The Mech Touch

Yernstall.

The Sapphire of the Red Ocean.

The new de facto capital of red humanity.

The central star node had risen up to become the most important haven of humans in the Red Ocean.

It was one of the few 'neutral' star systems in human-occupied space where Terrans and Rubarthans were able to tolerate each other's presence.

Many different groups that had the money to operate in the central star node preferred to conduct a lot of trading in this pivotal location.

The Yernstall Central Star Node featured the greatest variety of goods and services. Almost anything could be obtained in this commercial paradise. As long as consumers possessed enough wealth and status, they could always come away with emptier pockets but more satisfied expressions.

Ves hoped to be one of them. He had an entire list of goals that he wanted to accomplish while he visited this storied central star node.

He did not have enough confidence to obtain everything on his wish list, but he would already be happy if he completed half of his goals!

As soon as the Bluejay Fleet entered the Yernstall Central Star Node, it immediately came under the jurisdiction of traffic control.

Security was paramount in Yernstall. After witnessing what happened to Bridgehead One, the Red Association and the Red Fleet bolstered the defenses of this central star node and tightened the rules yet again.

Nobody was allowed to bring their mechs and starships wherever they wanted. The right to bring mechs around for protection had been curtailed even further. People were not even allowed to carry weapons for self-defense.

If they had any implanted weapons inside their bodies, then they had to submit

Themselves to the security services, who would subsequently lock the activation of those integrated weapon systems.

It became almost impossible for visitors and residents to apply for exceptions to these onerous rules.

Fortunately, Ves remained one of the few leaders who still deserved special treatment. Considering that the Bluejay Fleet hailed from the Red Association, the incoming starships only had to undergo an accelerated inspection. This was mainly to inspect that the native aliens hadn't secretly snuck aboard a ship and disguised themselves as humans or whatever.

The temporary reinforcements that Ves managed to borrow from groups such as the Terran ancient clans and the Pantheon of Modern Gods were not allowed to accompany Ves any further.

The core ships of the Bluejay Fleet also separated from the Tarrasque. Each of them had gone through a serious battle and required serious repairs and upgrades in order to fulfill their mission to the best of their abilities.

Even the Babylon Excavator had to separate from Ves. Captain Zonrad Reze had distinguished himself in combat, but also needed to account for the liberal use of weapons of mass destruction.

The Red Admiralty definitely had questions about the 'reckless' use of hyper nanomachine plagues!

In the end, only the Tarrasque remained as the only remaining secure means of transportations between the planets of Yernstall.

Ves took a moment out of his busy schedule to head to an observation room and look outside the viewport.

The augmented view was magnificent. The most eye-catching feature was the three stars following a complex interconnected orbit with each other.

Yernstall did not originally feature so many stars. Back during the start of the Phasewater Generation in the previous age, mechers and fleeters had simply dragged a couple of nearby stars over to Yernstall in order to increase the energy generation of this important star system. They also brought in numerous planets as well in order to expand the local living space.

Ves had no idea how the MTA and the CFA could accomplish such an amazing feat.

In any case, the mechers and the fleeters subsequently built Dyson swarms around all three suns. The quantity of solar collectors floating at a remarkably close distance from a star was so high that it was impossible for the local industries to produce them all in a short time frame.

The solar collectors had all been produced back in the Milky Way Galaxy before getting exported to the Red Ocean. This was one of the many benefits of maintaining a transportation channel to the most powerful civilization in a large galaxy.

From the moment the greater beyonder gates got cut off from each other, red humanity could no longer rely on handouts from the prosperous Milky Way to solve all of its problems with ease.

Ves knew enough about the state of red humanity's industrial outlook to know that it was prohibitively expensive to build another Dyson swarm.

Therefore, the existing ones that partially blocked the energy radiating from all three fiery globes had become priceless!

It was not too difficult for the Red Two to replace a dozen solar collectors that always malfunctioned due to their extreme exposure to the radiation of a star, but it was impractical to replace the entire set!

This was why red humanity absolutely could not afford to lose Yernstall to the native aliens. Once the Red Cabal took over this central star node, the Dyson swarms would definitely be gone one way or another!

In order to prevent this outcome from happening, the mechers and the fleeters invested a lot to defend this crucial location.

Aside from all of the mech forces, defensive fleets and security regulations, the Red Two also relied on more formidable means of protection.

From the deployment of strong and ultra-long-range interdiction fields to the installation of massive grand work-level superweapons designed by Star Designers, nothing less than a civilization-ending invasion force could threaten humanity's hold over this strategic location!

Ves felt proud that his race managed to build up such a magnificent stronghold and commercial center. He should have visited this central star node sooner.

"Somewhere out there is my little shipyard." He muttered.

