The Mech Touch

Only a few years had passed since the Big Two publicly opened up a channel from the old galaxy to the Red Ocean.

Even as the ambitious pioneers that emerged throughout human space scrambled to colonize and exploit the vast resource-rich stars of the dwarf galaxy, politics had already reared its ugly head!

Calabast grinned as she trailed her finger over her leg as she continued to lean against the desk. "Whenever something valuable appears, a struggle to possess it always takes place. Sometimes, the strength disparity is too great. In this case, the strongest party doesn't have to bother with talking and can just take something by force. It's when there are multiple parties of roughly equal strength vying for dominance that things get interesting. When the price of outright conflict is too great, a balance emerges, but only between qualified powers."

Obviously, the tiny Larkinson Clan did not fall within this category, especially when they finally reached the Red Ocean.

"All of this is only relevant at least eight years later." Ves frowned and stroked Lucky's back. "I don't see why we need to consider which alliance to join right away. In fact, I'm still unsure whether we should consider this option at all when we reach the Red Ocean!"

Calabast remained steadfast as she crossed her arms. "Even though the three great alliances only existed for a short amount of time, they are already developing their own distinct characteristics. It will be much easier to join and climb up the hierarchy if we mold the Larkinson Clan according to those characteristics. In other words, as long as we prepare early, we can immediately skip a couple of steps and get ahead of the galactic pioneers who arrived sooner!"

That immediately caught his attention! One of his most persistent concerns was the fact that he was missing out on the beginning stages of the great phasewater rush!

Just ten years of delay would already put him and the Larkinson Clan at a huge disadvantage compared to the galactic pioneers who already established a foundation in the new dwarf galaxy!

If what Calabast said was true, then Ves could still get ahead of the first-movers!

Of course, everything had a price. Joining an alliance meant committing to an old galaxy faction. Even if these alliances governed its members in a looser manner in order to adapt to frontier circumstances, there was no doubt that Ves and the Larkinson Clan would inevitably belong to an established camp!

Though Ves vastly preferred to remain uninvolved in these power struggles, it was very dangerous to remain independent.

It was fine for him to stick to his original course if he was by himself, but since he was responsible for leading the Larkinson Clan, he had to consider what was best for his fellow clansmen.

"Tell me more about these alliances." Ves looked up at Calabast. "If you are so eager to push me into one of them, then it would be helpful to understand my options."

"Good idea. Let's start with the Terran Alliance. As you can imagine, the alliance founded and led by the oldest human state is very strong. The Greater Terran United Confederation's heritage is unsurpassed, but so are their rules."

"Does that mean that anyone who enters this alliance basically has to bow down to Terrans unconditionally?"

She shook her head. "The stereotypes about Terrans don't entirely apply in this case. If what you said was the case, hardly any strong and highly capable pioneers will wish to join the Terran Alliance because they are also the most ambitious and headstrong. The Terrans are aware of this dynamic, and so have formed a looser regime."

"Oh? That sounds very uncharacteristic."

From what Ves knew about the Terrans, most of the power and wealth in the first-rate superstate fell into the hands of age-old ancient clans who had risen into power all the way back to the Age of Stars or earlier!

These ancient clans were not only incredibly old and powerful, but also incredibly savvy about maintaining their lead. Hardly any other clans were able to rise up in the Terran Confederation because the older ones selfishly occupied all of the resources!

"The ancient clans of Terra still hold a large amount of sway in the Terran Alliance. However, their power and reach are deliberately constrained in order to offer many galactic pioneers the chance to develop themselves."

"And these pioneers fall for this trick?"

"It's not a trick, Ves. The Terrans aren't entirely made up of fossilized relics. There are many Terrans in charge who hold different views, and they are expressly in charge."

"Even if that is the case, public opinion of the Terrans still isn't great. I really can't see why pioneers think the Terrans will treat them with sincerity when the ancient clans stop restraining themselves when it is no longer necessary."

The Terrans never changed the way they operated throughout their entire history. The corruption, decadence and inequality that had marred them in the past had never gone away.

The contemptuous way the ancient clans of Terra treated everyone else directly led to a great rebellion that saw a huge chunk of their territories splitting off to form the New Rubarth Empire!

It was only after the New Rubarth Empire rapidly rose to the point where they started to surpass the wounded Terran Confederation that the ancient clans finally started to get their act together.

Even then, the ancient clans only initiated the bare amount of reforms that only modestly increased the treatment of non-aristocrats!

"You aren't necessarily wrong. The Terran Alliance is always at risk of becoming subsumed by the ancient clans. The reason why a large amount of galactic pioneers applied to join despite this risk is the incredible reward the Terrans are offering."

"What are they promising?"

"It's called the Red Ocean Promise. Essentially, the Terran Alliance promises that in 100 years, it will elevate the five strongest members of the alliance into the ranks of the ancient clans!"

Ves looked shocked. "What?! That's impossible!"

She grinned. "It's true. These old fogies are very mindful of their credibility. The Terrans absolutely have to abide by the Red Ocean Promise or else every galactic pioneer will turn against them. This is not as big of a deal to the ancient clans as you think it is. First, the reason why they were very reluctant to share power before is that the prosperous territories in the Milky Way are already fixed. There is not enough territory to go around. Now that the Red Ocean has opened up, there is room for new ancient clans."

"What about the old ones? Are they just going to let the new upstarts monopolize all of the phasewater and other critical resources of the Red Ocean?"

"Of course not. The reason why the Terran Alliance promises to elevate just five new ancient clans is because that leaves plenty of territories to the older ancient clans."

Promising to promote just five alliance members was a very cutthroat method of attracting galactic pioneers.

For all of the bad reputation and criticism the ancient clans of Terra incurred, life was pretty good to those at the top! Reigning over prosperous territories and being able to afford the latest technology and pleasures in life was such an attractive lure that many pioneers would definitely vie for this quota!

However, with just five slots, a lot of other galactic pioneers 

"What happens to the losers of this competition?" Ves asked.

"The new and old ancient clans will devour their territories and colonies. The 'losers' can choose to voluntarily become subordinate to an ancient clan or choose to evacuate their new lands and leave the Terran Alliance. I don't think the Terrans will accept any exceptions."

The Red Ocean Promise was a terrible scheme, but Ves also had to admit it was brilliant! The allure of becoming the head of an ancient clan was so great that many pioneers accepted the penalty for losing this competition!

This open and aboveboard scheme proved that the Terrans were still crafty enough to maintain their standing in human space!

"So, Ves." Calabast teasingly smiled at him. "Are you interested in vying for the Red Ocean Promise? The Larkinson Clan may be young and far behind the other competitors at the moment, but much can happen in a century. With your capabilities and the unique strengths of our clan, I believe there is a small but possible chance that we might succeed."

His expression did not reflect any enthusiasm. "I already told you that I have no intentions of settling down and founding my own state. Fixed territories are only shackles to me. All I care about is designing and selling mechs, and that has never changed. From what it sounds like, there is no place in the Terran Alliance for spaceborn clans. In 100 years, the only players left are the old and new ancient clans. Everyone else must surrender to them, which is unacceptable!"

He did not want to work hard to rise up in the Terran Alliance only to throw away much of what he worked for. Even if he could part from the Terrans with amiable terms, it was very difficult to cast off the Terran stain from the Larkinson Clan!

"I think you are being too stubborn about your aversion to colonization. The opening of the Red Ocean is one of the best opportunities to found and lead your own state from the ground up." Calabast frowned.

The two argued a bit about this topic, but Ves remained stubborn. Where everyone saw endless power and wealth, he only saw greater burdens!

The responsibility of leading a modest-sized spaceborn clan already weighed heavily on his shoulders. He did not wish to let this meaningless game distract him from becoming a greater mech designer.

Becoming a Star Designer was a much greater achievement than ruling over his own first-rate state!

"A shame." Calabast eventually sighed. "There are more people in the Larkinson Clan who harbor the same hopes. Most of our members aren't looking forward to leading a nomadic life space for the rest of their lives. To live on open soil, build their own homes and be part of a vibrant community is a very strong human desire."

"That will change in time." Ves smirked and clasped his hands. "We are all new at this. I'm sure that once a few generations pass, everyone will get used to life in space. For now, we are only held back by our inexperience and our shabby ships. Once we get our factory ship and other fantastic vessels, we can finally enjoy enough room and facilities to make ourselves at home in space."

This was one of the biggest reasons why luxurious ark ships existed despite their great expense and marginal utility. They were the closest thing to floating cities or moving space stations.

The open parks, vast spaces, simulated horizons and other wasteful accommodations all gave humans the perfect living environment outside a planet.

If Ves wanted to make his fellow Larkinsons stop yearning about living on a planet like a bunch of primitives, then he needed to get his hands on an ark ship large enough to accommodate the entire clan when they were off-duty.

The bigger the ark ship, the better!

This was not something that Ves could obtain rashly, even with his current financial strength. He also had to prioritize the acquisition of other capital ships such as a strong fleet carrier. Expanding the clan's military and industrial power came first. Only after the Larkinsons met its fundamental survival needs would Ves be able to bring up the topic of acquiring an ark ship.

"So in conclusion, you are not considering the Terran Alliance?"

"Hell no." He snorted. "I don't want to turn myself into a puppet that dances to the tune of ancient clans. My reasons for entering the Red Ocean are entirely different!"

For now, Ves ruled out the option of applying to become a member of the Terran Alliance. The Red Ocean Promise was just a giant trap in his eyes!