The Mech Touch

Outside of his expectations, his captors did not drag him to some sort of interrogation chamber or pump him for any information.

His escorts merely escorted him through the corridors of the combat carrier. Ves did not blank out during this time, but carefully observed his surroundings and tried to form a mental map of the interior.

While there was an endless variety of combat carrier classes in existence, the Mech Corps still applied the same standards to all of them. Their designs possessed many similarities which was meant to aid spacers in fitting in. The combat carriers of the Flagrant Vandals did not differ so much from this vessel.

Their current route allowed Ves to guess where his escorts were taking him. While they treated him gently, they did not go too far in treating him as an honored guest.

After a few minutes, they arrived at the security department of the ship. His escorts handed him off to the security officers, who subjected him to a more powerful scanning device that surrounded his entire body.

Ves could feel the energy rays passing through his entire body! It was extremely uncomfortable! Only his waist area escaped this uncomfortable sensation!

Fortunately, the special properties of Synthra Umbra did not outright block the scans in an obvious way. It could even camouflage its properties to a limited degree to avoid standing out too much! Synthra Umbra wouldn't be classified as a high-grade exotic if it wasn't so effective in deceiving scans!

Luckily, the security officer behind the monitor only watched out for alerts rather than inspecting the scanning data closely. If he was a bit more attentive, then Ves would surely be in trouble, but fortunately no other search took place!

Ves was a Brighter after all. Was he really going to whip out a gun from nowhere and shoot his fellow citizens?

"Please follow me to your temporary accommodations." The captain told him after the scanning had ended.

Ves quietly followed until he reached a cell in the brig.

"Wow. Can't you offer me some dignity here, captain? I used to be a head designer when I was in the Mech Corps. Major Verle of the 6th Flagrant Vandals treated me very well when I worked directly under him. He would never have the guts to treat me like a prisoner!"

The officer looked unsympathetic. He gestured to the cell, causing the armored soldiers behind Ves to gently push him inside!

An energy screen immediately emerged, blocking Ves from exiting the mostly-barren metallic cell.

"We have our orders, Mr. Larkinson. We initially planned to hold you somewhere comfortable, but your actions earlier have caused us to.. reconsider."

"Ghanso personally told you to throw me into a cell, right?"

The captain smiled sheepishly. "He harbors quite a grudge against you. We are holding him back from meeting you until he cools down."

"Well, thanks for that."

"We are not your enemy, Mr. Larkinson. We don't like this mission either."

"Venerable Ghanso did not seem so reluctant earlier. He turned my Mech Nursery into a graveyard of mechs by the time he was done!"

The captain remained unapologetic. "Our personal wants and needs are immaterial. When we take the oath and don the uniform, we cease to be individuals. Instead, we represent a great institution, one that is dedicated to protecting our state!"

"I know that. I'm a Larkinson, and I've been in your shoes. I'm just.. disappointed at being targeted by you guys."

"You have my sympathies, Mr. Larkinson, but orders are orders. I wish you an uneventful journey. You won't have to stay locked in this cell for long."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The captain didn't reply. He nodded stiffly at Ves through the energy screen before leaving the brig, taking most of his men away.

Unfortunately, two guards remained in place. While they did not specifically stare at Ves, their presence made him feel as if he was completely exposed!

Their closed helmets made it impossible to judge whether they were paying attention to him or not. For all he knew, they were sleeping inside their combat armor.

Ves did not dare take out the gear he stuffed inside his underpants.

Even without the guards, he was very certain that his cell was stuffed with sensors that monitored his every move.

Not even the toilet section of the cell provided him with any relief!

The cell was extremely bare, offering nothing more than a bunk, a toilet and a wash bin.

Ves knew that cells like these could be configured to offer additional furniture and amenities. Sadly, his captors were too stingy to offer him comforts such as a chair, table or entertainment projector.

The guards left him with no opportunity to start a conversation either, which left him feeling bored.

As someone who always spent his time on something, remaining locked in a cell with nothing to do was already starting to grate at his nerves!

He was a man of action! He always tried to spend his time productively.

"I should be designing a mech, reading a report, questioning my subordinates or cuddling with Gloriana right now!"

No matter how much he complained about his treatment, the soldiers assigned to extract from Cloudy Curtain did not engage with him any further.

"How boring. The Vandals were much more fun than you guys."

The guards never deigned to answer him. Ves half-suspected that their combat armor filtered out his voice!

Sometimes, he really hated his Devil Tongue nickname. Why couldn't he have a proper nickname that highlighted his strengths in mech design?

An indeterminate amount of time went by as the muted sounds and vibrations of the combat carrier offered him various hints of what was taking place.

He had no other way of determining what was going on outside his cell. Only when his body started feeling queasy for a moment did he detect that the ship had entered FTL!

His hopes of getting released before the Mech Corps sorted out the situation at high command were dashed.

