The Mech Touch

　　"Well, we already have a couple of likely candidates. The Cross Clan are already close partners with us and should not be left out of this arrangement. Dulo Voiken has already served as a bridge to certain elements of the notable Voiken Family that have recently entered the Red Ocean. We can potentially reach out to the House of Barach though it might be a bit too small and underdeveloped for us to bother with. As for others…"

　　Ves couldn't think of anything further at the moment. This was an indicator that he really hadn't put enough effort into forging new ties with his fellow pioneers.

　　"We do not have to limit our search to parties that we have already contacted. As long as we share the same interests, there is a basis for cooperation. The difficulty is persuading them that it is worthwhile to join our trade consortium. We need to convince them that it will not crash and burn and that it can truly forge deals with larger players. As long as the consortium is not able to fulfill its main objectives, then all of our plans and dreams will turn into smoke."

　　This was a great and ambitious endeavor. If it succeeded, then the Larkinson Clan would not only solve its immediate supply problem, but also forge lots of links with other pioneering organizations.

　　He could easily imagine growing closer with some of the groups that cooperated best with his clan. If relations grew warm enough, he might invite them into the Golden Skull Alliance!

　　All if it required a lot of work and effort. Minister Shederin's diplomatic qualifications would be sorely tested in the coming weeks in order to get this promising idea off the ground.

　　"You know, I can draw in a number of Hexer pioneers to give more substance to the consortium." Gloriana suddenly spoke up. "While many Hexers that have migrated to the Red Ocean are occupied with claiming and colonizing different territories, others are tasked with facilitating trade and production. The migrants from the Hexadric Hegemony have learned from its previous time in the Komodo Star Sector and are determined not to remain isolated from the regional trade networks. If we can invite a number of Hexer organizations in our consortium, we will not only gain a couple of powerful and trustworthy members, but also open up lucrative trade opportunities with the new Hexer colonial state that will soon come into existence!"

　　Everyone stared at her in silence. Their expressions did not show any hint of embracing her generous proposal.

　　Ves cleared his throat. "Gloriana… there is a reason why I insisted that the members of the consortium should remain small. I don't want the consortium to grow too close to any large or established power blocs. We need to remain neutral in order to avoid getting dragged into any regional turf wars that don't have anything to do with our core interests. Only other smaller players that haven't joined any existing power blocs are within our consideration. Your Hexer friends are decidedly not neutral."

　　"What? How could you turn your back on my people? You still owe them a couple of Hexer mech designs, you know!"

　　"And that is a separate matter! As long as they request them, I'll provide them as agreed but no further. The Red Ocean is a new start for our clan and I do not want to get dragged into whatever trouble the Hexer colonists will certainly provoke over the course of their stay here. Have I made myself clear?"

　　"You… you… what about the Glory Seekers?!"

　　Ves leaned back and crossed his arms. "The trade consortium that we are trying to set up is mainly concerned with trade, commerce and production. As far as I know, the Glory Seekers aren't engaged with any of it. Isn't that right, Calabast?"

　　The spymaster, who had remained quiet all this time, nodded. "The Glory Seekers do not produce or sell anything themselves. Their fleet mainly consists of carrier vessels as it is not meant to be self-sufficient in the first place. Instead, in order to ensure that the Glory Seekers remain bound to their original masters, they get all of their funding and supplies from the Wodin Dynasty or Hexers that are aligned with it. In short, there is no point in inviting the Glory Seekers into the proposed consortium because it already receives its supply from existing sources."

　　Though Gloriana threw a nasty glare at Calabast, the latter woman paid no attention to Ves' angry wife.

　　"There you have it, then." Ves concluded the meeting. "We'll be arriving in the Davute System quite soon. I was originally planning for this to be a short pitstop, but we will stay longer if we need to. One way or another, our clan will be departing from this star system stronger and more secure than before."

　　The virtual meeting came to an end. The virtual individuals all disappeared when they cut the connections, but Ves wasn't lucky enough for Gloriana to disappear from his sight.

　　The two had entered the same meeting room, after all! His wife's anger hadn't abated at all. Her eyes smoldered and she rocked their woozy-looking daughter in her arms.

　　"Did you hear all of that, Aurelia? Ves is being a meanie right now. The Hexers have provided so much support to him a few years ago. The Fridaymen would have killed him or turned him into their slave if not for the vital assistance provided by the Wodins and the Hexers, whose blood just happens to run through your veins by the way. Don't be like him when you grow up, okay? Be like mama. Ma-ma. Maaaaamaaaa. Do you get that, baby?"

　　"Uhhhwww…"

　　Aurelia closed her eyes and took another nap.

　　"Looks like our daughter is smart enough to know how she should respond to your slander."

　　"Ves!"

　　The little spat didn't result in anything. Out of everyone in the clan, no one aside from her wanted to grow closer to the Hexers. The Larkinsons had truly divorced themselves from most of their entanglements in the old galaxy.

　　Aside from keeping an eye out on old enemies such as the Fridaymen and the dwarves, there was no need to seek out old friends.

　　The expeditionary fleet arrived in the Davute System shortly before Dulo Voiken fabricated the Thorn Project.

　　As the Golden Skull Alliance obeyed the instructions of traffic control and steadily moved towards the inner system, Ves returned to his workshop in order to view the new staple mech for the Living Sentinels.

　　A few other people had arrived as well. Ves did not look surprised when he spotted Commander Casella Ingvar. The expert pilot and leader of the Sentinels was greatly concerned at how the new mech would turn out. If successful, the Thorn Project would likely become a core element of the Living Sentinels!

　　Sara Voiken had come as well. She had been cheering on her brother for the past day. It was great for one of the four new Journeymen of the Larkinson Clan to finally complete a fabrication run.

　　"What a great mech." She praised her brother. "This spearman mech is truly unlike anything you've made before. It somehow feels greater now that it possesses all of the qualities of a living mech."

　　Due to Ves' involvement, the Thorn Project had become alive, and the copy fabricated by Dulo Voiken reflected that vital trait.

　　Although the mech wasn't alive as a machine handmade by Ves, it was not weak by any means. The proud new mech was equivalent to a product put together by the production crews working aboard the Spirit of Bentheim.

　　When Ves gazed at the massive construction, he gained a few immediate impressions from Dulo's work.

　　Its thick and armored frame gave it a sense of solidity. It was bulkier than the offensive configurations of the Bright Warrior and provided particularly good protection against attacks coming from the front.

　　The tall shield it carried by default enhanced its defensive properties even further. The shield was easily repairable and replaceable so the Living Sentinel mech pilots did not have to baby them too much.

　　The Thorn Project was not a defensive mech, though. Its true worth lay in its spear. With strong limbs and a frame that was optimized for stabbing, the mech was able to maintain a secure grip on the specially-designed spear while launching continuous attacks!

　　In exchange for diminishing its effectiveness at launching other attacks such as sweeps and so on, the Thorn Project was able to overwhelm many other typical melee mechs as long as they confronted each other directly!

　　That didn't mean the spearman mech was good in duels. Its hefty frame along with its monotonous attack mode meant that it only truly fared well when fighting alongside rows of identical machines.

　　The sight of hundreds of them fighting at the same time should definitely make an impact!

　　Yet the most beautiful and impressive aspect about the Thorn Project wasn't its features or its appearance. What Ves truly cared about was its living characteristics.

　　"Years after designing the Desolate Soldier and its variants, the Solemn Guardian is finally responsible for a new mechs."

　　There was no design spirit that embodied the purpose and themes of the Thorn Project to a greater degree than the Solemn Guardian.

　　This was a mech that needed to hold the line and remain tough against potentially overwhelming odds.

　　The Thorn Project mechs could not afford to retreat because there was no way they could escape on their own in space. In addition, the spearman mechs would all be fighting with the Larkinson fleet behind their backs. Letting the enemy pass would put hundreds of thousands of clansmen at risk!

　　What Ves sought in this mech was a solid bedrock that could actively remind and encourage its mech pilots to hold the line!

　　"Good job, Dulo."

　　"Thank you, sir."

　　The designer of the Thorn Project was not used to working several days in a row. He looked tired but content at his results. He did not screw up the creation of a living mech.

　　As far as quality went, the fabricated mech was relatively average. Ves and Gloriana could easily make considerably better mechs, but that was because they already had a handful of masterwork mechs under their belt.

　　All in all, Dulo Voiken passed the various tests and fully gained Ves' approval.

　　"When can we put this mech into use?" Commander Casella asked. "I already have a number of Sentinel mech pilots on hand that are trained in spearmanship."

　　Ves looked uncertain. "The Davute System is fairly strict when it comes to mech deployments. It might take a while to gain permission if the local authorities are inclined to extend them at all. You have to remember that Davute is a gathering point of a lot of different people and organizations, many of which may possess antagonistic relationships with others. We need to make sure to convince the authorities that we will do no harm."

　　It probably wouldn't matter much anyway because the Thorn Project was a relatively simple and straightforward mech. Testing it probably wouldn't yield any drastic glitches or unexpected results, especially considering that Dulo already tested various prototypes based on earlier iterations of the mech.

　　"We can still bestow it with an official name." Commander Casella said. "Thorn is not a sufficient name for this mech. I have been thinking about how to call it when we put it into service. How about naming it the Rigid Spine? These mechs will break before they will bend."

　　Ves wasn't so taken with the name, but Dulo Voiken thought it was an acceptable interpretation of his work.

　　"Rigid Spine can work. The name is a good fit with its intended use. I had other ideas in mind, but since this mech is designed for your mech legion, let us adopt your suggestion.