Paying 17 billion hex credits a month for protection was a very high price.

As long as Ves had enough time, he could raise a basic force that was just as strong. The best part about it was that as long as Ves paid all of the upfront costs, the monthly upkeep would be only a fraction as much.

Sure, it was expensive to pay tens of thousands of personnel. Sure, all of those mechs cost a lot of money to keep in shape. Sure, the Indefatigable along with those combat carriers and support ships also cost money to maintain.

Yet paying 17 billion hex credits to cover for protection for just a single month was a ripoff considering all the alternatives!

It was just that those other solutions required time, which was something that the Larkinson Clan and its partners were very short of. The Golden Skull Alliance wasn't the first to end up in this awkward situation.

Conflicts happened all the time in human space. A lot of outfits, fleets and other organizations incurred huge amounts of damage after they fought against serious opponents.

Even if these organizations possessed the means to rebuild their strength, their other enemies might not wait for them to recover!

Pouncing on a weakened target after enduring an enormous beating was one of the best ways to achieve a quick and profitable victory!

The galaxy wasn't fair. Without sufficient backing, there was no rule in effect that gave exhausted survivors a grace period to get back up to strength.

This was where mercenaries came in. They already built up their strength and readily lend their strength to those who could afford to pay their rates.

The client didn't have to invest any time and effort to borrow all of this protection. The mercenary corps had already done the hard work beforehand. The only contribution the customer had to make was to hand over enough money.

Considering that mercenaries didn't demand anything except for money, it was a given that this was always a hefty amount.

The costs ramped up massively as the mercenary organizations got bigger and bigger!

Their greater scale and numbers allowed them to field more powerful mechs and more professional mech pilots. They switched out their light carriers for combat carriers and also began to acquire fleet carriers to give their forces a lot of extra intimidation power.

At this level, the mercenaries were all about deterrence. While they were not shy about fighting, they generally disliked getting their hands dirty. Every battle not only entailed deaths, but also required them to repair or replace their combat assets.

Even if the mercenaries were able to cover these costs by demanding extra payment from their clients, it was still an undesirable outcome.

Therefore, large-scale mercenary organizations such as the Star Striders tended to puff themselves up as much as possible to scare any possible attackers as much as possible.

That became clear as their 14th Fleet finally arrived in the border system within Majestic Teal.

When Ves studied the composition of this renowned mercenary force, he became somewhat impressed.

"What a heavy fleet!"

The high-capacity combat carriers were not only larger than the ones of the Larkinson Clan, but also boasted substantially thicker hull plating. There was no doubt that they could all take a beating and still be able to venture onwards.

"There has to be a catch." He murmured.

Mercenaries always counted the money they earned and the money they had to spend. It was highly unlikely for them to splurge on quality ships with higher upkeep costs.

Soon, Ves figured out the shortcomings of the combat carriers of the Infinity Guards.

"They're slow!"

This was no understatement. The combat carriers were truly sluggish! Their sub-light propulsion systems simply weren't powerful enough to provide a lot of acceleration to the unwieldy ships.

It took far more time for the Infinity Guards to travel somewhere inside a star system than other fleets.

Ves even guessed that this was a deliberate choice.

"With these sluggish vessels, a client has to retain the services of the Infinity Guards for a longer period of time in order to get anywhere without being waylaid."

The only reason why Ves wasn't more upset about this scam was because the combat carriers truly looked intimidating.

Hardly any pirate wanted to try and pick a fight with just one of these tough bastards!

The Indefatigable flew in the center of the fleet. The fleet carrier was much as he expected. She featured moderate armor, mobility and capacity.

Already, the mercenaries trotted out their mechs from their starships. More than a thousand mechs appeared in space, giving their customers a good show of what 17 billion hex credits a month was worth.

Ves happened to be in the design lab when he studied the newly-arrived Infinity Guards, Gloriana helpfully shared her opinion on the mercenary mechs.

"They're commercial-grade mechs, alright." She snorted. "While it's clear that the designers know what they are doing, they were under obvious cost constraints. The Star Striders or the 14th Fleet in particular doesn't want to waste an excessive amount of money on servicing their mechs."

"In order words, they cut corners." Ves remarked.

"Exactly!" Gloriana pointed at a beefed-up rifleman mech. "Look at this mech for example. It's a stationary gunner that doesn't conform to the most dominant interpretation of rifleman mechs because it has to look larger and more intimidating than it actually is. All of that extra armor slows it down, which suggests that it can withstand a lot of damage."

"Is it, actually?"

"Partially. Maybe. The armor is real, but according to our initial scanning data it's likely a bulk alloy formula. The protection is largely based on quantity rather than quality. I can already guess that the other mechs of the Infinity Guards are designed according to the same principle. It's cheap and easy to fix the damage, but I bet the mercenaries will try and charge us as if their mechs are clad with premium armor."

Ves looked skeptical. "I don't think such an obvious scam will work. That's a bit too brazen if you ask me. This is especially when there are plenty of mech designers in our alliance. Professor Cortez will never let himself get taken advantage of like that. Besides, the Star Striders can't go too far or else they will ruin their credibility."

