Ves and the others decided to continue forward. While it was a bit worrisome that an unknown crew was trying to activate the biomechs, they weren’t necessarily enemies.
From the way they moved and how they interacted with the entrance and the various devices in the hall, they were probably authorized personnel.
Vincent made a surprisingly insightful comment. “The unknowns are likely employed by Ruuzon Arena or one of the competitive teams that regularly compete here. In fact, I think it’s the latter. Notice how every biomech is different? I think they’re all units prepared for team matches.”
The others studied the details pointed out by Vincent and agreed with him. The group of unknowns consisted of both mech pilots and mech technicians and possibly other personnel.
Maybe they were scheduled to take part in a match scheduled in the evening, but the sudden outbreak of violence convinced them to activate their mechs early in order to fight their way to safety!
When the Larkinsons reached the entrance of the underground mech hall, they encountered a locked gate.
There was no way the crew of unknowns were stupid enough to leave the entrance open! With trigger-happy idiots shooting at anyone they didn’t like, there was no way that any group could trust other groups. Even their own comrades might turn out to be enemies in disguise!
“How do you wish to handle this situation?” Nitaa asked.
“Don’t kill them.” Jannzi warned from the side. While she held a weapon, she emphatically pointed it to the floor. “It’s easy to regard every stranger as an enemy in these crazy times, but that is exactly what we need to avoid. Most Lifers aren’t our enemies. They are simply unlucky citizens who got caught up in the fighting. While they might be jumpy, they won’t act unreasonably once they recognize that we aren’t their enemies. In fact, we might be able to cooperate.”
Not everyone was as optimistic as Jannzi. Ves was skeptical, but he was not entirely closed to the idea. While it was risky to talk to a group of people who were potentially able to get their mechs to work, he doubted that he’d be able to get the biomechs to work by himself.
“You’re the best person to initiate the conservation, Jannzi.” Ves turned to her. “From the way you subdued the crowd earlier, I think the people inside will react a lot more positively towards you than if I take the initiative to speak to them. I’m a very controversial figure in the LRA these days.”
The people inside might shoot at him outright if they formed the mistaken perception that he was the instigator of all of the fighting!
Though Venerable Jannzi didn’t like the feeling of being used, it was the only way for her to make sure that the upcoming contact proceeded on her terms.
“I’ll send Lucky ahead as a hidden scout.” Ves promised.
“Meow?”
“You heard that right. Now go out and make sure that the people inside aren’t secretly preparing an ambush or something!”
The gem cat grumbled a bit but did as told. He phased through the floor and secretly passed underneath the entrance. Along the way, he tampered with the security system and unlocked it so that the rest didn’t have to shoot their way inside.
They waited half a minute for Lucky to get in deeper before Venerable Jannzi took the plunge. She pressed the button that caused the entrance to open. She stepped inside while keeping her weapon holstered.
Her entry didn’t go unnoticed.
“INTRUDERS!”
The crowd of mech technicians and other people dropped what they were doing and scrambled for cover. The panic in their voices was very evident. Their arms shook as they held pistols or tools.
Clearly, the majority of the group weren’t trained for combat. They weren’t even armed!
“Peace! I mean no harm.” Venerable Jannzi declared.
She slowed her pace but continued to step forward. While her armored form looked intimidating, her empty and outstretched arms was a good sign that she didn’t mean any harm.
Of course, there were plenty of combat armor models that incorporated integrated weaponry, but it was the thought that counted.
Twenty seconds passed before the group of Lifers calmed down. While Jannzi hadn’t come close enough for her force of will to reach out to their minds, she still possessed an extraordinary presence.
While Ves didn’t entirely ascribe to this theory, he could see that his cousin definitely had a talent for capturing people’s attention.
It reminded Ves of himself, actually.
A man wearing a more formal suit than everyone cautiously stepped out from the crate he was using as cover.
“Who are you?” He asked suspiciously.
The man held a pistol in a steady grip. Even though he exposed himself, his posture and the tension of his body showed that he was ready if the situation went ugly.
Jannzi tapped the side of her helmet, causing her faceplate to turn transparent. “I am Venerable Jannzi Larkinson of the Larkinson Clan.”
A couple of seconds passed before the group of Lifers processed her words.
“She’s an expert pilot!”
“Larkinson? Isn’t that the name of the guy who won the design duel?!”
The crew didn’t appear to be too disciplined, because they openly speculated without exhibiting too much care for their words.
Their leader raised his fist. “Shut up! Let me handle this!”
The mech technicians quickly did as ordered.
“Are you involved in what is going on right now?”
Jannzi shook her head. “We are victims just as you. My fellow Larkinsons and I just want to leave this warzone. While we were trying to make our way out, we noticed the mechs here. Do they belong to your crew?”
