The Mech Touch

"You gave him up too easily."

"Hihihihi!"

"Meow meow."

"Miaow."

After returning from the design lab and enjoying supper, Ves and his immediate family enjoyed a bit of quality time in the living room.

While Aurelia and Mairvaine sat on the ground in order to play a virtual board game with Lucky and Clixie, Andraste had wormed her way onto Ves' lap and cuddled up against his chest.

"I want another kiss!"

Ves grinned and leaned down to plant another kiss on her forehead.

"Another one, papa!"

"That's more than enough for you, young lady."

"Awwww…"

Ves playfully pulled Andraste's adorable cheek, causing the girl to grow even fussier.

"Maaw! Maaw!"

A black-haired companion spirit angrily jumped out of Andraste's head and began to wack at Ves.

"Mrow mrow mrow~"

However, a fluffy purple-haired cat jumped out of Ves' own head and tackled the younger and smaller companion spirit.

Blinky proceeded to give Yaika an impromptu bath!

"Stop it, papa! My companion spirit doesn't even get dirty! She doesn't need to get licked!"

"Doesn't matter. Blinky can give Yaika a bath anytime he wants because he is stronger. If Yaika doesn't want it, then she can come and beat him in a fight. Might makes right!"

"Are you listening Ves?!" An annoyed Gloriana burst out as she felt neglected while sitting on a luxurious club chair.

"I am." Ves nonchalantly replied even as he began to tickle his adorable 8-year old daughter.

As tough as she liked to present herself to be, Andraste was still a kid at heart. "Hihihihihi! It tickles!"

"I know what you are trying to say." Ves said as he continued to multitask. "Maikel has grown into an asset. He is one of the few mech designers who has learned how to design a living mech, and his research direction holds a lot of value to the Transhumanists, who have always been working on achieving transcendence by shedding their mortal human frailties."

"Since you are cognizant of all of that, why did you not demand any concessions from the Red Association?! You practically let the Transhumanist Faction poach Maikel from our clan for free!"

Ves smirked as he gazed in her direction. "Is that what you think? I can assure you that this is not the case."

His wife clearly looked skeptical. "Oh? Then explain it to me. How does the wiley and insightful Devil Tongue interpret this transaction?"

When Ves no longer tickled his daughter, Andraste took the initiative to turn around and pound at her father with her little fists. "You're so mean, papa!"

Ves just ignored her blows and continued to plant kisses on his little girl's head. He loved his daughter so much!

"First, we need to establish that Maikel likely does not hold much value to our clan." He began to explain. "We do not have the authority, the resources and the facilities to fully support the development of his design philosophy. While his man-machine conversion process may be useful to the Larkinsons, it is not worth bothering if Maikel is not permitted to test it in reality."

"He could always switch to an alternative and more acceptable design philosophy." Gloriana suggested. "Maikel is a talent that may take a bit more work to realize his potential, but that does not diminish his value too much. I believe you are underselling his worth."

"Even if your assessment is accurate, there are still opportunity costs, Gloriana. Maikel has worked on his living legacy mechs for a number of years now. If we tell him to set aside this effort and start over with another research direction, he will not only be forced to spend years on exploring a different design philosophy, but also get demoralized at the same time. He will remain stuck as an Apprentice Mech Designer for at least several more years, thereby causing him to squander a significant chunk of his golden years."

"Age is no longer as scarce and precious as before now that systematic cultivation is able to extend everyone's lifespans."

Ves shook his head in disagreement. "Time is always precious. Do you want Maikel to remain stuck as an Apprentice even as the two of us become Masters one day? Now that Maikel has progressed to the point where he is almost ready to advance, it is incredibly wasteful to have him start over. It is for his own good that he switches over to the Red Association."

"That is what I am questioning, Ves! I do not deny that it is better for Maikel to continue to develop his current design philosophy in an organization that can enable him, but is it best for our clan that he leaves? That is why I am in doubt of your decision. It feels to me that you have given away a treasure for a pittance."

"Not a pittance." Ves retorted. "The relationship between me and the Red Association is complex and multifaceted. The same goes for my relationship with the Transhumanist Faction in particular. I have helped the mechers a lot, and they have helped me in return. It is impossible to quantify and itemize each and every favor that we have traded to each other. However, what matters is that we always treat each other fairly. If passing Maikel onto the Tranhumanists has put me at a disadvantage, then they will figure out a way to compensate me and bring our relationship back to an equilibrium. I would do the same if the situation was reversed."

Gloriana crossed her arms and frowned.

"That is a relationship based on actual trust and friendship. I am highly doubtful that you actually trust the Red Association to this extent. Haven't you always maintained a considerable degree of skepticism towards the mechers? Where is the Ves that sought to maintain his distance from Association?"

"That Ves is still here, but he has evolved." He asserted. "I hate to say it, but now that I have gained more experience in politics, I have learned that I cannot rely on crude and simplistic methods anymore. There is an art to politicking and relationship management. I cannot afford to become estranged or alienated from the Red Association at this junction. It is better to keep our relations warm and active by taking the initiative to send gifts every now and then. This will also encourage the mechers to extend favors to us in return."

