The Mech Touch novel Chapter 962

Talks about recognition from the Bright Republic still seemed far away to Ves. Right now, the Flagrant Swordmaidens hardly left the deep frontier and just survived an encounter with the Dragon Alliance’s peripheral members.

If a real pirate fleet from the Dragons of the Void confronted the Flagrant Swordmaidens, then Ves had no way of replicating his feat. Such a feared and capable pirate organization would never resort to using cheap, shoddy mechs for their core mech forces!

Nonetheless, from the jubilant way Major Verle spoke to Ves, the mech officer acted as if salvation was already close at hand.

It wouldn’t take too long for the remnant fleet to rendez-vous with the ’friends’ of the Swordmaidens!

"By the way, the Swordmaidens are really impressed by what you’ve done, Mr. Larkinson. You didn’t just save many of our mech pilots today. You also saved the Swordmaidens. My talks with Commander Dise are a lot more amicable now since you’ve earned their recognition, which conveniently extends to us. They are not an ungrateful sort, and I’m sure they’ll show more sincerity with our ongoing agreement."

Ves genuinely smiled at that. "That’s good to hear, sir."

"It seems you’re not feeling very good at the moment."

"What I did just then took a lot out of me, sir. As a mech designer, I regard my designs as my possessions. To see such an egregious case of plagiarism in front of me just pisses me off. I take my professionalism very seriously!"

"Hmm. I see."

He probably didn’t, but Ves let that pass.

After a while, Verle steered the conversation into another topic. "I feel as if you are not only tired, but disillusioned."

"How so, sir?"

"A lot of Vandals are either tired or lost. This victory has put a temporary cheer on everyone’s faces, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are far away from the Bright Republic and still have months to go before we are able to return to our home territory."

"I guess I’m the same as them, sir. We all wonder how long it will take to return."

"As I’ve said, there are plans in motion to facilitate our return. Let us talk about what that means for you. Please activate that interference device of yours."

"Alright, sir."

Ves activated his signal jammer and turned up its strength so that the entire stateroom would be blanketed with interference. The only problem was that his CFA comm was likely immune of this effect.

He conveniently didn’t mention this point.

Once the disorienting effect settled in, Major Verle spoke with a bit more ease. "When you return home, you’ll likely undergo a thorough debriefing and interrogation session. There are a couple of sensitive matters that are best left unmentioned, do you understand?"

"What if the interrogators insist on asking?"

"Just keep your mouth shut. The people from the Mech Corps will be indignant, but as soon as I’m able to file my report to Flashlight, you’ll get pulled out in no time."

"What if Flashlights tries to push me instead?"

"They won’t."

Ves raised his eyebrows? "Really, sir? They’re spooks right? How can they not be curious?"

"Because I’ll provide them with all the intelligence they want. As a Firestarter, my word weighs a lot more than an outsider like yours. Colonel Lowenfield and I will also pull some strings and cash in some favors to streamline your debriefing sessions. The gains from our mission and the substantial merits you’ve earned outweigh any other concerns. You’d be surprised what you can get away with as long as you get the job done."

"So Flashlight is much like the Vandals in this regard, sir? The ends justify the means."

"I wouldn’t put it so simply." Major Verle hedged. "Flashlight is a formal military intelligence agency of the Bright Republic. There are many rules and regulations constraining their actions. It is not as if every operative is handed out a license to kill or a carte blanche to do anything they want."

"Then what’s the best way to interact with Flashlight for someone like me? Can you give me some advice, sir?"

"Sure. Just consider that while Flashlight is large and influential in the Bright Republic, it also shoulders an enormous responsibility in keeping the Bright Republic on the winning side during the Bright-Vesia Wars. Internal politics is rather complex, and it’s best for you to suck up to a senior official in order to secure their patronage."

Having recently dealt with such an instance on the Starlight Megalodon, Ves knew what Major Verle tried to convey.

"I suppose you’re part of a faction within Flashlight as well?"

"The Firestarters form their own influence, one that leans towards taking proactive measures against the Vesians." Verle smirked. "However, I’m not sure which influence within Flashlight you’ll finally be involved with. Just be prepared to pick sides early, because if you don’t align yourself with any influence, you won’t enjoy any protection."

"Thank you for reminding me, sir. I’ll be sure to keep your warning into consideration."

Major Verle did him a huge favor by parting the veil of Flashlight’s internal politics a little bit. The mech officer’s words heavily implied that Ves would be substantially involved with Flashlight in the future, so learning how to stay on their good side became a high priority!

"If you’re lucky, Mr. Larkinson, you will get to meet with the important official who set this mission into motion. If you’re unlucky, that person will pay attention to you specifically."