The battle against the Rust Grinders shook many Larkinsons out of their complacency. After encountering a small succession of weak pirate gangs, their battle against a stronger pirate opponent taught them that not all of their opponents rolled over so easily!
The longer a pirate outfit lasted in the Nyxian Gap, the more they possessed the capital to survive. Through a process of survival of the fittest, those that were unable to fend aggression no longer existed!
The Rust Grinders apparently relied on a mix of diplomacy and hidden weapons to maintain their footing in Wreckage Paradise.
Encountering chs mounted onto starships had been an incredible shock to Ves and the assistant ch designers on their ship. Never could they have imagined that humans willfully broke the rules that kept the warring in human space to a controllable level!
Over four centuries had passed since the end of one of the darkest chapters of human history. The rule that forbid star-faring vessels from mounting weapons had beco an ingrained instinct to almost every human.
Unfortunately, pirates were so of the few people who possessed the guts to defy the Big Two! As humans who lived outside the law, they didn't care a damn about the prohibition against owning warships!
Perhaps the main reason why warships weren't more prevalent among pirates was because it took a lot of technical expertise to build and maintain the powerful weapons.
Another reason why they did not show up too much was because everyone who paraded taboo weapons received bounties on their heads!
The mont Ves heard that he could earn a bounty from defeating targets that violated the rules, he began to look at the battle against the Rust Grinders in a different way!
This was especially when he heard he could earn rits as long as he submitted proof to the MTA or CFA!
According to the article that Ves read up on, the exact rit award depended on many factors such as the strength of the violators, the harm they inflicted on society and the severity of their rule breaking.
Every case needed to be judged on an individual basis. This was because there had been plenty of organizations in the past who secretly ard so hapless pirates only to 'harvest' them later to earn so easy rits!
He briefly paused when he read that he needed to contact the MTA directly.
"Damn."
He did sothing that he would normally avoid at any cost.
He entered one of the isolated compartnts of the Scarlet Rose and activated the Darkbreak module. On a whim, he first attempted to call Jovy Armalon, but the MTA ch designer's comm rejected every call.
"Oh well. I guess I'll have to call the standard MTA line then." He muttered.
Ves browsed the interface of the Darkbreak module and found an information line that handled this business. He tapped the right command and waited for the line to go through.
The Darkbreak module activated a shimring physical projection.
Unfortunately, instead of encountering so sort of android or secretary, Ves instead ca face to face with the projection of a very familiar senior dignitary.
"Master Willix!" Ves coughed. "I an, ahem, uh, I must have called the wrong line."
The Master ch Designer, who should normally be aloof and distant to tiny figures like Ves, gently shook her head.
"No. You called the correct line. Your call has been automatically rerouted to my address. I added a special instruction to the communication network of the MTA, you see. As long as I am available, I will be handling all of your direct requests and inquiries towards the MTA. To be honest, I am quite interested in what you will encounter in the Nyxian Gap. You should feel honored for receiving my personal attention."
Her gracious gesture made him feel sick. Didn't Master Willix have sothing better to do than directing her attention towards him? He was just a ch designer! The MTA oversaw countless ch designers, many of whom were much more interesting! What did he do to deserve this constant persecution?!
Of course, Ves did not dare to voice any of his thoughts. Instead, he maintained a brittle smile. "I am… grateful… that you favor so, Master Willix, but I do not wish to take up your ti with trivial matters. You can just redirect to the normal information line so I won't take up your valuable ti anymore."
Master Willix shook her head. "Let be the judge of that. Let's hear your request first."
Seeing no other choice, Ves accepted the inevitable and briefly explained his encounter with the Rust Grinders. He even showed so initiative by transferring so select sensor data.
"I see." Master Willix dropped her polite smile. "This is indeed a matter that requires the MTA's attention. This is not the first ti a Nyxian pirate has crossed this particular line, and it won't be the last ti."
"So… I heard there are so rits to be earned by teaching these rulebreakers a lesson. Am I eligible to receive a bounty, ma'am?"
The woman paused as she studied all of the data. "I have just verified that the proof you provided is authentic. That's good. I would have stripped you of all of your accumulated rits if you have attempted to defraud us. I have seen too many ch designers assu they can take advantage of the MTA, and I hope that you will not follow in their footsteps."
A cold sweat ran through his back. He possessed a healthy fear of the MTA and experienced first-hand so of the amazing technology they had at their disposal. Ves would never dare to put his rits at risk!
"That said, the Rust Grinders are… rather inconsequential, all concerned. Their violations aren't too egregious either. Even if they managed to build an interface between the power system of their cannoneers and the power system of their ship, the output of their energy weapon is still within a manageable range. Your Bright Warrior models managed to fend off the laser beams while suffering minimal damage, after all. We cannot award you with too many rits for taking down such a minor foe. Regardless, you still managed to exact punishnt on our behalf, so I will award you with 25,000 MTA rits for this service."
