The Mech Touch

"Nyaaa- nyaaa-"

Though the man tried to be as objective as possible, the allure of cats could not be denied. Clixie and Goldie were just too cute!

"We cannot help but observe that your Golden Cat lacks the precautions and the control mechanisms of the kinship networks that you have proposed to make for the mechers." The prince said even as two adorable cats vied for his attention.

The man had let down a bit of his stiff demeanor in order to play with the two lovely felines.

Of course, the Inferno Spear Prince did not see it this way. He was currently engaging in a pure fact-finding mission at the moment.

As Goldie climbed on top of his head while Clixie purred as the ace pilot's hand rubbed her belly, a lot of Rubarthans would probably react with shock if they saw that one of their dignified princes in this state!

"The extra conditions requested by the mechers are artificial constraints that only exist to reassure their concerns." Ves responded. "If they knew how kinship networks actually work, then they would understand that it is not that necessary to add an extra layer of oversight. The Golden Cat is the embodiment of our clan. She is connected to every member of the Larkinson Clan, which means that it is a fusion of everything they have in common with each other. Their hopes, their values, their attitudes and their ambitions are all encapsulated by the Golden Cat. She is never out of tune with our clan because that would go against her very nature."

The prince looked intrigued. He started to gain a deeper appreciation of the spiritual cat that was vying for his attention.

"That is remarkable. I can see that you and your clansmen must trust her immensely. What if enemies seek to damage your clan by subverting or changing your Golden Cat?"

"She is not that weak." Ves assured the prince. "Aside from being able to call for backup from lots of other friendly entities, she can ask all of our clansmen to donate more power to her in order to repel a difficult attack. The stronger and more numerous the people she is connected to, the more power she can call upon to help her resolve a crisis. We are all lucky that nobody has ever attempted to test Goldie's defenses, but I know I can count on her to put up a good fight if she is pressed in the future."

That information had a lot of implications to the Inferno Spear Prince. He and some of his advisors recognized the potential of this mechanism.

If the Golden Cat had already become this powerful by becoming the guardian of a single clan, what if another entity watched over an entire colonial superstate?

The power that this entity could call upon might become strong enough to fight against threats that even their god pilots might struggle against!

Of course, the Inferno Spear Prince doubted that it would be that simple to call upon so much power. It did not look likely that an evolved Rubarthan Sentinel Cat could handle so much excess strength.

Even so, this was not the sort of power that Prince Antonius wanted to leave in the hands of a cat that was nominally the pet of an outsider.

That reminded him of another point that he planned to bring up during this conversation.

"The Larkinsons are descended from Rubarthans." The prince suddenly said. "Although our laws about exiles and emigrants has caused your ancestors to lose their qualifications for citizenship, our rules are also clear about when it is possible to earn it back, either for themselves or their descendants. Given your enormous accomplishments as well as your recent promotion to a tier 3 galactic citizen, I can bestow you with Rubarthan citizenship right away. No one will reject your entry into our state. As soon as you become an officially recognized Rubarthan citizen, there will be much less barriers towards your involvement in our internal affairs. We will also have much less misgivings about bestowing great responsibility towards your cat."

If the Inferno Spear Prince made this offer a decade or two decades earlier, Ves would have pounced on it like a starving cat!

However, now that he had become a tier 3 galactic citizen and obtained great leverage as an independent, Ves no longer felt any attraction towards becoming a citizen of one of the most powerful human states.

While Ves was certain that he could gain a lot of benefits by joining the Rubarthan Pact, he was not blind enough to ignore all of the responsibilities and obligations associated with citizenship!

Nothing came for free.

As long as Ves was stupid enough to become a Rubarthan citizen, he would also be forced to work for his new state in one way or another!

Why would he possibly reduce himself to becoming a pawn of another state again when he had worked so hard to slip his way out of the Bright Republic?

States always prioritized their own interests, or at least the interests of those in power!

If it was in their best interest to screw Ves over, they would do so in a heartbeat!

This was why Ves resolutely shook his head. He did not even bother to pretend that he was seriously considering this offer in order to extract further concessions.

He needed to make his stance clear.

"I am grateful that you deem me worthy of citizenship, but I am not prepared to take up the identity of a Rubarthan citizen." He told the prince. "The Larkinsons and I have already formed our own separate identity and culture. We would have to throw away much of the aspects of our life that we cherish if we become subjects of the Rubarthan Pact. Perhaps my family and I are descended from the Rubarthans, but I can use the same argument to claim that we are also distant descendants of the Terrans. As far as I am concerned, so much time has passed that only a tenuous and symbolic relationship exists between the Larkinsons and the Rubarthans."

The Rubarthans probably grew disappointed that Ves firmly rejected this offer. It would have been a great way to absorb a rising talent into their state.

