The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2031

Chapter 2031 Girlfriends and Wives

The Larkinson Family and the Larkinson Clan went along fine for now. Though the two branches of Larkinsons had plenty of disagreements, their upcoming separation led them to cherish their remaining time together.

There was a very big possibility that they would never be able to physically meet again.

Certainly, there were a lot of voices from both sides that called for merging the clan and family back together. Yet those suggestions never made it past the objections from their own ranks.

No matter what, the schism had already happened and the differences cut too deep to even consider the option of reconciliation.

They only converged on Cinach VI in order to resupply and prepare for their journeys ahead.

While Ves was swamped with responsibilities, he made sure to reserve some time every day to talk with the members of the Larkinson Family.

He met Ark a lot more often during this time than the last ten years!

"You were almost always on deployment. It was rare for me to see you outside of family visits during the holidays." Ves remarked as they met in a private room at a restaurant in downton Torze. "At least now you can set your own schedule."

Ark smiled at him in a generous manner. "The burden of leadership doesn't allow me to take any breaks."

"You haven't even married. At least my dad has got that one over you. Grandpa should have been exorcirating you instead of me for lacking a girlfriend!"

The expert pilot's smile turned melancholic. "We expert pilots are different. In many cases, we are consumed by our professions. We are wedded to our calling. It's very hard for us to turn our 'off' switch and go back to normal."

"Plenty of people have made that excuse. Doctors, mech designers, managers… all of them state that they have to sacrifice everything for their careers. And to their credit, I think these kind of people have managed to make it further than if they devoted more time to their personal lives."

"It sounds like you don't agree, Ves."

"What is the meaning of life? Are we solely put into this reality to function as a cog in a machine? I happen to make machines for a living, and I think that there is more to life than just their obvious functions. We are living, sentient existences. We exist to survive, yes, but we are also entitled to our own pleasures."

His uncle sighed. "I don't disagree with you, Ves, but maintaining a healthy work-life balance when the survival of my family is at stake is very difficult, to say the least."

Expert pilots were not infallible. Ves knew that very well. While it wasn't strictly his business to poke into Ark's non-existent love life, Ves felt as if he needed to subject others to the same treatment that he endured!

Ves had Gloriana, so Ark should suffer just as much!

"Grandfather won't be able to hang on forever." Ves whispered, his eyes glinting with calculation. "He looks fine if a bit frail for now, but you and I both know that former mech pilots deteriorate remarkably faster in their waning years. How long can he maintain his lucidity? How long can his cognitive functions remain normal? In five or seven years, it would be too late to delight him. You should look into finding someone to share your life with, not just to ensure the continuity of your line, but also make grandpa happy one more time."

Though Ark knew he was being manipulated by his cheeky nephew, he couldn't quite refute this argument.

While his workload hadn't changed since his days in the Mech Corps, he had much more control over his agenda.

If he truly wanted to date someone, he could definitely find a way to fit it into his schedule.

"I'll think about it. Your grandfather is indeed about to enter a stage of accelerated deterioration. The long years of piloting and the brain damage he endured when he suffered defeat has always plagued him over the years."

This was the fate suffered by many veterans. The Larkinson Family was no stranger to the lingering trauma that wounded veterans brought back from the war.

As they continued to partake in a Sentinel specialty that consisted of some blue potatoes and some exobeast meat, they continued to chat about various topics.

"What are your plans for the immediate future?" Ves asked.

"The Larkinson Family needs a new home. It's vitally important for us to choose the right one. We aren't as averse to serving as your clan, so our greatest priority is to find a new patron who will treat us fairly."

"That is very hard to do. Most powers who are interested in accepting the services of a group like the Larkinson Family are those who are looking out for themselves. It's far too easy to get exploited by them if you put your trust in the wrong person."

"We know, Ves. We're being very careful about our selection this time. Don't think we are clueless or without resources. We are slowly going over possible options in the Yeina Star Cluster. While I have no doubt that there are more attractive opportunities elsewhere, long-distance travel is too risky and dangerous for us. Unlike you, I have no intentions to form an expeditionary fleet."

A fleet that was capable of traversing the galaxy was entirely different from a fleet that was mostly expected to remain in a single star sector!

Due to various reasons, a true interstellar fleet had to possess robust FTL drives that could overcome a higher degree of gravitic disturbance. The FTL drives installed on most affordable third-class ships were actually the knock-off versions of proper models that were much more capable of enduring the rigors of inter-sector travel and higher-energy space!

Right now, neither the Larkinson Clan nor Larkinson Family possessed a fleet that was completely capable of traveling to the more exciting parts of human space.

Certainly, if Ves really wanted to cross over to another star sector, he could travel aboard one of his second-class ships such as his Scarlet Rose or the Barracuda.

However, that also meant he would have to leave the rest of his clan behind! All of those cheap light carriers and transport ships were only built for intra-sector space travel!

To make them suitable for longer distances, Ves needed to find a couple of shipyards that could replace their cheaper FTL drives with better-performing ones!

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify