The Mech Touch

Ves had hastily said goodbye to his wife and quickly made his way back to his temporary office in order to handle this sudden crisis.

"DAMNIT!"

Why hadn't he been told?

How come a leader as important and high-profile as General Axelar Streon decided to randomly set aside his many obligations and make an unannounced visit to New Constantinople?

This didn't make any sense! The Great Severing only happened a few months ago and still produced a huge amount of ripple effects!

In the dawn of a new age where all of the god pilots had disappeared in order to conduct a super secretive operation, every ace pilot was needed to defend the most important colonies in human space!

Powerful leaders and champions such as General Axelar Streon absolutely couldn't afford to leave the core colonies of their clans unattended. Who knew whether the native aliens would launch a deep strike operation on their own in order to cripple the greatest strongholds of red humanity?

For whatever reason, General Axelar disregarded this important responsibility and set off for a star system that was located in the turf of another ancient clan!

It did not take any effort to figure out why this famed and powerful Terran leader traveled all the way to the New Constantinople System at this sensitive time,

"He has come for me!" Ves concluded.

This realization generated a torrent of emotions in his mind.

It had been a long time since he had gone through that short but highly memorable Mastery experience.

From starting out in a drug-addled mind to cheering Axelar on as the hapless pilot utilized the newly materialized Ouroboros to defeat a genuine first-class multipurpose mech in an arena duel, Ves gained a lol from his brief exposure to high-level Terran society!

Although Ves had been enormously impressed by the power of the Terrans and the status of General Axelar Streon in present times, that did not mean be wanted to meet bis 'Mastery host' in person!

"Not again." He groaned.

What was it with those annoying Mastery hosts?! Why couldn't they respect his wishes and leave him alone so that they could live their merry lives in peace?

First it was Rion Aaden, the former idiot dwarf turned self-proclaimed emperor.

Next it was Divine Irene Mox, the pilot who was fated to become the Destroyer of Worlds.

Now it seems that General Axelar Streon himself wanted to take his turn to reunite with the mech designer who had inadvertently transformed his entire life!

What was next? Would Eloise Pelican show up out of the blue in the future? That would be crazy!

"Leave me alone!"

Didn't they get the message that Ves wanted nothing to do with them anymore?! Their initial contact with each other was supposed to be a one-off event.

As far as Ves was concerned, he engaged in a transaction with his Mastery hosts.

They all had their own problems which Ves conveniently solved. In return for services rendered, he gained the opportunity to see the mech pilots in action, thereby gaining valuable first-hand insights in the complexities of controlling powerful war machines.

Thai was supposed lo be the end of this transaction. Ves most emphatically did not extend the contract or provide any after-sales services. They shouldn't even find oul about him in the first place!

Ves never wanted these powerful and dangerous fellows to insert themselves into his present life!

Not only would every point of contact reveal the extremely sensitive secret that Ves possessed the capacity to travel back in time, but his former Mastery hosts could also utilize their knowledge to blackmail him If they found out the truth!

"What did I do to deserve this crap?! Can't you leave me alone?"

At least this situation appeared to be a bit better than before.

Rion Aaden had utilized his amazing intellect to set a trap.

Ves gave away his Involvement almost instantly as soon as he pulled out Emma's spiritual fragment.

As for General Axelar Streon, the man should not have any solid proof that Ves had mixed in his life in the past.

This allowed him to calm down. Now that he regained his composure, Ves figured that the worst-case scenario had yet lo occur. This gave him a chance to come away from this impending reunion with his secrets intact.

He just needed to bluff one of the foremost Terran leaders in the Red Ocean and ensure that he did not give away a single clue!

"This is going to be a challenge." Ves frowned.

The greatest variable that could expose his connection to Axelar's uncharacteristic deeds a century ago was his only creation at the time.

Although the modern Incarnation of the Ouroboros had changed enormously since its initial creation, it still retained traces of his work!

The similarities in design philosophies between the Ouroboros and his many living mechs could be used to form a possible connection.

Fortunately, the living properties of the Ouroboros deviated significantly from that of his regular works.

This meant that Ves could still allow Mr. S. to claim credit for the design and creation of this famed Terran hero mech if the situation had reached this point.

Ves relaxed as the tension left his body. Now that he formed a viable gameplan, he no longer held as much fear as before.

The risk of exposure was still ever-present, but so long as he navigated the situation correctly, he should be able to make it through.

The best way to avoid an accident was to avoid the conditions that made it possible.

Could he turn around and leave the New Constantinople System?

"No. That will only delay this at best." He sighed.

Ves had placed himself onto General Axelar Streon's radar. The powerful Terran wouldn't be satisfied with evaluating such an important upstart from a distance.

This was especially the case when Ves had offered to take in his granddaughter as his personal student and disciple!

