Chapter 1644: 1644
While the Sand War intensified throughout the third line of defense, not everyone concerned themselves with the suffering taking place .
Sponsored Content
For some people, the latest developments opened up many opportunities ordinarily inaccessible to them . In particular, the lawless pirates and exiles of the frontier found it incredibly easy to sneak into civilized space amidst the chaos .
Already, plenty of sons and daughters of the frontier managed to blend in with the waves of refugees .
While it was easy for pirates to be mistaken as refugees, it was not as easy to assume a brand new identity, especially one that was more notable than the norm .
A specialist in identity falsification had to intervene in order to form a false identity with as few loopholes as possible .
Calabash happened to be someone who possessed the skill, knowledge and connections required to forge a reasonably foolproof identity .
She calmly stood and waited for her client to arrive at a grassy plain on an empty planet in the Reinald Republic .
Standing behind her was an entire company of mechs . Over half of them wielded swords, while the rest wielded various ranged weapons . The messy collection of mechs consisted of many different models, as if the mech company had been entirely pieced together at random .
However, the mechs exuded a certain kind of strength from the way they positioned themselves and readied themselves for action .
The Swordmaidens had undergone many trials and tribulations since their establishment . The death of their founder devastated them a lot, but the rise of her replacement managed to preserve what the all-female outfit managed to build .
"There is movement up front . Get ready . " A voice whispered in Calabast's ear .
Soon enough, an aerial mech company descended from afar while surrounding a shuttle . The procession alerted the Swordmaidens, causing their mechs to grip their weapons tightly .
Calabast barely took any notice, though . She stood in the open without a care in the world .
She was confident in the deal she made .
Once the shuttle landed on the grass a distance away from the Swordmaidens, the hatch slid open, allowing a subdued-dressed middle-aged man to emerge .
Escorted by some armed and armored guards, the man energetically strode forward in a powerful and confident gait .
The man had reason to be confident . Not only were the aerial mechs under his command much more powerful than the mechs of the Swordmaidens, he had plenty of forces at his disposal in space .
Sponsored Content
Once he arrived in front of the woman he scheduled to meet, the two paused for a moment .
Both of them dressed professionally . While Calabast blended in her business attire as if she was a born manager, the other man seemed very uncomfortable in his plain and unadorned business suit .
"Let us get this over with, Hexer . " The man spat .
"As you wish, Fridayman . "
"I am no longer a Fridayman!" He hissed with a threatening timbre in his voice .
"You are correct . As of now, you are a Reinaldan, a citizen and a mech designer of a crumbling state . "
Calabast waved her hand forward, causing a floating box that hovered behind her to glide over to her client .
The other man took the box and opened it up to reveal a datapad, a secure data chip as well as some hair, blood and tissue samples preserved in transparent containers .
"Is this it? I expected more . "
"As long as you follow the instructions I've outlined in the data pad, this is all you need, Skull Architect . "
The dreaded pirate designer from the Faris Star Region sneered at Calabast before picking up the data pad .
After that, he shoved the floating box to a subordinate following behind him who took up a multiscanner and began to example the biological samples .
"Hmm . . so you've arranged the identity of Professor Benedict Cortez for me . He wasn't high on my wish list . "
"Your demands are too unrealistic, Skull Architect . Do you really think that we can operate with impunity in civilized space? Even if turmoil has swept the Komodo Star Sector, it is not so easy to lay a hand on a Senior Mech Designer without a trace . We've suffered some losses in the process of hijacking Professor Cortez's evacuation fleet . "
The Skull Architect laughed . "Don't try to raise the price . Professor Cortez is one of the easiest targets on my list . What happened to him, by the way?"
"We've cleaned him up . Have no fear of that . Not a single trace of him and associates have survived . You'll have to come up with a way to reintroduce yourself to the public without arousing too much suspicion, though . "
Sponsored Content
"I'll keep that mind . "
After performing some inspections, the Skull Architect became satisfied with the arrangements made by Calabast .
While she was confident in her handicraft, she cautioned the Skull Architect to act with discretion .
"Even if you follow all of my steps, your new identity is not completely foolproof . I've only managed to message the records of every relevant record-keeping institution of the Reinald Republic . If the state falls, then no one will be able to verify the records except what the government managed to bring elsewhere or put them up on the galactic net . That does not account for the detailed biometric data the MTA has collected from Professor Cortez . "
The Skull Architect crossed his arms . "No one in this star sector can falsify the MTA's records . You wouldn't be dealing with me if you have the capacity to access and alter their database . "
"It's best if you stay far away from the MTA while you assume your new identity . I trust that you already know how to conduct yourself to avoid attracting their attention . "
"You don't need to lecture me, young woman . "
"Now that you have accepted my offering, will you still commit to your end of the deal?"
