The Mech Touch

Hardly anyone would say no to them! Their might had firmly been established during the Age of Conquest. They also continued to play a major role in safeguarding human space against hostile alien civilizations.

Only pacifists, idealists and the extremists aligned with the MTA Warship Abolition Faction opposed the wider use of warships!

The public instantly buzzed as they discussed the latest news.

"This is awful! If warships are allowed to make a comeback, we will soon return to a time where a single vessel can bombard our entire cities from orbit!"

"Haven\'t you read all of the rules? The Red CFA won\'t allow people to do that? The fleeters will punish anyone who abuses the power of warships against other humans. They\'re mostly intended to give us a fighting chance against the warships fielded by powerful aliens!"

"This is a scam. A warship may be strong, but a company of first-class multipurpose mechs can be Just as powerful, and you don\'t need any extra licenses to field the latter."

"It\'s impossible to earn one of these tokens! Kill a phase whale? The Red C.FA might as well ask us to build a portal that can bring us back to the Milky Way!"

"If you can kill an ancient phase whale, would you choose to go to the MTA and redeem 1 trillion MTA merits, or go to the CFA and redeem a Battlecruiser Token?"

"What\'s the use of a single battlecruiser when I can extend my lifespan by an extra few centuries? I can pay for a lot of life-prolonging treatments with 1 trillion MTA merits!"

Tlie surprise announcement of the CFA Warship Quota Program not only generated a lot of discussion among the public, but also energized the debates among the groups that had a realistic chance of earning these newfangled tokens!

The Golden Skull Alliance organized an emergency meeting.

In order to prevent the sensitive talks from leaking out, the leaders of the five alliance partners decided to meet in private in a secure chamber underneath the Cat Nest.

Tlie alliance even requested Saintess Ulrika Vraken to secure the meeting venue with the help of her Macharia Excelsia.

Though nobody really felt comfortable with subjecting themselves to the strong Saint Kingdom of a Hexer ace pilot, this was one of the few ways to circumvent the most sophisticated snooping methods!

Fortunately, none of the leaders gathered together at this time were weak in mind, spirit or will.

"The risk factors have Increased now that we have entered the Age of Dawn." Marshal Ariadne Wodin stated. "We can leave aside the threat of M87 for the time being, but we cannot ignore the determination of the natives of the Red Ocean to strangle extragalactic Invaders such as ourselves. From a strategic standpoint, the Great Severing is not the goal itself, but a means to the desired end result. The next logical step the natives must take is to mobilize their entire warmaking potential and launch an all-out offensive on human-occupied territory. The regions close to the frontlines are about to get flooded by alien Incursions!"

Ves rubbed his hairless chin. "Your assessment is probably right, but the Red Big Two won\'t stand by and remain as impassive as before. Human population has become a lot more scarce and valuable now that we are cut off from the Milky Way. Their warfleets will do their best to block the most powerful alien fleets. The only ones that should get through are the weaker fleets. As long as we put a lot of effort into scouting the space around our expeditionary fleet, we can pick our battles and avoid any opponents that are too powerful for our own good."

"What do you all think?" Marshal Ariadne asked the other leaders sitting at the table. "Do you agree with his decision to resume the Trailblazer Expedition?"

Master Benedict Cortez firmly nodded. "It is exactly because times have changed that we must be more proactive. The real threat to our existence is not the natives of the Red Ocean, but the more powerful aliens that originate from M87. Once the latter start to commence their invasion, there is a high probability that second-class mechs will not be able to put up any meaningful resistance. The only realistic chance for us to protect our own lives is to promote to first-raters and build up a strong force of first-class mechs and potentially warships. We need to do this as soon as possible."

Several other people at the table nodded in agreement. Nobody could predict when the natives of M87 might come, but clearly the Cross Clan wasn\'t willing to bet that red humanity had the luxury of time.

Ves glanced towards the leaders of the latest two alliance partners. Both of them looked a bit distracted. Tlie Great Severing clearly affected them more than others!

"General Foraine. Matriarch Boojay. How are the two of you holding up? Are you still with us now that you are cut off from the Milky Way?"

The leader of the Adelaide Third Fleet responded with a brittle smile. "It is... disconcerting to lose contact with the other fleets of our mercenary company. My staff and I have been preoccupied with reestablishing ourselves as an Independent organization. Much of this work is administrative in nature. It will not delay our participation in the coming expedition."

"Our family has lost our goal." Matriarch Rezzie Boojay said in a depressed tone. "Our overarching goal has always been to build up the forces needed to return to the Greater Terran United Confederation and take back the territory stolen by the Chabran Ancient Clan. Now... it is impossible to regain our honor."

That indeed sounded like a major problem. If the Boojays lost the motivation to pursue greater strength, then they would no longer be able to contribute as much to the Golden Skull Alliance as Ves hoped!

He thought for a moment. "A powerful Terran clan like the Chabrans should have taken part in the colonization of the Red Ocean."

