The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2718

Chapter 2718: Prosperous Hill System

Shortly after Ves and Gloriana created a rather disappointing first production copy of the Bright Warrior Mark I Version B, the expeditionary fleet finally reached its first true stop!

Hundreds of combat carriers, support ships and capital ships emerged out of FTL in rapid succession.

Their appearance alone represented a considerable show of force!

Even if the overall condition of the fleet was far beyond its peak, the Golden Skull Alliance was still one of the strongest fleets to visit this major port system.

If that wasn't enough, then the emergence of the Infinity Guard fleet a short distance away only furthered the forceful impression.

The vast majority of visitors and local powers couldn't fight against their combined might!

While their obvious strength ensured that no one in the star system would pick a fight with them anytime soon, they also attracted immediate attention from the authorities!

"Welcome to the Prosperous Hill System." Grand Captain Daria-Maria Vraken introduced to Ves. "This is the second-largest port system of the Life Research Association. The Lifers don't take kindly to letting any threatening fleet approach their settlements or space stations. We'll have to wait until traffic control assigns a track to us. They'll want to park us in an empty grid in the outer system to minimize our threat."

"I don't blame the authorities for being so careful. The destructive potential we possess can easily wipe out a city if we go rogue."

The Prosperous Hill System boasted four highly-developed planets and several settled moons. The former boasted populations numbering in the billions.

While that didn't make the planets too crowded, it was far too easy for a ship in orbit to drop something that could easily wipe out an entire city district!

Naturally, it wasn't that easy to perform a terrorist attack of this nature. Second-rate states possessed plenty of tech that could defend against incidental attacks from above.

It was best not to test them, though. The best way to prevent incidents was to deny any ship from entering the inner system in the first place.

Of course, that left the expeditionary fleet and every other visitor with the question of how they would be able to bring themselves and their goods inside.

Authorities in charge of Prosperous Hill had to establish an expansive transit and transportation network in the star system.

Every single starship, transport and shuttle was under their complete control. Only vetted Lifers who came from Prosperous Hill were allowed to design, produce, maintain and crew these vessels.

Prosperous Hill wasn't the only commerce-oriented star system that adopted such a strict traffic policy.

In fact, regimes like these would become a very common sight as Ves continued his travels.

Perhaps looser governments might allow visitors to approach their settled planets with a small number of vessels, but it was out of the question to allow an entire fleet approach for no reason!

Though Ves detested the lack of control, it was useless to lodge a protest. This was a common standard throughout the galaxy. Those who intended to pay a visit to any of the settled planets had to abide by the rules set by the local authorities.

If they did anything wrong, there was no escape! The local government monopolized every possible transportation channel in the inner system.

Soon enough, traffic control formally contacted the allied fleet. The Golden Skull Alliance easily navigated the intricacies of negotiating with traffic control by relying on the assistance of the Infinity Guards.

This wasn't the first time the 14th Fleet visited Prosperous Hill. They actually visited regularly enough for their ships to be a known entity to the local authorities.

With the help of the mercenaries, the Golden Skull Alliance managed to gain a favorable parking spot that was right at the edge of what the locals defined as the border to the inner system.

Not only that, but the Larkinsons, Glory Seekers and Crossers received priority access to local transportation. This and various other conveniences would make their stay much more pleasant in this highly-populated port system.

"There is never enough inner system transit to go around." Captain Vraken told Ves once the brief negotiations concluded. "The Hegemony's busiest port systems are a lot slower, but that is because we don't get too many foreign visitors in the first place. Most foreign traffic consists of trade vessels and trade convoys looking to get a good bargain from our local economy."

Ves twitched a smile. "I can't imagine why foreigners are so eager to shun your welcoming star systems."

"You don't need to joke around. We don't exactly present a good impression to outsiders. The Komodo Star Sector is also very out of the way compared to Majestic Teal. The regional economy is more developed so a port system such as Prosperous Hill naturally attracts greater traffic."

"It also helps that the Lifers have developed a lot of good expert products." Ves noted. "Their famed biotech industries allow them to maintain a strong competitive advantage in this aspect throughout Majestic Teal and the rest of the star cluster."

The great emphasis on biotechnology may have turned the Life Research Association into an attractive business destination, but it also made the Lifers weird. Ves had no doubt that he would be encountering that in person in the coming months.

The captain mentioned another disadvantage.

"There is another downside to visiting Prosperous Hill. Unless you are a prominent citizen or organization of the LRA, you are not allowed to bring even a single mech to the inner system. You're only allowed to bring guards on foot."

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify