The Mech Touch

"It's sleepytime."

"Miaow…"

Clixie yawned as her slender body curled up on the new pink cat bed that Aurelia bought for the feline.

Though the bed looked a little whimsical, its quality and performance were the real deal. Clixie not only felt as if she was resting on a cloud, but the bed also pulsed in a rhythmic manner, making her feel as if she was resting in a pile of siblings.

However, the pink cat bed that the Larkinsons bought for 279 MTA credits did not completely satisfy all of her needs.

The designers of the product had taken a lot into account, but they did not know everything about cats, particularly ones as remarkable and special as Clixie.

"Miaow miaow…"

The cat grew increasingly less satisfied. After a few minutes, she rose from her bed and jumped onto the bedroom floor before making her way over to the much larger hotel bed.

Two little girls wearing adorable pajamas had already fallen into slumber. Clixie jumped onto the bed. She lovingly nuzzled Andraste's cheeks yet eventually settled her body next to Aurelia's sleeping form.

Even asleep, Aurelia unconsciously reached out and embraced Clixie against her chest. Love radiated from both of them, causing the girl and the cat to enjoy a much better rest than any bed could provide.

Inside another bedroom, Ves knelt down next to a smaller bed where Marvaine blissfully slept.

The father tenderly stroked his son's hair and recalled all of the fun they had throughout the day.

The tour through the Armidia would never have been as enjoyable and fulfilling to him if he visited alone.

Ves viewed Pentahull Station from a different perspective after getting infected by the curiosity and innocence of his children.

Their giggles and laughter caused him to take a closer look at subjects that he would have previously passed over. Their frequent questions also forced him to think deeper so that he could properly formulate his thoughts to his little munchkins.

Ves rarely felt more alive than he did today. He felt almost just as good as getting involved in battle or putting his life at risk.

"I guess parenting is also a struggle in a sense."

The responsibility to shape and guide his children's various views and opinions was a heavy one. Ves knew that each of the lessons that he taught to Aurelia, Andraste and Marvaine would have a profound influence on how they behaved in the future.

Though it was impossible for Ves to completely control the growth of his children, he hoped that they would still hold onto the principles and values that he attempted to plant in their psyches.

"I love you, my son." He whispered as he leaned in to kiss his youngest child's forehead.

His brown-haired kid seemed to smile even as he was immersed in his dreams.

Ves quietly left the bedroom and entered the living room of his hotel suite.

He moved over to the reinforced windows which provided him with an impressive view of a portion of the public space of the Armidia and beyond. The bright and colorful lights of the expansive internal city conveyed a sense of vitality even when many activities had stopped.

The nightlife of the hull under the control of the Clarke Clan was not as wild and exuberant as in the other sections of Pentahull Station, but Ves enjoyed the peace and comfort.

He knew that many other Larkinsons on shore leave were undoubtedly having a good time at the moment.

His wife appeared a few minutes later and moved to his side. A hint of the expensive new scent wafted from her body and tickled his nose, causing him to feel warm and in need of companionship.

He reached out and embraced her, causing them to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as they both looked out into the peaceful city at rest.

"Pentahull Station was truly a marvel of engineering." Ves remarked. "Not only that, but the members of the Pentahull Coalition have done a great job at bringing everything to life. There were many times where I hardly noticed any differences between the public spaces of the Armidia and the city districts of Kotor City."

Gloriana leaned her head onto Ves, allowing him to enjoy a scent priced at c3499 MTA credits a bottle to a greater degree.

"You sound envious."

"I guess I am." Ves said. "Don't get me wrong. Our Vivacious Wal is also great and we have more than enough Larkinsons to fill her up, but the problem is that it has rarely opened her cities to the public. When I was walking through the streets down below earlier in the day, I became fascinated by how so many different people from so many different cultures and regions found ways to get along with each other. I won't claim that everything on this space station is done well, but I feel like our Larkinson Clan is not diverse enough to my taste."

Gloriana softly let out a snort. "You're just saying that because you enjoy novelty. Our clan hasn't added a new sub-culture since the Heavensworders came onboard, so a part of you must be feeling that nothing much has changed. The reality is much different. The Larkinsons have grown so much over the past five years that we are all better than we have ever been in the past. We consolidated our gains and we settled into our new stations of life. Each of us are already incredibly content in our lives. Just because we haven't made any gains in this area doesn't mean that there is a problem. We are all doing well for ourselves."

He sighed. "I suppose you're right. I'm happy that we have provided a great growing environment for our children. They don't lack for much. I would have loved to grow up under the same circumstances."

