Thankfully, nothing happened that would escalate the standoff. Unfortunately, nothing happened that would deescalate the matter either. So by the time I arrived to the scene guns were still raised and pointed at one another, armored soldiers on both sides ready to pull the trigger should their officers order it so.
That also included the mechs on both sides, looming over the soldiers on foot and carrying large weapons facing their counterparts as well. There was the Major's Everest, holding up its assault rifle and taking aim. And on the opposite side, that mech that was the nightmare of infantry everywhere.
The Genghis Mk 2. A mech that specialized in setting planets on fire. Or at least keep it burning while the world was turning.
However, it curiously didn't have a certain war crime in its hands. In its place was a more recognizable shotgun, a curious arsenal choice. Because if I recalled things correctly, via the License Level system, pilots should have been able to unlock the Krakatoa Flamethrower before the mech frame itself. Of course things were quite different from the structured game, but the absence of the symbolic weapon to match to that frame was telling of a few things.
Things that I could perhaps exploit and use to negotiate a way out of upsetting Harrison Armory.
The vehicle came to a stop and Veronica helpfully activated the intercom, allowing my voice to echo through the speakers. "This is Commander Moores, acting interim governor of Cavia! Stand your forces down."
"Not until Prynth Mining Conglomerate receives affirmation that its assets will not be seized," responded the Genghis pilot, still ready to fight a moment's notice. "Harrison Armory has invested significant security assets-"
"Sure!"
The shotgun the mech was holding twitched briefly. "Wait, what?"
"Sure, Prynth Mining Conglomerate may keep its assets and property. My forces were mistaken in their efforts, as we meant to seize another mining facility nearby instead," I lied, praying that nobody from my side would give the game away. "However, upon seeing your dire reaction and with knowledge that there are perhaps criminals about, they simply acted in the name of public safety.
"If you lower those guns, they will too and be on their merry way. And I'll apologize directly to the owner myself, if you could get into contact with them. Also assuming that they're present."
There was a long moment of silence before achingly slowly, the Genghis lowered its guns and vented superheated air with a quiet hiss. "That could be arranged. I will be standing down my security forces."
"And I'll stand down my own too. Let's not start a fight needlessly."
Then as soon as I hung up on the intercom, Major Rowles called me directly looking to start a fight needlessly. "Commander! You can't be serious!" whined my subordinate. "We can take them!"
"I appreciate the confidence and candor, but that's a Genghis."
"So what? I can take the bitch on, I'll knock her teeth out-!" She caught herself a few moments later and sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm down in the cockpit of her Everest. "Apologies for my language sir."
"I did not hear anything in the last few seconds from you. Must have been lost in transmission," I excused with a nod. "But also, Prynth Mining Conglomerate is subsidiary of Harrison Armory, one of Union's biggest megcorps and arms manufacturers. If we start a fight with them without prior preparation or insurance, we'd unfortunately be at a significant disadvantage given our current circumstances.
"We have to pick and choose our battles, Rowles. This just isn't one of them we can take head-on for the moment, not without serious loss. Let's save our efforts for ones we can."
She held tense in the cockpit for another second before exhaling loudly. "Understood, sir. Am I to continue the mission regarding seizing forfeited business properties still?"
"Yes and if any try to pull a megacorp big brother on you, let me know and I'll take care of it. Don't worry," I added before the connection could be cut. "I'm not letting them just run over us either. I've got an idea, and perhaps a plan. This is my battlefield to fight."
"Hear you loud and clear. Good luck, sir."
The call dropped and I sighed, glad that Rowles could at least be talked down. She was aggressive, as most mech pilots tended to be personally once in their steeds, but she also clearly cared for others beneath her. Throwing them into a hopeless war with a likely difficult victory against Harrison Armory was not in the cards, at least for today.
Preferably, I wouldn't have liked to pick a fight with them at all if I could help it. Being a notorious arms dealer in a setting that favors the just war makes them a huge headache, least of all because their equipment is actually quite good. Like outside just what is offered to Lancer pilots, theirs is the stamp of quality wargear aside from GMS. Our infantry actually used Harrison Armory for their suits and weapons, explaining the very militarized look outside the entire love-affair Half Committee had for Anthrochauvinism.
