The Mech Touch

Ves visited the Dragon's Den for many reasons, but his first concern was the work facilities.

The Larkinson Biotech Institute had become more and more important over the years. It had constantly increased in scope and importance, but the Dragon's Den had failed to keep up with this growth.

As Ves toured the interior of the capital research vessel, he could observe plenty of signs of upgrades, yet there were limitations to everything. The Dragon's Den clearly needed to spend at least a year in an orbital drydock in order to undergo a comprehensive overhaul.

That was clearly a waste of time. The Larkinson Clan was better off buying or commissioning the construction of a brand new bioresearch ship.

Ves vastly preferred the latter solution, but it was unlikely that he could convince any shipyard to accept this order.

The Red War raised the priority of military vessels so much that it was criminal to waste valuable shipbuilding capacity on a non-essential research vessel.

Ves could forget about commissioning a replacement hull or overhauling the Dragon's Den.

Ves actually owned two orbital shipyards himself, but Starfarer Bay and the E-66 Experimental Yard were both too small to accommodate a 3.3 kilometer-long capital ship.

Vice Director Maria Abselon shook her head. "I can understand the importance of keeping our most sensitive research activities contained aboard a starship that is fully under our control. Not only can we minimize potential leaks, but also avoid massive losses stemming from an inability to fully evacuate a fixed research site that has come under attack. It is just that the intensification of the Red War makes it risky to set up fixed research sites."

This was the reason why Ves still chose to drag his feet with regards to the construction of planetary settlements.

He did not want to invest a huge amount of resources into so much real estate, only for an alien fleet to swoop into orbit and bombard all of the buildup into smithereens.

However, just because he was afraid of putting all of his eggs in one basket did not mean he was completely opposed to setting up small-scale labs.

"I think we need to bow down to reality and make a compromise decision." Ves spoke. "The LBI should construct a dozen or so new research labs on various different planets, preferably in the upper zones. I am aware that it will be difficult to guarantee security and confidentiality by doing this, but we can limit the scope and priority of their research activity to minimize any potential damage. If that is not enough, we can always invest into expanding the facilities of these planetary research complexes. What do you think?"

The female biotech director furrowed her brows. "It sounds fine in theory, but it is difficult to conduct large-scale research if all of the assignments are split up and assigned to different research labs. It is also difficult to keep the egos of different star researchers in check. There is great convenience in keeping every related research activity under a single roof. Communication over the galactic net is insecure, so we may need to resort to transferring valuable research materials as well as encrypted data containers in order to share progress with each other. It is a logistical and managerial nightmare."

"But it can be done, right?"

"Perhaps…" Maria Abselon reluctantly said. "Do not expect it to work well in the initial years. We will suffer many teething problems as we slowly transition to a more decentralized form of conducting research. However, I suppose it works well to safeguard the Larkinson Biotech Institute against alien invasions, sabotage, terrorist attacks and other potential disasters. In a time of war, the most secure option is not the most efficient, but it is the least prone to suffering ruinous losses. If you believe that human-occupied space will become much less secure in the future, then I have no objections to transitioning to a more decentralized approach."

Ves gave the woman a rueful smile even as he continued to tour the Dragon's Den. "I can't say too much, but let me just say that I do not expect stability in the new frontier to rise anytime soon. I would like to think that no one is stupid enough to launch an attack on the assets of my clan, but who knows what people will do in the future. By the way, where is the LBI currently conducting meaningful research?"

"Aside from the Dragon's Den where we conduct most of our core research, we have also established somewhat sizable research labs on the surface of Davute VII, Ocanon VI and most recently Reticula Corein V, which is down below." The woman replied.

"That is way too few." Ves shook his head in disappointment. "We are putting too many eggs in the Dragon's Den. If any enemy manages to sneak up and take out this ship, the LBI will mostly be ruined. The research teams assigned to those planets are probably too few to take over all of the research. They probably won't be able to retrieve all of the confidential research data and valuable materials stored inside this ship. I can't tolerate such a vulnerability anymore."

The two leaders quickly discussed how the Larkinson Biotech Institute should invest in a lot of labs on various safe and secure first-class planets.

"You are asking for much, sir. Many first-class planets have developed so rapidly that they are running out of land and real estate. This problem is especially egregious in the hinterland of human space. Prices have inflated to a ridiculous degree, and in many cases you cannot buy any land or structure no matter how much money you wave in front of people."

Ves smirked. "That may be true in the case of ordinary people, but we are different, remember? I am the Father of Carmine Mechs as well as the head of the Upper Council of the Red Collective. My clout has grown so much that I can probably negotiate deals with the governors of those highly developed planets. I do not think that any of those groups will refuse the olive branches that I extend."