He had been looking forward to paying a personal visit to Starfarer Berth. He had toured the facility numerous times before by remote, but it just wasn't the same. However, he needed to address so many priorities during his stay in this star system that he was not sure if he could spare the time to visit his shipyard.

His schedule was about to become busy very soon due to an important event that would change his life and career forever.

A short time later, Ves ended his moment of contemplation and reunited with the other Senior Mech Designers aboard the Tarrasque.

They all gathered in the design lab where the central projection already displayed a map of their destination.

"This is Yernstall V, otherwise known as La Reine." Jovy pointed towards the heavily developed planet that was surrounded by several moons and a large amount of orbital works. "This planet is the main commercial and industrial center of the mech industry in Yernstall. The Red Association is mainly in charge here, but La Reine welcomes visitors from nearly every branch of red humanity aside from the fleeters. It is also the planet where we will hold the product reveal for the completed works of the Swarm Project." Ves and several other mech designers couldn't help but smile. After so many months of hard work and after overcoming an attempt to stop them from introducing their revolutionary products, they were finally approaching the end of their difficult ordeal! "At the request of Ves, we have scheduled the date of the product reveal to take place 3 days later." Jovy continued to brief the others. "This should give us enough time to inspect the Palace of Mechanical Marvels and prepare the site to receive an enormous

Amount of guests."

The projection changed to show the mech museum and exhibition center that was built in one of the most expensive and high-end districts of La Reine.

The entire palace possessed an anachronistic appearance. The blending between ancient architectural elements and ultra-modern metallic materials resulted in an enormous structure that looked completely out of place in any time period.

Jovy quickly explained the background of the venue to the people who were unfamiliar

With the place.

"The Palace of Mechanical Marvels is first and foremost a museum. It is built and run by the Mech Supremacist Movement, and features many unique and priceless mechs of great historical significance. Its collection is so impressive that it is considered the best. museum if you want to learn about the development of mechs from the beginning of the Age of Mechs. It also offers more than enough space to host product reveals and symposiums. We could have chosen to hold our event at larger and more fully featured exhibition centers, but we have selected this palace in the end." Lord Richard Brownstone looked impressed at the selection of this venue. "This is an apt choice. The Palace of Mechanical Marvels commemorates every significant advancement of the mech industry. The work we have done to develop the first commercial Carmine mechs holds just as much historical significance if not more. We can donate the first copies of the final iteration of the mech designs of the Swarm Project to the museum as a grand gesture. Our works will become celebrated and admired by many visitors in the years to come."

The expression of Lady Romanda Devos looked especially emotional at the moment. She

Had worked hard to prove that her concept of ultra-large enhanced cockpit systems had

A place in the mech community.

To place a series of Carmine mechs that featured her oversized cockpits in one of the most prestigious mech museums in the Red Ocean was the ultimate vindication of her

Life's work!

However... Ves knew that Lady Romanda was clearly afraid that her invaluable contribution to the evolution of mechs may become stricken from the record. She had revealed herself to be a cosmopolitan to Ves. Even if she belonged to a different cell from the ones that masterminded the ambush, that still did not change the fact that she was a member of the most hated human terrorist organization!

Ves had not confronted her about her double identity after the Battle of Mazepan. He

Did not rat her out to the authorities because he was not quite sure what to do with this

'opportunity!

Should he keep Romanda close to his side and use her as a channel to cooperate with the more reasonable cosmopolitans?

He did not feel motivated to expose her to the Red Two. She was not high-ranking

Enough to know anything important. The revelation of her true allegiance would also taint Ves and his Carmine mechs at a time where they could least afford to carry this

Blemish!

For now, Ves preferred to keep his options open. He only gave Lady Romanda a silent signal that she should remain patient before putting this issue aside.

He had much more important affairs to deal with than to decide the fate of a little

Cosmopolitan.

"Can we expect the attendance of a lot of important guests?"

"It depends." Jovy said. "Every major organization has confirmed that they will send representatives to attend the product reveal. We have given out enough hints that they will regret it if they miss this event, but we are not certain whether they will send people with authority or mid-level managers that hold little actual power. We have done the best we can under the circumstances."

"Will there be any... tier 1 galactic citizens among the VIP guests?" Ves carefully asked. "There will be, Ves. I am told we should be ready to accommodate the presence of at least one Star Designer, but that attendance is not guaranteed. Any further information related to this topic is classified and falls outside of our responsibilities."

"I see. We better make sure we do not embarrass ourselves in high company." Compared to Ves who felt rather nonchalant about the potential attendance of a Star Designer, the others looked a lot more nervous and insecure than before! This was a Star Designer, an individual who reached the apex of their profession! How could they not remain calm when they learned that they might have to perform in front of such esteemed company?

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