Pretty much every star sector within human space possessed an MTA and CFA presence.

As the most powerful public trans-galactic organization that meddled in human space, the Mech Trade Association always sought to plant their flag in the most central and notable locations in a given star sector.

For example, in the Komodo Star Sector, both the Friday Coalition and the Hexadric Hegemony coveted the Centerpoint System during the start of the colonization period. It's great location, abundant exotics and energetic suns could all provide enormous boosts to any nascent state looking to supercharge their industrial development!

Yet from the moment the MTA dropped in and claimed Centerpoint for its own purposes, the Fridaymen and Hexers obediently avoided the location and fought for the surrounding star systems.

This pretty much happened in every star sector.

It was one thing if the MTA claimed the desirable and centrally-located star systems in recently-opened star sectors.

It was another thing if the MTA claimed a star system that was already developed by an existing state!

This happened to a lot of states during the rise of the powerful association and the onset of the Age of Mechs.

At that period, the devastation across human space and the might of the recently-established Big Two left the weakened states with little choice but to give up their prized star systems!

The Morgana Deltor System happened to be one of them. Situated in a highly desirable location in the center of the Majestic Teal Star Sector, the state that preceded the Harmony Association invested a lot of money, resources and manpower to develop its economic, military and cultural might.

Yet just as the modest state started to earn a return on its investment, the end of the Age of Conquest and the emergence of a powerful new organization that sought to make its mark on human civilization abruptly changed this trajectory!

The predecessor state to the Harmony Association had no choice but to acquiesce. It 'voluntarily' gave up its capital system and its greatest jewel in exchange for a large infusion of cash and rare exotics.

While this compensation was very sumptuous by the standards of the galactic rim, the permanent loss of territorial potential proved too much of a loss! The predecessor state fell and the weaker and more modest Harmony Association rose in its stead.

Ketis found this story to be rather intriguing as she and her massively-expanded Swordmaiden fleet entered this heavily-regulated star system.

From the moment her ships emerged in realspace, every one of them became buffeted by strong radiation. Despite the immense distance from the center of the star system, the seven suns that were orbiting complex trajectories all outputted their energy at the same time!

"Damn, that's bright!"

When the MTA took over the star system, they added a few extra stars to the mix. As a result, a whopping seven stars of different sizes, masses and luminosities illuminated the immediate space with an abundance of hot and very lethal radiation. The dense Dyson swarms that enveloped them all helped a lot in blocking too much energy from melting everything in the inner system, but regular starships simply could not survive a single trip to the interior!

In order to reach her destination, Ketis had to transfer to a space station situated at the edge of the star system and wait for a specially-designed MTA passenger vessel to bring her to one of the massive artificial starbases located close to all of the suns.

Ketis, who decided to make the trip by wearing her modest dark green Living Mech Corporation uniform instead of her ostentatious swordmaster dress uniform, looked wondrously at the projection in the center of the luxurious passenger ship.

"Why would the MTA allow the local stars to keep blasting the inner system with heat?"

"It's a natural defensive measure against invasions." A distinguished-looking man replied as he curiously eyed the floating sheathed greatsword hovering behind Ketis' back. "They say that all of the suns generate so much gravity, electromagnetic radiation and other forms of energy that it's virtually impossible for starships to use any form of FTL to drop inside the inner system. Those that do make the attempt will likely get shredded."

"Won't that block the MTA's own starships from using their portals to get to their destination quickly?"

The older man gently shrugged. "I don't think they mind the inconvenience as long as it provides them with a bit of peace of mind."

"Who are they guarding against, though? The nearby alien civilizations aren't that strong. There is no one in this region of space that can challenge the MTA's might."

"You're not entirely right, young lady. Who is humanity's worst enemy?"

It didn't take long for Ketis to come up with the answer. "Ourselves."

"Indeed. The MTA isn't worried about the local states. Even if all of the military forces of the Harmony Association, the Life Research Association, the Heavensword Association and so on gather together, the MTA's mech forces can easily wipe them out from a distance. The MTA is actually on guard against another organization, one that not only matches them in scale, but also excels at anything related to ship-based combat."

"You're talking about the CFA."

The talkative man nodded. "The Mech Trade Association and the Common Fleet Alliance are often lumped into a single category, but they're like brothers fighting over the same inheritance. Just because they are kin to each other doesn't mean that they will turn their weapons against each other. While the probability of this happening is not great, it's best to be on guard, hence why the MTA went through the trouble of relying on a natural countermeasure instead of a technological one. Machines can be disabled, but massive natural satellites like stars are virtually unassailable."

The man took one last look at the projection of the star system before wandering off to the shopping and dining section of the passenger ship.

Ketis kept staring at the projected stars, each of which were surrounded by many energy-gathering platforms, and kept thinking over the lessons she just learned.