Did the megacorp have a kill or control switch for it all? Likely not as printers ensured stuff was always homemade. But they would at least know the best way to counter it, meaning that they already also had that as an advantage over us.
Yet I suspected that there were also disadvantages too, especially with how that Genghis was armed. Time to exploit them. "Veronica, are you there?"
"Always, sir."
"I want you to pull up port records. Also please contact Lieutenant Nasir, I have a job for them."
When word came back that a meeting had been arranged and the owner of that subsidiary was prepared to talk face to face with me, my investigations were complete alongside a little hidden surprise. The spot for the occasion wasn't in the mining facility but in an office building that looked just a little bit too suspiciously well-kept. Veronica helpfully informed me that this was likely the headquarters of the mining conglomerate with a slight tone of irritation.
So she picked up that they were attempting to perform a small power play by making it look like I was coming to them. Annoying, but I like to think I dispelled any foolish notions of that by entering with my complement of guards. Rowles handpicked my escort, confidently declaring that they'd all rather step in front of a Barbarossa before let me come to harm. I appreciated the dedication.
I just hoped it wouldn't come to it.
The appearance of my heavily armed guards definitely put pause to whatever brief delusion of power the owner might've had. Then they doubled down by having their Harrison Armory security team out in force as well, silently moving in lockstep to 'share' the guard duty. It was almost like I was looking into the mirror with how when lined up next to one another, their armors resembled each other so strongly. The only difference I was sure of was that the actual corporate guards likely had a more developed variant of the body armor, and perhaps different faces beneath the helmet-
Wait, no. Flash cloning was still a thing in some megacorps, wasn't it? Something that Union very clearly didn't like, but didn't wish to upset them so openly. Given the setting then, they perhaps were doing something in the background, rather than rolling their eyes and tolerating it like many others would do. Hm, I was wondering now.
If all these soldiers present took off their helmets, would they actually all have the exact same head beneath? A curious thought.
I know for certain that the one leading this Harrison Armory team certainly wasn't a clone, given that she seemed a little too animated to be one in my observations. Especially when she openly smoked in the office sofa with little care or remorse, not at all caring where the ash from the tip ended up. This one, I realized, was quite dangerous.
She embodied the spirit of a Lancer. All she had left to do was truly embrace it.
Good thing I just dodged a bullet then by asking everybody to chill their tits.
"Hey. Commander Moores, right?" she commented, clearly bored while we waited because the owner was still being a hack about things. "Actually, you're just Moores now, aren't ya? What with not having an actual military anymore."
"Is that what it looks like?" I coolly responded, gesturing slightly to my unimpressed retinue. "Even if Half Committee is gone, we are still bound by rank and discipline to serve something greater."
"Wow. Did you pick that one right out of a manual? 'A Guide on how to Suck Yourself Off?'"
"Better the idea of a higher duty something than just serving for manna."
"Eh." She openly shrugged. "Job pays well enough, and I get benefits while stomping around the stars. Can't argue with that."
"No, you cannot. And you've just described what the majority of Half Committee's armed forces had likely signed up for, above all else."
She smirked around her lit cigarette. "Cold, hard cash? Hah, now we're talking. You know, I've been promised a bonus if I get through this without losing any of my team. Security for Harrison Armory assets are a premium in the area, so don't do anything stupid. Or else it's my paycheck on the line."
I returned her expression with a knowing smile. "Oh, I'm well aware. And with any fortune, we'll all walk away from this with what we want."
Her eyes narrowed but before our little conversation could continue, the owner of the contested facilities finally decided to make a debut. Veronica had briefed me beforehand about this lovely piece of work, the current scion of the Prynth family for whom the entire enterprise was named after. Rich, vain, and a miser given how much they'd paid their 'workers.'
They seemed to bask in the moment of eyes briefly turning to focus upon them before striding forward, addressing me directly. "Well, well. Commander Moores, was it?" Unlike how the smoking pilot had said it, this one had a tone of superiority, like they knew they had already won. "I understand there's been a brief incident at my main mine, my goodness!
