Black Mark

"About that…" Jake sounded like he swallowed a sour lemon. "I think it's best to switch you over to Melkor. He's been coordinating the Mech Nursery's defenses."

Ves waited for the comm channel to switch to Melkor.

"Ves? I've been meaning to speak to you."

"I just heard the short version. Tell me about the readiness of the mercenaries. Who did you hire and what kind of issues do they have?"

Melkor sighed on the other side of the channel. "It's complicated. First, do you know what mercenaries do during times of war?"

"Some of them join the Mech Corps or get conscripted by them, right?"

"Yes, and it's always the best of them that get snapped up one way or another. Usually, mercenaries prize their freedom and identity, so the Mech Corps usually contracts them to defend less important places that still need to be protected. So right off the bat, the best mercenaries have disappeared."