The Mech Touch

n.
While he usually preferred to be more diplomatic, especially towards someone who was in control over his life, he didn ’t give a damn at the moment!

The betrayal he just witnessed still made him mad beyond reason!

”I already cut ties with you Fridaymen! I want nothing to do with you! I have already committed myself to Gloriana! ”

”You should forget about that vixen, Ves. ” Ghanso suggested with a smirk.
”You know how Hexers are.
They only acknowledge women as equals.
Men like us are destined to be regarded as pets or toys! A star sector ruled by Hexers is the last thing our Bright Republic needs! You ’ve been aligning with the wrong side all this time! What I ’ve done is merely to correct your mistake and put you back on the right track! ”

”Absurd! Don ’t pretend you are doing what is best for our state and myself! What if the Hexers win the war? Did you think about that, Ghanso?! You, the Larkinsons and our state will definitely face a reckoning if that happens! ”

”Hahaha! ” Ghanso erupted in laughter.
”Unlike a weasel like you, I see no need to hedge my bets! I ’m going all in on the Friday Coalition! Their values and their culture are highly compatible with our Bright Republic! It ’s madness to even consider adopting Hexer customs! I don ’t know what kind of fetish you have for mistresses, but leave the rest of us out! The men of our Larkinson Family would much prefer to keep their dignity in front of women! ”

The blond woman lifted her hand.
”That ’s enough, Venerable Ghanso.
Let us not give Mr.
Ves here an unpleasant farewell. ”

”You ’re right, miss. ” Ghanso retracted some of his smugness.
He turned to Ves with a much more serious expression.
”For what it ’s worth, you ’re right.
I sold you to the Fridaymen.
To be more exact, I participated in the action that resulted in this outcome. ”

”You don ’t sound remorseful. ”

”I won ’t apologise for what I ’ve done.
Everything I do is for the betterment of our family and the state I have made an oath to defend.
The sandman race is not our greatest enemy.
The Hexers that you ’ve unilaterally sided with are much worse! The former just wants to kill us.
The latter wants to destroy our identity! ”

Though Ves wanted to argue back, he couldn ’t muster up a convincing response.
He was too angry and unbalanced to think straight!

”Your intentions are good, but your means are dishonorable.
Since when did the Larkinsons believe that the ends justify the means? Some actions are too reprehensible to be acceptable! ”

”When my actions end up saving the lives of trillions of people and keep the Bright Republic in existence, I am more than willing to shoulder the guilt of my actions! While I acknowledge that I am wrong, I will sleep easily knowing that I have made the galaxy a better place! ”

After patting Ves ’ shoulder in a patronizing manner, Ghanso exchanged a few words with the woman before returning back to the combat carrier!

The hatch closed after the expert pilot ’s departure.
Presumably, the walkway was being retracted as well!

Ves turned to the woman and tried to estimate whether it would be a good idea to storm up to her and take her hostage.

He immediately crossed out this stupid idea.

Even though no guards were in sight, Ves did not delude himself into thinking he was in control.

He owned the Barracuda for many years, so he knew a bit about the security measures of such advanced vessels.

If Ves made any hostile move, the artificial gravity affecting his body might grow five times as strong, causing him to be pressed down to the deck!

A couple of turrets might emerge from the ceiling!

The surrounding bulkheads might shift until he was boxed in a makeshift compartment with no exit in sight!

Some kind of invisible, odorless paralytic gas might be pumped in the air, causing him to instantly lose his consciousness!

In short, there were at least a dozen ways for Ves to get taken out by the internal ship defenses alone!

So long as Ves did not grasp control over this unknown but very advanced vessel, he could forget about escaping!

”So..
isn ’t it about time you introduce yourself? ”

”Please be patient, Mr.
Larkinson.
My lady wishes to introduce herself to you in person.
For now, let us settle you in and allow you to freshen up.
My lady desires to meet you at your best. ”

”I see. ”

That sounded bad for Ves.
If he was forced to shower or change his clothes, he might expose his hidden goods!

The woman led the way while Ves obediently followed like he was marching to his execution.
A sense of resignation suffused his body as he kept looking around.

The ship he was on was a lot larger than his Barracuda, that was for sure.
The vessel might even outclass Gloriana ’s Stellar Chaser!

The more formidable his current captors, the more his confidence sinked.
He already ruled out trying to escape from this unknown ship by himself.
There were way too many systems and redundancies for him to sabotage the vessel with his limited means!

After going up a few decks, Ves got a sense that they reached the most premier passenger compartments.
The woman guided him into a resplendent stateroom that was much more grand than his stateroom on the Barracuda!

”This shall be your accommodation for the remainder of our journey to the Friday Coalition.
We hope you have a pleasant stay aboard our ship as our honored guest.
Please forgive us for disabling or restricting many of the functions here.
To ensure your good behavior, we have decided to limit what you can do.
You have a reputation for trouble, after all.
Isn ’t that right, Mr.
Larkinson? ”

Ves smiled grimly at the caution in her words.
How much did these Fridaymen research his exploits? It sounded as if they were a lot more aware of what he could do than his usual enemies!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc..
), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters.