Task Force Predator eventually moved on after collecting the spoils. The Larkinsons didn't bother to bring any of the bulk goods, but everyone was already satisfied with the detailed intelligence and portable valuables they gained.

Ves made sure that the Larkinson Clan allocated a generous bonus to the Avatars of Myth. Everyone who took to the field and fought deserved to be compensated for their efforts.

The battle against the Rust Grinders wouldn't be the last time the task force fought against pirates. The fleet hadn't even left Wreckage Paradise yet. There were much more powerful pirate groups calling the shots at Maynard Fields!

So far, the casualties his forces suffered only consisted of a handful of broken and damaged mechs. The mech technicians assisted by low-ranking mech designers were already at work trying to restore them to working condition.

However, Ves knew that in the future that real casualties were unavoidable. Once their opponents grew strong enough, the Larkinson Clan had to take into account that they might start losing mech pilots!

Regardless if they were adopted or trueblood, every Larkinson mech pilot was precious. Ves did not wish to lose any of them, but it was unrealistic to think he could conclude his adventure in the Nyxian Gap without suffering some serious losses.

From a transactional perspective, Ves already accepted the fact that he might have to trade the lives of hundreds of Larkinsons in order to chase after opportunities and allow his clan to accumulate some battle experience.

Was this trade off worth it? That was difficult to say. How many losses would the Larkinsons have to suffer before it wasn't worth it anymore? How many lives was Ves willing to sacrifice to obtain 1,000,000 MTA merits?

The entire premise of setting a market price in blood for merits was distasteful in the extreme. Ves momentarily struggled with his conscience before he simply shrugged his shoulders and threw the problem outside of his mind.

"Ah, hell. Whatever. I'll just meander along and see how I'll fare!"

Perhaps his clan might be able to avoid serious losses in the next couple of months. Ves had to remind himself that he was fully in charge of this excursion. He was responsible for every aspect of the task force, and he was also its ultimate decision maker.

This meant that Ves was fully capable of managing his own risk exposure!

The importance of this luxury couldn't be understated. Unlike before when Ves had to abide by the will of other people, this time he could decide to pull back whenever he felt he was in danger.

Once Ves carefully stashed his newly-obtained B-stone in the Scarlet Rose's vault, he paid a visit of Calabast's office.

The spymaster currently poured over the valuable intelligence her subordinates obtained from the Rust Grinders.

"Hey, kid. We are still analyzing and verifying all of the information we have gathered."

"I won't be here for long." Ves replied. "I'd like to know if you have obtained a greater understanding of the distribution of pirate forces in Wreckage Paradise."

"Ah, we have already obtained a lot of up-to-date clues as well as a number of interesting navigational charts. I believe they are all reliable enough to allow us to chart a course that will minimize the frequency of pirate encounters. If we are lucky enough, we might be able to reach Maynard Fields without engaging in any hostilities."

"No."

"Pardon, kid?"

"I don't want to avoid the pirates along the way. I want to confront as many of them as possible as long as they aren't too strong!"

Calabast frowned and stopped her work. "Are you crazy?"

"Look, we already obtained some valuables and gathered a lot of valuable intelligence from the Rust Grinders. I bet they're not the outfit who has managed to obtain a B-stone. Do you remember my request to look out for more B-stones and F-stones? I think this is the best opportunity to obtain these rare exotics! Bsides, don't you want to corroborate all of the intel you have gathered so far?"

"I do, but that does not mean I am in favor of engaging in needless battles. The pirates that are more likely to possess what we want are never easily taken down. The Rust Grinders already surprised us with a number of ship-mounted cannoneer mechs. Who can tell if the next batch of pirates won't resort to something worse? This isn't civilized space, Ves! Anything goes in these parts, and that includes employing nuclear weapons, bioweapons and so on! The Nyxian Gap is notorious for a good reason!"

The possible threats she mentioned sobered Ves up a little. He acknowledged her point, though the prevalence of weapons of mass destruction in the Nyxian Gap was not alarmingly high.

No matter what, the bounties issued by the Big Two formed a serious deterrent to anyone who crossed this line, even if they were technically beyond the jurisdiction of any authority!

The two argued a bit before Ves had his way. Calabast might hold one of his most sensitive secrets, but the task force abided by whims!

"Very well." The former Hexer sighed and ran her fingers through her luscious hair. "I will work with the navigators to chart a new course. I think we can pass through the territories of at least half-a-dozen established pirate groups along the way. Is that enough to satisfy your greed? Mind you, every battle will delay our progress by at least half a day, but often more. If we suffer too many delays, we might not be able to return to Cinach in time to attend your wedding!"

Ves dismissively waved away her concern. "It's okay. We'll just have to do our business at Maynard Fields faster, then. Regardless of how much progress we have made, we'll drop everything as long as our time is up. That, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that, Ves." She replied, though she looked very skeptical at him. "I don't need to tell you what Gloriana will do to you if you are late."

Ves shuddered. "I know. You don't need to remind me. I'll definitely return in time!"

