The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1638

Chapter 1638 Machinations at the Top

The Big Two invested considerably in the invasion of the Red Ocean Dwarf Galaxy. They considered a decision of such import carefully and made plenty of preparations spanning over a hundred years.

In fact, many analysts throughout the human space suspected that the Big Two plotted to conquer the Red Ocean right after the start of the Age of Mechs!

Unfortunately, human civilization had fallen into a low point at the time. Its internal state was so awful that an offensive action of this scale was highly irresponsible.

That has changed now. Human civilization had not only regained its strength during the height of the Age of Conquest, but also exceeded it by a huge margin!

The new order that emerged after the rise of the Big Two managed to foster a period of unprecedented peace in human space!

Though many people criticised the decision to rob the states of the right to field their own warships, it did manage to succeed in its main objective!

The transition from warships to mechs reduced the level of death and destruction in any human conflict to a minimum.

The galactic population of humans grew to a considerable degree!

Manpower formed the foundation of strength. With more humans born than ever before, their civilization finally gained the depth required to restart its offensive run!

The only problem was that human civilization still neighbored many hostile alien empires in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Would the rivals of humanity remain quiet as their mortal enemy gleefully raided the Red Ocean for phasewater?

"The implications of the invasion are very far and wide." Tristan told Ves over the comm. "While no one is sure how many forces the Big Two have committed to the invasion, it is undeniable that their strength in the Milky Way has declined!"

Ves nodded in agreement. "We've all noticed how the Big Two have become less active in this star sector. If the same applies to the rest of human space, then our alien neighbors might be getting some ideas."

"This is why we shouldn't assume that we are all safe back here in the Milky Way."

"What is the position of the Rim Guardians?"

Tristan grimaced. "The Rim Guardians aren't in a good shape, to be honest. If you think about it, who benefits more from the invasion, the Rim Guardians or the Prime Humans?"

It didn't take much guessing for Ves to come up with an answer.

"The Prime Humans are a faction based in the center of the galaxy, right? Humanity's strength there is at a peak. They're also tied to many factions, groups and notable individuals from the first-rate states. This means that they are in a great position to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Red Ocean!"

"The Rim Guardians have always been the underdog within the MTA. According to my source, they highly disagreed with the decision to invade the Red Ocean. There are far more downsides than upsides to this invasion to them. Their strength is already strained by their obligation to protect the vast and dispersed regions of the galactic rim. They can't redirect too many additional forces to profit from the invasion of the Red Ocean."

"If they reduce their strength in the galactic rim even further, then they'll probably show enough weakness to tempt the aliens into attacking human space!"

Now that Tristan pointed out this circumstance, Ves filled in the gaps himself!

The Rim Guardians were really too disadvantaged compared to the Prime Humans!

What happened in the Komodo Star Sector already served as an example of the difficult position of the Rim Guardians! The MTA should have responded more forcefully against the sandmen if not for this recent initiative!

"The internal competition within the MTA is very severe." Tristan stated. "The poor position of the Rim Guardians have forced them to adopt a different strategy from the Prime Humans with regards to the invasion. If they let the Prime Humans dominate the Red Ocean, they'll probably balloon in strength once they obtain the bulk of the phasewater that lands in the hands of the MTA!"

That sounded like very bad news to Ves. The Rim Guardians appeared to be the only faction that supported the galactic rim and the most underprivileged citizens of human space.

Even if Ves managed to become a galactic pioneer, he would still be defined by his background in the Red Ocean.

Forging a friendship with the Rim Guardians was a way for him to build up solid backing for himself while he adventured in the dwarf galaxy. Without reliable support, Ves would never be able to move as freely as he wanted in frontier space!

For this reason, the relative strength and position of the Rim Guardians mattered a lot to Ves and Tristan. Due to his background, he had no chance in aligning himself with the Prime Humans.

"What are the Rim Guardians doing to narrow the gap?" Ves asked.

"Since they can't deploy too much of their own forces to the Red Ocean, they've decided to lean on their associates."

"Ah."

That made a lot of sense to Ves. It was akin to relying on mercenaries.

"The opportunities and rewards offered by the Rim Guardians are much more generous than the Prime Humans. This is also a reflection of their different bases of support. The Prime Humans are based in the most powerful regions of human space. The first-rate citizens that support them are mostly capable enough to obtain an individual or fleet beyonder ticket with their own strength!"

"So there is an opportunity for the Rim Guardians to narrow the gap by leaning on external help. However, I don't see how this is profitable. Associates like us won't work for them without remuneration. Phasewater is very expensive and highly desirable. If the Rim Guardians dare to exploit us, a galactic pioneer can always decide to sell their phasewater to the CFA!"

"They're not after immediate profit this time, Ves. They're opening their pockets to invest in the future. The Rim Guardians are fairly eager to befriend associates who will colonize the middle and lower zones of the Red Ocean. Establishing a presence in these zones will enable the Rim Guardians to benefit from much of the phasewater and other strategic exotics harvested in these territories in the future."

"That's.. kind of brilliant!" Ves perked up. "While the yield isn't very big, all of those future states in the Red Ocean will certainly look up to the Rim Guardians and the MTA! It's not quite the same when it comes to the future first-rate states of the Red Ocean. Many of them will doubtlessly be founded by the Terrans or Rubarthans, who never enjoy good relations with the Big Two!"