The Mech Touch

"You have to accept this commission."

"No!" Ves stubbornly shook his head. "I can't accept the Bentheim Liberation Movement as my customer, let alone Vincent Ricklin! Do you know how much trouble I got into when he used the mech I customized for him to tear apart the Ricklin Family?!"

Early in his career, when he was still desperate to earn money, he couldn't afford to be picky with his customers. Accepting Vincent Ricklin as his customer was one of the worst decisions he had made, especially considering how much trouble he got into afterwards!

Marcella patiently allowed Ves to vent his objections to her. "I understand your frustrations, but it's exactly because of your contentious history with Vincent Ricklin that we need you to take this commission."

"Who is this 'we' you're talking about?"

"Everyone who supports reconciliation with the BLM."

Ves sighed and saw that this issue was a lot more serious than he thought. He sat back down on his desk.

"Explain, please."

"Let's start at the beginning. First, do you know what the BLM are fighting for?"

"They want to turn Bentheim independent. Feh, as if that would ever happen."

Marcella nodded in agreement. "It's a fool's quest, but plenty of Bentheimers support their cause. Do you remember that at the recent Bright-Vesia War, the Vesians launched a strong offensive that tore straight in the direction of Bentheim? It seemed that after several centuries of war, this was the closest that Bentheim directly came under contention."

"I remember." Ves nodded grimly. He had been on Bentheim during that time busting a BLM smuggling ring at the Kadar-Neyvis Group. "People also started to fear if the rebels would launch a huge uprising at the same time the Vesians invaded the Bentheim System. Attacked from within and without, the Mech Corps and the Bentheim Planetary Guard would be forced to fight a battle on two fronts."

"It's a good thing the war did not extend past this point. The Vesians merely used the threat of invading Bentheim as a bargaining chip in the negotiations for peace. While we're still paying a price to the Vesians because of that, it beats tearing Bentheim apart."

Both Ves and Marcella had seen their fair share of war, so they both favored this solution.

"The sudden onset of peace disrupted the BLM's plans, right?" Ves pointed out. "I remember that after the war, a sentiment began to spread that the BLM wouldn't be able to hold back their accumulated forces."

"Those were dark days. Luckily, nothing happened. The BLM simply withdrew and hid their forces, which exist to this day. This is exactly what gives the BLM leverage. Even if they're rebels, do you think they are weak? Since they seriously planned to attack the most populated and prosperous planet in the Bright Republic, they can give the heavily-fortified garrisons a serious run for their money!"

Ves was starting to see why the Bright Republic sought to compromise with the BLM. "You mean…"

The mech broker nodded. "The Sand War threatens every Brighter, no matter if they live on Rittersberg or Bentheim. The Bentheim Liberation Movement isn't exempt from this. In fact, they have more to lose than everyone else because Bentheim will almost certainly become a magnet for the sandmen!"

"Isn't Bentheim being fortified as we speak?"

"We can't underestimate the sandmen, Ves. We don't know many fleets the sandmen have in reserve. Under these circumstances, the mech divisions stationed at Bentheim as well as the Bentheim Planetary Guard will have to put as much effort as possible into repelling the relentless flood of sandman fleets."

"Thereby leaving them less able to guard against the BLM." Ves concluded.

Marcella nodded gravely. "The government is in an awkward position. According to their internal projections, it's very much possible that Bentheim will fall if they don't commit enough assets. However, if even a portion of their mechs are assigned to guard critical infrastructure on land, then that means there's a lot less mech pilots that can be assigned to defeat the sandmen in space."

Due to Bentheim's insane population density and large accumulation of materials and energy sources, it would be devastating if even a single sandman vessel made landfall. Beating the sandmen in space had to be prioritized at all cost!

The Bentheim System concentrated an immense amount of industry and trade. No other star system in the Bright Republic carried as much economic and industrial weight as this vital port system!

The loss of Bentheim to the sandman represented the death knell of the Bright Republic. The fallen border states already showed everyone the consequences of losing such a pivotal economic center. Just the impact on morale alone was enough to make the rest despair!

With all of these consequences looming over everyone's heads, Ves came to an uncomfortable conclusion.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"To be more precise, the struggle on both sides has been supplanted by a greater threat from afar. If the sandmen win, both the Bright Republic and the BLM will lose everything. Freeing Bentheim becomes meaningless if there's nothing but broken wrecks and tides of sand proliferating on its surface. Do you think it's any surprise that both sides have put down their animosity towards each other to defend against the greater threat?"

Rationally, such a decision made a lot of sense. Emotionally, Ves couldn't accept it. How could centuries of death and destruction be forgiven in a matter of months?

"There's way too much bad blood on both sides, Marcella. The BLM are all fanatics. How can they ever stomach fighting alongside government forces?"

"I agree that the relationship between the central government and the BLM is precarious. As a Bentheimer myself, I can see both sides of the equation. However, I'm also aware that the sandmen really do need to be addressed. This is why Senator Tovar and a number of other high officials took the initiative to negotiate with the leaders of the BLM. These crucial negotiations have been rocky because it's incredibly difficult for both sides to lay down their grievances towards each other. After a few months of arguing, they finally managed to agree to a difficult compromise."

"Do you know the details?" Ves curiously asked.

She nodded. "It's not a secret by now. The gist of it is that in exchange for committing the bulk of their accumulated mech forces against the sandmen, the BLM and all of its members will receive full amnesty. In fact, the government will help the BLM transition into a legal political entity that can take part in the planetary political process. The military wing will have to be divested from the political wing, though, but their mech forces are free to form outfits as long as they don't grow too powerful."

Ves raised his eyebrows. "Full amnesty? You mean that even the most murderous rebels with a lot of blood on their hands get to start anew?"

"The BLM accepted no less. While there is a lot of discontent in the government for agreeing to this demand, in the end the decision has been made. In exchange for letting off every separatist no matter how many crimes they have to their name, the BLM agreed to divest and fracture their military wing. This is a very important concession that will ensure future stability as long as the Bright Republic survives the Sand War."

"Is that all to it?" Ves frowned suspiciously. "So far, it sounds like the BLM agreed to be defanged for a single concession. There got to be more to this deal, right?"

Marcella nodded. "The grievances of the BLM can't be assuaged with amnesty alone. The central government has decided to grant several important concessions to the BLM. These include giving Bentheim's planetary government more autonomy from the central government and drastically reducing the amount of money that Bentheim transfers elsewhere."

"Isn't that basically giving in to nearly every demand of the BLM?"

"The central government has little choice. They need to placate the grassroots of the rebel movement by giving them the impression that the cause they have fought for has not been in vain. Short of granting Bentheim independence, the BLM has essentially received everything they wished!"

A short pause ensued as Ves processed the situation.

"I can hardly imagine the central government stomaching these concessions." He remarked. "How in the hell can the powers that be swallow such a huge surrender?"

"That's the problem, Ves. Even if Senator Tovar and his allies are highly in favor of this solution, the more militant factions are less than pleased with the situation. The compromise the government has struck with the BLM is extremely shaky, make no mistake. If even a single thing goes wrong, the government could turn against the rebels and vica versa. Such a devastating outcome in the middle of the Sand War has to be avoided at all cost!"

"What does this have to do with the commission you've sprung on me?" Ves asked in confusion. "All of this sounds way over my head! I'm not a diplomat, Marcella! I'm just a mech designer!"

"Don't belittle yourself, Ves." Marcella grinned. "While you're right, you also happen to be a Larkinson and a famed war hero. In the eyes of the government, you're an In order to prove that both sides can get along with each other, the government has started a large number of initiatives. As an ally of Senator Tovar and a famous mech designer, you'll have to do your part as well to facilitate the integration of the BLM into our society."

"I really don't like getting caught up in another political game, Marcella!"

"Our masters don't take no for an answer, Ves. When your history with Vincent Ricklin became known, the masterminds have instantly concocted a plan to show that both of you have reconciled with each other. Seeing a prominent Larkinson and one of the public faces of the BLM getting along will help a lot in convincing everyone that a new future has arrived!"

"Public face?"

"You haven't been to Bentheim lately, it seems. Vincent has made quite a name over the years. He's very charismatic and photogenic. He's the ultimate bad boy in the eyes of many women on Bentheim. The BLM purposefully put him forward as one of their heroes in order to maintain public support!"

"That's ridiculous!" Ves slammed his palm against his desk. "Even if I haven't stepped foot on Bentheim very often, I still keep up with the news! None of the local news portals have mentioned anything about this so-called 'bad boy'!"

Marcella smiled ruefully at Ves. "All of those media outlets are controlled by the government, Ves. They would never publish anything that puts the BLM in a good light. That doesn't stop the BLM from running their own underground press outlets. Vincent has grown a lot over the years. He's not the scrappy young man he used to be. He worked his way up to become a cadre and a mech captain in their ranks!"

Everyone changed over time. Back when Vincent turned against the Ricklin Family and defected to the BLM, Ves had been just a trivial Novice Mech Designer who just took his first steps in the mech industry.

Now, both of them no longer resembled their earlier selves! While Ves had grown to become a prominent Journeyman, Vincent had become an idol of the BLM!

Ves found it hard to stomach that a lowlife like Vincent managed to survive and thrive as a fugitive and a rebel.

Was it too much to ask for Vincent to be caught and executed by the authorities? How come this bastard managed to live long enough for him to become involved in a scheme meant to foster cooperation?!

"I really don't like this, Marcella." He frowned. "And I don't believe that I'm not allowed to refuse. I'm no longer a small and inconsequential mech designer!"

"You're right. But do you truly think you can refuse the likes of Senator Tovar without suffering any consequences? This is why I've been chosen to break the news to you. While it's true that your status in the Bright Republic is different, you shouldn't rely on it too much. Fulfilling favors like this will strengthen your position and keep your allies content. You don't want to have a falling out with the Bright Republic, do you?"

Ves glowered at Marcella. Whose side was she on, anyway?