The Mech Touch

The Larkinson Clan hadn't taken long to start up a recruitment hall.

They rented an entire tree office building in the center of Veoline and decorated it so that it showed their splendor.

A giant logo of the Larkinson Clan overlooked the gates leading into the hall. Ves specifically crafted it out of Breyer alloy and turned it into a totem of the Golden Cat. He carved the head in the logo in a way that made it look more dignified and a bit less cute in order to generate more awe.

That wasn't all. He also inserted a mote of Lufa in the giant medallion so that it also caused visitors to feel calmer and more comfortable when they passed through the entrance.

No matter what troubles ailed them, it all went away for a moment once they passed through the entrance.

While the glow of the ornament quickly faded as the visitors walked deeper, the good impression would still linger.

It was a clever bit of manipulation. Even if the visitors were aware of their changing moods, it was not that easy to deny their own emotions. If they didn't possess any hatred towards the Larkinson Clan, then this little experience would definitely be able to spark a yearning towards becoming a part of it. No other organization was able to make them feel anything comparable.

Inside, every curious entrant became immersed in a different world. The interior had turned metallic. The Larkinsons deliberately covered up the organic interior and tried to replicate the scenery of life aboard their starships, particularly the Spirit of Bentheim.

It was a completely different experience. Banners, statues and ornaments with Golden Cat motifs were interspersed throughout the spaces. Projections featuring carefully-edited battle footage showed off the might and prosperity of the Larkinson Clan in various ways.

For example, one projection showed off the Larkinson Clan's struggle against the Gravada Knarlax.

Even though the Larkinsons mainly utilized third-class mechs in the Battle against the Abyss, it was still fascinating to fight against a genuine warship!

Another projection showed what happened to the Auralis after all life had been wiped out. Even though the projection did not exhibit the energy attack that had swept over the Fridayman mechs and fleet carrier, that only caused the viewers to imagine all sorts of horrors in their mind. The eerie sight of empty compartments and comatose bodies lying uselessly on the decks made a very profound impression to those who underestimated the power of this upstart clan.

Of course, the recruiters didn't think that showing off the short but brilliant battle records of the clan was enough to win people over.

The strongest advantage of the Larkinson Clan had always been its abundant wealth!

The recruitment hall already reflected some of that. Not only was it one of the most desirable structures in the heart of Veoline, but the interior also featured numerous displays where people could admire scale models of current and upcoming Larkinson mechs.

It would have been better if the Larkinsons were able to exhibit actual copies of the Bright Warrior IB, the Ferocious Piranha IB, the Transcendent Punisher and so on. Sadly, the authorities didn't want anyone to bring down mechs for trivial reasons. The security risks were too great and the clan didn't possess enough influence to request an exemption.

In any case, the scale models had all been prepared so that they exuded a weakened version of the glows of the originals. This was despite the fact that their internal structure was completely hollow and devoid of any actual parts.

The Larkinsons weren't stupid. Showing off their mainstay mechs to spies and potential enemies was a good way to expose all of the weak points of their mainstay mechs.

This was also why there weren't any depictions of prime mechs. Not a single scale model or footage showed any hint of the powerful machines.

The Larkinsons were confident they could attract recruits without showing off their trump cards.

It didn't matter too much. There were plenty of other attractions that were capable of dazzling the visitors. One of the center halls projected a large depiction of the Spirit of Bentheim. The display did a good job of showing off the size and majesty of the cat-headed factory ship.

After every visitor passed by these sights, they had to make a choice where to go first.

Every mech force and division of the Larkinson Clan occupied their own halls. The entrances to these smaller spaces were adorned with martial-looking banners of different mech forces or flags symbolizing another organization within the clan.

The organizational structure of the Larkinson Clan had grown more complex since its humble beginnings. The Living Mech Corporation, the Larkinson Biotech Institute, the Larkinson Mech Games Circuit, the Military Bureau, the Black Cats, the Larkinson educational institutions and many more sub-organizations each aimed to hire hundreds if not thousands of talented new recruits!

No matter if the visitor was a civilian or a soldier, mech pilot or norm, Lifer or non-lifer, there was a place for anyone as long as they possessed useful skills!

It was too bad that incoming traffic was rather slow in the initial days. The recruitment hall may have looked dazzling enough to give anyone who stepped inside a good show, but too few people in Veoline bothered to pay a visit!

After the recruiters conducted a study, they found out the reason why only a tiny fraction of the job seekers in Veoline visited their recruitment offices.

"Our reputation is too obscure in this region of space!"

The name and brand recognition of the Larkinson Clan, the LMC and the Miracle Couple may have been massive in the Komodo Star Sector, but hardly anyone in Majestic Teal looked up to them. This was especially so in second-class states like the LRA which never really came into touch with LMC mechs.

Not even the advertisements spread by the Larkinsons made any impact on their target audience. There were so many other companies vying for talented recruits that it was too difficult for a clan with no significant reputation in the region to stand out of the crowd.

This problem required a different solution. How could the Larkinsons outcompete other rival organizations and capture the attention to the recruits they urgently needed to replenish and expand their ranks?

After a number of human resource and marketing executives came together, they soon came up with an unusual but highly-promising solution.

[Did you always wish to meet an expert pilot up close? Now is your chance! Anyone who is interested in becoming a part of our growing family is invited to visit our recruitment hall where you will have the opportunity to meet and speak with one of our great Venerables!]

This instantly ignited a small storm in the local mech community!

Mech pilots started to pass through the entrance of the recruitment hall in droves. While a portion of them were freelancers, the majority were already employed.

Despite that, they still showed willingness to defect to the Larkinson Clan!

What was even more astounding was that non-potentates wanted to meet with the expert pilots as well! Many people in the galaxy simply never enjoyed the privilege to see a demigod in the flesh.

"What is this clan doing? Expert pilots are honorable heroes!"

"Who cares? I'm going no matter the cost!"

"What gives the Larkinsons the right to parade their expert pilots like trophies? It's unseemly! Someone should stop them. They are tarnishing the prestige of these heroic soldiers as we speak!"

"Heh, you're only angry because you're jealous. Your mercenary corps is too average to retain an expert pilot. I bet if you had one, you would be doing the same thing as the Larkinsons!"

While there were plenty of people on Prosperous Hill VI who disapproved of this measure, the Larkinsons paid no mind to them. As far as people like Ves were concerned, there were no rules against using their expert pilots as recruitment material! just because the military were too prideful to do the same was not a valid excuse!

The sheer attraction and novelty of it all succeeded in generating a lot of talk and attention. Even if most people in Veoline had no intentions of joining the clan, they started to talk nonetheless. The spreading word of mouth worked more effectively than any advertising campaign!

Tens of thousands of people flooded into the recruitment halls each day!

Security had to be beefed up and the staff applied harsher criteria to filter out those who were merely sight-seeing. In order to avoid testing the patience of the expert pilots, only those who were genuinely interested in applying to join were granted the opportunity to meet one of the heroes!

Of course, the expert pilots in question did not enjoy their latest duty. First, they were compelled to take part in some of the testing sessions of the last prototypes. Now, they were 'expected' to meet lots of strangers in the hopes of luring them into the clan!

In order to placate them, Ves promised to compensate them for their time. They earned several Larkinson merits each hour they spent on duty. This was quite a generous reward as it could quickly add up to hundreds of merits as long as they continued to show their faces!

Larkinson merits reflected their contribution to the clan. Everyone could issue special requests or obtain special goods and privileges with enough merits. No one said no to having too much of it, not even the expert pilots!

One of the assumptions that the expert pilots kept in mind was that they might be able to exchange Larkinson merits for a better expert mech.

No one wanted their future machines to be weaker than the ones piloted by their fellow peers.

This was why even Venerable Jannzi Larkinson deigned to take on this distasteful duty!

Even though she disapproved of this vulgar stunt, she cared for her Shield of Samar. She was cognizant enough to know that her relationship with Ves wasn't the best right now, so she needed merits even more to make sure her needs were still met.

Besides, the Larkinson Clan truly needed more members. While she felt a bit ambivalent about bringing in more people who might possibly die for someone else's cause, the existing members of the clan were also at risk.

Her conflicting feelings resulted in an odd sight. When a batch of mech pilots and other talents were allowed to enter a small auditorium where Venerable Jannzi stood in front, the entrants quickly became engulfed by her unsettling force of will.

The will manifested by Jannzi adopted a guarded posture towards any outsiders. Her bad mood caused her presence to gain a bit of sharpness.

Yet despite conditions, plenty of people raced to the front seats! The mech pilots among them were more eager and better able to withstand Jannzi's turbulent aura. They eagerly claimed their seats and looked at the young expert pilot with pure admiration?

Jannzi crossed her arms. "Do you know what you are getting into by coming here?"

"Please instruct us, Venerable Larkinson!"

"I'm warning you. Don't join our clan unless you are willing to gamble your lives away. You have at least 50 percent chance of dying if you fight on our Patriarch's behalf. He is an ambitious and greedy leader who doesn't hesitate to spend his soldiers like currency. Even if I do my best to protect you all, the enemies we face are too great. We are already enemies of an entire second-rate state. In the future, we will doubtlessly provoke more terrible foes. If you don't have the courage to fight against a military force without any state to back you up, then stand up and turn away now while it's not too late."

No one stood up. Each of them had gone through a lot of trouble to meet an expert pilot. Why would they possibly leave when only a couple of minutes had passed?

This unique opportunity was enough for them to brag about this great experience to their buddies for weeks!

"Please tell us how you crushed the pirates in the Nyxian Gap!"

"Will we be able to pilot fantastic mechs like your Shield of Samar?"

"I heard that you are tutoring mech pilots! Will I be able to learn how to pilot knight mechs like you if I become a clan member?"

Venerable Jannzi grew more and more irritated. The Larkinson Clan's manipulation knew no bounds. These star-struck idiots were completely dazzled!