The Mech Touch

When the so-called Larkinson Fleet arrived in orbit of Cinach VI, the entire planet seemed to prostrate before its arrival.

The household troops of House Evenson formed an honor guard to welcome the fleet's arrival. Forming a corridor which flanked the group of Larkinson Clan vessels from all sides, every other ship or vehicle in the vicinity had been chased away!

The grand display composed of almost a thousand mechs attracted a lot of publicity and amplified the interest in the Larkinson Clan even more! If Ves ever wanted his entry into the Cinach System to be low-key, then those chances were completely shot with the excessive display from the local nobles!

"What are the Sentinels doing?" Ves frowned as he observed the proceedings from the luxurious bridge of the Scarlet Rose.

"House Evenson wants to commission a mech from Gloriana and you." Gavin responded. "Your mechs have made quite a name, to say the least, and with Lady Miralix of House Laterna as a successful example, a lot of ambitious noble mech pilots think their careers will receive an enormous boost if they pilot one of your mechs!"

Though annoying, Ves also felt flattered. His professional reputation had finally reached a level where he no longer had to seek out customers.

Now, the customers were knocking on his doors!

"You know my stance on this matter." Ves dismissively replied.

"We've rejected their requests time and time again, but their envoys keep trying." Gavin sighed. "House Evenson seems to think that you're driving a hard bargain. Their negotiators continually raised their offers. They even found out that we're in dire need of high-quality ships and began to offer combat carriers if we complete their commissions!"

Did he really hear that right?! Ves sat upright in his chair. Combat carriers were far more valuable than light carriers, especially when Ves possibly sought to go on an excursion to the Nyxian Gap!

"Are you sure?! What do they want in exchange for some combat carriers?!"

His assistant looked hesitant all of a sudden. "Well.. they're only willing to remunerate you in full if you provide them with a masterwork mech. If that doesn't happen, then their offer becomes a lot less attractive."

"Oh." Ves dropped her excitement. "Forget about it. House Evenson is dreaming if I will expend so much effort on a possibility that is too miniscule to bother. Even if I luck out and create another masterwork mech, I would rather submit it to the MTA to earn some merits or something."

Some of the interest in him was due to the powerful glows he was able to imbue in his mechs. However, much of the frenzy surrounding him was due to his proven ability to create a masterwork mech!

Though his chances of replicating this feat was still microscopic even if his mech affinity improved twice, that didn't faze the nobles at all. They already had a lot of money and resources at their disposal.

To them, commissioning a mech from him and Gloriana was like buying a lottery ticket. They might hit the jackpot, and all it cost were some ships and money that they already possessed in abundance!

Even if combat carriers were worth their weight in exotics these days, the noble houses could always order more from the shipyards at any time! In contrast, a masterwork mech, especially one tailored to a specific mech pilot, was something that could only be sought but never found!

Such a mech could propel the career of a noble mech pilot to meteoric heights!

As an entrepreneur, Ves keenly recognized the value he could potentially provide. He did not intend to be taken advantage of so easily!

Fortunately, his assistant already knew what to do and what to look out for. If someone offered something truly compelling, then Gavin would surely bring it up to Ves. Until then, there was no reason to disturb his thoughts.

As the pomp and circumstance in orbit finally died down, the Larkinson Clan began to make landfall with at least a third of its ships. Light carriers may not be able to take much of a hit, but they were still light and maneuverable enough to make landfall on any standard terrestrial planet.

One of the more significant problems affecting the clan members was their abrupt flight into space. As Captain Silvestra warned him some time ago, humans simply weren't adjusted to space travel. It took a lot of effort over multiple generations in order to breed a group of true spaceborn humans!

Until then, humans who were born on land and grew up on land always yearned to have solid ground beneath their feet. His clan members all yearned to experience the vast open spaces and the fresh air from the atmosphere of a livable planet!

So far, his family and his workers had been holding back their urges with a remarkable amount of success. They all knew that it was unwise to halt their journey and take a break in some star system while the Friday Coalition was always looming over their backs.

Now that they finally reached their destination, the clansmen couldn't hold it in any longer! They were crowding the hatches and exit ports in order to escape the cramped corridors of their ships!

The clan couldn't afford to ground every vessel in its fleet, though. In order to guard against accidents, the Executive Council formed a rotation schedule that would give everyone in the fleet enough time to recover their sanity.

The vessels all landed in an empty base the clan rented from House Evenson. The facilities might not be as good as everyone hoped, but it provided Ves with a secure base of operations to spend the next two months.

"We'll stay in Cinach until our two ongoing mech design projects are complete." Ves reminded everyone. "Let us take the opportunity to rest and see to our battle readiness. I'm not sure what we'll do next, but there is a decent chance we'll encounter a lot of excitement. In order to rise up in the galaxy, we will have to take some risks!"

Ves emphasized the possible dangers they might encounter. Though Ves did not intend to drag the entire fleet through the Nyxian Gap, he still had to bring a sufficient amount of forces. If the clansmen believed they could leech off his success without risking their lives, they had another thing coming!

Since Cinach VI was also the site where the clan would reunite with the family, Ves wanted to give the weak-hearted one last chance to depart. Where he planned to go was no place for cowards!

As the vessels parked in the enormous yard, the clansmen began to settle in and fortify the base. Various Penitent Sisters, Glory Warriors and Avatars patrolled the perimeter on foot and in their mechs.

The clan was determined to never be caught by surprise again!

Ves was pleased that his clan members exhibited a lot of caution. Anyone would after suffering the continuous blows the clan had suffered from the hands of those they trusted. It seemed as if paranoia had the potential to become one of the clan's defining traits in the future.

The clan and the family had scheduled a date to hold a large welcoming and reunion party at a large and upscale hall in Torze, the capital city of Cinach VI. It would be a grand occasion where thousands of trueblood Larkinsons would all gather in a single location.

Naturally, they all intended to bring their mechs as well!

This was a grand occasion and one that required a lot of arrangements to ensure it proceeded both smoothly and safely. The last thing Ves and the others wanted to see was someone crashing a starship into the hall where almost every trueblood Larkinson congregated! Such a catastrophic attack would pretty much end the clan and family right then and there!

"We're holding the event in three days." Gavin notified Ves. "The old family arrived earlier and has already begun the preparations, but our clan has a lot more strength and resources at our disposal. The Hexers are particularly useful in ensuring that the meeting venue will remain secure."

"I understand." Ves nodded. "Is there anything we have to do in the meantime, or can I go back to the design lab in order to continue my design work?"

"While it isn't essential, it would be nice if you went out to meet with the local dignitaries from House Evenson and the royal house. As the clan patriarch, your personal presence will do much to honor the nobles."

Ves briefly contemplated the option before dismissing it. "I have no desire to waste my time on hobnobbing with the local snobs. Anything else, Benny?"

"There are a lot of personnel issues to go through. On the one hand, there are still a decent amount of vacancies in our clan and fleet. On the other hand, there are a lot of workers who declined to join the Larkinson Clan for one reason or another. Part of them wish to resign and be let go while others have shown a willingness to stay in the fleet."

Ves frowned. He was aware that there was a substantial minority of non-Larkinson employees who never applied to join the clan.

Their reasons varied. Some still viewed themselves as Brighters or other states. Others already belonged to distinct families and didn't want to lose their heritage.

"How many people have declined to join the clan?" He asked.

"Around eighteen percent percent of our total personnel."

"Get rid of them." Ves waved his hand.

"Pardon?"

"You heard me, Benny. Fire them. Encourage them to resign. Just kick them out of our fleet within two months!"

"I.. urge you to reconsider. Some of those people are very skilled and occupy essential positions. It would lead to a lot of turmoil if we suddenly let them go wholesale."

"THAT IS EXACTLY WHY THEY NEED TO GO!" Ves burst out in anger. "Our clan is meant to foster trust between our clansmen. How can we work alongside workers who refused to join our clan? How can we allow them to occupy critical positions where they are in place to do a lot of damage if they leak information or sabotage something important? Just get rid of them and hire some new people who are willing to join our clan!"

"That's.. not going to be easy. While there are plenty of skilled applicants from the Sentinel Kingdom, most of them are dubious in terms of background and loyalty. It will take a lot of vetting to verify their integrity."

"You have two months. That is plenty of time to make up for the shortfalls in our personnel roster. Tell the clan to do as I say. By the time we depart from this star system, I don't want any of our ships to bear any people who aren't part of our clan, have I made myself clear?"

"What about the Hexers, boss?"

"They're an exception."

"Okay. I'll pass on your instructions to the Executive Council. I'm not sure whether the council members are willing to abide by your demands, but I will make it clear that you are very adamant about this issue."

Though it would hurt the fleet in the short term, Ves thought it was worth it later on. While he recognized that those who refused to join the clan might have a lot of innocuous reasons to explain their choice, there was always a chance that a handful of them were spies or saboteurs!

Getting rid of the entire lot meant that there was a large chance that his fleet wouldn't be carrying any hostile elements anymore! To Ves, that peace of mind was priceless!

"The time that our main group operates through a mix of insiders and outsiders is over." Ves declared. "Aside from allied and auxiliary units like the Penitent Sisters, everyone who is part of our fleet must also be a part of our clan!"

It was fine if his clan or company employed regular workers in various subsidiaries or outposts. However, his future expeditionary fleet had to consist entirely of clansmen in order to ensure the highest degree of cohesion!