"Hey, I would do anything for our children! Those merits are mine to spend, and I chose to buy protection that better reflects their value. Any enemies that are determined to mess with us will most certainly employ a heavy arsenal to take us all out at once. It is better to minimize the risks and upgrade to a proper first-class shield generator while we still can. Besides, the new Rison GK-22 is modern enough to satisfy our children's security needs for a long time. I will replace these kid products with larger and more higher-capacity versions once they grow up and are ready to attend university."
His wife looked as if she still couldn't get over the fact that Ves spent his merits on anything aside from her precious first-class cranial implant.
The only reason why she hadn't blown up yet was because she did not want to disrupt what should have been a joyous day for their children.
"We will speak later about this." She leaned forward and hissed into his ear. "I will not tolerate any more delays on this matter. If you are willing to spend 15 million MTA merits, you can keep your account open long enough to spend an additional 60 million MTA merits."
"Later."
It didn't matter to Ves. If the found ceremony unfolded as he and Calabast guessed, then he bet that Gloriana would no longer be in the right state of mind to follow up on this matter!
That little realization dampened his mood a bit. Though he had ensured that his children would not have to fear from any casual attacks, a determined mech could still power through the first-class energy shields through brute force!
Ves mainly equipped his children with the Rison GK-22 shield generators in order to increase their buffer and buy time for actual rescue to arrive.
Once the friendly Larkinson mechs in the vicinity came close enough to deploy their defenses, Block L should be in the clear.
After they finished their breakfast, the little family along with their cats boarded their armored shuttle.
The vehicle did not have to travel too far in order to reach its destination. The VIP seating areas were all located in the Government District where the security levels were the highest.
As the seat of power of the colony and the colonial state, it was only natural to make the announcement at this location.
All of the beautiful and well-designed government buildings looked even more impressive today as the Davutans covered their walls with vertically striped white-and-blue banners.
Occasionally, a wall displayed different symbols and colors. Each of them represented the organizations and individuals who had made significant contributions to the Davute Project.
Ves could even spot a red banner bearing a golden cat head adorning the structure that housed Davute's Ministry of Justice.
"Interesting choice."
He figured that the Davutans probably chose to hang the banner of the Larkinson Clan on this building as tribute to the bestselling Pacifier model.
Ves could see plenty of copies of this popular law enforcement model in the surroundings. No Planetary Guard force had made greater use of this odd but highly effective mech model than this colony!
After all, Davute was one of the home planets of the Pacifier model. Multiple mech manufacturing complexes owned by the LMC and other companies who licensed the design churned out copies of the mech day and night.
Ves felt a little more reassured when he saw how much Davute trusted the Pacifiers to keep the peace and control the crowd. Their calming glows should play a major role in quelling any full-blown panic and help with suppressing any hostile parties.
As the shuttle touched down at the designated landing pad, Ves and his family moved out and followed an attendant to a reception plaza where many other important figures had gathered.
A few groups moved into the indoor reception areas in order to sit down and get served.
His wife used this opportunity to drag her children to the acquaintances that she had made over the last few years and show off her children.
Before Lucky and Clixie followed suit, Ves bent down and touched both of their heads.
"I want you to stick close to my kids today, okay? No matter what, you stay with them, keep them together and make sure that they can always rely on you. I will try and do the same, but if I am not available for whatever reason, I am counting on you two to pick up the slack."
"Meow." Lucky sounded serious this time.
"Miaow?" Clixie on the other hand did not know why Ves was being more serious than usual.
The organic wasn't stupid, though. When she saw how Ves and Lucky behaved, she grew more vigilant as well.
As a genuine Rubarthan Sentinel Cat, her entire purpose in life was to protect the individuals that she was accompanying! Aurelia as well as Andraste and Marvaine all fell into the scope of Clixie's responsibilities.
This sense of purpose injected a jolt of strength into her body and caused the cat to become several times more alert than before!
"Miaow miaow miaow!"
Ves grinned and rubbed her head a few more times. "Thanks. I knew I could count on you. Now go and make sure they remain safe and accounted for. I need to catch up to a number of people."