The Mech Touch

As the reality of the grand expedition settled in, a lot of Larkinsons became annoyed at the inconveniences of space travel.

The time it took for the slowest FTL drive in the fleet to complete its cycle time determined how long the Golden Skull Alliance lingered in realspace.

Since none of the ships in the pioneering alliance was slow, that amounted to a wait time of just 6 hours.

Once this break time was over, the fleet transitioned into FTL travel yet again, isolating each and individual starship from each other.

As far as humanity was concerned, there was no way to transfer energy and matter from one starship to another in FTL. Even if they shifted into FTL travel while flying right next to each other, the workings of the higher dimensions was still a mystery to most people in the galaxy.

There were rumors that the CFA and perhaps the MTA had managed to crack the secret to breaking this isolation phenomenon through the use of phasewater.

There were whispers of CFA warfleets forming some kind of bubble that allowed entire fleets to shelter under the protection of a battleship.

There were even claims that these CFA warfleets were able to fight against other starships in FTL travel!

Such possibilities were mind-boggling to space peasants. Ves did not believe he had any chance of accessing such incredible high technology.

Most humans had to make due with regular FTL travel and all of the constraints that came with it. Still, what if phasewater become more ubiquitous? What if this substance's amazing phasing properties lowered the barrier of waging warfare in other dimensions?

Warfare might change forever!

The Red Ocean might become more exciting — and dangerous — than Ves initially realized if this was the case.

For now, Ves and the Larkinson Clan did not concern themselves with these risks. They became much more occupied with dealing with the issues of extended isolation.

Every starship turned into a solitary prison the moment they transitioned into FTL travel. Aside from being able to transmit and receive data over the galactic net, no physical transfer was possible.

This annoyed a lot of Larkinsons at first. Many of the new recruits used to be planetbound citizens who were accustomed to being able to travel wherever they liked.

They may have signed up to the grand expedition, but they didn't actually expect the restrictions would be so bad.

"There is nothing fun to be had on this ship!"

"Am I supposed to lie down in my cabin and play virtual games in my free hours?"

"There's no room for sports on this cramped ship!"

The complaints rapidly flooded the clan administration. Those who served aboard smaller and more limited starships expressed much more dissatisfaction than those who were assigned to larger vessels.

"There are remarkably few crew members who are dissatisfied with serving aboard the Spirit of Bentheim." Gavin reported as he held his data pad. "The larger the ship, the more livable she is, though there are many other variables as well. The point is that most of our starships aside from the Bentheim aren't really geared for permanent residency. The Hexer-built vessels were meant to be crewed by professionals on a short to medium-term basis."

Ves held his daily briefing at his main office on the 2nd deck. He had fallen in love with it soon after settling in. The interior looked stately, dignified and classy without going overboard. Though the decorations were rather bare for now, he had plenty of time to personalize his office further.

For now, his main office did the job of making him feel powerful while impressive every guest he invited.

"We won't have these sub-capital ships for long, Benny. We won't be making this oversight again. After a couple of years, we'll reach the beyonder gate and get rid of the Hexer castoffs. we'll invest in more livable starships once we reach the Red Ocean."

Gavin looked a bit concerned. "That sounds great, boss, but that doesn't address our short-term problems. Let's face it. Over half of our 50,000 clansmen are way in over their heads. They went directly from living on a normal planet to being forced to live inside a metal box that is flinging through space. It's starting to make people crazy, and this is just the first week!"

That sounded quite concerning.

"I'm just a mech designer. How am I supposed to solve this complex sociological problem? Just throw the problem at the Larkinson Assembly or the relevant experts in our clan. I don't care what they do. Just make sure our clansmen are able to acclimatize to their new living conditions."

Gavin briefly looked at his data pad. "The Larkinson Assembly has already begun to debate on this issue. The assembly members came up with several proposals. One of them is to treat the Spirit of Bentheim as an ark ship, at least until we get the genuine article."

"What?"

"Ark ships are excellent living environments in space. That's why they are built. They are the best solution that people have come up with to solve the livability problems we are talking about. The issue is that ark ships aren't very productive in itself. You still need people crewing your combat carriers, logistical ships and so on. What usually happens is that the fleet sets up a rotation. A crew member must serve on a functional starship for 3 weeks straight before being allowed to relax on an ark ship for a single week. Something like that. If the crew member has a family, then the spouse and kids may be permanently living aboard the ark ship as well."

Ves was not unfamiliar with this rotating schedule. While it had its issues, it was a proven way to destress crew members serving aboard smaller vessels.

There was a problem, though.

"We don't have an ark ship. We may have New Dorum aboard the Spirit of Bentheim, but that is just a single deck."

The city erected on the 12th deck had become more and more popular. Even Ves liked to drop by every now and then due to its dynamic scene.

