4789 Commanding Lead



"Who put you in charge?!" A mercenary general asked.

The uniformed man possessed a brave demeanor and did not look inferior to a Larkinson. The people who got kidnapped largely consisted of highly successful leaders in every important profession. The Larkinsons were not the only ones who brought soldiers, and it could even be argued that mercenary organizations possessed even more fighting experience!

This gave the mercenary general the confidence to contest for dominance. It was not that the man doubted the combat acumen of the Larkinsons, but his mercenary organization possessed a martial tradition that went back centuries!

Ves recalled that the man came from a notable mercenary organization called the TRD Combat Application Group.

"General Holdren. I have heard much about you and your fellow mercenaries. I respect your mercenary company's competence in battles against mechs on the battlefield, but we are in a different situation right now. The scenario we are in is more comparable to the expeditions that our clan has embarked upon in the past. In this alien environment where we are tasked with fighting an asymmetrical battle with inconsistent battle assets, ingenuity and technological mastery are more important than knowing how to fight. Besides, you and your fellow mercenary officers have come without bringing any combat armor or heavy weapons."

"We have our guards!"

"That may be true, but are they as well-equipped as ours?" Ves asked with a grin.

He decided that a demonstration was in order. He waved for his honor guards to step forward. They did so with loud clanking metal footsteps that echoed throughout the large and expansive hall.

Each of them looked large and looming as they wore serious medium to heavy combat armor that were geared towards assault, defense and other heavy duties.

The more knowledgeable and technical people among the crowd looked astonished as they understood how well the Larkinson Clan's honor guards were armored!

"Those troops are wrapped in first-class armor plating!" A Senior Mech Designer working for another company revealed. "The workmanship is rough, but their effectiveness is not in question."

"Seriously?!"

"How extravagant!"

"Even the patriarch is clad in the same quality of armor!"

Ves grinned as he faced the crowd in an open helmet. He waved one of his honor guards at the side to step forward and face the massive crowd in a confident posture.

"If you doubt the capabilities of my soldiers and think that our clan should not take the lead, then feel free to defeat him. Shoot his armor. I dare you. If you want to challenge my right to take command, then prove you have the strength to beat my clan into submission!"

Not many dared to do so. The Larkinson Clan's heritage may only be a fraction of the other organizations involved in this mess, but the glory and prestige that Ves and his soldiers had earned in a short amount of time was unequaled!

While these mercenaries and other pioneers had been wining and dining in the safe and increasingly more secure confines of Davute, the Larkinsons either went on harrowing expeditions or spent time on preparing for their next journey into the deeper parts of the frontier!

Reputation mattered in times like these. Ves had hardly heard General Holdren and his mercenary company's deeds, while practically every well-connected Davute knew about the Larkinson Clan's record of beating mutant phase whales and formidable alien warships!

Ves banged his armored fist against his chestplate, producing a loud noise that caused the timid individuals amongst the crowd to jump in fright!

"Do you know where I gained the materials to upgrade the armor of my suit and that of my bodyguards? Our clan ripped all of the materials off the damaged and broken debris from an alien warship whose name roughly translates to the Collapsing House of the Fractured Star. Our Golden Skull Alliance not only had to confront this ship in direct battle, but also had to fend off her mightiest leader and protector, a phase lord called the Trampler of Stars. If you think those names are exaggerations to embellish my record, then I can send you the edited footage of our battle against these powerful alien foes."

"...No need."

The words that Ves spoke combined with his odd glow that transmitted his will to dominate to the crowd completely caused them to fall under his rhythm.

They never encountered a situation like this before!

Many people did not even harbor any desire to challenge what Ves was saying. They already became convinced that it was right for this impressive clan patriarch to take charge of their entire group!

Of course, not everyone was caught off-balance. There were still many experienced and steady leaders among the kidnapped VIPs. Their ability to endure pressure and think rationally were exceptional, and they did not let themselves get fooled by a younger man who happened to take the initiative.

General Holdren of the TRD Combat Application Group looked unwilling, but he knew quite well that he and his mercenaries would not be able to surpass the Larkinsons in terms of strength or proven accomplishments. This caused him to withhold his voice and remain still.

That did not necessarily mean that people like General Holdren were sincerely convinced and willing to obey the instructions of the Larkinsons.

If severe differences in opinions ever arose, the mercenaries working for TRD might decide to separate from the Larkinsons and act in a separate capacity!

That was an undesirable outcome to Ves as he anticipated that there would be a tough fight ahead. Whoever managed to take over the primary control room should definitely have prepared enough defenses to defend against an attack.

In the worser scenarios, the adversaries might have managed to subvert a few native defensive systems as well, which meant that the trapped VIPs had to fight against both their kidnappers and the prison facility itself!

Ves needed every soldier who could fight in order to maximize his chances of winning the upcoming confrontation. He did not want to worry about people messing up behind his back or throwing his strategy into disarray.

Fortunately, the different delegations were quite limited and scattered in their opinions. Even if there were a number of them that were united in their unwillingness to answer to an upstart clan and its young leader, they were even less willing to answer to each other!

Ves knew that he needed to make a breakthrough in order to unite the gathered VIPs and their guards under his banner.

While Ves had been arguing with the likes of General Holdren, a large number of soldiers wearing either low profile suits or heavily armored combat armor had gathered and formed up in the rear of the main crowd.

As the groups of soldiers began to organize themselves until they formed a much larger column of infantry troops, a lot of people discovered that a second powerful force was in their midst!

The Davutan security guards might not have the benefit of extravagant protection such as first-class armor plating, but they possessed the greatest quantity of combat effective soldiers among the people involuntarily brought to this pocket space.

The hundreds of guards were not only well-trained, but already adhered to a single military command structure. If the equipment between the Larkinson guards and the Davutan guards was the same, then the latter would undoubtedly be able to gain an easy advantage in battle due to their overwhelming numerical superiority!

Ves needed the support of these soldiers, but how easy was it to convince them to answer to a private individual?

Each of them had been trained to answer to their superiors and no one else. As consummate professionals, they took their oaths seriously. It was impossible for Ves to deceive them with words and convince them to ignore the regulations they were compelled to follow.

In truth, his entire show of force was not targeted towards the crowd as a whole. Ves was confident in his speaking ability, and if that did not work out for whatever reason, he could always resort to absolute force to cow the doubters and contrarians into submission.

His actual goal was to win over the highest ranking officer among the Davutan guards.

Right now, that figure slowly stepped forward while having all of his troopers form to his rear and sides.

It became obvious that the guard officer had successfully managed to subdue the different guard units that had originally been stationed across different seating blocks.

"Your name?" Ves asked as if he was a lord demanding the identity of a subordinate.

"Major Alden Durant. I have taken command of the Davutan Palace Guard Forces that are trapped in this alien base."

"You have listened to my words like the others. Do you agree with my argument and agree to follow my orders?"

"Respectfully, patriarch, I cannot do that." The guard officer shook his head. "Our soldiers have a duty to guard you and our other honored citizens of our colonial state. We are not allowed to take sides or let ourselves be commanded by one group to the detriment of other groups. The command of our guard forces must always remain in the hands of an officer that is commissioned by our state. If your relative General Ark Larkinson was here, then we would surrender to his authority without any doubt, but you are not an officer of our state."

Seeing that Major Durant could not easily be persuaded, Ves made a judgment call and decided to take a step back.

"Very well." Ves smiled in a charming fashion while subconsciously increasing the strength of his glow. "Since you and your men are loyal servants of the state who can be trusted to do what is best, then I will not ask you to betray your oath and put my orders above your duty. I merely wish to obtain your cooperation in a breakout attempt that I have planned."

"Oh? How will you do that, patriarch?"

"As I have said, I managed to escape my cell before all of you. I am the only one among you who possesses a greater understanding of what we are dealing with. I not only have a good understanding of how this prison works, but I also have a map of the entire facility. I know what we must do in order to reach the exit of this ancient facility and return to normal space. I also know that we are on a time limit as our current adversaries have used their partial control to enact an unknown but dangerous mechanism. We cannot afford to linger here and squabble for control. We need to settle our differences quickly and form enough of a basis of cooperation to conduct a joint operation. Will you work with me, major?"

The guard officer did not immediately offer a response, but the man was cornered. Though he had the most numerous fighting force under his sway, he was sorely lacking in many other areas such as intelligence, charisma, fame, accomplishments and more.

The man was a guard officer who was more accustomed to blending in the background and taking care of security matters behind the scenes. He was never the sort of person who would ever be able to become the protagonist of an action drama.

It was the natural inclination for these sorts of people to bow their heads to strongmen. Now that Ves showed the right qualities to take charge of the entire group of humans trapped inside this prison, Major Durant took a step back and chose to compromise as well.

"I am willing to listen to your plan and provide my input to it. If you have a solid idea on opening up an entrance back to Kotor City, then you will have my cooperation."

"Great." Ves grinned. "Bring your best and smartest officers over here as well. We can quickly go over the plan and revise it when needed."