The small hangar bay of the unknown dwarven frigate was clean and largely empty. There was no dwarf in sight and Ves was not able to glean a lot of relevant clues.
"It looks like Calabast is right." Ves concluded.
The tools, parts and the overall quality of the interior construction were all high-end. The ship was built with Vulcanite design principles in mind, but everything looked a lot more expensive and high-performing than typical.
There was a distinct lack of decorations, though. The overall look of the interior of the frigate was devoid of needless decorations and symbols. The deck and bulkheads were left uncoated, allowing Ves to get a clear glimpse at the spotless clean gunmetal grey alloys.
Of course, this was just the hangar bay and did not reflect what the rest of the starship was like.
Whoever was in charge didn't appear to care about grandeur as much as other powerful Vulcanites. That was strange because many dwarven leaders had a tendency to overcompensate by displaying their wealth and power in an ostentatious manner.
This did not appear to be the case this time. Ves increasingly became certain that he was dealing with a different breed of dwarf.
When he lifted up his weary body from his seat and exit his shuttle, he was quickly met with another setback.
"Meow!"
Lucky flung away from Ves' armored shoulder. The gem cat looked confused and tried to fly through the hatch, only to flatten himself against an invisible wall!
"Sir, our way out is blocked. We can't get through." Nitaa said in a concerned and distressed tone.
The tall bodyguard wore a massive suit of heavy combat armor that could bulldoze through many obstacles. Yet even she couldn't get past the invisible barrier that prevented anyone else inside the shuttle to step aboard the dwarven frigate!
Minister Shederin frowned as even his frail and unarmed form got denied passage. "I was afraid of this. The owners of this vessel only extended a single invitation. It appears you must proceed on your own, patriarch."
Ves looked depressed. He was still dealing with the consequences of expending much of his Worclaw energy. How was he supposed to keep his head as sharp as possible in his upcoming talks with his 'hosts'?
"Meow meow."
Lucky waved his paw as if to say goodbye before curling up on a chair in order to catch a quick nap.
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." Ves replied in a surly tone.
He was no stranger to confronting difficult situations by himself. He just didn't do it lately because he increasingly became used to acting like an actual patriarch.
This was a throwback to the past as far as he was concerned. Before he founded his clan and relied on his subordinates to take care of business, he regularly got his hands dirty.
Ves just had to place himself back to his past mindset where he did not lean on anyone to solve his immediate problems.
"I can do this." He softly said.
As he continued to step out of the shuttle unimpeded, he suddenly encountered another surprise.
"Urgh!" The gravity!
The artificial gravity set to the ship was much higher than Ves was accustomed to! According to the readings of the Unending Regalia, the artificial gravity was set as high as 4.6 g!
"My suit and I weigh almost five times heavier!"
Fortunately, Ves had anticipated such a problem beforehand. He just didn't expect the operators of this ship to dial the setting so high.
He mentally activated a command that caused the gravitic backpack mounted on the modular slot of the Unending Regalia to go active.
Although it was a high-end model, the gravitic backpack struggled to generate a local gravity field that offset the local gravity by 3.6 g, thereby restoring the weight of Ves and his gear to their normal levels.
Ves was too tired to resist excess gravity forces and he did not want his physical condition to drag down his thoughts any further.
He carefully strode forward. The shuttle behind him grew more distant until it disappeared from sight entirely as he passed through an empty corridor.
"Well, this ship offers a generous amount of ceiling height for a dwarven vessel." He muttered.
The ceiling was actually lower than what it should be compared to the interior of a human starship. Nitaa, who was already tall, would have to permanently bow down her body if she attempted to pass through this hallway while wearing her powered combat armor!
Initially, Ves wasn't sure where he should move. He still hadn't encountered a single crew member. The dwarves hadn't even dispatched a bot that could lead the way.
"Okay, this is clearly not the right direction."
He soon found out that he could only follow a single route. If he attempted to walk in the wrong direction, his armored body would bump into an invisible barrier that was impassable with his level of strength!
Ves could already tell that these walls were generated by Saint Mayorka. Ves was fully in the scope of her Saint Kingdom. Perhaps mechs might be able to employ enough brute force to overcome this resistance, but infantry could forget about escaping from the clutches of an active ace mech!
"Ace pilots make too much of a difference."
The more he experienced the overwhelming power of an ace pilot, the more he yearned to gain the services of one himself!
Unfortunately, none of the expert pilots of his clan came close to reaching the next level. It would take decades for them to develop their resonance strength and further flesh out their convictions.
