1711 Hidden Bulge
Ves had run all the way back to the front entrance of the headquarters of his company. A fair distance away, piles of broken and ruined mech parts soiled the green and idyllic gardens of the Mech Nursery's campus!
In destroying every mech that stood in the Glittering Comet's way, Ghanso Larkinson exhibited complete disregard to the value of those machines!
Each of those mechs could have contributed to Cloudy Curtain's defense! The fall of so many Avatar and Sentinel mechs weakened Cloudy Curtain's security and risked the lives of millions of citizens and billions of settled refugees!
Ves partially blamed the stubbornness of his family members. Their misplaced courage caused them to stand their ground and let themselves get shot by Ghanso like they were target dummies!
The Larkinsons had already made their point! There was no further use in allowing their mechs to get wrecked!
Of course, the Larkinsons who showed up today did not see it that way. It was all about showing their attitude against Ghanso's conduct! They hoped that by showing how firmly they stuck to their principles, they could convince this young but rash expert pilot of the family to reconsider his stance!
Sadly, their hopes were bound to get dashed as expert pilots never wavered so easily!
It was twice as bad when it came to Larkinson expert pilots! After becoming demigods, the bravery and conviction instilled in their minds turned into the pillars of their will, causing them to become more determined than any mortal Larkinson!
There was no contest between the two. The hundred Larkinsons that piloted their mechs to form a wall thought that they already possessed sufficient determination.
Ghanso wouldn't shoot every Larkinson in the way, right? Shouldn't he feel guilty with each Larkinson mech he shot?
Yet the expert pilot gritted his teeth and steeled his heart to do what he thought was necessary!
As his Glittering Comet's sensor arrays scanned the debris field, Ghanso tried to make sure that none of the wrecks posed any threat to any lives.
While he had already justified his actions in his heart and mind, he still did not wish to have any actual blood on his hands. Harming a mech was just an issue of money to him. It still fell short of wounding or killing an actual human being!
After verifying that no cockpit or life was at risk, Ghanso cast his worries aside and focused on his target.
While Ves could have retreated in his headquarters or sneaked away by resorting to stealth, he didn't think it would buy him more than a few minutes time.
The military shuttles carrying infantry already started to approach once Ghanso dismantled the wall of mechs. The vehicles already pointed a number of high-powered, directional scanners in his direction!
The energy passing through his body was so strong that Ves doubted that he could evade pursuit for long!
He did not wish to put his headquarters and the people working inside at risk. The soldiers sent to hunt him down might not be as concerned with collateral damage as Ghanso, especially since they were just mortals!
"Looks like this is the end of the line for me." Ves muttered.
"Do you wish to..?" Nitaa, who had stuck with him, brandished her rifle.
"No. Don't think about it. I explicitly order you to attack my captors unless they actually intend to kill me or something."
Ves could never resist the might of an entire state. Perhaps the story might be different if he became a Master Mech Designer, but for now his power, influence, wealth and reputation were wholly insufficient to resist lawful authority!
This was also why he never considered activating the defenses of the Mech Nursery and ordering his supporters to open fire. He would just condemn himself and his fellow Larkinsons to persecuting them by their own state!
Fortunately, it was not as if he was surrendering his life. He would just be taking a forced vacation for some time.
Despite disparaging the state, Ves still had faith in its institutions. The Mech Corps should never mistreat him or arbitrarily sentence him to death.
The Glittering Comet slowly flew towards Ves, as if anticipating a further stunt.
When nothing else happened, the expert mech reached within twenty meters of Ves and landed on the ground with a strong enough impact to whip a lot of wind in Ves' face!
"Did you run out tricks, Ves?" The mech broadcasted Ghanso's exulting voice. He didn't show any remorse for what he did! "If you weren't family, I would have squashed you like a bug for setting my own relatives against me! You are way too poisonous to be a Larkinson!"
"My Larkinson blood is just as pure as yours." Ves retorted with forced calm. He showed neither fear nor regret. "Don't worry, Venerable Ghanso. I won't run any further. Tell your goons to come here and take me away. Do not put my employees in danger."
Ves had already exhausted his limited cards. While he failed to stall Ghanso, he at least managed to raise enough of a stink in the family and the Bright Republic!
The greater the outrage, the likelier he would be freed!
There was no way General Cavendish could ever hope to succeed in his scheme after blowing up this confrontation so massively!
The Glittering Comet loomed over Ves like an unfeeling statue. Ghanso no longer bothered to talk to Ves as they both waited for the shuttles to land.
While Ves awaited his eventual capture, he decided to make some additional preparations. He turned around and beckoned to Nitaa.
"I don't want the Mech Corps to confiscate my gear. Please keep them safe."
He withdrew his toolbelt and all of the gadgets and weapons it held, from the Peaceful Resolve to the Vulcaneye multiscanner.
He also slipped his hands under his shirt and withdrew both of his shield generators, including the one wrapped by a Synthra Umbra cover.