"A Larkinson mech designer who has learned how to design living mechs from the Father of Carmine Mechs himself is more than an ordinary gift." Gloriana spoke through grinding teeth. "Do you understand the implications of this action?! You have long dominated the mech market and forced the mechers to collaborate with you because you held a monopoly on designing living mechs! Your Carmine mechs are especially highly desired, yet because you are the only mech designer who can develop them, the RA did not hesitate to strengthen the defenses of Diandi Base as well as upgrade the mechs and warships of the Bluejay Fleet just to keep you safe!"

"So?"

"Now that the Transhumanists have gained a living mech designer of their own, you are no longer unique anymore!"

"My monopoly on living mechs was never going to last, Gloriana. I already taught people such as Alexa, a bunch of other low-ranking mech designers in the Design Department and my students over at the Eden Institute how to design living mechs. The RA was probably waiting to recruit one of the latter any day now. Maikel is a better choice as he is much further ahead than others."

"That makes this situation even worse! The Red Association has to spend less time and effort to upgrade Maikel's augmentations and have him undergo accelerated training and learning to bring him up to standard. Once he is ready, he will soon begin to design all manner of exclusive living mechs for the Red Association. He may even be able to design his own Carmine mechs now that you have submitted the complete mech designs of the Yellow Jacket line to the mechers! Your monopoly will be much sooner than we originally anticipated. To put this in your own crude language, handing Maikel over to the RA is no different from punching yourself in the face!"

"That is a bit overblown, honey…"

"Andraste." Gloriana spoke with a sharp and commanding tone.

"Yes, mama?" The little girl turned her head and blinked at her mother with her adorable eyes.

"Please punch your father in the face. Do so as many times as you want."

"Yay!"

The red-headed girl eagerly did as instructed. She fearlessly began to throw punches at her father's face even though she failed to inflict any meaningful damage!

Ves was not amused, though.

He took hold of her body and turned her around so that she laid on her lap.

He then proceeded to swat her in her behind a few times!

"Bad girl! What did I tell you about blindly listening to your mother? Not every order she gives is a good idea! Think before you act!"

"Waaaaaa!"

Andraste grew embarrassed to the point she jumped away from her father and ran over to her mother!

Gloriana smiled lovingly at her second daughter as she embraced her child. She soothed Andraste.

"Oh, dear. Your father is so mean, right?" The mother said as she gently planted kisses on the growing girl's head.

Andraste eagerly nodded her head. "He is a meanie!"

Ves rolled his eyes. His wife and children were far too prone to theatrics.

"Ahem. While I admit that your words are not entirely without merit, there is a difference between letting the RA wait longer to hire an inferior mech designer that can barely put a living mech together and taking the initiative to hand the mechers a superior alternative. We don't owe the Association anything in the former case, but we can expect to gain a hefty gift in return in the latter case. If I am on track to lose my monopoly on living mechs, then I want to do so on my terms. Besides, there are other benefits to letting Maikel into the Transhumanist Faction?"

"What benefits are you talking about?"

"Well, this is sort of like an arranged marriage in that we have established a more enduring relationship with the Transhumanists." Ves replied. "We have almost become like family now. Even if Maikel is obligated to put the interests of the Red Association ahead of everything else, all of the love and attachment he has built up for the Larkinson Clan hasn't disappeared overnight. His growing value as a mech designer means that his opinions will become increasingly more respected. He can give our clan a lot of subtle help by advocating for policies in favor of us. He may defend us against detractors inside the RA that we may not even know of, and he may also speed up the adoption of living mechs among the powerful mech forces under the Association."

Whether Maikel still remained loyal to the Larkinson Clan or not, he would definitely engage in different forms of advocacy once he joined the ranks of the Red Association.

Gloriana finally began to look a little more convinced. Perhaps she was not willing to concede this fight against Ves, but she did not completely discount his arguments.

"You should have worked harder to keep Maikel and negotiate exemptions for him to continue his research on living legacy mechs in the clan. Do not lie to me and tell me that is impossible. Your relationship with the Transhumanists should already be good enough to request such favors."
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"That's not a good idea." Ves shook his head. "There is another reason why I was a little eager to send Maikel away. I… recognize parts of myself within him. I recognize that he shares the same hunger and drive to stand out from the crowd, which encourages him to push the limits of what is possible… or permissible. This is not necessarily good. If Maikel has taken after me in these specific ways, then he is a disaster in the making. I don't want to keep this ticking time bomb around so that it blows up our entire clan one day. Now that I have transferred him over to the Tranhumanists, it has become their problem, so we are not culpable for any damage Maikel does in the future."

His wife's expression flattened. "Are you serious? You eagerly sent Maikel away because… you think our clan cannot accommodate two controversial troublemakers with low impulse control, despite the fact that they also have the potential to become one of the most brilliant and innovative mech designers our industry has ever seen?"

"Err, I suppose you are correct."

"YOU IDIOT!"