The Mech Touch

The inspectors examined a lot of suspicious compartments that were difficult to scan. Some of them contained sensitive or valuable goods.

This was normal pirate behavior. It would have been odd if the Mirror Raiders didn't squirrel their most valuable trade goods in these hidden nooks and crannies.

The only concern for the inspectors was to see if they posed a threat to their base. The value and providence of these valuables were not their concern, and the Dry Snakes weren't stupid enough to rob them from their visitors.

The Dry Snakes already earned plenty of Kavenit coins from collecting fees and taxes! This was the kingly way of doing business, no matter if it took place in a lawless region like the Nyxian Gap or in a bastion of civilization at Centerpoint.

The pirates, at least the clever ones, had more in common with the MTA than most people thought!

They inspectors paused a bit once they reached the brig. Locked inside the cells were dozens of prisoners who appeared to be in awful shape.

They were obviously pirates or slaves that the Mirror Raiders had captured. What was odd about them was that they weren't physically injured.

Instead, they looked broken or listless. Some of their eyes looked dull and their bodies rarely moved. Others twitched and shook at irregular intervals.

Some of them even spoke gibberish.

"Gghwehwll."

"Aughweofwe."

The inspectors frowned at the prisoners as he passed by the cells. "What is wrong with these prisoners?"

"We were a little too rough with them." Abis casually dismissed the issue as if it was just a trivial issue. "We considered voiding them into space, but they should be worth at least something, so we're keeping them here until we can sell them at Ulimo."

The lead inspector shook his head. "Your merchandise is spoiled. While their physical states look decent, they are no better than clones. Slaves are valued by their capabilities. What can they do if their minds are broken? Hardly anyone is interested in low-quality goods like these! If you can sell them to anyone at Ulimo, I suggest you bring your slaves to our nutrient processing plant and sell them for a modest price. We can at least recycle their biological matter to produce a couple of batches of nutrient packs."

Abis silently reminded himself to tell his crew not to eat any of the food sold at Ulimo.

"I'll look around." He replied non-committedly. "It took too much effort to capture and subdue these slaves. I don't want to end up with a loss."

"Suit yourself."

The inspection proceeded on to the bays and stables that held the mechs of the Mirror Raiders.

None of the machines looked impressive. The pirate mechs that the Larkinson Clan had refurbished to look even rougher and trashier all appeared as if they had been serviced by three-year old monkeys.

The mech technicians that were supposed to repair all of the battle damage were instead spending their time on drinking beer, playing Pirate Empires or injecting their bodies with recreational stimulants!

The deplorable sight immediately caused Abis to grow angry! He stormed over and kicked a stoned chief technician!

"You lazy gits! What the hell are you doing at this time?! Do you think that you can put down your work just because we've reached safety?!"

"B-B-But boss, can't we just hand over our mechs to the fixers at Ulimo and let them do all of the work?"

"We'll only get ripped off if we do that, and who knows what they will slip into our machines when we aren't looking! Now stand up and get your butts back into gear! We aren't stopping until we have finally landed on Ulimo!"

"Yes, commander!"

The mech technicians all grumbled and grudgingly went back to work. Their sloppy, lazy demeanor hardly grew weaker. As for those who were too out of their minds like the chief technician, it was impossible for them to perform their duties at this time!

The shameful sight embarrassed 'Commander Domis' quite a bit. Even so, the inspectors didn't say a word. They were mainly tasked with inspecting the mechs. They had already witnessed many sights like these in their positions.

Abis coughed. "As you can see, these are our mechs. They're not pretty, but they have not failed me so far. Once we patch them up, we'll be ready to fight anything."

The quality of the pirate mechs were actually quite decent. They were not as cheap or awful as the economy mechs used by bottom feeder pirate outfits.

In general, most of the mechs of the Mirror Raiders consisted of decent budget mechs on par with the likes of the Desolate Soldier. It was just that they suffered from varying degrees of corrosion, acc.u.mulated battle damage and fairly poor maintenance.

Against a brand new budget mech, these pirates mechs likely performed thirty percent worse!

While some of that was due to the recent 'battle' that the Mirror Raiders had fought, some of the problems stemming from lack of care truly dragged down the performance of the mechs by as much as ten to twenty percent.

This was one of the many reasons why pirates never fared too well against Peacekeeper outfits! The latter were better funded, possessed access to legal channels and could easily recruit some competent technical personnel.

"Mhmm." The lead inspector made a conclusion. "You are allowed to keep these mechs inside your sh.i.p.s, but must allow us to lock them once you land. You will not be allowed to activate your mechs or take them away without our express permission. Is that clear?"

Though Abis looked uncomfortable at the thought of being unable to defend himself with his mechs, he knew that this was a mandatory rule.

"You are free to do so. How much does that cost?"

"Right now, we charge two Kavenit coins per locked mech per day. We suggest you pay in advance. If you do not pay this fee in time, then do not blame us if we confiscate your mech!"

Abis winced at the thought. "We understand. I'll hand over a K-bar when we land."

The Mirror Raiders hadn't even landed on Ulimo yet, but already they were being swept by several fees!