Of course, they had already anticipated this outcome in advance. It was not hard to predict how Ves would react based on his past behavior. The Inferno Spear Prince simply brought this up in the hopes of getting lucky.

Anyway, since Ves made it clear that he did not want to entertain this topic, the prince quickly changed the topic.

"There are people who wish to consider an alternate choice for your cat. As much as I appreciate Clixie's qualities, it is not possible to make a serious consideration without the ability to make a proper comparison."

"Miaow miaow." The cat blinked her eyes as the ace pilot scratched her just behind her ears.

"I have already given you a list of names. I can briefly introduce you to the ones that have caught your attention."

Ves wanted to make sure that the Rubarthans did not gel the idea of ordering a custom ancestral spirit from him. The more attention they directed towards his existing spirits, the lower the probability that they would make this crucial realization!

"Among your list, there is an entity called 'Qilanxo' that possesses similar maternal and protective traits as Clixie. She is also well-versed in spatial manipulation according to your claims."

"That is right. Qilanxo is much older than Clixie. Let me call her in so that you can get an initial impression of one of my most defense-oriented spirits."

It did not take much trouble for Qilanxo to manifest a small extension of her presence. A tiny scaled-down representation of her lizard-like body emerged in front of the Inferno Prince.

Qilanxo and the Rubarthan prince immediately exchanged glances with each other. They might even be communicating with each other on a level that was difficult to detect by outsiders!

"She is indeed as you say." Prince Antonius eventually said. "Though she is clearly alien in origin, she has been exposed to so many humans that this should not be an issue anymore. Can she demonstrate her ability to manipulate the fabric space?"

"Sure. Go ahead, Qilanxo."

The design spirit showed off a fraction of her power by forming a simple spatial barrier a short distance away.

It had become easier than ever for the spiritual entity to do this on her own. She did not even exert that much of her own energy as she had become a lot more proficient at harnessing the power of exotic radiation to fuel her abilities!

"Remarkable!" The Inferno Spear Prince said. "It is remarkable to see an ascended alien creature display so much control and technique over space. I wonder whether she can serve as a good complement to the Spacelock."

The mention of that god pilot's name suddenly caused Ves to think about why the Rubarthans were paying more attention to Qilanxo.

Perhaps the Rubarthans that were whispering suggestions in the ears of the Inferno Spear Prince were not entirely composed of his cronies.

Maybe the reason why he was allowed to make first contact with Ves was because the other factions had a say in this as well!

Ves was not quite certain about the detailed moves of the power struggle between the Rubarthan princes.

Although he had managed to learn a lot about the Rubarthan Pact in the last day, he had only become familiar with the broad strokes of the battle for the newly erected throne.

He was not an insider who was up to date with all of the nuances between the emerging factions!

Ves could only guess that the Smokestack Prince made sure that at least a few of his men got involved.

It did not make sense for the Rubarthans to inquire about Qjlanxo unless the cronies of the Smokestack Prince sought to push for an alternative that was much more compatible with their side!

Right now, Ves had a feeling that the Rubarthans were starting to consider a choice between Clixie and Qilanxo.

The former had a greater affinity towards the Destroyer of Worlds.

The latter was clearly more compatible with the Spacelock.

After all, his title already made it clear that he was a god pilot who had become famous for his ability to impose his will onto reality in such a way that locked down the surrounding space in strange and terrifying ways!

Despite the fact that it looked as if Ves might get pulled into a high-level power struggle, he did not actually feel upset about this possible development.

As long as the Rubarthans limited their selection to Clixie and Qilanxo, Ves was bound to win regardless of the outcome!

He just felt it would be a pity if Clixie lost out. The Rubarthans might have embraced cats just as much as the Larkinsons!

The Inferno Spear Prince eventually wrapped up this eventful meeting. Clixie and Goldie both received a few gentle pets before they moved back towards Ves.

"Miaow miaow."

"Nyaaa nyaaa."

"You have given us a considerable amount of information, Professor Larkinson. We thank you for being candid about your kinship networks." The man said as he regained his formal and princely demeanor. "We will need more time than we expected to process the information and debate on our choices. If we are unable to come to a consensus, we may need to postpone this decision until later."

That was understandable. It would be reckless to the extreme if the Inferno Spear Prince made his choice on the spot.

"My offer shall always remain open to you and your state." Ves responded with a smile. "I do not suggest you take too long, though. The sooner a kinship network comes into force, the sooner it can begin to grow. Besides, I cannot rule out the possibility that the Terrans will form their own agreement with my clan that involves supplying them with a separate kinship network."

The Rubarthans couldn't afford to take their time. They endured too much pressure and faced steep competition. If they did not find a way to strengthen their own advantages, then it was conceivable that they would fall behind.

They could not afford to lose their competitiveness!