The Mech Touch

Having met his obligation to his new in-laws, Ves returned to the observation chamber and rejoined Gloriana's side.

Despite their ages, she and her fellow sisters were smiling and giggling like teenagers for some reason.

"You're back again." Gloriana kissed him on the cheek. "Did you do what my mother asked you to? It's crucial to give our Wodin Warriors as many chances as possible to excel in the battlefield."

He stared dourly at his wife. "What did you tell your mother, exactly?"

"Not much." Gloriana blinked. "I just told her it's not that much of a coincidence that your Larkinson Clan obtained so many expert pilots and expert candidates. I didn't tell her how you were able to accomplish that. I know how to keep a secret!"

"Gloriana... "

"Don't be like that." She whined as she pressed against his side. Her intoxicating perfume filled his nose with pleasant floral scents. "I still care about my relatives. My mother and my dynasty raised me to become a Master so that I can design the most suitable mechs for them. As it stands, I won't be able to fulfill this mission to the fullest extent because you'll be bringing me away. It's only fair for you to help my dynasty out every once in a while. Otherwise, our matriarch wouldn't have supported you so much."

"I get that, but I don't like it when I'm being pushed in doing something. Even if it's your mother, I hope our cooperation won't proceed like this. If I want to help the Wodin Dynasty, then let me do it on my own terms."

"I know." She placed her hand on his own. "I will make sure to tell my mother to respect your terms. She was just in a hurry today because she and the rest of the Wodin Warriors barring a small guard force will be making their way back to the Hegemony very soon. Please don't ruin my final moment with my mother. I don't know if I'll ever be able to be with her in person again."

Even though she had a lot of time to prepare herself, Gloriana still looked emotional. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she came closer to bidding farewell to her family!

He felt sorry for her. While he was actually glad to distance himself from Gloriana's manipulative mother, he had to act like her dutiful husband and companion for the remainder of her last day with the people she grew up with in her youth.

Once evening came, the entire family moved to the hangar bay where a shuttle already waited for the couple to depart from the Parma Imago.

"My daughter…" Constance moved to hug her youngest. "I will miss you so much."

"Mommy…" Gloriana cried.

Despite her low state, her emotions were far too strong to let her mental exhaustion get in the way of pouring out her sadness!

Ves felt a bit awkward as mother and daughter tearfully hugged each other for the last time.

He could not offer any consolation to them. There was no way for him to predict that his Larkinson Clan would ever return to the Milky Way if they managed to enter the Red Ocean.

Even though most people predicted the price to pass through the beyonder gate would drop in a century or so, the Gate Consortium would definitely continue to charge a fortune to pass through!

It simply wasn't worth it to pay millions of precious merits just to go back to a galaxy that was much more stagnant and solidified. Unless humanity resumed the great war against the aliens that occupied the other half of the galaxy, there wouldn't be many opportunities for his clan to rise to greatness.

This was especially the case in the furthest reaches of the galactic rim. The Komodo Star Sector where the Hexadric Hegemony and the Wodin Dynasty were based didn't even have a fraction of the wealth and potential of a phasewater-endowed zone in the Red Ocean!

Even though Gloriana loved her birth family a lot, it was impossible for Ves and the rest of the Larkinson Clan to acquiesce to her wishes and return to the old galaxy at great cost just so she could enjoy her reunion.

Both of them would probably have to advance to the rank of Master Mech Designer before it became somewhat affordable for Gloriana to take a trip back, but that wouldn't happen for a very long time.

"Don't let anything happen to my baby sister, you hear me?" Kellandra walked up to Ves. "I don't care how many beyonder gates or light-years away you are. As long as something happens to her, I promise to do everything possible to travel to you so that I can squeeze your neck and snap it in half with my very hands!"

Ves raised his hands. "Hey! I love her as well, you know! I won't let her come to harm. You can trust me! The moment I married her is the moment I will cherish her life and happiness for the rest of my life."

Constance's second daughter did not think much of his promise. "I don't expect you to take care of her. Your only job is to allow the Glory Seekers to continue to guard my baby sisters. If and when your Larkinson Clan eventually drops the ball, I hope the soldiers arranged by our dynasty can succeed where you have failed and bring her safety. Is that understood?"

Amarithna Wodin walked up as well to stare Ves down in an eerily similar fashion to her mother and her younger sisters. "I don't trust boys, but you're apparently different. As the much-hailed son of the Superior Mother, I hope you can continue to pass on her blessing to our adorable sister."

The two oldest Wodin siblings instructed Ves on what he should do for a couple of minutes. While he wanted to leave right away, it wasn't polite for him to turn away from the two older women.

As Gloriana was done with her emotional farewell, Constance turned to Brutus.

Their goodbye was significantly shorter. The two merely exchanged some words before the woman patted her son on his shoulder.

"You know what you must do." Constance stood firm against the expert pilot. No matter how much Brutus had grown, she was still his mother! "Protect Gloriana with your life. Do not let her fall into the hands of those who seek to exploit her. Be prepared to throw away your life if need be. If you ever survive while your sister perishes, then your life has no meaning."

Venerable Brutus looked back at his mother with a solemn expression. He pressed his fist against his chest.

"If such a tragedy ever takes place, I will avenge her as best as possible before sacrificing my life. This I swear!"

"Good boy. Never forget your roots as a Hexer. The Milky Way and the Red Ocean is filled with misguided people who do not recognize the superiority of our culture. Make sure not to take too much after the Larkinsons and other foreigners. The Glory Seekers shall be your true home from this day forward."

"I understand, mother. In my heart, I am alway a Hexer!"

With these farewells, Ves along with Gloriana and Brutus finally departed from the Parma Imago.

Hours later, much of the Wodin Warrior fleet including the light fleet carrier that bore Gloriana's closest family left the Cinach System.

The star system became a lot less oppressive now that hundreds of Hexer vessels and thousands of Hexer mechs embarked on their journey home.

Ves felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. Even though he knew that the Glory Seekers would soon receive a huge new ship in the form of the Indigo Tremor, a thousand Hexer mechs did not equal the oppression of Gloriana's mother in his eyes!

At least Gloriana was able to share one last intimate moment with her family. She didn't have too many regrets that would weigh her down in the future. That was worth every discomfort that Ves had just experienced.

As Gloriana spent some time by herself to process the separation, Ves met with the Larkinson Clan's new shipwright the next morning.

While Vivian Tsai was just starting to set herself up under Major Verle's auspices, she had already recruited or transferred a few lesser shipwrights, naval engineers and other technical experts.

The Larkinson Clan already has a number of relevant talents hanging around. Now that the Larkinsons were finally getting serious about systematically developing their fleet, the new Naval Design Department served as the main authority with regards to its management.

It was still a skeleton so far. Ophelia Kronon and Vivian Tsai had a lot of work to do before the Larkinson bulked up their staff. The amount of attention the clan had devoted to its ships was quite paltry.

Hopefully, that would change. The Larkinsons should no longer be centered around mechs all the time.

"Vivian, congratulations on becoming the Chief Ship Designer of the Larkinson Clan!" Ves greeted the woman as he entered her office.

Lucky was already floating around while sniffing for interesting curiosities.

The woman in question looked rather overwhelmed. "My title isn't as impressive as it sounds. I am just starting to organize my department. It will take a long time to hire enough experts that meet my standards."

"Take your time." Ves spoke as he sat down in front of her desk. "We can't be too careful when it comes to recruiting new people."

"I take it you did not visit to check up how well I am adapting to my new job."

"You're right. There are two new developments that require your attention. First, The Glory Seekers will be receiving a fleet carrier from the Wodin Dynasty. I'd like to hear your take on their new vessel."

He transferred over the files that he received from Madame Constance. Vivian didn't even need to project the data as she was fully capable of processing it through her cranial implant.

As a prominent shipwright, she already possessed substantial augments. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to reach this level at her relatively young age!

"Hmm." She smiled. "Hexer ship design is quite distinct from the regional norm. That said, the Indigo Tremor is truly a good fleet carrier. She is not any worse than the fleet carriers that my father has designed and built. Her capabilities are on par and the Hexers have even updated some of her tech. She is a ship that can easily roam the stars for at least three decades without requiring any overhauls or deep maintenance."

"Is that impressive?"

"Certainly. Part of it is due to her design. The Indigo Tremor is a fairly rugged fleet carrier. She was actually designed to be in the thick of action against formidable enemies. She can offer a lot of defense, though her mobility is lower than average. She carries a good amount of mechs for her size, though she can always accommodate a couple of hundred more."

Much of her judgement matched with his own, but she also started to mention some insights specific to her area of expertise.

"The Indigo Tremor can actually serve as the base of a fixed colony."

"What?" Ves raised his eyebrow.

"Look here." Vivian projected a diagram of the Indigo Tremor and began to move some of her exterior sections. "If you strip off the outer layers, detach some of her outer modules and install some specific components, she becomes capable of making a safe and controlled landing on any planet with standard gravity."

"That's remarkable for a ship this big! Most capital ships will break apart if they get sucked into the gravity well of a planet!"

Vivian nodded. "The Indigo Tremor is only capable of doing this after stripping most of her heavy hull plating. Anyway, once the fleet carrier makes her landing, she won't be able to lift herself up under her own power, but it shouldn't be necessary. Once the crew anchors her to the ground and repurposes her separated hull plating and other sections, she can essentially turn into a solid fortress that can support the formation of an entire settlement!"

This was remarkable! It turned out that the Wodins may have built the Indigo Tremor with this purpose in mind from the start!