The Boryan System became more and more hostile to the human starships as they ventured closer to the center. Fortunately, the coalition fleet did not have to travel that deep inside the star system in order to reach its target. As the fleet led by the Gemini Family approached the coordinates of the Palace of Shame, the ships slowed down and tried their best to blend into the nearby asteroids. If they wanted to start off Operation Lighthouse on a strong footing, then the human attackers needed to remain as incognito as possible. The massive interference generated by the nearby neutron star helped a lot with that. Long-ranged observation was practically impossible due to all of the magnetic fields and other stellar activity scrambling everything in the star system. Of course, just as the human coalition fleet depended on the local conditions to hide itself from the local aliens, the forces rooted in the Palace of Shame also took advantage of the difficult environment to hide their own activities. The Larkinsons and the other groups constantly dispatched mechs to conduct patrols and engage in extensive reconnaissance, but they quickly encountered a major hindrance. "This damn radiation and this damn magnetic field is putting so much noise into our signals that nothing coherent is getting through. My mech can't maintain communications with our fleet anymore." " We need to make adjustments. The only ways we can pass on a message is if we form a daisy chain or if we contract our deployment range." As the Geminis and other pioneering groups resorted to these primitive measures to maintain effective communications over longer distances, a few of the Larkinson Clan's scout-oriented mechs began to show their value at this stage. The Light Hunter fielded by the Flagrant Vandals and the Signal Bearer fielded by the Penitent Sisters and other Hexer forces proved to be a lot more reliable than other scout mechs. The reason for that was because they were able to maintain effective communications over longer distances! By using the Illustrious One and the Superior Mother respectively as spiritual communication networks, the Light Hunter and the Signal Bearer mechs were able to range much further while maintaining at least basic contact with their motherships. In fact, the Larkinson Clan offered to lend a few Buzzy Bee mechs that could perform the same job to the other pioneering groups beforehand, but only one of them accepted the offer. "These Buzzy Bees are doing a really great job, Larkinson!" General Hermain Foraine of the Adelaide Mercenary Company told Ves over the comm. "I could have really used these mechs in some of my past encounters. I'm jealous of your Light Hunter mechs, though. Their ECM systems don't appear to be as good, but their scouting abilities are much better." "I am glad to hear that our products are serving a useful purpose in your hands, but I'm afraid I have to disappoint you, general." Ves replied. "Our Light Hunter model is not for sale. We have developed many mechs that are precisely tailored to the needs of our clan. If you wish to obtain a comparable mech model that is adapted to your mercenary company, then you can commission a mech design or two from us. Just take into account that it will cost you, though." The leader of the Adelaide Third Fleet looked discouraged. "I am afraid I won't be able to take you on your offer. I've been arguing my case to the higher ups, but they insisted on sticking to our regular schedule. We have invested so much money on replacing our older mechs with our current ones that we don't have much left to spare. Maybe that will change after we successfully raided the Palace of Shame, but for now our mercenary company needs to be frugal." It started to make more sense why the Adelaide Third Fleet was roaming the dangerous border region between the Krakatoa Middle Zone and the Zelmar Upper Zone. The Adelaides were essentially scrounging for money! Not every pioneering organization was as rich as the Larkinson Clan! Compared to running a mech company where a few bestselling mech models could easily churn out massive profits, it was a lot harder for mercenary organizations to earn windfall profits. Most mercenary missions paid very well, but their durations were inconsistent. A single accident during a single mission might trigger massive losses which would instantly wipe away all of the profits earned from the last five or so missions. Ves could guess without searching the galactic net that the Adelaide Mercenary Company must have suffered a major loss during one of its missions. Whatever happened to the company had worsened its financial position by a considerable degree. This was already bad news for a pioneering organization that entered the Red Ocean fairly recently. Ves knew first-hand how much money it cost to prepare for a migration to the new frontier and to quickly update everything to Red Ocean standards. As it was, General Foraine had already done his best by squeezing out a small amount of MTA credits so that his Third Fleet could acquire a limited amount of useful LMC mechs. "If the other pioneers ask you about your experiences with our products, I hope you can put in a good word for them." Ves politely requested. "While I don't need their patronage, I truly think that my mechs can help them limit their casualties and defeat their opponents faster." "I will be sure to do so as long as you promise to give us a discount or preferential treatment." Ves paused for a moment. "We don't do discounts as we believe our mechs are always worth the price. It's not a big problem to give your mercenary company extra privileges, though. We should talk further once we have concluded this operation." "I will hold you to that, Patriarch Larkinson." They shifted the discussion from their mechs to the current situation in the Boryan System. "The neutron star is damaging