The Mech Touch

It wasn't just the fleet that was attacked.

All of human space was also suffering!

When Ves switched to other broadcasts such as Galaxy News Network, the Rubarth Daily, the Terran Telegraph and the Red Ocean Digest, the stories they told were all similar.

No state seemed to be spared. Terrorist attacks broke out in even the most secure locations of the Greater Terran United Confederation and the New Rubarth Empire!

Other first-rate, second-rate and third-rate states fell victim to various attacks. Both poor and rich states had to contend with the ravages of this sudden trans-galactic terror wave!

For some stupid reason, Calabast did not immediately allay her suspicions when Ves protested his innocence. Her strategic partner had stirred up so much trouble lately that it seemed that every awful incident was his fault somehow!

Ves truly felt wronged though. He didn't think he had anything to do with something that could cause so many people across so many different areas of human space to lose their sanity!

"I know quite well that I don't have any crowns or other fancy headwear in my possession." Ves emphatically said in order to dispel Calabast's suspicion. "I might have picked up some treasures back on Prosperous Hill VI, but your Black Cats should easily be able to trace all of the goods we've plundered and shipped back to our fleet. The other gains I've made largely consist of exclusive research data that have no relations to any crowns."

The spymaster judged that Ves didn't have any direct relations to the current incident. She lowered her suspicions and opened up another interface. She needed information. A lot of information. Seeing that much of the terrorist attacks happened elsewhere, she couldn't rely on her agents to explain what was happening.

Only the news could give her an indication of what was going on. She immersed herself in the news reports that had just been put on the galactic net.

Ves browsed the news as well, but not before issuing some commands.

"We don't have to return to yellow alert but let's make sure we are on guard. Wherever we go, don't allow any ship or mech to approach our security perimeter. I don't care what the local laws permit people to do, anyone who comes close and ignores our warning should be shot down without mercy."

"Yes, sir!"

"Also, please keep an eye on the local unrest in our current star sector. We should steer away from any locations where a lot of trouble has erupted."

"Yes, sir."

"Do not answer any calls for help or communicate casually with outside organizations. We need to assume a more cautious posture. Pretend that we are operating in a warzone. Nowhere is safe. We need to revise our planning with regards to when we recruit and pick up supplies."

Ves did not want to suffer because he was too complacent. He smelled a grand conspiracy from this civilization-wide unrest.

Even though the scale of attacks weren't actually big enough to topple entire states or cause the societies of entire planets to collapse, the bloodshed and material damage that the madmen had inflicted was already quite immense.

The worst part about it was that humanity continued to be beset by terrorist attacks!

[...a space station has plunged into a city in the Galactic Heartland. The city's shield generators failed to resist all of the damage, causing at least three million humans to die upon impact…]

[...a large mech manufacturing complex exploded as several industrial machines overloaded at the same time. The culprit, a rogue mech designer, had eroded the programming of these powerful machines over a span of four years…]

[...The Komodo War has entered into a temporary lull as both the Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony have suffered from many terrorist attacks. The war is unlikely to end due to this incident, but many citizens from both states have decided to…]

[RETURN OUR STOLEN CROWN!]

[RETURN OUR STOLEN CROWN!]

[RETURN OUR STOLEN CROWN!]

No matter what kind of person committed the awful deeds, they all shouted the same four words.

Ves could not fathom how so many people living in so many different parts of human space simultaneously shouted the same demand as if it was their company slogan!

It didn't seem as if all of these hidden sleeper agents were instructed to shout this phrase ahead of time.

Calabast happened to concur.

"We still lack a lot of information, but I think I can make a guess. A major incident must have taken place recently. It could have happened a few months ago, but this outbreak of terror is too sudden and seems to be awfully devoid of planning and immediate strategic considerations. Aside from sowing fear and getting their demand across, the perpetrators are wasting too many opportunities!"

A spymaster like her would definitely think this way. Many of the people who had gone mad were all people who occupied both the lowest and highest echelons of society. The fact that even exalted Rubarthan princes and eminent Terran clansmen became infected by the craziness was enough to showcase the horrible power and influence of the masterminds!

Yet all of these extremely hidden assets exposed themselves to the public on their own accord and launched attacks that inevitably led to their deaths without achieving any other discernible value.

It was just like the random terrorist attack on the Glory Seekers and Cross Clan. Without enacting some sort of follow-up plan, the random explosions did not fundamentally hurt the expeditionary fleet.

"You know what I am thinking about?"

"What is it, Ves?"

"This has all of the signs of a boss issuing an impulsive command. I don't know who he or she is, but something must have happened that has obviously tipped this person over. This person must wield an enormous amount of authority to be able to trigger so many people to go mad at once. That, or the loss of this so-called crown is so severe that an entire council of leaders agreed to let their subordinates loose in response to the theft!"