"Good. There is one positive development that might help us shorten our stay in the inner periphery. After digging through some of Commander Upander's private files, I managed to find a reference to someone who might allow us to get in touch with Solok Veyra."

Ah. Ves almost forgot about the primary goal he wanted to achieve for this excursion. Though he could earn even more credits if he assassinated Pirate Lord Hivex and destroyed the Gravada Knarlax, there was no way that Task Force Predator could even come close of the heavy cruiser!

The Allidus Alliance mainly resided in the core regions, which was deeper than Ves was willing to travel. It was best for him to focus on achievable goals and settle for rescuing a kidnapped MTA mech designer.

"Who is this person who can possibly get us in touch with our target?"

"He's called 'the Flutist'. No other name. Don't ask me why he's called this way. The Flutist is a rather notable merchant and information broker who has currently set up shop at a pirate base called Frostbite Fortress."

"It must be pretty chilly there."

Calabast nodded. "Frostbite Fortress is built on a moon-sized asteroid in Maynard Fields. While the Nyxian Gap is already very cold due to the lack of active stars, Chalice Crown is even colder. Every vehicle that approached the planetoid will have to be especially resistant against ultra-low temperatures."

"Doesn't that make it impossible for ordinary pirates to approach the fortress?" Ves frowned.

"That is exactly one of the reasons why it is so defensible. Ordinary mechs simply aren't resistant enough to the unnaturally penetrating chill that Chalice Crown exudes. The exotic deposits that are buried deep in the planetoid is responsible for fending off many abortive attacks."

"How does anyone even get there in the first place? If the Flutist is conducting business there, then there has to be at least some flow of traffic."

"The Children of the Chill, who are in charge of Frostbite Fortress, have built a fleet of special-purpose shuttles and transports that can resist the extreme cold. Any transportation to and from the pirate base depends on their vessels. There is no other choice."

The entire arrangement sounded a bit convoluted, but very secure. With the Children of the Chill occupying a base built on a planet that could freeze any normal mech, Ves believed that hardly any other rival would bother with attacking Frostbite Fortress.

The cost was far too great!

"How strong are the defenses of Frostbite Fortress?"

"Don't think about storming it from the outside." Calabast shook her head. "The Children of the Chill are one of the major factions in Maynard Fields. They are mining a very substantial amount of Kavenit every day, which they mostly spend on expanding their forces and increasing the defenses of their base. Let me just say that even the Penitent Sisters might not succeed subjugating Frostbite Fortress!"

That sounded very serious. With an amazing defensive advantage and thousands of mechs at their disposal, Ves did not dare to engage in hostilities against the Children of the Chill.

Some pirates were simply too strong for him to challenge!

"So how can we obtain any clues about Solok Reyva from the Flutist, then?"

Calabast told him her plan. "We will have to infiltrate Frostbite Fortress by passing ourselves off as pirates. By 'we', I mean our subordinates. Neither you or I are obliged to put our lives on the line. I have plenty of trained personnel who can obtain what we need from the Flutist. This is the privilege of being in charge."

He fully agreed with her sentiment, even if a part of him strongly wanted to don a pirate disguise and step foot inside Frostbite Fortress! This was the first time he had ever heard of such a unique and defensive pirate base.

Sadly, even if Ves decided to enter the Nyxian Gap, he did so as the man in charge instead of a footsoldier who did all of the heavy lifting.

"I will defer to your judgement." He leaned his head towards his strategic partner. "All I want is to catch up to Solok Reyva in time to rescue him from the Krella Alliance and return to civilized space. How you go about it is up to you, though I hope you will at least keep some people in the loop."

"I will do my best, but we won't share too much with the other Larkinsons."

Once they finished this discussion, Ves asked one more personal question before he left.

"Now that you are part of the Larkinson Clan for a time, how do you feel about what I have started?"

The woman did not answer immediately. She leaned back in her chair and took her time to compose her answer.

"I'm satisfied. I'm also worried."

"Could you tell me anything more?"

"I am very appreciative of the values that define the Larkinsons. Even if I myself don't abide by them, it is good to be in the company of people who are more straightforward. As for my worries, I have already shared them with you. Your recent stunts have attracted so much attention that I don't need to perform any investigation to determine that there is a target on your back. I'm very fearful that you will get into an unnecessary conflict in the Nyxian Gap."

"Most pirates have better things to do, I think. We aren't weak at all, and that is our strongest guarantee of safety."

"Being well-informed is also essential." Calabast turned back to her terminal. "I will continue to analyze the data and send my report to you by tomorrow."

"Sounds good. Oh, before I forget, did you look into why Captain Nodan placed the case that held the B-stone on his bedside table?"

"Apparently, the B-stone as you call it helps him sleep easier at night. If you haven't noticed, the Nyxian Gap exerts a faint but fairly disturbing pressure on our minds. Captain Nodan found out that the rock he has obtained is able to shield his mind from these disturbances, allowing him to sleep in complete comfort."

"That's it?"

To think that a pirate captain obtained an extremely rare and valuable B-stone, only to use it as a sleeping aid sounded ridiculous to Ves!

These pirates didn't know what treasure they possessed. They deserved to be robbed!