"A single deck on a capital ship is enough, boss." Gavin shook his head. "If you are willing to add more berths to the 39th and 40th decks, we can accommodate a lot more off-duty personnel. It would be like turning a small portion of our factory ship into a cruise ship or a secondary home. One of the problems we are facing is that the families of the crew members assigned to other ships don't have it easy over there. It's a lot better if we allow the kids to live on an ark ship or the closest alternative so they can socialize with each other and enjoy a more normal upbringing."

Ves did not like this suggestion. "This is a huge security risk. If tens of thousands of Larkinsons start rotating in and out of our very important and very strategic factory ship, the possibility that someone or something will sneak into our production halls or design labs becomes a lot higher. While I trust our clansmen not to do anything stupid, it's very hard to ensure compliance."

The monitoring system on the Spirit of Bentheim was comprehensive, but not infallible. Even Ves could pull off a couple of tricks to fool some of its sensors. Lucky could practically run rings around it if he wished!

Gavin insisted on this option, though. "I highly recommend you keep an open mind. Our fleet simply doesn't have another ship aside from the Bentheim that can fill this void. If you truly trust your clansmen, then please allow them to move over their families if they have any and let them rotate here on a monthly basis. This is the best option we have to maintain everyone's quality of living."

"...You care quite a lot about this issue, it seems. I haven't heard you advocate for something this strong in quite some time, Benny."

The assistant looked indignant. "Hey, just because I enjoy the privilege of working and living on the Bentheim doesn't mean I am blind to what is taking place on other ships. I get in touch with a lot of different people due to my job. I get told a lot of stuff. From what I am hearing, we truly need to address this issue."

Ves thought about it and felt that Gavin may have a point. "Let me just say that I am open to solutions. I don't want the Spirit of Bentheim into a hotel or a holiday retreat, though. I will allow rotations to take place as long as there aren't too many movements."

"I'll tell the Larkinson Assembly the good news!"

"You do that. Is there any other item on the agenda?"

"Yes, boss. Do you remember the female Larkinsons seeds you sent off to study in the Hegemony?"

"Oh, you mean Rennie and Maisie Ann Larkinson?"

"Yeah. The two young ladies were supposed to return to Cinach before we began our journey, but they met with some delays. The deteriorating war conditions along with some navigational issues caused them to arrive a bit too late. The courier vessel that has brought them to the Sentinel Kingdom will catch up with us at our destination."

"Oh. Okay, then."

Now that the Larkinson Clan was leaving for the Red Ocean, it didn't make much sense to leave Rennie and Maisie Ann behind. While Ves wanted them to enjoy an orthodox, systematic education, it was impossible for the pair of aspiring mech designers to return to the clan once the expeditionary fleet passed through a beyonder gate.

In addition, the latest developments of the Komodo War meant that the Hexers weren't so confident in winning anymore. In the event they lost, Hippolyta War College and every other Hexer university would lose their foundations!

The two female Larkinsons seeds might not be able to finish their studies and earn their diplomas if the Fridaymen achieved a breakthrough.

Ves simply couldn't let the two young women run for their lives like a pair of homeless dogs!

"It's a shame for them to interrupt their schooling." Gavin sympathised with the two women. "Even though I only studied at a rural university on Cloudy Curtain, I enjoyed my college days."

"In hindsight, I shouldn't have sent the girls out. I never expected the Nyxian Gap Campaign to deliver so many Larkinson merits in my pockets at once, allowing me to accelerate my schedule. Oh well. I'll just take them back and teach them just like Maikel and Zanthar."

He didn't expect too many problems with this. While he didn't spend a lot of time tutoring his male students, they didn't need any hand holding. They were smart and motivated enough to work towards the goals that Ves had set.

"Don't expect the returning pair of students to be the same." Gavin cautiously warned. "Rennie and Maisie Ann attended Hippolyta War College for two full semesters. From what I have heard, they had difficulties integrating in the strict Hexer school in the beginning, but that soon changed once you released the Blessed Squire and the Valkyrie Redeemer."

"Are you saying…"

"I don't know, boss, but you know how Hexers are. Just take into account that they might prefer to study under Gloriana instead."

"Great."

Well, the Larkinson seeds were no longer as important to Ves and the clan as before. Previously, the four represented the best and brightest mech students the old Larkinson Family could muster. Now, the Larkinson Clan could easily foist hundreds of mech design seeds on his lap!

Ves didn't want to work himself to death, though. He only wanted to mentor the most promising and worthwhile students.

For now, the Larkinson Clan was still in the process of sorting out its schooling system. With all of the kids and teenagers running around across the fleet, it was imperative to set up internal schools and mech academies.

It was also vital to set up a proper university of higher education in order to raise the clan's future engineers, mech designers, managers, and starship captains. This was an immense endeavor that could not be rushed!