The Mech Touch

Over a thousand VIPs and other people had disappeared!

The rampaging beasts that had managed to teleport into the Government District did not slaughter them. That pretty much became clear in an instant.

Aside from the two colorful wormdragon beasts that managed to destroy two seating blocks at the beginning, no other creature managed to lay a hand on the honored guests that Davute had invited to witness the founding ceremony.

The Shotgun Shogun constantly remained in the vicinity of the surviving seating blocks during the initial minutes of the incident.

Once the Shotgun Shogun and the arriving guard mech units stationed in the vicinity cleared the Government District of any immediate threats, the former lingered in the neighborhood while the latter constantly shadowed the 24 seating blocks.

On top of that, additional mechs hailing from the various groups arrived to increase the security of the VIPS. The Larkinson Clan for example dispatched numerous defensive mechs and utilized their own physical shields as well as remote shields to better protect Block L against incidental attacks or deliberate assassination strikes!

None of the warbeasts came close to threatening the seating blocks again.

Even as he guarded the president of the new colonial state, Saint Yorvick Clive constantly monitored the condition of the 24 blocks that managed to remain aloft. He had not detected any overt or covert attempts to harm the VIPs that received protection from many different angles.

Unfortunately, all of the mechs, expert mechs and ace mechs in the field failed to hinder an unknown party from doing what everyone considered impossible!

"It turns out that the sabotage of the spatial interdiction field generators had deeper implications than we assumed." Commander Casella Ingvar thought. "It is quite clear that the culprits responsible for the initial attacks are distinct from the perpetrators of the kidnapping. Any group that has taken control of a parallel space on this planet could have done more with this advantage."

The people that had gathered here had many unanswered questions. The analysts working in the background came up with many different theories, especially about the identity and the purpose of the kidnappers.

"Whatever the case, it is clear that the group responsible for taking away so many of our VIPs did so with deliberate intent." President Yenames Clive said with a dark expression on his face. "The perpetrators not only understand our state and our people well enough, but also possess the technology to precisely take away the individuals of many different seating blocks."

"The tech or method used to kidnap our patriarch and others is not completely perfect." The legion commander of the Larkinson Clan spoke. "According to what we know, the abductors not only took all of the VIPs on the targeted seating blocks, but also their families, the heavily armed and armored bodyguards, the security guards employed by the state and even the pets that were allowed inside!"

This revealed a lot about the technological capabilities of the kidnappers. It was unlikely that whoever targeted the VIPs wanted to kidnap all of the armed guards as well, though it looked as if the targeting system they utilized was not that precise.

President Yenames Clive turned towards the Minerva that was floating in front of the grand stage.

Despite staying in the presence of several impressive ace mechs such as the Indormeon and the Mars, the Minerva's charm as an expert command mech still allowed her to hold her own and represent the Larkinson Clan with pride!

No matter what happened today, the leader of Davute increased his resolve to maintain a productive relationship with the Larkinson Clan. This pioneering group more than anything had showed that it had adapted far better to the Red Ocean than any other organization based in Davute.

"You claim to be in contact with your missing leaders, correct?"

"That is correct." Commander Casella replied. "We can feed you a limited amount of information, but only in exchange for several concessions."

"Speak." Yenames said.

It may not be entirely proper for a commander of a private organization to address the highest leader of Davute in such a direct fashion, but this was hardly an unusual circumstance to begin with. The last thing that the president wanted to do was alienate the Larkinson Clan and all of the other groups that had suffered from the failures of the colonial state.

Aside from that, Davute truly needed the data that only the Larkinsons could provide.

Despite equipping a small proportion of the missing security troops with advanced back-mounted communication systems, none of the transceivers on this side picked up any signals from the suspected pocket space where they supposedly resided!

It was as if a solid dimensional wall cut off all forms of contact between the two sides!

This was why Yenames Clive and his guards patiently allowed Commander Casella to issue her demands.

"First, we need your forces to take immediate and concrete actions to secure the site where our clan leaders had gone missing and study a means to independently open a portal to the phase whale enclave."

"We already intended to do so without your prompting, commander. It is in all of our best interest to rescue the missing individuals alive. We have even contracted the MTA to send a science team to examine possible means to forcibly open a portal to this pocket space. I have been informed that the mechers have the means to do so, but that more advanced equipment is required to locate and determine the right coordinates."

The Minerva shifted a bit. "What does that mean, president?"

Yenames Clive's expression turned heavy. "The mechers do not have the right equipment to locate the right coordinates and open a portal to this possible pocket space on hand. We must wait until one of their larger exploration vessels arrive and deploy the necessary hardware. The local branch headquarters of the MTA has just sent a notification to my office that it may take half a day for the crucial ship to arrive."

