The Mech Touch

gnal that he still had scruples.

”Crindon, while I respect your opinion, frankly I don ’t give a damn right now.
I ’m confident that the LMC is robust enough to weather this storm.
There are so many capable people under my employ that I ’m sure that there are plenty of replacements for the traitors I plan to get rid of.
Even if some friction occurs..
it ’s better than leaving these parasites in place. ”

”This isn ’t how the game is played, sir.
Didn ’t we agree beforehand that we would depend on tact and patience to remove the suspect people from your company? ”

”Patience is a virtue, but too bad I ’m a devil. ” Ves smiled deprecatingly at himself.
”It ’s time to let the rest of the galaxy know that.
Execute my orders, captain. ”

Crindon looked troubled, but he had no choice to obey.
”Very well, sir.
I will work with Miss Calsie to see if the people on my list can be removed without any incident. ”

Though Ves clearly dismissed his subordinate, Crindon remained on his seat.

”What ’s the matter? ”

”There ’s one notable individual on the list which requires special attention.
This person ’s position and influence in the LMC is exceedingly high. ”

”Who? ”

”Jake Altern.
One of the longest-serving executives and the Chief Operating Officer of the LMC. ”

A small shock went through Ves as he heard the name.
He slowly closed his eyes and began to recall the early days when his company still operated from a modest workshop in the suburbs of Freslin.

The Larkinson Estate bequeathed Jake to him in order to beef up the early management of the LMC.
With the help of an old and experienced hand like Jake, the LMC grew from operating a single workshop to a major mech manufacturer that produced thousands of mechs in-house and many more through external partners!

Ves never worried too much about Jake.
As a Larkinson retainer, the most he might do was pass on information back to the Larkinson Family.

”Tell me more. ”

Right now, Ves needed to know whether Jake answered to the Larkinsons or to some other party.

If the latter was the case, then Ves had no choice but to see another old friend out.

Crindon activated his comm and projected some of the evidence he gathered.

”Mr.
Altern initially did not come to my attention, but due to his high position in the company I diverted a lot of time in monitoring the actions of the LMC ’s top management team.
My patience has been worth it, because I ’ve caught Altern acting very suspiciously in several instances.
In particular, his routine business trips to Bentheim, supposedly to manage the affairs of the LMC in the port system, are very concerning. ”

The evidence his Kinner spymaster gathered did not reveal a lot.
Possible dead drops, innocent conversations with supposed business partners, odd movements and more did not serve as definitive proof that Jake was communicating in secret.

However, the prevalence of so many strange incidents suggested a deliberate pattern.

”Was he contacting the Larkinsons? ”

Crindon shook his head.
”I ’ve already ruled them out.
It ’s a different party.
After a lengthy investigation, which includes borrowing your cat ’s hacking ability, I ’ve managed to ascertain the identity of the other party. ”

”Who? ”

”The Bright Republic ’s domestic intelligence agency. ”

”Spotlight. ” Ves snarled.
”How sure are you? ”

”There is always the chance that I ’m wrong.
Perhaps the other party is merely pretending to be Spotlight. ”

Ves squeezed his hands, trying his best to remain in control.
”Regardless of that, this doesn ’t change the fact that Jake has betrayed the LMC. ”

”Did he? ”

”What ’s that supposed to mean? ” Ves narrowed his eyes.

”It ’s the same with your assistant Gavin.
Jake is not only the COO of the LMC, but also a loyal citizen of the Bright Republic.
If an arm of the state requests his assistance, is he a traitor or a patriot? ”

That was a difficult question that Ves still couldn ’t answer.
Nonetheless, Ves had enough with dealing with this ambiguity.

In his eyes, it was time to cut the Gordian knot.

”I won ’t tolerate this double-dealing anymore. ” Ves emphatically stated.
”I ’ll deal with Jake in person.
You can let Calsie deal with the rest.
Is that clear? ”

”Yes, sir. ”

”Then go. ”

Once Crindon left the office, Ves let out a tired breath and leaned over his desk.

Flashlight and Spotlight wouldn ’t be pleased with his decision, he was sure.
While Ves didn ’t blame them for trying to keep an eye on him and his company, that did not mean he would let their spies and informers in place once their double-dealing became known.

”It ’s time to clean up the rot and make a new start.
I have to clean up my company to take advantage of the end of the Sand War and the start of the next mech generation. ”

How many old friends and allies did he need to get rid of before everyone got the message?

Just because he was young didn ’t mean he lacked the ruthlessness to swim with the sharks.

Though Ves held several doubts, he did not regret his choices.
Taking any action, even an ill-advised one, was better than taking no action.

By responding proactively to the circumstances, he would let everyone know that he had teeth.

”The Bright Republic will always be my home, but that does not mean that I ’ll work selflessly for the state.
I ’m not like the other Larkinsons. ”

Perhaps he was being selfish, but so what? He knew he would outgrow a third-rate state sooner or later.
Once he became capable of designing second-class mechs, his value and earning potential exceeded anything the Bright Republic could handle!

By then, his home state would have zero leverage over him! No matter what kind of agreements he made in the past, there was no way the state could continue to enforce their old rules!

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