"Aye . You'll get what you want . I'm not the sort who burns my bridges with someone who is actually clever in a sea of idiots . "
The deal that the two had made in recent months was fairly simple .
In exchange for arranging a new identity for the Skull Architect, he promised several concessions .
First, he promised to design and build an expert mech for any expert pilot that Calabast managed to acquire .
She made this demand in case Commander Dise managed to advance to expert pilot . She needed this concession because it was very difficult to obtain an expert mech through regular channels .
After all, expert pilots didn't pop out from nowhere!
Second, the Skull Architect promised to wipe away the debt that Ves owed him . Though the pirate designer found it to be a shame to lose his handle on Ves, it was not an equitable arrangement in the first place .
To the fugitive Senior Mech Designer, it didn't matter too much . Even without the debt, he was still confident he could find a way to associate with Ves Larkinson in some other way, especially now that the promising young Journeyman had risen to prominence .
Sponsored Content
To Calabast, arranging a nearly foolproof identity to the Skull Architect in exchange for these concessions was more than worth the effort . Not only did she gain a benefit for herself and her partner, she also established a friendly relation with a powerful Senior!
After a brief chat, the Skull Architect and his entourage briskly turned around and boarded the shuttle . Once his procession rose in the air and flew back to space, the meeting had come to an end .
Some time later, Calabast and the Swordmaidens deployed on the surface returned to space as well . When the woman entered the stateroom of her personal ship, Commander Dise already awaited her arrival .
"I'm impressed by how you've handled the Skull Architect . The meeting went smoother than I thought . " The leader of the Swordmaidens remarked as she laid on the bed .
"The Skull Architect isn't as fearsome as you think as long as you give him a reason to respect you . His reputation in the frontier is not that relevant anymore now that the sandmen have overrun the old order there . He needs me more than we need him . If not for his potential usefulness to Ves, I wouldn't have bothered to offer my services to him . Obtaining the favor of a genuine Senior might come in handy one day . "
"I'm not so sure whether it's wise to play with fire . Mayra once told me that she had to be very careful when she studied under him . He has a habit of blowing up on people . "
"I'm pretty certain that some of it is an act . " Calabast confidently stated . "While the Skull Architect is anything but a balanced individual, he needed to project strength while he was in the frontier . Now that he has reintegrated into civilized space, he ought to be rational enough to moderate his behavior . "
The spy strode forward and sat down on the side of her bed . The two came very close .
"Want to have some fun?" Dise suggested .
"No thanks . "
"Why not? We're lovers, right?"
Calabast slapped her supposed girlfriend's rear . "There's no need to keep up the act . "
"Who says our relationship is an act?" The commander's eyes twinkled .
"We only agreed to go along this charade to assuage Gloriana's fears, Dise . If you want to earn my attention, then find some way to become an expert pilot . "
"How is it so easy for me to make this step?" Dise helplessly shook her head . "Plenty of expert candidates have reached the limits of what they are capable of in this realm without finding any way to get past their bottleneck . My weird bond with the exobeast I've encountered at Aeon Corona VII doesn't help matters either . "
"Find a way to resolve this issue . The sooner you advance to expert pilot, the more we can do by borrowing your strength . "
Commander Dise rose from the bed and faced Calabast with a concerned expression .
"You're moving very quickly, you know that? Why are you in such a hurry to build up your strength and make so many deals with people?"
"Everything is changing, Dise . The Sand War and the Komodo War have smashed the existing order in the frontier and the Komodo Star Sector . The invasion of the Red Ocean is changing all of human space . Many gaps have opened up that we can take advantage of . The premise is that we have what it takes to secure our gains . "
"You've been investing an awful lot in paving the way for that brat from the Bright Republic . I don't see why you even bother with him . Isn't he just a Journeyman?"
Calabast smirked . "He's not just a regular Journeyman . Trust me on this . We have to take very good care of him as he's our ticket to the top . "
"Couldn't you have just built a relationship with the Skull Architect instead? After all, he's already a seasoned Senior . "
"I don't have control over the Skull Architect . Didn't you just say that associating him is like playing with fire? I know my boundaries with him . It's not a good idea to get too close to him, especially when he has shown he is willing to cross a lot of lines to get what he wants . "
"Is Ves any better?"
"You'll see why it's worth it to partner up with him sooner than later . " Calabast confidently stated .
She never felt as confident in fulfilling her future ambitions before she encountered Ves . Though she knew that his actual identity was anything but simple, she dared to insert herself in his life because the opportunity was too precious .
This star sector was too small for someone of her ambition . Even if she was born a Hexer, and a member of the powerful Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty at that, she never held any pride over her origin .
A Hexer like Calabast might enjoy a lot of status in the Komodo Star Sector, but that was like a rat lording it over a cage .
Her true goal lay elsewhere!
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc . . ), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible .
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .