The Mech Touch

As the day of the product reveal arrived, Ves woke up to something very different.

Once he finished breakfast and got ready to hear his daily briefing, a few extra guests arrived at his office.

One of them brought a smile to his face. "Raella! You're back as well!"

The other caused his smile to disappear. "And I see you have brought.. Vincent Ricklin."

"Not anymore." The man wearing the red-and-white uniform of the Larkinson proudly patted his chest. "Since recently, I converted to the Larkinson Clan! Ever since I took the oath, I now go by Vincent Ricklin-Larkinson! Isn't that great? We're all relatives to each other now! You are my brother, if not in blood, then in heart!"

Ves wanted to puke. Those were his own words!

"Vincent.. How the hell did you get in the clan in the first place?! The recruiters were supposed to filter people with a criminal track record!"

"He's not that bad anymore, Ves." Raella explained for her boyfriend.

"He used to be a terrorist!"

"He was a freedom fighter! There's a difference! He wasn't killing people to get his jollies off! He was fighting for a worthy, if misguided cause! Besides, the Bright Republic officially pardoned him, which meant that the track record you were talking about no longer existed! I personally vouched for his good behavior!"

"I had to deal with a lot of crap when I grew up." Vincent added with a hint of sincerity, which Ves found rare! "The stuff I had to deal with in the Ricklin Family would make any Vesian noble house look tame! My own sister painted a target on my back! All of that is in the past now. The Ricklin Corporation is in ruins and Catelyn can do whatever she wants with the ashes that remain. My future is here now, alongside Raella and with my fellow Larkinsons!"

The smile on his face was dazzling enough to blind someone with the glint of light bouncing off his stark-white teeth!

When Ves departed from the Bright Republic for the final time, he thought he left most of his local troubles behind! No longer would he be beholden to the Bright Republic, The Tovar Family, Flashlight or any other inconsequential local power!

Yet for some reason, this damn barnacle managed to attach himself to his ship! Not only that, but this barnacle somehow managed to bamboozle the recruiters into joining the clan!

The truth was there for Ves to see and feel. In his spiritual vision, he spotted the newly-established bond between Vincent Ricklin-Larkinson and the Larkinson Mandate!

The Golden Cat personally approved of his entry in the clan!

"Goddammit!"

He didn't waste his time with the troublesome duo any further. Instead, he turned around, approached his bodyguard, and grabbed the Larkinson Mandate braced to her armor.

Ves shook the heavy book up and down a few times!

"Goldie! What is up with you!? Do you really think that bastard standing over there is worthy enough to become a clansman?!"

While everyone looked at him as if he had gone crazy, the ancestral spirit resting inside the book curiously looked up to her progenitor.

Nyaaaaa?

"Yeah, I'm talking to you! Don't act all cute with me with your big eyes! What is up with Vincent?!"

Nya nya nya. Nyaa!

"What?! He's actually committed?"

Nyaaa!

Ves threw the book away, causing its antigrav brace to arrest its fall.

He wanted to scream! He wanted to palm his face! He wanted to kick Vincent in the butt so hard that the flamboyant fellow soared straight into the air at escape velocity!

Yet as much as he wanted to get rid of Vincent, it was not so easy to unilaterally tell a clansman to sod off. He needed to follow a procedure and come up with a legitimate reason to kick Vincent out of the clan. He set this rule himself, which meant he shouldn't undermine his authority by breaking it shortly afterwards!

He looked at the offending Larkinson in question and called up the man's record since he joined the clan.

There were scant details because Vincent didn't really do anything so far! The Larkinson Clan hadn't registered anything that Ves could use as a viable excuse!

Not only that, but his treacherous ancestral spirit saw nothing wrong with Vincent! According to her, the man was already much closely aligned to the ideals of the Larkinson Clan than many other new recruits!

If one discounted his past sins, there were several reasons for his high fit. He was a mech pilot, he was a Brighter and he was a veteran of the Sand War. Not only that, but he managed to hook up with Raella Larkinson for several months and also piloted one of Ves' custom mechs!

With so many connections to the Larkinsons, it shouldn't be any wonder that Vincent came to admire the clan and everything it stood for! Ves even guessed that the Larkinsons likely served as the warm and cozy family that Vincent had always yearned for but enjoyed when he used to be a member of the Ricklin Family!

"Whatever!" Ves threw up his hands. "Go screw around somewhere else! I don't want to see you two anymore!"

That caused Raella to jump! "Wait a minute, Ves! Before you get rid of us, can you fund the establishment of a dueling circuit within the clan? Hundreds of Larkinson mech pilots have already backed my proposal!"

"GET OUT! I won't give you a single hex credit! Go beg someone else like Major Verle or the Larkinson Assembly!"

The two clansmen dejectedly left the office. Gavin, who had been standing at the side, strode to the desk.

"As much as you would rather like to leave Vincent behind, the venture he is planning to organize with Raella doesn't sound all that bad. A dueling circuit would do much to keep the mech pilots in our clan from getting bored."

"It's wasteful, Benny!" Ves growled. "All of those mechs bashing each other in will need to be repaired, all of which costs time and money!"

