The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2834

Chapter 2834 - Entrust

Ves couldn’t tell how well his audience received his speech.

On many different occasions, Ves spoke in front of a crowd of people. Their expressions and emotions were very clear to him. He could read the air and sense the mood up close.

This was different. The groups of mechs were all spread out across hundreds of meters at the very least. Even if any of the mechs were closer, his inability to observe their expressions and body language was a major hindrance in predicting their reactions.

A tense moment went by as silence met his plea. What he had just offered to them all was not a decision that any of them could make lightly. Almost no one would be able to decide to drop everything in order to join a spacefaring clan that was on an expedition to a different galaxy!

This was as if Ves was fighting against an enemy army, but suddenly asked them to abandon their oath and everything they worked for in order to defect to his side. Such an absurd situation would never happen in reality!

However, this was a different situation. Ves bet that most if not all of the armed groups in the hangar weren’t intimately involved in the revolution. If they were merely bystanders rather than committed soldiers, then the offer he made should sound very appealing!

Several more seconds passed as some of the mechs made ambiguous movements. It seemed that some of the mech pilots were arguing fiercely with their fellow mates.

It took thirty seconds for the first group to issue a response. The flashy biomechs with the emblems of sponsors painted on their surfaces were the first to finish their decision!

"We’re in, if you will have us, sir."

"Our clan is glad to welcome brave and upright mech pilots. What is your name and what do you seek for you and your men?"

The lead mech took a step forward but took care not to raise its weapons.

"You can call me Captain Inkar Devlin. I’m the big chief of the Trezin Showstoppers. We’re far away from home, so we want to get out of this star system as soon as possible and go back to check up on our families. If our home planet has turned into a battlefield as well, then we’d like to ask for help from your clan in evacuating our loved ones. Can you do that for us, rich guy?"

"It depends on how out-of-the-way your home planet is, but I have thousands of mechs and dozens of combat carriers at my disposal. If it isn’t possible to divert my main fleet to your home, I can dispatch a small flotilla or hire some mercenaries to do the job in my stead. Don’t underestimate the wealth and resources I have at my disposal."

Apparently, that was enough to convince the Showstoppers! The mechs took the initiative to emerge out of their cover and approach the Roving Hunter mechs at a slow and cautious pace.

The tension in the hangar rose. This was because no one was able to gauge the sincerely of the Showstoppers!

Before the Roving Hunters had entered, the Trezin Showstoppers fought hard against several enemies. They definitely managed to down their fair share of mechs if they had managed to remain standing up to this point!

Since the Showstoppers had blood on their hands, they definitely weren’t as simple as they sounded. There was a considerable chance that Captain Devlin had merely made an empty promise in order to lower Ves’ vigilance and attack him when he let down his guard!

"You’re making a mistake!" Captain Rivington told him on a private command channel. "Those Showstoppers are sc.u.mbags who won’t feel any qualms in killing you. The more powerful and important you make yourself sound, the more they will be tempted to do something to you! Maybe they’ll kidnap you in order to earn a lavish ransom, or maybe they’ll just take your life straight-away in order to claim a bounty that someone must have put on your head."

"I’m aware of that, but I have a plan." Ves quietly retorted. "If you want to help, then look strong and keep an eye on any potential attackers."

Ves knew he was playing with fire at this moment, but he had little choice at the moment. In order to reduce the chance of betrayal from the Showstoppers, he had to persuade another group to come over by his side.

Now that the remaining ones saw that the Showstoppers achieved success, the next group began to entertain his offer!

"You guys are rich, right? How much do ordinary mech pilots earn in your ranks?"

"Please introduce yourself."

"Lieutenant Zinez Serin. Currently in the service of the Right Sider Mercenary Corps."

"Currently?"

"Well, if the pay is good enough, you might convince me and my boys to change employers."

Ves smiled. "To be honest, salaries are not a big deal in our clan, but that is because the benefits we provide are already massive. Aside from being able to earn merits to redeem our exclusive in-house augmentations, we also offer you the opportunity to pilot unique mechs and learn from the very best."

"What do you mean by the latter?"

"Our clan has five expert pilots." Ves gestured to the Perringer, which was enveloped with Jannzi’s force of will. "The alliance we are part of boasts even more expert pilots, including a high-tier one that is closer to advancing to ace pilot than you will ever meet! While I cannot speak for others, every expert pilot in our clan devotes at least some of their time to providing tutoring and guidance to fellow clan members. Perhaps with the assistance of one of our supreme mech pilots, you might also be able to elevate yourselves in their ranks!"

From what he knew about mech pilots, what Ves just promised should sound extremely compelling to them. Hardly any mech pilot was content with remaining average. The idolization of expert pilots and higher-ranking mech pilots was so pervasive in the Age of Mechs that everyone who piloted mechs had definitely aspired to become extraordinary one day.

As the mechs of the two groups closed in, Ves kept a very careful eye on the sensor readings of his Odineye.

Even though Ves stopped feeding external power to it, its current setting possessed enough range and power to detect any transmissions between the Showstoppers and the Right Siders.

If they transmitted any secret messages to each other, then Ves would certainly know!

Ves knew that if he wanted to gain control over the hangar, then he needed to form a coalition that outnumbered every remaining group!

Whether this coalition was temporary or permanent was not in his consideration. The veneer of cooperation was already sufficient for him to pass the current danger.

Since no one else took the initiative to speak to him, he directed his attention to the cyborg mechs.

"Do you hail from the combinants, by chance?"

Silence.

"I’m acquainted with Master Leehay Brixton. You probably know who I am talking to. While I am not a supporter of his cause, he owes a favor to me. He entrusted one of his apprentices to me. Perhaps he wants to make sure that his legacy won’t be lost if he and his side loses this war. While I am glad to take one of his students away from this state, I can’t meet this promise if I am stuck here. I don’t know what mission you have right now, but are you willing to set everything aside to ensure that I will be in a position to achieve one of Master Brixton’s objectives?"

One of the cyborg mechs finally transmitted a message.

"If what you say is true, we will not allow anyone to obstruct your departure."

This was a clear enough message. The cyborg mechs might not be in for the long haul, but as long as they guaranteed they wouldn’t pull anything off, then that was a considerable gain!

The cyborg mechs moved in with the rest. With half of the groups of mechs joining with Ves, the remainders were left in an awkward position!

Neither the Ruuzon Guard, the Brakkard Consortium or the group unidentified purple biomechs showed any indication of responding to his outreach.

It didn’t matter. Ves had already taken control of this situation. He had collected so many defectors that it was not viable anymore to attack him. His temporary coalition had grown too strong!