The vice director thought for a moment. "That is true. I did not yet account for the latest changes. That is an error. It is difficult for me to estimate how much your clout is able to help us obtain additional footholds in the upper zones located in the rear, but if you are able to achieve results, then this will help us enormously. It becomes much easier to hire experienced and more qualified biotech researchers if we are able to offer them job positions at research labs located in these safe havens. However, everyone is aware of this, so it will not be easy to form the necessary agreements."

"We shall see. For now, please coordinate with my personal assistant on this matter. It is best if you can get this done without my direct intervention. If necessary, I can step in and help you conclude the deals, but I don't want to waste too much time on this. We urgently need to expand the LBI's research capacity as my demands have grown larger."

The Larkinson Biotech Institute was in urgent need to expand both its high-end research facilities and its research teams. The vice director enthusiastically agreed to cooperate and do much of the hard work required to set up all of the additional labs.

After the two talked about expansion for a time, they finally entered one of the research wings of the Dragon's Den.

"What kind of research are you conducting here?" Ves inquired.

"This is the Human Genetics Division. It is here that we conduct R&D on genetic modification of the human genome. We have developed dozens of Larkinson-exclusive genetic augmentations. We have also developed our own designer baby formulas. One of them has proven to be highly popular, but also expensive in terms of Larkinson merits."

The vice director guided Ves to a research lab that clearly conducted research into designer babies. The woman accessed a terminal and called up a research document that offered a comprehensive description of a successful result.

The designer babies developed by the LBI was originally based on the research that the Larkinson Clan bought from the Gemini Family.

As controversial as this family's practices may be, the Geminis most definitely knew their way around human genetics.

The LBI's geneticists and other relevant specialists managed to build upon this existing base and slowly master more and more competences.

"This is one of our recent but also popular results that we have achieved in cooperation with the T institute. We have developed a designer baby formula that should allow for the conception of a fetus that has integrated a small companion spirit seed at the start. We have discovered that the sooner we integrate the companion spirit, the more time it has to grow into maturity, just as is the case with your children. This should significantly improve their cultivation talents, making them more suitable to practice not one but two methods at the same time. Now, we can bestow this advantage to any descendant to the Larkinson Clan as long as their parents are willing to invest the necessary Larkinson merits."

Ves looked impressed. Compared to the dangerous spiritual operations that he conducted on his then-unborn children in the past, this systematic approach sounded a lot safer and more reliable!

While the potency of the results might not be as great, that did not matter as the young children and their immature companion spirits would have plenty of time to grow into their power!

"I am impressed." He admitted. "Has this formula been verified? What is needed to impart a designer baby with a companion spirit?"

"We have not yet conducted any longitudinal studies as not enough time has passed for us to collect the necessary data. However, our geneticists and other experts are quite optimistic about the outcome, so much so that we have begun to accept volunteers who are willing to raise such children at a discount in Larkinson merits. Forming a designer baby with a companion spirit seed is not too difficult. The genes are not the most important components. It is the companion spirit fruit that we have pulped and inserted in the cultivation tank at the moment of forming the first biological cells of the new baby."

The procedure sounded incredibly crude compared to all of the technological sophistication that went into forming a designer baby, but as long as it worked, Ves didn't care.

"Companion spirits can make our Larkinsons a lot more powerful. That said, we cannot hand them over to every clansman for free. They need to work hard and prove they earn the right to obtain them for themselves or pass them onto their offspring."

Maria Abselon nodded. "We have no objections to that principle, sir. The cost of this special designer baby formula is still steep even taking the current discount into account. Enough mech pilots and high-ranking members of our clan should have accrued enough Larkinson merits to afford this service. The most successful Larkinsons are able to help their next generation start off on a stronger footing."

There was an implicit warning about aristocracies and suppression of the lower-ranking members, but Ves could do little about this inevitable trend.

Even in a meritocracy, the descendants of the rich and wealthy had much better opportunities to become more meritorious than the children of the rank and file.

As long as the Larkinson Clan had enough rules and policies in place to properly reward the clansmen as long as they performed well, it should be enough to keep social mobility at an acceptable level.

The clan was not old enough for Ves to worry too much about this problem. There was still a lot of room for promotions.

Ves began to rub his hairless chin in thought. "I have a few ideas on the development of subsequent designer baby formulas. Transhumanism and posthumanism have both become ascendant. We need to make sure we can keep up with the competition, or else we will fall behind in the long run."

"What do you have in mind, sir?"

"Do you think it is possible to embed a cultivation method into our designer babies? Can we make it so that they can start to cultivate right when they are still inside the wombs of their mothers?"

"...I cannot respond to that question."