The Mech Touch

"Miss Avikon, please enter."

A woman garbed in remarkable purple robes entered the room. She nodded at Commander Rivington. As prominent leaders among the Lifer contingent of Larkinsons, they frequently worked alongside each other.

Ves was a bit taken aback by her appearance though. While he interacted with her every now and then, lately he had become too preoccupied with his experiments. Besides, his airfleet already developed a working hierarchy now. He did not have to waste as much time with solving various management issues.

It had actually been at least 6 days ago when he last met Samandra. Back then, the priestess possessed a familiar demeanor.

Now, she looked much more focused and intense. When her eyes rested on Ves, he felt as if she was trying her best to restrain herself!

She bowed deeply. "Patriarch Ves. It is good to see you again."

"You look.. different."

"I have been praying a lot lately, and so have my fellow compatriots."

"That sounds okay."

"I have been praying in front of the Aspect of Healing. For a long time, I did not realize that I was bearing a burden. Reflecting on myself while in the presence of the divine angel has made me realize that 

"Oh."

Of the four Aspects of Lufa, Ves reserved two of them for his experiments. The Aspect of Rationality was very dangerous, but also very useful in certain circumstances, so its use was heavily restricted.

This left the Aspect of Healing as the remaining statue open to the public. Every Larkinson who wanted to clear their minds and find some joy in their lives were allowed to have a session with the statue.

A short session.

As Ves and some of the leadership became more concerned about the potential long-term effects of constant exposure, they increasingly limited the amount of minutes someone was allowed to spend in the statue's presence.

Ves did not want to raise a bunch of spiritual drug addicts! The statue was solely there to help the traumatized and displaced citizens move on from their depression. It was not meant to turn Larkinsons into the next versions of Axelar Streon!

He thought that cutting down the session time to 10 minutes was already good enough. Yet seeing how Samandra had become a lot more fanatical than before made him feel he needed to pare down that time interval even further.

He coughed. "Madame Samandra, I hope you have kept in mind that the cure can sometimes be worse than the disease."

"I am aware that the grace of the Aspect of Healing should not be abused. However, it has helped me discover what is truly important. Now that I have pledged my loyalty to the Larkinson Clan, I should not let my old bonds hinder me from doing what is best. I think the reason why I am here is related to my enlightenment. If not for that, I would have been much more hesitant to divulge the information that I hold."

Ves narrowed his eyes. "Please explain."

"Priestess Samandra, please tell Ves about your ties to the Supreme Sage."

"Huh?!" Ves straightened his back as he stared at the woman in shock. "You know the Supreme Sage?!"

The priestess quickly shook her head. "Not directly, no. I am a small figure to this great researcher, though I do admit that my organization and I worshipped him as the greatest apostle that can realize the holy grandeur of biotechnology."

"What are your ties to him, then?"

"My prior organization, Spiritus Sancti, is an arm of his direct organization. We were essentially one of his agents, not that most of us were aware of this. I am one of the few who know the truth due to my rank."

Ves was stunned. For a moment, he couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Life Research Association maintained a strong secular tradition. Its people strongly valued science over baseless superstition and did not take cults like Spiritus Sancti seriously.

The Lifers were much like Brighters in that regard! The only difference was that the former adopted their stance based on science while the latter made the same decision based on ideology.

As someone who sat at the very top of a technocratic state, the Supreme Sage should be one of the most repellant towards religion!

There was no way that Ves could ever tie such a renowned and successful biotech research to a cult that plied illogical and unfalsifiable assumptions!

Commander Rivington saw his confusion and chuckled. "That's my reaction as well when Priestess Samandra first told me about this. I have to say that it makes good sense, though. Who would ever suspect that Spiritus Sancti actually served as the Supreme Sage's eyes and ears? No Lifer, especially the stuck-up biomech designers, would ever guess the truth!"

Ves became enlightened. If he disregarded his instinctual disgust towards cults, then he had to admit that the Supreme Sage erected a brilliant scheme!

Spiritus Sancti were treated as outcasts in the LRA. This made it difficult for them to get in touch with people and organizations that were aligned to the Supreme Sage, but that also meant they had an easier time befriending those who were opposed to the current order!

As the implications and possibilities of this arrangement became more clear to Ves, he was furiously taking notes. While he didn't think it was necessary to spread informants in his clan, he might need to implement this kind of plan when he became involved in other organizations in the future.

"So what was your purpose?"

"The leaders of Spiritus Sancti answered to an emissary of the Supreme Sage." Samandra clarified. "I do not know the name of the organization to which the emissary belongs, but we believe that it answers directly to the great leader. Personally, I have the impression that we were working on behalf of an intelligence agency that is directly under the control of the head of our state."

Ves thought about something interesting. "Wait a second. According to the rebels, the Supreme Sage who we all thought was alive until recently had actually turned braindead more than a year ago. Did Spiritus Sancti continue to receive instructions from this mysterious emissary in recent times?"

The priestess sighed. "We did, sir. We received more and more instructions to get in contact with other shunned organizations and understand their situation. Once we have supplied the intelligence we have gathered, we are no longer part of the process. I have kept an eye on these groups, though. I have noticed that some of them have started to undergo some changes."

"Do you believe the emissary and the group he is part of has gone rogue?"

"I cannot say, patriarch. It may be that the conservatives or the opposition has taken control of them insead. Whatever the case, I feel rather betrayed that we have been following the whims of lessers in the last one-and-a-half years. I pledged an oath to serve the Supreme Sage and his chosen agents who are loyal to his cause."

"You told us earlier that the Aspect of Healing caused you to rethink this oath."

"I did not break my sacred oaths!" Samandra stated in a fiery tone. "However, there are instances where oaths are no longer valid. For example, now that the Supreme Sage has perished and the agents we have answered to no longer execute his will, I believe that I am no longer bound by my previous promises. Besides, even if he was still alive, he is no longer the apostle who can make everyone acknowledge the greatness of holy biotechnology. As your living statues have already shown, you are a much better envoy of biotechnology!"

"Regardless of your reasons, you're a Larkinson now." Rivington added. "Your new loyalties supersede your old ones. If there is a conflict between the two, then you must always prioritize your current responsibilities."

"Well said, commander." Ves smiled and clapped. Anything that served the interests of his clan above the interests of other organizations would always have his approval! "Let's get back to the more immediate topic. Samandra, did Spiritual Sancti deal with life-prolonging treatment in any way?"

She shook her head. "I will have to disappoint you, sir. As far as I am aware, we have never gotten in touch with such a high-end matter. What I can disclose to you is that we may know where one of the pinnacle labs is located."

"Oh? How come? These labs are also high-end."

"I… believe that Spiritus Sancti has assisted in some of the Supreme Sage's experiments. In what way, I can't tell." She slowly said. "There were several instances where some of us traveled to the warehouse depot that we are investigating at the moment. While I cannot directly tie these incidents to the instructions given by the emissary, I believe there is definitely a connection. Spiritus Sancti ordinarily doesn't operate that much in this area."

If this was the case, then the depot was definitely remarkable!

Ves made up his mind. "I've decided. As soon as our airfleet is ready to move from this biomech production facility, we're heading straight to this place."

"Won't that be too obvious, sir? If a pinnacle lab is truly buried in the vicinity, we might alarm those who are also aware."

"I don't think it's a big issue if it is not as contested as Ruuzon Arena. While the odds of finding something good at that warehouse is low, we don't know until we examine the place. Just consider this a gamble. If our suspicions are wrong, then no harm is done. The only price we paid was the opportunity cost of venturing to a more productive location."

He didn't care too much about this. Enough time had passed for the Larkinsons to perform rudimentary repairs and maintenance on many of its biomechs. While not all of them were in good condition, they were still adequate as long as they could fight!

Ves faintly felt that time was running out. The anarchy on the planet could not last forever. Once the conservatives or whoever else managed to push out the opposition, it was only a matter of time before the effective rulers clamped down on all of the chaos!

While a part of Ves would feel relieved that common sense took hold again, another part of him would feel sad that the good times were over.

He had gained so much from the current situation!

Now that he had made up his mind, his subordinates received orders to prepare for another migration. They had lingered in this location long enough. Their strike companies had already ventured out and cleaned up all of the murderers and anarchists in the surrounding city district.

Though Ves did not completely assume that there was a hidden pinnacle lab at their next destination, he chose to divulge the possibility to a select few people.

"You're doing something supid again, Ves." Venerable Jannzi crossed her arms. "When will you learn that you need to stop going after everything that looks shiny? We should just stay put and wait for the fighting to die down. Our primary goal has always been to return to our fleet! We should not jeopardize our survival by getting involved in this murky business!"

"I hate to say it, but she's right this time." Venerable Tusa concurred.

Ves remained stubborn, though. "This is different! The risks of exploring an abandoned warehouse isn't as great as heading right back to Ruuzon Arena! I just want to try and see if I can pick up some invaluable salvage on the cheap. If it doesn't work out, I'll back off. I promise."

"Do you know what you are saying, Ves?! You're thinking about barging into the most strategically important facilities in the LRA in order to steal something that doesn't belong to you! This is not honorable conduct!"

"Well, the way the Lifers have treated us isn't honorable either! I never asked to get caught up in their civil war, but they didn't give me any choice! I'm just heading out in order to collect some interest. I need compensation for all of the trauma the state has inflicted!"