The Mech Touch novel Chapter 949

Since the time Ves returned to the fleet, he often thought about the relationship between the two allied forces.

At first glance, they didn’t appear to be a good fit. The Flagrant Vandals may be scoundrels among mech regiments, but they still stayed true to their military roots.

As for Lydia’s Swordmaidens, though their founder attempted to train elites among pirates, they still couldn’t shed their unsavory background no matter how much they adopted their unique mindsets.

A mech regiment and a pirate outfit should have been hostile to each other from the start. The only reason why the two forces banded together was because they saw the need to rely on each other’s strength to fulfill their missions.

Yet now that they managed to retrieve the lockboxes, what next?

Ves thought about their current relationship and believed the only reason the Swordmaidens hadn’t split up yet was because they lost too much to be able to protect themselves in the cutthroat frontier.

The Flagrant Vandals on the other hand were completely out of depth in the frontier. They didn’t know the lay of the land nor did they benefit from any connections to the local powers. They didn’t know the best star systems to lay low and which star systems posed extreme hazards to anyone who jumped to them. All the while, the ever-present sandmen loomed behind their backs.

Right now, the Flagrant Vandals were only left with the Shield of Hispania, their flagship, and the Gorgon’s Gaze, which still hosted Parallax Star and the half-dead Venerable O’Callahan. This offered them a respectable amount of fighting power, but not enough to deter most opportunistic enemies from taking a stab at them if they thought they could actually win.

Combining their numbers with the Swordmaidens brought their collective threat level just enough to scare away most bottom feeders. Yet how long would they stick together? The Swordmaidens could leave at any moment once they reached some form of safe harbor. The frontier was their stomping grounds, after all, so they didn’t have to travel as far to reach safety compared to the Vandals who needed to go all the way back to civilized space.

"What’s on your mind, Mr. Larkinson?" Major Verle asked as his curiosity increased at Ves’ mention of the Swordmaidens.

"I’ve spent some time among the Swordmaidens. Enough to get a good sense of their values and priorities." Ves began, thinking back on the times he chatted with Ketis or visited the Swordmaiden camp. "We should consider becoming their ’friends’."

"Aren’t we already friendly with the Swordmaidens?"

"Our arrangement up to now is an alliance of convenience, sir. Something which has mostly served its purpose. You have to know that the Swordmaidens makes a strong distinction between business partners and ’friends’. They don’t have any hesitation to kick the former dead when they are down on their luck. However, if we are worthy to become their friends, they would instead extend a hand to them to pull them back on our feet."

A frown etched on Major Verle’s face. He failed to understand the Swordmaiden concept of ’friends’. "What is it you are proposing, exactly?"

"I propose we endeavor to make a new and more permanent connection with them. Call it a long-term alliance if you will. Unlike most pirate outfits in the frontier, the Swordmaidens are known for keeping their word and for their relatively honorable conduct. They are probably one of the best pirate outfits we can partner with on an ongoing basis."

Major Verle looked dubious at Ves. "Honorable pirates? I know the Swordmaidens are rather distinct, but you make a bold claim. Suppose we accept your premise. Why should we forge a deeper alliance and how will that benefit us in our current state?"

"Lydia’s Swordmaidens is founded upon an ideal, sir. They aim to lift the status of women in the frontier and attempted to create a strong, all-women mech force to protect their sisterhood. With the death of Commander Lydia and the loss of over eighty percent of their ships, mechs and sisters, they are probably unmoored and demoralized right now. That makes them vulnerable. Vulnerable to degeneration but also vulnerable to suggestion."

"Go on." Verle waved his hand for Ves to continue.

"Sir, it’s like this. While our current forces are extremely meager, we are still part of a greater organization. If we can appeal to their ideals and offer them medium and long-term assistance in rebuilding and revitalizing the Swordmaidens, they’ll surely accept such an arrangement because they won’t have to give up and abandon the ideals they worked for all their lives."

"Let me guess this straight. In exchange for providing material support in the future, we are asking the Swordmaidens to stick with us and protect us through thick and thin?"

"Yes, sir."

"There are many problems with your proposal. First, the Flagrant Vandals already crossed a line when we partnered up with a pirate gang for this mission. A single slip-up can be forgiven and swept up under the rug, but it’s a different matter entirely if we continue to break the rules over and over again. The Mech Corps will certainly never approve of an ongoing relationship with pirates."

"Major, the Mech Corps might not approve, but other... more clandestine organizations might be interested in forging ties with a reliable partner in the frontier."

For a moment, Verle just stared at Ves. They both knew that Ves referred to Flashlight. Right now, Ves hadn’t activated his signal jammer yet, so he didn’t dare say the name of the military intelligence agency out loud.

"What you say is... possible." The major eventually conceded. "However, such decisions need to be made in coordination with more senior authorities in the Bright Republic. Without a working quantum entanglement node anywhere on our ships, I can’t make binding agreements."

"Why not just do it and ask for permission later? Isn’t that the Vandal way of doing things, sir?"

Verle smirked at Ves, before going back to frowning. "You’ve been learning. Sadly, even is certain other organizations are amenable to the idea, it won’t change the fact that I will be severely crossing my boundaries."

"I think the relevant institutions of the Bright Republic will understand considering what we’ve done for them. Right now, sir, we are in a precarious situation. Not only are we deep in the frontier, but we are also surrounded by threats on all sides with no friendlies in sight. What’s the harm of making a deal with pirates when it will help us complete our mission and enables us to forge a solid connection to a minor but trustworthy and grateful power in the Faris Star Region?"