The Mech Touch

So far, Ves extended offers to both the Battle Criers and the Ingvar siblings. Because of the huge implications of accepting the offers, both parties needed some time to consider them carefully.

Not only would they have to accompany Ves as he meandered his way through the star sector for a year, they would also end up on the ʼupperʼ side at the end of the mission.

If they happened to refuse a further extension of employment, then they needed to cut all the way down to the ʼlowerʼ side of the star sector. Such a trip not only took a lot of time, but it could also be expensive if they failed to nab an escort mission heading in that direction.

All in all, Ves did not dare predict whether Commander Cinnabar or the Ingvars would accept or not. A good impression at the first meeting might help tilt the decision in his favor, but there were lots of other considerations to take into account.

”The Battle Criers are obviously at the stage where they are open to settling down.” Kelandra explained as she guided them to an aircar that would take them out of Ornament Halls. ”However, most of them prefer to settle down closer to the Kinner Tribe. This is because it is easier to get in touch with family and friends and to allow for easier access to its various institutions. This is especially important if the bought Kinners want to send their children back to the tribe.”

”I take it the younger mercenaries are less eager to settle down than the older ones, right?” Gavin asked.

”That is generally the case. The younger Kinner mech pilots are always full of fire and ready to prove to the star sector that they have what it takes to reach the top of their profession. The ones in their thirties and forties have gone through enough missions to know that their youthful dreams are nothing but unattainable fantasies. Theyʼre much more concerned with spending their time with their spouses and raising their children.”

The unspoken warning here was that these were just generalities. None of them knew what the sentiment was like at the Battle Criers. Ves already knew that they were a bit abnormal compared to a run-of-the-mill Kinner mercenary corps, but their colorfulness was exactly why they appealed so strongly to his nostalgic sensibilities.

As for the Ingvar twins, while they seemed to be a bit too inexperienced and problematic to work for Ves, they possessed a special quality that even caught Luckyʼs attention. This reason alone was enough for Ves to try and see if he could exploit the fallen nobles, but it was up to them to decide whether they should serve a different master and leave their vendetta against the Royal House of the Black Poppy unresolved.

Ves quietly shook his head at the thought. Two lone mech pilots with expired noble credentials could never measure up against an entire royal house.

It sounded as absurd as Ves trying to fight against the seemingly-weak but incredibly deep Royal House of Vesia!

They entered an available luxury aircar which swiftly lifted up in the air. The vehicle quietly flew across the capital city to yet another hiring market.

”Both Askaya Halls and Ornament Halls are fine destinations if you want to hire mercenary corps and batches of mech pilots, ship spacers and other support staff.” Kelandra noted. ”However, if you are looking for other skilled Kinner labor, then weʼll have to travel to Trinity Halls.”

”Whatʼs special about Trinity Halls?” Ves asked as he idly stroked Luckyʼs back.

”The former two grounds are much more martial oriented, while Trinity Halls is explicitly oriented towards civil purposes. It isnʼt managed by the Mercenary Association. All the employment contracts are instead handled by smaller and more local institutions.”

This didnʼt matter much when it came to hiring Kinners. Their background and upbringing already guaranteed their loyalty upon being hired or bought out.

The difference mainly mattered when it came to hiring foreign personnel. Due to the distinct mediocrity of Kinner educational institutions, Trinity Halls featured a much higher proportion of foreign-born and educated job seekers.

Just like in the prior two halls, these job seekers ended up on Bloodstone under irregular circumstances. A lot of tragedies happened in the galaxy every day, and the Komodo Star Sector saw its fair share of defeats and disasters which necessitated abrupt flights from home.

Education was expensive. Skilled people still possessed a lot of value. Just because these people fled from their homes didnʼt mean they no longer served a purpose.

According to Kelandra, while there were always risks associated with hiring the foreigners at Trinity Halls, most of the time they were glad to be taken far away. If not for the considerable expense of leaving for a different star sector, then they would have left for better pastures.

”What kind of guarantee do employers have that they wonʼt cut and run as soon as we bring them back to the Bright Republic?”

”Not a lot, to be honest.” Kelandra shook her head. ”Oh, theyʼll be persona non grata at the Kinner Tribe and will have a debt on their name, but in practice it rarely matters.”

”Then why hire a foreigner at all if thatʼs the case?”

This was a question that Kelandra often heard from her clients. She smiled. ”Most of the time, the foreigners donʼt intend to pull off a scam. Theyʼre already in big trouble. Burning yet another bridge with one of the few institutions that are willing to give them a second chance is a stupid decision, because we are in touch with all the legal job markets in the star sector. Their only other options after spurning our arrangements is to go underground or go pirate.”

The galaxy never ran out of pirates for this reason. There were always people who were stupid and irrational enough to run afoul with the law. Pirates constantly received an influx of new criminals and fugitives and turned them into the next generation of pirates to terrorize the stars.

One curious question arose within Ves. ”Are there mech designers for hire as well?”

