The battle against the Rust Grinders shook many Larkinsons out of their complacency. After encountering a small succession of weak pirate gangs, their battle against a stronger pirate opponent taught them that not all of their opponents rolled over so easily!

The longer a pirate outfit lasted in the Nyxian Gap, the more they possessed the capital to survive. Through a process of survival of the fittest, those that were unable to fend aggression no longer existed!

The Rust Grinders apparently relied on a mix of diplomacy and hidden weapons to maintain their footing in Wreckage Paradise.

Encountering mechs mounted onto starships had been an incredible shock to Ves and the assistant mech designers on their ship. Never could they have imagined that humans willfully broke the rules that kept the warring in human space to a controllable level!

Over four centuries had passed since the end of one of the darkest chapters of human history. The rule that forbid star-faring vessels from mounting weapons had become an ingrained instinct to almost every human.

Unfortunately, pirates were some of the few people who possessed the guts to defy the Big Two! As humans who lived outside the law, they didn't care a damn about the prohibition against owning warships!

Perhaps the main reason why warships weren't more prevalent among pirates was because it took a lot of technical expertise to build and maintain the powerful weapons.

Another reason why they did not show up too much was because everyone who paraded taboo weapons received bounties on their heads!

The moment Ves heard that he could earn a bounty from defeating targets that violated the rules, he began to look at the battle against the Rust Grinders in a different way!

This was especially when he heard he could earn merits as long as he submitted proof to the MTA or CFA!

According to the article that Ves read up on, the exact merit award depended on many factors such as the strength of the violators, the harm they inflicted on society and the severity of their rule breaking.

Every case needed to be judged on an individual basis. This was because there had been plenty of organizations in the past who secretly armed some hapless pirates only to 'harvest' them later to earn some easy merits!

He briefly paused when he read that he needed to contact the MTA directly.

"Damn."

He did something that he would normally avoid at any cost.

He entered one of the isolated compartments of the Scarlet Rose and activated the Darkbreak module. On a whim, he first attempted to call Jovy Armalon, but the MTA mech designer's comm rejected every call.

"Oh well. I guess I'll have to call the standard MTA line then." He muttered.

Ves browsed the interface of the Darkbreak module and found an information line that handled this business. He tapped the right command and waited for the line to go through.

The Darkbreak module activated a shimmering physical projection.

Unfortunately, instead of encountering some sort of android or secretary, Ves instead came face to face with the projection of a very familiar senior dignitary.

"Master Willix!" Ves coughed. "I mean, ahem, uh, I must have called the wrong line."

The Master Mech Designer, who should normally be aloof and distant to tiny figures like Ves, gently shook her head.

"No. You called the correct line. Your call has been automatically rerouted to my address. I added a special instruction to the communication network of the MTA, you see. As long as I am available, I will be handling all of your direct requests and inquiries towards the MTA. To be honest, I am quite interested in what you will encounter in the Nyxian Gap. You should feel honored for receiving my personal attention."

Her gracious gesture made him feel sick. Didn't Master Willix have something better to do than directing her attention towards him? He was just a mech designer! The MTA oversaw countless mech designers, many of whom were much more interesting! What did he do to deserve this constant persecution?!

Of course, Ves did not dare to voice any of his thoughts. Instead, he maintained a brittle smile. "I am.. grateful.. that you favor me so, Master Willix, but I do not wish to take up your time with trivial matters. You can just redirect me to the normal information line so I won't take up your valuable time anymore."

Master Willix shook her head. "Let me be the judge of that. Let's hear your request first."

Seeing no other choice, Ves accepted the inevitable and briefly explained his encounter with the Rust Grinders. He even showed some initiative by transferring some select sensor data.

"I see." Master Willix dropped her polite smile. "This is indeed a matter that requires the MTA's attention. This is not the first time a Nyxian pirate has crossed this particular line, and it won't be the last time."

"So.. I heard there are some merits to be earned by teaching these rulebreakers a lesson. Am I eligible to receive a bounty, ma'am?"

The woman paused as she studied all of the data. "I have just verified that the proof you provided is authentic. That's good. I would have stripped you of all of your accumulated merits if you have attempted to defraud us. I have seen too many mech designers assume they can take advantage of the MTA, and I hope that you will not follow in their footsteps."

A cold sweat ran through his back. He possessed a healthy fear of the MTA and experienced first-hand some of the amazing technology they had at their disposal. Ves would never dare to put his merits at risk!

"That said, the Rust Grinders are… rather inconsequential, all concerned. Their violations aren't too egregious either. Even if they managed to build an interface between the power system of their cannoneers and the power system of their ship, the output of their energy weapon is still within a manageable range. Your Bright Warrior models managed to fend off the laser beams while suffering minimal damage, after all. We cannot award you with too many merits for taking down such a minor foe. Regardless, you still managed to exact punishment on our behalf, so I will award you with 25,000 MTA merits for this service."