"If you think that is the case, why are you trying to move away from that?" His wife began to frown. "We had a great life in Davute. Instead of extending that, you put a stop to it by dragging us all into your Trailblazer Expedition. We will soon be knee-deep into lawless territory where hostile pioneers and awful aliens will seek to threaten the lives of our children at every step of the way. That does not sound like good parenting."

Ves let go of his wife and sighed. "I have already explained myself plenty of times. I would have loved nothing more than to allow our children to grow up in a pampered environment where they would not lack for anything, but the outcome of that would be to raise a bunch of spoiled and pampered brats who don't know anything about how to survive in this harsh and unforgiving cosmos."

"I don't agree with that, Ves. You grew up in a peaceful rural planet for the most part, but you have taken to the new frontier like a fish to water. Our children will be put in an even better position as long as you teach them what you know about navigating the cosmos as you see it. We can also hire other tutors to supplement their learning."

"It's not enough, Gloriana. Being told how the cosmos works is not as good as experiencing it yourself. I have always believed that the environment we grow up in shapes the way we behave in the future. Children who have grown up in peaceful and orderly societies are best suited to operate in those kinds of environments. I am not confident that our kids will be in the best position to attain success in human space, particularly in a wild and turbulent place as the Red Ocean."

"Is that your justification to expose our children to dangerous situations?"

Ves slightly shook his head. "You only see the risks but not the rewards. A decade ago, I shed my naivety in the most brutal fashion after getting thrown head-long into the ugly side of humanity by getting drafted into the military. Though I still resent how I had no choice in the matter, I learned a huge amount of lessons during those turbulent years that were vital to my subsequent success. Even if I possessed other advantages at the time, I would have never been able to lead my clan to the point where we could threaten colonies like Pima Prime in so little time."

Gloriana furrowed her brows. "I cannot believe that I am saying this, but you are being too hard on our babies. They are too young and vulnerable to handle the pressures that you are about to incur with your new expedition. Instead of letting them enjoy their childhoods to the fullest, you are planning to accelerate their maturation process and have them learn hard and brutal lessons that you only became exposed to when you were already an adult. Doesn't that sound unfair?"

Ves didn't see it that way.

"No. What I consider unfair is that I only got in touch with the truth of how our society and the rest of our cosmos worked far too late in my life. I could have avoided so many detours if I had the wisdom of today back then. I don't want our children to repeat my mistakes. Although it sounds cruel, I think it is better to introduce our children to the harsher realities of our society first-hand. That way, I can be assured that they will always be able to do well once they have grown up and are ready to make their own way in life."

Had he made the right choice? That remained to be seen. He had looked at the society he lived in and did not see much hope of peace.

In fact, the future trend looked bleak. More and more tensions and wars were on the horizon. He wanted his children to be ready to operate in an environment where the rules of the jungle prevailed.

Ves and his family continued on his tour the next day.

They visited several different hulls this time. Though there was nothing wrong with the Armidia, it was only a slice of what Pentahull Station had to offer to its visitors.

Gloriana carried her new tote bag in her arm despite not needing to do so in the first place.

She drew plenty of admiring stares from knowledgeable women along the streets. Some of the bolder ones even attempted to approach and chat with the owner of the Radiance Tote Bag, only for one of the honor guards to step in the way and move the random fan aside.

Ves became surprised by how much reaction the remarkable looking bag evoked among women. Personally, he knew nothing about the brand, it appeared that Pop Cult was an especially famous and prestigious brand among the fashion conscious individuals.

"Pop Cult is trendy at the moment." Gloriana explained to him. "Many fashion brands have entered the Red Ocean market, but not all of them are able to succeed. One of the main criteria that determines their popularity is how well they can get their hands on exotic leather hides. The most exclusive ones come from the major alien races that are exceedingly difficult to defeat in battle. The Big Two doesn't care about preserving their bodies at all, so it is mostly up to the private sector to hunt them down. That is difficult because the puelmer race and the nunser race are both powerful enough to challenge first-raters when they are at their best. This is why my current bag is so expensive."

Ves felt conflicted by this news.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with fighting against two different sentient alien races.

Whether humanity was in the right or in the wrong, the war between their civilizations centered around territory, resources and dominance. Both humans and aliens waged war against each other for those reasons since the beginning of time.

However, to hear that people purposely sought to hunt these powerful aliens down just so that they could skin their prey and sell the hides to well-paying fashion houses was absurd!