The Mech Touch

Ves was selling a product at the moment, and his first two prospective customers were already hooked.

He could tell that Marshal Ariadne and Patriarch Reginald were already determined to get their hands on kinship networks. Ves had dazzled them by showing off Blinky and Goldie before pulling them into his narrative as he continued to give his sales pitch.

Though there were plenty of risks and dangers associated with his products, the benefits were also very clear. Ves didn't have to work too hard to emphasize the advantages that he could bestow to their organizations.

Now that human space had become more turbulent, it became more crucial than ever to ensure greater loyalty and cohesion within organizations. If either leader rejected this unique product, then they would always have to face the question whether they could truly trust their brothers or sisters!

Ves knew that he had the support of the changing trends. A lot more powerful people and organizations were willing to pay much more to obtain their own networks.

Yet these huge benefits also came paired with the new reality that they would all become dependent on Ves to service, repair, update and protect their new kinship networks!

This condition alone sparked a lot of doubts in the Glory Seekers and the Crossers. Neither of these two groups were enthusiastic about the fact that their sole service provider could also become their greatest threats if relations ever soured.

Of course, the easiest way to prevent this nightmare scenario from happening was to keep everyone honest!

If everyone played by the rules and abided by their new agreement, then everyone benefited. This was a crucial dynamic that would ensure that everyone involved would feel reassured that no one had any strong desire to turn their backs on the others.

The only problem was it was mainly the Glory Seekers and Crossers that felt this way. The Larkinsons didn't have to worry about the fear of their network going out of control because Ves was confident he could solve any issues!

The acceptance of this difference was in fact a major concession on the part of his customers. Even though the Glory Seekers and Crossers didn't hand over anything solid to the Larkinson, the invisible bonds that formed between the different organizations became a lot stronger and tighter, and that was all that mattered to Ves!

After answering a number of questions and clarifying some details, Ves moved to the most critical topic of this meeting.

"Marshal Ariadne, Patriarch Reginald, if you are truly willing to receive your own kinship networks, then you will have to set some parameters." He said. "First, you need to determine the nexus that will influence your people and regulate their thoughts. This is a deeply personal decision and one that is extremely influential to the future development of your organizations. I suggest you make a list of criteria first by discussing this issue with your trusted subordinates. Once you know what you want, you can—"

"Ahem." Marshal Ariadne gently cleared her throat. "You don't need to bother with that, patriarch. We already know our choice. We would like nothing more than to allow the Superior Mother to watch over us. She is already doing so, I think, but some of our mech pilots possess a much deeper personal connection due to what you have done to them just before one of our previous battles. In fact, aren't they already connected to this kind of network?"

Ves shook his head. "Not quite. The mech pilots you are referring to are tied to a different network that does not have the functions of a kinship network but is much more applicable in battle. Before you ask, this product is not on the table. It is one the most powerful trump cards of our clan and it would be a dereliction of my duty if I sold it off like a prize horse."

Neither Ariadne nor Reginald pushed him any further on this topic. Though their eyes sparked with desire, they knew better than to touch someone else's trump card.

Besides, their most immediate need was to solve the traitors within their own ranks. Only by completely securing their interior would they have the luxury of thinking about anything else. Perhaps they might have an opportunity to obtain this secret product in the future.

Ariadne brought the conversation back to her original choice. "What do you think about letting the Superior Mother be in charge?"

"No problem." Ves easily answered. "She is a very capable entity and someone who already possesses an affinity with you all. She is already in charge of several networks, actually. She can accommodate an additional one without a problem with the power she wields."

Marshal Ariadne looked completely reassured. "Thank you. We welcome any opportunity to draw closer to your mother. She has been our people's unflinching support through these trying times."

The choice of the Glory Seekers was already clear from the beginning. The faint connection that they had already formed with the Superior Mother had slowly caused them to become more aligned with the Hexer ancestral spirit. Though this effect wasn't as strong as that of a kinship network, it was still influential enough to encourage every Hexer to develop an instinctive respect towards the Superior Mother and some of her values!

Ves actually welcomed this development as putting the Superior Mother in charge of the Glory Seekers only accelerated their transition to a more friendly and galaxy-ready version of Hexers.

He felt quite smug about the fact that the Super Mother's popularization had already caused the Hexers to deviate from their original trajectory. Though it would still take many years and a lot of effort for the Hexers to change their man-hating ways, he knew that many of the ardent women had already mellowed out after becoming more accepting to the alternative perspectives that Ves had programmed in the ancestral spirit.

It was a pity that there was a limit to this development. The Superior Mother still had to retain enough Hexer traits in order to make her relatable to the citizens of the Hegemony. She was also constantly being influenced by the values that the Hexer people unconsciously imposed on her. Though Ves made sure that the Superior Mother would not get easily affected, who knew what she was like after his mother intervened.