This was a rather considerable amount of rits to ordinary people. The Rust Grinders was a moderately powerful pirate group that fielded more than 600 chs. Combined with the added firepower at their disposal, a regular Peacekeeper outfit would have suffered substantial losses to defeat the pirates!
That said, soone like Ves was long used to bigger awards. The creation of two certified masterwork chs in the form of the Quint and the Little Angel already yielded 2 million MTA rits in total!
Still, any little bit helped. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Keep up the good work." She said. "As an orthodox ch designer who falls under our jurisdiction, you are obligated to uphold our rules no matter where you go. The vibrant society that we have managed to build in this age cannot be taken for granted. Though many voices in the galaxy wish to tear the prohibition against warships down, it is for everyone's own good that they are deprived of such toys."
"I understand." Ves nodded. "As a ch designer, I do not wish to see the return of warships in human society either."
Now that he had gotten what he wanted, he was in no mood to chat with Master Willix any further.
Just before he ended the call, Master Willix raised her palm.
"Before you go, let inform you of additional opportunities. There are multiple pirate groups in the Nyxian Gap who have committed much worse violations than the Rust Grinders. I will send you an up-to-date list of so of the groups that we have identified."
The Darkbreak module instantly received a modest data dump. Ves took a brief glance at its contents before deciding to hand it over to Calabast.
"If these groups are stronger than the Rust Grinders, then I can't promise you that my forces will confront them, ma'am." Ves cautiously said.
"Bounties are opportunities, not obligations. Any pirate that has earned a bounty will succumb sooner or later. If not by enterprising individuals such as you, then their rivals might make a move instead."
Ves briefly widened his eyes. What a devious asure! By pitting pirates against each other, the MTA made sure that every pirate group that fielded warships would have to think twice!
"If you are particularly desperate for rits and lucky enough to encounter the Allidus Alliance, consider sabotaging or removing Lord Hivex's prized warship."
The Master raised her finger, causing a very formidable looking ship to erge into view.
Ves could imdiately tell she was ard. Her hull wasn't studded with bunkers. Instead, various ch-sized gun turrets lined the surface. Each of them were capable of firing a torrent of laser beams and clouds that could quickly chew up a couple of approaching ch companies!
And these were just the secondary weapons.
The hull of the haphazard-looking ship also boasted three huge triple-barreled gun turrets. Their caliber was so formidable that half a ch could fit through the muzzle!
With such a formidable armant, the pirate warship could probably take down any starship at a huge distance with just a single volley!
Ves shuddered at the sight of all of the firepower of this vessel. Not even the Penitent Sisters would be able to survive against this might!
"The Gravada Knarlax is a pirate-built heavy cruiser that the Allidus Alliance built in secret over two decades ago." Master Willix explained. "The pirates invested a lot of years and resources in her construction. Once built, she imdiately carved out a place in the core regions. Over the years, the Knarlax not only enabled the Allidus Alliance to hold on to their hotly-contested territitories, but also elevate Lord Hivex into a powerful pirate lord. Taking him down will net you 1,500,000 rits, while destroying the Gravada Knarlax will earn you 4,500,000 rits."
That was 6,000,000 MTA rits in total!
Though Ves briefly drooled when he heard the astonishing rewards, he quickly sobered himself up. There was no way he could earn those rits. The higher the rit award, the greater the difficulty! The MTA never engaged in charity.
If the Allidus Alliance built the Gravada Knarlax over two decades ago and still managed to hold on to their heavy cruiser, then that ant the pirates likely defeated a lot of challengers already!
Ves firmly put the Gravada Knarlax out of his mind. It was just like so of the many outstanding missions issued by the Rim Guardians. No matter how many rits they promised, he would only be committing suicide if he took them seriously!
"The strength of my forces does not allow to pursue these bounties." He plainly said. "I think this matter is best left to more qualified people."
"As you wish. At the very least, you should go over the list I sent. There are many lesser groups that are not as formidable as the Allidus Alliance. Good luck, Mr. Larkinson."
The call finally ended. Ves did not do anything until he exited the isolated chamber.
"Goddammit!"
He thought he could escape the clutches of Master Willix and the MTA once he entered the Nyxian Gap. It turned out that he was too naive. He was certain that this persistent Master ch Designer targeted him for so reason.
No matter how badly she wanted to steal his design philosophy, Ves would never give in no matter how helpful she seed!
He did not believe in charity! Everything had a price, and the MTA just happened to be the biggest profiteer in the galaxy!
"I think I will have to leave this star sector in order to get rid of her!" Ves concluded. "In fact, it's better if I leave the Milky Way while I'm at it. There's no way she'll follow all the way to the Red Ocean!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers