The Mech Touch

A small gathering of Swordmaidens and other people gathered outside the guarded entrance of a recovery room.

Commander Dise, Angelique Harcourt and Fred Walinski all looked concerned as they stood in the wide and sparse corridor.

Venerable Dise stood a bit away. Unlike the other three, she remained calm.

"You do not need to be concerned." She calmly spoke. "Ketis is a strong woman. Even though I can't entirely explain what has happened, I sensed who she could potentially become during that unforgettable moment."

"What was she like?" Angelique cautiously asked.

The Swordmaiden expert pilot did not immediately respond.

"Ketis… became grander than I could ever imagine. Even though she can't become an expert pilot or ace pilot, at that time I knew she could cut through mechs if she wanted."

"What?! Are you serious?"

"You just need to look at all of the energy shields she managed to break." Venerable Dise replied with a wry smile. "Even I felt powerless at her irresistibly sharp and powerful blade. It was as if… she had become an absolute authority of swords. In other words, a sword goddess."

The mention of that term almost caused Angelique and Fred to pop out their eyes!

While the Swordmaidens didn't have any strong associations with this phrase, it took on a much greater meaning to the Heavensworders!

The ultimate purpose of their state was to develop their swordsmanship tradition to an unprecedented height.

The best way to achieve this was to enable the emergence of a genuine sword god!

The two Heavensworders quickly regained their composure. Though Ketis had shown power beyond anything else they had witnessed, much of that ought to be a temporary outburst.

Just like expert pilots that had just completed their apotheosis, newly-advanced swordmasters also carried an excess of energy.

Once they unleashed all of their exaggerated reserves, swordmasters became a lot more reasonable. Their human nature and lack of strong and huge amplifiers such as expert pilots prevented them from posing a serious threat against mechs. They were merely deadly against infantry and light vehicles, and only within a range of around a hundred meters.

Although the Heavensworders didn't like to admit it, any sniper could end the life of a precious swordmaster!

Sure, the sharpshooter had to overcome the shield generator that every person of this stature wore, but as long as their attacks went through, a legendary figure might easily die unjustly!

Unlike expert pilots, swordmasters weren't a protected class. The MTA did not care whether someone unscrupulously assassinated these archaic sword wielders.

Angelique gently coughed as she faced the Swordmaidens. "Won't you reconsider my proposal?"

"Our answer remains the same. Ketis will not be staying here. The Heavensword Association is not her home."

"She can make our state her home! With the power that she has shown, no will deny that she is a swordmaster. We can offer an immense amount of assistance to her. With the Heavensword Saint presiding over our state, she will always have the opportunity to receive the best possible advice on her swordsmanship that she can obtain in her life. Perhaps… she might even take office as the next Heavensword Saint if she stays!"

"Miss Harcourt is not exaggerating." Fred Walinski added. "If Ketis stays, she will have a bright future ahead of her. Although she still needs to work hard in order to make greater attainments in her swordsmanship, she has as much chance as any swordmaster to ascend to the top in our society. Think of what she can do with the power of an entire state that is dedicated to the sword."

Commander Sendra crossed her arms. "I don't see what that has to do with Ketis and her wishes. We know her best. She never expressed any interest in staying in this state, let alone trying to attain a position of power. She only reluctantly accepted responsibility over the Annihilator Sword School because she felt obligated to. She can't handle anything more, so stop trying to turn her into something she doesn't want to become. The Heavensword Saint is worth fart in our eyes!"

"Ahem." Someone softly coughed behind her back.

The gathering of four all turned and faced a uniformed official. The garments of the man was both richly-decorated and refined in a way that made him completely stand out from the representatives of other organizations.

While the Swordmaidens did not recognize the new arrival, it was different for Angelique and Fred.

"Heavensword Commissioner!"

The two locals straightened their backs and saluted the well-groomed middle-aged man.

For his part, the man nodded back. "I am Commissioner Berthan Trumbull. I have been informed that Swordmaster Ketis Larkinson is still undergoing treatment at the moment. Who is her guardian?"

Seeing that the Swordmaidens didn't entirely comprehend who they were facing, Angelique couldn't help but supply a brief explanation.

"Commissioner Trumbull is part of an organization that directly answers to the Heavensword Saint. If he is here in an official capacity, then that means the Heavensword Saint himself has taken notice of Ketis! Think carefully on what you say to him. He will convey all of your words back to the head of our state."

The Swordmaidens did not have a habit of bending down to others. They became vigilant at the arrival of someone as important as Trumbull.

What did the Heavensword Saint want? Would he insist on keeping Ketis confined in this state? If so, then the Swordmaidens would have a very big problem with the commissioner!

"I am her superior." Commander Sendra stepped forward. "I can speak on her behalf."

The official only took a brief glance at Sendra before turning his gaze to Venerable Dise.

To the Heavensword Association, expert pilots and swordmasters had a much greater say than ordinary swordswomen!

Dise sighed and stepped forward as well. "What is it you want?"

Despite her rude tone, the commissioner did not appear offended at all. Instead, his face turned respectful as he grabbed a small suitcase from a nearby hovering bot. He slowly opened it up and presented its contents to the expert pilot.

