't Brighters or Larkinsons. Yet they have forsaken their own state and fought alongside the Larkinsons against a force led by second-class mechs. They may be Ylvainans, but they exemplified the very same traits that define a Larkinson!"

He had to admit that she was true, but her conclusion was absurd! Turning Ylvainans into Larkinsons sounded wrong! They were cultists who were more liable to listen to James than him! They were deeply religious and believed in all kinds of superstition. Those were traits that he would very much want to keep out of his clan!

"The True Believers aren't the only ones who want to become a Larkinson." Calabast continued. "I want in as well. The reason I formed the Black Cats is because I want my subordinates and I to be recognized as a part of your clan. Though I haven't always succeeded in protecting you against every threat, I have contributed considerably to your safety and the safety of your clan."

Ves looked aghast at Calabast. It was already bad enough that she was a fly that continued to buzz around his orbit all the time. To turn her into a Larkinson was unthinkable!

"Are you serious? You're a Hexer! Why do you want to become a Larkinson?! That doesn't make any sense!"

She steadily looked at him in the eyes. "I'm not joking, Ves. Not this time. I have thought a lot about this issue and I have shared many ideas with James. Allowing us and everyone else who is working for you to join the Larkinson Clan will benefit everyone involved. It's a win-win-win arrangement."

"There are drawbacks as well." Ves retorted. "For example, our clan risks losing its identity! Everything that has the potential to make it great will be drowned by all of the values introduced by the newcomers!"

"You're exaggerating the problem, kid. Didn't I tell you to trust in the foundation that you have built? Everyone who has decided to stick with you such as Calsie and Gavinn are fully committed to your ventures. Brave mech pilots like Joshua King have confronted the mechs of the Coalition Reserve Corps directly. They are just a sample of the thousands of fighters and workers who have abandoned their old lives to follow you to the Red Ocean and beyond. Hardly any of them will refuse the offer to join the clan because becoming a Larkinson is one of their greatest honors!"

Ves vigorously shook his head! "This is still a step too far! We already have a process in place to motivate them to work hard! The most hard-working employees are eligible to become retainers, and the ones who proceed to perform meritorious services are considered for adoption by the clan. What will it mean for the clan when becoming a Larkinson stops becoming rare? Our name and reputation will turn into a commodity!"

"You're exaggerating again, Ves." She said. "Let me show you the people you fear will destroy the Larkinson Clan from within."

She activated a projection that provided Ves with snapshots of the people of his fleet.

He saw Fleet Coordinator Ophelia Kronon hold a conference meeting with every captain. She not only displayed a high degree of professionalism and leadership, but she made sure that the outcome of the meeting benefited the Larkinsons.

He witnessed Joshua guiding a number of new recruits through some challenging battle simulations, many of which were based on the Battle of Kesseling VIII. Joshua not only taught them how to pilot the Bright Warrior, but also reminded him what the Avatars of Myth stood for and who they were obligated to protect with their lives.

He witnessed Gavin quietly working alongside Raymond and the other leaders of the LMC to keep the sprawling mech company together. The recent hostilities with the Friday Coalition caused many of its client states to suppress the LMC's business activities.

Sales dropped and local bank accounts were seized in every state aligned to the Friday Coalition. This resulted in a considerable setback to the LMC and forced everyone who worked at the roving headquarters to do their best to preserve as much assets as possible!

He saw a crowd of Ylvainan spacers praying earnestly in front of a statue of the Great Prophet erected in a spare room aboard one of the new carriers. After they said their prayers, they returned to their stations and diligently kept the ship in peak condition.

He witnessed even more Ylvainans among the Living Sentinels. Though they were a rather recent addition, the mech pilots and support personnel tried their best to mingle with the old guard, with mixed results.

Though they were rather weird to the Brighters, they were very earnest and truly wanted to become a part of the Living Sentinels. They embraced its culture and its ideals with hardly any resistance. In many ways, they succeeded in blending their old beliefs with new values.

The final two clips were a bit more dramatic than the others.

The next projection that came forth was a snippet of footage of two allied forces coming to the rescue of the Avatars, Sentinels and Glory Battalion beleaguered by the landbound forces of the CRC!

The Swordmaidens fought valiantly and lost a considerable amount of mech pilots in order to ground and neutralize the CRC's powerful knight mech!

The Kronon mech pilots who defected from the Protectorate died by droves as they fearlessly threw their mechs against an elite CRC squad!

Despite the horrendous tech and quality disparity, neither the Swordmaidens nor the Kronons flinched from the odds despite the fact that it wasn't strictly their fight!

The last clip was obviously stolen from a station-wide monitoring system. It's impact on Ves surpassed that of the previous footage!

He recognized the small and distant figures of Raella and Ketis escaping a Bentheim space station under the lead of someone he didn't recognize.

"She is one of my agents." Calabast helpfully pointed out. "Without placing her in the vicinity of your cousin and your student, they would have never escaped the government's manhunt."

Ves observed all of the footage and did not deny that she succeeded in driving her point.

There were people who didn't share the Larkinson name who earnestly worked on behalf of himself and the clan. While he wasn't comfortable with adding so many new faces to the Larkinson Clan, he wasn't as conflicted about it as before.

"Okay. The people in the footage are truly suitable to become Larkinsons. However, the Larkinson Clan is supposed to represent something unique."

"The new additions will introduce some changes that can't be stopped. However, your precious Larkinson heritage, values and principles will still retain their primacy. Everyone who is working for you wants to become closer to you. If they didn't like the Larkinsons, they wouldn't have chosen to work for us in the first place."

"What is the point of all of this?" Ves asked. There had to be something more to this proposal than expanding the Larkinson Clan. "Why should we take such a huge leap and transform the Larkinson Clan into an entirely different beast?"

Calabast spread her hands. "The divisions within your organizations can't be sustained. Not in the long-term. If you manage to form your expeditionary fleet and set out for the Red Ocean, everyone who takes part in the expedition will share all of the wealth and woe of your clan. In the lawless, frontier environment of the new dwarf galaxy, do you think they can just resign and work for another employer on the fly? Those workers are all bound to you and your clan, and you need to recognize that. Even I gave up a promising career at DIVA to become your partner!"

He sneered at her. "You're a leech, Calabast. You recognized my potential and decided you would rather suck my blood than the Hegemony's blood."

"Hahaha!" She chuckled with amusement. "What a nice analogy. If you think about it, everyone is a leech. Your fellow Larkinsons are all leeches who you've managed to lure by offering them the prospect of feeding off your blood. All of those Avatars, Sentinels, Swordmaidens and Kronons who died at the Battle of Kesseling VIII are leeches as well. They fought for something greater than themselves, not because they are good samaritans, but because they believe in you or the Larkinson Clan."

The way Calabast turned around his argument left him rather stumped. Even his new Archimedes Rubal implant was not enough to gain the upper hand in their discussion!

"Why do you want to become a Larkinson?" He asked. "I never imagined you would want to become a part of our humble family."

"I'm quite charmed with you Larkinsons, actually. I held a different stance in the past, but the more I interact with the clan, the more I'm impressed with what you are all trying to build. While I value my independence, humans are communal creatures. Even I want to be part of something greater. Your Larkinson Clan can fill this need for me. I'm being very serious when I say I want to become a Larkinson. The Ylvainans think the same way, and so do most of your workers."

Though a part of Ves felt flattered that so many people desire to become a Larkinson, he feared he might open Pandora's box if he accepted her suggestion!

The change was simply too radical for Ves to accept right now!

"I can't make a decision right now. This proposal is far too big to be decided on the spot. Besides, the Executive Council and the Larkinson Assembly will have to agree as well. I doubt they are open-minded enough to embrace your proposal."

"Perhaps they might surprise you." She grinned. "In any case, soon enough we'll make our voices heard. We don't mean to apply pressure to your clan, but we intend to prove that joining it will benefit everyone involved."

The scary thing was that Ves fully believed her words. "I'm not going to help you advocate your case. I'll let the clan decide first before I issue my own judgement. Just take note that I can veto any decision as long as less than eighty percent of the Larkinson Assembly is in favor, so don't try to sneak anything under my nose."

"It's for the best, Ves. The Larkinson Clan will need to become a larger, stronger and more cohesive entity to survive the challenges to come. All of the organizations won't be as disjointed anymore once you roll them under a single and common banner."

Would this new entity be stronger than his original vision for his clan? Probably.

Would he like it? Ves wasn't sure!

Chapter 1950 Market Access

Calabast sure gave Ves plenty to think about.

After he finally left her office, he continued to walk in a daze.

Her proposal completely knocked his expectations out of the water! He never anticipated that she wanted to become a Larkinson!

Not only that, but Ves simply couldn't conceive of a Larkinson Clan that was ten times more numerous than today!

Yet.. as he thought back on the footage that Calabast displayed, he had to admit that the employees who followed him and the clan through thick and thin deserved to be recognized.

"They left the Bright Republic or the Ylvaine Protectorate in order to take part in my venture."

Not only did they bid farewell to their familiar and steady lives, they also willingly accepted the risks associated with following an adventurous mech designer like Ves. Even in battle, his mech pilots fought as bravely as the soldiers of the Mech Corps!

He agreed with Calabast. The earnest efforts shown by the likes of Joshua and the Swordmaidens proved they were comrades that he could trust.

Yet did that mean they would make for good Larkinsons?

The fundamental problem with Calabast's proposal was that the groups eligible for absorption already possessed their own distinct cultures.

Ves had no problem accepting a Brighter like Joshua King into the Larkinson Clan. Aside from his blood and different upbringing, he shared many values with the Larkinsons.

Yet what about the Ylvainans?

The Larkinsons were secular and refused to engage in superstition.

The Ylvainans were uniformly believers in the Ylvainan Faith.

That was already bad enough. The problem was that Ves was dealing with the True Ylvaine Dynasty! The True Believers were so fanatical that they were considered too extreme by the Protectorate!

Merging these cultists, because that was pretty much what they were, with his sober and secularist Larkinson relatives was a disaster in the making!

The numbers disparity just made it worse. With just a few hundred trueblood Larkinson clansmen, how could they ever insist on keeping religion out of the lcan when they were being outnumbered by thousands of Ylvainans?

It was not realistic!

The only way the Larkinsons would be able to maintain the lead was if the Larkinson Clan adopted some sort of caste system.

The rules would have to be set up in a way to empower a minority by taking it from the majority.

"Calabast hinted at this solution." Ves recalled.

She stated that outsiders who wanted to join the clan would definitely seek to conform to the Larkinsons.

However, that did not preclude the possibility that the Ylvainans and Swordmaidens wanted to impose their own values onto the clan.

"This is why additional rules are needed."

Ves did not wish to dilute the current identity of the Larkinson Clan. The emphasis on fellowship, bravery, duty and ambition needed to be preserved in order to foster a strong and thriving family organization.

That said, inserting some diversity within the clan was not necessarily an adverse development!

Even if Ves insisted on keeping the clan pure, as long as it grew to thousands or tens of thousands trueblood members, some factions would eventually emerge and grow more distinctive.

He had seen it plenty of times in other family organizations. The three leading dynasties of the Ylvaine Protectorate were perhaps the most extreme examples.

The Kronons, Curtains and Poxcos adopted so many outsiders into their dynasties that their trueblood members were heavily outnumbered.

Yet most of these honored individuals still dominated the upper ranks of their respective dynasties. They also continued to dictate the overall trends of their respective dynasties.

If the Larkinson Clan turned into something similar to the Kronon Dynasty, would Ves and the Larkinsons be better off, or would they be subsumed by the tyranny of the masses?

Ves couldn't answer this question straight away. His gut feeling told him that opening the door to outside members would either lead to greatness or to ruin!

There was no road in between! Success and failure hinged on how the clan managed the integration of all of those outsiders!

While Ves liked to gamble every now and then, this was a massive risk! He was so afraid of ruining his clan than he quivered before this choice!

"It's not just my life at risk." He whispered. "All of my other relatives are at risks as well! A part of the storied Larkinson heritage might end because of a wrong decision!"

He dazed out so much that he almost didn't realize he reached a conference room. Gavin was waiting for him inside.

"Hey boss!" His assistant cheerily greeted him for the first time in a month! "Congratulations for waking up! None of us were really sure how soon you would wake."

Ves snapped out of his thoughts. "Heh. You wouldn't be the Benny I know if you aren't so eager to serve. I hope you didn't run off and sign up with the Friday Coalition while I was gone!"

"I would never! My communications are constantly checked! I think he's even peeking at me while I'm in the bathroom!"

"As he should." Ves nodded in satisfaction. "It's when people are doing their business in the bathroom when they are most prone to acting sneaky."

Gavin did not laugh at his joke.

"Bathroom business aside, there are a lot of developments you need to catch up upon. Both the LMC and the Larkinson Clan urgently require your direction."

"I've heard a bit of what is going on from others. Let's begin with something easier. How is the LMC faring?"

"The company is losing market access and partners as we speak." Gavin didn't mince any words. "In the past thirty days, our sales and market coverage has dropped by over sixty percent, and it's continuing to decline every day! Every single state that is aligned with the Friday Coalition has made both official and unofficial moves to suppress our business activities and end our sales channels."

Ves grimaced. Though he didn't care too much about the Komodo Star Sector, he had plans for the income his company had been raking in. To lose all of that money would certainly hinder his medium-term plans!

"What about the company itself?"

"Well, your previous decision to cut the company off from the Bright Republic turned out to be very prudent. When we adopted a virtual headquarters model, our company has fallen under a different jurisdiction."

"Now that I've become an associate of the Rim Guardians, my company doesn't have to rely on the backing of any state."

Even though Ves hadn't exchanged anything on the Rim Exchange, the Rim Guardians did offer some basic services to its associates.

The actual legalities regarding the LMC's charter was a bit complicated, but in a nutshell the company basically paid its taxes to the MTA rather than the Bright Republic of the Ylvaine Protectorate.

Ves did contemplate incorporating the LMC in the Hexadric Hegemony, but he quickly rejected this option.

In order to obtain a charter from the Hegemony, the LMC would have to abide by all of its laws! This meant that Ves would have to fire or demote most of his male workforce while handing over an unreasonable amount of power to women!

In fact, Ves wouldn't even be able to continue to hold a majority stake in his company in some cases!

He was quite happy with the current arrangement. Incorporating the LMC at the MTA not only prevented his company from falling into the hands of the Friday Coalition, it also ensured that every actor would continue to respect the LMC's ownership rights!

"For now, the Friday Coalition hasn't touched the shares in the possession of the Ylvaine Protectorate and the Bright Republic." Gavin continued. "The CRC has already touched upon the limits of how much meddling they can get away with in the lesser states. I think those shares are definitely up for grabs at some point in the future, but for now they aren't very important. It's not like the Friday Coalition can do anything with those shares except earning a trivial amount of dividends."

Even with all of the shuffling that occurred in the past few months, Ves still owned 59 percent of the LMC's outstanding shares.

This was not necessarily sufficient for him to maintain control of his company. After all, he himself once browbeat the Bright Republic in forcing the original Larkinson Family to give up most of their shares!

Yet because the LMC now conducted business under the auspices of the MTA, there was nothing a state could do to force his shares from his hands!

Of course, the MTA did not shelter the LMC for free.

Gavin sighed. "Our upcoming taxes will bleed our cash reserves immensely. The MTA's standard corporate tax rate is 38 percent, and unlike other states the Association doesn't offer many deductions!"

The MTA was one of the greediest organizations in the galaxy. In Ves' eyes, they were consummate profiteers. They were just being smart about it by exercising patience and pursuing long-term prosperity over short-term gains.

There was no way the MTA would be like certain other states, where they were so beholden to corporations that they offered enough loopholes to drive an entire battleship through them! There was no way the LMC could take advantage of creative accounting to reduce their tax bill to just 750 hex credits or something.

As Gavin finished describing the all of the suppression the LMC endured in every Coalition-aligned state, Ves noticed something missing.

"I understand that we can no longer sell our products on these markets, but what about our existing customer base? Are they still allowed to use our mechs?"

His assistant chuckled. "Our customers are quite adamant about using our products. The Desolate Soldier alone provides an immense amount of value in many situations, and the Peaceful Soldier is particularly important to the Bright Republic now that the sandmen have launched their final offensive."

Ves didn't care at all about his former state. It could die in a ditch as far as he was concerned.

"So what does that mean to the LMC?"

"We're no longer making any money in those states, but our brand will continue to remain strong. That might not sound very relevant at first, but the glows of our products are so useful that their growing scarcity will likely turn them into cult classics."

"That doesn't sound very useful considering most of those customers won't be able to buy our mechs anymore." Ves pointed out.

"I don't think so, boss. I think the buzz generated from our deprived customer base will definitely affect our other customers! When there is constant talk on the galactic net or elsewhere of how our former customers miss our products, that will increase the value and desirability of our mechs for sale in the Sentinel Kingdom and every other state where we maintain an active sales channel!"

The boost in sales in Hegemony-aligned states partially took the edge off losing market access to so many Coalition-aligned states, but only partially.

However, the damage done by the Friday Coalition was very considerable.

"I think the LMC has lost a lot of direction." Gavin spoke frankly. "It's been months since you have last added the Deliverer to the catalog, and this mech model has completely lost its relevance. The Desolate Soldier is pretty much the only product propping up our company for the moment, but that is not enough to restore confidence after we have suffered all of these setbacks. You need to do something big in order to remind everyone that the LMC is still alive."

Ves recognized the implied criticism in his assistant's words. Lately, he had been so distracted by other priorities that he risked losing what made his company great.

He spent years building up its distinctive brand, its reputation for quality, its illustrious mech catalog and its unique company culture. He could not allow these accumulations to degrade until they rotted away!

"I suppose it's time for me to design a new commercial mech." He sighed. "It will have to be a product that invigorates the LMC and strengthen its market presence in Hegemony-aligned states."

The question was, what kind of mech should he design?