The Mech Touch

Though Ambassador Shederin Purnesse recognized that strength was the only truth that could be counted upon, his family did not have the qualifications to act on this basis.

It was too weak. The Purnesse Family was only a small cog in the giant machine of the Grand Loxic Republic. It was not easy to cultivate a large force of mechs especially when the Purnesses lacked a foundation in the military and other related sectors.

The main foundation of the Purnesse Family had always rested on its many interconnected relations. Even if the turbulent wave that had struck the Grand Loxic Republic caused all of these bonds to fray, the family had no choice but to continue to rely on them. The Purnesses really had nothing else to rely upon to tide them over this crisis.

It was their own fault for not taking enough contingencies into account and preparing for a devastating turn of events like the one that had recently destabilized human space!

The Purnesse Family developed over a hundred solid ties to different families, companies and other organizations. Novilon Purnesse had already reached to each and every partner that could lend a hand to them, but as he and his father went through the list, they received distressingly little good news.

"The Markham Family has promised to assist us.." Novilon formed a rare smile, but it quickly turned brittle. "Alas, they are dealing with their own challenges. From what I have heard, the Markhams can only secretly transfer funds into our accounts. While that will help with alleviating the huge debt that we have incurred in order to erect our hasty defenses, it will not help us climb out of our hole."

"It is better than nothing." The stately father replied with a whisper. "Ambassador Grovin Markham is a good friend of mine. He still holds himself to the old ways even if there is no compelling reason to give us a hand. Accept his grace. We truly need the funding and we cannot ask for more."

This remark caused his son to feel even more frustration. The Markham Family was substantially stronger than the Purnesse Family and could have absolutely offered more aid.

What was even more notable was that Shederin Purnesse and Grovin Markham used to be friends since they attended the same university more than a century ago. They never drifted apart after they entered service.

They were practically brothers at this point. Yet even that wasn't enough for the Markhams to do more than lift a finger to aid the Purnesses!

"Grovin Markham…" Novilon spoke the name between gritted teeth.

"Leave it be." Shederin spoke in a stronger tone of voice. "The Markhams are in danger of getting toppled at any time. If I were in their place, I would prioritize my own safety as well. After all, no one can deny the fact that our Purnesse Family has become dispensable."

Novilon Purnesse had no choice but to go even further down the list of friendlies that they had called upon for assistance.

Yet no matter how much energy and effort the Purnesses had expended into courting them, the situation facing the family was so unfavorable that few provided any significant assistance.

Multiple generations of Purnesses painstakingly formed hundreds of friendships with many different economic, industrial, political and ideological powers. Even a fraction of them were more than powerful enough to relieve the crisis that had beset the family.

Unfortunately, what little token help that Novilon Purnesse got back was as useless and feeble as trying to douse a star by throwing a bucket of water in its direction!

Ambassador Shederin Purnesse patiently listened as his son detailed the exact responses of the family's former relations. The answers ranged from bad, awful and total silence.

Even though the head of the Purnesse Family could already predict all of the responses, he still had to hear them in person in order to carve this monumental failure to his weary heart.

If he and the Purnesse Family ever survived this great crisis, he would ensure that the Purnesses would never make the same mistake twice!

Once Novilon finished the exhaustive list, he looked as if he had drained all of his energy. This was their only lifeline, yet no matter in which direction they cast the line, no one picked up the other end!

"Keep contacting all of our old friends and acquaintances." Shederin commanded. "Their answer will likely remain the same, but there is always a chance the situation might change, though we shouldn't bet on this outcome."

The Purnesses could do little else than that. Solving the crisis with their own feeble power was wholly out of the question!

"We need a real solution, father. I've spoken to all of those contacts and representatives and I have not heard any sincerity in their tones. I know for certain that some of them know who is behind the black mechs that are blocking our way out, but the fact they are keeping mum despite our prior friendships is an ominous sign."

The older man paused before slumping in his comfortable seat. "The Hegenarion Party is completely over. What currently stands for it is already rotting from within. Forget about relying on the partners who are tied to it. We need to set our sights further. We must put our emphasis on obtaining outside help."

"About that, father…"

"Go on."

Novilon Purnesse hesitated a bit. "We have put some effort into doing as you just said. In every situation, we received a negative reply. No foreign organization wants to meddle into the internal affairs of the Grand Loxic Republic or get in the middle of a power struggle."

"Of course this is the case. The Grand Loxic Republic and whoever gets to rule it controls the gateway into the Yeina Star Cluster. Any local power will find themselves choked out of many favorable trade deals and greater networks if they put themselves opposite against the rising trend!"

"We did get one oddly positive response, though."

"Hmmm?" The older man directed a serious look at his son. "Since you decided to bring this to my attention, it must be credible. Tell me. Which fool is stupid enough to value a worthless family like ours and is willing to offend many powers who will soon have a great say over the star cluster."

"It's the Larkinson Clan. To be honest, we merely cast a wide net and contacted many random foreign organizations. Even if the chance of winning the jackpot is just one out of several billion, it is still worth it for us to make repeated bets. It doesn't cost us much except for a moment of our time to spam our help requests."

Novilon Purnesse sounded genuinely surprised that such a braindead plan actually bore fruit. However, when the son of the family head beheld the spiky fruit he grasped, he didn't know whether he should take a bite. Who knew if it could make him sick!

Ambassador Shederin knew his son well. "Do you have faith in the Larkinson Clan?"

"Their representatives sound sincere enough." Novilon spoke. "In fact, they sound downright enthusiastic. Apparently, their clan has grown too quickly and urgently needs the diplomatic and administrative personnel that we have in spades. Considering how unsophisticated they all sound, I have the impression that they do need our help."

A brief moment of silence followed as Shederin dredged up what he knew about the Larkinson Clan. He dug up a few news articles about notable events surrounding both the clan and its very brazen patriarch, but that was not enough for him to weigh this development.

"Give me what I need to know about the Larkinson Clan." He commanded.

"Yes, father."

A very quick wireless transmission followed. Novilon Purnesse knew exactly what information his father sought, so he already collected and condensed every relevant piece of data into a succinct and easily-digestible report.

It only took a minute for Shederin Purnesse to absorb all of the information and process the many implications of what he had just received.

"The Larkinsons are certainly… colorful." He mildly stated.

"That's an understatement." Novilon contemptuously scoffed. "They are too young, too brash and too reckless. Their shallow foundation originated from a tiny family from an inconsequential third-rate state. Though I have no doubt that their leader is a talented mech designer, his ability to govern and make wise decisions leaves much to be desired. Yet for some inexplicable reason, all of the other members of his clan are all supportive of his deficient leadership!"

Ambassador Shederin softly chuckled. "The Larkinsons are not ordinary, that is for certain. Perhaps it will help if you view them as a mutated version of a Vicious Mountain clan. The two operate in much of the same manner. Aside from the lesser emphasis on expert pilots, the person at the top is still the greatest authority regardless of whether he actually knows how to run a clan of this scale."

There were many questionable points about the Larkinson Clan. How in the hell did it remain stable and coherent after absorbing over a hundred-thousand people in the span of just a couple of years? How did they keep growing stronger instead of weaker by integrating so much diversity? How did the Larkinsons keep pulling off miracles in battles that were so unfavorable that defeat was the expected outcome?

"The Larkinsons are strong, I will grant them that." Novilon begrudgingly said. "However, their meteoric growth and progression resembles a shuttle helmed by a drunk fool. It can crash into other ships at any moment and I'm not sure if it will be able to dock at its destination without crashing into a space station."

Obviously, Novilon Purnesse took a dim view on the upstart clan. From the perspective of his family, the Larkinsons were like shooting stars. There were many of those in the galaxy, but they never lasted long enough to stand the test of time.

Only stable, long-lasting organizations led by wise and steady figures like his father were worthwhile enough to befriend!

"You need to cut those thoughts out, son."

"Pardon?"

"You are still operating by the old rules. Stop that. Times have changed and our family's situation has changed as well. Perhaps in the past we have ample justification to look down on this eccentric clan, but we are living in the present now where everything is different. They have strength while we have none. We have diplomats and administrators while they have a lot of vacancies in those positions. Even someone who lacks our training can tell this is a win-win arrangement. Our ship is breaking apart, son. We need rescue from every avenue we can get, and if the shuttle dispatched by the Larkinsons looks shaky, it doesn't matter because it is better than dying in space!"

"The Larkinsons don't actually intend to rescue us, father! They intend to annex us and make the Purnesse Family disappear!" Novilon raised his voice! "They are like pirates stumbling upon a derelict ship. Upon finding us, they want to drag us back into their pirate ship and force us to become one of them! In every single round of negotiation, they have not let up their excessive demands. They intend to swallow us entirely and absorb us into their clan in total!"

The Purnesse Family and its long heritage that stretched back all the way to Old Earth would become history if that happened!

Shederin Purnesse merely shook his head. "We are at the cusp of losing all of our lives. What will happen to our family, do you think? The only difference from what you have said is that no one will remember us when we become history. If we accept the goodwill extended by the Larkinson Clan, we will at least be able to honor and remember who we descended from. In addition, it would be nice not to lead all of our sons and daughters to their deaths."

The Larkinsons were brutes whose minds were filled with martial thoughts. They exhibited a distressing lack of culture and refinement and clashed against the Purnesses in many other ways.

Yet the current situation made it so that the Purnesses had no choice but to take shelter underneath those uncouth mech-obsessed muscleheads!