Ves took a good look at the CFA officer that was floating a small distance away from him in this illusionary space landscape. The man carried himself around as a snobby, highborn fleeter. Ves had encountered this demeanor enough times to know that it was a common trait among the officer corps of the mighty Common Fleet Alliance. The mechers already came across as elitists who thought they were better than the so-called space peasants and lesser galactic citizens, but the fleeters took it on a whole new level! Whereas the MTA at least made the effort to stay in touch with normal human society, the CFA existed as a detached state within human civilization. There were much fewer channels for humans to get in touch with the CFA. No one among the common folk had any chance to apply for a job aside from the highly insular and nomadic spaceborn clans. All of these factors and more had caused the people who worked for the Common Fleet Alliance to come across as enormous douchebags who expected everyone else to obey their directives without question. The man who claimed to be Captain Zonrad Reze carried the same sort of air, though he took the initiative to soften his stiff demeanor with a welcoming smile. His impeccable black-and-blue uniform that was embellished with golden cuffs and an aiguillette allowed him to present himself as an extension of the CFA. Various medals, badges, rank insignia and so on discreetly decorated the front and sides of his uniform. Ves frankly did not understand what most of them meant and whether Captain Reze was an accomplished officer within the hierarchy of the CFA. The only part that he was certain about was that the fleeter's rank insignia indeed matched that of a line captain of the Common Fleet Alliance. The man's slightly youthful, handsome and self-assured face suggested that he may be among the younger fleeters to have been promoted to captain, but who knew how much a combination of life-prolonging treatments and cosmetic augmentations slowed down his aging process. Overall, Ves still couldn't figure out much from the CFA captain and why the man was related to him in any way. He had met a few aloof and snooty fleeters over the course of his career, but he went out of his way to avoid them as much as possible. This was also why he embraced the patronage of the MTA despite his misgivings about answering to a higher authority. Ves was involved in too many initiatives that had the potential to do enormous harm to the interests of the Common Fleet Alliance. From the MSTS to the transcendence glow, each of his major innovations could structurally elevate the power of mechs on a universal scale! How would the fleeters react to all of his innovations? They certainly wouldn't approve of his work! Anything that changed the balance of power between mechs and warships would most certainly attract their scrutiny and condemnation if they understood what he had been up to as of late! Who the hell thought it was a good idea to manifest a member of a hostile rival super-organization?! Ves really hoped that these specters of different people did not pass on any crucial information about himself back to their counterparts in reality! Since Ves still couldn't figure out how Captain Zonrad Reze related to him in any way, he bit the bullet and broke the silence. "Do… do you know me, captain?" "I do." The fleeter replied in an easy tone. "I have been tracking your exploits with great interest." What?! To hear that a CFA officer had not only taken notice of him, but actively paid attention to him on an individual basis was an alarming revelation! It was one thing if this bastard was an enthusiastic officer who coincidentally stumbled upon Ves' living mechs and became interested in the maker of these machines. It was another thing if Captain Reze was part of a greater surveillance or monitoring group that comprehensively monitored mech designers who could form a significant threat to the interests of the CFA in the future! "Does the CFA have a habit of spying on little old Journeymen like myself?" "The CFA tracks every mech designer, particularly the high-ranking ones." Captain Reze charitably exposed. "You are all agents of the MTA in one way or another. It is only logical for us to spend a fraction of our vast resources to keep abreast of your developments." "How much does the CFA know about me and my work?" Ves asked as he tried to remain as impassive as possible. "Not as much as you think, Mr. Larkinson. You do not need to worry too much. The MTA has already laid a strong claim on you. Our CFA institutions are not allowed to cross their boundaries. Since that is the case, we primarily obtain our intelligence from public sources and third-party sources. Only the mechers are allowed to invade your privacy on an unrestricted basis." "That… is reassuring." Though there was a small possibility that this CFA captain was lying or did not know the full truth, Ves didn't think that was the case. He had an ongoing working relationship with Master Termenao Dervidian and the Transhumanist Faction. Given how much they care about the transcendence glow, they most certainly took precautions to prevent the fleeters from snooping around and obtaining sensitive information. "So the CFA doesn't know what I am up to?" Ves hopefully asked. "That, I cannot say. Our Alliance is made up of many fleets, departments and institutions. The left arm doesn't know what the right arm is doing, and we have more arms than we can count. I do not think the chance is likely, but as I have said there are no guarantees. I have heard rumors of intelligence departments that employ the most state-of-the-art high technologies to collect information through methods that you cannot possibly fathom." Though Ves was a strong believer in the hybrid approach