"Venerable Dise Larkinson, please accept the will of the Heavensword Saint. My sovereign wishes to convey his sincere congratulations to Swordmaster Ketis Larkinson's impressive breakthrough. As one sword lover to another, my sovereign looks forward to seeing how far she can go. The Sword Goddess may not have been born here, but she shall forever be welcome in our ranks should she choose to reside in our ranks."

The Swordmaidens relaxed a bit. According to Trumbull, it appeared that the Heavensword Saint was well aware of where Ketis truly belonged. As a sword saint beyond compare, this legendary warrior was not the sort of person who would force a swordmaster to stay in her state against her will. 

"Thank you, commissioner."

"It is my pleasure, Venerable. While it is a pity that Swordmaster Ketis will not be keeping us company for much longer, we wish to offer her good luck in her future journeys. The Heavensword Association will always be proud to call her one of its citizens. Please take a look at the gifts that she has earned."

The man gestured at the open briefcase.

Three different items rested inside.

First was a stack of documents along with an accompanying data chip that contained the texts in an electronic format.

Dise quickly went through the pages. She realized that they mainly consisted of certifications and other paperwork that officially declared that Ketis was a swordmaster of the Heavensword Association.

This acknowledgement was also valid in other states that recognized swordmasters across human space.

After confirming that the documents did not include any restrictive contracts or other traps, the expert pilot put them down before shifting her gaze to a sword-shaped badge.

There was something very unusual and exceptional about the exquisitely-crafted ornament.

"What is this?"

"That, Venerable, is your protege's Heavensword Badge. Consider it her badge of office. It not only symbolizes her identity as a swordmaster in our state, but also marks her as one of our own in foreign states."

"Pardon?"

"She need not fear about representing us in foreign territories. As a Swordmaster who has the right to leave her name in the Hall of Swords, she is always allowed to act as an unofficial diplomat and representative of our state."

"She… can do that?"

"Why not? Swordmaster Ketis is not only an honorable swordswoman who has found her own way, but she is also the head of one of our sword schools. These are two very distinguishing identities in our circle. She is comparable to a noble in a feudal state."

The Swordmaidens did not believe in this crap. No one was perfect. Not even swordmasters. It was much more likely that the Heavensword Association wanted to turn everyone who wore this badge into free mascots and spokespersons.

As long as Ketis did a fine job at putting the Heavensword Association in a good light, the state would have no qualms of backing her up. If she did the opposite, then the state would definitely disavow her or ignore her existence!

Ultimately, Dise concluded that the badge was worthless to a swordmaster outside the Heavensword Association. She soon turned to the final item in the briefcase.

The third item was a small transparent case that contained a very compact implant.

"Is this a cranial implant?"

"Correct, Venerable." The commissioner smiled. "The Heavensword Saint learnt that Swordmaster Ketis has yet to install an implant in her head. He has personally procured one from the MTA. Based on the intelligence that we have gathered, my sovereign carefully selected this implant model out of all of the options within his consideration. It may not be able to provide the most optimal boost to her swordsmanship and mech design pursuits, but it can assist her in both without distorting her future progress. This will become clear once you read the accompanying document."

"Uhm. Thanks."

"We do not insist that Swordmaster Ketis should install this implant in her brain. If she has a different choice in mind, then she may sell or gift the implant to someone else. Compared to her admirable swordsmanship, the fate of this material product is immaterial."

There was only one chance for humans to put a cranial implant in their heads. This was an extremely personal choice as there was no going back. The implant not only had to be suitable to the recipient, but also had to be free of any bugs, malware, backdoors and other vulnerabilities.

Even if the gifted implant came directly from the MTA, Venerable Dise did not assume it was sound! If Ketis wanted to make use of it, then the Swordmaidens would insist on combing over every single detail!

"I am sure that Ketis will appreciate this generous gift." Venerable Dise said as she accepted the briefcase. "Is there anything else?"

Commissioner Trumbull nodded. "We understand that your organization is currently engaging in recruitment."

"That is correct."

"We would like to offer some assistance to that purpose. While Swordmaster Ketis' dramatic breakthrough has undoubtedly directed a lot of attention to your Swordmaidens, we can help you achieve or even exceed your goals."

"You don't mind if we take away your strong swordsmen?"

"We are not short of skilled swordsmen and swordsman mech pilots." Commissioner Trumbull confidently smiled. "Granted, out of several considerations, you cannot take away an entire mech army from us. We do not mind if you wish to lead a more reasonable number of Heavensworders to the Red Ocean. Since Swordmaster Ketis is one of us, we shall entrust them to her. Please encourage her to do her best to spread our brand of swordsmanship to the stars."

"I.. shall do that. Please keep in mind that she is also a Swordmaiden and a member of the Larkinson Clan. Those identities matter more to her. In comparison, we have only been guests here for a short amount of time."

"That is fine. We believe that all of the benefits we have given to Swordmaster Ketis will make her feel indebted to our state. We do not ask for much in return. As long as she can return a few favors to us when she has reached the Red Ocean, my sovereign will not complain."

Venerable Dise grimaced a bit. While everything he said sounded reasonable, why did she feel as if there was something fishy about this arrangement?