The Mech Touch

Ever since Melinda and Ark Larkinson talked to Ves in person for the first time in years, the state of the Larkinson Family had gone through a huge upheaval.

The announcement that Venerable Ark Larkinson had already decided to resign as the patriarch of the Larkinson Family in order to join the clan detonated a huge bomb within the ranks!

Predictably, a lot of old-timers expressed strong disapproval at this radical and irresponsible decision.

The Larkinson Family had an honorable history that went back 4 centuries!

Nobody wanted to become responsible for ending this storied legacy.

Still, despite the overwhelming disapproval from the older generations of the clan, Venerable Ark remained committed to his choice.

"I fought and bled for the Bright Republic just as much as you!" He stated in front of a crowd of gather Larkinsons. "I did my service and paid my obligations to both the state I used to pledge my loyalty to as well as the family that I still hold dear in my heart."

"Then why don't you stay and continue to protect our family as before?!"

"All good things must come to an end." Venerable Ark solemnly said. "Now that we have lost our direction and purpose, many of us are stuck with the burden of the past with little to look forward to in the future. That may not be much of an issue to those who have already fought their last battles, but I need more than that. I still haven't reached the limits of my career as a mech pilot. If I want to become an ace pilot and protect our family and legacy much more effectively than now, then I must seek my opportunities elsewhere."

"That doesn't mean you have to leave our family! We can still accept one of the many mercenary missions in the Red Ocean."

"It's too dangerous. We will get chewed up by the cruel frontier within the year. Let's face it. The clan has been much more successful in navigating this dangerous new environment and fostering the growth of all of its pilots. I know for certain that Ves can give me the mech and breakthrough chance I need to help our fellow Larkinsons to the best of their ability, no matter if they have our blood flowing through their veins."

Many family members continued to object to Ark's decision, but the high-tier expert pilot was so set on his course that the outcome hadn't changed.

It became increasingly more clear to everyone that Ark was not putting up a topic for discussion.

He instead made it clear that his departure was set in stone and that the rest of the family had to make a difficult choice on how they wished to proceed in the future.

"Although I have already resigned my position as patriarch with immediate effect, let me give you a word of advice from one concerned Larkinson to another." Ark addressed the crowd in a gentler manner. "The Larkinson Clan is not our enemy. The Larkinsons there are just as much our family as the people next to you. If any of you entertained any doubts beforehand and want to enjoy a change of scenery, the clan will open you with welcome arms. Even if you don't want to live your entire life on a ship and fight all manner of dangerous enemies, you can still enjoy a semblance of your old lives by joining the Davute Branch instead."

Although Ark did not make his next destination clear, a lot of Larkinsons gained the impression that he was strongly considering joining the side branch instead of the main branch of the Larkinson Clan.

That made it a lot more acceptable to join the splinter organization that had broken away from the original family.

Ves did not exert that much control over the side branch.

With Ark about to join the Davute Branch, he would definitely be able to become one of its leaders given his proven strength and command capabilities. This would ensure that the family members that followed in his footsteps would feel assured that they would not be treated badly.

Once the former patriarch of the old family had finally concluded the long and exhausting meeting, he retreated and met with Melinda in another room.

"That didn't go as badly as I thought." Melinda commented. "I thought the hardcore members of the family would have tried to put up a greater resistance."

Her uncle shook his head. "They respect me too much to oppose my wishes. I deserve to make my own choices, and they acknowledge that. Our elders are too honorable and principled to guilt me into staying with the family. Besides, they lack an expert pilot that can serve as a proper counterweight to my influence. If Ghanso was still around, he would have been able to rally the old fogeys into an effective opposition."

"If Ghanso was still around, our family wouldn't have even left the Komodo Star Sector."

Both Ark and Melinda fell silent for a moment. They mourned the loss of their family member. No matter what crimes he committed, it was still a matter of regret that Ghanso had fallen at the hands of another group of Larkinsons.

It was rather strange to realize that Ark was about to join that same group of kinslayers.

"What have you decided, Melinda? Will you come with me to the clan, or will you stay and do what you can to shepherd and take care of the stubborn relatives that insist on remaining here to the bitter end?"

This had been one of the most difficult decisions of Melinda's life. Though she no longer possessed much of an ambition to make the best out of the mech piloting career, she did not look forward to fighting someone else's battles, especially if the reasons were less than noble.

Still, she had faith that Ark would not allow the members of the Larkinson Family to be exploited by the clan.

"If you join the Davute Branch of Ves' clan, then I will join you there." Melinda said. "Family must stick together. Out of all of the places where we can settle, this planet is not such a bad place. I think I am even beginning to like it that all of the gathered people are doing their best to found a state of their own. It makes me feel as if we are retracing the footsteps of our most ancient ancestor."

The mention of the ancestor put Ark in an odd mood.

The expert pilot had read the history books written about the legendary figure of their family. He had even read the secret chronicles written by the Larkinson Ancestor's wife.

Those chronicles depicted an entirely different time period for humanity.

Back when the ashes of the Age of Conquest had just begun to settle, humanity had become more wounded than ever. The drive to rebuild what they lost and destroyed at their own hands had become strong. A sense of collective responsibility quickly reemerged that prompted many survivors to shed the burdens of the past and start over on a blank slate.

The rapid rise of mechs as an alternate weapon of war also began to charm an immense population of humans who had developed an intense fear and hatred towards warships of any kind.

Compared to immense, kilometers-long battleships that could demolish entire cities with a single volley of their main cannons, the much smaller and less threatening mechs simply did not elicit the same negative reaction.

From the chronicles, Ark had learned that the Larkinson Ancestor initially embraced mechs because of idealism.

The man had been a dreamer whose values and desired clashed with the prevailing attitudes of the New Rubarth Empire.

Rather than keep his head down in order to retain the high standards of life within one of the most powerful surviving states of human civilization, the Larkinson Ancestor did not hesitate to pack his bags and move as far away from his home as possible.

This took true courage and conviction! The man genuinely believed that he and his descendents would end up happier and enjoy purer lives if they lived in a remote corner of the Milky Way than stay in one of the snake-filled centers of human society.

Though many Larkinsons who had been born after that time begrudged the Larkinson Ancestor for condemning them to the life of a third-rater, Ark did not necessarily think this way.

The simple life he enjoyed in the Bright Republic shaped him who he was today.

That said, human civilization was growing more dangerous over time. The downside to living in the remote corners of the Milky Way was that they would fall first if humanity's old enemies ever sought to resume their old wars.

The Sand War had given everyone a grim reminder that the Big Two was not as capable of protecting its borders as everyone thought.

"Strength is the fundamental truth of the cosmos." Ark gently told Melinda. "Being powerless means that you must completely surrender the initiative to other people who may not care as much about our family as us. That is unacceptable. If I want to become stronger and ensure my children and our other relatives will be able to live well in the future, I have to step up and utilize my talents on an actual battlefield."

They already had this discussion multiple times. Melinda received the same answers every time and saw no hope of changing Ark's mind about seeking confrontation and letting himself become a soldier in someone else's army.

It was during this time of change that Venerable Ark welcomed an important visitor one day.

It turned out that an important envoy from the colonial administration wanted to meet with the former patriarch of the Larkinson Family in person!

Ark and Melinda decided to meet the new arrival together in one of their offices.

"Greetings. I have heard and read much about your heroics, Venerable Ark Larkinson. I see that all of the rumors have undersold your presence. You would look much better if you wore a proper military uniform again."

Venerable Ark held up his arm and shook the woman's hand in a firm grip.

"My time in service has already passed, Madame Kernsk. I am merely a retired soldier now." The Larkinson expert pilot greeted the important official.

"You are far more than that, sir. You are one of the top mech pilots on this planet. Few people can confidently boast that they can defeat you in battle."

It was not every day that the chief of staff of the presumed leader of Davute paid a sudden and unannounced visit to the Larkinson Family!

Ark found it telling that Reina Kernsk chose to meet with him on a personal basis rather than the family as a whole. This suggested to him that Davute was well aware of the internal dynamics of the Larkinsons.

"To what do I owe you the pleasure for this visit, madame?"

"Eager to get to business, hm?" The female chief of staff smiled. "Very well, then. Let me be straight with you. We would like you to consider an offer that might interest you and give you what you truly need. What do you think about returning to honorable service and leading men into battle again?"

"That…"

Reina Kursk dared to interrupt the high-tier expert pilot by raising her palm. "Forgive me for interrupting you, Venerable, but please hear me out before you make any further judgments. Let me start with the allowances that we are willing to extend to you and possibly your other Larkinsons."

"First, we are prepared to give you extensive autonomy in how extensively you wish to become involved in our upcoming war against Karlach."

"Second, we will readily bestow you the rank of mech colonel in our armed forces. You will only have to answer to a few superiors from our camp, and they will never send you to certain death."

"Third, you may absorb any Larkinson mech pilot or other personnel that volunteer for service as well if they are willing. You can even retain the existing hierarchies and structures of the Larkinson mech units if you think that is best."

She wasn't even finished yet. The government official continued to list out other benefits and allowances. The offer presented by Davute became increasingly more alluring to the point that Ark could hardly muster the thought of saying no to the shrewd woman!

"Wait, wait, wait." Melinda interrupted Madame Kernsk. "All of these concessions sound great, but how will we be assured that you will keep your promises?"

"We do not blame you for harboring skepticism towards our goodwill. Rest assured that we will not discard you like your former government." Madame Kernsk gave out an answer that she replied in advance. "We can sign a contract enforced by the MTA at our charge. My superior is also willing to step forward and make a solemn promise to abide by the terms in the presence of multiple ace pilots. They are all highly principled warriors and will not fight for Davute anymore if our state ever breaks a serious promise."

This was one of the heaviest concessions a state could make! To make a promise while under the witness of the Saints in the service of a state meant that a ruler was truly being serious about sticking to the letter and the spirit of an agreement.

After all, if Davute ever decided to sell out the Larkinsons out of opportunism, its ace pilots would not hesitate to forsake the state as well, as it had already proven with its deeds that it was not worth defending anymore!

The willingness of Davute to go so far for Venerable Ark made him feel incredibly flattered. He no longer saw any reason to remain as guarded as before. His intuition could already sense the abundant sincerity flowing from the chief of staff.

Ark relaxed and became more receptive to the Davutan's words. "I think we can discuss this further."