The Mech Touch

Ves grew quite interested in Calabast's background.

Normally, she never spoke about her past life as a member of Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty. Trying to pull out information out of her was as difficult as getting Lucky to vomit out his meals.

This time was different. With the arrival of another Vraken, Calabast probably thought it would be prudent for Ves to know more about one of the six ruling dynasties of the Hegemony.

As one of the foremost powers of a second-rate state, everyone who carried the Vraken name was exceptional! This applied even more to main branch members such as Daria-Maria Vraken.

"The Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty is huge. It has to be in order to control vaste swathes of Hegemony space" She began. "All of its branches added up together amounts to over a million people. Don't think that there are a lot of spoiled brats among this group. Those who fail to meet the high expectations of the dynasty are deprived of their Vraken names and saddled with a lot of debt. This is a very shameful outcome, and it has ruined the lives of millions of former members. Not even their fathers and mothers will recognize them anymore."

"That.. sounds awful." Ves looked shocked.

"It's what I was used to when I grew up. Don't misunderstand. As Vrakens, we enjoyed lots of luxuries and had access to the best augments and resources available in our state. It's just that the Vrakens never forget to remind us that we need to repay the gifts we receive. Back when I didn't go by the name of Calabast, I constantly shouldered the fear of disappointing my superiors. I knew that if I ever slacked off in my studies and failed my assignments, I would be at risk of falling from grace at any time."

She infused genuine emotion in her voice. Calabast had opened herself up to such an extent that Ves was convinced she was being sincere.

"I agree with Ves. The way you grew up is too inhumane." Major Verle commented.

The contrast between the Larkinson Clan and the Vraken Dynastywas too considerable. The former emphasized kinship while the latter treated its descendents as tools.

To Ves, family was about love. To the Vrakens, family was an extension of power.

These diverging principles caused the two to develop some very different approaches.

Calabast studied the faces of the two men and smiled sardonically. "Inhumane, huh? You may have a point, but I don't necessarily see it that way. There are good reasons why the Vrakens demand so much. Without exerting enough pressure, it is too easy for the subsequent generations to become weak and decadent. This is why my former dynasty did not hesitate to exile any descendants who trended in this direction. Keeping them will only spread their bad habits among the other Vrakens."

"Why do the Vrakens try so hard?"

"Competition. Isn't that obvious? Every Matriarchal Dynasty has remained in power by being better than everyone else. If the Vrakens ever grow complacent, then smaller dynasties such as the Wodins might band together and seek to tear them down. The Vrakens must maintain their basis of strength in order to continue to call the shots in the Hegemony. To be fair, their approach is clearly successful. They are always ranked in the top 3 without fail."

Their strategy paid off, but at what cost? If Ves had a say in the matter, then he would have opted to treat the Vraken descendents differently. Everyone deserved to live a decent life.

The Larkinson Family never pushed its descendents to perform better. If someone didn't want to excel at something, then that was their choice. Ves felt this was a much nicer and more pleasant approach.

Sure, the Larkinsons didn't produce as many exceptional offspring as the Vrakens, but at least everyone was happy and enjoyed a rounded life.

"Our clan will never be like this." Ves seriously vowed.

That caused Calabast to smile. "I know. I like the current direction of our clan a lot better. While I have some concerns for the future, I'm sure you can figure out a way to prevent us from stagnating."

Now that Ves gained more context about the Vraken Dynasty, he wanted to know more about how Calabast and Daria-Maria fit into the picture.

"Are there any opportunities for branch members to rise to the top?" He asked.

"Technically yes, but realistically no." She shook her head. "The starting points of side branch members and main branch members are different. Captain Daria-Maria Vraken received at least a hundred times if not a thousand times more investment than someone like me. It's worth it though as she has become one of the best capital ship captains of our state. If I didn't make the right bet and hitch onto a rising star like you, I would never have been able to surpass her in my life."

Ves looked amused. "That must be quite satisfying for you, right? At most, your distant relative will be promoted to a leadership position within her dynasty. You on the other hand occupy one of the most important positions of a rapidly-growing clan that might very well become greater than the Hexadric Hegemony in the future."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Ves. We need to overcome a lot of challenges before we get to that point. Don't assume that you will win all the time. We need to account for failure as well if we want to survive in the long run. Anyway, I'm not trying to compare myself to Daria-Maria. We are two different women living in two different worlds. I just want to warn you that I lived a bit like her once. Her presence in our fleet is quite suspicious. Vrakens don't get sent to places at random. Main branch members are especially valuable. Why did the council of matriarchs appoint her as the captain? The Hegemony is able to dispatch many other alternatives. Why send their best?"

