The Mech Touch novel Chapter 3090

Chapter 3090: Blinding Banshee

Calabast's request put a different spin on things. The leader of the Black Cats rarely issued any requests these days. It was quite exceptional for her to take the initiative to barge into his discussion and issue a clear demand.

"Uhm…"

"Don't bother with weaseling around this time." Calabast ruthlessly cut him off. "You just want to delay time so you can think over your decision. Let me tell you that you can just skip that and leave the thinking to me. I have already weighed all of the pros and cons and have made my judgement. We have to add this ship to our fleet lineup. She might not look as large and intimidating as the other vessels, but she is exactly the ship our Black Cats need to safeguard our clan from the dark!"

"…"

The more Calabast insisted on purchasing the Blinding Banshee, the more hesitant he became!

He began to look suspicious at the spymaster. Was there something more to the starship that Calabast wasn't telling him? Perhaps he needed to ask for more clarification before he made his own choice.

"What is the actual reason behind your insistence on acquiring the Blinding Banshee?" Ves narrowed his eyes. "I refuse to believe that it is merely about giant antennas and powerful scanning systems."

Calabast frowned when she saw that she wasn't getting her way. Had Ves become so numb to Gloriana's demands that her own persuasive factor became too weak now? Perhaps she should have gone over to Shederin's office in person.

"Intelligence and counterintelligence are just as vital to the continued survival of the Larkinson Clan as military force, Ves. Sure, being able to field tens of thousands of mechs along with dozens of expert mechs will make many enemies pause, but there are plenty of pioneers in the Red Ocean who can muster up twice, thrice or even ten times as much mechs. This is not even the greatest threat you face. A stab in the back cuts much deeper than a swipe from the front. If our eyes and ears aren't sharp enough, then it is not that difficult to lead us into a trap."

"And acquiring this boondoggle of a capital ship will alleviate that?"

"It's not just about leveraging the many facilities of the Blinding Banshee, though it does help a lot." Calabast spoke. "It's also about sending a message that the intelligence arm of the Larkinson Clan is also a valued part of our defense operation. Much of the work we do is invisible and out of sight, so hardly any clansmen appreciate what the Black Cats are doing to keep the monsters in the dark at bay."

"I don't know if you're exaggerating or not." Ves skeptically remarked.

"You see?" Calabast snarled. "That's exactly the attitude that others hold towards the Black Cats. Some idiots even believe that the clan should disband my unit completely and focus completely on our military excellence! The nerve!"

Though Calabast's performance was highly persuasive, she was right that this wasn't the first time a woman badly wanted to demand something from him. The Hexer intelligence leader might be smart and competent in many areas, but Gloriana's approach was much more effective due to the sheer emotions it evoked on his part.

As for the current display, Ves would sadly have to rate the performance 5 out of 10. Calabast scored well on sincerity and logic, but her arguments and approach was lacking in the ability to appeal to his closest emotions.

"You never bothered too much with this issue before. In fact, I would say it is better for the opposite to be the case. If everyone underestimates the Black Cats, any malcontents around us will act a lot sloppier than normal. Doesn't that sound great?"

Calabast furrowed her brows. "Your point is valid, but not entirely desirable. There is always a kernel of truth in anything. If our enemies consistently think little of our intelligence capabilities, it usually means that we truly fall short in this area. I would rather have the opposite where our strong intelligence capabilities are partially known. At the very least, that will have a strong deterrence effect against weaker opponents, which will ultimately save us a lot of trouble."

"I get what you're saying, but it shouldn't be necessary for us to acquire a capital ship like the Blinding Banshee so soon. You can make do with a smaller and more affordable sub-capital ship. Also, our other capital ships have plenty of space for you to set up your operations."

"It's not the same, Ves." Her projection shook her head. "Do you think it is not necessary to have a strong and dedicated intelligence platform in our fleet when you pass through the beyonder gate? I would argue that the need for potent intelligence and counterintelligence capabilities is actually the highest when we have just arrived in the Red Ocean! We will be entering a completely foreign region where we are surrounded by rivals who are doubtlessly eying us like prey."

Ves frowned. "It shouldn't be that bad, right? There are plenty of unexplored stars and planets in the Red Ocean that are all ripe for the taking. Most pioneers are probably preoccupied with prospecting or colonizing all of those virgin star systems."

"That is true, but that is not all the pioneers are doing. Let me ask you a question. The immature shipbuilding industry in the Red Ocean has led to an even greater shortage of starships on the other side of the beyonder gate. Supply is nearly non-existent but demand is continuing to peak as more and more pioneering fleets pay the required MTA merits and pass through the gate every day. Now what do you think that spiking demand will affect the considerations of the pioneers, especially the stronger ones?"

He paused and began to map out this scenario. His imagination quickly produced an unsettling image.

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