The Mech Touch

can boast what we ’ve done! ”

Some of the members of the Detemen League grew emotional and knelt down.
Others cried and hugged each other.
After living in Detemen IV like rats, they showed that they still possessed teeth.

Ves was the odd man out in this spontaneous emotional outburst.
Compared to everyone ’s jubilation, he only felt weary and longed to return to the Wolf Mother.
Only in the confines of the factory ship would Ves feel at home.

”What the Vesian nobles do to their commoners and vica versa is not my business. ” He reminded himself.
”Only the interests of the Republic matters to me. ”

In that regard, stirring up the Kingdom by facilitating a rebellion certainly weakened the Kingdom.

Some time later, Ves entered an observation room that looked out into a plain interrogation room.
For something as sensitive as this, the rebels didn ’t employ any projectors, for fear of leaking out this session.
Having learnt his own lesson on how powerful hacking could be, Ves understood the necessity of these precautions.

A handful of other people stood in the room.
Ves recognized Addy and Captain Orfan.
Most of the others consisted of the highest-ranking rebel cadre.

It appeared that the rebels treated this interrogation with utmost importance.

A couple of medical doctors stood behind some sort of console that displayed Javier ’s every physiological reaction.
Right now, they appeared to be administering some stimulants to his body.

”Careful with the dosage. ” A senior doctor warned.
”Lord Javier has undergone many surgeries and treatments that optimized his body and mind. ”

This meant that Javier would also be more resilient to many forms of interrogation.
Perhaps Lord Javier would still be forced to spill out all of his secrets if the Coalition managed to get their claws on him, but the rebels only possessed means comparable to a local law enforcement office.
They didn ’t have access to better tools.

”He ’s waking up. ”

A groggy-eyed Javier woke up from the chair that bolted down his limbs.
He tried to jerk at them, only to press his skin.

”Ouch! ”

The young noble blinked a few times more and shrugged off the fog in his mind.
He tried to stare ahead but didn ’t get blinded by the concentrated light that shone down onto his face.

”If that ’s your best attempt at disorienting me, then I ’ve got nothing to fear from you scum! ” The noble boasted with confidence.

Commander Breskin sat in the opposite seat.
The rebel leader appeared to be alone in the room with Javier, but that couldn ’t be further from the truth.
In the observation room Ves could see a number of operators sitting behind their consoles feeding in information and suggestions into Breskin ’s ear.

”You ’re alone, Javier.
Your honor guard is dead or missing, and your household troops have scattered in the wind.
There is no one left in Neron City or the entirety of Detemen IV for that matter that can come to your aid. ”

Javier spat at the table.
”I know you won ’t let me go.
Is your drivel meant to make me lose heart? Never! I know my own fate! I won ’t live past this day, and I ’ve accepted this fact! So skip all the pleasantries and put a laser beam through my head! ”

One of the doctors in the observation room scratched his head.
”I thought the drugs and stimulants have caught on.
The subject is supposed to be in a highly suggestible state! ”

”That ’s why I told you that most of our preparation don ’t work.
His brains work differently than ours.
It ’s been augmented to such an extent that most of our drugs are ineffective. ”

Ves understood that the rebels wouldn ’t be able to resort to any easy means of getting Javier to open his mouth.
Even torture wouldn ’t accomplish anything.

Therefore, Breskin didn ’t employ any fancy tricks of high-tech means of getting Javier to talk.
The old commander opted to go for a plain but direct approach.

”I ’m not interested in the secrets of your House. ” Breskin stated.
”Nor am I eager to break you down.
You ’re not even worth that much to us dead. ”

Javier stared down Breskin with resentful eyes while keeping his mouth shut.

”We both know there is one thing we ’d like to obtain from you.
Two, in fact, but we found one of those things from your cockpit. ”

”That thing was too for me to carry around while I escaped.
My stealth suit doesn ’t allow me to bring anything anything of that size.
How did you even find me at the end? From what I know of you and your pathetic rabble, you should have been fooled! ”

”We benefited from some outside help. ”

”Brighters. ” Javier snarled in a low tone.
”It ’s one thing to overthrown our rule.
I can respect your commitment to better your people, even if you sad sacks of meat don ’t deserve to crawl out of the mud where you belong.
Joining forces with the Brighters is another matter.
That ’s treason of the highest order! ”

Some of the rebels in the observation room became affected by that accusation, while Captain Orfan shifted on her feet.

”We ’d be better off if the Bright Republic won our generational war. ” Breskin grinned.
”Call us traitors all you want.
In my eyes, nobles like you are the real traitors here.
Ever since you took up the reigns on Detemen IV, your very actions betrayed your duties to shepherd your people. ”

”Your people? ” Javier raised his eyebrows.
”None of you are my people! Lowborn filth like you don ’t deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence as my father and I. ”

Breskin shook his head.
”You still adhere to those warped ideas.
Let ’s go back to my main point.
As I ’ve mentioned, while we ’ve obtained one of the things we ’re looking for, we know you still have the other thing in your mind. ”

”What do you want to do about it? ” Javier grinned savagely at Breskin.

”I ’d like to ask you politely to hand over the other thing. ”

The mood turned strange in the observation room.
Everyone leaned forward in anticipation while Ves stood cluelessly in the rear.
Even Captain Orfan appeared to be in on the secret.

What were these ’things ’ that Breskin referred to?