of the MTA, what Captain Reze just revealed to him was a reminder that the CFA weren't dummies. Perhaps the fleeters might not have access to the reality-defying powers of high-ranking mech pilots and mech designers, but their total dedication to pushing the boundaries of pure technology most certainly allowed them to master their own kinds of wonders! Captain Reze made a reassuring gesture. "These methods are extremely expensive to employ, so you can rest easy, Mr. Larkinson. We do not have a habit of using an anti-matter missile to swat a single mech. I believe these observation methods are exclusively used to monitor the highest echelons of the MTA, the first-rate superstates and major alien civilizations." "I see. Thank you for disclosing that, captain. Anyway, I believe you are here for a different reason, right?" "That is correct. You have already encountered numerous different personalities. A man of your intelligence should have discerned a pattern by now. Can you deduce the purpose of this meeting?" That was a good question. Ves shifted his gaze to the planet that they were orbiting. The Scouring of Bentheim was one of many tragedies that had befallen the rimward side of the Komodo Star Sector. It was the capstone of the Sand War as the Big Two's strong retaliation had completely wiped out the alien aggressors! Nothing was left of the sandman race anymore aside from broken leader cores that the CFA had repurposed into powerful AI processors. The sight of all of the sandstorms raging across the surface of the first port system where Ves sold his mechs evoked several emotions. He felt regret for the fall of such a highly developed and densely populated planet. He felt a sense of loss for the disappearance of a major influence of his early life. He also felt a touch of guilt for playing a small but indispensable role in setting the Sand War into motion. "I guess… this is about the consequences of my actions." Ves said. "There are not that many reasons to bring me here. If you wanted me to reminisce about something else related to Bentheim, then I would have been greeted with the trading hub in its heyday." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖 "Your guess is close enough." The CFA captain acknowledged. "Let me show you more of your handiwork." Bentheim disappeared. In its place came another planet that Ves didn't recognize. The only thing the two had in common was the fact that the sandman fleets overcame all resistance and managed to land their enormous fleets composed of countless sentient sand particles to engulf the surface! "6 billion humans dead." Captain Reze announced. Another populated planet came into view. "1.3 billion humans dead." A smaller and more rural planet appeared. "27 million people dead." A lunar colony showed up next. "78 thousand people dead." A planet that was larger and more developed than Bentheim appeared into place. "37 billion people dead." On and on, the environment changed to show a succession of planets that turned from lush or highly urban paradises into desert globes. The sandmen left nothing intact in their wake. Their hunger and desire for resources was destructive to a degree that essentially turned them into living weapons of mass destruction! It would have been fine if the sandmen race knew its place and conscientiously respected the border of human space. Yet now that they had egregiously sand-blasted so many population centers across a sector-wide scale, the Big Two eventually had to step forward and put a stop to this naked assault on humanity! As Ves continued to watch random planet after random planet getting resetted into ecological blank slates, his heart and emotions grew numb at the sights. The slideshow of genocide and massacre was so excessive that Ves no longer had the stomach to track the total loss of human life. It was too much. That was for certain. He didn't want this show to go on any further. "What is the point of showing me all of this?" Ves impatiently asked. "Will you continue to show me each and every individual planet that has befallen the same fate? I'll be stuck here forever if that is the case!" Captain Reze did not look impressed. He swept his gaze towards the next populated planet that got showered by sand. "The fault for this lies with you, Mr. Larkinson. You are merely being confronted by the consequences of your reckless actions. Are you not responsible for releasing the hybrid artificial intelligence and sandman admiral known as Sigrund into the galaxy? You should have known how much of a threat a sentient, rogue AI poses to human civilization." "It's not my fault!" Ves vehemently insisted! "Look, all of this is really sad and all, but I have nothing to do with it! The chain of events that has led to this outcome is so exaggeratingly long that you can't put any of the blame on me. I was just a trivial Apprentice Mech Designer at the time! I was forced to serve in the Mech Corps and was subsequently assigned to the Flagrant Vandal Mech Regiment which subsequently had to complete a secret mission. If you should blame anyone for provoking the disaster, you should lay the guilt at the leaders who truly set these events into motion!" Captain Reze chuckled in a manner that was patronizing. "Interesting response. I see that your habit of pushing the blame onto others is as alive as ever. Who bears the greatest guilt for provoking the Sand War, then?" "Not me. It's Sigrund, right? I don't know why that insane sandman AI decided to bring his race on a suicidal collision course with humanity, but he is definitely the entity that has turned the sandmen from a bunch of slackers into warmongering aliens! I have nothing to do with that crazy AI. You should hold a trial for him instead and end this silly farce!" That should work, right?