The Mech Touch

There was still some time before the new arrivals reached low orbit. There, the combat carriers could maintain their blockade or make landfall to dispatch mechs and troops to capture Ves.

During this time, Ves had to do everything to stop this operation!

Right now, the Tovar Family and Flashlight both performed their own investigations and tried to come up with ways to put a stop to this action.

Raymond constantly talked to every influential Larkinson he could reach and ask for a way to convince the Mech Corps to reconsider!

Unfortunately, the Larkinson Family wouldn't be of much help.

"Many Larkinsons who have the most say in the family are currently in active service." The Larkinson elder explained. "You know what that means. They can't be contacted without a good reason."

"I.. understand." Ves sighed. "Soldiers aren't supposed to have access to the galactic net in order to maintain operational security and stuff."

Even though they fought against aliens who did not perform any intelligence gathering, the Mech Corps never let down its guard. It maintained the same tight communication restrictions as during the Bright-Vesia Wars! The military would never allow complacency to be the reason why the Bright Republic fell!

Therefore, Ves knew it was hopeless to gain the assistance of the most respected and influential Larkinsons!

While the retired veterans in the family had a lot of say as well, the biggest issue was that the status of an expert pilot like Ghanso ranked at the top in the family!

While that didn't mean he could dictate family policy, no one in the family would be inclined to oppose him if he wanted something!

The only one who could truly oppose him was another expert pilot!

Right now, the only other Larkinson expert pilot Ves could think up was Ark Larkinson! As his father's brother by blood, Ark would definitely stand up for his cousin!

"Uncle Ark will never stand for this!" He said. "Can you get a hold of him?! He'll surely smack some sense in Ghanso!"

"As far as I'm aware, Ark Larkinson hasn't taken a side in our family dispute. However, he is consumed by the Sand War at this time. We haven't been able to reach him in months."

Ves cursed in his heart. "My grandfather."

"Benjamin is likewise out of reach. During wartime, the Ministry of Defense can be just as strict as the Mech Corps. As long as he is involved with a sensitive operation or important strategic plan, you can forget about contacting him. He's likely unaware of this development!"

In essence, Ves could not count on any Larkinson to exert any influence on Ghanso or the Mech Corps!

What a useless family!

Of course, that was a bit unfair to the Larkinsons. They weren't powerful enough to contend against a state, especially one which they trusted and served from the bottom of their hearts.

The thought of opposing the Mech Corps never crossed the minds of many Larkinsons! Only a crooked member of the family like Ves had no qualms against resisting the military!

"Urgh!"

With all of his helpers, backers and allies rendered impotent due to the nature of his opposition, Ves was running out of people to turn for assistance.

He called Gloriana next and briefed her in on the situation.

"I'm aware." She spoke with concern. "I'm just as mad about this as you, Ves! I won't let anyone take you away if I have anything to say about it! I'm doing everything I can to stop this travesty!"

Ves thought of the detachment of the Glory Battalion assigned to protect her during her stay in the Bright Republic. While they didn't number very much, each second-class mech was a force to be reckoned with. While a third-class expert mech still possessed some advantages, a Hexer mech company could easily suppress Ghanso!

"Can you move the Glory Battalion?"

Her face suddenly turned glum. "I.. can't. I tried, but Melody and the Glory Battalion are abiding by my mother's orders before my own. Their only duty is to protect me. They won't lift a finger to help you. In fact, my guards won't even allow me to go near you in fear that you would drag me in this mess!"

Melody's face entered the projection range, crowding Gloriana aside.

"Mr. Larkinson, please exercise restraint. We are guests of the Bright Republic. We will not allow you to break our agreement of neutrality with your government. If we become involved in whatever infighting you are caught up in, a significant diplomatic crisis will ensue!"

Though Ves hated it, he had to admit that Melody was in the right. It was unfair for him to try and drag the Hexers in this mess of his own making.

He realized that he couldn't count on anyone else to solve this immediate crisis. He could only rely on himself and his closest, most loyal confidantes to resist the incoming capture fleet.

"I understand, Miss Melody." He replied in a defeated tone. "Rest assured that I will figure something out without involving Gloriana."

"Good." She spoke in her cultured accent while staring at Ves with interest. "We will be observing you. If you wish to be a worthy suitor, then you must prove you have the capacity to operate at this level. This difficulty of yours is very minor compared to the intrigues that take place in the Hegemony."

Gloriana finally managed to push Melody away. "Ves! I'm sorry for her! If it was up to me, I would have intervened, diplomacy be damned!"

"Don't do anything drastic, Gloriana. I'm more resourceful than you think. I'll find a way to thread the needle." He spoke confidently.

In truth, he was quaking in his boots. Without Gloriana, where else could he turn to for assistance?

After ending this latest call, Ves breathed deeply and pressed his fingers against his forehead. He turned towards Raymond, who remained in constant contact with fellow Larkinsons.

"Any progress?"

