The Mech Touch

Chapter 6082  Fairness

"It isn't fair." The physical projection of Ketis spoke. "Everyone knows that the Emperor Tree is the mastermind that caused two of our Larkinsons to turn against each other. Taon and Lanie are not criminals that intend to do harm against our clan. They are victims of unfortunate circumstances. We shouldn't treat them this way. It is not right considering everything they have done to help our clan over the years. Besides, is it wise to discard two promising and powerful champions who have just started their careers as high-ranking mech pilots? Perhaps their mentalities are not in the right place, but from what I can tell, they are absolutely not weak among low-tier expert pilots."

The chief judge of the former special tribunal still wore her red robes. She had just exited from the courthouse right after she had concluded her responsibilities. She removed her red headdress and held it in her arms with clear frustration on her expression.

"I am of the same opinion, Ketis, but I cannot base my decisions on what is best for Taon and Lanie alone." Jannzi spoke in a much less formal and uptight tone than when she addressed the public. "Every member of the special tribunal had to do what was best for the clan as a whole. That meant that we had to respect our laws and send clear signals that we do not tolerate any behavior that harms our fellow Larkinsons. We needed to show that regardless of what you do, we will never tolerate anyone who hurts his or her family."

"Not even when it was not their fault they went mad and targeted each other?"

"Even then." The pilot of the Bastion grimaced. "Look, I will be the first to admit that it is not perfect, but what else can we do? If we let Taon and Lanie off with a slap on the wrist, then we will permanently put the sacred trust between Larkinsons into doubt. Once the two controversial expert pilots resume their duties, everyone will steer clear of them. They will be treated as pariahs within our own clan. The harmony and brotherhood that we have built up over years of struggle and celebration will crack and show flaws. As a guardian of the Larkinson Clan, I cannot in good conscience let the two convicts corrode the unreserved trust that each fellow soldier holds towards other compatriots."

She made a good point. Though Ves was not a professional soldier, he spent enough time among them to understand that the soldiers serving in the Larkinson Army developed close bonds between each other.

There was nothing inherently spiritual about these bonds. It was just a universal manifestation of brotherhood that every large group of soldiers formed after serving alongside each other for a while.

Each brotherhood was slightly different from each other, but they also possessed many common elements.

The existence of the Larkinson Network directly boosted the intimate trust and friendship among the soldiers of the Larkinson Army, making it so that they exhibited particularly good teamwork!

This was one of the many intangible qualities that set the Larkinson Army apart from other military mech organizations.

Every well-developed army or outfit developed their own distinctive advantages. The Larkinson Army was too young and had not received enough time to build up a long and elaborate martial tradition. This was why it needed to cling onto any specialty that it could get. It was rare for soldiers to hold such unreserved trust in each other.

In that sense, the continued inclusion of Taon and Lanie may definitely do more harm than good.

"Jannzi is right, Ketis." Ves spoke. "The value of two young expert pilots with distinctly powerful abilities and lots of development potential is great. It would be foolish to kick these two assets out of the Larkinson Clan without even attempting to recoup our investment. However, it is necessary for us to engage in loss prevention. The way I see it, the two have turned into huge liabilities. You have seen them. You have heard what they think. Do you truly think it is a good idea to keep them in our clan? They want to murder each other! Not only that, but Taon even wants to kill some if not all of our design spirits! There is no way we can restrain their behavior and keep the rest of our clan in harmony. Getting rid of them is the most expedient way to solve this problem."

"It is also a mercy to them both." Jannzi added. "Sending them to prison for crimes they have committed but cannot be blamed for is a form of injustice in itself. Regardless of their mental problems, both Taon and Lanie are in a sensitive period in their newly ascended states as demigods. They need to pilot their own expert mechs and exercise their resonance strength as soon as possible in order to make good use of their talents and abilities. If they cannot do so in our clan, then let them do so at another employer. There are many states and organizations that are more than willing to pick up uncommitted expert pilots for a steal. Their poor psychological states may be a deterrent, but I do not think that too many people will care during wartime."

Although it was still unfair to kick Taon and Lanie out of the clan when they initially did nothing wrong, at least they would not end up in destitution once they regained their independence.

This was also why there were Larkinsons such as Ketis that questioned the wisdom of getting rid of a pair of expert pilots.

Both Taon and Lanie had the potential to become powerful high-tier expert pilots or even ace pilots in a decade or two! They already overcame one of the most difficult hurdles of their careers. Both of them had reached a stage where they could truly begin to yield a lot of profit to the Larkinson Clan.

Still, the clan also had to pay attention to the interests of its existing soldiers. Venerable Taon and Venerable Lanie had become so distorted that they were clearly out of sync compared to any other high-ranking mech pilot of the Larkinson Clan. There was no way they would be able to get along well when serving alongside each other.

Ves figured that it might still be possible to make use of the two powerful deviants. There was no need to assign them to the expeditionary fleet or the Premier Branch. He could just order them to hold the fort at different branches or strategic locations.