Cabast grimaced as she continued to flick through news reports across the galaxy. "My own analysis concurs with your guess. Every organization is led by people, and those at the top can easily abuse their power whenever they lose control of their emotions. What frightens me is the scale and the background of the organization that is responsible for setting off so many people. It has to be a trans-galactic organization, and one that can reach every corner of human space. Not even the Red Ocean is exempt from this terror wave, which means that powerful pioneers that are capable of earning lots of MTA or CFA merits are part of this powerful but evidently hidden organization!"

"There aren't many trans-galactic organizations in human space that possess this much reach…" Ves lowered his eyes in concern.

"From the sheer number of people this organization has managed to turn as well as the extremely high status of a number of them, this organization is incredibly powerful. It must be far more powerful than a typical megacorporation. What organization can you think of that comes close to matching the Big Two?"

Both Calabast and Ves exchanged concerned glances. They both knew something about the Five Scrolls Compact. There was no other organization that had the ability and the craziness to unleash so many hidden assets at this random time!

"It makes me wonder what this crown is all about." Ves lightly said. "Anything that such a powerful organization wants back must be a relic of extreme importance."

"Don't even think about it, Ves." Calabast growled.

"Hey, I'm just wondering, that's all! I'm not crazy enough to paint a target on my back. Besides, what are the odds that this missing crown is anywhere near our fleet? Something as important as this relic ought to be stationed close to their 'headquarters'. I heard that it got breached once. Its security likely hasn't improved all that much."

Neither of them knew the inside story behind this chaotic incident. They were just swapping guesses at this point.

The only reassurance was that they both judged that their clan was not involved. They were just incidental victims just like many other innocent people in the galaxy. The fact that the expeditionary fleet got attacked was not a sign that the Golden Skull Alliance was specifically targeted.

While there was no doubt that the Compact or most likely one of its branch organizations had plotted against the expeditionary fleet, neither Ves nor Calabast exhibited too much concern.

"Massive organizations like these like to have their finger in as many pies as possible." She said. "If this particular organization truly has the power and reach to threaten the Big Two, then they can easily plant their own spies in our midst without exerting too much effort. They're probably sleeper agents as well. They could spend their whole lives keeping their true sides in the dark as long as their superiors have no reason to target us specifically."

Ves agreed with this guess due to the simple fact that the Compact hadn't gone after him despite possessing the mythical Metal Scroll.

If the cultists truly knew who he was and what he held, then they should have made a much greater effort in infiltrating the Golden Skull Alliance!

"That doesn't mean that the remainder of our fleet is free of sleeper agents, though." Calabast warned. "Look at the news. Not all of the hidden assets have shown their fangs. More are emerging after every moment. It is conceivable that more will attack when they see an opportunity to inflict greater destruction. Worse yet, I believe the majority of hostile agents in the ranks of our allies will continue to live among us while wearing their false identities!"

If Ves was in charge, he would have ordered just 5 to 20 percent of the agents under his command to go mad and expose themselves in the process. With 80 percent of the hidden assets still in place, he would still be able to retain a lot of possibilities!

Days passed as the expeditionary fleet reluctantly journeyed deeper into the Winged Serenade Star Sector.

Terrorists attacks continued to break out without any signs of abating. Space stations burned. Starships disappeared into the void. Mechs killed their own mech pilots. Hospital patients mutated into cannibalistic monsters. The news across the galaxy continued to spread more fear among the people of the galaxy.

Entire states were becoming paralyzed because too many people had grown too scared to go out and live their daily lives!

The news agencies as well as many official organizations such as the Big Two began to refer to the unrest as the Crown Uprising.

Everyone who heard the phrase 'return our stolen crown' had become sick of it. Absolutely no one in the galaxy except for those affiliated with the nefarious organization that sparked the uprising wanted to utter those blasted words.

Ves was starting to feel more and more unsafe even though his powerful fleet was traveling along one of the safest transit routes through the Winged Serenade Star Sector. Plenty of minor and major incidents had erupted in nearby states. It didn't matter whether their security levels had remained high for centuries. The hidden agents were seemingly everywhere!

Who thought it was a good idea to steal a relic from the Five Scrolls Compact? It was a lot safer to poke a dragon! Now the entire galaxy had gone mad because someone couldn't resist stealing from the most powerful organizations in human space.

"Whoever caused the Crown Uprising deserves to get spanked!" Ves growled in frustration. "That person needs to get punished day and night. I want to squeeze my hands on this blasted thief's throat. I want to tie this stupid crown stealer up and perform lots of experiments. He or she doesn't deserve any mercy. Death is too kind to the criminal who provoked those crazy bastards!"