[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 199: Request

The old man appeared aged and tired on the projector. "Fellow expedition members, it has been a trying time for you all. We departed from the Grey Willow Star Sector and crossed many light-years with the hope of reversing the fortunes of House Kaine. Enemies stalked us every step of the way, but despite their determined attempts to drag us down, we have persevered against all odds. Be proud of your accomplishments."

His words had a very emotional effect on the men and women employed directly by House Kaine. All of them possessed a strong sense of belonging to the venerable noble house. The message resonated less with external consultants like Ves.

Lord Kaine spent the next couple of minutes explaining what happened after that. After the expeditionary fleet finished off the sandmen incursion, they suffered a devastating loss when the Dragons of the Void sprung their ambush. The bedraggled survivors fled far away until they eventually converged at a predetermined fallback point.

"Defeat can humble the best of men." Lord Kaine spoke evenly. "While I cannot change what has already happened, I can still change the outcome of this venture. Therefore, after much consideration, I've decided to approach the Common Fleet Alliance for assistance."

That explained the heavy fleet presence. Several destroyers along with a handful of frigates surrounded the Ark Horizon like an honor guard. Though the massive fleet carrier outmassed the smaller vessels, as dedicated warships they possessed unparalleled might.

The pirate fleet had no choice but to gamble on a quick win. As soon as they figured that they couldn't overrun the base camp with the mech forces at hand, they decided to cut their losses and run before the warships caught their scummy hides.

"It can't be cheap to enlist the aid of the CFA."

Ensign D'Amato nodded. "The CFA is humanity's common defense against pirates and aliens. While they won't shirk their duty, they never rescue fortune seekers knocking on their door without taking a cut."

Word came down from above what the price entailed. For the lowly price of guaranteeing the recovery of the groundside team, the CFA demanded eighty percent of all the expedition's mineral gains. House Kaine had to forfeit much of the motherlode they painstakingly recovered from the alien wilderness.

Furthermore, once the CFA received a summary of events on the ground, they also demanded the materials recovered from Doctor Jutland. This not only included the research materials and samples taken from his cave, but also the Kaius itself. In the face of their domineering demands, House Kaine could only act meekly and lower their heads.

Ves winced as he heard the sordid details. "Sounds like the CFA is the true winner of the expedition. They didn't even have to lift a finger to get their hands on all of that monoexurite."

"At least they left us with some crumbs. They could have demanded ninety-nine percent of all of our gains."

The expedition hauled in so many kilograms of monoexurite that everyone's eyes went green whenever they thought of it. Having to hand them over to their rescuers hurt a lot, but it was still better than being stranded forever on this strange and hostile planet.

As D'Amato remarked, the CFA left them with twenty percent of a massive fortune. This insured that House Kaine still earned a very generous profit even with all of their losses taken into account.

"The CFA left us with some crumbs because they want to keep the requests coming. If they gain a reputation for being too outrageous in their demands, people will turn elsewhere for rescue."

As the warships and the Ark Horizon slipped into orbit, a large number of transports and shuttles descended into the underground cavern. The abundant amount of heat emitted by the vessels attracted thousands of hexabats, but the well-prepared shuttlecraft peppered them with a vicious rain of projectiles.