The Mech Touch

　　Only the wealthier and more renowned mech pilots and mech designers were allowed to pass through its gates. This was a measure that ensured that the Arcadia Sanctum did not lose its appeal by hosting too many lowly space peasants.

　　"Hm." Gloriana grunted as she floated before the golden gates of the Arcadia Sanctum. "Impressive, but not original. The Well-Oiled Machine back in Chance Bay has more personality."

　　The Arcadia Sanctum performed a similar role to the Well-Oiled Machine. It functioned as an unofficial gathering point for the Mech Supremacist Faction of the MTA.

　　Just like the Well-Oiled Machine, the Arcadia Sanctum was founded and managed by a well-connected mecher.

　　After a bit of waiting, Director Astoria Kelric came out to meet the young but promising Journeyman in person.

　　"Ah, Madame Gloriana Wodin-Larkinson. My apologies for the wait. My meeting with an expert pilot took significantly longer than expected. You know how they are. They do not easily take 'no' for an answer."

　　Gloriana smiled and used her free hand to shake the surprisingly young woman's hand. "I understand. We did not have to wait long."

　　"I have heard much about you and your husband. I am quite interested to hear how the two of you managed to amass so many masterwork certificates so early. Please come inside."

　　The group entered the main facility and headed to the top floor. There, Gloriana left her bodyguards behind as she entered the director's large and tastefully-decorated office.

　　Open spaces, warm-colored stones and various mech-related curiosities provided a warm atmosphere that was conducive for discussing business.

　　"Can I set my baby down? She likes to explore new spaces."

　　"Why certainly. I have already prepared this space for that. I must say that your daughter is shaping up to be a strong woman."

　　"Thanks."

　　Gloriana set Aurelia down on the ground where she could crawl to her heart's content.

　　"Clixie, make sure she doesn't get into trouble."

　　"Miaow miaow."

　　The cat didn't need the reminder. She had already gone ahead so that she could make sure that the baby didn't bump her head against a wall or something!

　　Gloriana sat down at one of the soft couches that was set before a window that provided her with an impressive view of the resort grounds as well as the surface of Davute VII.

　　Director Astoria Kelric joined her shortly later with a cup of spiced tea in her hands.

　　The woman in charge of the local meeting place for the Mech Supremacists looked younger than Gloriana. Her impeccable suit, her braided pale white hair and her cybernetic eyes marked her out as a human who belonged to a higher class than nearly everyone else.

　　When Gloriana quietly looked up the director's public record, she quickly found out that the woman was the granddaughter of an MTA Master Mech Designer.

　　That certainly explained how someone who looked to be around 25 years old managed to hold her current position.

　　The way she spoke and conveyed herself up until this point told Gloriana that Astoria was an ambitious mecher.

　　"Charming, is it not? Davute VII wasn't nearly as developed and populated at the start. In a decade, the urban sprawl will likely be at least a hundred times as big. Humanity's growth in the Red Ocean cannot be stopped."

　　"That may be true, but not everyone will benefit from this rise. There are few winners but many losers in this dwarf galaxy."

　　"Where do you think your own clan falls in, madame?"

　　The mech designer grinned towards the woman in charge of the Arcadia Sanctum. "Why, we will definitely find a place among the winners. Despite my husband's inexplicable decisions, I have no doubt we shall successfully take root in the Red Ocean. We not only possess numerous unique advantages, but also carry the blessing of more and more gods."

　　"Gods, you say?"

　　"Yes." Gloriana firmly nodded. "The Superior Mother is our greatest backing, but the Golden Cat is growing stronger as well. My husband has breathed life to several new proto-gods lately, and we're looking to convert our strongest mechs into divinities as well. With so many gods at our dispaosal, we shall become invincible given enough time!"

　　"That sounds fascinating." Director Astoria replied as she conveyed a lot of interest in the claims. "How much assistance do these gods provide to your endeavors?"

　　"Well, they are excellent aids in battle, but not that much outside of it. Only Vulcan, who Ves values highly, is truly useful in our work. Ves even took the trouble to create a new organization in order to fuel his growth."

　　"I've read about that. We're not quite sure what to make of this so-called Creation Association. It sounds like a regular group but it operates like a religion. What is it, really?"

　　"The Creation Association is more of the latter than the former. The entire point of it is to gather more worshippers for Vulcan. My husband is stubborn about faith. He cannot bring himself to acknowledge the truth, so he dresses up his new organization in secular terms."

　　"I can understand the need for discretion. Religion is not welcome in every part of human society. If he wants to spread the name of Vulcan as wide as possible, then it is best to adopt an approach that offends as few people as possible. There are many fanatics that have never managed to get this right."

　　After they finished chatting about Ves' strange side project, Director Astoria finished her cup of tea and turned to the Journeyman Mech Designer.

　　"Your Larkinson Clan has attracted an increasing degree of interest among my superiors. I find that to be curious. I have heard that the Survivalists, who your husband is associated with, are making more movements than usual due to him and his clan. What does he offer that makes them so excited?"

