The Mech Touch

Gentle Lotus Base became a lot busier than before. With the help of the living aspects, a lot of refugees flooded to the Larkinson Clan for one reason or another.

Some wanted a new start.

Others wanted to leave the planet that had robbed them of what they cherished.

A few even looked forward to exploring the Red Ocean.

Regardless of their reasons, the clan eagerly embraced everyone, even those who possessed dubious histories and exhibited obvious personality problems!

As a result, a lot of tension emerged as the established clansmen struggled to befriend the newcomers.

Even if the Larkinson Network was working at full force, Goldie struggled to integrate a large group of people whose values and beliefs diverged considerably with the rest of the clan.

Not even the Hexers were weird enough to embrace biomachines!

The Larkinsons did not have a notable tradition in biomechs and biotechnology. The insertion of so many Lifers of different backgrounds sparked a considerable shift in direction.

There was no doubt that these Lifers would leave a mark in the clan!

On one hand, the old hands were all happy to welcome the newcomers. No one else was better at biotechnology than the citizens of a state that excelled in this sector!

Their doctors, exobiologists, geneticists and other life science-related professionals were renowned throughout the entire star cl.u.s.ter. Not even Dr. Ranya was arrogant enough to consider herself superior to her Lifer counterpart.

The entry of so many Lifers also sparked tension for another reason. Even the most average citizens were more healthy, more learned and more competent than the Larkinsons with third-class backgrounds!

While the Larkinsons who originated from states like the Bright Republic, Reinald Republic and Sentinel Kingdom were still able to stay on top because of their head start, it would become increasingly untenable to keep the new recruits down when they could do a better job than the old guard!

The difference was most obvious when it came to mech piloting. Their skill and training was a lot more comprehensive. Their foundation was more solid and they were much more accustomed to the high-paced, high-power battles between second-class mechs.

Only the Penitent Sisters were able to match and exceed these latest recruits!

Unlike the former Hexer cultists, the Lifers were a bit more assertive about having their own ways. While most were willing to adjust their lives in order to fit into the strange but powerful clan, there were several issues where they were not willing to compromise at all! Their insistence on utilizing biotechnology was just one of their pillars.

"You don't understand how highly the Lifers regard biotech researchers." Captain Rivington explained to Ves. "Everything we use and everything we rely on is based on the work of brilliant scientists who try their best to push the forefront of the field of biotechnology. It starts right at the top with our universal reverence towards the Supreme Sage. The entire reason why this planet and the rest of the LRA has erupted into so much chaos is because we can't stomach life without our greatest and most accomplished researcher!"

The signature mech of the Penitent Sisters was originally optimized for spaceborn combat. While it was theoretically capable of fighting on land and in the air, in practice the cannoneer mech's performance when subjected to gravity was incredibly poor!

If Ves wanted to employ the two Eternal Redemptions on the surface as something more than stationary turrets, then he had to make substantial modifications to their original design!

The limited resources and equipment on hand prevented him from implementing more ambitious changes. Ves had to stretch the limits of his skills in order to achieve the greatest results with the least amount of investments.

"What is your point, captain?"

"We lack an adequate leader figure to corral us all. While the problem is not acute right now, a lot of Lifers will become very dissatisfied once they have finished their introductory periods."

Ves paused in his work. "Didn't I put you in charge? As a former team leader and administrator of the Roving Hunters, you should have enough leadership ability to command their respect."

"That would have been the case if you are talking about any other people, but we're talking about Lifers here. I don't think you realize it yet, but the status of biotech experts exceeds that of generals, ministers and possibly even patriarchs such as you! This isn't the fault of you and the rest of your senior clansmen. It's just that we grew up in a state where we were taught that our leaders are always in charge!"

The Life Research Association used to be a biotech company. Even if it expanded beyond its initial scope and transformed into a fully-fledged state, this past identity still affected the running of the LRA to this day!

Ves even thought that this was one of the principal reasons why the government failed to prevent the Supreme Revolution!

While Ves often looked down on politicians, he had to admit that this greedy and selfish group of bloodsuckers at least knew how to keep a state together. Pure biotech researchers who could lecture people all day about alien biology had no time to waste on studying macroeconomics!

To be fair, the LRA was not a badly-run state for the most part. The middle and lower levels of the government all consisted of competent directors and leaders who knew their jobs well.

It was just that the upper levels were exclusively occupied by scientists. This was by design as the state always had to serve their interests over any others.

Regardless of how good or bad this governance system turned out, the Lifers were so used to living under this model that they couldn't imagine living under a regime where biotech researchers were no longer in charge!

If Captain Rivington was truly serious about this issue, then integrating the Lifers might not proceed as smoothly as hoped!

"Our highest-ranking biotech researcher at the moment is Dr. Ranya Wodin-Larkinson." Ves told the captain. "She is the director of the Larkinson Biotech Institute and holds my trust."

That latter part was very important. As much as Ves was willing to put his faith in every member of his clan, some of his secrets were too dangerous to risk getting leaked!

Dr. Ranya was one of the few people that Ves was willing to enlighten on spirituality. It was essential for Ves to share some of his trade secrets to at least one biotech expert in order to properly manage mutated beasts that could serve as design spirits like Arnold.

Captain Rivington shook his head, though. "I've heard about her from some of your Larkinsons. I am sure she is a bright lass and a promising researcher in the making, but… she's too young and junior. In the LRA, a junior exobiologist like her is barely one step above an intern. She should be working diligently under a more senior and accomplished scientist."

Without respect, these youngsters were unable to serve as a pillar for the Lifers!

"What about our other biotech researchers? I think we have plenty of older and more distinguished scientists in our member rolls."

"Captain Ember and I have already looked over the lists, but there is no one that can fill the void. We hold high standards and not just any random researcher can command our respect. A qualified scientist must have published at least a dozen academic articles, of which at least one must be published in prestigious journals that are circulated throughout the galactic rim. It would be even better if they have managed to gain the recognition of a journal that is circulated galaxy-wide!"

The Supreme Sage definitely accomplished the latter, not once, but many times!

The number of published articles and how many peers cited their contents was one of the established methods to judge an academic.

Ves hadn't looked deeply into Dr. Ranya's academic track record, but he was pretty certain that she didn't publish any article in a rim-wide journal.

He frowned. He did not ask whether an accomplished and successful mech designer like himself was able to command the respect of the Lifers. He might have more options if he learned how to design biomechs, but that was not an option at the moment.

No matter how good he was at designing classical mechs, as long as his professional qualifications didn't have anything to do with biotechnology, he could not serve as an adequate substitute to the leaders they were accustomed to obeying!

"So we don't have any relevant researcher who can serve as an adequate leader figure, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then I guess we'll have to find one, then. Do you have any ideas?"

Captain Rivington shook his head. "Not for the moment. The biomech designers and other related experts that used to work with the Roving Hunters are all unreachable. They're probably involved in the civil war and don't have any reason to abandon their current positions in order to become a part of our clan."

Ves tried to think of a good candidate. He suddenly recalled a promise that had not been in the forefront of his mind for some time.

Even though the chance was slim that it would ever get fulfilled, there was no harm in maintaining hope!

"Do you think the Lifers in our clan will respect a Journeyman who used to be apprenticed to a local Master Mech Designer?"

"Hmm… maybe. Somewhat." Captain Rivington answered in an uncertain tone. "If there aren't any better options available, then it might work, I guess. How it will turn out in practice will depend on the age and academic record of the former apprentice in question. The fact that one of the LRA's Masters is willing to teach this individual is already a powerful endors.e.m.e.nt, but it's not enough by itself. Lifers despise researchers who are all bark and no bite. Any researcher who wishes to be in charge has to prove their academic chops."

What a twisted governance system. Ves wanted to palm his face several times throughout this entire conversation. It was only barely more tolerable than the Garlen Empire's habit of putting high-ranking mech pilots in charge!

"According to you, we still have time to address this problem, so let's keep exploring our options. We need to stay on the lookout for someone who is smart enough to keep the former citizens of this state in line."

Ves originally wished to hire a lot of senior biotech experts. Now, he just wanted to leave this planet as soon as possible.

If he and his clan failed to hire a suitable leadership figure during their stay in this state, then they had little choice but to go elsewhere. With the wealth, resources and power at their disposal, it shouldn't be impossible to hire a foreign researcher.

The problem was that the Lifers simply wouldn't respect a biotech expert who originated from another state that much. The LRA was rightfully regarded as the holy ground of biotechnology! Their researchers were simply on another level!

Ves himself did not wish to leave this state empty-handed. He arrived here with a goal and he was not willing to depart without completing his mission!

"Captain Rivington?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Do you happen to know if there are any universities, research institutions or biomech design labs nearby?"

"Uhmm… no. Even if I knew, what would you do with the information?"

Ves began to smirk. "Isn't it obvious? I just want to approach some figures and persuade them into working for me. There are bound to be researchers out there who want a change of pace!"