The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1523

"Hi, Ves. I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch lately." Ketis wearily spoke.

Her projection showed a lot of stress and worry on her face. Ves doubted that she enjoyed a good night’s sleep lately. He immediately grew more concerned.

"What is the matter?"

"The sandman invasion!" She burst out. "Before they crossed over into human space, they swept through the frontier! The Faris Star Region is riddled with sandmen right now and nowhere is safe anymore! The Swordmaidens under Commander Dise have taken a battering in an attempt to avoid the aliens!"

Ves knew this, but in his preoccupation of his own affairs he overlooked the implications the invasion might have on Ketis! That was a mistake!

While Ves thought highly of the Swordmaidens, they mainly fielded swordsman mechs.

It just so happened that sandmen ate melee mechs for breakfast!

This turned the sandmen into the worst possible enemies that the Swordmaidens could face on the battlefield!

"Why didn’t you tell me, Ketis?"

"I don’t want to bother you while you were on your trip. I know it’s important to you and that dragging you into this mess will distract you. That’s why I also told Calsie and Melkor to refrain from mentioning anything."

"Well, Melkor just told me that I should speak to you. He’s right."

She grimaced a bit. "Traitor."

"Why do you want to keep me out?"

"I knew you couldn’t do much for the Swordmaidens. Not only are you far away from home, but even if you were here, you can’t possibly do anything to save them. Besides, I already asked someone else for help. Someone who is better positioned to save them and shelter them from the sandmen."

Ves frowned. "Who?"

She glanced at him with a deliberate expression. "Your friend whose name starts with the letter C."

Calabast. It made sense. Of all the contacts they knew, only Calabast possessed the resources and reach to rescue the Swordmaidens!

Yet why did she agree to do so? Ves struggled to find the meaning of Calabast’s decision.

"What did C want in return?"

"C agreed to rescue my sisters as long as they are willing to work for her. Since she was very sincere in her offer, Commander Dise jumped at the opportunity!"

Ves hadn’t been the only person to go on a recruiting spree, it seemed. While Ves still doubted how useful it was for her to turn the Swordmaidens into her subordinates, she actually picked up quite a bargain!

This was because Commander Dise was actually a secret expert candidate! Their adventures on Aeon Corona VII inadvertently tied her to Qilanxo and Captain Orfan. Ever since they escaped the heavy gravity planet, the Swordmaidens would never be the same under her leadership.

In fact, Ves harbored some ambition to take them over himself, but it turned out that Calabast had already been several steps ahead of him! She hadn’t been sitting still all this time!

He didn’t blame Calabast for making good use of this opportunity. He had been splitting his time on way too many affairs that it might be better if his supposed partner took some responsibilities off his shoulders.

"Does this mean you work for C now?"

"You know where my heart lies. I have always been a Swordmaiden. That has never changed."

Ves accepted this answer. He did not begrudge her for staying true to her heart. Besides, working for Calabast did not mean that she left his orbit.

"So.. how are the Swordmaidens doing?"

"C managed to rescue them, or at least their survivors. Due to the current sandman crisis and the huge amount of refugees fleeing from their homes, it’s not very difficult for C to arrange new identities for them and mix them among the former citizens of the fallen states. No one really cares anyway, and the veracity of their identities can’t be confirmed considering that the sandmen have eaten most of the databases situated in the fallen states."

This was the perfect time for pirates and other scum to gain new identities. With billions or even trillions of refugees and dispossessed citizens on the move, it was extremely easy for someone like Calabast to make the Swordmaidens adopt the identities of those who died!

Perhaps her covert actions might have invited some scrutiny during ordinary times, but with how the crisis swamped every administration, there was no way any authority could spare the time to hunt for pirates among the refugees!

"So what will your sisters be doing?"

"Once they recover and rebuild once again, they’ll do whatever C tells them to do. In any case, Commander Dise has hit it off pretty well with our new boss. My sisters are very happy with our savior."

That was something that he could easily imagine.

"Okay. I’m glad to hear that the Swordmaidens have ended up in good hands. What about you? Will you still remain with the LMC?"

She nodded. "I still have much to learn. The Swordmaidens don’t need my help right now. Not in my current state."

"I’m glad to hear that. Whatever you or C decide, I’m willing to accept your choices."

As his first student, he wanted the best for Ketis. He did not particularly mind if she stopped working for the LMC, as he now gained a much better helper in the form of Gloriana.

It seemed like he needed to have a good talk with Calabast when he returned home. Ves gained the sneaking suspicion that she was up to something.

They turned to other topics. Ketis briefly reported about the ongoing testing of the prototype of the Desolate Soldier.

"So far, none of the test results yielded too many divergences from the simulations. Your mech is really basic but very well put together. Since it’s not a very complicated mech, I’ll have a report ready for you in the next few days."

The relentless sandmen invasion would serve as a useful test for all three forces. _{freewebnøvel.coɱ}