She didn't even notice that her force of will, while rather subdued compared to other expert pilots, did not affect the man at all. Even if she did, it didn't really matter.

She didn't drop by the Morgana Deltor System to go on a sight-seeing tour.

After the passenger vessel calmly entered the inner system and easily resisted the abundance of heat and energy buffeting her hull, the ship finally docked on a massive artificially-constructed moon.

This was Orphidor Citadel, the sector headquarters of the MTA in Majestic Teal.

When Ketis realized that she already qualified to be recognized as a Journeyman Mech Designer, she decided to postpone her return to the expeditionary fleet in favor of finishing her mandatory pilgrimage.

After all, she had to go to a sector headquarters sooner or later, so why not cross this item off the list straight away?

The interior of Orphidor was impressive and imposing. Huge space, massive halls and lots and lots of metal surrounded the visitors from all sides.

The bare gunmetal grey decks and walls practically defied the more elegant aesthetic tastes that was common in Majestic Teal. It was a sign that the local branch of the MTA still closely adhered to the overall culture and customs of the central organization.

The first-class multipurpose mechs that stood on guard or patrolled the surroundings offered the visitors a feast for their eyes. An uncommonly high proportion of passengers happened to be mech designers, so they each looked at the pinnacle mechs of human civilization in different lights.

"How powerful." She whispered.

Even from a distance, she could already tell that a single mech could pretty much wipe out all of the second-class mechs of the Larkinson Clan! Not even the prime mechs would be able to last more than a few seconds, Unending alloy or not! The power disparity was so great that Ketis simply could not generate any desire to resist against the best at what the MTA had to offer!

She spent enough time around Ves to know that this might be part of a deliberate ploy to intimidate the space peasants who visited the sector headquarters for one reason or another.

First impressions were unforgettable, and many newly-advanced Journeymen would definitely curb the arrogance they gained from breaking through to a rank that many Apprentices failed to attain!

It was too bad that Ketis was not like other Journeymen. Her other identity was a swordmaster, and one of the effects she gained from it was boundless confidence and an unyielding will.

A challenging glint crossed her eyes. While she was aware that she stood no chance against these powerful MTA mechs, one day that might change.

After passing through some security checks, Ketis was surprised that the guards on duty did not bother to restrict or lock up Bloodsinger. Evidently, the mechers were so confident in their security measures that they did not feel threatened by ordinary weapons.

They were right to feel this way.

After the visitors entered a reception hall, a number of androids personally greeted specific people and led them deeper into Orphidor Citadel.

Ketis was waiting for her own assigned android to lead her to her next destination, but to her surprise a flesh-and-blood human walked up to her instead.

"Miss Ketis Larkinson, welcome to Orphidor Citadel."

Ketis looked straight at the approaching woman in shock. "You.. you're Master Willix!"

The Master Mech Designer, who wore a clean white lab coat underneath an elegant ensemble of smart clothing, simply turned around and gestured for Ketis to follow.

"Ordinarily, one of my colleagues should be receiving you in his office at the moment, but I took the liberty to take your case off his hands."

"Why.. why would you do that, ma'am?" Ketis asked.

Though she was a swordmaster, she could not help but lower her posture a bit when faced with a powerful MTA Master. Ever since Master Willix started showing up around Ves, Ketis had already begun to admire her. It was difficult for her to change that in a short amount of time, especially when Sharpie resided inside Bloodsinger at the moment.

Master Willix continued to glide forward as if she was an ethereal existence. "Your unusual accomplishments as well as your affiliation with an interesting clan has caught my interest. You might not believe it, but you are truly the first human in existence who has become both a swordmaster and a Journeyman at the same time. The Association has never encountered such an anomaly. In this case, it is more than justifiable for someone of my stature to welcome you instead. Have no fear. We just wish to perform some physical examinations. This won't take long and will not delay you much."

"Uhm, thanks. I need to get back to the main fleet of the Larkinson Clan as soon as possible. I don't know if the Larkinsons over there need my help, but I feel bad for staying away for so long."

"You don't have to be too concerned about your fellow clan members." Willix reassured the younger woman. "There is danger in opportunity, and there are few people in the star sector who can exceed the resourcefulness shown by your mentor and his band of misfits."

Ketis frowned. "Aren't you concerned that Ves might succumb to an accident or something? From what I've heard about Prosperous Hill VI, people are still getting killed left and right. Wouldn't it be awful for a mech designer as good as Ves to fall just because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Master Willix briefly stopped her advance. She turned around while still levitating above the deck.

"The galaxy is a cruel place, young lady. Don't be fooled by our civilized facade. Ves Larkinson is a man who thrives on the duality of our race. He has chosen a different path from other mech designers, and must bear the consequences of his decisions. In any case, this day is not about him. You should be considering your own future now. Let us continue this discussion after we have put you through a brief physical examination. As a unique existence, we are quite curious at what is going on in your head."