The Mech Touch

Ketis may not have been born with a sword, but she had come to embody it ever since she first got recruited by Lydia's Swordmaidens.

From training in the distinct swordsmanship style of the Swordmaidens to learning how to design swordsman mechs under Mayra after her learning ability stood out, not a day went for her without working with swords in a fashion.

She missed those days. Though the circumstances of the time weren't that great, she constantly trained and worked alongside the sisters she trusted with her life.

Ketis was no longer a reckless girl, though.

She had grown into a Journeyman Mech Designer and a swordmaster. Either of these identities placed her far above most of the people in human space, but she had gone above and beyond the rest by becoming both at the same time!

Her status underwent a huge change at that point. She not only became a legend in the swordsmanship community of the Heavensword Association, but also attracted a lot of interest from the Mech Trade Association.

Even though Ves Larkinson sucked up most of the attention from the public whenever anyone thought of the Larkinson Clan, Ketis was quite aware that she was definitely its second-most prestigious figure!

Everyone else could only rank a distant third at most. Neither her husband, Madame Gloriana Wodin, General Ark Larkinson, Commander Casella Ingvar or anyone else could match her value.

She had even been promoted to a tier 8 galactic citizen as of late. The Mech Supremacist Faction which she only sparingly cooperated with on certain matters appreciated her input and did not look down on her for being 'just' a Journeyman. Her dual perspectives on swordsman mechs and extraordinary swordsmanship granted her a lot of insights that even benefited Masters.

Whenever she visited the Arcadia Sanctum in Davute, Director Astoria Kelric of the unofficial branch headquarters of the Mech Supremacist Faction always received her with great enthusiasm.

"You could do so much for the Association and our faction if you become mecher." The woman related to an MTA Master Mech Designer gushed. "Normally, we do not open any channels for mech designers as old as you, but we would be happy to open a backdoor for you to join our ranks."

Ketis always responded with the same reply. "No thanks. The Larkinson Clan has become my new home. I would never separate myself from the Swordmaidens."

Astoria frowned in disapproval. "You do not know what you are rejecting, madame. Our association can provide you with incomparable access to research, resources, tech and more. While you must first prove your worth and make significant contributions, a unique mech designer such as yourself should have no problem supplying our databases with original research. We can take you much further in your journey to become the ultimate swordsman mech designer than a small and ultimately limited clan."

Her appeal would have worked for almost any other mech designer. Joining the MTA was the ultimate dream to those who used to live as space peasants beneath the feet of the mighty Big Two. The Association had always been painted as the holy land for mech designers, and it could provide unimaginable benefits to any professionals who previously worked under a huge amount of constraints.

It was a pity that Ketis happened to be a difficult case.

"Don't ask me any further, director." The athletic mech designer shook her head. "I already told you why I refuse to join your organization. Here in the Larkinson Clan, I can always entrust my back to my fellow sisters and my fellow clansmen. The same cannot be said for the MTA. Any scheming mecher is liable to stab me in the back at the first possible opportunity. That is unacceptable to me. Maybe others are able to thrive under the same circumstances, but I am not one of them. I will never abandon my comrades and family."

Her clear answer essentially made it impossible for the MTA to absorb this unique talent.

Though Director Astoria Kelric did not alter her expression, she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

She had encountered such rejections before, but rarely from a mech designer.

It was mostly the expert pilots and ace pilots that said no to any invitations. These stubborn soldiers and warriors were incredibly loyal to their people and would rather remain stuck in the middle of nowhere than to become a part of one of the top powers of human civilization!

Director Astoria personally thought that these idiots were all mad as well as stupid, and it appeared that Swordmaster Ketis Larkinson had inherited a number of those traits.

The mecher inwardly sighed and decided to take a step back.

"Several MTA mech designers have expressed interest in collaborating with you on more confidential research and design projects." Director Astoria said without showing any sign that she was affected by the earlier rejections. "There are certain rules within our Association that make it difficult to establish extensive cooperation outside of our organization. This is mostly for your sake as you are still at a stage where you should be left to explore your design philosophy and work direction by yourself. It will become much easier for you to collaborate with our mech designers once you have advanced to Senior or Master."

"You will have to wait for that." Ketis stated as she crossed her arms. "I am still far behind in my progression compared to the likes of Ves and his wife. There is too much for me to explore, and I still need to master a lot more sciences before I am ready to take the next step. I also spend much of my time on improving and expanding my swordsmanship on top of that. The only good news I can tell you is that improving my mastery of different sword styles often gives me lots of inspiration that can feed back into my mech design-related work."

Director Astoria adopted a patient expression. "We can be patient, Swordmaster Ketis. Our Association has stood for over four centuries. It will hold for longer until you are ready to take on greater responsibilities."

