The Mech Touch

A momentous change took place. The Larkinson Clan only existed for a couple of months, but already it was in the process of morphing into an entirely different beast!

The opening of the clan was such a radical change that the members of the Larkinson Family reacted with shock and outrage when they heard about it! What gave the clan the right to redefine the very meaning of their name?!

Though the members of the clan couldn't fully explain why their assembly passed this proposal in the first place, what was done was done. Due to the extraordinary incidents that took place during the assembly session, every clansman instinctively felt that this was the right course of action!

One thing was for sure. The clan had not prepared any procedures to process the applications. The Executive Council went into overdrive in order to erect an administrative unit to review the applications and manage the adoption process in the event of approval. Thousands had already submitted their applications and the backlog only grew every day!

A practical problem related to the adoption ritual was the necessity of the ancestral heirloom. When Joshua swore his oaths, Ves lent the Larkinson Mandate to Jannzi Larkinson in order to provide the Golden Cat an opportunity to take a close look at the mech pilot.

The close proximity also enabled the formation of a new spiritual bond. While Joshua was already highly attuned to the values of the Larkinson Clan, other applicants may not be so highly attuned!

If the alignment between the candidate and the Golden Cat wasn't good enough, the formation of a spiritual connection might fail!

That would be a disaster for the applicant. By now, every clan member recognized each other by the faint sensation akin to a glow within each other. A tiny part of the Golden Cat existed within each of them due to their bonds.

While her presence didn't provide them with any meaningful spiritual strength, it was sufficient to allow the clansmen to sense each other when they were close.

A lot of Larkinsons questioned what was going on. None of them missed the similarity between this phenomenon and the glows of the Bright Warrior!

Despite the rumors and speculation, Ves never elaborated on it aside from describing it as the 'unique strength of the Larkinson Clan'.

Over time, the clansmen slowly stopped asking questions and took the phenomenon for granted. Though its origin was shrouded in mystery, the Larkinsons all began to appreciate the positive vibes they sensed from each other!

That said, to form this bond in a new person, the Golden Cat had to exert some effort, and that represented a problem.

"I can't pass on the Larkinson Mandate willy-nilly." He muttered during the shuttle ride back to the Scarlet Rose. "It's too vital to leave my sight. If someone manages to steal or destroy the book, our clan will surely take a hit!"

He also had to account for the future. Decades or centuries from now, the Larkinson Clan might be a hundred or a thousand times larger! With millions of clansmen spread across several fleets and star systems, it was impossible to ferry the Larkinson Mandate around to meet every recruitment need!

After a bit of thought, Ves suddenly thought up a good idea.

"The Larkinson Mandate is the heart of the Larkinson Clan, but it is not the only object that holds Goldie's presence!"

Ves instantly recalled the Bright Warriors in the Redfeather's mech hangar! Their glows were identical to that of the Larkinson Mandate!

Nyaa?

Goldie curiously looked up at Ves.

"Can you do the same thing you did with Joshua to others through the Bright Warriors?"

Nyaa…

Though Goldie sounded a bit reluctant, she expressed at least some confidence at his suggestion, and that was sufficient.

Even though her presence in the Bright Warrior mechs was a bit weaker because they only contained a projection of her existence of some sorts, it at least enabled their use as a surrogate for the ancestral relic!

Therefore, when Gavin asked how they should solve the relic problem, Ves idly waved his hand.

"The Larkinson Mandate will remain within my reach." He declared. "The Larkinson Clan can utilize the Bright Warriors to administer the oath. There are a lot more of them than the book, and best of all they can be passed to numerous different star systems and still retain their effects!"

Certainly, there was probably a range limitation on the effectiveness of their glows, but Ves believed that only applied to distances spanning star clusters!

With all of the newcomers about to join the clan, the Golden Cat would probably experience an explosive growth in strength, allowing Ves to worry even less about the range problem!

Gavin reacted with skepticism. "Are you sure that a mech is able to do what your book managed to do? It's completely unprecedented!"

"Just try it out and see what happens. If it works, then we'll spread some Bright Warriors around so that every major ship carries a copy."

"What if your guess is wrong, boss?"

"Then get back to me and I'll figure out another solution."

Ves recalled the time he crafted the Banner of Vulcan in order to inspire the dwarves of Desala X.

Even though he developed his glows to differentiate his products, Ves wasn't limited to applying them to mechs! The successful empowerment of the Pride of Dusk, the Larkinson Mandate and the Banner of Vulcan all proved that this particular spiritual application could be used on all sorts of objects!

Ves made a mental note to explore this avenue of creation further. He already labelled it as spiritual totem creation. Compared to other spiritual engineering techniques, Ves thought it was a lot more suitable to him! From the beginning, he always attempted to blend spirituality with the material realm. This was something that was highly compatible with his inclinations.

The reason why he thought of this technique was the possible demand for an alternative for his mechs.

Relying on the Bright Warrior mechs and other future Larkinson mechs was the most ideal outcome. Wherever the Larkinson Clan went, their mechs were quick to follow. Using these imposing machines to facilitate the adoption process was a lot more impactful because everyone would be impressed if they came close to one of his machines!

Still, if his Bright Warriors weren't suitable, then Ves supposed he might build smaller totems to serve as smaller and more portable stand-ins. Not every site could fit an enormous mech.

Ves took inspiration from the mini-altars that Gloriana used to make her daily prayers. The size of the object wasn't as important as the meaning invested in their creation.

At his current level of craftsmanship, creating these totems was as easy as pie. Ves looked down at the Larkinson Mandate resting on his lap. The large, eye-catching medallion adorning the front cover of the book should probably be sufficient to serve as a totem. The fierce cat head that served as the emblem of the Larkinson Clan practically personified the Golden Cat!

"Yet another task to add to my long to-do list."

He hadn't even started his research on imaginary mechs and already intended to investigate another avenue of spiritual engineering!

Even with his implant, Ves had way too little time to explore all of his interests. More and more, Ves began to envy the Seniors and Masters who raised up dedicated students and apprentices.

All Ves could rely on to supplement his design philosophy was raising Maikel and Zanthar Larkinsons into his image.

He still wasn't sure whether that was a good idea.

A part of Ves wanted the two Larkinson seeds to develop their own original design philosophies. This was the approach he applied to Ketis.

However, a larger part of him wanted to raise the two boys as his research assistants! This entailed exposing his core trade secrets to someone other than Gloriana though, and Ves was far too paranoid to pull the trigger on this decision!

"I have plenty of time to make this choice." He muttered. "It will take at least six to seven years before the two kids mature into actual mech designers."

The shuttle eventually reached the Scarlet Rose. After answering Gavin's inquiries and providing various suggestions, Ves embraced his girlfriend and walked back to their stateroom.

That night, the Scarlet Rose's engineering bay hosted additional guards. Ves enjoyed a very good night, so much so that he donned a silly smile as he woke up the next morning!

"Meow."

"Miaow."

Lucky and Clixie lazily greeted Ves as he opened his eyes.

"Good morning, lovelies."

With his girlfriend resting on his shoulder, he felt inordinately pleased with himself! It was times like these when he felt like he had become a true man!

Soon enough, Gloriana stirred from his movement. She yawned and cracked open her eyes.

"Had a good night?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

"Hihi.. you were as eager as ever back then. If I didn't tell you that it was time to sleep, I'm afraid you would have stayed awake all night!"

"What can I say? My energy cells were brimming with energy! You know, they wouldn't be overloaded all the time if I can discharge their energy more frequently."

Gloriana giggled and rubbed his chest with her hand. "Keep dreaming. Work is more important. I would much prefer it if you discharge your energy in mech design! You can get your reward after you have done a good job, not before."

He frowned at this answer. Why did it seem like he was being treated like a little kid who had to do his homework before receiving his sweets?

They woke up and returned to work. Even though the Larkinson Clan was undergoing a lot of upheaval, Ves and Gloriana didn't immediately notice anything different due to their long bouts of isolation in their design labs.

Ves did try to keep up with the ongoing expansion process. Every morning, Gavin briefed him on the latest developments.

"One of the biggest issues that have emerged is the naming of the new clan members." Gavin reported. "During the historical assembly meeting, Miss Jannzi Larkinson unilaterally decided to replace Joshua's surname."

"Is there a problem with that?" Ves asked.

"Do you know how many Joshuas we have in the fleet? Over a dozen! If all of them suddenly get to call themselves Joshua Larkinson, we'll have to resort to serial numbers or nicknames to distinguish them from each other!"

"That.. is indeed a problem." Ves murmured. "What does the Executive Council have in mind?"

"They would like to employ compound names to distinguish the new clan members from each other. There are already existing cases in your family. Raymond and Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson are the most prominent examples."

Ves fell into thought.

While Gavin was right, Ves feared that the use of compound names would hinder the integration of the new Larkinsons.

"Is everyone okay with this option?"

"In most cases, it's not a problem." Gavin answered. "In fact, a lot of applicants prefer to carry their old names. While it doesn't fully fall in line with the promise to forget their old allegiances, they still want to remember their origins."

"What about the ones who just want to carry the pure Larkinson name?"

"For now, the Executive Council wants to reserve that for trueblood clansmen and exceptional cases."

Ves frowned. "That sounds like a sneaky way to implement a class or tier system within the clan."

"Unless you address the assembly or council in person, this policy will become the new standard. There is too much support for this proposal."

"What do you think, Benny?"

"It's not a big deal." He shrugged. "Regardless of how they are called, a Larkinson is still a Larkinson. The ones with compound names still enjoy the same opportunities and privileges as trueblood Larkinsons. As long as this is ensured, there won't be any objection from the newcomers."

"I see. Well, if there aren't any problems, then I suppose I'll let it be. The critics from the Larkinson Family will probably be a little placated by this decision as well."

Ves had already gotten his way in the issue he cared about the most. Right now, it was vital for him to draw back his influence and let the regular institutions of the clan excercize their powers.