In fact, the biggest influence that could induce change in the Superior Mother was not actually Ves or the Hexer people.

It was Cynthia Larkinson!

Ever since the Superior Mother's trajectory became skewed after a mutation had occurred during her creation ceremony, Ves already felt that he had lost control of his spiritual product.

The Superior Mother lives a life of her own and was more than powerful enough to resist any change that Ves wanted to make!

The only way he could affect her at all these days was to propose changes that earned her approval. That was why the Superior Mother didn't push back when he fashioned a crown for her to serve as the nexus of her battle network.

Regardless, allowing the Glory Seekers to become more attached to the Superior Mother was a very reassuring choice to Ves. After all, she was his mother in some way, so deepening their loyalty to the Supreme was also deepening their loyalty to her son!

After making sure that Marshal Ariadne was willing to subject the Glory Seekers to closer scrutiny from the Superior Mother, Ves turned to the other leader in the conference room.

"What about you, Patriarch Reginald? Your clan doesn't have a figure like the Superior Mother, so the question of who will become the nexus of your kinship network is not an easy matter."

The Cross Patriarch shook his head. "You are wrong. We do have a hero who we can all accept."

"Who are you talking about?"

"My father."

Ves looked perplexed. He briefly recalled the namesake of the flagship of the Cross Clan.

Saint Hemmington Cross was the greatest leader of the Cross Clan. He was a rare ace pilot and one who possessed unimaginable strength on the battlefield.

It was too bad that his competence on the battlefield did not extend to governance. As the leader of clan that governed a lot of territory in the Vicious Mountain Star Sector, Saint Hemmington became consumed by his desire to earn more glory and initiated reckless wars against his neighbors.

After the Saint's death, the once-prosperous clan suffered a dramatic decline. What Ves found perplexing was that despite losing an astronomical amount of territory, people and assets, the Crossers still worshipped the solitary cause of all of their suffering!

None of the Crossers ever harbored any spite or blame towards the greater Crossers who had lived among them. Even his son, Reginald, still approved and admired the deceased ace pilot despite the latter's fatal flaws!

If Saint Hemmington turned into the Cross Clan's version of the Superior Mother, Ves would become incredibly worried about the future of one of his allies.

He could not allow the Cross Clan to repeat the mistakes of its past!

Ves plastered a brittle smile on his face. "Patriarch Reginald, while I would love to accommodate your request, we should let sleeping dogs lie. Saint Hemmington has already fought his last battle. He deserves to rest now. Besides, becoming the nexus of a kinship network is a highly technical and sophistical position that requires a different specialty. It's like commanding a fleet carrier. You wouldn't put a mech pilot in charge. The Superior Mother can function as the nexus of her own network because she is smart, clever and knowledgeable enough to perform her functions, but Saint Hemmington is just a very good mech pilot. As great as he was on the battlefield, you can't expect him to design your mechs or heal wounded soldiers from the brink of death!"

Patriarch Reginald Cross looked very disappointed at his answer, but only briefly.

"You make a good point, but my father is a great man. He is much closer to a god than myself and the little expert pilots in your ranks. He will be able to master the functions that you have described. I am confident in his ability."

Ves firmly shook his head. "You are not listening to me, Reginald. No one is good at every job. Everyone has different specialties. Your father will not be helpful in managing your kinship network. You should pick out someone else or allow me to create one according to your needs."

Unfortunately, the Cross Patriarch dug in his heels.

"I don't want anyone else. Our entire clan will unanimously reject any other influence. We will only accept my father as our guardian and watcher. If it doesn't work out, we can revisit this discussion, but for now, I do not accept any other answer. Our deal is off if you cannot accommodate this demand."

The man drove a hard bargain all of a sudden. Ves was taken aback at the Cross Clan's stubbornness, but in hindsight he shouldn't have expected anything different from an expert pilot.

Ves still had another excuse, though.

"There is another reason why Saint Hemmington Cross is not an option. He's dead and gone. I don't have anything to work with if he isn't around anymore and all traces of him are gone. The Superior Mother is different because she is alive, if in a different way."

"That won't be a problem either. If you are willing to follow me back to the Hemmington Cross, I will grant you the exclusive right to step into our inner shrine. I will bring you to my father's tomb so that you can ask him in person whether he is able and willing to take on this responsibility."

"..Uhm, okay. We'll do that, I guess." Ves answered.

He needed to harvest a spiritual ingredient related to the Cross Clan anyway. Shrines and any other site of worship were great places to pick them up. Once he harvested a remnant or something, he could use it as the basis of a new spiritual product that was aligned with the Cross Clan.

Maybe he would shape it into a dog this time.