Chapter 4789  Commanding Lead

　　"Who put you in charge?!" A mercenary general asked.

　　The uniformed man possessed a brave demeanor and did not look inferior to a Larkinson. The 

　　people who got kidnapped largely consisted of highly successful leaders in every important 

　　profession. The Larkinsons were not the only ones who brought soldiers, and it could even be 

　　argued that mercenary organizations possessed even more fighting experience!

　　This gave the mercenary general the confidence to contest for dominance. It was not that the man 

　　doubted the combat ac.u.men of the Larkinsons, but his mercenary organization possessed a martial 

　　tradition that went back centuries!

　　Ves recalled that the man came from a notable mercenary organization called the TRD Combat 

　　Application Group.

　　"General Holdren. I have heard much about you and your fellow mercenaries. I respect your 

　　mercenary company's competence in battles against mechs on the battlefield, but we are in a 

　　different situation right now. The scenario we are in is more comparable to the expeditions that our 

　　clan has embarked upon in the past. In this alien environment where we are tasked with fighting an 

　　asymmetrical battle with inconsistent battle a.s.sets, ingenuity and technological mastery are more 

　　important than knowing how to fight. Besides, you and your fellow mercenary officers have come 

　　without bringing any combat armor or heavy weapons."

　　"We have our guards!"

　　"That may be true, but are they as well-equipped as ours?" Ves asked with a grin.

　　He decided that a demonstration was in order. He waved for his honor guards to step forward. They 

　　did so with loud clanking metal footsteps that echoed throughout the large and expansive hall.

　　Each of them looked large and looming as they wore serious medium to heavy combat armor that 

　　were geared towards a.s.sault, defense and other heavy duties.

　　The more knowledgeable and technical people among the crowd looked astonished as they 

　　understood how well the Larkinson Clan's honor guards were armored!

　　"Those troops are wrapped in first-cla.s.s armor plating!" A Senior Mech Designer working for 

　　another company revealed. "The workmans.h.i.+p is rough, but their effectiveness is not in question."

　　"Seriously?!"

　　"How extravagant!"

　　"Even the patriarch is clad in the same quality of armor!"

　　Ves grinned as he faced the crowd in an open helmet. He waved one of his honor guards at the side 

　　to step forward and face the ma.s.sive crowd in a confident posture.

　　"If you doubt the capabilities of my soldiers and think that our clan should not take the lead, then 

　　feel free to defeat him. Shoot his armor. I dare you. If you want to challenge my right to take 

　　command, then prove you have the strength to beat my clan into submission!"

　　Not many dared to do so. The Larkinson Clan's heritage may only be a fraction of the other 

　　organizations involved in this mess, but the glory and prestige that Ves and his soldiers had earned 

　　in a short amount of time was unequaled!

　　While these mercenaries and other pioneers had been wining and dining in the safe and 

　　increasingly more secure confines of Davute, the Larkinsons either went on harrowing expeditions 

　　or spent time on preparing for their next journey into the deeper parts of the frontier!

　　Reputation mattered in times like these. Ves had hardly heard General Holdren and his mercenary 

　　company's deeds, while practically every well-connected Davute knew about the Larkinson Clan's 

　　record of beating mutant phase whales and formidable alien wars.h.i.+ps!

　　Ves banged his armored fist against his chestplate, producing a loud noise that caused the timid 

　　individuals amongst the crowd to jump in fright!

　　"Do you know where I gained the materials to upgrade the armor of my suit and that of my 

　　bodyguards? Our clan ripped all of the materials off the damaged and broken debris from an alien 

　　wars.h.i.+p whose name roughly translates to the Collapsing House of the Fractured Star. Our Golden 

　　Skull Alliance not only had to confront this s.h.i.+p in direct battle, but also had to fend off her 

　　mightiest leader and protector, a phase lord called the Trampler of Stars. If you think those names 

　　are exaggerations to embellish my record, then I can send you the edited footage of our battle 

　　against these powerful alien foes."

　　"...No need."

　　The words that Ves spoke combined with his odd glow that transmitted his will to dominate to the 

　　crowd completely caused them to fall under his rhythm.

　　They never encountered a situation like this before!

　　Many people did not even harbor any desire to challenge what Ves was saying. They already became 

　　convinced that it was right for this impressive clan patriarch to take charge of their entire group!

　　Of course, not everyone was caught off-balance. There were still many experienced and steady 

　　leaders among the kidnapped VIPs. Their ability to endure pressure and think rationally were 

　　exceptional, and they did not let themselves get fooled by a younger man who happened to take the 

　　initiative.