"Half a day?!" Another mech pilot hailing from one of the affected groups blurted out. "That is too long! Who knows what will happen inside this alien space. The longer they stay in enemy hands, the lower the likelihood that they remain alive and well. We need to pull them out right away!"

More representatives spoke out. The absence of so many leaders and critical high-ranking personnel was not only a disaster for Davute, but could also prove fatal to the affected companies and organizations!

The Larkinson Clan alone would become a shadow of its former self without its head designer and all of its other Journeyman Mech Designers. If there was a way of getting them back to the main material dimensions faster, then it should definitely be considered!

"Commander Ingvar, are the circumstances surrounding your missing men dire enough to demand immediate rescue?"

"Why do you ask, sir?"

"The expense of calling in an MTA vessel on an emergency basis is… exorbitant. It will take away much of the reserves that we have built up in anticipation of our escalating war with Karlach. It is better for all of us if we do not sacrifice more than we already have, but if it is absolutely necessary to expedite a rescue attempt, then our state is willing to bear this cost."

The MTA merits, phasewater and other strategic resources that the colony of Davute stockpiled so far were indeed essential to the war effort, but much of it would lose their value if the colonial state collapsed beforehand!

This was why President Yenames Clive did not hesitate too much into offering this dramatic gesture. By paying a huge sum to quickly rescue the missing VIPs, Davute could still salvage its severely damaged relationships with its disgruntled stakeholders!

By exaggerating the amount of losses that his colonial state would incur, he might even be able to better enough people's impression of himself and Davute.

Of course, Yenames Clive also bet that it might not be necessary to actually take the most drastic course of action.

Given the information provided by Commander Casella Ingvar, it did not sound as if the missing Larkinsons were in a dire state.

The expert pilot of the Minerva soon confirmed those suspicions.

"Immediate rescue is not required for the time being." She announced. "While our missing clansmen are not in contact with all of the people that have been taken from the other seating blocks, it appears that the party responsible for taking them into the pocket space is more concerned with keeping them alive for the time being."

A lot of listeners grew relieved after hearing this. There was always a chance to remedy the situation as long as the missing individuals could still be rescued.

"Can you give us more information, commander?"

"Our clansmen on the other side are still in the process of gathering information. For now, it appears that they have been randomly transported into cells that hold twenty to fifty people at a time. They have been grouped in these cells based on proximity. No one has come and tried to subdue our trapped men, but the cells are made of extremely tough and hard transphasic materials. Ordinary weapons are unable to damage the thick cell walls. None of our armed guards are able to make any progress in breaking out of the cells they are in. The cells are relatively barren and appear to have been built many ages ago, so it is unlikely that the current controllers of the pocket space are able to exert a high degree of control over the cells and their occupants."

The legion commander provided other information that gave the concerned parties a better understanding of the condition of their missing leaders.

Though not all of the news sounded reassuring to them, the Larkinson Clan at least had reason to feel more confident.

This was not the first time the Larkinson Clan entered a pocket space that the phase whales created a long time ago. Though the conditions of a phase whale enclave varied considerably depending on its controllers, the suggestion that its current occupants did not truly master it represented another piece of good news.

The group of mechs that represented many different concerned and disgruntled parties eventually backed off, though they never went away.

President Yenames Clive needed to manage a lot of affairs and also had to placate the citizens of his entire state.

The Larkinson mechs all retreated as well and converged on the coordinates where their patriarch and the other important Larkinson had disappeared.

By this time, the Larkinson Clan had dispatched a lot of additional mechs and personnel.

Though the Larkinsons gave enough space to the scientists and other experts that were currently studying the fabric of space in the Government District, they were itching to break into the pocket space and beat up whoever plotted against their clan!

As Commander Casella continued to issue orders and keep the clansmen busy, the Travon Exine cautiously approached.

"Commander…" General Ark Larkinson struggled to speak up. "I have failed to protect my nephew. I have failed to protect the rest of the clansmen who have gone missing."

"...You know as well as I do that apologies and regrets cannot reverse the current situation." The Sentinel Commander replied.

"That is correct. I did not come here to beg for your forgiveness. I came here to see whether Ves and our fellow Larkinsons can still be pulled out of whatever hole they fell into. What can I do to help?"

"You can help by using your new rank and contacts within the military to grant our clan more access to this site. You can help by lobbying the government to prioritize the rescue of our clansmen first. You can help by adopting a tougher stance towards the state so that President Clive and his administration feels obliged to pay us greater compensation for the damages that we have suffered."

"..." Ark grew speechless for a time.

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