"It looks like I will have to lay low in the Red Ocean for a long time until then. My clan can't confront any power that enjoys the protection of an ace pilot!"
This single incident had taught Ves and the rest of the Golden Skull Alliance a lot of crucial lessons. Until they were able to harness the power of an ace mech like the Olympus Mons for themselves, they could forget about exploring the Red Ocean without worry!
First he needed to make sure to pass the immediate hurdle. There was no guarantee that the dwarves would let 'Vulcan' off today!
His boots clanked against the deck until he apparently reached his destination. A frigate was not a large ship class, and their overall layout generally followed the same template, so he had a good idea of the compartment he was about to enter.
A large blast door slowly slid open, allowing him to glimpse some sort of ceremonial hall that was set up as a spartan seat of power.
The bare metal deck and bulkheads were slightly more spruced up than usual. Banners related to the Vulcan Empire hung from above while various symbolic markings had been painted on the deck.
This was the first time he encountered actual dwarves.
A procession of dwarven guards equipped with the Vulcanite version of heavy combat armor stood at the sides of the hall.
The bulky black equipment that caused them to look like oversized metal dwarves were coated in black. Their decorative golden flourishes added both a ceremonial and martial look to them. The heavy rifles and other armaments were both heavy and powerful in a way that few elite infantry units could match.
"Praetorian Guard."
They were the best of the best in the Vulcan Empire. Every dwarven infantry soldier aspired to join the elite bodyguard unit that was considered to be good enough to protect the grand regent of the Vulcan Empire!
Why were they here? What was the reason why the most elite and honored soldiers of the central government chose to leave their posts and hole themselves up in this obscure but extremely well-built dwarven starship for at least a decade?
[STEP CLOSER.] An electronic voice boomed up ahead.
Ves quivered a bit inside his Unending Regalia. The cadence and force behind this distorted voice could only come from a genuine leader who knew his way around with power.
The deck softly clanked as Ves strode past a corridor formed out of a score of heavily armed guards in black. The helmeted guards did not move or show any visible reaction to the passage of a tall folk.
The worst part about this was that Ves couldn't even extend his spiritual senses to get an impression of other people's emotions and spirits! The oppressive domain field that Saint Mayorka constantly maintained with the help of her ace mech was saturating the surrounding space with her powerful presence. It acted as a form of interference that caused Ves' formidable Spirituality to remain confined in his body.
Blinky wasn't even able to exit his mind due to this oppressive atmosphere!
Ves eventually stopped in front of a set of broad, metal steps. They slowly led up to a massive metal throne that was fabricated with the sharp, angular style of the Vulcanites.
It was a piece of art in itself. The armrest and backrest was shaped to depict numerous hammers, mechs, and dwarves. If Ves had the time to appreciate this throne, he would have recognized that it depicted the origin story of the dwarven rebellion!
Unfortunately for him, one big form blocked his view of a third of the massive throne.
A large and heavy metallic form sat on the throne like a tyrant who knew he was in charge. The armor of the apparent dwarven leader was surprisingly plain. It was a rather sober work of clean and uncoated metal that was shaped to form a functional set of armor.
Despite the lack of frills, its size, thickness and blockiness conveyed a sense of weight and authority that far outstripped any leader that Ves had met in person! His Unending Regalia looked like a toy compared to this larger and taller dwarven suit of armor!
A familiar object rested between the legs of the giant metal dwarf. The Banner of Vulcan draped on the armored form as if it belonged there. Ves was able to sense that the dwarf was also able to harmonize with the aged and powerful artifact!
Ves had the illusion that there was no one in the Vulcan Empire that best represented its dwarven population than this armored figure resting on his throne!
[YOU ARE VES LARKINSON.]
"Correct." Ves simply replied.
[YOU ARE A MECH DESIGNER BY PROFESSION.]
"That is also correct. I am an independent Journeyman and lead my own mech company."
[YOU ARE THE PATRIARCH OF A CLAN.]
"A clan I've founded, actually."
The imperious metal facemask of the giant metal dwarven armor remained unmoving as its wearer scrutinized Ves.
[YOU ARE VULCAN.]
The critical moment had come. Ves knew he had to respond carefully lest he sicced the Praetorian Guard on himself!
He carefully removed his Hammer of Brilliance from his external toolbelt and clutched it with his gauntlet. He stretched it forward, allowing its glow to echo with the more aged and developed aura of the Banner of Vulcan.
It was like comparing the same wine from a different vintage! The newer bottle was fresh and light while the older one was thick and heavy.
Despite their differences, both wines still shared enough traits to make it clear that they shared the same origin!
"I… am." Ves answered as he channeled his incarnation to a small extent. His aura instantly altered in character. "I am Vulcan."
Saint Mayorka and anyone else who was discerning enough should be able to read the truth from his statement. No matter how absurd it sounded, Ves knew he had no choice but to admit this secret. He was in someone else's turf right now and he held no power to deny anyone's requests!
A long and disconcerting moment of silence passed. Ves grew shaky as his massive and impactful admission of truth failed to generate any response from the armored dwarves.
Neither Saint Mayorka, the Praetorian Guard, nor this big armored figure showed any apparent response!
Ves couldn't take it any longer.
"Excuse me, sir, but… may I know who I am speaking to?" He tentatively asked.
The dwarf on the throne finally reacted. The squarish, bulky metal armor slid from the throne and stood on two metal pillars. With the Banner of Vulcan gripped to the side, the heavy armored form slowly descended from the steps.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The armored figure was subjected to the full force of 4.6 g, which caused his boots to collide onto the steps like hammer blows.
Ves estimated that the entire suit of armor massed at least 1200 kilograms, which meant that the powered armor was currently hauling around a weight that was over 5 tons!
Once the dwarven leader reached the bottom of the steps, the armored suit still towered over Ves, and that was when he wore his Unending Regalia that added a bit of height to his own stature!
[I AM THE SOVEREIGN OF THE VULCAN EMPIRE.]
BOOM.
[I AM THE RULER OF THE VULCANITES.]
BOOM.
[I AM THE DWARF WHO EVERY OTHER DWARF MUST ANSWER TO.]
BOOM.
[I AM THE IRON EMPEROR.]
BOOM.
When the giant metal figure finally stopped right in front of Ves, the intimidating metal facemask slowly slid open, revealing a bald, dark-skinned dwarven head that looked strangely familiar.
Glowing, cybernetic yellow eyes stared down at Ves' thinner and shorter armored form.
"AND I AM THE ONE YOU SHOT IN THE HEAD."
"Rion." Ves gasped in utter shock!
How could he be alive all this time?!
The small hangar bay of the unknown dwarven frigate was clean and largely empty. There was no dwarf in sight and Ves was not able to glean a lot of relevant clues.
"It looks like Calabast is right." Ves concluded.
The tools, parts and the overall quality of the interior construction were all high-end. The ship was built with Vulcanite design principles in mind, but everything looked a lot more expensive and high-performing than typical.
There was a distinct lack of decorations, though. The overall look of the interior of the frigate was devoid of needless decorations and symbols. The deck and bulkheads were left uncoated, allowing Ves to get a clear glimpse at the spotless clean gunmetal grey alloys.
Of course, this was just the hangar bay and did not reflect what the rest of the starship was like.
Whoever was in charge didn't appear to care about grandeur as much as other powerful Vulcanites. That was strange because many dwarven leaders had a tendency to overcompensate by displaying their wealth and power in an ostentatious manner.
This did not appear to be the case this time. Ves increasingly became certain that he was dealing with a different breed of dwarf.
When he lifted up his weary body from his seat and exit his shuttle, he was quickly met with another setback.
"Meow!"
Lucky flung away from Ves' armored shoulder. The gem cat looked confused and tried to fly through the hatch, only to flatten himself against an invisible wall!
"Sir, our way out is blocked. We can't get through." Nitaa said in a concerned and distressed tone.
The tall bodyguard wore a massive suit of heavy combat armor that could bulldoze through many obstacles. Yet even she couldn't get past the invisible barrier that prevented anyone else inside the shuttle to step aboard the dwarven frigate!
Minister Shederin frowned as even his frail and unarmed form got denied passage. "I was afraid of this. The owners of this vessel only extended a single invitation. It appears you must proceed on your own, patriarch."
Ves looked depressed. He was still dealing with the consequences of expending much of his Worclaw energy. How was he supposed to keep his head as sharp as possible in his upcoming talks with his 'hosts'?
"Meow meow."
Lucky waved his paw as if to say goodbye before curling up on a chair in order to catch a quick nap.
"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence." Ves replied in a surly tone.
He was no stranger to confronting difficult situations by himself. He just didn't do it lately because he increasingly became used to acting like an actual patriarch.
