The Mech Touch

The Gemini Family firmly grasped the interests of the invited groups. The Golden Skull Alliance, the Adelaide Mercenary Company, the Lehrer Foundation, the Santana Group and the Boojay Family all became increasingly more invested in the upcoming joint operation.

It did not take long for the Geminis and the delegations to finalize a contract that precisely detailed all of the terms and conditions for their temporary coalition.

At the same time, their military officials got together in order to expand and improve upon the initial attack plan developed by the Geminis.

While there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the strategy adopted by the Gemini Family, many steps could still be improved by relying on the unique strengths and circumstances of the individual coalition partners.

Ves unconsciously jerked whenever an individual mentioned the word 'coalition' in his vicinity.

The Friday Coalition pressed onto his life for so many years that the word in question had become tainted in his mind.

He developed such an allergy towards this word that he proposed an alternative.

Of course, no one outside of the Golden Skull Alliance seriously entertained his suggestion.

To them, it didn't matter if their temporary collective was called a union, an alliance or a coalition.

They just settled on the last term because it possessed an obvious temporary connotation.

None of the coalition partners intended to team up with each other after they had topped the Palace of Shame. They had too little common ground with each other and there was no particular urgency in seeking safety in numbers.

Some of the pioneering fleets that had committed to the operation were also detachments of larger organizations. The Adelaide Mercenary Company, Lehrer Foundation and the Santana Group were all headquartered in different places and had spread out their forces in order to pursue multiple goals at once.

Ves dreamt that his Larkinson Clan would grow to this point as well one day.

Once his clan grew large enough to be able to send out multiple strong fleets in different directions, the Larkinsons would be playing an entirely different game!

Due to the concerted efforts of the Geminis, many people became familiar with their family's customs and ideals.

While the Geminis did not always succeed in gaining the support and approval of their guests, the people they had invited to break open the Palace of Shame no longer exhibited as many negative reactions as before.

People still liked to talk about it, though. Their practices were just so strange and different that it was as if the Geminis were aliens!

One of the people that started to think about the Gemini Family's unusual family customs was Venerable Imon Ingvar.

The expert pilot spent a lot of time with two different individuals: his expert mech and his sister.

One of the most enjoyable periods of his life nowadays was when it was time for dinner.

The two Ingvar siblings were both busy with their own lives and no longer spent as much time together as before.

Commander Casella Ingvar was especially swamped with work due to serving as the legion commander of the Living Sentinels.

Though Venerable Imon Ingvar tried his best to accompany his sister, he was not a part of the chain of command and did not really have any business meddling with the management of the mech legion.

He could make much better use of his time by training his skills or deepening his familiarity with his expert mech.

This was why Casella forcefully kicked him away so that he could spend his time on more productive activities such as polishing his combat skills or tutoring other mech pilots.

Still, no matter what responsibilities Casella and Imon carried out these days, they always tried to synchronize their schedules so that they could gather together at least once a day.

Breakfast or dinner became the most common periods for them to spend quality time together. It was either at the start or the end of their work days that they could put aside their work and share their thoughts and concerns with each other without any pretensions.

As the pair of expert pilots quietly enjoyed their meals in a private room deep inside the Gorgoneion, Imon curiously glanced at his sister who was seated on the other side of the dining table from time to time.

Someone as sensitive as the Sentinel Commander quickly noticed the scrutiny.

"What is wrong, Imon?"

"I've heard a lot of stories about the Gemini Family." Imon started. "They are an odd folk, but they are also brave for practicing the ideas that everyone thinks is wrong. I admire their courage. It is difficult beyond belief to go against the grain and reverse a standard that is no longer of this time."

Casella paused in her attempt to put a bite of pasta in her mouth.

"No longer of this time?"

"Yes. It is such an obvious idea that more people should have realized this truth a long time ago. We live in an era where the genes of our children no longer have to be formed by mixing a collection of random genes together. The biotech experts can precisely formulate a set of genes that is free from genetic defects. There is no reason that a child born from this scientific process is in any way inferior to a child born through the natural process. In fact, I would argue that the former is always better because a lot of smart people have worked carefully to mix together the right genes."

Casella did not expect her brother to be so taken in by the Gemini Family's ideology.

"Many natural processes are no longer an important part of our lives." She said. "That doesn't mean that we should get rid of them all in order to pursue greater efficiency. The biggest reason why we are different from bots and aliens is because we are defined by our humanity. It defines the way we organize our families since the beginning of our race's history. For example, our society holds the expectation that every child should ideally be raised by two parents, no more and no less. Any challenge to his long-held notion is not only seen as an attack on a historical custom, but is also regarded as an attack on the foundation of what makes us human."

Her brother grew confused. "I'm not advocating for that at all. I love humanity. I'm human. I don't think that children should be raised by one parent or three parents either. I agree with you that there are still a lot of good reasons why this tradition should still be upheld. It is just that far too many humans still cling onto notions that used to make sense in the past but no longer have any reason to exist in the present day. Why can't we take a good look at all of the rules that have become redundant and sweep them in the dustbin of history?"

The Avatar Commander did not hurry to respond. Instead, she slowly resumed eating while letting a few minutes go by. Her silence was palpable. Her willpower was unnaturally calm and composed, making it difficult for Imon to discern her stance on this topic.

Casella eventually broke the silence.

"Brother. I advise you not to fall into the trap of the Gemini Family. Sure, many traditions that humanity has long held dear have grown stale over the millenia, but it is these exact same traditions that have bound our race and civilization together for so long. The primary reason why the Geminis have never gained acceptance is not because they have proven us all wrong by trying to suspend a practice that is no longer strictly necessary, but because they are treating nature as a joke."

"Huh?" Imon wanted to scratch his head. "What's wrong with that? Humans like us rose up because we had the courage to address our natural weaknesses. We relied on technology to stop freezing in the cold and to break the gravity that has bound us to our ancestral home planet. We have become far greater than what our biological limitations has allowed us to become because we broke and eliminated the rules that held us back."

Casella snorted at his words. "And what does that have to do with the Geminis?"

"Their ideas have made me realize that I was thinking too narrowly all of this time. Brothers and sisters used to receive a lot of stigma whenever they had the temerity to marry each other and start their own families. In truth, they earned it because the children born from such unions will always end up miserable due to their genetic ailments. However, we live in a completely different age from the times where this taboo was necessary. If a brother and a sister who love each other so much that they want to take their love a step further, why not let them do what they wish? They aren't harming anybody, especially if they follow the necessary procedures to produce healthy children."

"Imon…"

"C'mon, sister! Don't bring up tradition and all of those other stuffy arguments to me. Our civilization has grown so enormous that there should be room for all kinds of people! The Gemini Family's extensive growth and increasing prosperity shows that it is no longer necessary for people to follow the rules that society has imposed upon us all. As long as people form their group or join an existing one that is tolerant enough, they can do whatever they want!"

Casella frowned deeper as she put down her utensils. She wished that the Golden Skull Alliance had never come into contact with the Gemini Family. Her brother used to be a lot more tolerable before he became infected by these odd notions!

"We are Larkinsons, Imon. The clan doesn't belong to us. Do not forget your identity. We are its servants. The Larkinson Clan has formed their own ideals about family, and if you ask me, they are much more preferable to the subversions celebrated by the Gemini Family. I will not tolerate any further discussion about this. It is fine for the Geminis to do what they want, but we do things differently."

That pretty much ended Imon's attempts to convince his sister from taking a deeper look into the Gemini way of life.

As the pair of siblings were just beginning to eat dessert, Imon finally gathered enough courage to bring up a slightly different topic.

"I have learned of an interesting new way to share a meal that I want to try out with you. Just for fun, of course."

"Oh?"

"They say you can get closer to your brother or your sister if you take a bite but pass it to each other's mouths. They say it can deepen the bond of love and drive away alienation. That sounds useful, right? Since our cooperation on the battlefield depends so much on how extensively we love and trust each other, I think it would be useful to add this interesting ritual to our daily lives. What are you, Casella?"

"..."

"I mean, there is plenty of objective proof that it works! I can think of no other means to productively increase our synergy and teamwork than to share our food with each other. We should at least try it out to see whether there is any truth to the claims!"

His sister did not respond immediately. Instead, she continued to eat her cake until she stopped halfway.

The Avatar Commander abruptly rose from her seat and marched over to her brother's side of the table.

She leaned in so that her head was almost pressed up against the head of her sibling.

Was Casella truly willing to try out this exotic custom?

Just before Imon opened his mouth in anticipation of a kiss, Casella violently sprayed the half-chewed bits of cake into her brother's face!

"Aaahh! That's disgusting!" Imon complained as he tried to wipe off the mess.

"You're the one that is disgusting! If you bring up this notion to me again, I will do something that will make you want to wear a codpiece for the rest of your life! Now scram! I don't want to see you for the rest of the day!"