They switched to other topics. Although Ketis had no intentions of joining the MTA, she did not mind taking advantage of this relationship to obtain additional information and other goodies.

If Ves could do it, so could Ketis.

At one point, the swordmaster asked a question that had been bothering her for a while.

"Given your Association and faction's interest in my abilities as a swordmaster, I would have thought you guys would have done more to increase the popularity of traditional swordsmanship." She spoke. "Instead the only state where this practice is prevalent is a small second-class state in the furthest edge of the galactic rim. I have tried to change this by using my popularity to start new swordsmanship classes, but I have always encountered one obstacle after another. I am not blind, Astoria. I know you mechers are obstructing me. Why is that the case?"

The director of the Arcadia Sanctum's expression turned a lot more serious. She put down the cocktail that she had been sipping.

"Let me begin by informing you that it is nothing personal. It is a matter of policy. Have your acquaintances from the Heavensword Association not explained their situation to you, swordmaster?"

"The other swordmasters barely know anything." Ketis frowned and answered. "I get the feeling that the Heavensword Saint knows a lot more about this topic, but he has been mum about it in the few times we have spoken."

"That is not a surprise. The issue at hand goes a lot deeper than you think. We do not like to spread around the exact reasons why, and the few people who know more than what we have said on the surface are bound by secrecy agreements. If I hadn't been recognized as a designated contact to you, I would have remained in the dark as well."

eαglesnovel`c,om That caused Ketis' eyes to sharpen. "The MTA has no reason to clue you in unless it is relevant to your mission."

"Smart." The older woman nodded in respect. "I suppose that your previous conduct and cooperation has given us enough trust in you to unveil a part of the information that you seek. I trust that as a swordmaster, you will not divulge what you hear to others, not even your fellow Larkinsons, understand?"

Ketis stood up and reached out to draw her Bloodsinger. She solemnly knelt on a single knee while tipping her large greatsword onto the stone floor of the exclusive resort.

Her great will radiated from her blade, causing Astoria to feel as if she was being pinned by a thousand needles!

"I swear to uphold the confidentiality of any secrets that you share with me today."

This was an ironclad promise. If the information ever leaked out to others, then the blame wouldn't lie with Ketis!

Director Astoria Kelric smiled. "That is sufficient."

She snapped her finger, triggering a command that caused a number of privacy screens and jamming fields to come online. The entire resort room became enclosed with metal shutters that further dampened any signals.

Ketis never let go of her greatsword, though she put the sheath back on in order to reassure her conversation partner.

Once the representative of the Mech Supremacist Faction became confident in the security of this space, she began to divulge the information that she had recently been authorized to share.

"For what reasons do swords exist?" Director Astoria began.

This was a rather pedantic question to ask to a swordmaster.

"Swords exist to kill." Ketis instantly replied. "I am sure you know all about the story about how tools such as axes and spears can be used for relatively peaceful purposes such as chopping down trees or hunting prey for food. Swords aren't any good at that. They are weapons that are exclusively designed to kill others, particularly humans and aliens that are similar to our race."

"Good answer. Swords are killing tools. Their blades are designed to shed blood while their hilts are predominantly meant to be wielded by warriors who have learned the art of killing. In modern times, swords do not have any special significance. Aside from being the default weapon that every mech cadet must become proficient in first, they are not tainted by any negative associations. Our efforts in modernizing and pruning the practice of swordsmanship has greatly contributed to this development."

That caused Ketis to sit up straighter. The director's words implied a lot of unpleasantries.

The swordmaster glanced at her personal greatsword. She called it Bloodsinger for good reasons.

Not only did it sing to her whenever she wielded it, she also hoped that it would spill a lot of blood throughout her career as a swordmaster.

Director Astoria was quite sharp and easily captured Ketis' body language.

"You understand, don't you? Swords are killing weapons. Those who train in swordsmanship tend to develop extreme martial tendencies. How stable do you think our society would be if there are dozens of swordsmasters in every state? How much of their violent and combative tendencies will they pass on to their pupils and admirers if they are not restricted in any fashion?"

Ketis frowned again. "Swordmasters are not as threatening as you described. They can be just as honorable and law-abiding as expert pilots. The latter can inflict much more damage to a city than a single human with a sword. Why must the Association treat Swordmasters as pariahs?"

"Expert pilots are empowered by their expert mechs, but they are also restrained by their dependence on such machines. We do not fear rogue pilots because their dependence on society and our Association are too great." Astoria steadily replied.

"That should hardly be the only reason."

"You are correct, swordmaster. The greater truth is that traditional swordsmanship is… tainted. Its past is far more bloody than you think. There were swordsmasters who rose up to become heroes worthy of admiration, but there were also swordsmasters who had fallen to darkness and stained their blades with the blood of millions of innocents. Do you think our society can accommodate these heroes and villains?"

"I… do not know."