The Mech Touch

Chapter 7425  The Leading Terrans

Due to time constraints, Ves could only pay a short visit to Benny.

He grabbed Lucky before boarding a shuttle to a small frigate flying under the colors of the Streon Ancient Clan.

As befitting an old and leading Terran institution, the Streon vessel was both modern and premium. The frigate was only a few years old and had already received a recent upgrade that incorporated a small amount of superdimensional alloys.

Such an expenditure sounded extravagant even for a wealthy ancient clan, but the identity of Benny Smit far outweighed that of most members of the Streon Ancient Clan.

The lifelong assistant was one of the few individuals who repeatedly earned the trust of the Renewer of Terra.

They may be very different individuals, but their bond of brotherhood far outweighed their nominal ranks and positions.

For this reason, Ves did not feel insulted that the Streons merely dispatched their senechal this time.

In fact, Ves felt honored by this decision as he knew how much Benny mattered to Axelar over the years!

"Professor Larkinson." The impeccably dressed and highly composed senechal greeted the new arrival. "It has been too long since we last met in the flesh. My principal and I have missed your company. You are one the few mech designers who possess an intimate appreciation of the Ouroboros. Before you ask, the general's ace hero mech is in its best condition yet. Our ancient clan has allocated the bulk of armor-grade and weapon-grade superdimensional matter into its upgrade and final reinvention before attempting to bridge the impossible divide."

Ves had scarcely entered the small but expertly decorated lounge compartment before he became overtaken by numerous important data points.

He rapidly processed the individual subjects in his augmented mind. By the time he shook hands with Benny's incredibly tough and physically superior form, he already prepared a measured response.

"I would love to visit you and General Axelar more frequently in the future. Everyone knows that we do not make for good company, especially since…"

The personal assistant of one of the most powerful Terrans in existence began to showcase the plan that had gone through many refinements.

Of course, he was not stupid enough to showcase the full and redacted plan.

"...the future of our entire ancient clan will sit on a razor's edge, professor. The immense need to safeguard our forces and allow them to survive long enough to help our great general cross the mortal divide has forced our people to make a difficult decision. We could either go all-in and make an enormous bet on the general's eventual success, or we could hold back as much as possible and only give him the minimum amount of support. That way, a failed breakthrough will not cause our ancient clan to incur too many losses."

As a man who enjoyed taking high-risk decisions, Ves couldn't help but sneer and express his contempt at the latter option.

"The Red Ocean is dangerous, but it is also not kind to slow and timid entrepreneurs. It is normal behavior to minimize the risks and ensure that an ancient clan can keep running after suffering so many setbacks. However, few groups are truly set up for success in the new frontier. The Streons may have been luckier than most by investing much more at an earlier stage, but all of these prior advantages will wear away in time. What ultimately matters is whether the Streons can hold onto their existing assets and whether they can replenish their losses."

Compared to the original Streon Ancient Clan in the old galaxy, the branch that existed in the Red Ocean still lacked a thorough enough foundation. The latter relied too much on a single charismatic leader and an unstable foundation to remain safe and in their own hands.

The fall of the Renewer of Terra would have a disproportionate impact on the morale of the Streons.

He was more than just a figurehead. He was a pillar of strength and a beacon of hope. His potential demise would have an undeniable negative effect on the Streons, and many of their allies as well.

This included the Larkinson Clan!

The importance of Axelar's imminent deep strike operation was so high that Ves even made a spontaneous offer.

"If there is anything you need from me and my clan, you only need to ask." He softly said. "I believe my clan can spare one of our powerful ace pilots if necessary. They may only be junior ace pilots, but their powerful mechs make up for their lack of tempering and experience. Their performance speaks for themselves."

Benny responded with a slight but patronizing smile. "Your generosity is great. It is not every day that another clan is willing to make such a proposal. We respectfully decline. We have already solicited enough assistance from other clans and ancient clans. This must be a flagship Terran operation from beginning to end. It is a matter of national pride. Besides, your ace pilots have not trained alongside our own forces and do not fully understand how we fight. They have no place in our lineup. What is even more important is that we cannot ask your clan to suffer the dire consequences of a potential loss. No matter our chosen target, a loss will mean complete annihilation. The chances that any of our forces will be able to complete the long trek back to human-occupied space is minimal."

The air grew heavy as the senechal pointed out the obvious truth.

The Streons were gambling on success. While it was admirable that they had put their faith in General Axelar's strength and preparations, failure would definitely make it difficult for the remainder of the forces under his command to remain strong and cohesive when surrounded by angry alien defenders!

Ves had been serious when he made his previous offer, but he recognized that he had been a little too impulsive.