This was a throwback to the past as far as he was concerned. Before he founded his clan and relied on his subordinates to take care of business, he regularly got his hands dirty.
Ves just had to place himself back to his past mindset where he did not lean on anyone to solve his immediate problems.
"I can do this." He softly said.
As he continued to step out of the shuttle unimpeded, he suddenly encountered another surprise.
"Urgh!" The gravity!
The artificial gravity set to the ship was much higher than Ves was accustomed to! According to the readings of the Unending Regalia, the artificial gravity was set as high as 4.6 g!
"My suit and I weigh almost five times heavier!"
Fortunately, Ves had anticipated such a problem beforehand. He just didn't expect the operators of this ship to dial the setting so high.
He mentally activated a command that caused the gravitic backpack mounted on the modular slot of the Unending Regalia to go active.
Although it was a high-end model, the gravitic backpack struggled to generate a local gravity field that offset the local gravity by 3.6 g, thereby restoring the weight of Ves and his gear to their normal levels.
Ves was too tired to resist excess gravity forces and he did not want his physical condition to drag down his thoughts any further.
He carefully strode forward. The shuttle behind him grew more distant until it disappeared from sight entirely as he passed through an empty corridor.
"Well, this ship offers a generous amount of ceiling height for a dwarven vessel." He muttered.
The ceiling was actually lower than what it should be compared to the interior of a human starship. Nitaa, who was already tall, would have to permanently bow down her body if she attempted to pass through this hallway while wearing her powered combat armor!
Initially, Ves wasn't sure where he should move. He still hadn't encountered a single crew member. The dwarves hadn't even dispatched a bot that could lead the way.
"Okay, this is clearly not the right direction."
He soon found out that he could only follow a single route. If he attempted to walk in the wrong direction, his armored body would bump into an invisible barrier that was impassable with his level of strength!
Ves could already tell that these walls were generated by Saint Mayorka. Ves was fully in the scope of her Saint Kingdom. Perhaps mechs might be able to employ enough brute force to overcome this resistance, but infantry could forget about escaping from the clutches of an active ace mech!
"Ace pilots make too much of a difference."
The more he experienced the overwhelming power of an ace pilot, the more he yearned to gain the services of one himself!
Unfortunately, none of the expert pilots of his clan came close to reaching the next level. It would take decades for them to develop their resonance strength and further flesh out their convictions.
"It looks like I will have to lay low in the Red Ocean for a long time until then. My clan can't confront any power that enjoys the protection of an ace pilot!"
This single incident had taught Ves and the rest of the Golden Skull Alliance a lot of crucial lessons. Until they were able to harness the power of an ace mech like the Olympus Mons for themselves, they could forget about exploring the Red Ocean without worry!
First he needed to make sure to pass the immediate hurdle. There was no guarantee that the dwarves would let 'Vulcan' off today!
His boots clanked against the deck until he apparently reached his destination. A frigate was not a large ship class, and their overall layout generally followed the same template, so he had a good idea of the compartment he was about to enter.
A large blast door slowly slid open, allowing him to glimpse some sort of ceremonial hall that was set up as a spartan seat of power.
The bare metal deck and bulkheads were slightly more spruced up than usual. Banners related to the Vulcan Empire hung from above while various symbolic markings had been painted on the deck.
This was the first time he encountered actual dwarves.
A procession of dwarven guards equipped with the Vulcanite version of heavy combat armor stood at the sides of the hall.
The bulky black equipment that caused them to look like oversized metal dwarves were coated in black. Their decorative golden flourishes added both a ceremonial and martial look to them. The heavy rifles and other armaments were both heavy and powerful in a way that few elite infantry units could match.
"Praetorian Guard."
They were the best of the best in the Vulcan Empire. Every dwarven infantry soldier aspired to join the elite bodyguard unit that was considered to be good enough to protect the grand regent of the Vulcan Empire!
Why were they here? What was the reason why the most elite and honored soldiers of the central government chose to leave their posts and hole themselves up in this obscure but extremely well-built dwarven starship for at least a decade?
[STEP CLOSER.] An electronic voice boomed up ahead.
Ves quivered a bit inside his Unending Regalia. The cadence and force behind this distorted voice could only come from a genuine leader who knew his way around with power.
The deck softly clanked as Ves strode past a corridor formed out of a score of heavily armed guards in black. The helmeted guards did not move or show any visible reaction to the passage of a tall folk.
