The Mech Touch

Ves briefly toured the new fleet carrier. The vessel that he and Ketis managed to win by reaching first place in the Wild Brawl Bowl was better than he could imagine.

Sure, the Wild Fighter Association stripped out a decent amount of proprietary systems from its former possession, but that still left enough of a capital ship to satisfy the Larkinsons!

"We don't need a superfab anyway." Ves muttered underneath his breath. "We have an entire ship that can provide spare parts and replacements. The advanced sensor and stealth detection systems are also dispensable. Our Blinding Banshee already has that role covered."

While it would be nice to have an extra capital ship that could fulfill all of these useful functions, the Larkinson Clan could manage without them because its core fleet was so big and varied.

Besides, the Larkinsons could bring the fleet carrier back to her former glory after investing in expensive ship parts.

After getting a good understanding of what the new vessel was capable of, Ves proceeded with the christening ceremony.

A large group of Larkinsons came together in order to witness this important occasion.

As Ves smashed a bottle against the hull of the massive fleet carrier, a large patch of hull surface soon morphed in order to display the new name of the vessel!

"The Wild Torch is our first major addition to our fleet since we have arrived in the Red Ocean." Ves said during his speech to his clan. "A new galaxy represents a new beginning, and acquiring a large and modern fleet carrier is a great way for us to start our grand expedition. As you all know, danger and opportunity coexist alongside each other in the new frontier. Does that mean that we should cower from the threats lurking within this dwarf galaxy?"

NO!"

Ves grinned. "That's right! We are Larkinsons! We are better than that! So what if there is danger surrounding every opportunity? We can minimize the former and grasp the latter as long as we carry a bigger fist! I don't know about you, but the Wild Torch looks like it can pack a mean punch!"

The new fleet carrier made a lot of Larkinsons more confident about their upcoming journey. Before, the Larkinson fleet consisted of 9 capital ships, of which only a single one functioned as a fleet carrier.

Though the addition of one more fleet carrier did not sound like much, the Larkinsons also managed to get their hands on 36 combat carriers!

That led to an operational mech capacity of at least 3800 mechs if Ves added in the bunker mechs and other machines that could still be placed inside the hangar bays of non-combat vessels.

Was this enough to defend the Larkinsons? No, but at least they made progress.

Besides, their allies had also done a lot of work.

Ves already learned that the Cross Clan added 70 combat carriers to its fleet, though Professor Benedict was still having trouble filling them up with sufficient mechs.

The Glory Seekers also got busy during this time. Though the women hadn't participated in any tournaments during their stay in Vulit, they managed to expand their fleet in another way.

Calabast discovered that they had apparently gotten into contact with the greater Hexer diaspora that had already arrived in the Red Ocean.

Whatever they discussed, one of the results was that the Glory Seekers eventually received a modest supplement that consisted of 20 combat carriers and 8 logistical ships!

Regardless of what Ves thought about this arrangement, he was happy that the combined fleet expanded its mech capacity to such an enormous extent!

Ves grinned as he moved on to his second announcement.

"As you may have heard, our clan has grown by another measure as well. Let me introduce to you the latest additions to our core design team!"

The four new Journeymen of the Larkinson Clan all appeared on stage. Every clansmen, particularly the mech pilots, knew that they would all have to rely on the work of these prominent new members in the future.

For that reason, the clansmen directed an intense amount of scrutiny towards the three women and the single man who presented themselves today!

Each of them wore their new formal Larkinson uniforms in order to announce their new identities. They not only looked dashing in their new outfits, but also evoked many similarities to people like Ves and Gloriana.

However, the real test was just about to come.

The clansmen who had gathered in the large hangar bay of the Wild Torch all tuned their hearts to the four new Journeymen.

They felt warm and reassured when they looked at them. This was enough for them to accept and trust the new arrivals!

Ves smiled. He would not have presented the new mech designers to the clan if they hadn't received approval from the Golden Cat!

The fresh new Journeymen still looked dazed and distracted as they just began to learn what it was like to become a member of the Larkinson Clan.

"From today onwards, Janassa Pellier-Larkinson, Tifi Coslone-Larkinson, Sara Voiken-Larkinson and Dulo Voiken-Larkinson will each contribute their considerable design abilities as our latest lead designers. Each of them will become fine additions to our Design Department where they will handle many new mech design projects. You can expect us to introduce a lot more mech designs within a year!"

That was what the Larkinsons truly wanted to hear!

"Hooray!"

"The more mech designers, the better!"

"For the clan!"

As the introduction came to an end, Ves and the four new Journeymen retreated to a private compartment.

"When you told us that you Larkinsons are different, I never knew to what extent." Sara Voiken said as she looked a bit overwhelmed by how much her life had changed all of a sudden."

Not only did she leave the Voiken Family and became a formal member of the Larkinson Clan, she also became introduced to a substantially different culture and environment.

Though she and her fellow newcomers already anticipated these changes, they did not expect the additional 'surprises' that were unique to the Larkinson Clan!

Compared to living mechs and different religions within the clan, the biggest change in their lives was the induction into the Larkinson Clan's strange metaphysical network!

Ves only provided them with a brief and vague explanation of the network that allowed every clansmen to be able to recognize each other as kin.

From the moment the four Journeymen reluctantly agreed to connect their minds to this odd and maybe alien-derived network, they soon realized its great value and utility.

"No wonder you Larkinsons aren't afraid of traitors!" Dulo Voiken said. "I can just feel without a doubt that every clansman can be trusted even if they originally came from many different states."

The new Journeymen had all done their research on the Larkinson Clan. They learned that its members were famously close and unified despite their great diversity.

This was absolutely not normal for a young and relatively small organization like the Larkinson Clan!

They all learned the truth by now. They felt pretty mixed about becoming a part of this 'network'.

Each of them were Journeymen who prized the sanctity of their own minds. They all possessed the mental strength required to block or close this new mental connection if they wished.

Ves understood their concerns. He would feel unsettled as well if he was in their shoes.

"There's no need for you to feel concerned." He told them in a reassuring tone. "Our solution is meant to bring us closer together. The last thing we want to do is create division and generate mistrust. I think it would be best if you acclimatize to our clan by visiting our various ships and see what our clansmen are truly like. Look them. Speak to them. Work with them. You'll soon find out that they are just normal people who share the same aspirations as you. No matter how different they are from you, focus on your similarities. You'll find a lot of kindred brothers and sisters among our clan."

It was impossible for the four new Journeymen to drop into a design lab and start designing mechs right away. They didn't even possess a clear understanding of the Larkinson Clan at the moment!

This was why Ves was willing to grant them enough time to truly connect with the Larkinson Clan. No spiritual network could accomplish what human contact could do. Once the new Journeymen forged personal ties with real individual clansmen, they would truly feel motivated to design mechs for the clan!

"How long should we do this?" Tifi Coslone asked. "From what I've heard, the mech pilots here are eager to obtain new mechs. The sooner we give them what they want, the better."

"That's true, but we shouldn't rush this process. I will not give any of you permission to work on any design projects until you fully understand our history, culture and people. It's for your own good and everyone else's good as well."

Ves was willing to give them a couple of weeks before he checked in on them. If they hadn't integrated into the clan by then, then he was willing to give it an extra month.

The unspoken message here was that the four Journeymen could get to work a lot sooner if they made an earnest effort to integrate into the clan!

"Do you have any questions?"

Janassa Pellier raised her hand. "What is our rank in the clan? Do we have the right to issue orders to other Larkinsons?"

That was a surprisingly good question. Ves never really thought about this issue.

In practice, this matter never really came up because there was no need to clarify it up until this moment…

Ves was the patriarch and relied on that identity to take charge. Gloriana persuaded others to follow her instructions because she was his wife. Ketis and Juliet already enjoyed a substantial amount of influence in the Swordmaidens and Penitent Sisters respectively.

None of them needed any more official authority. Gloriana was probably the only exception, but Ves had never conceded to her requests.

Compared to the original four Journeymen in the clan, the new arrivals were completely on their own. They had no existing ties or friendships with any of the Larkinsons that could serve as their informal powerbase.

In certain situations, this might mean that they might grow unhappy!

Ves rubbed his smooth-shaven chin. "Here in the Larkinson Clan, we believe that the right people must assume the right responsibilities. We recruited each of you for your mech design capabilities. There is no reason for you to take charge of our mech units or involve yourself in policy making. There are many other clansmen that are already doing a good job in their positions. We're not a military organization, so I won't give you an official rank or anything. However, in most cases your status as a leader designer should be sufficient for you to command everyone's respect. Once you have completed a few solid mech designs, every clansmen will sincerely accommodate your requests as long as they are reasonable. Does that answer your question?"

His answer wasn't as satisfying as they hoped. The Larkinson Clan placed a greater emphasis on mech designers than many other organizations, so they thought they might obtain greater power and respect.

Not so. Ves was wary of handing out power that people didn't need. Now that the Design Department had expanded further, he thought it was clearly time to set additional rules.

In his opinion, it was enough for the mech designers to serve as pure support personnel. They really didn't have any business meddling with the other parts of the clan.

That right was reserved to Ves. He was the patriarch after all.

Once he cleared up this matter, Janassa, Tifi, Sara and Dulo all left in order to start their much-anticipated tours.

"I hope you'll be able to fit in…" Ves said.