The reputation of the Star Striders was truly good for a reason. Perhaps they might act like other mercenaries and overcharge here or there, but Ves didn't believe they would outright seek compensation for something that didn't really exist.

"You'd be surprised what companies think they can get away with." Gloriana disagreed with her husband. "Anyway, it shouldn't be a problem as long as we show that we are attentive. Shall we change and prepare for the upcoming meeting?"

Ves nodded. "Let's go."

They exited the design lab in order to prepare for their first formal meeting with the head of the Infinity Guards.

Both of them changed into their formal wear. In the case of Ves, he wore a more elaborate version of his patriarch uniform complete with cape.

Gloriana opted to wear a sophisticated business suit in order to project a look that suggested that she meant business. The Hexer confidence she exuded while wearing this outfit caused her to look as if she was in charge instead of Ves!

"I look great, don't I, Clixie?"

"Miaow!"

"Hihi!"

When Ves beheld her outfit, he briefly became confused.

"Don't you usually wear dresses to these official meetings?"

"I dress according to the situation, Ves. Mercenaries will always try to upstage their clients. If our momentum isn't strong enough, they will gain the upper hand in our relationship and get a greater say in matters. We need to show that we are still capable of standing up to ourselves."

The mercenaries may not be their enemies, but it was still important to establish mutual respect.

Ves just thought that he was already capable of doing so on his own. He didn't need his wife to carry his weight. It wasn't as if he was a boy!

"Let's board our shuttle and head over the Hemmington Cross." He coughed. "I hope Patriarch Reginald is a good host."

"It'll be fine, Ves. Letting him host the initial meeting is a great choice."

The first in-person meeting with the leaders of the Infinity Guards had to take place in the right venue.

Since trust between the mercenaries and the clients wasn't solid yet, there was no way that Ves wanted to step aboard the Indefatigable. His paranoia simply didn't allow it no matter how trustworthy the Infinity Guards appeared.

While Ves felt tempted to host the meeting aboard the Spirit of Bentheim, a factory ship simply wasn't as impressive as a fleet carrier, especially one built for military purposes.

The Cross Clan may have fallen way below their peak, but much of their assets still reflected their prior glory.

When Ves entered the shuttle with his wife and bodyguards, Calabast and Lucky were already waiting inside.

Though Gloriana crinkled her nose at the other woman's appearance, she didn't take any further action. Instead, she sat down on her seat and began to cuddle with Clixie.

Ves on the other hand reached out to Lucky. "Hey there buddy."

"Meow."

The gem cat languidly rolled around on Calabast's lap.

Ves coughed. "You missed me, right?"

"Meow."

Lucky just closed his eyes and settled on a more comfortable position!

"It seems that your pet is fine where he is right now." Calabast amusingly said.

"Haha. That's just because he hasn't been away from me long enough. He'll miss me eventually."

After they completed their usual banter, they immediately moved on to the topic at hand.

"Who am I about to meet?"

"The leader of the Infinity Guards is Colonel Amos Pendulum." She briefly explained. "He is an experienced mech officer with military experience. He's a native of the Winged Serenade Star Sector and is aligned with the headquarters of the Star Striders."

That was an interesting detail to Ves.

"I see. So he's the company guy who makes sure that the local branch is dancing to the tune of headquarters."

"You can see it that way." Calabast nodded. "That is not to say that the relationship between him and the Majestic Tealers that comprise much of the 14th Fleet is bad. He wouldn't remain in charge if he didn't command the respect of his men. What is important for you to know is that he possessed an aristocratic background. I believe he is destined for a higher position once he completes his tour in this star sector and returns to headquarters."

That told Ves a lot. These kinds of high flyers were usually very ambitious. They received a lot of attention from the company and gained promotions a lot easier than those who attracted less attention.

Of course, the price for being in the spotlight all of the time was that they had to deliver excellent results or at least maintain the illusion of doing so. When Calabast told him that Colonel Pendulum was only 43 years old, that confirmed his suspicions.

"A 43 year old colonel, hmm?" Ves frowned. "Most of the officers I've met who are around this rank are a lot older. Colonel Ariadne Wodin is twice as old I believe."

"It's true that flag officers in established militaries or other armed organizations generally have to wait at least half a century before they reach this level, but mercenary organizations aren't as rigid. If Colonel Pendulum possesses real talent, then he may be up to the task despite his lack of experience."

For some reason, Ves thought another explanation was more likely.

"Maybe that's true, but it could also be that this fine colonel comes from a notable family from Winged Serenade. With such powerful backing, he can easily secure one cushy job after another."

Calabast pressed her lips. "Nepotism is a decent possibility in this case, but the Infinity Guards still enjoy a good track record under Colonel Pendulum's command."

"That's true, but keep in mind that not a single force dared to pick a fight against them in the last six years." Ves poignantly pointed out.

While he didn't go as far to believe that the Infinity Guards were mismanaged, he might have to revise his expectations of their battle readiness. Even if they trained diligently for all of these years, they were probably a bit rusty!