When the MTA came calling, people answered.
Only absolute idiots dared to defy the might Mech Trade Association. The trans-galactic organization's stranglehold on the mech industry, it's absolute military might and the Big Two's monopoly on life-prolonging serum all ensured that no one rejected the mechers when they issued their requests.
Fortunately, the Association rarely approached individuals on its own accord. The main reason was that it was already vast and powerful enough to solve its own problems.
Ever since the Age of Mechs kicked off, the Mech Trade Association had become the dominant father of human civilization. Its vast influence blanketed almost every part of human space and no one could completely divest themselves from this distant but extremely overbearing parent.
It was fine if the Association remained in the background. Too many events took place in the galaxy for this immense power to devote its attention to each and every one of them. To the upper echelon, the mundane lives of the space peasants under their care were no more consequential than ants locked inside a terrarium.
However, once those big round heads loomed close and focused a pair of massive eyes onto a single ant, the little insect in question would definitely not feel comfortable!
Ves currently had the illusion that he had become that ant. He did not dare to underestimate Master Willix just because she looked like a professional, middle-aged human woman.
One of the scariest aspects of the human race was that its most powerful and formidable members often looked no different from other people. If it wasn't for the fact that certain transcendents like Master Mech Designers possessed an air that caused them to stand out from the crowd, Ves could easily be fooled into assuming that Master Willix was just a doting aunt!
This was why he maintained a lot of vigilance towards Master Willix right now. Since she felt the need to apply coercion in order to get him to cooperate, the task she was about to announce must not be light!
Ves hated trouble. He already had his fair share of it during his last adventure and did not have any stomach for more.
At the very least, the great Master could have waited until he completed his expert mech design projects! Not only would he feel a lot more secure with a handful of expert mechs at his disposal, enough time would have passed for the rest of his mech forces to complete their consolidation and expansion efforts!
Right now, the strength of the Larkinson Clan was rather messy. The new Lifers and Heavensworders had only just begun to get accustomed to fighting as Larkinsons and his expert pilots were still stuck with prime mechs!
Even if Ves and his allies possessed enough strength to fight a military mech regiment head-on, the enemies he faced were only growing more and more stronger.
He already had plenty of headaches to worry about. He didn't want to add another major problem to his plate, but his patron in the MTA didn't seem to care.
"I have already revealed enough about the state of our civilization and how its stability is being undermined by our detractors." She stated in a calm voice. "Though our Association is mighty, we have many opponents. While our individual enemies cannot compare to us when they confront us by themselves, it is a different matter if they pool their forces together. Conspirators in the shadows, states that dream of becoming nations and vengeful aliens are constantly sharpening their knives."
Ves frowned. Even though he did not believe that a little mech designer like him could not possibly influence such high-level power struggles, he still couldn't stop himself from gaming this scenario.
"Your Association is actually in a worse state than I thought, ma'am." He slowly voiced his own views. "Since you aren't joking around with this, it means that you are truly concerned about the future of the MTA. This is.. not what I expected, to be honest. I always thought you guys are too strong to entertain any pessimistic thoughts."
Willix sighed. "There is much history that is buried from the public. We have been fighting against threats that most people in the galaxy are not aware of. This is by necessity as the trauma of the second half of the Age of Conquest was too great. Without providing centuries of peace and stability, humanity could not recover to this extent. In fact, our human enemies shared this cognition as well, so they were content to play along."
Ves minutely widened his eyes. He always wondered about why the Five Scrolls Compact allowed their existence to be suppressed by the Big Two. He would have thought that it was better for their brand recognition and recruitment efforts if at least some word of their existence leaked out to a portion of the public.
Perhaps these crazies realized that there would be nothing left for them to rule over if their actions caused more humans to go extinct. Maybe this was why they shook hands with the Big Two and agreed to stay in the shadows!
However, after four centuries of long-term peace, humanity was not as fragile in the past anymore. Even though destructive conflicts like the Komodo War continued to rage throughout human space, on a galactic scale the population of humans had grown exponentially!
The original rationale for remaining quiet no longer existed. Ves was sure that all of humanity's enemies benefited from the peace and quiet as well.
As Ves remained in thought, Master Willix continued to emphasize the gravity of the situation.
"As I have stated before, we are beset by enemies, but so far they are too afraid to challenge our Association when we are at our peak. It would be stupid for them to attack our warfleets and fortifications head-on, so they have wisely chosen not to do so. Instead, they are gnawing at our foundation instead. Our best analysts and strategists are already convinced that the Crown Uprising is only the first phase of a greater plan. It is not as impulsive as it seems. The so-called crown that these terrorists are demanding back might not even be real."
