The Mech Touch

Both Ves and Zanthar grew stunned when they heard that Maikel not only received a direct invitation to join the Red Association, but actually rejected it outright!

It did not look as if Maikel put much thought behind his reaction. He straightforwardly snubbed Professor Vector Loban, paying no heed to how his response might offend the mechers!

"No way…" Zanthar struggled to keep up with this development. "Did you really say no to the RA?"

"I did. I know what I want. I did not work so long as an Apprentice Mech Designer and received the care of Ves and his clan just to abandon them at the first possible opportunity." Maikel reasoned with a surprising degree of rationality. "I wanted my living conversion mechs to serve my fellow Larkinsons first and foremost. I want to save their lives by having their machines absorb their pilots from the moment the latter is on the verge of death due to imminent cockpit breaches. I wanted to design my mechs for the Larkinsons who took care of me and helped me rise up from an ordinary third-rater all the way up to this point."

"Your loyalty and dedication to my clan is admirable, but you don't have to stick around, you know." Ves complimented Maikel. "However, there are instances where leaving the clan is expected and sometimes even encouraged. If the mechers truly want to employ you, then there are likely more reasons in favor than against."

"That is not the case for me." Maikel stubbornly replied. "Leaving the Larkinson Clan is an unacceptable demand to me. I am a Larkinson and have always dreamt of serving our clan. I want nothing more than to be like all of our other brothers and sisters and do my part in helping each other get better. Now that I am on the cusp of being able to seriously pay back the clan for everything I have gained from everyone, I do not want to end up feeling like a traitor for the rest of my life for running off to the RA at this time."

Ugh. The Larkinson Clan had been a little too successful in indoctrinating its members.

This should normally be an advantage to Ves and the clan, but this time was the opposite!

Ves couldn't believe how Maikel made such a politically inept decision due to his blind loyalty to the clan!

Even when Ves made it clear that he was willing to give Maikel a rare exemption and bless his entry into the RA, the stupid kid still insisted on snubbing the Red Association!

"Maikel, I do not think you understand the full implications of your decision." Ves growled in frustration. "What Professor Vector is offering you is not just a place among the mechers. He is also giving you an opportunity to commit to your current design philosophy and allow you to further your ongoing research with the permission and active support of the Transhumanist Faction. Do you understand what I am saying? You won't be allowed to do anything related to living conversion mechs if you insist on staying in our clan!"

"I know, but can't I have it both ways?! I don't want to leave the Larkinson Clan just to continue my existing work." Maikel sounded a lot more torn and frustrated at this time! "Can't you ask for an exemption from the mechers?"

Ves shook his head. "Maybe I can, but I am unwilling to trade my social capital for this favor. Even if I secure this pricey favor from the mechers, it still won't benefit you all that much. Look at us. We can't support the ambitious research that you must embark upon if you want to help people transform into actual mechs. Only when you join the RA and work together with the researchers of the Transhumanist Faction will you gain access to the best research facilities, extensive access to their internal library and receive all of the human test subjects that you need!"

"I don't need so many luxury benefits in order to conduct my research…"

"Trust me, you do. This is not a matter that you can afford to take lightly, especially since your work puts actual human lives at risk. Look, the most important advantage to working for the mechers is not the material benefits. The most essential advantage that is relevant to you is that you can get away with doing stuff that would get other mech designers arrested. The members of the Red Association are the arbiters of the laws governing the mech industry. That means that they govern their subjects harshly, but also gain the ability to apply a more lenient set of rules to each other. As long as you work under proper supervision, the mechers will give you enough leeway to explore and flesh out your man-machine conversion process to the fullest."

Although Maikel was a fanatically loyal Larkinson, he was also a passionate Apprentice Mech Designer.

At this moment, these two identities came into conflict with each other.

This was the reason why Maikel experienced a duality of immense emotions.

"Your patriarch is completely correct, Mr. Maikel." Professor Vector said. "We will not force you to join the Red Association, but there are consequences to every decision. I can promise you that if you join and work under the Transhumanist Faction, we will do what we can to enable your current line of research. If you choose to maintain your membership of the Larkinson Clan, then we cannot allow you to persist in your dangerous and illegal research on living conversion mechs."

While Ves and Vector belonged to different organizations, they were totally united in their cause at this time.

Both of them were mech designers who only wanted what was best for Maikel.

Ves let out a dramatic sigh. "You cannot have your cake and eat it too. As a Larkinson, I would love for you to stay, but I don't think you will be very useful to us if you do. As a mech designer, I would much prefer it if you do what is best for your career and the future of the mech community as a whole and join the one organization that can help you realize your ambitious vision."

The kid's defenses finally began to crumble.

"Choose your future, Maikel." Vector pressured the young Apprentice. "What do you desire more? Would you like to remain a Larkinson and lose what may very well be your only chance of becoming as great as Ves, or would you like to become a part of our massive Association and enter an entirely new world of mech design?"

Maikel clenched his fists and lowered his head.

"If… if I do as you say, and accept the invitation, will I… still be able to remain at least a nominal member of the Larkinson Clan?"

Vector stared down at Maikel with a serious expression. "You are far from the first scion of a powerful clan, family or dynasty that has asked this question. The short answer is… no. You cannot maintain your existing oaths and contracts with the Larkinson Clan. You need to make a clean break with the past and dedicate yourself to the mission of the Red Association. From the moment you become a mecher, you no longer exclusively serve the Larkinsons. You will become a servant of red humanity as a whole. That means that you can still help your former clansmen, but you cannot put them ahead of other humans. You can never be permitted to maintain double loyalties. Have I clarified your doubts, Maikel?"

"I understand, professor. I guess it is nothing less than what the Larkinson Clan demands of its own recruits."

"One of the necessary steps that you will have to take if you want to join our Association is to sever your bond with the Larkinson Network. We have been working hard to set up our own kinship network. This is the best means for you to start the next phase of your life and integrate with your fellow mechers."

The mention of getting cut off from the Larkinson Clan caused Maikel a lot of distress. He looked as if Vector had just punched him in the stomach.

Leaving the clan he cared so much about and bidding farewell to all of the Larkinsons that he lived and worked alongside with for so many years was an emotionally difficult turning point!

Yet Maikel knew that this was the only way for him to be able to pursue his dream to the fullest.

Only by working within the structure of the greatest mech authority of the Red Association would he be able to design living conversion mechs that could turn into lifesavers for many people!

"I… will do it if I must."
Your journey continues at m v|l-e'm,p| y- r

"Are you sure?" Ves asked. "You won't be able to reverse your decision, Maikel. Once you leave our clan and join the Association, you cannot go back to us again. The mechers will not tolerate traitors, and our clan will not accept you back when doing so will bring dishonor to both you and us. You need to commit to your choice and serve the Red Association wholeheartedly. Do you find this acceptable?"

"Yes. It sounds completely fair. I… truly want to see how far I can go with my design philosophy."

Ves raised his hand and called over the Larkinson Mandate that was carried by one of his Apocalypse Wardens.

"Then let us proceed right away. It is better to get this over with sooner rather than later."

They conducted the ritual to sever Maikel Larkinson's bond with the Larkinson Network straight away.

Ves verbally annulled Maikel Larkinson's membership of the Larkinson Clan as well as all existing oaths, contracts, agreements and obligations.

The process was similar to exiling the disgraced Taon Melin and Lanie Larkinson not too long ago, but the difference was that Maikel at least got to depart in a more amicable fashion.

"Alright." Ves said as he could clearly observe Maikel reeling from being unable to feel any instinctive intimacy towards all of the nearby Larkinsons. "You have completed the most important step to getting honorably discharged from our clan. You still need to visit our legal department in order to sign a bunch of important paperwork. After that, we are no longer on the same side. You are allowed to keep your Larkinson name, though you are also free to choose another if you wish. You are still permitted to visit us in case you want to accompany your relatives in the clan, but you need to be aware of your new identity and maintain a clear degree of separation between yourself and our clan."

"Understood…" The soon-to-be-ex member of the Larkinson Clan said as his head dipped lower.

"Cheer up, Maikel. As a mech designer, there is hardly anything more exciting than joining the Red Association."

"Our teacher is right." Zanthar gave him a bit of encouragement. "A part of me is jealous that you successfully managed to earn an invitation from the RA while I have not received one of my own. Maybe it is because your design philosophy has way more potential than mine. You deserve this opportunity. I won't give up, though. I will keep working to improve my EEE munitions and turn my ranged mechs into the deadliest of their kind!"

Maikel finally lifted up his spirits a bit and raised his fist towards Zanthar.

The two grown mech designers bumped fists with each other.

Ves smiled as he witnessed this moment of intimacy.

Although it took a bit of browbeating, Ves and Vector finally convinced Maikel to make the best possible decision for his career.

This was a satisfactory conclusion to this affair.

From now on, any violations committed by Maikel Larkinson was none of Ves' business.

The Transhumanist Faction agreed to take over all responsibility for his works and actions.

Of course, that also meant that the Transhumanists stood to harvest the most gains from Maikel's works, but that was exactly why they took a shine on the young Apprentice.

The only thing about this development that Ves found regretful was that Maikel and Zanthar would be going their separate ways.

Both of them still retained the honor of being his former students, but their progress would probably diverge a lot from today onwards.

How exciting.