”There are.” Kelandra replied with a smile. ”Although they generally seek other options, some mech designers who are really down on their luck can be found at Trinity Halls. The truly useful ones have already found employment, though, so donʼt expect to pick up betrodden Journeymen or talented Apprentices who have been backstabbed by their rivals.”

That dimmed his enthusiasm. ”Oh.”

He had little use for the castoffs that other employers found unworthy. Although he could always pick up some young, desperate mech designers and mentor them until they bloomed under his care, Ves had no reason to go through so much effort.

Mentoring Ketis into a promising mech designer had been an intensive effort. While Ves felt very proud at what he accomplished at the end, it also taught him that mutual trust and respect were vital components of a good teacher-student relationship.

Who could tell if a mech designer he picked up at Trinity Halls would turn out to become another Carlos?

Ves still couldnʼt believe his old friend just up and left the LMC after hearing about his supposed girlfriend. To be honest, his long years of separation from his former classmate and subordinate left him with remarkably little regret at the departure.

The LMC was bigger than just him, Carlos and a couple of other employees. It employed thousands and pumped out hundreds of mechs from the Mech Nursery a month.

Aside from that, Ves also moved on. He went through a lot of experiences and made new friends and acquaintances. To him, Ketis had always been ten times more useful to him than Carlos.

He cut off his musings when their aircar finally landed at the parking zone next to Trinity Halls.

Compared to the hive of activity at Ornament Halls, Trinity Halls was a lot more open and less-trafficked. Ves and the rest did not have to squeeze between crowds or bump into disorderly mercenaries who drank cheap Kinner beer for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After entering the premises, they immediately entered the largest hall on Kelandraʼs advice.

”You donʼt want to visit the other halls. Theyʼre filled with rabble.”

The main hall was larger and more exquisite than any other hiring venue Ves had visited so far. Well-placed booths and seats interspersed with tasteful plants and chique Kinner artwork gave the place a sophisticated air.

It was also multistoried, offering even more space for Kinners and foreigners to meet their next employers.

”Letʼs start with finding you a bodyguard.” Kelandra said and guided them to an expansive section that had partially been converted into a training space.

A firing range, sparring ring and various exercise equipment offered the prospective hires a way to showcase their abilities and to keep themselves in shape.

A decent number of fit men and women were already making use of the facilities. Fortunately for everyone, an inbuilt suppression system muffled and isolated the noises they made, causing them to be confined in their immediate area.

”You wanted to find a Kinner bodyguard, right?”

”Correct. Preferably, a high-class one, but Iʼm open to other options. Iʼll have to see for myself and see if we can click.”

”If that is what you want. Iʼll take you to the highest graded bodyguards first.”

The Kinners operated elite schools and training academies for a variety of demanding professions, including one for bodyguards. It was actually one of their most profitable ventures as the yields they earned were very extravagant.

It probably cost the equivalent of a few million bright credits to train a competent bodyguard that possessed proficiencies in all the major skills.

This was not that remarkable in isolation. It was only when their well-trained skills combined with the characteristic Kinner loyalty that their effective value ballooned.

Paying the equivalent of ten million, a hundred million or even a billion bright credits for successively better bodyguards was not unusual at Trinity Halls!

To many clients, the value of an excellent and extremely loyal Kinner bodyguard absolutely surpassed that of a fantastic mech.

That was because bodyguards could accompany their clients everywhere, even indoors, while mechs were mostly stuck outside!

Ves himself spent a lot of time indoors, either inside his lab, his ship or his office. He also spent significant amounts of time at someone elseʼs premises.

While Ves and Lucky could take care of some threats himself, they werenʼt specialized in defending themselves. Hiring a professional who dedicated their entire life to protecting their clients made a lot of sense, especially since Ves continued to become more prominent and therefore attract more danger.

In the next hour, Ves toured the section while Kelandra introduced him to various well-trained Kinner bodyguards. Each of them equaled an elite guard or commando in the sheer amount of skills they possessed as well as the depth in which they polished them over the years.

The more expensive ones also made use of genetic and biological modification to increase their physical attributes. They were noticeably stronger, tougher and more enduring than a run-of-the-mill bodyguard.

Different gene mod templates applied different sets of alien genes in their genetic code, causing them to acquire different inhuman traits. Some were visible, such as turning someoneʼs skin into tough, heat-resistant scales, but most of the changes happened internally.

”Our Kinner medical experts arenʼt good at developing new gene mod templates.” Kelandra said. ”We also arenʼt in the habit of buying the latest versions of templates when they come out. We prefer to stick to tried-and-tested gene mod templates that are renowned for their stability and consistency. We try to avoid unpleasant-looking mutations and try to keep the side effects to a minimum.”

As a result, most gene mod templates applied to the bodyguards were decades or even centuries old.

While this meant that their positive effects couldnʼt match up against newer templates, the Kinners didnʼt have to be afraid of extreme shifts in mentality or premature breakdowns!

Such a stance neatly showcased the practical attitude of the Kinners. They didnʼt fancy after the best or latest solutions. They were already content with the affordable ones that worked.

Ves could learn a thing or two from their culture.