The Mech Touch

People often held a lot of desires. They wanted to get rich. They wanted to lead an army of millions of mechs. They wanted to become a Galactic Mech Councilor.

It was unfortunate that reality couldn't accommodate so many wants and needs. Scarcity of money, power, resources and opportunity forced many humans to settle for less. This was a universal rule that applied to everyone regardless whether they were humans, aliens or exobeasts.

Human society developed in a direction that wasn't able to fulfill every person's desire. However, in most corners of the galaxy, society offered them enough opportunities to work towards their goals.

Compromising with others was an essential mechanic that drove people forward. As long as they held something of value, they were able to trade that with someone who possessed what they needed.

Right now, Venerable Davia Stark exhibited a rare moment of restraint. Different from a number of other expert pilots, she appeared to be capable of recognizing her shortcomings.

Maybe spending some time at the lowest a human could possibly be had given a good dose of perspective. If she was like Venerable Jannzi who never suffered a serious setback, her head would have probably swollen from all of her arrogance.

"For the next century, I agree to serve the Larkinson Clan in good faith." Venerable Stark proposed. "I expect to receive the same treatment that you afford to the other expert pilots of your clan. This includes providing me with training resources, expert mechs and relevant support. As long as you and your clan do not neglect me, I will bear arms against any of your enemies unless you ask me to violate my conscience."

Her compromise sounded intriguing. She did not open up with an outrageous set of demands. In fact, Ves was quite surprised by how reasonable she sounded. Obviously, just because she was willing to take a step back didn't mean she had turned into a skilled negotiator!

Ves coughed a bit. "What do you mean by the last point?"

"I am willing to fight against any manner of evil." The female expert pilot elaborated. "If your fleet is waylaid by pirates, I will help you put them down. If an alien force bars your way, I will slaughter them all. However, if you are thinking about launching an unprovoked attack against a group that does not deserve it, I will not be a part of it. If you ever cross the line by engaging in piracy or slaughtering innocent people, then do not blame me for turning my arms against your forces."

His face grew grim as Venerable Stark set her terms. She did not avoid the worst outcome. By stating her willingness to become an enemy of the Larkinson Clan should it cross some sort of line, she was not doing herself any favors!

"You're not making it easy for me, Venerable Stark."

"I do not see why. My strength is at your disposal as long as you do not commit any evil."

"I understand that, but the line between good and evil isn't always clear. What might be okay in our book may be highly reprehensible to you. How can we know what is allowed and not allowed?"

"I will warn you first if I foresee any possible conflict." She stated. "So far, I do not believe this will be a grave concern. An honorable clan such as yours would never stoop so low."

"That is good to hear. We Larkinsons may have separated from our previous service, but we still aim to uphold the ideals of our predecessors. The problem is that not every conflict is a straightforward clash between good and evil."

"What are you talking about?"

"What if we are competing against a rival to harvest a deposit of phasewater in the Red Ocean? Both of us entered the Nyxian Gap in pursuit of riches. Backing off just because someone is eying the same treasure as us just because we don't want to harm anyone is not very practical. Would you allow us to fight against such people, or will you force us to miss this opportunity in order to avoid hurting your feelings?"

She frowned. This was indeed a troubling example.

"In neutral circumstances such as these, I will not afford your opponents any sympathy. If you can make them back off without a fight, then that would be best. If they persist despite knowing they will come to blows with us, then they can fault no one but themselves if they lose their lives. Just make sure you do not bear your arms against civilians whenever possible. It is enough to defeat the combatants. Show some mercy to those who do not pose a threat to you and your clan."

"That is.. acceptable." Ves conceded. "However, don't forget that many spaceborn powers have a tendency to live aboard the same ship they work. This means that there will be instances where we will encounter vessels that pose a threat to us but also carry the families of mech pilots and other combat personnel. Will we be forced to fight with our hands tied behind our back even if that will give our enemies a chance to wipe out the entire Larkinson Clan?"

Venerable Stark scowled at him. "Cease these incessant attempts! I will not allow you to muddle my mind, Devil Tongue. As I have stated before, I will listen to my conscience. If casualties cannot be avoided, I may exercise some flexibility. However, as long as the remaining enemies pose no further threat, then I hope you will be able to stop."

This was the most she was willing to go. She already made it clear that she was on guard against his Devil Tongue!

What a headache. Ves hated his moniker. If he wasn't called the Devil Tongue, then he was confident he could manipulate Venerable Stark in compromising even further!

Still, the terms she had already set were not that bad. At the very least, Ves gained a powerful asset that was bound to increase the security of his fleet.

The two talked a bit further about what they were willing to do in order to uphold their end of the deal.

The expert pilot did not gloss over what she sought from Ves and the Larkinson Clan.

"There is a reason why I agree to sign up with you for 100 years and no further. If I am still alive at that time, it is likely that I have reached a level of strength that allows me to begin with furthering my actual goals. Whatever I have experienced over the course of my service to your clan will also help me navigate through society by myself."

Oh boy. Venerable Stark was no different from a revolutionary in his eyes. She was bound to stir up a lot of trouble once she got loose!

While he and his clan might not have anything to do with her agenda, once she started making enemies, her past affiliation with the Larkinsons meant that the clan might attract a lot of heat as well!

If Ves wanted to avoid any possible negative repercussions, then he had to resolve this problem.

The first option was to find a way to hook her into the Larkinson Clan. As long as she earnestly turned into a Larkinson, she wouldn't jeopardize her fellow clansmen in order to pursue her vendetta.

This was very difficult. Expert pilots couldn't be manipulated like regular people. Their iron will and steely convictions meant that external influences such as the Larkinson Network simply had no effect!

In hindsight, Ves should have forced her into the Larkinson Clan when she was at her weakest. In her broken state, her mind should have been susceptible to indoctrination. Now, it was too late. Not only had she healed, but she even managed to temper mental fortitude in the process!

To be honest, if not for her unreasonable purpose, Ves actually favored an expert pilot like her. The extremes she went through turned her into an expert pilot that was both unflinching but also flexible.

In other words, she was a bit more human.

Maybe Ves should force recalcitrant expert pilots such as Venerable Jannzi through the same experience. Only by getting confronted by the consequences of failure would expert pilots like her truly understand that their power did not make them invincible.

Several more minutes passed as Ves and Venerable Stark slowly set the terms of their contract.

One of the stumbling blocks was the matter of providing her with an expert mech.

"I want an expert mech that comes from you." She stated. "I want to receive the same benefits that you intend to provide to your other expert pilots. I have heard the rumors. From what I have observed from your clan, they are likely true. If you are capable of designing a mech that can accelerate my growth, then do not withhold this benefit from me. I need to grow as much as possible while I am in your service."

Ah. This must be the primary reason why she applied to fight on behalf of the Larkinson Clan. She could have approached other organizations, but she specifically came to him because he offered her the best growth opportunities that she could get! No one else managed to facilitate as many breakthroughs as Ves! Even if the rumors were a bit exaggerated, she still appreciated his living mechs!

"Uhm, I can do that, but… right now it is very difficult to fulfill your needs. You may have to wait a number of years for us to prepare your expert mech."

He needed at least an entire year to design and fabricate his first expert mech in his estimation. An expert mech was such a complex machine that their optimization often continued after they were made!

His answer did not make her happy.

"That is too long. I cannot waste any time in improving myself. I need an expert mech as soon as possible in order to make the best use of my hundred years of servitude."

"You're not the only expert pilot on the waiting list. I have five other names and it is very hard to justify letting you go first."

"If I may interject, I may be able to offer a solution for that." Venerable Brutus butted into the negotiations. "You do not need to fund the project or provide the necessary materials to fabricate the expert mech. The Wodin Dynasty can cover these needs. We can even seek out a Master from the Hegemony to provide you with the necessary technical support."

"That's a generous offer. However, I can hardly imagine that you're doing this for free."

"You are quite astute, Ves." Brutus smiled. "The reason why we are willing to cover for the development of Davia Stark's expert mech is because this will be your payment for developing my next expert mech."

Ves sat up straighter in his chair. "Are you serious?! You already have an expert mech! Your Star Dancer is quite an impressive expert mech. I can easily imagine it serving you well for one or two decades."

Brutus shook his head. "The Star Dancer is an excellent mech, but it is not a living mech. If I continue to pilot it, I suspect your Larkinson expert pilots will gradually leave me far behind. I do not want to become irrelevant. In order to protect my sister to the greatest possible degree, I need greater strength just as my fellow expert pilot here. As long as you design my expert mech to the best of your ability, the Wodin Dynasty will take care of the cost."

This was quite a generous proposal. To be honest, this was exactly what he needed if he wanted to add two additional expert mechs to his fleet.

Though Venerable Stark wouldn't be sticking around forever, the Larkinsons needed as much help as possible when it was still in its infancy. A century from now, a single expert pilot like her probably wasn't as critical anymore.

As for Brutus, while he wasn't a Larkinson, his inclusion in the Glory Seekers effectively meant that he would be fighting alongside the Larkinson Clan for the long haul. Empowering him was no different from empowering his Larkinson Clan in that case.

As Ves thought about how he could take advantage of this deal, Brutus issued a warning.

"Oh, before you think of withholding some of your best inventions, Gloriana will be watching you like a hawk. Don't think about cutting any corners."

Damn.