If Benny accepted the help, then Ves would put his clan in a difficult position. The Larkinsons would not be happy to send one of their precious ace pilots to Bridgehead One in a hurry and have him or her participate in a high-risk military operation!

While the ensuing battles would definitely reach legendary status in the annals of human history, the loss of a junior ace pilot and a powerful living ace mech with plenty of growth prospects was too damaging!

This caused Ves to gain a greater appreciation of the Streons.

"Why is your ancient clan willing to bet so much on this operation?"

"It is difficult to explain all of the reasons to you, my friend. Our general can be very persuasive. He has won many Terrans over with his optimism and his displays of strength. The uniqueness of the Ouroboros has also helped to inspire confidence, especially now that you have unlocked its next stage of evolution. Finally, the position of our ancient clan is not as secure as it seems."

"What do you mean by that, Benny?" Ves asked with a frown.

"Our ancient clan may have shifted more assets into the new frontier than most, but we are still lacking in terms of population, high-tech industries, expansive R&D sectors and more. The attrition from the Red War has caused our armed forces to suffer a grievous toll, and if the Voribug War ever spreads to our side of the border, we will reach our breaking points much sooner. In order to forestall this cascade of events, our general has chosen to take the initiative and commence his attempted breakthrough. As long as he succeeds, the Streon Ancient Clan's continued survival is guaranteed. More importantly, the addition of another god pilot will immediately stabilize the defense of the Terran Alliance. The potential gains are too great for us to ignore. The sooner we make our attempt, the better, hence why we are no longer willing to wait."

Though the assistant maintained a level tone throughout his explanation, Ves couldn't help but feel a surge in pride and hope in the long-lived assistant.

This was not an illusion. Though Benny had chosen to digitize his mind to an expansive degree, he had not disregarded the possibilities opened up by the Age of Dawn.

Just like many other humans, Benny had chosen to embark on a form of qi cultivation.

Though Ves did not recognize the specific method that the Terran senechal employed, the older man definitely cultivated a method that put a heavy emphasis on expanding the soul.

Benny's spirituality felt much stronger than that of other powerful Terrans. Though the density may be a little lacking at this time, the benefits of growing such a large and voluminous soul were definitely great!

Though the cultivation method likely did not bestow Benny any specific advantages in combat aside from gaining the capability to attack the souls of other individuals, his cognitive capabilities must have expanded well beyond the limitations of his high-end cranial components.

He had turned his very soul into a combination between a cranial implant and a supercomputer!

Since this spirituality was also much more intimately tied to Benny's humanity, the gains in competence extended way beyond additional processing power.

He had massively improved the ability to analyze situations from a human and irrational perspective, which ordinary processors and AIs could never accomplish.

In other words, Benny had transformed himself into a hybrid smart AI of sorts.

The difference between him and Sigrund had shrunk.

The implications were great, but Ves did not hold too much interest in the other man's cultivation. He simply found it to be a novel curiosity.

What truly mattered was that a man as well-informed and hyper-competent as Benny had chosen to throw full support behind this dangerous operation!

That mattered a lot to Ves.

Since Benny was willing to place so much of his unwavering faith in the success of his principal's endeavor, the success rate should definitely be fairly high!

Ves made a nod. "I cannot claim to understand the depth of your calculations, but your confidence is reassuring. I truly hope that General Axelar Streon can lead his forces back to Terran space in triumph after his successful ascension. Is he still thinking of raiding the orvens?"

"Not necessarily." Benny shook his head. "Due to the need to maintain confidentiality, we have planned our deep strike operation with multiple strategic targets in mind. This has given our staff a great amount of work. We have formed detailed battleplans centered around assaulting at least two dozen native alien core worlds. Even if the cosmopolitans or other traitors have leaked our intentions to our enemies, they will founder in uncertainty as our armada can emerge anywhere. The only Terran authorized to decide where to strike is the Renewer of Terra himself. Only he has the right to set our objective on the day of departure."

That… was actually a clever decision on the part of the Streons. They took intelligence leaks into account and made sure to keep the native aliens guessing!

Still, capturing the orven home world was clearly the best possible target.

The other major races of the Red Ocean deviated too far from the human norm to have home worlds that shared a passing resemblance to Old Earth.

Ves feared that the deviations may be too great to fulfill all of the ambitions of the Streons.

Benny did not seem too concerned. "Nothing is perfect, benefactor. We are willing to incur penalties so long as we can catch the native aliens off-guard. I am confident that my great friend can pull through regardless of the actual conditions in the field. The availability of superdimensional matter has greatly supplemented our methods. It is a literal life savor as far we are concerned. With the help of the materials that your clan has graciously allowed us to retrieve, we have fashioned great devices to facilitate our goals. We would not be so confident if we lacked these expanded options."