"Maaow."
Venerable Lanie exuded a desolate air as she sat on the best of her guest cabin in the Spirit of Bentheim.
A bunch of bots had already packed her possessions into a few floating luggage coffers.
She did not really have too many possessions. She spent most of her ti in training, in battle or asleep. Even if Lanie took a day off, she rarely lingered in whatever place she called ho.
"I'm sorry, Syrcy. I won't be able to stay any longer."
"Maaow maaow."
A grey shorthair cat huddled tightly between Lanie's arms. Syrcy did not appear to experience any discomfort inside Lanie's prickly aura. The young woman's love and affection towards her pet still allowed them to enjoy each other's presence without any barriers.
Whether that would last was in question. Lanie hadn't exactly been the most attentive cat owner. Syrcy also spent much of her ti roaming about and finding company in the thriving cat community of the factory ship.
However, now that Lanie had no choice but to depart from the Larkinson Clan by tomorrow morning, she grew concerned about her existing relationships.
Exile ant that Lanie had no choice but to say goodbye to her friends and family.
Neither she nor the mbers of the clan were allowed to interact with each other anymore. Lanie had no intention of violating the terms of her sentence.
Still, Lanie figured she could take away her cat if she wanted to. Syrcy was her possession, after all. The only question was whether the feline was willing to accompany her on the next step of her journey.
"Do you want to stay with the Larkinsons, or co with ?" She asked as she picked up her cat.
"Maaow. Maaow. Maaow."
"Is that a yes?"
"Maaow!"
"I love you, Syrcy!"
Lanie embraced her cat with a more intimate hug. At least she wouldn't be left alone and surrounded by strangers. Having Syrcy by her side would remind her of the good tis she experienced while she was still a part of the Larkinson Family and the Larkinson Clan.
"To think that I would be cast out like a piece of trash…"
As she continued to think about what she should do next, an alert sounded in the cabin.
Lanie looked up and accepted the incoming communication request.
The physical projection of Ves appeared in front of the distorted expert pilot.
The patriarch looked as authoritative as ever while wearing his high-quality patriarch uniform.
The only sign that he wanted to talk to Lanie as a family mber as opposed to the leader of the Larkinson Clan was his soft and sympathetic expression.
"You look… better." Ves spoke first. "I see that you have lowered your guard and contained your instinctual hostility. That is good. You will need to learn to restrain yourself once you go out into society. A lot of people will respect you on account of your combat effectiveness, but you will have to make new friends in order to survive on the battlefield."
"..."
"What's wrong?"
"I… I don't know if I am able to trust others to have my back again." Lanie spoke as her force of will beca a little more defensive than before. "What Taon has done to continues to haunt in my dreams."
"You can't bla him for that. Not entirely. It is the Emperor Tree that manipulated him into striking your ch."
It was impossible for Ves to convince a stubborn expert pilot to change her mind, so he dropped this futile attempt and addressed another topic.
Lanie did not open her mouth to refute that statent, but it was clear that she believed in her heart that Taon was still responsible.
It was impossible for Ves to convince a stubborn expert pilot to change her mind, so he dropped this futile attempt and addressed another topic.
"Are you upset about your sentence?"
"I am." Lanie frowned. "I do not think I did anything wrong, though I admit that my actions don't look particularly good. I am… disappointed that so many Larkinsons look at as if I am one step away from going on a killing spree. I am not that dangerous. I only want to kill Taon. Once I am able to crush his neck and toss his body out in the vacuum of space, I am perfectly okay with treating other Larkinsons as family like before."
It was attitudes like these that made Lanie a poor fit for the clan.
In one mont, she sounded remarkably similar to the old Lanie.
In the next mont, her dark obsession towards Taon took over!
How could other Larkinsons possibly feel comfortable while serving and fighting alongside such a ntally ill pilot?
Granted, pretty much every expert pilot could be described as ntally ill. What made Lanie different from her peers was that her conviction was much less noble and upright.
That would not only make her unsuitable to remain in the Larkinson Clan, but also generate problems when she worked for another employer.
Alas, there was little Ves could do to help. This problem was Lanie's burden to bear.
"If you want, I can recomnd you to a few groups that would love to hire an expert pilot." Ves spoke. "I have a lot of influence, so a good word from can open up a lot of doors."
"No need. I can take care of myself, sir. I only have one request. She isn't mine, but… can you give the Elegant Rage? She is my battle partner and the living ch that literally saved my life. I… don't want to pilot another ch. My exile will beco a lot more bearable to if I can still count on one trustworthy partner…"
That was a difficult question to Ves.
