The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1631

Chapter 1631 Meeting Between Men

A carrier that belonged to former BLM rebels made landfall on Cloudy Curtain.

Its arrival attracted a lot of attention!

If the government hadn't granted amnesty to the members of the BLM, the ship would have never been allowed to approach!

The detachment of the Mech Corps that had been dispatched to garrison the Cloudy Curtain System could only sit still while their former enemies paraded in public.

Before Ves met with Vincent Ricklin and his companions, he called Leland to his office to discuss the coming meeting.

"Vincent Ricklin has already attracted a lot of public attention." Leland told Ves. "You will have to watch your conduct whenever the two of you are in public. In fact, don't assume that you are free to do what you want when you are behind closed doors. Apparently, Vincent has hired his own media crew to manage his own media presence."

"You guys are just letting him do that?"

"As long as Vincent supports the deal the government has made with the BLM, it's not a bad idea to give him a greater voice. He's quite shrewd in that regard. He is willing to be used as long as he benefits in the process. It's a win-win situation to both the Bright Republic and himself."

Ves sardonically smiled. He wasn't the only one who learned how to cooperate with the government.

"It sounds like he's quite a shrewd guy."

"According to our investigation, Vincent hasn't been entirely onboard with the BLM's ideals. In fact, some of our analysts doubt that he even believed in its original cause." The Flashlight agent remarked.

"You mean he's just a scumbag who used the BLM for his own ends?"

"I wouldn't phrase it quite that way. He's an opportunist who has already abandoned ship once when his sister threatened his position in the Ricklin Family. We believe that Vincent has grown disillusioned with the life of a fugitive rebel. Living from day to day in a drab, underground bunker while worrying about the authorities catching up to him is not very pleasant."

That matched with what Ves thought of Vincent Ricklin. His initial reason to defect to the BLM must have been an act of desperation. He just wanted to get out of the clutches of the Ricklin Family, and the BLM was the only organization on Bentheim who dared to shelter him and offer new opportunities.

"Do I need to watch out for anything when I meet with Vincent?"

"I think it's best if I accompany you whenever you interact with him." Leland said. "The BLM is an old enemy of ours. I can help manage your interactions with their former members."

Ves ruffled Lucky's head as his cat dozed on his desk. "I suppose you also want to be present in order to keep me under control. You can't have me saying anything inconvenient."

The spy did not deny his accusation. "A lot of things can go wrong. Just consider me as insurance. So long as neither of you make any missteps, I won't have to intervene."

"Heh. Do you believe him, Lucky?"

His cat glanced up at Leland. "Meow."

"Yeah. I think so too."

"Please don't plot any violence against Vincent. He's already in control over a considerable number of mech pilots. By all signs, he is planning to form his own mercenary corps to maintain his grip on his subordinates. The mech he wants you to design is an important component in his plot. The more impressive his mech, the greater his ability to attract former members of the BLM under his banner!"

"That sounds dangerous."

Leland smiled. "He's a double-edged sword, but that is what makes him so valuable. Many of the former leaders and cadre of the Bentheim Liberation Movement are bitter fighters. They've treated the government as an enemy for decades, perhaps even their entire life! Even if they made peace with the Bright Republic, their long-held beliefs haven't changed."

"And Vincent is different?"

"He is. He's younger and he has only been with the BLM for less than a decade. Since he mainly looks out for himself, he isn't very attached to the old ideology of the BLM. Neither does he see the authorities as his enemies despite clashing with them several times."

Ves understood a bit better why Senator Tovar and the government placed so much importance in Vincent Ricklin.

This fellow was a sellout!

"How am I supposed to treat him, then?"

"Just act politely. Don't try to pull off any stunts or provoke any incidents. We don't need you to promote the amnesty deal either. Our main objective is to gain Vincent Ricklin's cooperation. We want to show everyone that Vincent and the former members of the BLM can successfully reintegrate into society."

That didn't sound very complicated. Once he finished his discussion with Leland, he moved down to the ground floor of the LMC's headquarters.

Due to the importance of the meeting, Ves decided to dress up in his full Pride of Dusk ensemble.

He briefly contemplated wearing his decorative cat ears, but he decided to keep them in his pockets. He did not wish to make himself appear silly in front of Vincent Ricklin.

Gloriana kept her own pair out of sight as well. She wore a professional business outfit that did not attract too much attention. She knew that it wouldn't be appropriate for her to involve herself in matters concerning the Bright Republic.

Their cats were present as well. Clixie sat next to Gloriana as if she was on guard.

Lucky meanwhile hissed at the giant mounted body of Zeigra had been placed in the center of the foyer of the HQ.

Ves looked up at the body of the former Crown Cat and had to admit it looked impressive.

In his first reunion with Vincent, he did not wish to appear weak. He wasn't the harmless mech designer he used to be back when he was a Novice all those years ago.

Just as Vincent changed, Ves had changed even more!

Some trepidation welled up within him as he spotted movement up front. The transparent front entrance slid open to allow a procession of wildly-dressed people to enter.

The thugs looked anything but professional. Wearing wild clothes that showed off their tattoos and piercings, the former separatists clearly used to be part of the lower ranks of the BLM's hierarchy.

While Ves ordinarily disdained elitism, he couldn't help but react the same as Gloriana. Both of them expressed some disgust at the sloppy appearances of Vincent's companions.