The worst part about this was that Ves couldn't even extend his spiritual senses to get an impression of other people's emotions and spirits! The oppressive domain field that Saint Mayorka constantly maintained with the help of her ace mech was saturating the surrounding space with her powerful presence. It acted as a form of interference that caused Ves' formidable Spirituality to remain confined in his body.
Blinky wasn't even able to exit his mind due to this oppressive atmosphere!
Ves eventually stopped in front of a set of broad, metal steps. They slowly led up to a massive metal throne that was fabricated with the sharp, angular style of the Vulcanites.
It was a piece of art in itself. The armrest and backrest was shaped to depict numerous hammers, mechs, and dwarves. If Ves had the time to appreciate this throne, he would have recognized that it depicted the origin story of the dwarven rebellion!
Unfortunately for him, one big form blocked his view of a third of the massive throne.
A large and heavy metallic form sat on the throne like a tyrant who knew he was in charge. The armor of the apparent dwarven leader was surprisingly plain. It was a rather sober work of clean and uncoated metal that was shaped to form a functional set of armor.
Despite the lack of frills, its size, thickness and blockiness conveyed a sense of weight and authority that far outstripped any leader that Ves had met in person! His Unending Regalia looked like a toy compared to this larger and taller dwarven suit of armor!
A familiar object rested between the legs of the giant metal dwarf. The Banner of Vulcan draped on the armored form as if it belonged there. Ves was able to sense that the dwarf was also able to harmonize with the aged and powerful artifact!
Ves had the illusion that there was no one in the Vulcan Empire that best represented its dwarven population than this armored figure resting on his throne!
[YOU ARE VES LARKINSON.]
"Correct." Ves simply replied.
[YOU ARE A MECH DESIGNER BY PROFESSION.]
"That is also correct. I am an independent Journeyman and lead my own mech company."
[YOU ARE THE PATRIARCH OF A CLAN.]
"A clan I've founded, actually."
The imperious metal facemask of the giant metal dwarven armor remained unmoving as its wearer scrutinized Ves.
[YOU ARE VULCAN.]
The critical moment had come. Ves knew he had to respond carefully lest he sicced the Praetorian Guard on himself!
He carefully removed his Hammer of Brilliance from his external toolbelt and clutched it with his gauntlet. He stretched it forward, allowing its glow to echo with the more aged and developed aura of the Banner of Vulcan.
It was like comparing the same wine from a different vintage! The newer bottle was fresh and light while the older one was thick and heavy.
Despite their differences, both wines still shared enough traits to make it clear that they shared the same origin!
"I… am." Ves answered as he channeled his incarnation to a small extent. His aura instantly altered in character. "I am Vulcan."
Saint Mayorka and anyone else who was discerning enough should be able to read the truth from his statement. No matter how absurd it sounded, Ves knew he had no choice but to admit this secret. He was in someone else's turf right now and he held no power to deny anyone's requests!
A long and disconcerting moment of silence passed. Ves grew shaky as his massive and impactful admission of truth failed to generate any response from the armored dwarves.
Neither Saint Mayorka, the Praetorian Guard, nor this big armored figure showed any apparent response!
Ves couldn't take it any longer.
"Excuse me, sir, but… may I know who I am speaking to?" He tentatively asked.
The dwarf on the throne finally reacted. The squarish, bulky metal armor slid from the throne and stood on two metal pillars. With the Banner of Vulcan gripped to the side, the heavy armored form slowly descended from the steps.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The armored figure was subjected to the full force of 4.6 g, which caused his boots to collide onto the steps like hammer blows.
Ves estimated that the entire suit of armor massed at least 1200 kilograms, which meant that the powered armor was currently hauling around a weight that was over 5 tons!
Once the dwarven leader reached the bottom of the steps, the armored suit still towered over Ves, and that was when he wore his Unending Regalia that added a bit of height to his own stature!
[I AM THE SOVEREIGN OF THE VULCAN EMPIRE.]
BOOM.
[I AM THE RULER OF THE VULCANITES.]
BOOM.
[I AM THE DWARF WHO EVERY OTHER DWARF MUST ANSWER TO.]
BOOM.
[I AM THE IRON EMPEROR.]
BOOM.
When the giant metal figure finally stopped right in front of Ves, the intimidating metal facemask slowly slid open, revealing a bald, dark-skinned dwarven head that looked strangely familiar.
Glowing, cybernetic yellow eyes stared down at Ves' thinner and shorter armored form.
"AND I AM THE ONE YOU SHOT IN THE HEAD."
"Rion." Ves gasped in utter shock!
How could he be alive all this time?!