The man nodded. “That’s right. Let me introduce myself. The name’s Captain Cecil Rivington. I’m in charge of the Roving Hunters. The mechs behind me all belong to my team.”
“Roving Hunters?” Vincent spoke up from behind. For some reason, he threw caution to the wind and drove his hover chair forward. “You’re a prime division team, right? Last I saw, you’re a middle-of-the-pack team.”
“We’re a top team! We are just in a slump! As long as we figure out how to respond to the new strategies, we can climb our way back up to a playoff spot!”
“That doesn’t seem likely. The current top teams have built up quite a lead over the rest. While I haven’t watched any matches myself, their success suggests that their strength is on another level. Even if you reach the playoffs, your team will just get steamrolled by an opponent who has a lot more practice at winning a match!”
“They’re already getting complacent! There is always a chance a lower-ranked team like ours will be able to achieve an upset!”
“I can believe that, but are you sure you can keep going? Even if you win against one of the seeded competitive teams, what about the one that comes next? The further you go, the tougher the opponent. You might be able to succeed once, but there’s no way you can keep winning three or four times a row!”
For some reason, Vincent and the captain of the Roving Hunters got embroiled in a heated discussion about the strength of the latter’s team.
Everyone seemed to forget about Venerable Jannzi. Expert pilot or not, the members of the Roving Hunters were fiercely prickly over their competitive success.
None of them seem to have realized that their competitive season was likely suspended due to the civil war that broke out! Didn’t these idiots realize that their passion was completely misplaced at the moment?
Ves couldn’t handle this inane discussion any longer. He stepped out along with the rest of his bodyguards.
At this time, Ves performed enough examinations to know that the Roving Hunters didn’t possess anything deadlier than a handful of pistols. They were also quite far from activating their stored biomechs.
The entry of Ves and twelve heavily-armored guards quickly caused the locals to shut up and grow nervous again. They all knew they stood no chance against the newcomers!
Vincent managed to break the ice, though. While Captain Rivington grew tense again, he didn’t exhibit any outright panic. That was good. Ves had encountered too many people who had lost their sanity. It felt nice to be able to talk with someone who kept their head on their shoulders.
“Captain Rivington, I presume you know who I am.”
“Who hasn’t heard of Ves Larkinson, the mech designer who precipitated the revolution?”
“I’m not a part of this madness. This is all the fault of the opposition groups. Think, captain. Would I be here with just a small group of guards if I was a part of some nefarious plot?”
“…Well, if you put it that way, that does sound stupid.”
Ves gained a decent handle on Captain Rivington. Even though he was the head of a fairly successful team of mech athletes, he possessed a grounded mindset.
At the very least, Captain Rivington and the Roving Hunters were not involved in any political struggles. They were merely bystanders who were at the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Let’s get to the point. Time is short and the chaos of war can reach our position at any time. I want to borrow some of your biomechs. Not much. Just two. I hope we can use the strength of your organic machines to safely take us away from here. It seems like downtown Veoline had turned into ground zero of this conflict, so having a couple of extra mechs around is quite handy!”
The Roving Hunters remained silent. Captain Rivington carefully considered the proposal.
Ves expected to be met with rejection. No one liked to give away their mechs, especially at a time where military might was more important than ever!
“Our biomechs are custom jobs that are precisely configured by my teammates.” Rivington replieid. “They aren’t tools. They are personal steeds. I would hate to hand any of them over. They were never meant to be piloted by other people. Besides, are your mech pilots even qualified to pilot a biomech?”
“Look at the situation we’re in. Do you really think you’re going to play another match at this rate? The arena where your matches are held has just turned into a literal deathtrap that has already eaten thousands of your fans! The citizens of this planet don’t even need to attend an arena match in order to witness actual mech fights. They just need to watch from their windows to get the show of their lifetimes!”
Ves crossed his arms. “Besides, reserving your competition mechs for a season that will likely be canceled is a pointless endeavor. There are much more important priorities, such as preserving your life and the lives of your team! I see you have more biomechs than mech pilots. Let us utilize any spare machines that you have left. Together, we stand a much greater chance of fighting our way past the chaotic fighting. Do you really want to expose the lives of your fellow people because you were so fixated on maintaining the purity of your biomechs?”
According to his scans and Lucky’s secret examinations, the Roving Hunters only had three mech pilots in their midst. There were twelve mechs stored in the back so the competitive team had plenty of machines to spare!
Captain Rivington was aware of this as well.
“Look, if you really aren’t involved in all of this, then I am open to lending our biomechs to you. I want them back after we make it out. You have to help us all escape.”
“We can agree to that.” Ves smiled and relaxed. “You’ve made the right choice. We stand a much greater chance of fighting our way out if we pool our strength!”