all of our more vulnerable parts and machines." General Foraine complained. "I don't know how all of those alien pirate ships can stay in one shape after getting exposed for so long. Can you help us limit the damage? Our repair bills are rising by the day!" Ves nodded in understanding. "Our fleet will also need extensive repairs after this is over. I think the aliens probably have access to special shielding technology that can negate much of the destructive effects. I think I have an idea on how we can build such a device, but it will take months if not years to develop an adequate magnetic shielding device that is powerful enough to cover a single starship." There was no convenient solution to stop the accelerated degradation of all of their hardware. Not even the Geminis prepared an effective solution despite knowing about the conditions of the Boryan System a little earlier. They just had to get in, defeat the aliens and get out as fast as possible, preferably within a week. This was a tight timetable, but the Golden Skull Alliance was already accustomed to working in a hurry. Besides, it wasn't always a good idea to linger around a battlefield for too long. Word would spread eventually and lots of greedy vultures would come eventually in order to pick up a lot of salvage on the cheap. "I don't know where the Palace of Shame is located, but according to our analysis of the behavior of the Geminis, it should not take long before we approach the site. Does your clan concur?" "I've received similar reports from my subordinates." Ves replied. "Our chances of encountering a hidden alien patrol ship are much greater. We need to be ready to react quickly. If the aliens at the Palace of Shame receive too much advanced warning, we will be met with fully organized opposition." "It may already be too late for that. We are trespassing on their territory at the moment. I am more concerned about the main battle. If our mechs ever experience difficulties that we cannot handle by ourselves, can you lend us your aid to bail us out? We can promise to do the same for you. We will not stand by and let your alliance get pummeled." Now this was interesting. On the surface, General Foraine wanted nothing more than to establish a promise to watch each other's backs. Ves wasn't fooled, though. He spent too much time with Purnesse to stop at the surface. When he tried to look deeper, he figured out that General Foraine wanted to accomplish more than just a promise to scratch each other's back if any of them ever suffered an itch. The man wanted his Adelaide Third Fleet to form a united front with the Golden Skull Alliance if necessary. There were only a few cases where it was usual for the two pioneering fleets to join forces. Either the alien enemies were so overwhelmingly powerful that they could no longer follow the original battle plan, or the members of the coalition might turn against each other! Ves did not believe the Geminis had overestimated the strength of the aliens residing in the Palace of Shame, so he felt that the second case was much more likely to happen! Of course, it was still rather unlikely that the Geminis and everyone else would ruin their reputation, credibility and trustworthiness in order to backstab their allies, but Ves already experienced betrayal in the past. Though everyone in the temporary coalition may have signed a contract, Ves had never taken much stock in the binding power of an electronic document! Ves slowly nodded. "I will have to discuss this further with my alliance partners, but I don't think they will object to standing by your side. The premise of this is that you and your fellow Adelaides show that you are worthy of our trust." The other man grinned. "I believe our successful mercenary record will tell you enough about us. We will pay you for your protection if your alliance has served an instrumental role in covering for us. I expect your side to do the same if our roles have been reversed." "No problem." It was a bit reckless to form a private relationship with a pioneering group that Ves wasn't really familiar with, but he felt it was best to try to make this work. Ves had developed a good impression of the Adelaides. They did not convey the rough and unreliable attitudes of the mercenaries that he had met in the past. Their mech force was also alright. Though the Adelaide mech models weren't that impressive in his eyes, they were still solid performers that could last for many years as long as they received sufficient maintenance. The Adelaide mech pilots were also highly experienced in battle. There was plenty of footage on the galactic net that showed how these mercenaries didn't only know how to present their mechs in parades. Ves would be a fool to reject the goodwill from a pioneering fleet with so much effective combat power! The two talked a bit more. Neither of them had any intentions of making a formal contract, so they could only rely on trust to make their agreement valid. It was not exactly the most reliable way to form a cooperation, but Ves had a good impression of General Foraine and the Adelaides. The Black Cats were already digging up information about the Adelaide Mercenary Company in order to learn more about its integrity, but for now Ves was inclined to trust his own judgment. The two shook the hands of each other's projection to finalize their informal deal. Before they ended the call, General Foraine passed on a warning to Ves. "You should watch out for the Santana Group. Their soldiers are alright, but none of them have any say in the holding company's decision-making. The executives who are in charge will do anything for profit. I don't think they will be stupid enough to pull off a stunt during the main battle, but once we get to the point where we need to gather and divide the spoils, we are no longer strictly allies anymore." "...I get what you mean."