The Mech Touch

"It's not really home." Melinda Larkinson sighed.

The mech pilot looked out of the porthole of the Forbearance, the fleet carrier of the Larkinson Family.

To Melinda, the Larkinson Family had been drifting ever since it evacuated from the Bright Republic.

The trauma of getting betrayed by the Bright Republic and getting dragged into Ves Larkinson's willful conflict against the Friday Coalition had pushed many family members to the brink.

Too many Larkinsons became unmoored from their lives. Nothing became familiar to them anymore as they could no longer return to the warm and green Larkinson estate.

Instead, the Larkinson Family had begun to live in massive metal coffins in space. Although there were plenty of opportunities for Larkinsons to go on shore leave on whatever planet their modest fleet was orbiting, few family members wished to stay on the ground for a long time.

It wasn't home. Second-rate states were still too weird to the people who grew up in the Bright Republic for their entire lives. Everything was bigger, more advanced and more discriminatory towards wealth and class.

It didn't help that the Garlen Empire possessed a culture that was obsessed with glory and martial valor. While this obsession granted Patriarch Ark Larkinson a lot of respect among the Garleners, even he couldn't reconcile his values with the warmongering tendencies of this powerful state.

The Larkinsons were strangers here. There was no other way to put it. They didn't belong here and developed no attachment to the strangers that welcomed the old family for different reasons.

"They either want to get their hooks into a potential ace pilot or they're eager to forge deeper connections with the Larkinson Clan."

Their current benefactors was the Feneton Tribe, a large and powerful group situated in the heart of the Garlen Empire.

The Fenetons already had ace pilots to spare, but they were never satisfied with their current lineup. They would love to gain an additional leader figure and powerhouse, so they offered attractive conditions to the Larkinson Family.

It also helped that befriending the Larkinson Family might give the Feneton Tribe an advantage when trying to procure powerful mechs from the LMC. At least that was what the Fenetons thought would happen.

In reality, contact between the Larkinson Family and the Larkinson Clan was shallow and perfunctory. Though blood family members split between the two branches initially talked to each other almost every day, all of the changes over the years caused them to become increasingly more alienated from each other.

The members of the Larkinson Clan had undergone drastic changes. The truebloods among them even consider the people they adopted as closer brothers and sisters than the members of the old family!

Ves didn't even bother to call Benjamin, Ark and Melinda anymore unless it was for special occasions such as the birth of his daughter.

Though Melinda found her tiny niece to be adorable and wanted to see her in the form of a projection once again, Ves and the other members of the Larkinson Clan were too preoccupied with their own ambitious goals to spare much time to connect with the family they left behind.

It was… depressing. Especially when news regularly poured in about all of the excitement the clan went through and how they gained yet another impressive mech or capital ship.

A younger Melinda would have grown frustrated when she realized what she was missing out upon. The Larkinson Family disproportionately consisted of the older generation. They were too old, crotchety and inflexible about sticking to the old ways. They adapted poorly to the new circumstances and only dug in their heels further when faced with change.

It was fortunate that Ark was more open-minded than the oldsters. At least he was able to strike a better balance than the Larkinsons who agreed more with the late Venerable Ghanso Larkinson than herself!

Despite knowing about the ulterior motives of the Feneton Tribe, Patriarch Ark agreed to become its retainer for a set amount of years in exchange for obtaining a high-tier expert mech.

To their credit, the Master Mech Designers who worked for the Feneton Tribe worked earnestly to design the Travon Exine, a high-tier medium expert hybrid mech. It was armed with a plethora of powerful ranged weapons and could also handle itself against enemies up close with a sword.

Yet compared to the often-praised expert mechs of the Larkinson Clan, the Travon Exine was too cold and impersonal.

It sounded strange to say this about an expert mech that was customized for Ark, but after piloting the living mechs designed by Ves, every other machine lacked that spark that made mech pilots feel more connected to their battle partners.

At least the other Larkinsons were enjoying their Bright Warriors a lot, even though they were purportedly inferior to those produced by the Larkinson Clan itself.

She felt his presence nearing. She turned around to see the leader of the Larkinson Family join her in looking out onto the planet below.

"Did you enjoy the parade?"

"Hardly." Ark replied in an even tone. "The Feneton Tribe's penchant for parades, festivals and showboating does get tiring, but it is a better alternative than being thrown into combat against another tribe."

That was one of the redeeming points about the Feneton Tribe. It was powerful yet had to tread carefully due to its leading status. Any clan or tribe that developed an excessive appetite easily united other enemies! This was exactly why the Cross Clan fell.

Since the Feneton Tribe's ace pilots were a bit more aware of the dangers, they satisfied their craving for glory and recognition in more benign and less deadly ways.

Nobody died in these events, but participating in them did get tiring. According to his contract with the Feneton Tribe, Ark had to rotate through every province and major star system and take part in one of their local events.

Although he wasn't a famed ace pilot, his unquestionable martial strength was still impressive enough to make the Garleners crazy!

It was a disgraceful circus, but it was also honest living.

"When will we be able to leave?"

"Not soon." Ark shook his head. "It depends on what happens, but I should be able to end my obligations within ten years. The problem is that we don't have a good destination in mind."

Every state was weird and different from home. There was no place that was close enough to the Bright Republic for them to settle. The Larkinson Family had become a second-class organization as well, so it was impossible to quietly settle in a third-rate state.

Melinda began to glower when she thought about what had happened as of late. "It's getting more dangerous here as well. The frequency of terrorist attacks isn't as great as before, but… there's always a risk each time we make landfall."

"Nowhere is safe."

"I agree, but have you noticed how many more shady and suspicious fleets have been passing through Vicious Mountain? I wouldn't have been surprised if they were trying to make their way to Tarnished Crown, but they're heading in the opposite direction."

As a former peacekeeper, Melinda had been trained to read various patterns. The increasing traffic towards a destination other than the nearest gate system had set her on edge. What was it about the Nyxian Gap that was attracting so many different people? Had rumors spread of some kind of ancient alien treasure?

Whatever was the case, the Yeina Star Cluster was becoming increasingly hotter!

"Home." Patriarch Ark said in a firm tone. "It's becoming increasingly more clear to me that no existing state can give us the feeling of home. The old Bright Republic has already died, and no second-rate state can replicate the environment we used to dedicate our lives to defending."

"Will we become eternal drifters?" Melinda frowned. "If we don't have a clear future aspiration, I seriously doubt our Larkinson Family will exist after a hundred years. None of us are cut out to live as nomads."

"I'll do my best to change that, Melinda. Our children and our grandchildren shouldn't live most of their lives on ships like the Forbearance."

"How?"

"By founding our own state." Ark stated with absolute certainly.

"Wait, what?!"

Of all of the possible solutions to the homesickness that had afflicted the Larkinson Family, Melinda never thought that someone would seriously suggest they found their own state!

"Do you know what you're talking about, Ark?! Founding a state is expensive, difficult and risky! Sure, it would be nice if we can pull it off, but there's no way we can do that!"

"Anything is possible, Melinda."

"Have the Garleners been filling your head with nonsense?! Your willpower is strong, but that doesn't mean you can rely on it to build an entire from scratch!"

"Explain, please. Why do you believe we cannot succeed?"

"Even if we temper our ambitions and try to settle for founding a third-rate state instead of a second-rate state, the amount of money you're talking about is far out of our reach!" She heatedly replied. "Our family isn't good at building new colonies, let alone erecting new states! The only thing we are good at is piloting mechs and fighting in wars. Also, have you ever considered the price for failure? Our family might come to an end and all of us might die in some poor dirtball just because you overestimated our capabilities. This is not a responsible decision!"

Patriarch Ark calmly listened to Melinda's points, but did not relent.

"I've considered our situation carefully and have considered all of your points."

"Then why are you still daft enough to think it's a good idea to start an entire state?!"

"Because the alternative is worse." Ark stated as he swept his hand across the compartment. "Look at the state of our family. Where do you think we will be in ten years, twenty years or further? If we keep going in the current direction, we'll either die a slow death as our family slowly loses its drive or warp into Garleners as our children grow up in an environment where war is glorified! There is no future for us here!"

Melinda looked shocked. In all of his public addresses, Ark had always acted as the optimistic patriarch who would lead the family to greatness. She knew it was hard for him to make the right decisions, but she never thought his burdens were so great!

"Ark…"

"Tell me my vision is wrong, Melinda. Tell me that our family can start a new life in this star cluster."

"I…"

Though Melinda wanted to refute her patriarch so badly, she could see the writing on the wall as well now that he pointed it out. Their current pattern was bleak. In that case, maybe Ark's radical proposal merited serious thought.

"Okay, I admit that we need a more drastic change, but founding a state is beyond our capabilities."

"The founding families of the Bright Republic got it done."

"They were much better prepared than us! We don't have the numbers, the assets and the funding to organize a colonization fleet! The only place that is open for colonization is the Red Ocean, but of us is as good at earning MTA merits as Ves! How can we possibly obtain passage?"

"None of these issues are insurmountable, Melinda. Do you know why I am still set on working together with the Garleners? It's because everything will change as long as I'm able to break through to ace pilot."

"You…"

Ark's force of will grew stronger as he explained his aspiration. "As long as I work hard and manage to break through, my status in the Garlen Empire will undergo a complete change! The people here revere ace pilots, and we can use that to lead them to a better future, one that isn't engulfed in internal strife and pointless wars. As long as my status becomes exalted, many Garleners will answer my call and offer aid."

Melinda widened her eyes. So that was why Ark was working so hard for the Feneton Tribe as of late!

The ambitious patriarch continued to expose his plan. "We can partner up with mech designers who have earned a great amount of MTA merits. We can rely on the dividends we earn from the LMC to slowly build up our colonization fleet or attract investment from wealthy locals. We can hire as many personnel as we need to crew our ships and pilot our mechs. Do you see? It does not matter if our Larkinson Family is not capable of supporting a colonization fleet. I can make it happen by myself if needed!"

"…The premise is that you succeed in breaking through to ace pilot."

The Larkinson expert pilot's eyes burned with conviction. "I will make it happen within ten years. Once my covenant with the Feneton Tribe ends, we will be free to go as we please. We will be ready to depart for the Red Ocean by then. That is my promise."

Melinda truly found it difficult to imagine that the Larkinson Family could meet such an ambitious goal within this timespan, but she became excited at the thought.

For the first time in a year, she regained her hope. Hope for the future of her family.

There was just one little issue, though.

"If… if we manage to reach the Red Ocean. Will we… seek out the Larkinson Clan? Last I heard, Ves and his followers have just arrived in the dwarf galaxy. That means they have a head start and can lend us a hand if needed."

Ark became a bit more subdued. "I don't know, Melinda. We have grown more distant as of late. Let us try to rely on our own efforts. It is a sign of weakness if we keep thinking about receiving another handout from the Larkinson Clan. Our family must learn to stand on its own two feet."

That was hard to do when the Larkinson Family didn't really have an adequate source of income. If not for the 1 percent ownership in the LMC, Melinda and her fellow Larkinson mech pilots would have been forced to work as full-time mercenaries a long time ago!

"Ves has never relied on us since he founded his clan and went his own way." Melinda eventually said. "Maybe we should learn more from his example. He is proof that Larkinsons such as ourselves can be more than obedient soldiers."

If the Larkinson Family wanted to pull itself out of its downward trend, then aspiring saviors such as Ark and Melinda needed to show more than good leadership.

They needed to show initiative.