The Mech Touch

The first day of the Larkinson reunion ended on a fairly good note. Despite the defections that took place, the loss to the clan was significantly smaller than Ves expected.

The clan's growing cohesion had already started to take effect! The shared identity among the clan members had all grown to a point where they were truly proud to wear their distinctive uniforms!

The next day, the Larkinsons on Cinach VI continued to mingle with each other. A lot of trueblood clan members received permission to take some time off to meet with their fellow relatives from the other branch of the Larkinsons on an individual basis.

Small groups of Larkinsons gathered together to commiserate about their shared experiences in the good old days.

Even Ves decided to take a break from working on his two mech design projects to meet with some relatives.

When he looked at the list of family members rescued by DIVA, he immediately honed in on a single name.

After arranging a meeting, Ves finally got to meet with one of his favorite cousins at the temporary base rented by the clan.

When Melinda Larkinson stepped into his office, she looked impressed at what she saw along the way!

"Ves! I already knew you were kind of a big deal, but I never imagined you would be able to gather so many mechs and people in your clan!"

"Melinda." Ves dropped his airs and smiled as if he was ten years younger. "I'm so glad to see you safe and sound. I was scared of what might happen to you when the government took you into custody."

The two came close until they hugged each other. Pure affection engulfed the both of them as they were overjoyed to see each other again!

Eventually, they separated and sat down at the desk.

"Spotlight didn't treat me that badly." Melinda remarked. "The government may have rounded up our family, but we never committed any crimes."

"So how are you doing these days?"

"I'm fine. While I miss my old job, I still feel content as long as I'm with the family. I've been spending a lot of time with the Larkinson Family."

"Melinda.. does that mean.."

She sighed. "After hearing about all of the differences between the clan and the family, I really can't make any other choice. I understand what you want and I will always support your efforts, but that isn't me. I don't like fighting. I don't want to seek out conflict. Working at the Planetary Guard was nice because I wouldn't have to ruin other people's lives for a living. I would much rather prefer to protect people with my abilities."

"You can do that as well in the clan." Ves suggested. "The Living Sentinels is perfect for you. My Sentinels are dedicated to protecting the lives and assets of the clan. There won't be any instances where they will be expected to take offensive action."

"Nice try, Ves, but the trouble you seem to attract is rather disconcerting." Melinda threw a strained smile at him. "I heard a lot of tales from the family members I've been lodging with and swapped even more stories with some of the members of your clan through my comm. I think I have a pretty good idea where you want to take the clan. When I asked myself if I wanted to be a part of it, I didn't receive an encouraging answer."

In the end, her heart yearned for a different life. Ves recognized that Melinda truly wouldn't join the clan. With this small hope crushed, he no longer tried to convince his cousin to join the clan. Their values were simply too incompatible with each other.

As the mood turned melancholic between the two, Lucky suddenly floated onto Melinda's lack. He rolled around and presented his belly to the female Larkinson.

"Oh, Lucky! It's good to see you again! You're so cute!"

Melinda enjoyed herself as she caressed Lucky's metallic skin.

"Meow!"

Lucky always seemed to enjoy the affection of women! Ves glanced at his cat with a mix of appreciation and betrayal.

One the one hand, he appreciated Lucky for cheering Melinda up. On the other hand, he resented his cat for his habit of seeking the comfort of others instead of him! It wasn't as if Ves kicked his cat every day!

"Meow meow meow!"

"Oh, you'll miss me too when I'm gone?"

"Meow!"

"Would you like to follow me instead of Ves?"

"..Meow."

Ves immediately sat up straighter in his chair! "Hey, Melinda! Don't steal my cat! He's mine!"

She giggled. "You should learn to share. Besides, I can't take your cat. As you said, he's yours. I wouldn't deprive you of your own family."

After she had her fun, she lifted Lucky away. The cat returned to lounging on the desk.

The two Larkinsons proceeded to chat for a time. They exchanged some stories and talked about their aspirations for the future.

"No offense to you, Ves, but I truly believe in Uncle Ark." She stated. "He's a proven leader and he is willing to do anything to give our Larkinson Family a new home. Compared to the clan, our old family is worse off and needs me more."

"I see. You're right. Our clan is much better off. I suppose you can make a bigger difference to our lineage if you accompany Ark and protect our family members."

"What about you, Ves? I already heard about where you want to take the clan, but I don't quite understand why you are exerting yourself so much. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Though Ves could never possibly tell the truth to her, he still cared enough about Melinda to say at least something to placate her concerns.

