The Mech Touch

Chapter 2743 - New State

Colonel Ariadne Wodin did not think much of her assignment at first.

As a proud branch member of the Wodin Dynasty, she dedicated her life to serve in the armed forces of the Hegemony.

There was a time when she was a young and brash mech officer. She eagerly piloted mechs and enjoyed taking charge of other women.

Those days were behind her. While she sharpened herself in battle, the Hex Army remained stubbornly in place.

While she took part in plenty of practice sessions and interdivisional war games, the falseness of it all grated on her. The hundreds of thousands of mechs she blew up consisted of virtual bits. The opponents she fought against were other Hexers.

This was not what she wanted out of her mech piloting career. She yearned to take the fight against the Coalition, smash its glorious mech armies and drive the Hegemonyʼs stake right through its heart!

Yet too much time passed without anything taking place. The Hegemony was still in its centuries-long process of building up its troops, material reserves and infrastructure.

The matriarchs in charge of these top-level decisions lived for centuries, and they possessed at least that much patience. While there was no doubt that the matriarchs wanted to satisfy their grudge against the Fridaymen once and for all, the time was not yet right, apparently.

So it came to be that Ariadne Wodin acc.u.mulated more training without gaining too much actual experience.

It frustrated her. It frustrated her fellow Hexer soldiers. They served diligently and obeyed the commands they were given, yet that didnʼt result in anything.

As decades of continued service went by, her rank steadily rose higher but the acuity of her body and mind was starting to fade.

She spent her prime years as a mech pilot wasting away her golden years. Even with an early application of life-prolonging treatment, the deterioration of her reflexes and her mental evolution meant she was unable to compete with younger, faster and more vigorous mech pilots.

To be honest, the difference wasnʼt too big. With the treatments she enjoyed and the augments she possessed, she could still put up a good fight. Her greater experience and polished skills could even keep up with many of the young stars in the Hex Army.

It was just that it became harder and harder to do so. She had to rely more and more on her wits in order to compensate for her slowing mental reflexes. This was an unstoppable trend. No matter how much she kept her body in shape, her mind grew more sluggish and complicated with age.

A younger mech pilot didnʼt have to think in order to perform a rapid reaction. Their instincts and lack of greater considerations meant that they fought without any burdens.

This was not so for Ariadne. She not only became burdened by a multitude of choices and considerations, she was also responsible for commanding her subordinates, thereby filling up her mind even further with distracting thoughts.

At some point, it became clear that she was much more suitable to command troops than piloting a mech in the field.

Her rising qualifications in the former eventually got her promoted out of the c.o.c.kpit. While she could still pilot a mech if she had to, it was a waste of her prodigious command ability if she did so. She knew it. Her superiors knew it. Putting her behind a desk was the most rational choice to make.

Intellectually, she accepted her fate.

Emotionally, she resented the fact she missed her opportunity to earn glory in battle.

As much as she wished to concentrate on her duties, her regrets and resentments hampered her ability to serve in the Hex Army.

She eventually decided to take a step back and retire from the military. She chose to return to the Scimitar System and take up a senior position in the household troops of her dynasty.

At least there she was able to exert greater power. She was just a cog in an immensely huge machine back when she was in the Hex Army. Taking over a unit of the Wodin Warriors granted her much greater leeway in implementing her vision.

It was then that the Komodo War broke out.

”What a great irony!”

Just years after she retired, the council of matriarchs finally lost their patience and decided to strike at their archenemies.

The war that decided the future of the Komodo War had broken out! Every Hexer soldier had to answer the call and fight against the evil and immoral Fridaymen!

Though Colonel Ariadne inwardly regretted her decision to retire from the Hex Army, she quickly consoled herself.

The Wodin Warriors were also strong. While they werenʼt quite on par with a true Hexer mech unit, they came close enough to put up a good fight against ordinary Fridayman mech units.

Every Wodin Warrior knew that there was a great possibility that they would be called to the frontlines.

Yet just as the Wodin Warriors fully mobilized, Matriarch Xiaphna Wodin handed Colonel Ariadne a different assignment.

She.. was not going to the frontlines?

She.. had to pay babysitter to a foreign boy and Constanceʼs spoiled daughter?

Suffice to say, she had difficulty accepting such a sudden long-term assignment. While the Glory Seekers sounded like a fine unit, she had no intentions of running away from the Komodo Star Sector!

She also possessed a demeanor that was less prone to come into conflict against foreigners like Glorianaʼs husband and the various other misguided boys she might encounter during her travels.

Sometimes, being too smart, competent and reasonable was not good.

Colonel Ariadne grudgingly accepted her new mission. The Wodin Dynasty needed her as the head of the Glory Seekers. She was the best choice to ensure the Glory Seekers remained pure Hexer even when they were surrounded by fools who believed in the false notion of gender equality.

As she took charge of the Glory Seekers, she did her best to hold on to her professionalism.

At the start, she only saw her mission as a necessary task.

It wasnʼt until she started to stay in the company of the Larkinson Clan that she realized why the Wodins held it in high regard.

The Battle of Reckoning was enough to show her that Ves Larkinson had the potential to revolutionize the way the Hex Army fought!

She witnessed sights that she never dared to dream about. She glimpsed the amazing potential of LMC mechs and wished that the boy who was responsible for designing them would stay loyal to the Wodin Dynasty and the Hexadric Hegemony!

Additionally, the Komodo War wasnʼt going well for the Hexers these days. While the war was far from over, the possibility that the Hegemony might no longer exist became more and more probable.

”We may be asked to carry the torch of Hexer civilization.” She spoke.

”I hope it doesnʼt come to that, but we need to be ready for every possibility.” Another older Hexer woman said.

In a grand stateroom aboard the Indigo Tremor, two high-ranking Hexers sat together.

Colonel Ariadne Wodin invited Grand Captain Daria-Maria Vraken to discuss some light and heavy matters.

The current topic at hand was definitely a heavy one. No Hexer dared to speak lightly of the potential outcomes of the Komodo War.

”I fear what will remain of our people if the Fridaymen overrun our territories. Even if many Hexers fled in time, they will become scattered wanderers who will constantly be hounded by the Fridaymen and their allies.”

”I share your concerns, colonel. The Fridaymen will never allow us to make a comeback. We wonʼt be able to settle anywhere within the Yeina Star Cl.u.s.ter. I doubt our defeated people will be able to recover quietly in the neighboring star cl.u.s.ters as well.”

Both Hexers grimaced. Their unique and righteous culture was not well received by others. The Hexers might become persecuted by the entire galaxy once they lost the foundation of their strength!

”This is what our contingency plan is for.” Captain Vraken softly sighed. ”The Red Ocean is large and open enough for your Glory Seekers to found a new colony if there is any d.e.s.i.r.e to do so. Our people and culture will not die out if you succeed in lighting our torch in the dwarf galaxy.”

”What is the point? I mean no disrespect, but we are too small and inadequate to shoulder the burden of reviving an entire state.”

Daria-Maria grinned. ”You arenʼt the only ones to carry on this mission. I have recently been in contact with my superiors in the Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty. The Hegemony is preparing to dispatch more fleets to the Red Ocean. Whether they will be able to make it or not is still a question, but at least some will succeed in getting through.”

Colonel Ariadne quickly realized the implications. It was one thing to send a few scattered and voluntary expeditions to the Red Ocean. It was another thing for the government to put their full backing in this initiative!

”Have the matriarchs stopped vacillating?”

”I wouldnʼt say that, colonel. They have merely become willing to invest more resources in opening up an escape route for our people. Itʼs just that now we have a greater plan in the works. No matter which fleets eventually make it to the Red Ocean, they cannot be allowed to wander in this dangerous region of space by themselves. They must consolidate in order to concentrate their might and allow their colonies to start off strong and united right from the start!”

”And we are part of this collective endeavor as well?”

”Of course.” Captain Vraken nodded. ”We Hexers have remained united in the Komodo Star Sector, and we must keep pooling our strength in the Red Ocean. You have read the stories. There are too many dangers there. No colony or pioneer is safe.”

Shouldnʼt we spread out then? The dangers may wipe out any Hexer colony fleet, but there will always be backups.”

”No.” Daria-Maria firmly shook her head. ”Thatʼs not the right approach according to the council of matriarchs. Even if a single colony survives and thrives, their low starting base will hamper their growth and limit their development. There are many pioneers who are bigger and more powerful than us in the Red Ocean. Their colonies and prospective states will rise up faster and swallow our development state before any of us have a chance to found our own state. Only by uniting every single Hexer expeditionary fleet will we be able to found a second Hexer state in the new galaxy!”

There was something about Captain Vrakenʼs explanation that caused Colonel Ariadne to develop some ideas. Her eyes slowly widened.

”Wait a minute. Are you saying…?”

The grand captain nodded. ”It is indeed as you think. If your Glory Seekers contribute significantly to the establishment of a new Hexer state, your Wodin Dynasty may be able to become one of its matriarchal dynasties! The old order in the Komodo Star Sector no longer applies over there. While Iʼm sure that us Vrakens and other matriarchal dynasties will try and hold on to power, not all of us might be able to get our colony fleets through the beyonder gate. There will definitely be space for upstarts such as the Wodin Dynasty to get a seat at the new council of matriarchs. The only requirement is that you must succeed.”

Colonel Ariadne Wodin was left breathless for a moment. Ambition swelled inside of her as she thought of what she might be able to accomplish on behalf of her dynasty.

The Glory Seekers might be able to make history!