　　General Holdren of the TRD Combat Application Group looked unwilling, but he knew quite well 

　　that he and his mercenaries would not be able to surpa.s.s the Larkinsons in terms of strength or 

　　proven accomplishments. This caused him to withhold his voice and remain still.

　　That did not necessarily mean that people like General Holdren were sincerely convinced and 

　　willing to obey the instructions of the Larkinsons.

　　If severe differences in opinions ever arose, the mercenaries working for TRD might decide to 

　　separate from the Larkinsons and act in a separate capacity!

　　That was an undesirable outcome to Ves as he antic.i.p.ated that there would be a tough fight ahead. 

　　Whoever managed to take over the primary control room should definitely have prepared enough 

　　defenses to defend against an attack.

　　In the worser scenarios, the adversaries might have managed to subvert a few native defensive 

　　systems as well, which meant that the trapped VIPs had to fight against both their kidnappers and 

　　the prison facility itself!

　　Ves needed every soldier who could fight in order to maximize his chances of winning the upcoming 

　　confrontation. He did not want to worry about people messing up behind his back or throwing his 

　　strategy into disarray.

　　Fortunately, the different delegations were quite limited and scattered in their opinions. Even if 

　　there were a number of them that were united in their unwillingness to answer to an upstart clan 

　　and its young leader, they were even less willing to answer to each other!

　　Ves knew that he needed to make a breakthrough in order to unite the gathered VIPs and their 

　　guards under his banner.

　　While Ves had been arguing with the likes of General Holdren, a large number of soldiers wearing 

　　either low profile suits or heavily armored combat armor had gathered and formed up in the rear of 

　　the main crowd.

　　As the groups of soldiers began to organize themselves until they formed a much larger column of 

　　infantry troops, a lot of people discovered that a second powerful force was in their midst!

　　The Davutan security guards might not have the benefit of extravagant protection such as first-cla.s.s 

　　armor plating, but they possessed the greatest quant.i.ty of combat effective soldiers among the 

　　people involuntarily brought to this pocket s.p.a.ce.

　　The hundreds of guards were not only well-trained, but already adhered to a single military 

　　command structure. If the equipment between the Larkinson guards and the Davutan guards was 

　　the same, then the latter would undoubtedly be able to gain an easy advantage in battle due to their 

　　overwhelming numerical superiority!

　　Ves needed the support of these soldiers, but how easy was it to convince them to answer to a 

　　private individual?

　　Each of them had been trained to answer to their superiors and no one else. As consummate 

　　professionals, they took their oaths seriously. It was impossible for Ves to deceive them with words 

　　and convince them to ignore the regulations they were compelled to follow.

　　In truth, his entire show of force was not targeted towards the crowd as a whole. Ves was confident 

　　in his speaking ability, and if that did not work out for whatever reason, he could always resort to 

　　absolute force to cow the doubters and contrarians into submission.

　　His actual goal was to win over the highest ranking officer among the Davutan guards.

　　Right now, that figure slowly stepped forward while having all of his troopers form to his rear and 

　　sides.

　　It became obvious that the guard officer had successfully managed to subdue the different guard 

　　units that had originally been stationed across different seating blocks.

　　"Your name?" Ves asked as if he was a lord demanding the ident.i.ty of a subordinate.

　　"Major Alden Durant. I have taken command of the Davutan Palace Guard Forces that are trapped in 

　　this alien base."

　　"You have listened to my words like the others. Do you agree with my argument and agree to follow 

　　my orders?"

　　"Respectfully, patriarch, I cannot do that." The guard officer shook his head. "Our soldiers have a duty 

　　to guard you and our other honored citizens of our colonial state. We are not allowed to take sides 

　　or let ourselves be commanded by one group to the detriment of other groups. The command of our 

　　guard forces must always remain in the hands of an officer that is commissioned by our state. If your 

　　relative General Ark Larkinson was here, then we would surrender to his authority without any 

　　doubt, but you are not an officer of our state."

　　Seeing that Major Durant could not easily be persuaded, Ves made a judgment call and decided to 

　　take a step back.

　　"Very well." Ves smiled in a charming fas.h.i.+on while subconsciously increasing the strength of his 

　　glow. "Since you and your men are loyal servants of the state who can be trusted to do what is best, 

　　then I will not ask you to betray your oath and put my orders above your duty. I merely wish to 

　　obtain your cooperation in a breakout attempt that I have planned."