The Mech Touch

Since the distance to the beyonder gate was constantly shrinking, Gloriana wanted to start right away. She freed up enough time in their work schedules to shuttle over to the Dragon's Den as soon as the fleet emerged from FTL travel.

The half-biological research vessel had become a bit livelier since the last time he visited her. The crew had increasingly turned the Dragon's Den into their home and workplace by modifying the interior and putting up more banners and other symbols.

Perhaps inspired by the Four Aspects of Lufa, the resident biotech experts put up small statues in many compartments and corridors. While the craftsmanship of the Lifers lacked the spark of life that characterized his own work, Ves appreciated the intention.

Even if he thought the living statues looked kind of creepy.

The Lifer biosculptors created lifelike approximations of the Golden Cat, the Superior Mother, Qilanxo, Lufa and other known design spirits. Their interpretation of how all of them looked was directly affected by the existence of previous images of their subjects.

For example, the statues of the Superior Mother all looked remarkably like his mother back when she was alive. Ves modeled his own initial statue after Cynthia, and the subsequent creators accessed archival footage of her back when she was alive.

Of course, these statues also happened to unnerved him the most. He had the weird illusion that his mother was constantly monitoring him through the judgemental eyes.

The other living statues disturbed him in a different way. For example, the Lifers didn't possess a solid impression of how Qilanxo looked like. They could only gain a description by listening to the eye witness testimony of some of the Vandal veterans in the fleet.

Though the dinosaur-like statues largely reproduced Qilanxo's distinctive features, the proportions were all wrong and the vibe they exuded did not match the majesty of the former sacred god.

Ves felt tempted to create his own living statues in order to give the enthusiastic Lifer biotech experts proper examples to correct their artwork, but he soon shook his head. This was a trivial issue and not a matter that needed to be fixed. His design spirits weren't there to be worshipped. They were there to assist the pilots depending on his mechs. Anything else was just extra.

When he and his wife reached the research laboratories, they separated in order to undergo separate checkups.

"We have actually laid the groundwork for this project a long time ago, so we don't have to keep you indisposed for long." Dr Ranya said as she supervised a team of Lifer doctors going about their work. "The main reason why we need to conduct additional examinations is because our situation has improved. The new hardware that we have gained along with the Lifers joining our department has substantially upgraded our capabilities and opened up new opportunities."

"All so you can design a better baby, right?" Ves sardonically asked.

"Designing babies is one of the most expensive industries in human space, sir. You cannot imagine how many wealthy people throughout the galaxy are willing to pay to conceive of a genetically and biologically upgraded descendant."

Though Ves did not intend to give up on this route, he was still unaccustomed to this process. "What's wrong with making babies the old-fashioned way?"

"There is not much wrong with natural birth, sir." Dr. Ranya answered. "With modern technology and advances in medical science, we are able to correct most deficiencies before they can turn into lifelong disabilities. The only issue is that the genetic predisposition for cognitive abilities, emotions, talent and other traits are largely randomized. While birth is not the sole determinant of success in life, why wouldn't you want to stack the deck when the option exists?"

It made a lot of sense to invest a lot in setting up a child up for success. He even understood the market dynamic after Ranya clarified the designer baby industry. While the number of rich people in the galaxy was just a fraction of the total population, the net worth of these individuals was insanely high. There were much wealthier people than Ves in the Yeina and Bardo Star Clusters and they were probably even more eager to obtain high-quality designer babies!

After all, a child was not only a vehicle for parents to pass on their legacy, a successful offspring could also feed back the support they received many times over.

In other words, children were investment vehicles that had the potential to achieve an insane return of investment. Perhaps the next generation might achieve so much with the help of the benefits they received early on that they brought back a hundred or even a thousand times more money than what their parents initially paid!

Of course, love also played a factor. Humans, like many biological species, were genetically programmed to love their children and do their best to raise them well.

However, this instinct never took advanced technology into account. While humans in the distant past lacked the technology to artificially boost the capabilities of their children, the current era provided countless solutions for every kind of customer at many different price levels.

The cost to get started with a design baby was quite hefty, but not prohibitive. It was just that the barrier of entry was still high enough to scare away most average citizens.

"What do you have in mind for my first designer baby?" He said as the examinations continued to proceed.

A variety of advanced scanning equipment thoroughly inspected him from top to bottom. Ves had no idea what they were trying to observe or whether there was any point to this procedure. He already put his body through plenty of checkups in the past.

"Gloriana has a very specific idea of what her firstborn should be like." Dr. Ranya's expression twitched. "Her first child must be female and possess augments that are geared towards emotional intelligence, beauty, social engineering, acting, persuasion, and other related traits. Of course, the baby must also receive at least some augments that are geared towards improving her physical condition, fighting consciousness, tactical awareness and reaction time. This is a standard package she intends to apply to all of her children in case they develop the right genetic aptitude to pilot mechs."

Ves blinked. "I thought that Gloriana would have wanted to nurture a mech designer from the start."

"Madame Constance did not start off with raising a mech designer, so Gloriana won't attempt to do so either. According to Hexer tradition, the oldest of the six should always become the leader whenever possible. The oldest daughter's role is to act as a guardian and a pioneer for her younger brothers and sisters. In fact, I think Gloriana intends for her firstborn to become the next leader and possibly the first matriarch of the Larkinson Clan!"

"Does the baby have to be a girl?"

Ranya looked at Ves as if he was stupid. "Of course. A boy can't possibly serve as a leader and a proper role moder to his younger siblings. At least that is what the Hexers think. Don't worry. Gloriana is a believer in balanced families. You will definitely have your sons."

He wasn't worried whether Gloriana was willing to have sons. What he was truly worried about was her attitude to raising them. There was no doubt in his mind that she would treat their sons a lot differently than their daughters.

He sighed. "If Gloriana raises our sons like a Hexer mother, then I guess that I'll have to step up as their father."

He didn't believe that Gloriana would abuse or neglect their future sons. The issue was that she would follow after her mother and end up raising their little boys into slightly bigger boys. He could never forget his impression of her five siblings.

Gloriana's older sisters were all strong and confident women. While Madame Constance undoubtedly raised them with high expectations, her approach paid off as none of her daughters were average.

As for her sons… the less said about them, the better. The only outlier was Brutus Wodin and that was only because he had the double luck of possessing the right genetic aptitude and successfully advancing to expert pilot.

Even then, his personality was so filled with Hexer indoctrination that Brutus was quite possibly the most pathetic expert pilot that Ves had ever met!

Dr. Ranya gave Ves a reassuring smile. "We have already left the Hegemony behind. Gloriana doesn't strictly insist on following every Hexer tradition. She also respects you and listens to your opinions. I suggest that the two of you should come together in order to plan out your offspring strategy."

She spoke of raising children as if it was a battle that needed to be won. Ves felt more and more disturbed by how unnatural it all sounded.

After a lot of thinking, he finally figured out the reason behind his instinctive repulsion towards excessive intervention.

His domain revolved around life. Part of his philosophy was to let nature take its course. While he did not object to stacking the deck to an extent, he did not like the way that Gloriana intends to plan out many of his future children's life choices, career trajectories and other major decisions.

Though children themselves didn't always make the best decisions, they still earned the right to choose their own course in life.

What if their firstborn didn't want to become a matriarch? What if she wanted to follow the footsteps of her parents and become a mech designer?

Ves would support her daughter no matter her decision as long as she didn't want to become a pirate or some other stupid choice. Even if her augments did not match her chosen profession, it wasn't as if this was an insurmountable problem. Plenty of people achieved success without benefiting from genetic treatments and implants worth trillions of hex credits.

The complexity and randomness of life could still ruin even the most extravagantly-raised designer babies.

"I'll talk to Gloriana, I guess." He said.

"You do that."

Once the round of examinations passed, Ves donned his uniform again and reunited with Gloriana when they returned to their shuttle.

As the swift vehicle launched into space and returned to the Spirit of Bentheim escorted by a host of Avatar mechs, Ves looked at Gloriana as she cradled Clixie as if the cat was her baby.

"Oh, you fuzzy wuzzy lady, you're so cute, aren't you?'

"Miaow~ miaow~"

"You'll be a good guardian cat for my babies, right? I'm depending on you to watch out for my upcoming daughter."

"Miaow!"

"Ahem." Ves coughed.

Gloriana briefly interrupted her cuddling session and turned to Ves while raising her eyebrow. "What is it, Ves?"

"Uhm.. about our designer baby.."

"I'm not changing my mind about her future." His wife stated. "You probably prefer to raise as many mech designers as possible, but that is foolish and short-sighted. Our first daughter must take charge. You won't be able to lead the clan forever, Ves. Sooner or later, you have to prioritize your mech design career and give up a responsibility that demands more and more commitment. I don't trust anyone else to succeed you as leader except our own flesh and blood. Taking charge of the clan is not easy and it will only grow more difficult over time. While it won't be hard for our baby to surpass your performance as a patriarch, that isn't good enough. She must become a leader beyond comparison!"

She had become so fervent about this topic that Ves physically had to lean back. Her mind was already set and her obsession about this matter was so great that his courage deflated like a balloon!

"Er… that sounds great, but don't work too hard, okay? Our children would probably be fine regardless of how much we invest in their upbringing."

Gloriana didn't even deign to give him a response. She turned back to Clixie and grinned. "My babies will all become perfect. I have two great role models in the form of my own mother as well as Ves' mother! With all of the effort I put into preparing for their upbringing, my children will doubtlessly soar and take flight without exception!"