However, Ves did not relinquish everything on his person. After a bit of thought, he removed his slender comm from his wrist but slipped them into his underwear. While the thin bracelet pressed uncomfortably against his flesh, such a small object should be completely undetectable when shielded by the Synthra Umbra material!
While Ves never intended to use his special pair of underwear in this fashion, he had to admit it came in really handy under these circumstances!
Since he still possessed some room in his pants, Ves searched the tool belt held by Nitaa.
He withdrew a small cylindrical jamming device before stuffing it in the inside of his underwear as well!
Though his pants bulged similar to how the Adonis Colossus' codpiece protruded outwards, it was still within an acceptable range!
"I should make a flatter jamming device next time." He grumbled.
Ves did not dare smuggle anything else on his person. His underwear already fit him fairly tight because he never envisioned using it as a hidden pocket!
He shook his legs and took a few steps to make sure his smuggled goods did not give themselves away in any sense. The tightness of his underpants barely affected him, which was a big relief.
Hopefully, the Mech Corps wouldn't strip search him or replace his clothes entirely.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Ves removed his overcoat as well and folded it up before passing it to Nitaa.
"Keep that secure as well. It's the most valuable piece of my outfit."
Lastly, Ves rubbed Lucky's head and whispered a few words in his ears.
"Meow."
His cat ran past Nitaa and disappeared within the depths of the LMC's headquarters.
Time was up. The shuttles had landed. As soon as their hatches opened, intimidating soldiers clad in medium and heavy combat armor emerged.
Ves held up his arms to show that he was unarmed. In the meantime, Nitaa was already stepping back to the point of entering the lobby of the headquarters. She had already holstered her rifle behind her back in order to carry all of the gear that Ves bequeathed.
Unlike Ghanso, the silent, helmeted soldiers did not speak at all. Most of them spread out and vigilantly guarded every direction.
A pair of armored soldiers approached Ves. Their insignia and markings identified them as soldiers of the 1st Volari Starhawks.
They had probably survived the fall of Sydney Superior. They strode forward with no hesitation and thoroughly searched his entire body with suit-integrated scanners.
Ves was afraid that they would pat his body as well. Once they patted his waist area, they would probably be able to feel out his smuggled goods!
Fortunately, the guards possessed way too much faith in the effectiveness of their scanners!
Ves was no average person either. The Mech Corps issued orders to take him into custody. This was not an arrest as he was not an enemy!
As a loyal citizen and war hero, none of the soldiers seemed inclined to treat him roughly!
In fact, the way the soldiers held his arms and guided him forward showed that they firmly intended to treat him as an honored guest!
They belonged to the same side, after all. Though Ves had stopped projecting his combat awards on his chest after removing his comm from his wrist, his record still reflected his illustrious accomplishments!
"Please excuse our treatment, Mr. Larkinson." An unarmored, uniformed captain greeted Ves upon entering one of the shuttles. "You have certainly given us a lot of headaches with your theatrics. Will you continue to make things difficult?"
The guards surrounding him let go of his arms, allowing Ves to sit and let his seat buckle him in place with a smile.
"I am alone now. How can I possibly stir up any trouble? I am at your mercy."
"That only makes me more concerned." The officer replied suspiciously. "You are surprisingly accommodating right now, if I may say so. I expected you to continue your resistance. You already forced our Venerable to tarnish his reputation."
"Hey, that's not my fault. If you didn't want Ghanso to disgrace himself, then your superiors shouldn't have assigned him on this mission in the first place! Whoever thought it was a great idea to dispatch a Larkinson to capture a Larkinson?"
As the shuttle rumbled and lifted off the ground, the captain crossed his arms and sighed. "We never expected you to overreact to this extent. You are reacting as if we are Ylvainan Inquisitors plotting to execute you after holding a show trial. In case you don't know, we are not as badly run as the Ylvaine Protectorate! We obey the law rather than superstition."
Ves threw a skeptical glance towards the officer. "Uh huh. If you truly know the Bright Republic as well as I do, you wouldn't be so charitable to our state."
"Do not attempt to confuse me, Devil Tongue. My loyalty won't be shaken by your deceptive words!"
The officer regarded Ves with such caution that Ves quietly gave up his attempts to shake the other man's views.
There was no use even if he succeeded in befuddling the man. This was because there were plenty more soldiers where he was heading to! Unless he was an exceptional politician and orator, he could forget about changing everyone's minds!
About fifteen minutes passed before the shuttle slowed down and thudded onto a metal deck.
The hatch opened up, allowing the soldiers and Ves to exit the vehicle and step onto the shuttle bay.
Ves inspected the interior of the combat carrier and noted that it looked much more modern and well-equipped than the combat carriers of the Flagrant Vandals.
The technicians and other crew working here did not gawk at Ves or the soldiers. Instead, they continued their duties without any interruption, which showed that they were very disciplined.
These were tough customers. None of the soldiers he had seen so far exhibited any sloppiness. Everyone was too professional!