Running out of money or valuables while remaining in the clutches of the Dry Snakes was a very bad idea. As long as the Mirror Raiders failed any payment, endless troubles might ensue!

Was the founder of Ulimo Citadel a Reinaldan or something?

The round of inspections soon ended without any remarkable events. The Bloody Fang and the Cruel Intention proceeded onwards at a controlled pace under heavy escort.

Along the way, a small pirate transport flew close in order to carry the three potent nuclear bombs of the Mirror Raiders to a remote vault built into one of the surrounding asteroids.

Soon enough, the two carriers traveled close enough to approach the moon-sized asteroid that hosted Ulimo up close!

A formidable amount of mechs, sh.i.p.s and fixed defenses patrolled the entire space. The sh.i.p.s that belonged to visiting pirate outfits meekly obeyed the instructions issued by the Dry Snakes and did not dare to stir any trouble.

With all of their fighting assets locked or taken away, there was no way for them to win even if they all simultaneously rebelled!

Moons came in various sizes and dimensions. Some were as big as terrestrial planets while others were about as big as a large island. The rocky asteroid that the pirates simply called Ulimo looked rather underwhelming.

It was big enough to exert a bit of gravity, but small enough for any ship to land on its surface without sustaining damage.

Under the guidance of what passed for traffic control in these parts, the Mirror Raider sh.i.p.s slowly descended and entered a large hall built into a high mountain range.

A dozen other vessels had already parked in this specific landing zone. Their markings and colors signified that they all belonged to separate pirate outfits.

Once a couple of clamps moved to anchor the two sh.i.p.s in place, the Mirror Raiders started to reach out to the Dry Snakes. Their sh.i.p.s were in bad shape and urgently needed repairs.

Large groups of Mirror Raiders began to exit their vessels. Each of them smelled the rusty air that was filled with various smells.

When Ketis and Dietrich stepped out in their exaggerated trophy-laden suits of combat armor, they both experienced different emotions when they breathed the air.

To Ketis, it smelled just like home.

Meanwhile, Dietrich shook with nervous tension. Now that they managed to land on Ulimo, their real mission had started. If any of the Mirror Raiders slipped up even once, their identities as Larkinsons might become exposed!

A squad of armored guards stepped behind him. As the supposed son and heir of Commander Domis, it was only fitting for him to be surrounded by formidable guards. Each of them exuded a ferocious or bloodthirsty vibe, causing them to resemble some of the crueler pirates in the Nyxian Gap!

The group waited for a moment until Abis, Lieutenant Sendra and Lieutenant Rodan both arrived with their own entourage of officers and guards.

"Let us enter the citadel. We have a lot of business to conduct." Abis remarked.

The large group of Mirror Raiders stuck together as they stepped aboard a transit vehicle. The bus proceeded to zip through a tunnel that led straight to the citadel at rapid speed.

Once the transit vehicle arrived at its destination, the Mirror Raiders stepped off and became astounded by the sight that greeted them at an instant.

A modest underground city unfolded before their eyes! Even though the ceiling was made out of nothing but carved rock, the lights affixed to them cast a rather pleasant shade onto the surface.

Tens of thousands of pirates resided in the city. Most of them weren't actually 'pirates' in the truest sense of the word. Most of them had been born in the Nyxian Gap and lived their entire lives in lawless space.

Despite the presence of violent criminals and cruel robbers in the boisterous underground city, the Mirror Raiders hardly noticed any signs of fighting or robbing.

Of course, that did not mean that the public area of Ulimo was safe. The large amount of Dry Snake patrols at the entrance of the city exerted a strong deterrence at any pirate who wanted to stir up trouble.

A few minutes passed as the Mirror Raiders slowly passed through the checkpoints and entered the city proper.

Street urchins ran through the alleys. P.r.o.s.t.i.t.u.t.es plied their services. A lonesome old man set up a market stall on the side of the street in order to sell a fresh batch of locally-produced nutrient packs which were renowned for their unique texture and complex taste. Dozens of pirates quickly swarmed the stall and eagerly paid for their purchases in K-bits.

The value of a solid K-coin was quite high. Using them in mundane transactions was as ridiculous as paying an MTA credit for a simple shuttle transit!

Ketis grew a bit curious at the nutrient packs on sale. She knew that Ves was actually a big lover and a casual collector of them. Cheap and long-lasting, they fed the stomachs of a significant proportion of humanity every day!

Just as she was about to approach the stall, Abis reached out and halted her. "Don't buy any of the food on sale here."

"Yes, sir." Ketis obediently nodded.

If she was in her normal guise, she wouldn't pay attention to Flagrant Vandal officer. Sadly, she was just a simple guard right now. There was no excuse for her to disobey.

"Bo, explore the city and make some friends if you can. Make sure not to stray anywhere that looks sketchy."

Dietrich lazily saluted Abis. "Yes, dad."

"Be serious! Don't piss anyone off and don't throw your weight around. While you're making friends, we will be spending some of our spoils on buying some much-needed mechs and supplies. This is just the first day of our stay here. There is no need to do too much. Scout out the city first. We need to know the lay of the land before we do anything else."

The disguised Larkinsons eagerly explored the pirate city!