The Mech Touch

"The Vesia Kingdom will pay a lot for my ransom."

Venerable Foster did not let her emotions overtake her reason. She immediately started off with saying something that maximized her chances of survival.

Ves found her opening quite refreshing after dealing with Ghanso's diehard attitude to the end. Perhaps this conversation would go a lot better than he anticipated.

"You've grown up." He stated to Foster's heavily-injured form.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" She responded with a muffled voice.

Not a single part of her body was visible. Her body from the neck downwards was stuffed in some kind of tank filled with healing fluid that comprehensively stabilized her heavy injuries. Though Ves couldn't see any details of her wounds through the opaque liquid, he could vaguely see that the expert pilot had lost a good chunk of her legs as well as her left arm.

As for her head, it was covered by some strange form-fitting covering whose purpose escaped Ves. It made it seem as if Foster's head was mummified.

He was actually surprised that Venerable Foster was still in a condition to talk. From her calm tone and her repressed force of will, she retained enough lucidity to hold a normal conversation.

It seemed that even though her body was broken, her mind and spirit was still as vigorous as ever. Her condition was essentially the reverse of that of Venerable Ghanso.

If Ves wanted to harvest her mind like he did with his cousin, then he would likely fail. Venerable Foster was far too strong. Perhaps he might have a chance of breaching her tough mental defenses when she was sedated, but he doubted it would go well.

After an awkward pause, the injured expert pilot turned her head. "The Vesia Kingdom places great value on my life. As long as you allow my home state to redeem me intact, you will be richly rewarded."

"I doubt a third-rate state can offer me anything of interest. Besides, I'm not sure your value is high enough to make it worth it to trade you back."

"You'd be surprised." She said before lowering her voice. "If my guess is right.. the Vesia Kingdom may even be willing to return the shares of the LMC."

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! My company's shares are worth much more than a single expert pilot! Besides, those shares are in the hands of the Bright Republic and Ylvaine Protectorate."

"That's not a problem. The Vesians have a lot of influence in that region of space. The Bright Republic is too weak to hold onto its stake in the LMC while the Ylvainans.. can be persuaded."

Ves was amazed to hear that from Venerable Foster. What happened to the vengeful woman who vowed to wipe out every pirate that threatened the Hafner Duchy?

It seemed that expert pilots were capable of growth as well. Still, he had no illusion that Venerable Foster was putting up a polite front because she respected the Larkinsons. She just wanted to prevent her captors from taking her life, thereby preventing her from continuing with her lifelong pursuit.

To an expert pilot such as her, it was unbearable to be unable to fight on behalf of her state! Even if it was disgraceful, Venerable Foster was still willing to bend her head and lower her posture if that was what it took to return to service.

She was right to feel worried. Generally, the MTA disallowed killing expert pilots outside of mech combat.

However, this was not an absolute rule. There were certain exceptions such as if an expert pilot randomly pulled out a gun and pointed the weapon at a random person on the street. The latter had a right to defend himself even if his opponent belonged to a protected class of people.

Another instance where expert pilots lost their protection was immediately after the end of a battle.

As far as the MTA was concerned, the capture of an expert pilot was still within the scope of a mech battle that had just concluded. How the people who took an enemy expert pilot into custody decided to treat their battlefield spoils was their business.

Naturally, expert pilots still deserved to be treated with dignity. The MTA as well as the entire mech community heavily sanctioned anyone who tortured or subjected a captive expert pilot to cruel treatment.

Expert pilots were demigods. They were beyond human and stronger than almost any other person in the galaxy. No matter which side they fought for or what cause they pursued, they still represented some of the best mech pilots that human civilization had produced.

Ves had no intentions to screw around with Venerable Foster. He was so disappointed by Ghanso that he was glad that his other captive was reasonable.

Yet whether her attitude helped to keep her alive was another matter.

"Let me be honest, Venerable Foster. You took part in an unprovoked attack on the Larkinson Clan and its allies just as we were about to leave the Komodo Star Sector behind."

"You are not innocent, Mr. Larkinson. The services you are providing to the Hexadric Hegemony not only harms the Fridaymen, but also the third-rate states in our star sector. If the Hexers win, you know as well as I do what will happen to the original customs and cultures of the surrounding states.

Though Relia's eyes were covered with bandages, Ves seemed to feel her glare through her agitated force of will.

He fully agreed with her statement. Ves did not enjoy enabling the Hexers and giving them a greater chance to expand their poisonous culture to other states. It was too bad that his current circumstances didn't give him another choice.

"It wouldn't have come to this if the obstinate Fridaymen just ignored me. Instead, they keep coming after me because they're afraid of what I might possibly do to strengthen the Hexers. Don't they realize that they're just driving me in the arms of the Hexers this way? Right now, I feel like raising a giant middle finger to the Friday Coalition."

"An eye for an eye will make the whole world go blind."

Ves snorted. "That's rich coming from you. You still want to kill me, right?"

An expert pilot like Foster couldn't lie.

"I do, but my intentions are noble. While I regret the Friday Coalition's approach, I still want to defeat you in battle. The Vesia Kingdom must not become a vassal of the Hegemony."

"It doesn't matter what reason you use to justify your hostility towards me. As long as you become my enemy, you deserve everything you get. I'm just a mech designer, but people keep finding reasons to bully me. If I don't stand up for myself, I'll keep getting harassed."

