The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4562

The brown dwarf system that the Larkinsons tentatively identified as the probable hiding place of Lord Pearian Yorul-Tavik did not even have a proper name.

The chance to leave a legacy behind by naming a star system that would stick around for millions of years apparently wasn't enough of an incentive.

The border region hadn't been frequented much in the past and the few explorers that roamed the area in the past usually directed their attention to more resource and energy-rich star systems.

As such, the brown dwarf system showed up as SDDD-4343X-AER-232666410 in the MTA's official database.

As this was a rather unwieldy way to refer to a location, Ves decided to call it by a different name to make it easier to talk about the star system.

In any case, the Golden Skull Alliance would officially gain the right to name SDDD-4343X-AER-232666410 upon arrival.

That was still a few days away. The expeditionary fleet had just entered a rather boring uninhabited star system that was right next to their destination.

Hundreds of starships waited to cycle their FTL drives in order to get ready for the next leg of the journey.

Mechs launched from the hangar bays and set up an immediate perimeter around the vulnerable ships. Numerous expert mechs were among them, though it was unlikely that their help was needed as the initial sensor sweeps revealed nothing of note in the vicinity.

The fleet lowered its alert level and most people went back to their prior routines. Although the threat of attack was always present, it was unlikely for third parties to drop out of warp travel and launch a surprise attack.

Just in case there were any human or alien forces that were plotting to raid the expeditionary fleet, many individual combat carriers and scout ships had already begun to spread out in order to detect such approaches in advance.

Although there was no particular reason to be more afraid than before, Ves couldn't help but grow nervous.

The Golden Skullers had come incredibly close to the probable location of the missing first-class scion. If the Larkinsons had a way to find Lord Pearian Yorul-Tavik, then it was possible that other powerful groups might have their own ways of making the same determination!

Ves and everyone else depended heavily on collecting intelligence to identify possible threats and 'competitors' in advance.

It was unacceptable for the expeditionary fleet to get blindsided once again. Ves had personally instructed Calabast to dig deep into every pioneering fleet that was close enough to interfere with the search, retrieval and evacuation of Lord Pearian Yorul-Tavik.

This was why she had entered his office once again to deliver an exhausting report about what the Black Cats managed to find out about each nearby fleet.

Many of them sounded fairly boring and unthreatening. Regardless of the amount of mechs they could field, none of them enjoyed the protection of an ace mech as far as the available data showed.

As long as this was the case, the Mars should easily be able to crush the opposing mech forces by itself! The ace mech was just that powerful!

That still left a number of fleets that most likely had an ace mech at their disposal.

"We are not alone in the current star system." Calabast stated. "There is another pioneering fleet on the other side that has arrived from a different direction. It belongs to a private company called Cenatis Prospectin. As the name suggests, it is primarily occupied with discovering valuable resource deposits and mining them empty if the profit is sufficient."

That sounded a bit interesting.

Ves furrowed his brows while stroking Lucky's back. "Ordinary prospecting and mining fleets generally try to stay out of hotspots. Getting into fights with other pioneers is bad for business."

"That is not always the case." Calabast smirked. "Danger just means less competition to these mining companies. There is a lot of profit to be made in this border region. As long as their fleets have enough muscle, then they can guarantee enough safety to go about their day without interference. It is not as if most rivals have much interest in raiding a mining fleet."

That sounded about right, but Ves found it incredibly odd that a powerful mining fleet had roamed all the way out here. There shouldn't be anything too interesting in the surrounding star systems.

"Do you think that these guys are out here in order to find a hidden pocket of phasewater or something?" Ves asked in a deceptively light tone.

"I wouldn't call your attention to this fleet if I thought it was harmless." Calabast replied with a shrug. "There are several points that have set off warnings within my department. The most important concern is that Cenatus Prospecting is not 'just' a boring mining company. It is founded by a pioneer and gentleman called Otrus Magrin."

"Who is this fellow?"

"He's a self-made businessman, just like you. The difference is that he's not a mech designer or an inventor. He is just good at attracting investors and taking advantage of fleeting business opportunities. From what we have learned from third-party sources, Mr. Magrin is a cutthroat businessman who doesn't hesitate to drive hard bargains, coerce other parties into signing unfavorable deals and leave his trading partners out to dry when they no longer have any use. While he has made a lot of risky bets, he won more often than he lost, and this was why he has managed to fund the formation of a fairly powerful pioneering fleet."

This guy certainly possessed a colorful background. Ves grew intrigued and pulled up the man's record.

"Hm. He's from the galactic rim like us. Figures. Everyone who originates from the galactic rim tends to be scrappier than other people."

"We do have a reputation for seeking the limits more often than those who originate from the galactic heartland and the galactic center."

Pioneers who came from the more prosperous regions of the old galaxy could usually count on greater support from back home, but that also made them a lot less daring and willing to take risks.

Ves appreciated a man like Mr. Magrin. There were enough similarities for Ves to respect and understand the businessman's perspective.

"Wait." He suddenly said. "If Otrus Magrin is an unscrupulous businessman, then how has he managed to retain the services of an ace pilot."

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