“You see”, the Kellek construct went on. “I freed the Captain here from the Illyrian Science Center because I knew he could run this station with little more than a thought. He is invaluable to me in that aspect, and can act as a test pilot when needed. I am a scientist plain and simple. I wish to continue with my designs and those of my ancestors, so I have decided to remake this orbital defense station into a mecha manufacturing plant.”
The Niodemancer cut in with, ”We have access to many worlds in all of the various factions space, as well as the resources they hold through the many gates housed on this station.”
“Quite right”, Kellek agreed. “Also through those gates we can easily distribute any mecha we manufacture here, see only the customers we wish on our own time table, and keep ourselves safe from any would be saboteurs or corporate espionage.”
“Okay so you two want to go into business for yourselves by making mecha and selling them off. Seems simple enough but I can’t help but think there is an angle to all of this.” I answered them.
“The angle as you put it is simple”, the Niodemancer replied. “It is all about galactic domination in the truest sense.”
This took me back some as I tried to take in what I had just been told, the Kellek construct went on to explain. “You see even now the great Clans gather for war, even your clan prepares itself for conflict amongst its enemies. But to what end? To see who is the strongest? Who among you are the best pilots? What is the end game to all of this conflict? Then you gather in large numbers for the Faction Wars, but again to what end? When have any of the factions stepped in on your behalf and offered assistance or even backing?”
The Niodemancer spoke up then saying, “When have the factions gained or lost territory in these wars? Who truly benefits from all this conflict and endless violence? The corporations who make the mechas, equipment, and weapons that’s who.”
“And this is where our idea came from”, Kellek broke in. “Don’t you understand the way to rule the galaxy is not by beating it into submission, but rather to buy it outright! The conflicts in the past were started by those who sought to rule through force. Drochah, Xerxes, mad scientists with clone armies, lunatic mecha disguised as Christmas characters, the list goes and on and on. All tried to attack and were turned back by the assembled clans. To what end? They wanted to subjugate the clans, add the already existing power base to their own, and sweep across the galaxy as a plague to take it over utterly. Each one stepped up; each one failed, and was beaten back.”
“This is the cycle we seek to avoid.” The Niodemancer said. “Why fight when you can simply outfit those who will? We stir up some trouble along the various territorial borders using our designs. Some fights we will win and win big, others we will lose intentionally. All the fights will be to serve a purpose however. To show what we can do, to get the Factions and the Clans interested in what we may have, and in the end they will seek us out to try and get a hold of what we have. Given we are on an orbital space station whose location is only truly known to us we are safe from any retribution our actions may incur.”
Kellek took up the conversation there by saying “Even if they did manage to get a squad of mechas on this station it is a defense station. Fully loaded inside and out with weapons that will decimate any we wish it to. Captain Judas can control the whole station with a thought; he is the brains and true nerve center of this place. I and my drones are even now making the assembly plants and gathering resources to create this vision within the guts of this place. The gate room/hanger section will be our show room floor, filled with our designs. Created by me, tested by him, and even sometimes you.”
I was nervous at that last part given my last foray here was to pit myself against some maniac three headed dog design these two came up with. I won the day with my Regis Jabberwocky, and even came away from the encounter with an upgrade to my mecha that actually gave her sentience, but the thought of repeating that little adventure didn’t thrill me one bit.
The Kellek construct noted the look on my face and continued on, “No don’t be concerned, if we wished you dead that would have already have happened. We have both met you, although you and Captain Judas there are more familiar with each other than you and I are. But I owe this new existence to you as you are the one who found me and let me out of the containment grid I had been left in by my predecessor. So we both settled on you as a candidate as we both have encountered you before. Also your last battle with our Cerberus mecha has proven you to be a capable pilot. Lastly you run a news network which is ideal for us and our plans so that we may get the word out about our new designs. When we aren’t manufacturing them or causing “interest” in them along Faction or Clan borders.”
The Niodmancer nodded and looked me straight in the eye. “Your status as a clan member will not be interfered with, your standing as a news person is why we want you. So all that remains to be known by us is simply are you in or out? If you decline we will put you back in your mecha and send you on your way with no harm done. We will of course erase your memory of this incident but aside from that you will be untouched.”
I considered the offer as they looked on. On the one hand it wasn’t the safest proposition in the world to take on their designs as I had found out before, but they did say it would be an every now and again thing. The main reason they wanted me was because I had my own network and could give them free press. I stood to make quite a few credits I reasoned by working for and with them, hell I may even get access to new technology for myself and my clan if things panned out right.
Also what they said made a lot of sense why fight when you can simply provide the guns that everyone else uses? That wouldn’t stop me from fighting in the Wars but it would give me something to fall back on if down the road if I grew tired of the conflict. So why not try it out I reasoned, see what they really have to offer, and if I don’t like it turn it down later. As they had said if they simply wanted to kill me it would have happened already.
So taking a deep breath I looked at them both and told them, “Alright gentlemen I’m in. So long as this doesn’t disrupt my Clan activities or standing with them, and I get notice beforehand of when you two need me, as well as what I’ll be facing I can work with this.”
They simply smiled at me, and then Kellek nodded to Judas who got up and motioned for me to do the same. I shook hands with both of them before being escorted down to the hanger where my Frigis mecha Frozen Dream was waiting for me.
As we walked through the hanger the Niodemancer instructed me on which gate to use to get back to my original coordinates, as well as informing me that it was a good thing I decided to take them up on their offer. When I asked him why that was he simply laughed and in between peals of laughter informed me that if I had declined they would have sent me through a gate into the heart of the nearest sun. Apparently not all gates are easy to access and this station was on the spine of the network enabling them to tap into any gate they wished.
I could feel the color draining from my face as he told me this, which lead to him laughing louder and harder. I climbed back into my mecha shaking a little and wondering to myself just how in the hell do I get myself into these messes, while I started up Frozen Dream and headed out.
(End)
Submitted by Pat Willis#224534