Though Ves did not regret this impulsive decision, he had grown quite annoyed at the fact he brought on so many repercussions onto himself.

Perhaps he could have taken a subtler approach. He could have just taught young Alexa everything about living mechs without making any high profile announcements.

Il was a pity that Ves had acted far loo bold!

General Axelar Streon would definitely chase after the Bluejay Fleet it Ves requested Jovy to turn the ships around and leave!

Ves understood that this reunion couldn't be avoided. He needed to get it over with so that he could get on with his life in peace.

He contacted his assistant.

"You called, boss?"

"Have you noticed the latest high profile arrival?"

"Who hasn't?" Gavin sardonically spoke. "The regional news portals exploded with this story almost as soon as the first sensors picked up the arrival of the Termine Hill and her escorts. I have barely begun to coordinate with the Devos Ancient Clan about arranging a grand reception with the leader of the New Terran Federation Movement. The Terrans are really strict about matters like this. The initial meeting between a domestic tier 2 galactic citizen and a foreign tier 3 galactic citizen has to follow a heap of protocols, many of which I haven't even heard of. Il will take time to organize the reception, especially when rhe general had nor seen fit to give the Devosans any warning of his arrival."

Though Ves had too little exposure towards the Terrans, they were indeed sticklers about sticking to old and cumbersome traditions. Their heritage was so old that they adopted a lot of ceremonies over the ages.

Ves did not mind this at all. Any delay granted him more time to prepare for the inevitable reunion.

"Continue to work together with the Terrans. Make sure you don't get rolled over by them, Benny. I don't mind it if I have to follow a few silly traditions, but I don't want to act like a clown, do you understand?"

Gavin confidently smiled. "I get it, boss. Pushing back is a good way for us to assert our own power. It is already an honor that the Renewer of Terra has taken the initiative to pay a visit to us instead of the other way around. If we spin this event in the right way, we can boost your reputation and increase your perceived value!"

The personal assistant excitedly rambled on for a minute before he quickly closed the connection so that he could get to work right away!

Ves simply shrugged and decided to contact his other assistant.

"I knew you would call me." Alexa Streon spoke in an expectant tone. "Before you ask, I played no part in this. My grandfather caught many people by surprise. He isn't supposed to be here. He has caused a considerable amount of disarray back in our own territory due to his hasty departure."

"I see. So he decided to travel to New Constantinople on short notice."

Leaders such as General Axelar rarely acted on impulsive decisions, especially when each of their actions always had major implications.

The only explanation for this was that the peak ace pilot acted on a trigger.

What could possibly cause him to change his mind and upend his entire schedule?

Ves asked a few more questions to the young lady of the Streon Ancient Clan, but her grandfather hadn't brought her into the loop at all. He couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"I have spoken frequently to my grandfather about you." Alexa continued to speak. "I tried my best to portray you in a positive light, blithe prefers to make his own judgment. As you know, high-ranking mech pilots have their own means of discerning people. He has relied on this for a long time to discern allies from enemies. It is a very useful skill to have in our part of society."

That was for certain. Still, few people were stupid enough to meet with an ace pilot without making the right preparations. The heightened intuition of these powerful champions were mostly attuned towards threats to their personal life and wellbeing. Ves could think of several ways to circumvent this condition, though It would be hard to truly cause General Axelar harm in these causes.

Ves rubbed his hairless chin in thought. "Aside from the obvious, do you know what he wants to talk about when we meet in person? For example, does he intend to discuss business related to kinship networks?"

"That is highly unlikely, professor. It is too soon for lhal. The ancient clans are still in the process of deliberating on a common set of demands. My grandfather cannot speak on behalf of the entire Terran Alliance when a consensus hasn't even been reached."

"I see."

"I think he may have decided to come for other business. He will let us know in time." Alexa guessed.

"Thank you for your answers. Can you go to him and ask his purpose for visiting this star system?"

The young lady shook her head. "It is not proper for me to do so. While I am his granddaughter, 1 am also an employee of an institution of the Devos Ancient Clan. Right now, the latter takes precedence. The Devosans have put great effort into preparing for your arrival. This is their show for the time being. My grandfather is aware of that and will remain out of sight in order to give his hosts their due. It may take a week before it is permissible for him to step forward."

Ves tried his best not to express too much relief at that news. "That is good to hear. I am not exactly prepared to talk to him in person. My staff is completely overtaken by this development as well."

"I apologize for that, professor. Our ancient clan will try its best to make up for that. In the meantime, we should discuss the details of your impending arrival lo the Eden Institute,"

Though Ves held a lot of concerns about meeting General Axelar Streon, he first had to deal with the Devos Ancient Clan. It would not do to get distracted and cause offense to this relatively small but entrenched Terran power.