The Mech Touch

As Ves and the president of the local branch of the Hunter's Association led their small procession into the exotic forest city, they quickly became immersed by the unique charm of the local environment.

Tixe City was not a tall colony settlement. Hardly any structure was taller than one or two stories. The few exceptions consisted of mech workshops and other facilities that had to raise their ceiling by necessity.

Many structures also happened to be covered by alien ivy-like plants. Combined with all of the dust and mud that lingered from the abundance of dirt roads, it made Tixe City look a lot older and weathered than normal.

All of this spoke of careful and deliberate planning. Though Ves was supposed to be on vacation, he couldn't help but switch on his analytical mind and think about the effects of the environment on its inhabitants and people.

In contrast to the clean metal aesthetic that dominated most advanced settlements, Tixe City deliberately induced an atmosphere that harkened back to humanity's less civilized past.

The colonists had even gone out of their way to add elements of savagery into the streets.

From constructing crude animalistic wooden totems to mounting the large and intimidating skulls of exobeasts above the entrances to many buildings, the savage architectural elements caused every visitor to immerse themselves in a fantasy where they had turned into one of the prehistoric hunter-gatherers of their distant ancestry.

Even now, Ves couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to hold a spear and relentlessly hound one of the massive mammoth-sized exobeasts of Ocanon VI as it clumsily tried to fight for its life.

"Here in Ocanon VI, almost everyone is a hunter." President Oscar Tarich proudly explained. "Aside from the wounded, infirm and the very young, every human on this planet has hunted at least a dozen different prey. There are three major continents, and the safest and most regulated hunting grounds are located right here in the Melrose Continent. There are many small hunting grounds around Tixe City that are expressly filled with small and mostly harmless prey. I highly recommend you bring your children to them so that they can get blooded."

"Oh, I certainly intend to do so. Are you looking forward to your upcoming hunts, kids?"

"I have been waiting to kill for years!" Andraste ecstatically squealed.

"Meow." Lucky rolled his eyes as he was being held by the boisterous girl.

Aurelia and Marvaine looked curious but not particularly enthused.

"Those animals are so small and cute. Why do we have to kill them, papa? Can't we turn them into our pets?" Aurelia asked.

"Not everyone can afford to support so many pets, especially if they are alien and incompatible with standard human environments." Ves replied through his transparent breathing mask. "Pets are a luxury, Aurelia. It is not worth it to turn ordinary exobeasts into animal companions. I won't force you to kill these critters if you don't want to, but it is not wise for you to remain soft in a galaxy where the phase whales and the other powerful aliens constantly want to turn us into prey."

"Well said, professor! Do not be concerned, young lady. It is not unheard of for hunters to enter our hunting grounds with non-lethal weaponry. The practice does not entirely conform to the Hunter's Code, however. Ever since our Association has made it available to the public, the proportion of non-lethal hunts has dropped enormously as of late. Hunters simply do not earn enough rewards if they are being merciful and let their prey go after a successful hunt."

"I see."

Ves grew more and more curious about the Hunter's Code. He wanted to obtain more information about it from his high-ranked tour guide, but President Tarich wanted to lead them into the branch headquarters first before he introduced this mysterious new cultivation method.

In the meantime, the branch president continued to introduce the city to the VIP guests.

As Ves stared at a wooden totem that stacked four expertly carved exobeast heads on top of each other, Tarich smiled and explained the custom surrounding these special artworks.

"Successful hunters can apply to rent spaces where they can place their totems. Each of them records the proudest hunts validated by our Hunting Association. They are one of the means used by famous hunters and hunting groups to increase their fame. It may seem trivial to you, but the hunters of Ocanon VI compete fiercely against each other to attain the highest rankings."

"Hunters are ranked?"

"Naturally. Hunting does not have to be a competitive sport, but inserting competitive elements makes everything more exciting. There is no better way to drive hunters to excel and challenge more challenging prey than to make direct comparisons between their performance and that of others. That said, only true professionals and hardcore hobbyists fight for higher rankings. The less driven hunters understand their own limits and stick to hunting the prey they can handle. Hunting can be life-threatening, especially if you seek to complete recognized hunts that are validated by our Hunting Association."

The Hunting Association had an enormous presence on this planet. Ves realized that it had pretty much taken it over from the original colonists. No one seemed to talk about the pioneering organizations who originally settled on this planet. Their personnel and any obvious symbols related to them were entirely absent from this city.

"Is the Hunting Association a direct successor to the Galactic Hunting Club of the Milky Way?"

"That is correct." President Tarich responded with a nod. "Under the leadership of the Huntsman, we have quickly completed a reorganization that seeks to increase the legitimacy and popularity of our vocation. Hunting is a serious activity, and has inspired many great men to complete great deeds. The god pilot who has taken charge of our reformed Association is the greatest example of that. He is the idol of many hunters. Many of us on Ocanon VI seek to learn from his deeds and attain ultimate strength by imitating his accomplishments. The Hunter's Code is the vehicle that gives us hope of becoming a god of the hunt as His Divinity."

The Hunting Association had great ambitions, but it was doubtful whether it could realize them all. Any other organization would be accused of hubris if they made these claims, but this time was different.

Just the fact that the Huntsman led this new Association meant that others were forced to take it seriously!

Nobody dared to disparage or oppose the Hunting Association too heavily because of this. Even if a lot of people thought that hunting was a wasteful and extravagant hobby for the rich and powerful, there was no incentive for them to piss off one of the eight strongest protectors of red humanity!

This was why President Oscar Tarich sounded so proud and self-assured as he extolled the virtues of hunting.

It was also why the formidable looking hunters walking on the streets possessed a collective air of confidence.

Their god and patron approved of their 'sacred' activity!

"What do these giant exobeast skulls signify?" Ves asked as he stared at the entrances of many structures.

"They show off the strength and hunting accomplishments of the owners or occupants of the buildings. This is a privilege only granted to those who have completed valid hunts. They not only serve to deter anyone from causing trouble inside their premises, but also attract more customers if the hunting trophies are placed above the entrances of shops."

This dynamic became quite clear as Ves and his family passed through a few streets that contained shops.

Tixe City was the central hub of Ocanon VI, and therefore hosted a lot of shops to accommodate every possible hunting need.

Yet no matter what kind of store that people opened up, they always made sure to mount the largest and most ostentatious-looking exobeast skulls that could fit on their storefronts!

"They look so big and scary." Marvaine complained.

Clixie brushed against his body to reassure the young boy. "Miaow miaow."

"I can't wait to hunt exobeasts whose skulls are just as big as the largest of those hunting trophies!" Andraste enthusiastically said. "Can we go out and hunt those huge beasts, papa?"

"Absolutely not, pumpkin! These beasts are too strong to be defeated on foot. They can only be hunted by mechs. At most, we can accompany a mech troop as it enters a hunting zone and utilize their strong machines to beat a large exobeast into submission. By the way, president, does every entrepreneur have to show off a hunting trophy in order to do business on this planet?"

"They do." Oscar Tarich straightforwardly replied. "This is a planet where the strong respects the strong. None of us prefer to do business with those who have no understanding of our craft and have suffered none of the ordeals that we regularly have to endure. They can take their business elsewhere. There are still plenty of businessmen who respect our craft and traditions that can take their place."

"Is it mandatory for the owners of larger stores and buildings to mount hunting trophies taken from beasts the size of mechs?"

"It is not a legal requirement, but in the years since Tixe City operated as a city of hunters, it has evolved in this direction. The reality is that hunters frequent the places that resonate with them most. While they do not expect a small store that sells ice cream to mount trophies the size of shuttles, our clientele expect more from those who dare to invest in larger businesses such as hotels and mech arenas. Their owners or one of members of their upper management must always be a mech pilot that has completed one of the difficult hunts that Ocanon VI has to offer."

These customs had far-reaching effects on the local economy. Every major business was either owned or backed by a formidable mech pilot.

It was a radical form of change that altered the local society in a direction that conformed to the vision behind the Deep Strike Plan!

Was this the Huntsman's way of helping red humanity to complete the transition into one that was ruled over by warlords and other strong figures?

"Are there no exceptions to this rule, president?" Aurelia took the initiative to ask.

What a clever girl. Her politically astute mind probably figured out the same undercurrents.

"Even our hospitals must prove they are governed by strong hunters." The old hunter answered back with a smile. "It might not make sense to you, and that is okay. We are passionate about hunting, but we do not insist on pushing our customs and traditions onto everyone. The new frontier is large enough to accommodate other cultures and subcultures. Just let us have our own corners."

"I am not sure if the native aliens will let your people engage in your hunting activities for long. What if the war goes badly for us? What if the Krakatoa Middle is on the verge of getting invaded?" Ves questioned.

President Tarich became a lot more vicious as he contemplated the prospect of an alien invasion.

"Let them come! Though we considered ourselves to be hunters first, that does not prevent us from becoming soldiers as well! If the aliens truly think they can challenge us, then every hunter on Ocanon VI shall rise up and use the strength honed in hunts to treat them as our latest prey. We will not run from our hunting paradises without making these invaders bleed!"

The hunters and especially the mech pilots among them might not have much experience on the battlefield, but all of the challenging hunts had mostly hardened them. They would turn into ferocious fighters if they ever had to fight a serious battle.

However, it did not seem as if the hunters were in a hurry to fight the aliens and earn lots of war merits.

The ongoing war was a distant affair to them as long as it did not hinder their hunting activities.