Perhaps Ves needed to wait until the captured fleet returned to realspace for the Mech Corps to release him from custody.

"With all of the trouble I've stirred up, there is no way General Cavendish can still have his way!"

What took place on Cloudy Curtain was the last thing the Bright Republic needed at this time! Anything that distracted from the struggle against the sandman was deeply disruptive!

What was worse was that there was no way his forced departure from Cloudy Curtain could be hidden! If the government thought they could take him away quietly, then the battle between the Larkinsons firmly ensured that many people would come to know what transpired!

This was the insurance plan that he plotted ever since he heard that Ghanso was coming to take him away. After seeing how all of his friends and allies failed to protect him at this critical moment, Ves no longer dared to place his hopes on their efforts.

He emphatically did not trust the Tovars to do what they promised. Who knew what kind of shady deals and compromises they might make with the Cavendish and Ramza Families!

Rather than placing his hopes on unreliable allies, he much preferred to rely on his own means to extricate himself from this crisis!

A series of footsteps interrupted his musings. He raised himself from his bare cot and spotted a familiar figure.

The man paused in front of the energy screen until it shut off. He strode inside and stopped in the center of the cell as if he was its master!

The strong will contained in his body was like compressed mist that was barely contained in his head! As it was, its strong presence could not be hidden as it radiated an aura that was reminiscent of the glows of LMC mechs!

"Ghanso. How lovely. Just the Larkinson I wanted to meet."

His cousin showed up in an impeccable back-and-white uniform of the 1st Volari Starhawks. His badges and insignia signified his status as an expert pilot and a mech captain of the Mech Corps.

The uniform showed off nothing else, as this was not a situation where Ghanso needed to show off his combat awards.

"So here you are." Ghanso spoke up. Different from before, he exhibited little emotion. "We would have brought you here regardless of what you did. Instead of accepting the inevitable, you launched a futile resistance and shook the foundations of our family!"

"I did not ask them to come and block your way. They came on their own accord." Ves lightly replied.

"That's a lie, Ves. You openly appealed to them to form a wall of mechs. Even if you phrased it as a request, you should have known how seriously our family members would take it! I have to admit that I even fell for your sophistry!"

Ves chuckled. "I said nothing that isn't true in some way! The reason why our aunts, uncles and cousins voluntarily piloted their mechs to block your Glittering Comet is because they agreed with what I said! The reason why you grew angry is because you don't want to accept that I'm right!"

Before he knew it, Ghanso swiftly swept forward and punched his face!

"Ah! That smarts! I'm just a mech designer, man! I'm a civilian!"

Ghanso sneered at Ves. "You're a Larkinson. You're better than this. Your physical augmentations are even more luxurious than mine!"

"That doesn't mean I'm trained for combat! I'm helpless in front of you and you know it!" Ves complained as he rubbed his bruised cheek.

"Dispense with the theatrics, Ves. I didn't come here to be entertained by a clown."

Seeing that Ghanso saw right through his act, Ves shook his head and straightened his back.

While he had left behind his overcoat, the remainder of his outfit still looked suitably formal. The dignity he carried was no less than that of Ghanso.

"That's better. I finally feel I'm facing an adult."

"That's because you're too serious, Ghanso. Lighten up. Relax. Stop beating up your fellow Larkinsons."

A surge of anger flowed from the expert pilot!

"Everything is your fault! Don't lay the blame of your actions on me! You are one of the most terrible Larkinsons that I have ever met! You don't belong in our family!"

"You don't control the family. I do. We held a vote!"

Ghanso directed a withering glare towards Ves. "A single popularity contest held at the spur of the moment does not give you the right to take over the Larkinson Family. While you are brought away, I'll be sure to sort of the mess you've made and undo all of the damage. Without your poisonous influence, I have faith that my fellow Larkinsons will return to sanity!"

"Hahaha! Keep dreaming! You crossed a line today! I exposed you and your faction for what you truly are! If the Mech Corps orders you to kill off our entire family, you would definitely jump to obey!"

Outside of his expectations, the expert pilot did not take the bait this time. Instead, Ghanso adopted a smug expression as he looked down on Ves as if he was an ant.

"Keep barking like a dog. It's all useless. Ever since you fell into our hands, you're finished. You'll no longer be around to pollute the values of our family after we reach our destination. Don't worry. You will still be safe. I am a Larkinson, after all. I would never agree to anything that harms your life."

Ghanso's ominous words inspired vigilance in Ves.

"What do the Cavendishes and Ramzas have in store for me? You sound as if you know something."

This time, it was Ghanso's turn to chuckle!

"You'll find out soon enough. Rest assured that you will be contributing to the Bright Republic in a much better way than leaving you on your own! Let me thank you in advance for your valiant service!"

With that, Ghanso turned around and left the cell.