The Mech Touch

There were many differences between the two organizations that laid claim to the Larkinson name.

It would be too exhausting to go over each and every single deviation, but at the heart of it all Ves believed the root of it all was due to one factor.

"In the beginning, our two organizations had a lot in common." He told a silent and contemplative Melinda. "We were both third-rate organizations back then. Sure, I'm a mech designer who already started to get good enough to attract second-raters to my cause, but you had a high-tier command-oriented expert pilot who could easily earn the appreciation of the Garleners. Both of us became free from our former shackles that tied ourselves to the Bright Republic, so my clan and your family had everything they needed to rise to greatness. The difference is that our clan dared to dream big and did everything it could to fulfill it, while your family drifted about while only being concerned about staying afloat."

"Our circumstances were different!" Melinda woke up and defended the old family! "We did not have your earning ability! We had no economic engine that could fund the upkeep of our fleet and mechs and help us gain more. We did not dare to hire more retainers and workers for our clan because the Crown Uprising that broke out around that time made every new hire a potential bomb."

Ves did not accept this argument. "Plenty of organizations managed to survive and thrive despite all of these difficulties. You had Uncle Ark, a high-tier expert pilot that not only has a lot of experience with leading men and commanding armies, but can put up a good fight against any other high-ranking mech pilot short of an actual Saint! Plenty of ultra-large mercenary companies would have paid a fortune to have him fight for them, but instead your foolish desire to find a permanent new home for yourselves have led you to get embroiled in a bunch of petty turf wars in the perpetually unstable Garlen Empire."

"We needed a new second-class expert mech for Uncle Ark, and not many were willing to provide them to him while only accepting his services on a temporary basis." Melinda grumbled.

"Your negotiation ability sucks and you did not look far enough. You could have easily gotten a better deal if you approached the right people with the right attitude."

To be fair, Ves and his own clansmen at the time probably wouldn't have been able to do any better. It was only after his clan traveled to the Grand Loxic Republic and rescued the beleaguered Purnesse Family that the Larkinsons truly became competent in diplomacy, administration and other fancy stuff.

Even so, the Larkinson Clan at least made an effort to resolve this weakness. The same could not be said for the Larkinson Family which was still largely led by a group of decrepit elders who only knew how to cling to the past.

He suspected that Melinda recognized these shortcomings as well, but she did not wish to air her family's dirty laundry.

Knock.

Just as Melinda attempted to open her mind to divert the topic, Venerable Ark Larkinson gently knocked his fist against the garden table.

Goldie had already dispelled her spiritual manifestation by this time, but she had definitely managed to leave an unforgettable impression behind.

Ark gently laid the heavy tome on the table and expressed his own views.

"Ves has made a lot of good points. You don't need to argue with him on these matters. The fact of the matter is that he succeeded in what he set out to do, while we were barely getting by. I knew for a long time that our family wasn't going anywhere, but I thought that I could single-handedly solve everything by becoming an ace pilot. This was a good plan… as long as I succeeded in becoming a Saint. That hasn't happened, so we have become the losers."

"But⁠—"

"⁠—Stop, Melinda." Ark raised his strong palm. "Let it be. It would be one thing if we came to Ves as winners in our own right. We would have been able to prove through our words as well as our deeds that there is a different way of becoming successful. That has not happened, so we have no right to criticize Ves for his apparent faults. This is the way society works. No one cares about who is more just and honorable. People only care about benefits and results, and there is no doubt that Ves has managed to secure both of them during his tenure as the patriarch of his own clan."

The female Larkinson grew upset. What had gotten into Ark?

"Are you agreeing with Ves?"

"I do not agree with all of the decisions he made." Venerable Ark spoke. "Yet that doesn't matter, because my family under my leadership has failed to materialize the same benefits and results. The differences between the two of us are clear. I don't expect us all to forget about everything and become loyal and obedient members of his clan, but this unnecessary division and antagonism has to stop. We are both Larkinsons. Let us start with this common ground and go from there without getting weighed down by all of our old baggage."

"What is the matter with you, Ark? Didn't we settle on a plan before we decided to meet and talk with Ves? We need to protect the interests of our family!"

"There is no reason to cling to the family anymore!" Ark astonishingly stated! "I value our heritage and history just as much as you do, Melinda, but it had already died from the moment we departed from the Bright Republic! I only realized fairly recently that we have been clinging to a rotten corpse for far too many years. The Larkinson Family we used to know and love was gone. There is no chance of reviving it as there is no place in the galaxy that is willing to accept us as we are without trying to exploit us to an unacceptable degree."

The family had received far too many offers that sounded nice and rosy at first, but turned out to be slave contracts in all but name.

High-tier expert pilots may be highly desirable assets, but their strong willpower and stubborn sensibilities made it hard to please them and retain their commitment.

Unless they had grown up in the same state they pledged to serve, a lot of powerful expert pilots that had become orphaned from their previous environment tended to be volatile and principled to a frustrating degree.

This was why states wanted to ensure that a foreign expert pilot committed to the long haul before funding the development of a powerful new expert mech.

"What do you want us to do then?" Melinda asked. "If you think the Larkinson Family has no future, do you want us all to get absorbed by the Larkinson Clan and come under this unrepentant adrenaline junkie's thumb? I can tell you that most of the older members of our family would rather riot and mutiny than submit to Ves."

"Then let them." Ark dismissively waved his hand.

"What?"

Melinda couldn't believe what she heard.

"As I have already said, our Larkinson Family is already dead. Didn't you hear what Ves said? Our family lost our dream and we never managed to replace it with another one. We've been moving around without much purpose like a zombie. It is time to put it out of its misery and free our family members so that they can pursue a better future in another organization."

"So you want us all to join the Larkinson Clan regardless of how much they want to maintain the family that our ancestor founded four centuries ago." Melinda flatly stated.

"I did not say that." Ark shook his head. "Every individual member of our family can make their own choices. It is not my right to dictate what they must do with their lives. I am only thinking that once I leave the family and join the clan under Ves, our family will have lost almost all of its backbone. The only reason to retain it is to hold on to the 1 percent stake in the LMC, but with the kind of people who are left, they won't be able to make good use of all of that money."

This time, it wasn't just Melinda who became shocked. Even Ves was taken aback by the nonchalant declaration that Ark would finally be joining the clan!

It should have been more difficult to persuade a high-tier expert pilot to join the clan. Ves expected a difficult struggle that would play out over multiple weeks or months. The speech he made today was only meant to set up building blocks to Ark's eventual acquiescence.

Instead of letting the scenario play out as Ves predicted, his powerful uncle skipped right to the end and declared his intention to join the clan without any further fuss!

This was unreal and Ves couldn't quite believe that it had been this easy. Had Goldie's charm offensive play a crucial role in encouraging Uncle Ark to defect?

If so, Ves owed a huge favor to the ancestral spirit!

Ark and Melinda argued for a few minutes. The latter saw her uncle's decision as an act of betrayal and an admission of defeat, and she couldn't stomach the drastic changes that his sudden departure would trigger.

Even so, Venerable Ark showed no guilt or remorse over his declaration.

"Melinda, just because I am an expert pilot does not mean I have to 'win' every battle." He told her. "There are times when we are better off if we retreat from a losing battle ahead of time. As I have already said, my breakthrough is critical for the family. My failure to do so is my responsibility, but also has consequences for the rest of us. In order to spare us from further pain, stagnation and wasted years, I am encouraging everyone to think deeply about what they want in their lives before choosing where they want to go next."

Melinda frowned. "So you are giving them the choice between joining a clan they do not want to support or staying in a family that is dead in all but name?"

"I am giving them a choice on which dream they want to pursue." The expert pilot corrected her. "Those who have second regrets and want to put their lives on the line to secure a much better life for themselves and their children can follow me into the Larkinson Clan. They don't necessarily have to fight a lot, as the clan is split between a main branch and a side branch. The latter should serve as an adequate home for most of our members."

"And if they absolutely do not want to pledge their loyalty to Ves and his like-minded supporters?"

"Those who have grown tired of all of the fighting and moving can stay with the Larkinson Family and decide how to go from there. Whether the Larkinson Family decides to settle in Davute where it can count on the support of the Larkinson Clan is their decision. If they prefer to move to another planet in another zone is their prerogative. I will no longer interfere once I have surrendered my patriarch position."

"Those aren't the only choices available to the members of the family." Ves chimed in. "If there are Larkinsons who are tired of this and want to get away from it all, they can always quit the family and join one of the many organizations in the Red Ocean. I am sure you have heard that the rulers of Davute are on the cusp of founding a colonial state. A proper military organization will soon come into existence, and it requires a lot of experienced soldiers to staff its future armies. I think this is an excellent opportunity for Larkinsons who miss the life we had in the Bright Republic to serve in a similar fashion."

"That is an excellent alternative." Venerable Ark Larkinson agreed. "Do you see what I want us to do, Melinda? We are at a crossroads now, and I think it is best to give everyone another chance to make a decision on what they want to do and who they want to follow. No one will force them to do anything. It will be solely up to them to decide what dream they want to pursue. They can follow Ves if they want to fight their way to first-class citizenship. They can also settle for a quiet life without any further concerns by retiring in Davute while living off the pensions generated by the dividends earned by the shares owned by our family. I think this should please everyone the most without infringing on anyone's lives."

The patriarchs of the two Larkinson organizations had spontaneously formed a consensus on this issue.

More importantly, the single most important pillar of the Larkinson Family essentially wanted to defect from it, leaving the rest without adequate protection and support!

This was an awful outcome to the Larkinsons who still believed the Larkinson Family had a future.

If it wasn't dead already, then Ark's departure would surely kill it off, if not literally, then spiritually!