The Mech Touch

Ves had become sick of Hexer ships.

He did not think they were bad. Most ships in the Larkinson fleet originated from the Hexadric Hegemony. If Ves ignored the Hexer penchant for incorporating hexagons everywhere they could get away with, the ships built by the female supremacists were quite solid and reliable.

This was not difficult to imagine if Ves imagined the Hexer shipwrights as different versions of Gloriana. The citizens of the Hegemony might possess an irrational and unreasonable bias against males, but there was nothing wrong with their technical capabilities.

  Still, the Larkinsons already possessed more than enough Hexer vessels. Even though most of them would probably be scrapped or sold when they reached the beyonder gate, the Spirit of Bentheim was still unmistakingly a Hexer-built starship.

Shederin Purnesse clearly noticed the dilemma that Ves was in. He decided to offer his own thoughts.

"Capital ships are getting sold faster than they are put on the market. This counts for every class of capital ship. Though non-combat oriented starships are not as hot, second-hand goods of decent quality such as the Andrenidae will become increasingly scarce in the following months."

That surprised Ves. "I can understand the demand for fleet carriers and the like, but why would there be a run on mining ships?"

"What else? To run and start over in a different region. The Crown Uprising has caused many doubters to go through with their decision to get out. If they can't reach the Red Ocean, then at least they are aiming to travel to a quieter part of human space."

"I see."

The implicit message behind Shederin's explanation was that the Larkinsons better snag up the ships they needed sooner rather than later. In just half a year, most of the available capital ships would already be gone from the market.

Ves felt more and more relieved that his clan went through with the decision to rescue the Purnesse Family a couple of months ago. The losses suffered by the Avatars and Vandals were trivial compared to the value of Shederin Purnesse's wisdom!

Time and time again, Shederin offered sage and useful advice that always addressed a shortcoming of the clan. Not only that, but Shederin's social and deal making skills were so useful that Ves was able to contemplate a lot more options that he previously ignored due to lack of confidence in his clan's diplomacy.

"Are there any other viable alternatives on the market?" Ves cautiously asked. "There has to be more mining ships for sale than a Hexer one that happened to go astray."

"You're not wrong, but the alternatives all have issues." Vivian regretfully replied. "They are either heavily damaged, far too aged, hollowed out or are sold in star sectors that are far from our route. The Andrenidae is the only quality vessel that is quick and convenient for us to purchase. We even have access to enough Hexers to assume immediate control over her systems."

"That's not necessary." Ves quickly said. "We have all kinds of trained and skilled specialists in our clan. We can scrounge our own crew. Even if we can't fill up all of the key positions, it doesn't matter since our fleet won't start mining until we actually reach the Red Ocean. Until then, the newly-assigned crew will receive more than enough time to familiarize themselves with the more advanced systems of the mining vessel."

"Does that mean you approve the acquisition of the Andrenidae, sir?" Shederin asked. "The sooner you make a decision, the sooner we can conclude the negotiations."

"How long will it take for this ship to fall into our hands?"

"Roughly a month, sir, but that does not mean she is ready to travel. The ship needs to be checked, her systems might need to be replaced and more work may have to be performed in order to get her space worthy."

This was an unwelcome delay, but not an intolerable one, especially if the Larkinsons were able to pick up other capital ships as well at this stop.

Ves sighed. "Since we have to obtain a mining ship one way or another, then I am willing to settle with the Andrenidae. I hope the other ships in contention are not as dubious."

An awkward expression appeared on Vivian's face. "Well…"

"Ugh, I'm not going to like this, is that what you're trying to convey?"

"We haven't been able to secure any fleet carriers for the same reasons that we have mentioned before. The demand for them has already peaked. We can only set our sights elsewhere and work to fulfill our other needs. The two ships that I am about to present to you might not sound as relevant to us, but our clan leadership has already expressed interest in them in order to round out our fleet."

She projected two designs at once. Neither of them appeared to be oriented for battle. While Ves already expected such a result, the overall designs of the capital ships obviously did not take an environment like the Red Ocean into consideration!

"These vessels look rather flimsy and I doubt they serve an industrial purpose." He flatly commented.

"They do not increase our manufacturing or material processing capabilities. Not directly, at least." Vivian admitted while she began to tickle Lucky's back. "The Vivacious Wal and the Discentibus are different capital ships that serve a commercial and educational purpose respectfully."

"The what?"

"Pardon, sir?"

"I can barely follow the name of the first capital ship you've mentioned. What the hell is the second one all about?"

"The latin word 'discentibus' is related to learning and studying." Shederin helpfully supplied. "It is a rather uncreative way to name an academy ship."

Ves scratched his head. "Why the hell do we need an academy ship in the first place? Teaching and instructing students can take place on any ship. We don't have to insist on reserving a large and expensive capital ship for this purpose."

The chief diplomat disagreed. "Forgive me for being frank, but I believe that this is a short-sighted perspective. Our clan has reached the size of a small city and it will eventually reach the population of a larger settlement. In order to sustain such a population in the medium and long term without relying on outside recruitment, we must educate and prepare our children to meet our future needs."