"We can go months, if not years without seeing action. Unless we are participating in a campaign or heading into something dangerous like the Nyxian Gap, I think we can afford to let the mech pilots have some fun. Besides, if you are so worried about the cost, let the mech pilots play around with cheaper mechs built specifically for competition."

"I've already washed my hands off Vincent. Let someone else deal with his nonsense."

As the leader of a clan numbering more than ten-thousand members and counting, Ves had better things to do than decide upon frivolous matters.

Right now, his entire attention shifted back to the upcoming product reveal! The Doom Guard design's unveiling had to go absolutely perfectly, especially because he would be holding his presentation in front of a very important guest!

"Is everything ready?"

"The preparations are on track." Gavin confirmed and referenced his data pad. "Not every outfit we've contracted or invitee that we have reserved a seat for has managed to arrive at Cinach VI in time. Fortunately, we've already accounted for that. We have a backup waiting list that stretches across the entire planet. We have already held a highly-anticipated lottery to fill the empty seats with some lucky winners."

The amount of mech insiders who wanted to take part in the overhyped product reveal was incredible! Ves didn't even bother to glance at all of the messages he received that begged him for a spot at the venue. He had other people to deal with these kinds of errands!

"Are there any notable people attending the product reveal?"

"Plenty. A lot of nobles and dignitaries from the Sentinel Kingdom will be attending this product reveal in person, so you should make sure you tailor your message to their needs. We expect our Doom Guard model to become a really hot seller in this state due to the persistent pirate threat it faces!"

"I have already taken that into account, though I didn't expect so many nobles to travel all the way to Cinach VI on short notice. I guess I shouldn't pressure the audience too much in that case."

They proceeded to go over the other aspects of the announcement. They already planned for everything, but they hadn't anticipated the sudden insertion of a Master from the MTA! The LMC had been trying to adapt to the changing circumstances ever since!

"The security of the venue has been beefed up considerably." Gavin told him. "In addition to the Avatars, Glory Battalion and the Penitent Sisters, the MTA itself will also be in charge of security. The local branch has already sent their personnel to Trillion Hall in order to upgrade its defenses. The MTA has also promised to dispatch some mechs and armored soldiers to augment our patrols. I have even received a message that the Ubiquitous Force will be present in the vicinity to provide backup if needed!"

That formidable frigate alone was enough to scare any potential troublemakers to run as far away as possible! No one wanted to challenge a modern, armed warship whose guns were powerful enough to chew through an entire mech division while flying fast enough to remain out of reach of any effective counterattacks!

"Well, at least I don't have to worry about any terrorist attacks." Ves ruefully shook his head.

He spent the rest of the morning going over his preparations before boarding a shuttle that would take him to orbit.

Gavin, Gloriana, Nitaa, the cats and a couple of other guards and personnel all crammed in the armored shuttle as it ascended into the air and beyond.

Lucky and Clixie both crawled over the Larkinson Mandate which had been placed on a small table.

"Meow."

With his phasing powers, Lucky eagerly attempted to jump on the Golden Cat, only to be repelled when he was pushed away by a golden spiritual wave!

Nyaaaa!

The Golden Cat had enough of Lucky's baths! She was old enough to groom her intangible coat by herself!

"Miaow?" Clixie approached and sniffed the dazed-looking gem cat.

Sitting further away, Ves ignored their antics. Instead, he was simulating his speech several times inside the confines of his implant. Due to Master Willix's inclusion in the audience, he had to pare back some of his antics and rely on other methods to sell his Doom Guard.

Even if he wasn't able to make use of his spiritual manipulation, he still had many other theatrical tricks in store to emphasize his message.

This was not going to be one of those boring, generic product announcements where he would read off the list of specifications!

In order to emphasize the defining traits of his Doom Guard design, he had to go further!

Not all of his intentions sat well with his advisors. Gavin tentatively voiced his concern.

"I'm not sure the MTA will take it well." He warned. "What if you cause the Master to speak out against your methods? That will be a huge hit to your credibility!"

Ves smirked. "I'm pretty sure she won't. I'm merely pushing my limits. As long as I don't break them, it'll be fine."

"Master Willix probably favors us, so she won't do anything to harm our reputation." Gloriana helpfully added. "However, that is still contingent on our good behavior. We won't be able to get away with anything that harms the interests of the MTA."

That had been a bit of a mystery to Ves. So far, he didn't fully understand why Master Willix took so much interest in their work. Was she paying attention to him as an individual or was the rest of the MTA expressing an interest in him as well?

The former was somewhat tolerable, but the latter was unacceptable!

A warm hand rested on his own.

"It'll be fine, Ves." His girlfriend smiled and leaned in to peck his smooth-shaven cheek. "All of your previous product reveals went fine. I'm sure you'll be able to succeed again!"

"It's not that simple, Gloriana. A lot more people are paying attention this time, and there are a huge amount of bigshots among them! To many, this will be their first intimate encounter with me and my products!"

"You should celebrate that! This is a great accomplishment that you could have never dreamt of a few years ago! For the first time in our lives, we have transcended from our star sector and entered a greater stage! For Journeymen like us, that is a supreme honor! Don't fear it. Cherish it for what it is worth, and do your best to use your expanded podium to expand our brand!"

She was right!