The Mech Touch novel Chapter 331

Traveling to Bentheim took a lot less time and effort than trying to navigate towards the Glowing Planet.

A lone planet swinging through space without a star or anything else that could act as a lighthouse meant that ships had to be really close to make the final jump.

In contrast, the Bentheim system formed the largest lighthouse in this stretch of space. Even an outdated ship like the Happy Jelly could easily fix in its coordinates from the border of the Bright Republic.

The journey lasted six days in total. When the Mech Corps and many of the outfits that allied with the Republic arrived at the edge of the star system, everyone let out a relieved breath.

They had finally reached safe harbor.

Anything could happen in space. An unlikely chance still existed that an unknown group figured out their route and intercepted them midway by disturbing the local space along the route with a strong and intense gravitic field.

Just like how the passage of the Glowing Passage had pulled a trade convoy out of FTL, an artificial gravity field could achieve the same effects.

Nothing of the sort came to pass, which let many people put down their worries. Their ships and their harvests also enjoyed the protection of the Mech Corps within the System. Virtually every outfit accepted the same deal the Whalers had signed, so their cargo already belonged to the Republic.

A handful of ships refused to follow the vast majority of the ships towards the inner system. Instead, they jumped back into FTL as soon as their FTL drives finished cycling.

"The idiots. They’re going to get ambushed a couple of light-years away I bet." Ves remarked to Melkor as he transferred to the Barracuda.

"They might have something up their sleeves. Those who are confident they can sell their payloads by themselves won’t be taking the standard trade routes. Pirates will have a hard time trying to predict their routes."

Now that they arrived to safety, Ves parted ways with the Whalers. The Barracuda flew close to the Happy Jelly in order to receive the Stanislaw and a shuttle carrying the two Larkinsons.

During the previous campaign, the Mech Corps employed the Barracuda as a forward scout. They stationed the corvette in the surrounding star systems in order to keep tabs of any ships that used those planets as their stops.

The job didn’t sound glamorous, but it had to be done. At least it put the Barracuda well out of the way of any battles. Nimble as she might be, she could not take a lot of hits.

Ves first entered Captain Silvestra’s office. Besides listening to her report, he also wanted her input on something else.

"Captain, you and your crew have been exemplary employees to me so far. Considering the rapid growth of the LMC, your responsibilities will only increase in the future. Therefore, in addition to the hazard pay you’re owed, I’m also setting aside a pot worth several million credits to be spent on training. I have plans, and I need a capable crew to run my ship."

The woman blinked. "That’s very generous of you, sir. This is much more than what we are owed."

"Nonsense. I’ve already dragged the Barracuda into two perilous expeditions. I can’t promise you there won’t be another one in the future. Even if she’s mainly used as a scout, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m subjecting you to a lot of danger."

"Admittedly, this isn’t what we’ve expected when we initially agreed to work with a mech designer." The Captain reluctantly said, though Ves faintly suspected she acted timid on purpose. "We started our careers in the civilian sector by entertaining men aboard yachts. At no point have we ever trained to serve in a war theater."

Ves extended his hand. "Hence the training. If you agree to keep working for me, I’ll promise you and your women won’t be earning a pittance in my service. While I considered doubling your salaries, I think it’s better for all of us if you shore up your skills."

The captain wrapped her fingers on her desk. "I’ll have to discuss it with the girls. Even if you haven’t approached us with an offer, I was planning to suggest something myself. Not all of us are cut out for the battlefield."

"You won’t be able to avoid a fight. The Bright Republic and the Vesia Kingdom is already in a state of war, they just haven’t declared it yet. That battle between the two fleets..."

His memories of that day sometimes gave him nightmares. He became especially spooked when he recalled that strange time loop that came into being when a torpedo destroyed the transport carrying a dimensional smoother.

"It will take some time for us to consider our options. I’ll have a final answer for you within a week."

"That’s fine."

Once he finished his discussion with Silvestra, Ves left her office and entered the tiny observation room that served as a lounge. Melkor had thrown his body onto a sofa and currently stared at the stars shining from beyond the transparent panels covering the upper deck of the corvette.

"Melkor."

’Ves."

"There’s something I’d like to talk to you about."

Melkor turned his head, facing Ves with his opaque blue visor. "What do you want to know?"

"When the Larkinsons sent you to serve as my bodyguard, did they give you additional instructions? For example, if I do anything that would severely harm their interests, are you obliged to do something about it?"

"Nothing of the sorts." Melkor firmly shrugged his head. "What do you think we are, the Gauge Dynasty? Raella and I have only been assigned to protect you and guard your life, something which is hard to do when you are constantly throwing yourself in reckless adventures by the way. As far as I’m concerned, you’re the biggest danger to yourself."

"Thanks for the compliment. I think." Ves chuckled. "While I’m not sure whether you are pretending or not, I do want to say that I trust you regardless. You don’t seem like a guy who’d stab me in the back."

His cousin smirked at him. "Are you sure about that?"