The dark sphere surrounding Ulimo Citadel boiled ominously. Engulfing every Larkinson mech that advanced towards the pirate stronghold, the fate of these machines and their pilots became bleaker and bleaker over time.
The strength of the Larkinson Clan never revolved around its wealth. Though the continued rise of the LMC showered the clan with an abundant amount of money, the key to this success was the people who made it possible for the mech company to sell so many mechs.
Ves always valued people over assets. Ever since he abandoned the Mech Nursery at Cloudy Curtain along with many other assets on Bentheim, he experienced the pain of being forced to abandon some heavy investments.
Being driven from the Bright Republic and subsequently the Ylvaine Protectorate caused him to develop a reduced appreciation for assets that anchored him in place in a single location.
He instead developed a much greater appreciation for assets that were portable and more enduring. This was why he greatly valued the sh.i.p.s that he and his clan were about to acquire from the Hegemony at great cost.
As the future homes, workplaces, fortresses and method of transportation of the Larkinson Clan, sh.i.p.s were vital in keeping the clan free and unfettered.
Yet not even the factory ship that Ves ordered from the Hegemony was irreplaceable. If it ever came down to it, he would rather sacrifice his capital sh.i.p.s than to lose most of the members of his clan.
People were always more important than objects.
As long as the clan continued to be filled with capable talents that could help Ves in many matters, he could always make a comeback after suffering a setback.
Having the right people around could make or break an organization. The LMC was but an empty shell if not for the presence of Ves, Gloriana, their assistant mech designers and their capable workforce.
Even if the LMC ended on the spot right now, Ves and all of those people could simply start a new mech company and continue onwards on a clean slate.
As the leader of the Larkinson Clan, Ves mainly two groups of people.
The core business and competitive earning potential of the Larkinson Clan revolved around its mech designers. Though only Ves and Gloriana were the only ones who possessed the strength to fund the entire clan, in the future some of their assistants might join the ranks of Journeyman and expand the LMC's profit-generating ability.
Yet the more wealth the clan acc.u.mulated, the more they attracted hungry predators. Competition was intense, and all sorts of malcontents existed in space who would like nothing more than to plunder the Larkinson Clan or wipe it out entirely.
The galaxy was filled with war. In a huge region of space encompassing hundreds of billions of stars stretching across hundreds of thousands of light-years, it was hard for any single authority to maintain order.
Ves already learned the hard way that relying on governments and other external help never guaranteed his safety and the safety of his clan.
If they wanted to do something right, they needed to do it themselves. This was why Ves always invested so much in nurturing mech pilots.
Mech designers enabled the clan to grow. Mech pilots guaranteed their survival!
For this reason, Ves became very distressed when the artificial anomaly trapped most of his mech pilots!
Though the fleet and a couple of hundred of mechs in reserve remained safe, Ves knew that the foundation of the clan and his own success would collapse if he didn't make a move.
The Dry Snakes were more devious than Ves expected. After mentally communicating with Ketis, he discovered that the pirates probably never considered Ulimo Citadel's public marketplace to be a source of wealth.
The pirates had a more dastardly reason for opening up the base to traffic and allowing tens of thousands of mixed Nyxian residents to settle inside.
It turned out that the pirates welcomed all of those ignorant visitors in order to treat them as sacrificials to fuel an enormously powerful ritual!
Once Ves discovered the existence of the Hallowed Abyss Temple, he dug a little deeper into the background of this mysterious cult.
He became more and more convinced this influential cult possessed ties with the Five Scrolls Compact. Not only was it based deep in the center of the Nyxian Gap, pretty much every major pirate group or alliance hosted its Watchers!
For some reason, these cultists who worshipped the Nyxian Gap had extended its tentacles to every major pirate organization past a certain scale.
The diplomatic effort required to insert its Watchers into every pirate organization regardless of their hostility towards each other was massive.
There was definitely something suspicious about this cult! The ability to call down a dark calamity and use it to eliminate mechs with enough strength to raze a planet frightened Ves considerably!
Ves did not necessarily fear the likes of the Friday Coalition or any other conventional enemy. Each of them fought with familiar means such as mechs, guns and spycraft. The Larkinson Clan wasn't weak in any of these areas.
What they did have trouble with were enemies who were capable of wielding incomprehensible powers. Against opponents like the Grey Watcher who was likely responsible for summoning this disaster, none of the mechs, guns and spycraft of the Larkinson Clan could do a thing to stop it from running its course!
Fortunately, all hope was not lost. Perhaps this devastating trump card might have worked against the likes of more powerful mech troops. Ves even suspected that the pirates especially prepared this powerful measure to defeat an MTA or CFA warfleet!
The Larkinson Clan wasn't nearly as powerful as the Big Two. If this anomaly was powerful enough to devour the most powerful mechs and warsh.i.p.s that humanity was able to field, then how could the Larkinsons ever measure up with its paltry third-class mechs?
"There is still a chance!" Ves boldly announced after he left the private office with James in tow. "This darkness will not devour us! Form up some mechs companies around the Scarlet Rose. Let us propel our ship forward and open up a path!"
"Sir, every probe that we have sent isn't heard from again. The anomalous region is incredibly dangerous!" A bridge officer called.