Ves seriously hated the Friday Coalition. Their continued actions against him had driven his attitude towards the state to a new low point. While he and his clan may have gained a lot from winning the Battle of Reckoning, they also lost a lot! If any of them had a choice, they would have preferred to avoid this bloody clash.

"Don't you think the cause you are fighting for is too small?" He changed the topic. "Even now, I am a bit in awe at your strong presence. You've developed quite a lot since we last met. The Vesia Kingdom is too small for a mech pilot as talented as you. You could enjoy a much better trajectory if you signed on to a second-rate state. Of course, I don't recommend you to pledge your loyalty a state as duplicitous as the Friday Coalition."

"I have never wavered in my purpose. I wouldn't have developed up to this point if I grew up anywhere else. I will defend my state to my death!"

"I see."

Well, at least some part of Foster was still similar to Ghanso. When it came to her bottom line, she never compromised.

Venerable Foster calmed down. "Have you considered my earlier proposal?"

"Um, what?"

"Offer to return me for a ransom." She urged. "Don't be hasty and base your decision-making on your assumptions. Contact the Hafner Duchy first. Your demands will definitely be satisfied."

Her urgency had grown. She wanted Ves to stop wavering and accept her suggestion.

To be honest, he couldn't make up his mind.

Emotionally, he wanted to end Foster's life in order to satisfy his primal need for vengeance against an enemy who wanted to kill him on multiple occasions.

Rationally, he knew that he could potentially gain a lot more benefits if he ransomed her. Satisfying his vengeance might make him feel good for a time, but it didn't really provide him with any solid benefits.

Ves constantly pursued greater advantages in order to elevate him as quickly as possible. From a logical perspective, Venerable Foster was much more valuable when she was alive rather than dead.

As he kept considering his choices, Ves received another notification.

Someone demanded entry into the treatment room.

When Ves unlocked the entrance, a pair of suited women immediately entered with their greatswords clasped between their hands.

"Venerable Dise! Ketis! What are you two doing here?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Ketis lifted up her weapon. "We're here to finish the job. This moment is long overdue. The murderer over there has too much Swordmaiden blood on her hands! If we let her stay alive for another day, we'd be disgracing the memories of our fallen sisters!"

Ves immediately felt a headache. He turned to the older and hopefully more mature woman. "What about you, Dise?"

"Ketis has already said everything that I want to say." The female expert pilot gruffly spoke. "One way or another, Commander Lydia's death will be answered. I made sure to keep Foster alive. Killing her while she's piloting a mech is not as satisfying as running my sword through her heart with my own hands. She's mine, Ves. Don't make me move you out of the way."

Ves immediately stepped aside. He conveyed his stance very clearly.

"Hey, I don't intend to stand in the way of your satisfaction. You are one of the most loyal fighters in my service. I haven't forgotten the sacrifices of the Swordmaidens."

Venerable Dise smiled. "You are a good man. The Swordmaidns are glad to fight for a leader who understands us. Please forgive us for the mess we are about to make. What will happen next will get rather.. bloody."

Ves awkwardly coughed. "The MTA has rules that govern the treatment of expert pilots."

The expert pilot swung her long and sharp blade in the air. "Just keep your jammer active while we do what we must. We don't care what the MTA says. Just pretend that my mech has smashed her corpse when my mech sunk its blade through the cockpit."

"You can't do this, Larkinson!" Venerable Foster desperately cried! "Think about it! I can absolutely guarantee you that you will gain at least half of the shares in the hands of the Republic and the protectorate back to you if you follow my suggestions."

"I can get back all of those shares once the Hegemony wins the Komodo War."

"Hah! As if that will happen! Even if the Friday Coalition loses, the governments in charge of the shares will find a way to keep them out of the hands of the Hexers."

That may very well be true. There were a lot of good lawyers in those two states. Governments excelled at bending and exploiting the rules when it was in their best interests to do so. They rarely followed the spirit of the law if it inconvenienced them in any way.

Ves fell silent, making Ketis and Venerable Dise nervous.

He didn't keep them waiting for long, though.

"I've decided."

"And…?"

Ves helplessly lifted his arms. "Faced with a choice between satisfying my friends or my enemies, the answer is obvious. Relia, no matter how many benefits you can give me, I always stick to those who have been loyal to me. I'm not going to break the trust of those who expect me to care for them. That's not the kind of person I am! Ketis, Dise, the two of you can go ahead. I'll just stand here and wait until you are done."

"Thank you, Ves!" Ketis gave him a brilliant smile.

"You're making a mistake! If you don't want your shares back, the Vesia Kingdom can give you other compensation! Don't give me to these butchers!"

"Shut up!" Venerable Dise strode forward and pressed the edge of her blade against Foster's neck. "You're the butcher here. You showed no mercy to my sisters back on Aeon Corona VII. Now it's our turn."

"You're a savage, Ves! You're worse than a pirate! The MTA will find out about this! Justice will prevail!"

Ves ignored Venerable Foster's indignant words and turned to grab another metal box.

He was actually wrong on one consideration. Killing Venerable Foster did provide him with something other than emotional satisfaction. He might be able to harvest her spirituality when she finally succumbed to her injuries.

"It's raining presents today!" He smirked.