"I had hoped that the chaos of the fighting was already all over when you gave that little speech, but I suppose that perhaps Cavia isn't as safe as I'd thought." They paused, searching for my reaction. Then, based on whatever they saw, they continued. "Ah, but I suppose I must thank dear Erica here for making sure everything worked out just fine, right? No lives lost, nothing damaged?"
"It was just some peacocking," she summed up and they rolled their eyes.
"Hmph." Then Prynth's face abruptly brightened and they turned to face me, greed now shining in those eyes. "Ah, but I'm told that this was over quite the misunderstanding. Something about perhaps my...arrangement with the House Hessin."
"That's correct," I answered in as neutral a tone as possible. "There are some irregularities I would like to clarify. Especially regarding the slave labor employed-"
I specifically picked those words to provoke a reaction. And Prynth swallowed it, hook line and sinker.
"They are not slaves, my god!" they exclaimed quite dramatically, placing a hand over their chest like I had wounded them with such casual mention. "They are workers! Employed, honest workers like anywhere else. Why, I treat them almost like family- I was so worried out of my mind when told that due to the ongoing military operations, I'd have to stop seeing them for a little while!"
Funny way of saying how they'd immediately bolted for an emergency bunker with some other of the more wealthier business owners to take cover in. While everybody else was stuck outside, watching in horror as my forces landed to slaughter the desperate garrison, who still thought help had been coming. These people, they'd known it wasn't- but weren't rich enough to buy a ticket off-world with House Hessin. Or perhaps they were so confident that Harrison Armory would protect them if any aspiring warlord decided to pick a fight.
It didn't escape my notice Erica did have a holstered pistol on her, one that her free hand never was too far from while the other held the cigarette in place.
"I see. My apologies," I delivered with a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "I hadn't understood that you cared for them so well."
Perhaps sensing blood in the water, Prynth dug the hole even deeper. And I let him. "Indeed, they'd be delighted to see me well and hearty- and their workplace intact! So even in the times of this, let's say, transitional government, they can still get fed. Which matters most of all in these times.."
"Of course. It's something that I myself often worry about too, to feed my forces."
"Ah, so that's explained why you've seized those hydroponic farms haven't you?" they mused before shaking their head. "Ugly business that. I'd go so far to say it was truly heinous. Imagine that, laboring for food that you couldn't eat!"
"I couldn't say. But given that those had been the most egregious of the affected businesses, alongside no owners present to correct any errors that I might have, I had taken executive action to nationalize such industries for the good of Cavia." We now had majority of the hydroponics facilities on world under our control, and already the logistics corps was weeping. The end of our ration troubles might already be soon in sight. "However, while my office does now control the producers, I have no intent on the distributors. Though they will be going through a regulatory review, which may including licensing fees for the new administration."
Prynth's eyebrows show up and their brow furrowed. "New licensing fees? Ah." They seemed to come to a conclusion about something and chuckled. "Ah, you're like old Hessin at heart, aren't you? Somebody who understands that sometimes manna is used to greased hands for...protection. Or resources in this case.
"I provide raw resources that Harrison Armory wants to feed their factories, and they send me a security team to protect me in kind. We both get what we want, and we both prosper." They rubbed their fingers together in a very distinct motion. "But commander, you know you have to do better than that with me. I won't be paying any bribe you try to level upon me, thank you very much. And if you want to force the issue, then you do risk the ire of my parent company."
I took that information in, then looked at Erica directly. "How true is that?"
"Mostly." A cloud of smoke escaped her lips, eyes almost seemingly glowing through the brief fog. I wondered if perhaps she had them modified to do so. It certainly was quite the look. "Harrison Armory had been...troubled when the Half Committee advanced. Asset protection teams were deployed to ensure that even if operations should be disrupted, facilities are to be as best maintained as possible. Regardless of whoever holds the planets after everything is said and done.
"My team and I are stuck here until shit gets sorted out, and Prynth Mining Conglomerate is able to safely produce materials again. Then I'm out of your hair, unless you want to try taking those material shipments too."
