The Mech Touch

Each of the hulls that made up Pentahall Station possessed their own charm.

The Silverbore operated by the Travis Group was a commercial and entertainment paradise. The shops and storefronts were much louder while the abundance of casinos provided guests with plenty of ways to indulge themselves. 

Of course, Ves and Gloriana did not stick too long on this hull because Silverbore was also infamous for its more grown-up entertainment offerings.

The Otus Reconstructor managed by TCQ Incorporated matched their tastes a lot better. The hull hosted a lot of companies engaged in tech and industry. There were so many more business-to-business activities taking place in this part of Pentahull Station that Ves decided to stick around a bit longer.

Ves contacted TCQ Incorporated and managed to start a process where the LMC would be negotiating with the coalition partner to open up a large mech store.

Aside from that, Ves also visited numerous different material stores and bazaars in order to look for spiritually reactive materials and interesting resources.

Though he did not encounter any of the former, he did pick up a lot of different samples of exotics that might play a useful role in his future projects.

In contrast to the commercial atmospheres of the Silverbore and the Otus Reconstructor, the Samir Ohansa presented a completely different environment.

The architecture was a lot more archaic and traditional. The dress of the people of the Vhunan-Royce Family was a lot more elaborate and ceremonial, almost to the point of drowning out their bodies.

Their extravagant dress code reflects the family's royal roots. There was profligacy and excess in every direction, but it was all dressed up in an aristocratic shell that gave visitors the illusion that they had entered a kingdom that was still stuck in the past.

The prices of most goods and services were ridiculous, but that did not stop people from paying a visit just so they could enjoy a day where they got to pretend to be royalty.

Personally, Ves found the Samir Ohansa to be a completely pretentious place. The Vhunan-Royce Family made little attempts to preserve its dignity. Instead, it commercialized its once-noble background and cheapened its heritage by turning it into a theme park.

Aurelia adored the activities, though!

She had so much fun when she got to dress up as a princess and sit on an oversized throne while being flanked by Clixie and Lucky.

"I decree that every family should have a cat!"

"Miaow!"

"Meow!"

Ves and Gloriana let their kids have their moments of fun, but they left before the representatives of the Vhunan-Royce Family could lobby them any further.

The final hull they visited was the most different of them all. The ReVez II owned by the Bonsai Company was the only one where biotechnology was prevalent.

A part of Ves felt as if he had traveled back to the time where he visited the Life Research Association.

Though the organic architecture, the biomechs and all of the other organic products were substantially different in style, the overall sentiment of the Bonsai Company was still familiar.

Just like the LRA, the Bonsai Company endeavored to popularize biotechnology and present it as a viable alternative to conventional technology.

The ReVez II therefore served as a massive showcase to the value and wonders of bioproducts.

Though Ves had already witnessed similar sights before, the children were completely blown away by the novelty and weirdness of all of the organic tech.

"What is that, papa?"

"That's a beetle that is responsible for manicuring the lawn, Aurelia."

"It looks so funny. Why doesn't the beetle do anything else?"

"It's not an animal, Aurelia. It's a bioproduct. It is bioengineered to do a specific job, so the beetle doesn't have much thoughts aside from executing the instructions that have been bioprogrammed into its genes. The creature is essentially a bot that is made out of organic matter instead of metal. You shouldn't strictly treat it as if it is alive."

His daughter found it difficult to process those words. "I thought life should be respected. Isn't that what you told me, papa?"

"I did, and I still mean it. What I am telling you is that creatures like this that are born and made to serve a specific purpose are already content with their lives. You don't need to show any more regard to them because you will be taking away the reason for their existence."

His girl wasn't as ignorant as the other girls of her age. Her brain started to churn as she deciphered her father's underlying message.

"So I should treat living mechs the same way?"

"Not exactly." Ves slightly shook his head. "There is a difference between these lawn beetles and the living mechs of our clan. The former may be organic, but they have been altered to reduce their autonomy and self-thinking processes as much as possible. It makes little sense to treat them with compassion as they are incapable of appreciating such conduct. Living mechs are different in that they are made for a purpose, but possess enough reasoning and self-awareness to become more than that. They are life forms with just as much potential as humans, so you must treat them with more respect."

"Oh…"

Perhaps his daughter might not fully understand his meaning right now, but it was enough for him to get her to think. Aurelia needed to be able to form her own opinions on different issues. It didn't matter to Ves whether her daughter agreed or disagreed with him so long as her attitude reflected her own thinking.

Ves and his family encountered a lot of interesting sights, but he did not take the initiative to approach the Bonsai Company in order to conclude any deals.

Director Ranya Wodin and the Larkinson Biotech Institute were already on the job. It was best to leave this matter to the professionals.

Ves heard that many other Larkinsons also had a fruitful time on Pentahull Station.

Ketis and the Swordmaidens spent most of their time challenging foreign warriors in the many arenas of the Silverbore.