For example, he felt that assigning Venerable Lanie back to Reticula Corein V may be a good idea.

When he examined her Elegant Rage, he found out that the living mech integrated a lot of organic materials from the Emperor Tree.

It also happened to absorb a bit of Solus Gas!

Continuing to deploy Venerable Lanie and her Elegant Rage on the untamed planet would allow her to develop in an environment where she could develop her strengths to the fullest.

The relatively isolated location and the lack of people meant that Lanie would not serve as a disruptive influence to the clan as a whole. At worst, she would just become an annoyance to the Larkinsons stationed at Chimera Base.

As for Taon, he was a little more difficult to assign. His open hostility towards Ylvaine was a big liability, and it was clear that he no longer held as much affection towards the Larkinson Clan as before.

It may be better to toss him into the Davute Branch and make him General Ark's problem. The Larkinsons serving on behalf of the Colonial Federation of Davute were still part of the clan, but they had also integrated into the state.

Perhaps Taon might be able to rebuild his life if he mixed in with the Davutans.

However, neither of these plans could be realized now that the Larkinson High Court had spoken.

Exile was not a perfect solution, but it was the best way for the clan to wash its hands from this unfortunate affair.

"I think that giving the two expert pilots a clean break is probably the fairest way we can treat them. It is a good way to give an explanation to the rest of our clan." Ves concluded. "This is not the first time we have exiled our clansmen, right?" Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Jannzi nodded. "It has happened before, but the individuals involved were relatively minor figures. They have all committed transgressions that made it untenable for them to remain in our clan. Exile is a severe punishment to most because our clan is a paradise to most members. We are growing larger and wealthier with each passing year. We are able to provide more benefits and promotion opportunities than many other states and organizations. Everyone has great expectations towards your future, Ves. They have great faith in your ability to climb to the top of human civilization. Missing out on this period of rapid growth is a heavy punishment in itself. They will also miss out on your living mechs, which is another massive penalty."

"Not according to Taon." Ves said with a frown. "Killing the Zeal was uncalled for. This act alone has gotten the third order living mechs up in arms. He is much less welcome among the two deviants. It is rather sad to see how he has ended up after he returned from the mission, but… I am not as sorry to see him go. It is better for him to leave so that we can show that we are attentive to the demands of our living mechs."

The Anima Order had secretly become a growing interest group of the Larkinson Clan.

While there were multiple reasons why it could not be allowed to operate in the open, that did not mean that their power was negligible. They could still disrupt the operations of the clan if they took collective action. That was why it was best to placate them whenever possible.

Other organizations did not have to deal with these additional complications, but then again, they weren't able to benefit from the additional advantages of living mechs either.

Everything had a price, and the Larkinsons were more than willing to cater to the needs of living mechs in order to leverage their power.

Ketis turned to Ves. "That reminds me, when you exile Lanie, will you bestow her the Elegant Rage?"

"No." Ves stated.

"What? Why not? She has clearly imprinted herself onto her living mech! As guilty as she may be of attempting to kill Taon, you know as well as I do that anyone would have done the same in her place. Exiling her should be enough of a punishment. Depriving her of the Elegant Rage would be like cutting off one of her arms. She won't be nearly as effective of an expert pilot without the ability to pilot a machine that pairs so well with her newly developed abilities."

"I don't disagree with you, Ketis, but the Elegant Rage holds a lot of research value to me." Ves responded while crossing his arms. "I can make great progress in one of my side projects if I figure out the Elegant Rage is able to assimilate wooden parts while retaining full functionality."

"You do not need to keep the altered mech forever in order to complete your research. Why don't you give her back to Lanie after you have exhausted the living mech's research value?"

"The Elegant Rage doesn't belong to Lanie to begin with, you know? She is the property of the Larkinson Clan, the same as the Zeal. Now that Lanie is exiled from the clan, she needs to sever all of her ties, including the one she formed with the Elegant Rage. I am sure I can find a way to refurbish the mutated mech and turn her into a special machine that can empower another Larkinson mech pilot."

Neither Ketis nor Jannzi looked like they agreed with this decision.

"Please give her a break. Lanie used to be a good kid." Jannzi argued. "Don't forget that she is one of the few trueblood Larkinsons in existence. We may be able to sever her ties to our clan, but we can never take away her bloodline. Just give her the mech on account of our shared lineage. None of the Larkinsons will begrudge you if you do this. I still want to see Lanie succeed outside of our clan. What about you, Ves?"

"...I'll think about it." He hesitantly replied. "I am still in favor of keeping the Elegant Rage in my possession. None of you understand how well this mutated mech aligns with my design philosophy. I can make a huge amount of progress if I thoroughly decipher her mysterious workings."

Ves did not really want to give up the Elegant Rage. The benefits of keeping the living mech in his possession was a lot more direct and concrete than bestowing the machine to an exile.