"It's.. complicated. I can't really explain myself other than that there is more afoot than what is apparent on the surface. Suffice to say, the disappearance of my father has a lot to do with my actions."

She frowned at this cryptic response. "I see. There's obviously something fishy about all of this, but if you don't want to tell me, I'll respect your decision."

"I'm sorry, Melinda. It would only put you in danger if I told you. Some things just aren't meant to be I guess."

"Are you in danger? Will you be fine without me? If you ever need help, you can always call on me. While I can't do much on my own, I might be able to convince Ark to lend a hand."

"No need." Ves shook his head. "My problems aren't as severe as you think. At the very least, I'm not in imminent danger. I just need to get stronger in order to solve the issues that have been plaguing me for the past few years."

The Mech Designer System, the Five Scrolls Compact and his father's persecution were all issues that Ves was determined to solve. Yet the strength needed to confront them was so much that he needed to be a Master before he was confident enough to confront the conspiracy that enveloped his parents!

"As long as your goal is just, you will always have my support."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me. I will always keep you in my heart."

The two began to wrap up what might possibly be their final moment together. Both of them stood up and hugged each other once again.

"I don't know where the future will take you, Ves, but if you ever want to return to me, you can likely find me and the rest of the Larkinson Family somewhere in this star cluster."

"I know." Ves smiled. "I have your comm contact. We can always talk over the galactic net. Even the Red Ocean is connected to the same network."

He supposed the name of the galactic net was rather outdated now. Properly speaking , the Comm Consortium should encourage everyone to refer to it as the inter-galactic net.

Still, saying that phrase out loud was a massive bother compared to the term that everyone had already been used to saying for centuries.

In any case, both Larkinsons knew that maintaining contact through the galactic net was anything but ideal. The loss resulting from physical separation was simply insurmountable no matter how much technology was being employed.

As Melinda strode towards the exit, she turned around one last time.

"I have been hearing some mixed stories about you lately. I don't know how much of it is true and what you have been really up to. I hope you take your responsibilities seriously and don't lead your clan astray. I would hate it if you turn into one of the criminals that I used to arrest back when I was a Planetary Guard officer."

Ves awkwardly smiled in return. "I always have the best intentions in mind. As the clan patriarch, there is no way I would ever do anything irresponsible. Rest assured that the Larkinsons who are following me will be well taken care of. Honor is still important to us even if we are no longer part of the old family!"

"I'll hold you to that promise, Ves. Farewell."

The door slid open, allowing Melinda to step out into the corridor.

Once the door slid shut, it was as if a piece of his life had left. Ves sank despondently in his chair as he reflected on his final meeting with his favorite and most supportive cousins in his life.

Was this farewell?

Would Ves ever meet her again?

Would the two of them slowly drift away from each other?

The thought of no longer being able to enjoy a pure, personal moment with Melinda caused his eyes to well with tears.

He went through so many harrowing events since he embarked on his career, yet he never cried. Why was this different? Why did his emotions run out of control in this fashion?

A part of him wanted to run out of the door and reach Melinda in order to convince her to stay! If Ves tried hard enough, he could probably find a way to lure her into the clan!

Yet.. as much as his emotions urged him to do so, he knew it wouldn't be right. Melinda had already made a choice with her mind and heart. The only way he could convince her to change her decision was to distort her decision-making process.

Ves had already done so once to his clan when they hesitated on fully integrating the adopted Larkinsons.

Though the decision seemed to work out so far, Ves was very much aware of the dubious ethics behind his action.

He refused to subject Melinda to such treatment! Even he had limits!

"I'm a mech designer, not a politician! I have morals!" He convinced himself!

"Meow?"

Lucky curiously looked up at his owner. His tail swished in the air while he adopted a skeptical expression.

"It's the truth!"

It took half an hour for Ves to regain his composure. Melinda Larkinson wouldn't be the only person he would say goodbye to in the coming days. There were lots of Larkinsons he would likely never see again unless he decided to return home.

His grandfather was perhaps the Larkinson he cared about the most after his father. Benjamin Larkinson was already old and nearing the end of his life.

While it was no problem for the elder Larkinson to hang on for a decade or so, Ves doubted that his grandfather could live any longer.

"There is no way for me to prolong his life either."

He needed to sacrifice too many merits to prolong the life of a former mech pilot. When he compared the cost to extend the life of his grandfather to the delay he would suffer in setting off his grand expedition, he couldn't justify the tradeoff.

"My grandfather wouldn't want me to sacrifice my dreams to extend his existence. He has already lived a full life!"