Ves didn't think it was as simple as that, but he refrained from contradicting the Master Mech Designer.
"Our Association is able to exist and remain stable in our high position due to the support of the people. If this support erodes, we won't suffer in the short term, but as generations go by, a new perception will take hold among the people that will paint us as incompetents at best and tyrants as worst. Once this transition has taken place, it will not take long before our society begins to crack."
She put great effort into painting the MTA as the guardian of humanity, but Ves was not so naive to think that the mechers just wanted to maintain their supreme power and wealth. They were the biggest winners of the Age of Mechs, so it was logical that they had a vested interest in maintaining the current order!
Even if someone else came along and claimed to be able to lead humanity to a better place, the MTA would no doubt smash this challenger to pieces in order to cling to its current throne!
Ves let out an impatient breath. "Okay, I get it, Master. Humanity, and by extension the MTA, is in grave danger, so it needs all of the help that it can get. Though I still doubt what this has to do with a small figure like myself, can you get on with explaining my assignment already?"
"I am not in the habit of wasting time, Mr. Larkinson. In truth, you should not be hearing about this until you have become a Senior Mech Designer. Once you reach that height, you have gained enough strength to participate in the true affairs of our race. Many of the missions that we issue are all related to them in one fashion or another. The higher you climb, the more you are able to contribute. Never forget that as long as you are a mech designer, you are intricately tied to the Mech Trade Association."
She was right. His profession was fully represented by the MTA, and much of his design-related activities could only be performed under the auspices of the very same organization.
There was no way that Ves could ever develop a friendly relation with the CFA for this reason!
What Master Willix implied was that it didn't matter if Ves was not an internal member of the MTA. His current profession already pushed him into their camp regardless of his actions.
He could either resist this fact and piss off his only powerful supporter, or he could just bend over and surrender to this inescapable reality.
This was what Master Willix was aiming to achieve. She wanted him to submit on his own accord and stop resisting her authority because he was too insistent on maintaining his independence.
He hated it, but what could he do? He literally relied on her favor to keep the rest of the MTA off his back!
"Fine." He said in a tired but sincere tone. "I get what you are trying to say. I truly do. I will do as you say, though don't forget about the merits you've promised."
Willix curled her lips into a subtle smile. "We always pay for honest work. Have no fear about that. Our Association is quite aware that people like you need some.. encouragement to do your best. Let me introduce you to your assignment."
Ves straightened his back and became more attentive. He long wondered what she sought from him. There was very little he could offer that could interest MTA, but he could think of one unique advantage.
His spiritual engineering capabilities.
Did the MTA intend to borrow his glows in order to identify the rebels or something? Had Willix discovered the existence of his spiritual networks and sought to present the MTA with its own exclusive version?
The Master seemed to have read his thoughts. She shook her head.
"It's not what you think. Your… expertise has great potential, but it is just that. We have enemies who possess even more profound and unusual capabilities than you. I fear that these enemies can easily warp your immature creations and exploit their vulnerabilities to ferment greater mischief. Do not believe your applications are infallible. You should wait until you have realized your design philosophy before you are ready to fight in this arena."
This was actually quite a good point! Ves knew quite well that the Five Scrolls Compact possessed a much richer accumulation in spiritual engineering than him. His works may seem like child's play to them. If this was the case, then he should lay low before he advanced to Master.
"Then what is my task?" Ves frowned in puzzlement.
If she didn't want any of his spiritual inventions, then what else could he offer?
The woman smiled. "Your duty is quite simple. I will be transferring a batch of twenty of our specially-trained mech pilots to your clan. While they are internal members of the MTA, they are not allowed to reveal this to anyone while they travel with your fleet. What I am asking from you is to take them under your wing and turn as many of them into expert pilots as possible. The stronger and more remarkable they become, the better."
Of all the requests he anticipated, Ves never thought she would issue such an ordinary request. What did this have to do with the fate of human civilization and all that stuff? The MTA had plenty of expert pilots in their ranks! A couple of extra additions would never change the strategic outlook!
Master Willix didn't seem to notice, though.
"The Mech Trade Association will reward you with 500,000 MTA merits for each expert pilot that has successfully undergone apotheosis regardless of how much assistance you have provided to them. After five years, your mission will end regardless of how many of our mech pilots have succeeded. We will take the remainder back at that point. Of course, we expect you to do your best to fulfill our demands. If you have not achieved any notable results, then don't blame us if we deduct your merits."
"What?!" Ves almost shot up into the ceiling. "That's not fair! I earned those merits fair and square!"