Ves responded with a stern look. "This is an ongoing battle. While I welcome your advice and appreciate your sincere concerns, trust in my judgement. Move our ship up to the edge of the dark sphere's border. Let us see whether we can enter this bubble."
The bridge officers of the Scarlet Rose looked shocked! The anomalies of the Nyxian Gap had already traumatized the clansman before. Nobody thought that flying anywhere closer to this ominous mass of darkness was a good idea.
Just looking at it caused any human to feel as if they were staring at something profoundly wrong! The mental oppression radiated by the anomaly caused every Larkinson to rightfully fear it. Ves did not blame the bridge officer from voicing some doubts.
The problem was that nobody moved to execute his orders!
The helmsman froze, and so did the other crew. Ves' face grew ugly.
"What are you waiting for? Move!"
Despite his supreme status in the clan, none of his subordinates responded to his orders. The fear that his clansmen held towards the anomaly exceeded their willingness to obey his instructions.
It was as if the anomaly exuded a similar kind of oppression as the Doom Guard's glow.
Ves knew he shouldn't really blame his underlings for failing to move. The Larkinson Clan possessed a rather flat hierarchical structure. This was something that Ves and the trueblood Larkinsons originally valued and wished to retain in their growing clan.
Nobody ought to be powerful enough in the clan to dictate everything. Not even Ves. Everyone who held rank was not above the regular clansmen. No one was more noble or entitled than others. Every Larkinson, when it came down to it, was kin to other Larkinsons.
As a consequence, the power distance between Ves and other clansmen wasn't actually big. The Larkinsons also emphasized the independence and self-thinking ability of the lower ranks.
In combat, this gave smaller mech units the room to exercise their own judgement according to the situation. While this required a lot of trust, this was something that the clan as a whole was willing to extend to everyone.
Now, the downsides of letting the lower ranks think for themselves became evident. None of the bridge officers thought it was a good idea to venture forth into the abyss!
The issue was even more egregious when Ves recalled that most of the crew of the Scarlet Rose consisted of Kinners. These former mercenaries for sale were famed for their reliability and loyalty.
Yet even if the Kinner-born clansmen were willing to execute a wide range of orders, that didn't mean they were willing to drive their ship straight into a star or other destination that guaranteed certain death!
At this time, James stepped forward. "Larkinsons, listen to our Bright Martyr. I know you have doubts, but know that he is far more capable than you think. He is the star of the Larkinson Clan. The glows he makes are rooted in the divine. The brilliance of his mind shines brightest in the darkest of times. Trust in him and obey his will. His light shall illuminate our path and drive back the shadows!"
Though Ves felt like vomiting, the bridge officers reluctantly changed their minds!
The Scarlet Rose started to advance towards the anomaly. After transmitting some orders, a couple of mech companies of Avatars and Sentinels began to surround the mobile supply frigate.
Ves became speechless.
Why did a direct order from him fail to find purchase, but some religious-themed nonsense spoken by a crackpot succeed in persuading his men?
There was something very wrong with this situation!
The ongoing crisis did not leave him with any time to dig into this problem. Right now, Ves urgently needed to see if he could dispel some of the shadows like James suggested.
Through his spiritual senses, he could sense the awesome might of the artificial anomaly better than others.
Defeating it outright wasn't possible. Ves had to take many steps back and settle for trying to erect a safe zone around the Scarlet Rose's perimeter.
As long as his ship could venture inside the dark sphere safely, he had hopes of rescuing some of his distressed mech pilots!
Even if he would only be buying time according to James, Ves was willing to take this risk to rescue his stranded mech troops.
A big reason why he felt confident was because he believed he possessed the means to repel the darkness.
Once the Scarlet Rose's bow halted just a hundred meters away from the edge of the dark sphere, Ves began to perform an experiment.
He looked down at the book in his hand and brushed his fingers against the Restraint Hoop enveloping the medallion on the front cover.
"Lufa, demonstrate your might." He spiritually communicated to his latest spiritual product. "Enter my mind and let me channel your powers!"
Though the newborn design spirit wasn't all that intelligent, it trusted Ves unquestionably and did as instructed.
With Ves actively opening up his mind, a portion of Lufa moved inside.
Ves then began to meld with Lufa. Despite their incompatible spiritual attributes, they possessed an intimate relationship with each other. Ves was literally Lufa's creator, so he encountered no hindrances when he donned the design spirit over his mind like a mask!
Ves abruptly began to radiate a glow of his own. An unprecedented feeling of calm and peace radiated from his body. James, Nitaa and every other clansmen in the bridge felt some of their fear towards the dark sphere washing away.
"Bright Prophet.." A bridge officer whispered in admiration.
"The Ylvainan is right. Ves is the light that can drive back the darkness!"
Exaggerated claims aside, Ves wasn't entirely satisfied with the effect. Being able exude the Angel of Tranquility's glow was progress, but its range left much to be desired!
He needed to amplify Lufa's glow so that it encompassed a wide area around the Scarlet Rose.
He looked towards Nitaa, who held the B-stone lockbox that contained a partially-charged P-stone.
"Will this work?" He wondered.
