The Mech Touch

There were plenty of notable individuals who paid close attention to the battle being broadcasted on the galactic net.

Many of them were unrelated or only distantly affected by the events taking place in the Pima Prime System.

However, there were also people that possessed much deeper ties with the parties involved in the fighting.

For example, pretty much every member of the Wodin Dynasty was paying extremely close attention to the mechs of the Larkinson Clan and the Glory Seekers.

The main branch members of the Wodin Dynasty had even gathered in one of the great halls of the Palace of New Beginnings so that they could collectively observe the live broadcasts of the battle that had the potential to cement their rise.

Though Matriarch Xiaphna Wodin still held the final word in their dynasty, everyone already knew that Prime Minister Constance Wodin possessed the greatest voice in the New Scimitar System.

It couldn't be helped. One of the standards that the Hexers used to judge each other's worth was how well they raised their immediate children and families.

The excellence displayed by Gloriana and her husband continually reflected back on Madame Constance, making it seem as if she was the best mother the Hexer people had produced aside from the Superior Mother!

Due to the peculiarities of Hexer culture, Constance Wodin's prestige was even starting to catch up with that of the most prominent leaders of the matriarchal dynasties!

Though Constance always maintained a stern expression, there was no way to hide the pride and satisfaction exuding from her bones.

The results produced by the powerful mechs designed by her youngest daughter and her latest son-in-law was enough to make her satisfied for the rest of her life!

"No matter whether they win or lose, the survival of my granddaughter and her spouse must be guaranteed." The matriarch of the Wodin Dynasty spoke.

"We have already issued the necessary orders to our Glory Seekers." Madame Constance replied. "Marshal Ariadne Wodin has held back several elite mech units along with a fast combat carrier that we have secretly equipped with a superdrive. I believe the Larkinsons are able to evacuate their most important people without our aid, but our troops will always be ready to block enemy pursuit by giving my daughter, her husband and their children time to escape."

Neither Xiaphna nor Constance displayed any care towards the lives of the remaining Larkinsons and Hexers in Pima Prime. Not even blood relatives such as Marshal Ariadne or Venerable Brutus deserved too much consideration to the two powerful women.

As the leaders of an entire Hexer dynasty, their responsibility was to make the Wodins prosper as a whole. Sacrificing a part of their numbers was an inevitable part of their growth process. It would all be worth it as long as their descendants became more prosperous and powerful in the end!

As far as the two Wodin leaders were concerned, everyone else was expendable. While it would certainly hurt the Wodin Dynasty to lose over a hundred carrier vessels and all of their Hexer crew members, as long as the foundation was still intact, the Wodins could always replenish their losses.

"This battle represents more than the internal struggle of the Friday Coalition or the continuation of the Komodo War." The older of the two women stated. Her eyes remained sharp and calculating despite her obvious signs of aging. "The strength and potential shown by these 'living mechs' has put their designer on the map. The entire Magair Middle Zone is just beginning to discover the power and horror of the war weapons that we have greater access to than any other group aside from the Larkinson Clan. The mechs that are currently fighting against the Fridaymen are more powerful and more difficult to resolve than the ones we utilized during the Komodo War."

Madame Constance felt both pleased and concerned by this remark. "Our Hex Federation has exposed much of its fangs today. I am sure that we have gained the respect of the other colonists in Magair, but I am afraid that we have also aroused their fear towards us. If the performance of our strike group is too good, then we will have a difficult task ahead of us in trying to placate the concerns of our neighbors."

The matriarch of the Wodin Dynasty shook her head. "We cannot control their thinking, Constance. Rather than trying too hard to downplay our might, we might as well embrace the advantages and disadvantages of presenting a strong image."

It wasn't often that Constance disapproved of her revered mother.

"You sound as if you are willing to gamble with the future of our dynasty and our colonial state."

"You say that as if we had a choice, my dearest daughter. From the moment we have evacuated to the Red Ocean, our Hexer people have only one chance left. Failure will put an end to our culture and society, so why must we act with care? Instead, we should learn from the bold and reckless decisions that have allowed my grandson to rise above every challenger. The time for caution has passed now that we have established our footing in this zone. The time for conquest and expansion has begun. The battle that is taking place in the Friday Colonies is only the first of many steps that we must take as a people."

The ongoing battle had many implications for the Hexer people. It was not as simple as an attempt to raise the morale of the Hexers while also fueling the flames of infighting in the Friday Coalition.

The ripple effects from this single battle would affect events taking place in ten, twenty or even a hundred years in the future!

Though Madame Constance didn't fully understand her mother's thinking, she knew that every Hexer matriarch regularly held high-level policy meetings to discuss and decide upon the future course of the Hexer state.

Previously, Matriarch Xiaphna had never conveyed so much haste and urgency in her words. It was clear that the most recent meeting with the council of matriarchs might have caused a fundamental course change.

