The Mech Touch

The Larkinson Family numbered thousands of people. Though a large portion of them consisted of spouses, children and norms, the entire family developed an immense amount of pride and worship in its heritage.

The Larkinson Ancestor, who left the New Rubarth Empire for reasons lost in history, earned a lot of merits during the founding of the Bright Republic.

Ever since then, his descendents multiplied and adopted the noble mission of defending the state their ancestor fought and bled for. In time, this noble mission took on its own identity.

Constant dedication caused the Larkinson Family to develop a reputation of an upright, honorable military family.

Reputation was like a glow. Every Larkinson became someone more. The accomplishments of their predecessors surrounded them like a halo, causing everyone who was aware of the Larkinsons to see them in a much better light.

Yet reputation also served like a shackle that constrained their choices along a predetermined path.

Because their predecessors selflessly fought for the Mech Corps, their descendents automatically gained the expectation to perpetuate this duty.

Over time, so many Larkinson mech pilots volunteered for service that the family no longer questioned this pattern. It became a deep-seethed family tradition that every eligible Larkinson had to take part in because that was the price for maintaining the honor of their family.

To most Larkinsons, the reputation and honor they carried were sufficient rewards for their sacrifice.

Few Larkinsons developed ambitions to achieve anything more.

This was because they would have to play by different rules. To break into a higher orbit, they needed to make enemies. This went against their instincts as a family dedicated to the betterment of the state as a whole!

Of course, there were plenty of Larkinsons over the years who disliked this burden and wanted to carry on with their lives without the baggage of the past.

The Larkinson Family did not force the unwilling misfits, rebels and deviants to take part in its noble mission. It simply cast them out and made it very clear to the public that these exiles no longer had anything to do with the official family.

This was why there were a lot of Larkinsons who weren't on the family rolls. Raella Larkinson was one of the most recent ones. Even if she became a part of a vicious gang from Bentheim, her choices no longer affected the stellar reputation of the Larkinsons.

Due to the voluntary departure of dissenters, the Larkinsons who remained all believed in their family's noble mission. The most sincere, fanatical and dedicated Larkinsons continued to dominate the family and perpetuated its burden of duty!

Ves had thought long and hard about this situation. As a deviant Larkinson, he knew how pernicious this expectation of duty had become in his family.

From birth, this expectation of duty was hammered into the minds of their children through many subtle ways. The tales of their extended family and the teachings of the Larkinsons acting as mentors all served to indoctrinate every young Larkinson into serving the Bright Republic!

Even Ves was aware that he developed some codes within his mind which compelled him to defend his home state. Although his many changes and experiences caused this programming to glitch, he still couldn't get rid of his impulses to aid the state that shaped his life.

Yet now that Mech General Ulrich Cavendish unilaterally dispatched Ghanso and some troops to take him into custody, Ves finally felt as if his programming had crashed.

He no longer felt any goodwill towards the Bright Republic anymore.

While his home state was his cherished home, Ves felt he no longer owed it anything.

This was why he addressed the Larkinson Family with not a single shred of doubt or guilt!

While he was taking several liberties with the truth, he truly believed in the main points he tried to convey!

"Do you not think that the Larkinson Family has done enough to defend the Bright Republic?!" He addressed his audience of Larkinsons with complete conviction! "The Bright Republic at the time of the Larkinson Ancestor was a fragile entity that only amounted to several poorly-defended colonies. It's different now! Even with the sandmen testing our resolve, there are countless mech pilots and starfighter pilots fighting for the Republic! The few hundred mech pilots who bear our family name hardly makes any difference at this point!"

While he spoke the truth, this was not enough to introduce a sufficient amount of doubt in the minds of his audience.

He only said this to diminish the contributions of the Larkinsons of today. They needed to get off their high horse and recognize that they have become nothing more than cogs in a large and unfeeling machine!

Ves patted his chest, drawing attention to his prestigious projected medals. "While I respect the honorable service of the Larkinsons who served, I have done more for the Bright Republic as a mech designer than hundreds of Larkinson mech pilots!"

He could hear the outrage from the mech pilots now, but he wasn't finished!

"I do not mean any disrespect! I am simply telling the truth! With the wealth, knowledge and power that I have gathered through my own efforts, I have saved the Bright Republic from collapse by designing the Desolate Soldier and its variants! Tell me if I'm wrong!"

No Larkinson was ignorant of the Desolate Soldier. It single-handedly propped up the morale of many wavering mech pilots, not just in the Bright Republic but also in many other states!

Although the Dawnbreaker recently stole its thunder, it was definitely the most influential mech design of the Sand War!

The supreme contribution this single mech design earned had given the Larkinsons much more honor than any expert pilot had ever accumulated!

Not even Ark Larkinson, the most impressive living Larkinson at this time, could match what Ves had done to support the state in these trying times!

Ves momentarily paused his speech to allow the Larkinsons he addressed to form these conclusions on their own. It was not appropriate for him to brag too openly and stomp on the many sacrifices made by the Larkinsons risking their lives at the front.