Director Samandra Avikon took the initiative to set up a new branch office of the Creation Association among the workshops and factories of the Otus Reconstructor.

Director Calabast and the Black Cats had spread her agents all over Pentahull Station and were no doubt spreading their tentacles in every direction.

Reynard Clarke who continued to lead the tour also presented opportunities to cooperate with the Clarke Clan.

The only problem was that Ves wasn't sure about its angle. The Larkinson Clan and the Golden Skull Alliance did not have any compelling reasons to cooperate. They didn't have any obvious conflicts of interests either.

Though Reynard Clarke brought up the Rubarthan roots of both of their clans, Ves found it ridiculous to rely on this tenuous connection to form the basis of a bond of trust.

It wasn't until the time for departure drew close that Reynard finally spoke more directly to the leader of the Larkinson Clan.

"We have sources that tell us that you and your clan enjoy a close relationship with the MTA." The relations manager spoke in a casual tone.

Ves and his family had returned to the Armidia at this time. The Clarke Clan invited them over to a theater to attend a play centered around the darker days of the Age of Conquest.

"There are more planets in the galaxy than we could ever settle upon. What is the harm in destroying a thousand of them? I will not have our soldiers fight and die on the streets when we can solve our enemy in a much more expedient manner!"

"We are locked in a war of annihilation. Surrender is not an option anymore. From the moment they nuked one of our planets, we can no longer live alongside our enemies in peace. From the moment our first city died, we have entered a race that will not end until the Rubarthans have become relics of the past!"

"Why must you perpetuate this slaughter?! Haven't you killed enough people?! You have slain more humans than any hostile alien race! It turns out that the Seven Apex Races have never been our true opponents. The only enemy that can drive humanity to extinction is humanity itself!"

The show was indeed worth seeing. The actors did an excellent job at portraying the irrational outbursts of emotions that drove many infamous fleet admirals to wipe out billions if not trillions of innocent civilians during the darkest days of the Age of Conquest.

Though Ves and Gloriana were already familiar with the history of this time, their children possessed a much more limited perspective on the Age of Conquest.

The only ways they could learn about the glories and the atrocities of this period was by watching the numerous children shows that took place in this age.

Of course, there weren't that many shows about the Age of Conquest because starships served as the main combat platform for humanity at the time.

The prevailing leaders of human civilization did not wish to glorify warships and tempt more people into obtaining them. It was best to keep them out of sight and put the spotlight on mechs so that the vast majority of humans shifted their obsession to a much smaller and more limited combat platform instead.

This was also why the children found the current theater show so novel. The fantastic actors brought this distant period of human history to life in a much more tangible fashion than what any documentary or book could accomplish.

Aurelia became especially fascinated with the diverse, colorful and extreme personalities of the various leaders depicted in the play.

Ves found it rather odd that Reynard Clarke chose this particular time and place to engage in a more direct conversation.

As the fleet admirals continued to slide into madness with each planet they bombarded into ruin, Ves turned towards the relations manager.

"Our clan does have connections with the MTA. The Living Mech Corporation is our primary source of income. Since our company is deeply involved with mechs, it is only prudent for us to develop friendly ties with our supervisor."

"It is not that remarkable for you to be able to develop closer ties with Survivalist Faction given the mechers that you have met over the years." Reynard said. "However, it is rather puzzling to us that the Transhumanist Faction also decided to turn you into its associate."

"That's not strictly true. I am officially in bed with the Survivalists. The Transhumanists merely see me as an honorary associate." Ves corrected.

"Be that as it may, it is apparent that your R&D activities have aroused their interest."

Ves narrowed his eyes in suspicion. His regard for Reynard and the Clarke Clan subtly dropped.

"We don't make a habit of publicizing all of our research, development and design activities. I don't know what you have heard from your sources, but you should be careful about what sort of information you are dealing with. If your clan isn't careful enough, the Transhumanists might pay a visit in order to rectify your situation."

Reynard remained calm despite the warning. "You do not need to worry about us, patriarch. We know how to be discreet. Our Clarke Clan wouldn't have been able to survive up to this day if that wasn't the case."

Ves didn't know what information the Clarke Clan obtained, but it had to be fairly serious for Reynard to talk this way.

Did the Clarke Clan learn about the transcendence glow?

That would be an indication that something had gone horribly wrong! The Transhumanist Faction was supposed to keep it as secret as possible.

Leaking it out was not only bad for Ves, but also the Transhumanists who thought that humanity simply wasn't ready to make use of this enormous invention!

He urgently needed to figure out what the Clarke Clan knew about the Larkinson Clan's many secret projects.

Ves hoped that the situation wasn't as bad as he feared, but if it turned out that a secret as big as the transcendence glow had quietly leaked out to the wider community, then that would cause the biggest upheaval of his life! Everything would change!