Both Ves and Major Verle looked clueless. They hardly understood Daria-Maria's background. They weren't familiar with the intricacies of Hexer decision-making.

However, they received her message loud and clear. 

"You're saying the Hexers are plotting something."

Calabast chuckled. "Hexers are always plotting something. This applies especially to the Vrakens. They are known for intelligence, intrigue and planning. One of their main principles is that it is best to war without resorting to battle. If you don't set up the circumstances in the right way, then you might need to fight an actual battle, which is incredibly messy and filled with uncertainty. It's a lot better if you can accomplish your goals without resorting to desperate measures."

"Sun Tzu. Art of War." Major Verle noted. "He was a man, by the way."

"There are female strategists in more modern eras as well, you know. The 66 stratagems by Admiral Bastia Ludwig is a particularly popular book in the Hegemony. It's a very influential strategy book written in the early days of the Age of Stars. The views she outlined helped humanity navigate the perils of trying to grow when surrounded by dangerous alien empires."

Ves tapped his finger against the desk. "Discussing history is not on the agenda today. All I care about right now is trying to figure out Captain Daria-Maria Vraken's purpose. She is currently in command of the most important ship of our expeditionary fleet. I don't know about you, but that makes me very nervous."

"As you should." Cabalast concurred. "To be honest, her presence mystifies me. While we can definitely assume she has ulterior motives, she isn't necessarily scheming against us. Her goals may lie elsewhere. For example, the council of matriarchs could have entrusted her with a secret mission that requires her to reach the Red Ocean first. Currently, I'm inclined to believe that as there are simply too few reasons for Hexers to act maliciously against us. In fact, it's the opposite. They want us to succeed."

That last part caused Major Verle to look up. "Maybe we're overthinking the problem. I think we are trying to see threats in places where there are none. Perhaps the Hegemony merely decided to assign Daria-Maria Vraken as the interim captain of our factory ship out of goodwill. Is that possible, Calabast?"

"...Perhaps. I'm not an insider anymore, so I cannot understand the motives behind the decision. All I can say is that your words are plausible."

This didn't help their situation much. There was simply too much uncertainty. Unless they managed to gather more information, how could they ever discern the truth?

Calabast looked tired. She kept stroking Lucky while making some internal calculations.

"We have no choice but to keep an eye on Captain Vraken and the other Hexer trainers. Don't focus too much on the former. The grand captain may be nothing more than a decoy that is meant to attract our attention. Every single Hexer aboard our ships can be an informer or a hidden agent. You don't need to concern yourself too much over this problem. It's my job to identify them and guard against their actions. You just focus on your own affairs."

After discussing some other related security matters, the meeting finally broke up. Major Verle exited the room and went back to handle the preparations for the grand expeditions.

As for Ves and Calabast, they remained a while longer.

"Meow."

Lucky grew upset that Calabast no longer pampered him. He crawled up her body and begged for pats, to no avail.

"Don't you think you should be more forthcoming, Calabast?"

"I don't have an obligation to spill my entire life story to you. Much like you, I like to look forward."

"That isn't a reason to forget about the past." Ves frowned as he leaned against the table. "We have been partnering up for years. You occupy a very vital and sensitive position within the clan. I have been patient all this time and allowed you to hitch on my wagon. Yet despite all of this, I barely know anything about you. Even if we include what you have told us today, I hardly know you better than when we initially joined hands aboard the Starlight Megalodon."

"It's about trust, isn't it? You can't trust me without understanding my story."

"That's about right."

"Haven't we talked about this? Trust isn't necessary to establish a good working relationship. As long as we hold mutual interests, we can always rely on each other."

"I know that, but you're a Larkinson now. You are a part of our clan, and you know very well that means more in this context."

"Then I don't understand your problem. Since I am a member in good standing of the Larkinson Clan, I am not a threat to anyone."

Ves chuckled. "I never completely believe in any assumption. Something can always go wrong. Look, is it too much to ask some questions? You probably know a lot about me. My life is largely an open book, and you have observed me up close for several years. In contrast, I don't even know your real name. Don't you think we should address this information disparity?"

She listened to his request and paused for a time. She eventually uttered a single word.

"No."

With that, she turned around and left the meeting room.

Ves looked helplessly at Lucky.

"Meow?"

"Yeah. Women."

Though Calabast hadn't been very forthcoming today, he didn't sense any ill intent from her. Of course, her self-control might be good enough to hide her true emotions from Ves, but he didn't think she was that duplicitous.

Spy or not, she was still a human.

In a way, she was right. As long as she benefited from being around Ves, she shouldn't pose a threat. That was enough for them to continue their current partnership.

"Well, hopefully she'll change. There's no way she'll remain closed forever."

"Meow meow meow." Lucky nodded his head.