Ah, tch. So Harrison Armory was pretty much saying that anything that came from those mines was theirs, or at least most of it. I couldn't touch it, it was the sacred bull. Had the family owners really signed such a contract to ensure that they'd be able to forever live like that? And had House Hessin really allowed it? That was annoying if I couldn't get those resources by myself without having to deal with Harrison Armory in the meantime.
Oh well. One matter at a time.
One injustice to resolve at a time.
The mine owner clapped their hands together and gestured to me. "So! Let's get this over with then. I don't owe you anything, you can't do anything to me. But since we should be friends, I suppose I'll be a most generous one!" So they realized that they had to cozy up to me when the security team departed, recognizing that I would be the one in immediate reach compared to the megacorp. "Let's establish a good relationship.
"Tell me what you want in exchange for my cooperation."
I sucked in a deep breath and hummed aloud a certain melody, one that the listening Veronica should pick up on and start making arrangements based off. Erica noticed the odd cadence and visibly placed her hand against her resting sidearm, ready to draw it if things got violent. Her expression morphed into one of sour disappointment, likely anticipating casualties that'd cost her colleagues and that paycheck bonus.
I shot a small smile to her, then spoke. "I'd actually like to see you get your mines back to work already. So I've taken the liberty of already arranging for you to greet your workers and confirm their safety."
Eyebrows lifted in shock at my offer, and Prynth laughed loudly. "Oh excellent, excellent! We might be in business for quite a long time if you and I really do match this closely."
"We'll see," I mentioned noncommittally, glancing at the suspicious pilot. "You said it yourself, right? As soon as the shipments resume, you're good to go?"
"That's right. Harrison Armory doesn't care about anything but the materials." She seemed to catch onto something and her eyes slid over to the still-beaming owner. "Though they would like any...transition to be as smooth as possible. And legal too."
"Very well." It had crossed my mind perhaps that she was hinting at understanding that 'removing' a certain individual entirely was an option that could happen. A little dirty secret between her and I to make this all quite nicely done with just a single death.
But that was still a dark path to take, the backup one if my current one didn't pan out. I didn't want to necessarily go that route first, not when I had another option before me. A more moral one that I thought was more in line with what this setting was all about, what Union preached so diligently. So I chose to support a different plan first.
Fortunately, it was also a plan for whom the primary perpetrators also liked the sound of, and agreed to listen to how we had laid out the plot.
There was a sudden knock on the door, then one of the guards posted outside opened the way into the room slightly. "Lieutenant Nasir has arrived sir, alongside a group of individuals. Should we let them in?"
"That'd be the miners, your employees," I described with a smile. "Your family, so to speak. Shall we have a chat with them? Listen to them eagerly talk about how they want to get back to work."
"Oh, of course, of course!" I think Prynth realized something was off, a glimmer of suspicion entering their eyes. But it was too late to back out after all I've lured them into. "Let me talk to them. Let me emphasize how glad I am to see them all again."
They filed in and the enthusiasm in the owner immediately began to wane, likely meeting the people who he employed on the ground for the first time. Not through overseers or managers, but the actual rugged locals who pried those valuable ores from the ground they were born on, perhaps even risking their lives in poorly illuminated and ill-maintained tunnels, and were paid only a pittance of the actual value. The miners.
Their family, as they'd put it.
"A-ah. Welcome back, everybody. I hope that you're all...unharmed?" The flat stares they received had them shirking a bit. "G-g-good, good! We'll want to be back to work as normal as soon as possible, as it's important to meet our yearly quotas-"
"We. Won't. Do It," loudly growled the leader among the miners, joined by a chorus of affirmatives. "We're not putting up how shit the work or pay is anymore!"
Prynth's eyes widened and they gestured wildly at me. "Everybody, not in front of our new governor!" they hastily said, perhaps realizing that they were losing control of the situation. Oh, that wasn't really the right way to describe it.
They never had control of the situation.
"Please, we, erm, can talk this out later-! Look, if you don't want to work, I'll just find somebody else-"
"We're talking it out now, because we forming a miner's union! You want the people of Cavia to work for you? You talk to us!"