The Mech Touch

Cordoba Station was a typical Sentinel trade hub. It orbited high above Cinach VI and mostly dealt with passenger transport and material shipments.

Much like any space station, its initial size used to be modest, but expanded over time in order to accommodate a greater amount of commerce.

These days, her sheer volume surpassed that of a capital ship, though it wasn't nearly as tough and defensible as a warship!

A continuous but very orderly stream of trade vessels and passenger vessels constantly approached and departed from one of its extended arms.

Many vessels were not allowed to approach under their own power. Instead, they had to shut their engines and lock most of their systems while various tugs slowly towed them to their assigned positions.

The only vessels allowed to approach under their own power were authorized shuttles and smaller transports. Most of them belonged to one of the established transit and logistic companies native to Cinach VI.

Predictably, House Evenson owned or held a large amount of shares in most of these companies! In-system logistics might be one of the most boring business sectors of an economy, but it was an incredibly stable money maker.

Even in a recession, goods and people still needed transportation!

Though Cordoba Station was often a site of intense activity, the huge amount of traffic that converged upon its coordination exceeded anything Cinach VI had seen before!

Grand passenger lines, swift corvettes and a generous amount of formidable combat carriers all tried to reach Cordoba Station first!

The crush of incoming vessels almost overwhelmed traffic control if not for the impeccable order the vessels abided by. Not a single Sentinel noble of foreign business magnate attempted to cut in line.

The reason for that was very obvious, and it was not because they respected House Evenson that held sway over Cinach VI!

Ves peered out of the window and used his implant to amplify his vision until he got a very good look at the only warship in the star system.

"So that is the Ubiquitous Force." He uttered. "She's beautiful and deadly in a way my Scarlet Rose can never be. How sublime."

The formidable warship anchored right above the space station, thereby imposing her presence on anyone who approached!

The MTA markings and the handful of first-class multipurpose mechs that patrolled around her made it clear that she was not to be trifled!

And if anyone was blind to the threat those visual cues represented, that the visible warship-grade gun turrets were enough to stifle any complaints!

Powered or supplied by the internal systems of the entire ship, the power those gun turrets was able to unleash was simply an order of magnitude more powerful than the MTA's very own mechs!

Ves wasn't even sure that a first-class expert mech would be able to contend against the Ubiquitous Force, and she was merely a frigate, one of the lightest ship classes in its war arsenal!

Suffice to say, no matter the rank or pedigree of the visitor, everyone behaved as obediently as possible as they arrived at the space station.

Once they passed through the numerous thorough security checks, the visitors had to traverse to a specific arm where a large hall-like space structure was docked.

This was Trillion Hall, one of the dozens of space-based convention centers.

Though it wasn't capable of lifting off into space from the ground like the old Grand Skyward Convention Center at Bentheim, it was still one of the best venues to introduce a new mech to the public.

Its capacity was enormous and its construction was sturdy enough to withstand incidental mech fire, and that was before all of the security and defensive upgrades.

What Ves valued a lot was the configurable interior. Almost everything could be raised or lowered or moved around at his leisure. He could precisely control the light and sound that propagated through the main hall.

This control was essential to a good show!

A large number of mechs from various groups including the MTA were already patrolling around it. Not only that, but a large number of mercenary mechs grouped up by corps had already taken up position a large distance away.

As the hosts of the upcoming event, Ves and Gloriana as well as their entourage were able to cut the line and head straight to the site without obstruction.

They stopped a bit when they reached the large, bold letters that proclaimed the name of the structure.

"Trillion Hall, huh?" Ves mused while he was holding Lucky.

"Meow."

"It's supposedly called that way because its owner envisions his hall introducing a trillion different mech models to the public."

"Meow."

"Yeah, I think it sounds ridiculous as well, but who knows. Maybe it will last long enough to make this wish come true."

The important procession moved backstage where Ves and Gloriana immediately inspected the newly-fabricated Doom Guards. Each of them had been switched off so that they didn't frighten the surrounding staffers.

A handful of strong-willed veterans of the Sand War had already suited up. They stood in front of Commander Melkor, who wore an identical pilot.

Ves gave the privilege of piloting the first production model to the Avatar Commander.

Though Melkor was probably not the most steel-hearted mech pilot in the clan, Ves trusted that his cousin would be able to handle the pressure.

"Are you ready for the big show?" Ves asked.

"I have already spent hours acclimatizing to its glow." Melkor said, his visor reflecting the light off its shiny surface. "While I am still at the point of shaking in my boots, I'll be fine as long as I don't have to make any complicated maneuvers."

"Don't worry. Just follow the plan."

The Avatars that Melkor selected to pilot the other Doom Guards all consisted older and more experienced mech pilots. Not even Joshua was present, but that was mostly because he already had the Quint.

A few hours passed as the hall gradually filled up. Just like his previous presentations, most of the visitors would be taking their seats along the entire hall in front of the podium.

