As lots of striped white-and-blue mechs and guards stood guard within the central hall of the Ascension Gallery, two prominent leaders continued to engage each other in conversation.
On one side was Prospective President Yenames Clive, a man that had already started to shape Davute when it was in its infancy and reluctantly won enough support to keep ruling it once his jurisdiction expanded to an entire colonial state.
On the other side was Patriarch Ves Larkinson, a Journeyman Mech Designer who already led a growing clan that fought against some of the more formidable indigenous aliens and also introduced so many innovations that even the Mech Trade Association already recognized his contributions.
Both of them were giants in their respective spheres of influence, and each of them possessed the pride, confidence and dignity of those who had fought hard to reach their current positions.