Nonetheless, his noble posture as he sat behind his desk with his hands clasped in front of him conveyed a strong message in itself! An effect similar to the time he channeled Ylvaine's spiritual fragment occurred again!

This time, Ves dialed back the effect in order to extend the time he could empower his stature. While he wasn't short on spiritual energy these days, this was still a very draining action!

The expenditure was worth it though. In order to maximize his persuasion towards the Larkinsons, Ves had to occupy the high ground by painting himself as a bigger contributor than any other Larkinson!

"My fellow family members, what are we actually fighting for all these years? Is it for honor? Reputation? Heritage? If this is so, why are we still the same family as a hundred years ago? Have we grown wealthier? Did we gain more say in the running of the state? I don't see any changes. Even our family's honor and reputation seemed to hit a ceiling!"

Perhaps many Larkinsons already knew this, but no one wanted to mention this. They were too comfortable with the status quo!

"Look, I get it. Our Larkinson Family is a military family. We shouldn't bite off more than we can chew. We're not politicians or businessmen. We had no advantages in this area, but this has changed!"

He pointed his thumb at himself in a dramatic fashion. "You have me now! I am an illustrious, award-winning Journeyman Mech Designer who has designed many innovative mech designs! I have used my talents and abilities to better the Bright Republic during the latest Bright-Vesia War as well as the Sand War! While I have selflessly contributed to the state because it is my duty to do so, I have done even more to enhance the wealth and standing of our family! This is because I am different from you! I am the sole Larkinson who has benefited our family more than dozens of Ghansos put together!"

Ves grinned as he brought up his killer point. "Yes, while Ghanso Larkinson and his band of 'sefless' Larkinsons have served the Mech Corps with distinction, how have they actually benefited our family? Merely maintaining our current level of honor and reputation is not enough! Have you never considered that while our Larkinsons are constantly dying and bleeding to fulfill our noble mission, the state has never really rewarded us in a substantial fashion?"

A silence stretched among all of the Larkinsons listening in on his address.

"Do you know what I think?" He swept his arm in a half circle. "We have all become unwitting slaves for the state! If our Larkinson Family truly received the remuneration we deserve from all of the sacrifices our predecessors have made, we should have been equal to the Cavendish Family! Instead, this jealous founding family is deliberately trying to suppress me, the only Larkinson who can make our family rise to the top! What is worse is that Venerable Ghanso Larkinson has willingly become General Cavendish's tool!"

Attacking an expert pilot, especially a Larkinson expert pilot, was not something that anyone could do lightly within the family!

Yet Ves boldly targeted the latest and most prominent expert pilot of the younger generation! The sheer daring of this action astounded even the most experienced Larkinson veterans!

"It is one thing if Venerable Ghanso is acting for the betterment of the Larkinson Family. Yet how much has he contributed to our family compared to me? Why does he think his way of empowering the family is better than mine! We belong to the same generation! Our ages are identical! Yet as Ghanso Larkinson has become a willing attack dog for the state in exchange for some scraps, I have done much more for both the state and our family!"

Though it was not exactly a proper comparison, Ves made a very persuasive argument! If the Larkinsons compared Ves and Ghanso directly, most of them would definitely side with the Journeyman Mech Designers who introduced so many benefits to the family!

"Service is not an end. It is a means to an end. Following Ghanso's vision of the Larkinson Family is nothing less than perpetuating our slavery to the state! Yes, I did not misspoke. What do you call those who toil and suffer for someone else without receiving the remuneration we deserve? Slaves! No matter how much we have done to fulfill our noble mission, it is never enough to change our status! All of the work we have done over the centuries has not resulted in any gains! Do you think it's ridiculous to regard ourselves as slaves under these circumstances?!"

He was sure that a lot of Larkinsons were thrown into doubt. Very likely, a lot of veterans were doing some soul-searching right now! What had their suffering and sacrifice accomplished?

Ves figured it was ready to unveil his main goal. He calmed down and tried to look as authoritative as possible.

"In my opinion, we have sacrificed enough. We do not need to perpetuate our noble mission any longer. Whatever debt we owe to the Bright Republic has long been repaid! If you don't think that is enough, then add my contributions on top of that! I have saved our state from imminent defeat with my Desolate Soldier mech and I will save it yet again with my upcoming mech design!"

He boldly cast his arm towards his audience. "Allow me to free you! Allow me to release you from your burden of duty! As long as you appoint me as the patriarch of the family and invest me with power, I promise to improve your fortunes and lead you all to prosperity! This change is long overdue! If you believe our family deserves better, then do not follow Ghanso's hopeless trajectory! Instead, believe in me and my ability to elevate our family!"

Every Larkinson became stunned yet again! Ves wanted to become the sole leader of the family, depriving the expert pilots and the steering committee of their say!

The Larkinson Family never concentrated power in a single person in its entire history!

However, at this time, the broadcast suddenly took a different turn!

"VES LARKINSON!" Ghanso's angry voice interjected. "Do not spout your poisonous lies! You have no right to lecture our family!"

Before Ves could utter a reply, his broadcast suddenly shut off!

The Mech Corps forcibly interrupted and blocked his transmission!