The Mech Touch

f Elin ’s devilish charisma.

Still, even if Vedette lacked a lot of experience, a mech designer should have never subordinated himself to a chief.
A proper working relationship should have been the other way around.

For now, Vedette stewed in the Finmoth Regal ’s brig.
Unlike most of his compatriots, he was fortunate enough to escape the fate of a court-martial.
All in all, his involvement was very marginal so Ves had been tasked to carry out his judgement.

It didn ’t take more than a day to finish fabricating the coffin.
It looked more like an oversized ball if nothing else.
Built with pure metallic alloys and little else, it contained the bare necessities to form a functional coffin for the living.
The shackles that restricted the victim was sturdy enough to resist fatigue and the passage of time, while the life support systems incorporated enough redundancies to keep it working even if thirty percent of its components stopped working.

Anyone who got thrown in this coffin would certainly live up the rest of their lifespan in existential agony.
Ves made sure of that by fabricating it to the best of his ability.

The Vandals put it to the test the instant they emerged out of FTL in some nameless Venidse star system.
Fortunately, the system was barren from any Vesian presence, so they had the luxury to rest their ships and transfer resources.

Ves boarded a shuttle carrying Major Verle and several other officers to the Finmoth Regal.
Once they arrived at the combat carrier, they carried out another burial ceremony for the few mech pilots and ship crew that lost their lives during the previous skirmish.

Just like last time, many Vandals throughout the task force attended the ceremony through their virtual avatars.
Major Verle kept his words fairly brief, and the coffins had all been launched towards the Vesian sun.

”Now that we have sent off our honored dead, it is time for someone else to receive the fate that he deserves. ”

A floater platform carried forth the hefty cold coffin that Ves had fabricated.
At the sight of the familiar object, every Vandal began to scowl or frown.
They knew what it meant, and they knew who was about to be buried inside.

A pair of security officers dragged forth a heavily restrained prisoner to the coffin.
Chief Elin ’s court-martial had been broadcasted throughout the fleet yesterday, where he hardly stood a chance against the overwhelming array of evidence against him.
With Major Verle bent on setting an example, the former chief was destined for the coffin in the very next day.

”MMmhhmmhmm! Mmhmmhmmm! ”

Elin ’s bloodshot eyes looked frantic as he tried to speak around the gag that kept his mouth shut.
Maybe he wanted to profess his innocence.
Maybe he wanted to curse the brass.
Maybe he wanted to drag his comrades down with him.
Nobody moved to take away his gag, because the words of the traitor was not worth listening.

Ves happened to sit besides Loke Vedette.
He took the mech designer that had been duped by Chief Elin out of the brig so that he could witness the ultimate fate of someone who ’s negligence had led to deaths.

”Look closely Vedette.
This is the chief you thought who knew how to do your job better.
I hope you learn not to lean on others too much for guidance next time. ”

”Y-Y-Yes sir! ”

The two hardly differed in age.
Both of them had not yet reached their thirties.
Yet their wide gulf in status and capability separated them at different heights.
Ves constantly improved and had a bright future ahead of himself, while Vedette was someone who failed to make a name of himself after graduating as a mech designer.

Thus, Ves had no compunctions in treating Vedette as a junior.
He even felt a lot of pity for Vedette, to the point of giving him a slap on the wrist.

In any case, the task force was short on mech designers.
They couldn ’t afford to throw capable help in the brig where they would rot for the duration of this mission.

In any case, Ves looked pleased at Vedette ’s outward reverence towards him.
It made him feel powerful and put him in a good mood.
He resolved to keep an eye on the young man and see whether he could grow from this potentially career-ending ordeal.

The final ritual almost came to an end.
Major Verle stepped down from the podium and approached the well-made coffin.
”Mr.
Michael Elin, as the former chief technician aboard the Finmoth Regal, you have betrayed your oaths and your fellow Vandals in the naked pursuit for profit.
Yesterday, you have been found guilty to every charge laid on your foot.
Frankly, it disgusts me to be on the same deck as you. ”

Some of the more unruly Vandals broke the solemn silence by jeering at the gagged and frantic chief.
Even now, Elin tried to weasel his way out of his macabre fate.

”We treated you as a comrade and a brother.
When every other mech regiment rejected to take you on, we welcomed you with open arms.
Whatever transgressions you had done in the past was irrelevant in our eyes.
However, that does not mean that our ability to forget extends to the present time. ”

The major ’s eyes hardened as his full weight as a mech officer bore down on the former chief.
Elin shied away at the intensity of Verle ’s stare.

”Out of everyone involved in this conspiracy, nobody is more culpable than you.
There is no forgiveness for scum like you.
Not even a quick death will suffice to atone for the damage you have done to us.
I hope you will find some absolution in your endless trek into space. ”

Elin jerked his shackled body like his life depended on it, but the restraints and the grip of the security officers kept him firmly under control.
The cold coffin ’s hatch opened up, allowing the security officers to haul their prisoner inside and affix him to the restraints of the interior of the coffin.

By all intents and purposes, it was a perpetual cell which would keep Elin locked without any chance of escape.
Freedom from captivity and life would never grace the guilty chief until his natural lifespan ran out.

The Finmoth Regal turned around and oriented her hangar bay away from the sun and directly into deep space.
With a soft anti-grav push, the hefty cold coffin began its Lonely Trek across the galaxy.

The Cold Burial came at an end.