The Mech Touch

In order to prevent Venerable Ark Larkinson from making any further decisions by himself, Ves wanted to rope him into his clan as soon as possible.

Once Ark and the clan administration took care of all of the necessary paperwork, Ves personally wanted to induct his uncle into the fold.

An ordinary oath pledging ceremony that was normally conducted in front of the nearest available Bright Warrior mech was not sufficient to welcome a Larkinson of such stature.

The clan did not organize a grand and public ceremony either. Ves did not want to hype up Ark any further. Since Ark was dead set on joining the Davute Branch, he essentially became a leadership competitor.

If Ves wasn't careful enough, his clansmen might drive him out of office and put an incredibly charismatic Larkinson like his dearest uncle in his place!

Of course, Ves did not believe that was likely to happen. He even saw Ark's arrival as a positive influence on himself. As the Larkinson Clan became larger and more unwieldy in size, it was good if he could share his burden and give his clansmen another figure to gain reassurance.

The growth and expansion of the Davute Branch due to Ark's cooperation with the colonial government also didn't sound so bad anymore.

Ves could not foresee how successfully Ark and his helpers would be able to extract concessions from Davute. The most lucrative reward by far was the promise of receiving claims of ownership of the conquered star systems and territories that currently belonged to Karlach.

The message was loud and clear. If the Larkinsons along with other groups fought hard enough to tip the war in Davute's favor, then the territories that would fall into its hands would get distributed to the greatest contributors!

The colonial government originally did not mention this possibility at all to its military partners, but Karlach's increasing momentum had forced President Yenames Clive's hand.

If Davute did not offer nearly as much sincerity as its archrival, then all of the large and powerful mercenary organizations would all flock to Karlach's banner!

It was Davute's willingness to reward military contributors with actual territories that fully convinced Ark to volunteer his services.

He did not necessarily have a strong emotional attachment to the Davute Project, but the cold hard promise of letting the Davute Branch take over a planet or two was enough to earn his support for the colonial state!

It was with that dream in mind that Venerable Ark Larkinson entered a peaceful estate and stepped into the bedroom that held his old and infirm father.

The high-tier expert pilot's strong and confident demeanor softened its edges as his love and affection for family surged into his mind.

"Father."

"...Come… my son…" A weak voice called out from the chair placed in front of a tall window.

This was one of Benjamin Larkinson's good days. Though the deteriorating former expert pilot had grown a little weaker compared to a week earlier, he was still lucid and comfortable enough to witness the upcoming ceremony.

Ves had already arrived fifteen minutes earlier. Not only that, but he also decided to bring along his oldest daughter in order to keep his grandfather company.

Aurelia had already been chatting with her great-grandfather for a while now. She held Clixie in her arms and offered the cat to one of her oldest living blood relative.

"Do you want to cuddle with Clixie? She's really warm and fluffy!"

Benjamin smiled warmly at the young lass. "Your cat is lovely, but I do not think my poor legs can bear her weight with any comfort. You can put her on the armrest if you want."

As soon as Aurelia placed the lovely Rubarthan Sentinel Cat onto the armrest that was barely large enough, Clixie purred and offered her furry back for pets.

As Benjamin slowly raised his feeble arm and touched Clixie's body with his wrinkly palm, the dying smile smiled brighter as he felt the love and warmth radiating from the feline.

"Miaow~"

"I think I understand a little more why your clan have become such avid cat lovers."

Meanwhile, Ark had come close enough to exchange greetings with Ves.

"I see you are doing as good as ever, Ves."

"You've come in time. Aurelia, come greet your grandfather's brother."

Aurelia adopted a gentle smile and bowed in respect. "Hello Great-uncle."

"You have raised a well-mannered girl, Ves."

"I don't deserve all of the credit for that. My wife did a much better job at that sort of stuff."

"You certainly found a lovely woman to share your life with, then. Gloriana compensates for many of your flaws and blindspots. You chose well."

After they got the casual chatter out of the way, Ves soon moved onto business and turned to his lovely little daughter.

"Aurelia, can you fetch the Larkinson Mandate for me? It is time to start the ceremony."

The girl nodded, though her braided hair hardly shook. She turned and ran towards one of the dozen honor guards that were silently and stoically trying their best to blend into the background.

"Hey, Nitaa. Can you unlock the big book?"

The harness that automatically contained and protected the Larkinson Mandate clicked open, allowing Aurelia to pry the heavy metal-covered tome from its resting place and bring it back to the other three trueblood Larkinsons.

If not for the antigrav module built into the ancestral heirloom, Aurelia would have found it a lot more difficult to lift up the book!

She soon stopped in front of her father and offered up the sacred-looking tome.

"Here it is, papa!"

"You can keep hold of it while we conduct the ceremony, dear. It is time for you to learn how to expand our clan. You need to verify the loyalty, compatibility, commitment and sincerity of those who wish to become a part of our expanding family. We shouldn't bring in anyone who sounds good on paper. Do you understand?"