"I haven't decided." He spoke. "Objectively, you don't deserve to take the Elegant Rage along with you. She also holds a lot of research value to . I will think about your request, but I won't pass her along in the short term. Tell you what. I will keep the Elegant Rage in her current state. You can approach in the future and exchange her as long as you think you can give a fair trade in return. I will not make it difficult for you to redeem your living ch, but I will not give you a discount just because you have Larkinson blood flowing through your veins. Getting exiled truly ans that we are cutting off all existing ties with you. I will treat you just like any other third party."
The young expert pilot frowned as she continued to hug Syrcy. It would not be easy for her to redeem the Elegant Rage if that was the case. She did not know how much the living ch was worth in her mutated state, but she had to be at least ten tis more valuable than her original production cost.
Lanie did not complain, though. It was only fair for Ves to impose these conditions. He had no obligations to gift her the Elegant Rage for free. At least he did not beat around the bush and plainly stated the redemption conditions.
"Make sure to keep my battle partner in her original state. I will do my best to take her away as soon as possible."
The two trueblood Larkinsons spoke a bit further. They briefly reminisced about old tis and spoke about the future.
"The start of the Age of Dawn is a ti of heroes and gods." Ves spoke in an encouraging tone to the young woman. "New technologies and greater conflicts have set a magnificent stage for champions such as yourself. As a New Elite, you have already benefited from the societal shift that is taking place. I highly recomnd you keep fighting. Your value to human civilization is directly correlated to how well you can beat up the aliens. The more you fight them, the faster you will grow. Just make sure you don't die in the process."
"The aliens won't be able to kill ." Lanie sneered. "I am more concerned about getting attacked by other humans. It is much harder to guard against their treachery…"
Ves helplessly shook her head. "If you ever want to go further in your career, then you should find a way to build a team of reliable troops. This is just a suggestion. You will have to make your own decisions."
"..."
"I will see you off tomorrow for the final ti. Make sure to say goodbye to everyone in the clan you care about."
Ves ended his call with Lanie, causing his physical projection to disappear from her cabin.
A mont later, his physical projection appeared in another guest cabin.
The atmosphere in the chamber was a lot less pleasant. This was because Ves had decided to pay a visit to Venerable Taon lin.
Unlike Lanie, Venerable Taon had beco a lot more isolated. No one took the initiative to visit the male expert pilot.
The mbers of the Eye of Ylvaine had conspicuously avoided Taon like the plague. This was understandable as the forr pilot of the Zeal had openly renounced Ylvaine. He even expressed his desire to kill the design spirit for whatever reason!
Taon had beco such an unwelco presence in the Larkinson Clan that even Goldie withdrew her connection to the outcast.
In fact, even if Goldie wanted to maintain a bond with the forr Ylvainan, it wasn't possible to sustain it anymore.
"Hoot. Hoot."
An ethereal owl continued to hover around Taon and project a strange repulsion field. The companion spirit not only kept everything spiritual at bay, but also made the fallen expert pilot harder to perceive.
This was quite an impressive feat. Expert pilots possessed such a strong presence that everyone around them could feel their blazing willpower.
When Ves looked at Taon, he had the feeling that he was looking at a dying star.
"So… do you regret leaving the clan?"
"No." Taon responded as he looked up from the deck. "It is… a liberation. I have no place in the clan anymore. It is best for everyone if I part with the Larkinsons. A new start is exactly what I need. It is not as if you will allow to kill Lanie while I am still a mber of your clan."
"Do you hate us, Taon?"
"I do not. I… simply do not belong here anymore. I have changed too much. A part of is grateful that I am able to leave. The mission has opened up my eyes to many truths. I have peered beyond the veil of falsehood and discovered that everything I have believed in is… false. I do not begrudge my fellow Ylvainans for believing in a false prophet, but I cannot respect them anymore for refusing to take my warning seriously. Since I cannot convince them of the truth, it is better if I set off and spread my revelations elsewhere. A day shall co when I return and teach them that my truth is stronger than theirs."
That sounded rather ominous. Taon's words could even be construed as threats.
Ves did not intend to do anything about it. A part of him felt guilty that his clan wasn't able to help Taon more. The forr legion commander of the Eye of Ylvaine deserved better.
"I am glad to hear that you have made peace with your departure from the clan. We will miss you, I suppose. With the skills and strength that you have gained over your service, you should have little trouble finding employnt elsewhere."
"I have gained the power to break the false gods that exploit and deceive our race." Taon grinned as he raised a fist. "I respect you too much to turn my power against you, sir, but know that I shall never waver in my determination to bring them all to ruin, even if they are hiding among your 'design spirits'. No one should ever be deceived and betrayed by them as they have done to . One day, I shall gain the power to liberate red humanity from their invisible tyranny!"
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