"They have. The Chabrans have established a moderate presence in the Caesarlon Upper Zone."

"Why not set your sights on their holdings in that upper zone instead?" Ves suggested. "It might not be as good as taking back your ancestral planets, but at least your family has done the best it can under the circumstances!"

Tlie matriarch let out a sigh. "Defeating the Chabran Ancient Clan in the Red Ocean is not as meaningful. Do not worry. We do not intend to turn our backs on our commitments. It is still beneficial for us to seek greater chances in the deep frontier."

The leaders of the Golden Skull Alliance came to a consensus. Despite the valid concerns about rising hostilities in the deep frontier, the various alliance partners still wanted to obtain greater plunder!

They also did not reject the opportunity to earn a few warship tokens if possible. Phase whales and phase lords were notoriously difficult to find, but the Golden Skullers could earn a huge amount of profit if they succeeded in tracking one down!

Of course, killing these native gods was another matter. Tlie ones that Ves and his people encountered in the past were either weak or restricted. He did not think it would be that easy to defeat them in the open.

It was not for nothing that most red humans assumed that the hunt for phase whales would mostly become a concern for first-raters.

Only they had the strength and resources to fight against these native powerhouses on a reliable basis!

In any case, once the emergency meeting came to an end, Ves was happy with the results.

The changing age did not alter his overall plan for the future. He became more eager to become a first-rater than ever! Only then would he have the qualifications to participate in the greater game between civilizations!

The Golden Skull Alliance decided to stick to the current schedule. The disruptions caused by the Great Severing did not significantly Impede the departure plans of the Larkinson Clan and the rest.

·ƈθm In fact, everyone had already been ready to depart a while ago. The only reason why they lingered in Davute was because the Larkinson Clan still needed to take possession of their new flagship!

Tlie quasi-first-class factory ship had already arrived in orbit. Tens of thousands of crew members and officers had already shuttled over in order to take up their new stations and familiarize themselves with their new responsibilities.

The Larkinson spacers already learned how to operate the much more powerful and advanced starship systems in a virtual setting, so they were not complete novices.

However, the simulated version of the Spirit of Bentheim still deviated substantially from the physical version of the refurbished capital ship.

It was essential for the crew to learn the differences in advance!

Aside from that, the crew also needed time to load all of the mechs, supplies and personal items to the enlarged starship.

Ves looked forward to stepping foot on his new capital ship and familiarizing himself with many of the powerful upgrades installed by the MTA.

Before he could do so, he still had to take care of a few other chores.

He had not forgotten about his grandfather. Even if his human self could not find the time to further the hasty development of the Dawn Star Project, his cat avatar back in the Nyxian Gap made sure it never stopped!

Ves only needed to wait a few more days before the Larkinson Biotech Institute completed the accelerated growth of the Dawn Star Project\'s custom Carmine System.

As he continued to contact different organizations in order to ensure that their ongoing agreements with the Larkinson Clan remained the same, he also checked in on his latest Job.

He had no idea whether his professorship at the Eden Institute of Business & Technology remained valid.

Tlie virtual projection of his new teaching assistant immediately assuage his concerns.

"You can rest assured that the school administration has no intention of revoking your position." Miss Alexa Striker happily said. "The Great Severing has completely upended the educational sector across the new frontier. It has become impossible for the red humans to continue their studies at the old and prestigious virtual institutions based in the old galaxy. The only schools that can serve the educational needs of our population are the ones that are fully based in our dwarf galaxy. While many new schools have been founded overnight in order to meet all of the excess demand, enrollment at the Eden Institute has already tripled!"

That... made a lot of sense. Ves had not put any thought on how the Great Severing affected the many students in the new frontier.

Getting cut off from all of the old brands that had dominated the academic scene for centuries if not mlllenla was both a disaster and a blessing to the people of the Red Ocean!

The Eden Institute of Business & Technology suddenly did not rank at the rear of many Terran first-class universities anymore.

The sudden absence of so many old galaxy educational institutions meant that it had not only reached the middle ranks if not higher, but also welcomed a lot of highly qualified students!

Business was booming!

While the drastic changes also meant that a lot of highly qualified Seniors and Masters suddenly became available for hire, there shouldn\'t be a compelling reason for the Eden Institute to replace Ves with another professor.

This was because the knowledge and experiences that Ves possessed had become more relevant to the red humans than ever!

"Is it true that you have once managed to defeat not one, but two different phase whales?" Axela Striker asked with heightened interest.

Ves smirked back. "We participated in the defeat or killing of three phase whales, actually. The latest one is a bit difficult to explain, so it doesn\'t get mentioned."

"If that is the case, then I suggest you add a specific module related to this subject to your Frontier Wisdom course. Even in the upper zones, not many people can boast of killing phase whales. If you can explain how you can effectively track them down and defeat them in the most efficient manner, our school administration predicts that your popularity as a teacher will explode!"