"In fact, I do Ves. Our Wodin Dynasty employs and retains many fantastic implant surgeons." Gloriana calmly answered his question.

"Can they be trusted?"

"Of course! As long as they are given time and resources to prepare, they never botch an implantation surgery. They've served the Wodin Dynasty loyally and almost never threatened the lives of my relatives when they were put under their care. I can refer you to the surgeon who implanted my Erestal-015 implant in my head if you want the best!"

Ves slowly shook his head. He had little doubt of the competence of the biotech experts working for the Wodin Dynasty. The problem was that they only answered to the Wodin Dynasty. Who could say that they would have his best interest in heart?

Cutting open his head and messing with his brains was one of the most precarious situations he could imagine! Someone as paranoid as him would never allow a stranger to have unfettered access to his head!

Who knew if Constance Wodin ordered a surgeon to slip in some kind of control implant.

Would he take an expert's word that they hadn't tampered with the Archimedes Rubal bioimplant?

Unless he could obtain much greater assurance from the surgeon in question, Ves simply didn't want to take the risk of anything going wrong!

He tried to explain his concerns to Gloriana as carefully as possible. Her face grew grave as she learned of his worries.

"You don't trust our surgeons?"

"I'm sure they've been nothing but loyal and diligent in the service of your dynasty." Ves replied. "It's just that they ultimately answer to your matriarch, right?"

"Matriarch Xiaphna is in charge, but even she has to answer to the Wodin Hexagram." She corrected him. "I understand your point, though. Even if I refer you to one of our implant surgeons, I can't guarantee they'll abide by our wishes. My mother or any other senior member of my family has much more say. If they happen to dislike you…"

"...then they can easily sabotage my treatment." Ves finished her sentence. "Please think for a moment and consider whether it's possible your dynasty would resort to such a means to eliminate me from contention."

She paused for a while and thought it over. Her face grew grimmer and grimmer as she began to entertain several unpalatable scenarios.

"It does sound like something some of my relatives would do." She admitted reluctantly. "I'm sorry, Ves."

Ves waved at her. "It's fine. I'm aware your dynasty has a lot of vested interests and factions. What I'm asking for is if there is an implant surgeon or relevant expert who you can trust with operating on me. Can you think of anyone who is suitable?"

"Well.." Gloriana pressed a finger on her lips. "We'd have to rule out our retainers. They work on behalf of our entire dynasty, which means they effectively answer to Matriach Xiaphna. She's quite distinguished and old, so she probably doesn't favor our relationship."

"Then there is no one you can trust?"

"I didn't say that, Ves. I can still turn to a relative I'm close to. In fact, I know exactly who to approach!"

"Wouldn't that basically be the same?" Ves frowned.

Gloriana shook her head. "My younger cousin Ranya won't stab me in the back. We've been close to each other since we were young! We pretty much belong to the same faction within the Wodins, so she won't listen to any of our opponents within our dynasty. She just happens to graduate as a biotech expert. I'll see whether she's available and willing to travel to the Bright Republic."

Though Gloriana expressed a lot of confidence in this Ranya Wodin, Ves remained on the fence.

"I'm not sure, Gloriana. I really want to take your word for it, but that's not enough. I'll reserve my judgement until I meet her. If I meet her. Won't she be busy now that the Komodo War has erupted?"

"She's just a fresh graduate." His girlfriend dismissively remarked. "Right now, she isn't needed or valued. It would be as if she was a Novice or Apprentice Mech Designer. As long as I call her and promise her enough rewards, she'll probably race to the Bright Republic as fast as possible. She's always short on money."

"Why is that? Aren't you Wodins rich?"

"Not everyone has a mother like me, Ves. Ranya had to make do with much less investment. Her research is also a huge burden."

"Won't she be able to earn that money herself in the Hegemony now that she graduated?"

"Maybe. Perhaps if the war hadn't broken out, she could have started her own company and attracted a lot of investment. Now that our state is engulfed in war, I don't think any investor has any attention to spare on her odd research projects."

"What does she specialize in?" Ves curiously asked.

"Something about combining plants with humans." Gloriana murmured. "What matters is that she's capable of installing implants in human bodies."

"I don't know. It sounds rather iffy to entrust something as important as this to a fresh graduate. No offense to your cousin Ranya, but experience matters."

Even if Ranya Wodin studied at a prestigious medical school in the Hegemony, Ves knew very well that inexperienced professionals still needed to prove themselves.

The two discussed the matter for a moment before making a decision.

"I'll contact Ranya and see if she's willing and able to visit us." Gloriana promised. "If she isn't available, I'll try and contact a close friend. I'm not sure whether they'll be available due to the war, but I'll do my best to lure them over."

"That sounds great." Ves nodded. "I'll see if I can't recruit more qualified implant surgeons on my side. I would feel much better if more than one knowledgeable biotech expert is involved. They can keep each other in check that way, especially if their backgrounds are radically different."

He activated his comm and browsed the personnel database of the LMC and his mech forces. While his organizations actually employed a fair amount of doctors and medical personnel, how many of them worked with implants?

A ten-minute search revealed that Ves employed no suitable specialists.

That meant that if Ves wanted to hire an additional surgeon to keep Gloriana's cousin in check, he would have to recruit one from somewhere else.

His thoughts quickly turned to the masses of refugees milling about at one of the many farming settlements that had sprung up on Cloudy Curtain.

From what he heard, all kinds of professionals and skilled workers were currently stuck in the refugee settlements because the government couldn't deal with them at the moment.

Over time, the government would eventually sort all of the professionals out and find some way to make use of their services, but right now the Starfighter Corps and many other defense efforts required their attention.

This was also why a window had appeared where powerful and well-connected people and organizations could poach the refugees in advance.

Ves already ordered his subordinates to draft a list of potential recruits. He composed a quick message to Gavin so that he could add a biotech expert that was capable of performing implantation surgery to the list.

Once they finished breakfast, the two rode a shuttle to the Mech Nursery. While Gloriana hummed and headed to the underground lab, Ves first diverted to his office.

He had a morning appointment to meet.

"Marcella!"

"Good to see you again, Ves." The middle-aged woman nodded at Ves with respect as she waited outside the door to his office. "Let's get inside. We have a lot to talk about."

While Ves hadn't spoken to Marcella Bollinger in person for quite some time, he still kept in touch with her through the LMC.

As a minority shareholder who supported the company from the beginning, Marcella enjoyed a special status in his orbit.

Even though the LMC had recently surpassed the scope of what her mech brokerage firm originally dealt with, she hadn't been sitting idle while the dividends kept rolling in. From what he heard, she invested billions into expanding the reach of her firm, allowing her to gain access to a lot of foreign markets.

While Ves preferred it if the LMC could depend on entering foreign markets by itself, he didn't mind letting Marcella continue to play a role.

Once they sat down in his office, Marcella grinned and looked at him appreciatively.

"Well, you're certainly grown up a lot. No wonder you managed to attract a rich girl like Gloriana. You know, it doesn't surprise me at all that you're into Hexers."

Ves glowered a bit at her. "Let's not joke around, please. Our time is valuable."

"Oh, come on, Ves! We're old friends, right?"

"We are, but right now we are in a very hectic time. Every second we waste is another second the sandmen get closer to annihilating our state."

Marcella scoffed. "Relax, Ves. Even if you slack off, the Bright Republic won't fall so easily. You may have forgotten this, but you're not the only mech designer around."

"Well, my Soldier product line is making a pretty great impact in the Sand War."

"Don't get complacent too soon, Ves." Marcella warned him. "Your competitors are already on the move. Not just in the Bright Republic, but also in other states."

Ves smiled confidently. "I welcome any honest competition. If someone manages to upstage my Desolate Soldiers, then I'll readily acknowledge my defeat."

Such a thing would never happen, of course. There was no way another mech designer would be able to overcome his spiritual component monopoly!

Marcella helplessly shrugged. "Have it your way, then. Let's get to business since you're so eager to get back to fiddling with your mechs. Do you know why I've come?"

"Yes. You said something about presenting an important proposal that will have wide political ramifications." Ves recalled before frowning. "You know I don't like to get involved in politics."

"From what I've seen so far, you're doing quite well for yourself on that front. Everyone knows you're implicitly backed by the Tovars."

"Not entirely by my own will, I might add."

"That's not important. In fact, the reason why I mentioned the Tovars is because my proposal is related to this founding family."

"What do they want? And why go through you instead of someone else?"

"That's because this proposal, or should I say commission, is very controversial. If you don't have someone like me to smooth things out, this could easily blow up in everyone's faces."

"Stop teasing me and just tell me. What is this commission about?"

Seeing that Ves was reaching the limits of his patience, Marcella grinned and placed a data pad on his desk.

As Ves reached out to pick it up, he couldn't as Marcella kept pressing it against the desk.

"Will you let me see already?"

"Only if you promise not to go bonkers."

"I'm a mech designer, Marcella. We never lose control."

"We'll see."

Once Marcella let go, Ves quickly swiped the data pad and read through the first document.

"Hmm.. a commission for a completely new custom mech, huh? Demands that both Gloriana and I will take part in the design. Well, someone sure did their research. The customer is…"

Ves fell silent while the data pad dropped from his fingers. The device clattered against the surface of his desk.

While Ves remained in shock, Marcella did her best to stifle a laugh.

"Are you kidding me, Marcella?"

"I'm very serious, Ves. From what I've heard, Senator Tovar personally approved of this commission! He thinks it would be a nice way to forge friendly ties with old enemies!"

"But.. THIS IS VINCENT RICKLIN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!" Ves erupted and lifted himself off his seat. "THIS BASTARD IS A MURDERER AND A TERRORIST!"

Marcella sighed and closed her eyes. "I agree, but times are changing, Ves. Later this afternoon, the bright president will hold a press conference where he'll grant full amnesty to the Bentheim Liberation Movement. As long as they agree to fight on behalf of the Republic, the government will wipe the slate clean!"