"The contradictions within our family have come out in the open, Ves. Ghanso's involvement in this ambush has forced everyone to make their stance clear. There are Larkinsons who are openly supporting Ghanso and agree with his agenda to make our family return to its roots."

"That's madness! Does Ghanso want to turn back the clock and throw away all of the rewards the family has gained?!"

"You're not alone, Ves. I've roughly gotten the measure of most of our available Larkinsons. At least a third are openly on your side. They believe in you and think you are the only Larkinson who can elevate our family to a greater height!"

"That.. leaves a lot of people who aren't on either side."

"Correct." Raymond sighed. "The majority of Larkinsons are on the fence. They value our heritage and traditions, but they also think the LMC has done a lot of good to the family. However, the main reason why they aren't taking any sides is because they don't believe this conflict is all that serious."

"What?! Don't they know what will happen to us all if Ghanso has his way!?"

"No one believes that anything bad will happen to you, Ves. You are a respected mech designer, war hero and celebrity. It is extremely doubtful the Mech Corps intends anything towards you. Their only goal is to move you from a less secure star system to a more secure star system. Even if you object, it won't really harm our interests."

"Is that what you think?" Ves eyed Raymond with suspicion.

"I am on your side, Ves. While it is difficult for me to agree with your suspicions, I have a duty to assist you in my current position."

At least Raymond remembered who he really worked for. This elder became more and more pleasing to Ves.

"Thank you for your support. For now, let's see how we can escape this crisis."

He estimated that it would take about an hour or so for the new arrivals to reach Ves and bring him away.

He continued to contact various people such as Marcella Bollinger and Professor Ventag. Neither of them could offer any assistance.

As Ves was running out of options, the door to his office opened. Both Leland Toll and Miles Tovar entered at the same time.

"We have made some progress on our respective ends." Leland spoke first after reaching the desk and sitting down on the opposite chair.

"Do tell."

Leland first activated a jammer to shield their conversation from any eavesdropping.

"After some extensive snooping, we managed to identify why our intelligence has failed in this instance." He spoke softly. "It turns out that Spotlight has assisted the unit that is tasked with bringing you way by camouflaging their mission with fake orders and other bureaucratic smokescreens."

"Spotlight is able to do that?"

"Even though Spotlight is responsible for domestic intelligence, there is a lot of rivalry and overlap between the spy agencies. Spotlight has invested a significant proportion of their limited resources in the Mech Corps to assist in the deception! We were completely caught off-guard!"

Ves grimaced. "What is it with Spotlight?"

"Spotlight hasn't decided to oppose you directly. We believe that they are acting on the instructions of a higher authority."

Miles Tovar took over from Leland. "We just happened to find out the person who signed Venerable Ghanso Larkinson's orders. After we have managed to pierce through the smokescreen, we have found out that Mech General Ulrich Cavendish is supporting this operation!"

"Who? Cavendish?" Ves frowned, before his eyes widened. "Is he a part of the Cavendish Family?!"

The Cavendish Family was one of the five founding families of the Bright Republic!

"Correct." Miles nodded. "General Cavendish is 173 years old and one of the mainstays of the Cavendish Family. Out of the founding families, the Cavendish Family are military hardliners. They have a very strong presence in the Mech Corps. For General Cavendish to issue these orders in a covert manner while keeping everyone else in high command in the dark can only be done with the full support of the Cavendish Family!"

"Why.. is the Cavendish Family targeting me?" Ves asked hollowly. "I never did anything to them. I don't even know Ulrich Cavendish!"

"This is our fault." Miles admitted. "Our Tovar Family is competing against the Cavendish Family for influence. Due to the difficulties caused by the Sand War, the Bright Republic is forced to make increasingly more desperate decisions. The contradictions between every faction has intensified because no side wants to pay an excessive price to keep our state aloft."

Ves banged his fist against his desk. "So the only reason General Cavendish has issued these orders is because they are targeting your family?!"

"We are attempting to remedy this problem as best we can!" Miles held up his hands. "However, our Tovar Family is mainly involved in administration. While our influence in the government is considerable, we don't have much say in the Mech Corps."

"Don't forget what time we are in right now. In times of war, the military has the most say. The Mech Corps is able act with near-impunity, especially when martial law has been declared throughout our entire state!" Leland reminded Ves.

"Goddammit!"

"It gets worse." Miles Tovar spoke. "From what we have gathered, the Cavendish Family hasn't acted alone in this. The hand of the Ramza Family is also evident! While they are mostly engaged in commerce, they possess a decent influence in the government and the military."

"Let me guess. The Ramzas have a beef with you Tovars as well, right?"

The Tovar mech designer reluctantly nodded. "The Ramzas are our biggest rivals. They may even be the instigators of this scheme. With their extensive influence in the mech industry, the Ramzas are likely responsible for the followup. When you are taken to Rittersberg or New Foundation, you will probably be pressured into working for the military or some other mech institution for the remainder of the Sand War!"

In other words, Ves may not be a captive of the state, but he would definitely be restricted and firmly under its control!