"Uhm!"

"Then follow my instructions. First hold the book in your hands like this. Uncle Ark is a lot taller than you, after all. Good. Now voice a pledge and ask Uncle Ark to repeat your words."

"Okay." Aurelia nodded as she held the ancestral heirloom aloft as if her arms were a pedestal. "Can you place your palm on the medallion on the front cover, uncle?"

"Why certainly."

The expert pilot looked bemused at what Ves had done. Though Ark did not expect to get inducted by a little girl of all people, he indulged his relatives and rolled with the situation.

"Now repeat after me…"

One of the secrets about the pledging ceremony was that the Larkinson Clan hadn't formed a standard oath at all. There were general guidelines on what it should include, but there was no single definitive text or phrasing that the clan recognized as the only valid oath.

This was because Ves and many Larkinsons believed that mere spoken words or lawyer-like phrases on a contract had no meaning by themselves.

As long as the new recruits did not hold any malicious intentions and earnestly wanted to become a part of the Larkinson Clan, they would be welcomed with open arms.

Therefore, neither Ves nor anyone else minded that Aurelia came up with an oath on the spot.

"...I shall care for everyone who bears the Larkinson name if they are in need of assistance."

"...I will protect and defend the people of the clan against all external enemies, both human and alien."

"...I promise to respect the rules and regulations of the clan and do my best to work within its governing system."

"...As a mech pilot, I pledge to never oppress the weaker members of the Larkinson by force."

As Aurelia and Ark continued to speak the same words, Ves and Benjamin quietly witnessed the ceremony from the side.

Though the event did not look very formal from an outsider's perspective, Ves knew that this was an extremely serious occasion.

As a serious expert pilot, Venerable Ark Larkinson meant every word he said. Though he had proven to be clever and flexible enough to take advantage of loopholes and obey his principles rather than the letter of the law, he could never outright lie or break a contract without a legitimate cause.

If Aurelia was able to get her uncle to obey the instructions of the leader of the clan on an unconditional basis, then Ark would most definitely turn into her strongest tool if she assumed leadership one day!

However, the girl was careful enough not to add any unreasonably strict terms to the oath.

Her social understanding was high and she knew quite well what she could get away with. Aurelia demonstrated her comprehension of the limitations of obedience by formulating a pledge that mainly compelled Ark to pledge on promises that he already intended to follow anyway.

The important part was that Aurelia also added just a bit more to turn him into a more helpful addition to the clan as a whole.

It was a careful balancing act that the oldest daughter of Ves and Gloriana brilliantly executed!

At one point, the Larkinson Mandate glowed with more and more warmth until Goldie herself emerged from her primary resting place!

Both Aurelia and Ark smiled and took comfort in the appearance of the nexus of the Larkinson Network and the guardian spirit of the clan.

Nyaaaa~

"...I promise not to displease the Golden Cat and act in a way that makes her sad." Aurelia spontaneously added.

"I promise not to displease the Golden Cat and act in a way that makes her sad." Ark repeated in verbatim, though his smile grew a little wider in the process.

Once the little girl finally completed her long and extensive routine, she shifted her gaze to floating and glowing ancestral spirit.

"Well, Goldie? Did he pass your test?"

Nyaaaa!

The Golden Cat not only verified Ark's loyalty and sincerity, but also expressed her joy and anticipation for finally turning him into a formal member of the clan!

"Then do it! Turn him into your latest bosom buddy!"

Nyaaa nyaaa.

The Golden Cat circled around Ark's body, glowing brighter and brighter until she stopped right in front of the expert pilot's face.

Nyaaa nyaaa~

"You want me to open up for you? Sure…"

After Goldie put in a bit of effort, she began to extend one of the thickest and strongest spiritual bonds that Ves had ever witnessed!

He and his daughter watched on as the open end of the spiritual channel slowly advanced towards the latest member to join the Larkinson Clan.

Its progress was slower and more tiresome than normal. Expert pilots tended to reject a lot of outside influences. This was a source of strength as well as a source of hindrance depending on the situation.

This was why it was important for Ark to let down his guard and go against his strong instincts by sincerely opening himself up to Goldie.

As Ark and Aurelia stared into each other, they opened up to each other. They liked each other so much that they actually began to resonate with each other!

"...Amazing." Benjamin spoke as his atrophied senses picked up what was taking place.

Goldie supported and agreed with Ark's ideals, while the Larkinson expert pilot completely accepted and embraced the ancestral spirit's addition to the lives of his fellow relatives!

The bond that ultimately formed between them became even thicker and stronger as resonance caused them to become more in sync!

"You are in, now!" Aurelia cheered as she held the Larkinson Mandate closer to her body. "Goldie likes you a lot, so do not disappoint her, okay?"

"I would never dream of it." Ark smiled as Goldie continued to rub her manifestation against his cheek. "I think we will be able to accomplish great feats together. I cannot wait to fight by your side once my nephew finally completes my next expert mech!"

Nyaaaa!