The only difference now was that there was a remarkable large buffer area between the front seats and the podium. No one was allowed to sit too close.

One of the most eye-catching anomalies of the main hall was the private box floating above everyone's heads. Though it didn't exhibit any markings, everyone already guessed that it held the mysterious Master Mech Designer of the MTA!

With such an incredibly powerful presence looming over everyone's heads like a Sword of Damocles, no one dared to speak casually. Even the most pampered nobles of the Sentinel Kingdom meekly retracted their arrogant bearing!

Soon enough, every seat was filled. While the hall could accommodate even more people by making use of multi-level seating arrangements, Ves and the LMC had already rejected this option.

It wasn't safe. Ves feared what might happen if someone reacted badly at the Doom Guard despite all of the mandatory health inspections they had gone through.

By restricting the audience to a certain size, it was a lot easier for the staff to monitor everyone's physical conditions.

Due to the Doom Guard's special properties, this was not an ordinary concern that Ves could ignore this time.

The chance of someone in the audience suffering a heart attack or something during the show was a very real possibility!

"You know, didn't the MTA attach a warning advisory to our mech design?" Gloriana questioned him. "She even told us in no certain terms that our Doom Guard shouldn't be utilized against unarmed civilians!"

Ves dismissively waved away her concerns. "It's okay. Master Willix specifically told us that our mech shouldn't be used to terrorize the population. I'm not planning to terrorize my guests. I'm merely giving them a taste of the potential of our product! How can I possibly sell my Doom Guards to them without demonstrating their power? As long as the Master doesn't say anything, it'll be fine!"

"It's your fault if anything goes wrong!"

Shortly after that, the time of the presentation was about to begin. A handful of makeup bots smoothed out his face, groomed his hair and straightened out his Larkinson Clan uniform.

He turned to Lucky. "You stay in the back with Clixie and Goldie."

"Meow."

He then turned to Gloriana and held out her hand. "Let's go."

"Alright." She smiled.

They both walked forward and entered the raised podium. The lights of the hall had already turned dark. Only a weak spotlight that generated plenty of shadows descended upon the two figures.

Despite the incredible number of important guests in the hall, Ves managed to retain his calm. He had already planned this show extensively and was confident that it would proceed smoothly. There was nothing to worry about as long as everything went according to plan.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I am Ves Larkinson, the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan and the CEO and lead designer of the Living Mech Corporation."

"And I am Gloriana Wodin, Ves' girlfriend and his fellow lead designer!" His partner cheerfully announced!

"We have invited you here to experience a revolutionary new mech that both of us have recently designed." Ves continued. "It's successful development and realization represents both an evolution and a revolution of mech design. While I am sure that a handful of mech designers in the galaxy are able to achieve similar results, none of them are as effective as our upcoming product at its price level! What we have managed to achieve is something that goes beyond technology!"

Ves had to issue this statement because he had already done his research. In the entire galactic mech industry, there were indeed a subset of mechs that were able to induce fear or form a deterrent against other people.

The difference between those machines and the Doom Guard was that the former relied on various technological means such as ultrasonic waves or disorienting gravitic waves!

No matter what the alternate mech designs utilized, they either cost a lot or were easily countered.

These shortcomings did not apply to his Doom Guard!

This was why he was confident that his latest product was unequaled in terms of its role and its value proposition!

Of course, before Ves could proceed any further, he had to issue the obligatory safety warning. A devious grin emerged on his face. The large projections that emerged from the sides conveyed his amused visage to the entire hall!

"Before everyone of you has entered this hall, you should have received a warning. Let me tell you that it is actually issued by the MTA!"

This revelation caused a shock to run through the crowd! No one thought that the MTA itself would issue a rare cautionary remark!

Perhaps this was part of the reason why the MTA expressed interest in the unannounced mech design!

"The MTA issues a stern warning to any purchasers or users of our mech its many risks." Ves paraphrased, taking many liberties of its exact phrasing for dramatic effect! "Those who are faint of heart, suffer from certain physical ailments or are diagnosed with a range of mental disorders must not approach or pilot it at any costs. The consequences of exposure to my mech can lead to physical illness, psychological distress, the triggering of post-traumatic stress disorder, mental breakdowns and possibly even DEATH!"

That final word encapsulated the momentum of his message! The people in the audience who expected something more normal were quickly forced to revise their expectations.

From what they heard, this new mech might truly be something that matched all of the hype!

Ves grinned wider. "Each of you have been vetted thoroughly before being allowed inside. Since you have listened to this warning and signed your agreement in writing, you should all be healthy enough to survive this show. Don't say I didn't warn you! If for some reason you deceived our inspectors or have second thoughts, you can still depart this hall in time. The exit is at the back. I will give you a few minutes to contemplate your choice."

A bit of unrest and uncertainty ran through the ignorant attendants. Numerous macabre guesses bandied about, fueling the spark of fear in their minds!

This was exactly what he wanted to see! The best part of it was that Ves did not employ any spiritual manipulation to prime his audience!