The mother of Gloriana fell deeply into thought as she steepled her fingers. Her cranial implant displayed a brief image capture of her granddaughter in her mind.

She had a hunch that her granddaughter may have played an important role in the last meeting.

After all, the meeting happened a short time after the Larkinsons visited New Scimitar and allowed Matriarch Xiaphna to meet with Aurelia in person.

As Constance plotted out the future of her dynasty and colonial state, an entirely different set of relatives watched the events in Pima Prime with much greater concern.

These blood relatives of Ves and many other Larkinsons did not entertain any ideas about how the battle might change the political landscape of the Red Ocean. They held no thoughts about how the Larkinson Clan or the Hex Federation might expand their influence in the new frontier.

All they cared about was the fate of the family members that were putting their lives at risk in the Pima Prime System.

"This damn nephew of mine has gone too far." Patriarch Ark Larkinson complained as he observed the broadcast that centered around the performance of the Larkinson Army. "I thought that he had curbed his more reckless tendencies after he became a father, but it appears he has never let go of his desire to go out and pick a fight with others."

The much older gentleman who was sitting in a medical hoverchair faintly coughed and smiled. "Ves may have a habit of making questionable decisions, but that is the reason why he is wealthier and more powerful than we could have ever dreamed of. The dividends we earn from owning just a fraction of his mech company has already made our Larkinson Family more prominent in the Garlen Empire than before."

Ark placed his strong and solid hand on his father's shoulder. "Careful, dad. The doctors said that your condition is worsening. You should talk so much."

Benjamin Larkinson coughed again. "It matters little whether I will join our ancestors in the afterlife one or three years laters. I know my condition. I am not long for this galaxy anymore. The sequelae from my war wounds back then are finally starting to catch up to me. I… don't regret it all. I have lived a fuller life than many, and my children and my grandchildren are prospering to a much greater extent than I could have imagined. The only regret I have is that I have never gotten in touch with Ryncol, though I believe he is doing well enough in his own way."

"I believe so as well." Ark gently smiled.

Both Larkinsons fell silent for a time as they continued to watch the Larkinson Clan fight against the Fridaymen for reasons that they didn't entirely understand.

"We should reunite with Ves." Benjamin stated out of the blue.

"Father?" Ark looked confused.

The older man coughed again. "I've… I've never… held my great-grandchildren in my arms. My time is running out. Aurelia, Andraste and Marvaine are waiting for me in the Red Ocean. We should go, son. We should all go. Staying here in this foreign empire has done us no good. These Garleners are constantly picking fights with each other in order to chase after illusionary glory. Fools…"

Ark began to grow fearful about Benjamin's condition. "We can't, father. Our people have rejected Ves for many reasons. We may be family, but we hold different ideologies. Even if Ves and his clan have defied all of our expectations, you know how our family members are. Their pride won't allow them to admit that they were wrong. They would rather die on a battlefield in the Garlen Empire than to crawl to the Red Ocean in order to beg for forgiveness from Ves and the other clanners."

"That is why I call them fools. Look at us here. Look at this mansion that we built for ourselves. Is this home to you? Are our family members happy in this star sector?"

"...No." The expert pilot and patriarch sighed. "I understand your point, father. We have tried to settle in the Garlen Empire for multiple years without too many results. The Garleners treat us as foreigners while our family never manages to fit in with the locals. I miss the Bright Republic of old. Everything was much simpler at the time."

"We can never regain the homes that we have lost, but that does not mean our family has no foundation anymore." Benjamin said with a slight cough. "The Red Ocean… is where we will find our true home."

"Our family members won't agree."

Benjamin's aged and wrinkled face sneered. "That is because they have become too accustomed to arguing amongst themselves. They have no sense of leadership. They cannot be trusted to make the right choices. Since even you are able to recognize that our family isn't going anywhere in the Vicious Mountain Star Sector, then you need to put your foot down for once and impose the right decision on everyone."

Ark grew incredibly conflicted when he heard that. "That… is not the way we run our family."

"The old ways created a schism in the family and almost led us to extinction. Not every tradition should be upheld, my son. You are the strongest expert pilot in our family. Your will reigns above all. As long as you are able to explain your decisions, I think you will find much less resistance from the rest of our family."

"..."

"Besides… haven't you always wanted to pilot a new mech that can help you advance to ace pilot? Look at the Cross Clan. Their own patriarch has succeeded in breaking through with the help of a mech designed by my grandson."

Ark found it difficult to resist the allure of obtaining a high-quality expert mech. Though he had built plenty of contacts among the Garleners over the years, it was difficult for them to fulfill all of his wishes due to his foreign status.

Becoming an ace pilot had always been his dream. Becoming a Saint would allow him to raise the voice of his Larkinson Family and solve many of the problems that plagued his relatives.

If he was able to do so while reuniting with Ves and his clan, then Ark might be able to become the protector of both his Larkinson Family and Ves' Larkinson Clan at the same time!

"Maybe I should convene another meeting."