His argument made sense, Ves supposed, but it was still a stretch to invest so much in a ship that would only provide a vague benefit to the Larkinson fleet.

"There has to be other ships out there that can serve a more immediate purpose."

"I think you should give the Discentibus a chance." Vivian said. "She can be more than what you are currently imagining. Her internal layout features wide spaces where both mech cadets and full-fledged mech pilots can train in a variety of simulated terrestrial environments. Whether it is aerial combat, landbound combat or even amphibian combat, the Discentibus offers a suitable training environment with enough room for medium-scale units to fight under much more realistic circumstances than our fleet conditions allow. A sub-capital ship simply can't accommodate as much room for training purposes as a dedicated academy ship. Do you want to train generations of Larkinson mech pilots in how to fight in non-space environments by relying solely on virtual training?"

That sounded bad. Ves knew that without sufficient practical experience in how to fight on land, the Larkinson mech pilots that graduated in the future would show severe deficiencies once they fought on a surface for real!

"Okay, I admit that this argument is valid, but I need more justification before I seriously consider spending a hefty amount of money to acquire such a marginal vessel."

"The Discentibus offers educational facilities that aren't necessarily geared towards raising mech pilots, sir. Other personnel such as mech technicians, naval specialists, tactitions and even infantry soldiers can enjoy a higher standard of training. She is a great vessel to train all kinds of combat personnel."

"Now you're starting to sound interesting." Ves rubbed his smooth-shaven chin.

The Larkinsons already erected multiple educational institutions. The Spirit of Bentheim already hosted a technical university of sorts, but it was mainly geared towards manufacturing and industry. The extensive production facilities on the factory ship provided ample training opportunities in this direction but not much else.

Since mech piloting and everything relating to fielding mechs were vital pillars of the Larkinson Clan, it made increasingly more sense to invest in a dedicated mech academy ship.

One of the core mech doctrines of the Larkinson Clan's armed forces was the emphasis on quality over quantity. Both the mechs but more importantly the mech pilots had to be as good as possible.

Space was at a premium in the Larkinson fleet. Unlike an organization that was based on land, it was not that straightforward to add more mechs to the battle lineup. More mechs demanded more carriers and other vessels to field and support their operations. The current situation where the Avatars were down a few crucial combat carriers was a good illustration of the challenges to living in space.

As a result, every mech that the Larkinson Clan was able to field was precious. Not a single available space for a mech could be wasted. A bad mech or a bad mech pilot might cause the valuable slot to be wasted. In order to prevent this outcome as much as possible, it was essential for the clan to raise the most skilled mech pilots it could manage!

Ves did not immediately approve the acquisition, though. He grew curious about the other vessel that Vivian had mentioned.

"What is the other ship all about? Do we even need a commercial ship?"

"The Vivacious Wal is a much more intriguing vessel." She grinned. "The design intent of this vessel is rather nuanced and not that easy to explain in a short amount of time."

"Then do your best."

"Very well, sir. If you look at her hull, you should be able to see that she is designed to receive a lot of visitors. The Vivacious Wal serves multiple purposes. She can offer rest and relaxation to our fleet members. She can attract tourists to take part in the many interesting activities that she is able to host. She can also offer soldiers an interesting challenge if they crave more visceral entertainment or wish to hone their savagery."

Ves looked increasingly more confused. "What are you talking about?"

She waved her hand, causing the projection of the Vivacious Wall to split up into two distinct sections.

"The Vivacious Wal contains many facilities and amenities that are split up into two different sides. The so-called Joyful Side is the happy place of the ship. This side is marked by bright interiors, refreshing botanical gardens, harmless pet-like exobeasts and many other relaxing venues."

"If there's a Joyful Side, there has to be a less joyful side as well."

"You can say that. The so-called Feral Side is the darker aspect of the vessel. Unlike its kid-friendly counterpart, the Feral Side is firmly aimed towards adults that like to enjoy a lot more excitement. The compartments on this side are distinctly darker and more diverse in nature. Think of casinos, arenas and other seedy venues."

"That sounds… different."

"The Feral Side's main attraction is actually the jungles and other challenging biomes that take up the bulk of the space on the Vivacious Wal. Whereas the biomes of the Discentibus are strictly meant for training, the Feral Side's simulated battlegrounds are reserved for real live hunting activities. These hunting grounds are meant to be populated by dangerous and challenging exobeasts that are difficult but fulfilling to hunt."

Ves was not unfamiliar with the hunting game, but he saw no reason to put so much effort in bringing it into his fleet!

"While the other attractions of this entertainment ship sound mildly interesting, I am not sold on the last idea at all. What crazy mind came up with such a schizophrenic ship, and a capital-grade one at that. Some people have too much money at their disposal!"

At least the Discentibus was able to serve a solid and concrete purpose in the Larkinson Clan. No one said no to training stronger mech pilots. The value of the Vivacious Wal was much less clear!