The Mech Touch

　　The mech not only showcased Gloriana's gains over the years, but also incorporated a lot of new materials, techniques and methods that were previously inaccessible or impractical back in the galactic rim.

　　Vincent himself was pleased beyond measure. The mech was a fine early wedding gift from the clan in his opinion and he delighted in showing off its manly prowess every chance he got! The B-Man's 'generous' codpiece often started a lot of conversations, and Ves even received requests from various mech pilots on whether he could add codpieces to the next designs.

　　"Rejected! Codpieces are completely unnecessary and superfluous in most designs!"

　　Dividing mechs by gender was a completely ridiculous concept to Ves and he did not want to encourage this distinction in his clan!

　　Time continued to pass after this initial success. More mech design projects came closer to completion while the expeditionary fleet smoothly crossed over into the Krakatoa Middle Zone.

　　The Golden Skull Alliance adopted a much more guarded posture and avoided the most convenient routes in order to avoid bumping into trouble.

　　Though Ves and the others weren't afraid of encountering hostile human fleets, it was a different story when it came to alien fleets. The odds of bumping into these powerful threats were much lower if they avoided the big and obvious destinations.

　　Of course, that still left the expeditionary fleet open to the possibility of encountering alien forces seeking to sneak past human patrols.

　　Still, there were so many small and empty star systems that the probability of encountering a powerful alien fleet should be low.

　　Expectations held for now. Everyone in the expeditionary fleet continued to take advantage of this quiet period to prepare for the difficulties on the horizon.

　　The most notable events that occurred after the completion of the B-Man was the series of weddings that took place in the Larkinson Clan.

　　Transports and shuttles kept flying back and forth as the invited guests all flocked to the Vivacious Wal.

　　Most couples chose to conduct their wedding in the bright and picturesque Dawn City.

　　No venue was more grand and beautiful than the Garden of Beginnings. It was located close to the Golden Palace and contained many sculptures and other refined artworks made by the growing artist community in the city.

　　Now, tens of thousands of Larkinsons had flocked to it so that they could witness the most anticipated wedding of the year.

　　When Joshua finally leaned forward and kissed a resplendently dressed Ketis, the entire clan and many other people cheered in jubilation!

　　"Meeeeeoooww!"

　　"Miaaaaoooow!"

　　"Chirp chirp!"

　　"Woooof!"

　　Even the pets in the city expressed their happiness at the occasion! While not all of them were smart enough to know what weddings meant, they still sensed the waves of happiness rolling off the humans!

　　The marriage between the two not only cemented a promising new dynasty in the Larkinson Clan, but also signaled a possible continuation of the lineage of a swordmaster!

　　The attention to this wedding was much higher because the proceedings were transmitted right back to the Heavensword Association in the old galaxy!

　　Billions of citizens tuned in to watch the first recorded marriage that involved a certified swordmaster.

　　Many prominent acquaintances from the eccentric state chose to honor Ketis by showing up in their own ways. Their physical projections occupied entire rows of seats.

　　Though the swordmasters and other dignitaries could not attend the wedding in person, their willingness to show up in public at this event already conveyed a lot of support.

　　Not that Ketis paid attention to them. She left all of the politicking and influence-building to the likes of Minister Shederin Purnesse and old man Fred Walinski today.

　　For now, she was just Ketis Larkinson, the wedded woman to Joshua Larkinson.

　　As both Swordmaidens and other people flocked to the newly-wedded swordmaster to express their congratulations, she lifted her arms to part the crowd aside so that Ves could approach her without pressing through the throng of people.

　　The clansmen would have parted for their patriarch anyway, but her gesture saved him the trouble of making his own move.

　　As Ves approached the happy woman while wearing his best ceremonial garb, Lucky darted forward first and flew right into Ketis' uncharacteristically white wedding dress.

　　"Meow!"

　　"Hahahaha! Don't worry. Just because I'm married doesn't mean I will retire my sword. Maybe we will fight alongside each other once again in the future. The only difference is that I will be fighting for my family and my children instead of glory."

　　"Meow meow meow~"

　　Lucky rolled and squirmed in her grasp as if he was playing the part of a spoiled baby. Ketis was happy enough to indulge in his antics.

　　The owner of the cat was not amused, though. Ves directed a flat look at his pet.

　　"Geez, Lucky. Sometimes I wonder whose side you are on." He grumbled.

　　His cat responded to his remark with a petulant flip of his tail.

　　"Anyway, congratulations, Ketis. You've finally joined the ranks of the married. It is a great pleasure for you to bind yourself to a partner who you can trust and start a family with. Joshua is a good man. He will assuredly protect you with his life."

　　"I know." She smiled back. "I don't need his protection, though. I can take care of myself."

　　She nodded back to the floating form of her sheathed greatsword. Though she had taken the time to decorate the Bloodsinger's scabbard in white embroidered cloth, its presence along with its sharp intensity already signified that the bride was not a pushover!

　　"It's the thought that counts. You've entered an entirely new phase in your life. I hope you will be able to find a good balance between your duties as a mech designer and a married woman. I hope you won't be absent too often from the design labs, but I also don't want you to waste this opportunity to start your own family. Having kids is an indescribable joy and I think that it will benefit you particularly well."

　　"I already have plans." Ketis she told him. "It will take time for them to come into fruition. For now, I'm not in a hurry to turn Joshua into a father."

　　The two chatted a bit more. Ketis went into this relationship with full awareness of what that entailed. She was also highly conscious of the fact that a pairing between a Journeyman and an expert pilot would attract a lot of scrutiny within the clan.

　　"Neither of us are bothered by our new roles." She said in a factual tone. "The clan needs more role models and examples and while I am not a natural at it, I can't avoid it on account of my strengths."

　　"From what I've seen, you're already handling your growing fame in an excellent manner. Don't get too consumed by what the public thinks of you. What truly defines you is your work and your accomplishments. Continued success is the best way to maintain a good image."

　　Once their little chat came to a close, Ves moved on to talk with Joshua who was surrounded by a lot of men.

　　He looked more alive than ever before. He was all smiles as he reveled in the happy occasion.

　　"You're a lucky man, Joshua! Take good care of Ketis, you hear?" Ves jovially called.

　　Joshua bowed in a chivalrous fashion. "I will do so to the best of my abilities. It won't be easy, but I will fight any enemy that threatens my family and my clan."

　　Though he spoke those words out of his own conviction, the clansmen around them all became inspired by his statement.

　　This was how a true Larkinson should sound!

　　As Ves briefly chatted with Joshua, another prominent Larkinson approached.

　　Everyone in the vicinity could feel the protective embrace emanated by the expert pilot in question. Venerable Jannzi Larkinson stopped in front of the happy man.

　　Though Ves and the others expected to see a bit of friction, the two expert pilots got along a lot better than they thought.

　　Jannzi usually wore a uniform in her daily life but wore a conservative dress for this occasion. She did not look as if she was trying to compete or supplant Ketis which some rumors suggested might be the case.

　　"Are you happy, Joshua?"

　　"Do you even need to ask that question?"

　　"You're right. I can clearly sense how you are feeling right now. Ketis looks just as content as you. That reinforces my belief that the two of you make a great pairing. I hope you will be able to make the most out of your marriage. Our clan needs a lot of families and you are setting a great example."

　　"Thanks. I'm not sure if that's any of your concern, though."

　　"The clan needs new blood, especially considering the dangerous waters that we are entering." Jannzi replied while giving a sidelong glance at Ves.

　　"I can hear you, you know." Ves said with an irked expression.

　　"I know." Jannzi turned to the patriarch. "I hope you can show our present and future children more compassion and refrain from sending our fleet into certain danger. Do you truly think it is right for you to bring your daughter into the deep frontier?"

　　"This is not the time and place to discuss politics. Plenty of wise leaders and institutions in our clan have considered these matters and do not object to our current course."

　　"That is because they are all in your pocket!"

　　"They support me because they know they cannot make our clan great by avoiding risks. We are not the Larkinson Family that has chosen to serve the Garlen Empire. Do any of you here prefer to stay in the Larkinson Family and become just another average space peasant in a state beset with internal rivalry, or do you think you are better off in our clan where we have already grown a lot wealthier and powerful than we could have imagined a few years before?"

　　The answer was obvious. The entire crowd of mostly men raised their fists and expressed their support.

　　"FOR THE CLAN!"

　　Despite the repudiation from all of the clansmen around her, Venerable Jannzi did not look bothered by the lack of support.

　　"You're young and you're excited but you won't be like this forever. When you marry your lovers and start having kids, would you still be eager to dive head-long into the most dangerous regions of the Red Ocean? I very much doubt so. We'll see whether you will still be willing to bring our entire clan into every reckless adventure that your patriarch wants to bring you. At the very least, we should consider leaving our more vulnerable and non-combat elements behind in some form of safe harbor. At least then we won't lose all of our children and our future if our main fleet ever suffers an accident."

　　That was a surprisingly good suggestion from Jannzi. Many clansmen around them already started to consider this idea.

　　Ves narrowed his eyes. He did not want to split up his fleet. Parking the Vivacious Wal and all of the other 'civilian' vessels in a place like the Pellysa System would only give enemies an opportunity to take their vulnerable relatives hostage!

　　There was no one in the Red Ocean that he could trust with the civilian population of his clan. Not the Hexers, not the Heavensworders and certainly not mechers!

　　The best way to keep them safe and protect the clan from any unwanted obligations was to keep the population of the clan confined to a single fleet. Though the disadvantages were obvious, at least everything remained within his grasp!