Ves took in the idyllic back garden of the Larkinson Estate. He missed this place. He could already imagine his aunts and uncles chatting leisurely while the children laughed and played among themselves. The ancestral home of the Larkinson Family was a beloved site for many Larkinsons. Ve had fond memories of this place, so much so that he had tried to recreate the general atmosphere throughout his entire clan. "Family is important, don't you agree, Ves?" "I do, Melinda." Ves turned around and greeted his older cousin with a smile. Of all of the Larkinsons of the original family, his relationship with Melinda was probably the best. Though they hadn't spent as much time together as he would have liked, he always considered her the oldest sister that he never really had in his own family. "You look good, Ves." Melinda said in a happy tone. "You're not the Ves I know anymore, but you definitely have an air of greatness and confidence around you. It is as if you are projecting a magnetic field that makes it easier for people to take you seriously." "Thanks. That is a necessity for people like me. I have learned the hard way that bad things always happen if certain groups of people don't take me seriously enough." "Mmhmm. I can understand that. We have been forced to adapt as well. The Garlen Empire is anything but a paradise." "Were you guys doing well over there?" Ves asked with concern. "We were doing okay. You don't need to bother too much about how we were faring when we were staying in the Vicious Mountain Star Sector. We have already left this cesspit of violence and grandstanding. Our family is making our way over to your clan, remember?" Ves nodded. "I do. The journey is perilous, though. I won't mention much about the dangers of traveling through the old galaxy, but the new frontier is way too chaotic. Your family should contact our clan the moment you have passed through the greater beyonder gate. We can arrange to pick you up once your fleet has reached the Vulit Central Star Node." "Don't patronize us, Ves." Melinda. "Just because you are a Larkinson doesn't mean we like getting told what we should do. We can take care of ourselves for the most part. If we want your help, we will call you, but until then, please respect our dignity. There are already enough Larkinsons who oppose our planned reunion as it is. The naysayers are afraid that you will treat us all as your personal property. That won't happen, right?" "Oh, of course not, cousin! You guys aren't strong or important enough to merit so much personal attention from me. I have better lackeys to play with these days." "Well, you certainly aren't cutting back on how much you despise your old relatives." Melinda Larkinson mirthfully said. "Why should I tip-toe around the obvious? We both know what is left of the old Larkinson Family is but a shadow of my clan. You guys are living entirely from the handouts from us. Without the dividends that you have earned from your shares of the LMC and without the powerful mech designs that I have permitted you to use, would any of you have been able to regain your footing in the Garlen Empire?" "We would have managed with or without you, Ves. Ark Larkinson is still a genuine high-tier expert pilot. A mech officer of his caliber would have easily been able to find employment elsewhere as long as he is open to switching his loyalties." "Well, I will give you that, but that still doesn't change my point too much. No matter what, your Larkinson Family would never be able to equal my Larkinson Clan." "I wouldn't have minded if that was the case." Melinda retorted. "The decisions you have made in your quest for power have brought your clan to the brink of annihilation multiple times. This isn't the way you take care of your own people, Ves. One of the reasons why I have stuck with the Larkinson Family is because we value stability over greed. We just want to live a decent and honorable life. There is no need to chase after greater power and riches." Ves obviously didn't agree with that sentiment. "Then why is your family heading over to our clan? You know what will happen once we reunite, right?" "It wasn't my decision." Melinda grimaced. "Don't get me wrong. I am genuinely looking forward to meeting you in the flesh again. I just don't like the idea of putting my children and my other family members under your wing. The stories I've heard about your escapades leave me with little confidence that our family will be safe under your 'tender' care. Larkinson will die. The people that I have lived with and known for many years will meet their ends prematurely because of your compulsion to chase after the shiniest opportunities." Ves had heard these complaints so many times that he had become immune to them. He simply crossed his arms and maintained an impassive gaze. "I won't force any of you to join my 'escapades' as you have described them. Our clan has set up a branch system where the meek among you can choose to settle at our branches. Right now, we only have the Cat Nest in Davute, but I can assure you that it is a safe enough place for you and your children to reside. You can even take up a semblance of your old job and help with guarding our property against possible threats." Melinda still didn't look happy, but she begrudgingly nodded her head. "I suppose that is the best that we can get. I don't know if rival colonial states or angry alien retribution forces will appear in orbit one day and bombard everything below into pieces, but we will take what we can get. I may be a mech pilot, but I am not cut out for the campaigns that you have become addicted to. How come you are so desperate to tempt danger, anyway? Aren't you supposed to be a mech designer? I thought you are all content to stay in your labs and design your mechs behind closed doors." "You're not wrong, but those aren't the only sort of mech designers out there. I'm a different type of mech designer. I have discovered that I work best if I embrace new experiences." "That doesn't sound so bad if I ignore that your own people must brave death in order to cover for your mistakes. No normal mech designer is okay with that. You've changed, Ves. All of your power and wealth has corrupted you." Melinda accused. "I have changed, but not in a bad way. I grew up, Melinda. I changed for the better. If I was my old self, I would have never been able to make it this far. You may think ill of me all you like, but I don't regret the decisions that I have made. I have become a better mech designer than I could have ever imagined by following my current course." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮 His cousin scowled deeper. "I can't believe you. It is so difficult for me to reconcile the Ves I grew up with to the monster that you have become. These obsessions of yours have ruined you. Every time I see you, I see a Larkinson that could have been a hero, but chose to become a villain instead. Tell it to me straight. If you have to make a choice, what do you prioritize the most, your family or your mech design career?" Ves grew angry this time. "I don't like false dichotomies, Melinda. I am not falling for your word trap. I have always tried my best to never let my mech design ambitions stand in the way of my love for my family. I have tried to combine them instead. Becoming a better mech designer will help my children and the rest of my clan a lot more than if I settle down and choose a stable course like the old family has done." "You haven't answered my question. You can't avoid the hard choices forever, Ves. One day, you will be put into a position where you cannot get away unless you make your decision. Are you willing to sacrifice your family or everything you have worked for in your professional life?" This was by far the most painful dilemma that Ves was confronted with. He truly loved his children to death, but as a mech designer he was incapable of compromising his mech design ambitions. Ves almost felt as if he was tearing himself in half whenever he considered one unpalatable choice or another! He would never be as great of a man as before if he gave up on either his family or his design philosophy. He gritted his teeth as he tried to squirrel his way out of this awful dilemma. "I… am not… going to play along! I reject your false dichotomy! There is always a third, a fourth and a fifth option! I am a mech designer, Melinda! Don't you know what that means? That means I am good at thinking outside the box! I excel at coming up with solutions that no one has ever thought about before because I am just that good! No matter how much I have been pushed into a corner, I will always do my best to find a superior solution!" "And what if you fail? What if your third or fourth or fifth options are unobtainable?" "Then I guess I suffer the consequences of my failure." Ves growled in response. "At least I have tried. Look, I don't expect you to agree with my stance, but I am completely fine with my current course. I may be endangering my children who I care about the most, but I think that what I am doing will eventually help them survive in the long run. There are much greater dangers in the cosmos that they need to prepare for. I can coddle them as long as I can, but that won't help much when an unfathomable enemy shows up that we cannot run away from. The only way for us to survive is by gaining enough strength. Do you know the motto of our clan?" "I do. Per angusta ad augusta." "Well, you have done your homework at least, but I don't think you interpret the meaning of this phrase in the same way as us." Ves responded. "You don't know anything about what is going on in the galaxies and the rest of the cosmos. I don't know that much more either, but what I have learned and witnessed over the course of my life terrifies me. There are so many enormous threats out there that I am scrambling to rise up the ranks. The more powerful I become, the more I am able to protect myself and my family. If you know as much as me, then you too would support the current course of our clan." The specter of his cousin remained silent as she kept pinning Ves with a judgemental gaze. "Is this the man you want to be, Ves? A man who is incapable of putting his trust in others and just has to do everything himself?" "I am content with who I am." He replied with conviction. "I could always be better off, but at least I am being proactive about improving my situation. I am a mech designer. I will do whatever it takes to design better mechs and provide humanity with what they need to stave off the many threats to our race. My children will inherit my mission and follow suit once they grow up. They will be grateful for me when they grow old enough to understand, just like how I understand the decisions made by my parents." "You obviously have bad role models." "What would you have me do instead? I am not going to live blindly like a space peasant and assume that the Big Two will take care of everything." Ves contemptuously snorted. "I have the ability to arm the people on my side with stronger weapons that they can use to protect us and everyone we care about. Any problem can be solved as long as I design the right mech, so I am working hard to reach this ultimate state! That is my purpose as a mech designer!" Melinda shook her head in disappointment before turning her back to Ves. "I give up. You are so stubborn. You cling to your identity as a mech designer as if it is a universal talisman. You can't deflect every problem with that excuse. Mark my words, Ves. One day you will have to choose between the wellbeing of your family and the future of your mech design career. I hope there will still be enough of a genuine Larkinson left inside of you to make the right choice. Sacrifice is a virtue. There are more important things in life than your work." "Life and work are the same to me. My family and my mech designs aren't opposed to each other. They are on the same side. My clan exists for this reason. The scenario that you have described will never happen." "You can't postpone all of your problems forever, Ves. One day the chickens will come home to roost."