　　"Ves decided to share something good with them. I don't know what exactly he has offered. He is close to Mr. Jovy Armalon, which I am not. I can think of several different possibilities that could make certain elements of your Association express so much interest."

　　"I see." Astoria said. She cleverly did not press Gloriana any further. "I hope that he will share his generosity to the rest of our Association in time."

　　"You can make a good case if you offer enough incentives to him. He thinks he is a principled person, but he melts easily if his greed is sufficiently aroused, which happens more often than you think."

　　"Our profile on him says much the same." Director Astoria nodded. "We will take our time and see how the situation develops. Right now, the Survivalist Faction has staked their claim on him, so we cannot exceed our boundaries."

　　They eventually moved on to another topic.

　　"The recent news on your clan is that it is attempting to start a new trade consortium."

　　"Yes. That is also the reason why I decided to visit you first. Ves and his people are trying his best, but without inviting strong and reliable parties such as Hexers, his trade consortium will end up as a clubhouse for every misfit and loser in the Red Ocean. I am hoping that you can point me to more reliable business partners that can truly make this trade consortium work."

　　"That… is a difficult request to meet." Director Astoria responded with a frown. "All of my contacts are either ineligible or too powerful to join a consortium of this level. That is not to say that I cannot meet your request. My staff and I can proactively seek out suitable pioneers that meet your requirements. We have other priorities, though. We would never approach random pioneers and push them into action."

　　Gloriana looked disappointed. "Is there nothing you can do? As much as I don't like it, our clan needs this initiative to work. Not only do we need to bind together a lot of different parties, we also need to leverage this collective to hold successful talks with a powerful material supplier and other essential business partners. If you can give us any aid, then this venture will not end up as a massive waste of time."

　　"As I have just said, we are already preoccupied with other matters. The Krakatoa Middle Zone is quite active and is just starting to attract a large number of pioneers. It is not impossible for us to give you aid, but you know our rules. You must contribute to us and prove your value before we are willing to lend a hand. Just making several masterwork mechs is not enough."

　　The director's message was clear. In order to persuade the Survivalist to provide actual help, Gloriana needed to come up with a sufficient incentive.

　　'You are asking much. Large parts of the clan are under the control of my husband. I cannot make decisions on behalf of the Larkinsons. The best I can do is to lean on Ves and persuade him to make certain decisions."

　　"We understand. Patriarch Ves Larkinson is the single most important voice in his own clan. Give me a moment, please. Let me deliberate on how to proceed."

　　The director's augmented eyes faded a bit as she entered some sort of virtual setting.

　　Gloriana waited for the other woman to finish. In the meantime, she stood up and sought out her daughter who was currently cuddling with Clixie next to an abstract artwork.

　　"That's enough crawling on the ground for you. Come to mama, dearie!"

　　"Guuwaaa..?"

　　The mother grew much happier now that she held her lovely daughter. On the other hand, she also grew more worried whether she could attain a meaningful result today.

　　Eventually, Director Astoria returned to reality. "I've contacted a number of individuals. A few are willing to lend your clan a hand. If they make their moves, you will find that several useful pioneering organizations have expressed their interest in signing up for this trade consortium. Among them are mech companies and other related industries."

　　That was good news to Gloriana. "That is truly a relief to hear. However, I do have to warn you that whoever you have sent should not harbor any malicious or overly selfish intentions towards the consortium and our clan. Ves detests betrayal and has developed extraordinary means to detect that in other people."

　　"Oh, that is not a great concern to us. There are genuine advantages to getting close to the consortium and the Larkinson Clan. We merely want you to watch out for them. Your position in your clan will allow you to exert considerable influence in how the Larkinsons treat the members of the trade consortium. If you can make sure that they obtain greater priority on certain benefits such as collaborations and such, we would be quite happy about that. Of course, I am not asking you to abuse your position. We merely wish to ensure better cooperation."

　　"I can do that." Gloriana nodded as she continued to hold her daughter. "What you're asking is not much. What is your purpose, exactly? It would help our cooperation if you can tell me what it is you seek to accomplish."

　　"My goal is to make a mark as the head of this branch." Astoria plainly stated. "You can think of it as earning merits. By contributing more to my faction, I will receive greater attention from it. I do not have the right genetic aptitude to pilot mechs and I am not suitable to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather who is an accomplished mech designer in the Association. If I wish to live up to my family, I must make my own achievements. I am willing to give this trade consortium a chance. The most I can do is recommend potential members, however. Your husband and your clan will have to solve the remaining problems."

　　"It's enough."

　　The young mecher smiled. "Then we shall cooperate more extensively from here on out. As long as your clan is based in Krakatoa, I will continue to stay in touch with you, madame. I look forward to what your clan can accomplish in a few years."

　　"You might not have to wait that long. I seriously recommend you take a close look at Ves' more recent work. His Enlightened Warrior doesn't look exciting, but that is because he is quiet about its benefits. It's a stupid decision, really. You should really take the name of this variant more seriously."

　　"Oh? Do tell me more, please. Would you like to have a drink?"