This was a rather considerable amount of merits to ordinary people. The Rust Grinders was a moderately powerful pirate group that fielded more than 600 mechs. Combined with the added firepower at their disposal, a regular Peacekeeper outfit would have suffered substantial losses to defeat the pirates!

That said, someone like Ves was long used to bigger awards. The creation of two certified masterwork mechs in the form of the Quint and the Little Angel already yielded 2 million MTA merits in total!

Still, any little bit helped. "Thank you, ma'am."

"Keep up the good work." She said. "As an orthodox mech designer who falls under our jurisdiction, you are obligated to uphold our rules no matter where you go. The vibrant society that we have managed to build in this age cannot be taken for granted. Though many voices in the galaxy wish to tear the prohibition against warships down, it is for everyone's own good that they are deprived of such toys."

"I understand." Ves nodded. "As a mech designer, I do not wish to see the return of warships in human society either."

Now that he had gotten what he wanted, he was in no mood to chat with Master Willix any further.

Just before he ended the call, Master Willix raised her palm.

"Before you go, let me inform you of additional opportunities. There are multiple pirate groups in the Nyxian Gap who have committed much worse violations than the Rust Grinders. I will send you an up-to-date list of some of the groups that we have identified."

The Darkbreak module instantly received a modest data dump. Ves took a brief glance at its contents before deciding to hand it over to Calabast.

"If these groups are stronger than the Rust Grinders, then I can't promise you that my forces will confront them, ma'am." Ves cautiously said.

"Bounties are opportunities, not obligations. Any pirate that has earned a bounty will succumb sooner or later. If not by enterprising individuals such as you, then their rivals might make a move instead."

Ves briefly widened his eyes. What a devious measure! By pitting pirates against each other, the MTA made sure that every pirate group that fielded warships would have to think twice!

"If you are particularly desperate for merits and lucky enough to encounter the Allidus Alliance, consider sabotaging or removing Lord Hivex's prized warship."

The Master raised her finger, causing a very formidable looking ship to emerge into view.

Ves could immediately tell she was armed. Her hull wasn't studded with bunkers. Instead, various mech-sized gun turrets lined the surface. Each of them were capable of firing a torrent of laser beams and clouds that could quickly chew up a couple of approaching mech companies!

And these were just the secondary weapons.

The hull of the haphazard-looking ship also boasted three huge triple-barreled gun turrets. Their caliber was so formidable that half a mech could fit through the muzzle!

With such a formidable armament, the pirate warship could probably take down any starship at a huge distance with just a single volley!

Ves shuddered at the sight of all of the firepower of this vessel. Not even the Penitent Sisters would be able to survive against this might!

"The Gravada Knarlax is a pirate-built heavy cruiser that the Allidus Alliance built in secret over two decades ago." Master Willix explained. "The pirates invested a lot of years and resources in her construction. Once built, she immediately carved out a place in the core regions. Over the years, the Knarlax not only enabled the Allidus Alliance to hold on to their hotly-contested territitories, but also elevate Lord Hivex into a powerful pirate lord. Taking him down will net you 1,500,000 merits, while destroying the Gravada Knarlax will earn you 4,500,000 merits."

That was 6,000,000 MTA merits in total!

Though Ves briefly drooled when he heard the astonishing rewards, he quickly sobered himself up. There was no way he could earn those merits. The higher the merit award, the greater the difficulty! The MTA never engaged in charity.

If the Allidus Alliance built the Gravada Knarlax over two decades ago and still managed to hold on to their heavy cruiser, then that meant the pirates likely defeated a lot of challengers already!

Ves firmly put the Gravada Knarlax out of his mind. It was just like some of the many outstanding missions issued by the Rim Guardians. No matter how many merits they promised, he would only be committing suicide if he took them seriously!

"The strength of my forces does not allow me to pursue these bounties." He plainly said. "I think this matter is best left to more qualified people."

"As you wish. At the very least, you should go over the list I sent. There are many lesser groups that are not as formidable as the Allidus Alliance. Good luck, Mr. Larkinson."

The call finally ended. Ves did not do anything until he exited the isolated chamber.

"Goddammit!"

He thought he could escape the clutches of Master Willix and the MTA once he entered the Nyxian Gap. It turned out that he was too naive. He was certain that this persistent Master Mech Designer targeted him for some reason.

No matter how badly she wanted to steal his design philosophy, Ves would never give in no matter how helpful she seemed!

He did not believe in charity! Everything had a price, and the MTA just happened to be the biggest profiteer in the galaxy!

"I think I will have to leave this star sector in order to get rid of her!" Ves concluded. "In fact, it's better if I leave the Milky Way while I'm at it. There's no way she'll follow me all the way to the Red Ocean!"