The Mech Touch

The Larkinson Assembly was the primary legislative body of the Larkinson Clan. There was no way they neglected the issues of educating the next generations of Larkinsons.

Instead of reading through some boring acts and proposals that were filled with incomprehensible legalese, Ves decided to call the speaker of the assembly.

The physical projection of Ovrin Larkinson appeared in the clan patriarch's main office.

"Nice office. It looks quite imposing."

"Thanks. It's supposed to have that effect."

They chatted a bit. Speaker Ovrin Larkinson didn't have it easy. His workload constantly increased as the clan continued to expand. He had to delegate more and more work to committees led by committee chairmen. While this meant that the latter gained a lot more power and influence, it was the only way to keep up with the expanding scope of the clan.

"The committee chairmen are all oldsters like myself. For now, we are all on the same page, so don't worry about any of them running wild." Ovrin reassured Ves. "I can't say this will remain the same over time. Once we are too old to exercise our duties, our successors may harbor some different ideas on how to run our affairs. As our clan continues to grow bigger, the interests get bigger as well. The Larkinson Assembly won't be as cordial and tranquil as before."

Ves briefly frowned. "Are you saying that the Assembly will be split up into factions?"

"That is already the case from day one, Ves. It just wasn't very obvious because we used to be too small to argue about anything important. Your influence was too great as well. Now…"

"The clan has grown a lot bigger."

Benjamin Larkinson's brother nodded. "Indeed. The direct control that you or any other Larkinson can exert over the clan has dropped as the clan kept growing. While you can still change the course of the clan, I doubt you are willing or able to sort out the growing number of dossiers."

"That's fine with me. There is no need for me to be in charge of everything. I just wanted to check up on the Assembly's plans with regards to schooling. We can't keep recruiting capable mech designers, engineers and other professions. We need to bring them up from within."

Ovrin immediately knew what Ves wanted to know.

"Let me send you some documents."

Ves quickly received some proposals. For now, the Larkinsons only managed to establish some primary schools. The clan was still in the process of setting up some secondary schools, the first of which would be founding in New Dorum.

"How are the teenagers in our clan getting by if we haven't set up a single high school?"

"The kids are not slacking off at home if that is what you're afraid of. For now, we have enrolled them into renowned virtual schools. While the boys and girls are getting quality second-class education, their curriculum is very neutral."

Virtual schooling was not any worse than physical schooling these days. Projection technology was so advanced that it was easy to give students the illusion of attending a physical school. Advanced testing, monitoring and progress trackers ensured that each student kept up their studies and achieved the expected results.

A lot of good virtual schools were especially geared to educating kids stuck on starships.

However, virtual schools weren't perfect.

"We need to set up the remaining educational institutions as soon as possible." Ves urged. "Socialization is important, so it is best to force the younger generation to gather at physical schools. We also need to exert greater control over the curriculum in order to shape their ideologies."

"That is what the proposals are for. Depending on the budget, we can set up a range of different institutions."

Ves took another look at the documents that Speaker Ovrin sent. The main proposal called for the formation of multiple primary and secondary schools on every capital ship. He had no problem with this. While the Larkinson Clan currently didn't have a lot of children, that would definitely change.

What was more noteworthy was the intention to set up multiple universities.

"Why do we need more universities?" Ves grew confused.

"It's not a priority in the beginning, but it will make sense in the future." Ovrin confidently replied. "In short, we want to set up universities on several different capital ships in order to establish superior work and learning environments. For example, the Larkinson University of Technology that is supposed to be based inside the Spirit of Bentheim should offer programmes related to technical professions."

Ves widened his eyes. "I see now! Our future engineers and mech designers can easily drop by the production halls in order to gain some practical experience. Once they graduate, they can immediately get going without requiring too much training. The Spirit of Bentheim offers so many different technical facilities that it is practically a dream to set up a technical university on this ship!"

"There is another benefit." Ovrin added. "The technical university can make use of the mech designers, engineers, chief technicians and other skilled personnel as part-time professors or lecturers. Since this is all taking place on the same ship, the barriers aren't significant."

This was a compelling idea. Ves could already imagine the Larkinson University of Technology once it got going. He could easily assign any assistant mech designer to teach some courses over there. Perhaps Ves might hold some classes himself in order to shape the next generation of mech designers in the clan. The students would also be able to gain plenty of practical experience by interning at the design labs or the production halls.

And this was just the case for mech designers! There were lots of other vital professions that would also benefit from these synergies!

The Speaker of the Larkinson Assembly continued speaking. "Once we obtain other capital ships, we can establish other specialized institutions. For example, a fleet carrier is a good site for a naval academy to supply more spacers to our fleet. We can also set up our mech academy here to provide more opportunities for our mech cadets to pilot physical mechs."

The proposal mentioned other possibilities.

For example, a research ship was the perfect location for a science and biotech university. Future doctors, exobiologists, physicists and so on would be able to learn from and work alongside the established researchers working on the research vessel.

An ark ship on the other hand was a good site for a humanities and arts-focused institution. The Larkinson Clan did not entirely consist of mech designers and spacers. Ves wanted his clan to become more rounded, so it was essential to raise a lot of managers, economists, musicians, artists and other miscellaneous personnel.

Naturally, setting up all of these universities couldn't be accomplished in a single month or year. The Larkinson Clan still needed to acquire the necessary capital ship. The universities also had to be staffed with professors, managers, councilors and other necessary personnel.

This wasn't something that Ves could handle. For someone who possessed no significant education background at all, all of these plans went right over his head. He believed the rest of the clan would be able to get this done.

"I support this initiative." Ves voiced his approval. "While it is a bit overboard to set up so many universities so quickly, it is best to prepare the infrastructure as soon as possible. Once we have five times as many clansmen in our fleet, we need to accommodate a lot of students."

He was very happy with this comprehensive plan. While the Larkinson Assembly still needed to hammer out the details, now that Ves offered his support, he was certain the assembly members would deliver something soon.

They continued to talk about other serious matters before the conversation turned personal.

The two were family. While they weren't particularly close, Ovrin was still Ves' great-uncle.

"You look older." Ves remarked.

"Heh. Everyone grows older, Ves. I'm not that young to begin with. You don't need to be concerned about my health. Even though I'm a former mech pilot, I still have enough years left to leave behind a good foundation for our clan. It's the least I can do. If I can't do it, then the other old fogies in the Assembly will pick up my work."

"What if there aren't any old fogies left?"

"Then the next generation takes over." Ovrin answered without any concern. "This is an inevitability. While we old fogies are largely in charge right now, the future rests in the hands of you younger folk."

Ves frowned. "I'm concerned the next generation won't be as restrained."

The original Larkinson elders adopted a restrained and cautious approach. They set up the necessary institutions and passed the necessary bills, but did not try to redefine the clan. The Larkinson elders weren't politicians by nature, so they did not pursue any extreme or controversial agendas.

Ovrin explained the overall objective of the oldsters in the Assembly.

"We try to maintain as much stability as possible. We are already growing very quickly. The last thing we need is to destabilize the clan even further by passing controversial initiatives that will please one half of the clan while completely riling up the other half of the clan. Instead of tearing the clan apart, we need to unify it even further. Some clansmen think that we aren't doing enough, but we don't think that is bad. By doing nothing, we aren't rocking the boat. We are trying to buy enough time to allow our institutions to grow up and turn into the supporting pillars of the clan. If we implement too many changes, those vital institutions won't be able to stand up for themselves."

The Larkinson Clan was turning more and more into a state. That meant that Ves and the other leaders had to make sure its institutions became strong enough to support the functions of a state.

This meant that once the next generation of assembly members came into power, they could pursue bolder agendas without tearing the clan apart.

Ves could also foresee the rise of factions. As long as any group of people gathered together, disagreements always followed. When one group of people with similar opinions gathered together, it was natural for them to gather around a leader and present a strong front in order to push their demands.

If one group could do so, others could do so as well.

For now, the political divisions within the Larkinson Clan were still too murky to determine what kind of factions might arise. Ves wasn't really interested in these squabbling tribes. He was only interested in pursuing his own agenda.

"How is the Larkinson Family?" Ves asked. "I've been too busy with clan affairs and mech design projects lately."

"They're doing well enough. It's a pity that they have traveled deeper into Vicious Mountain. Our detour through the star sector will only cause our fleet to pass through the periphery. There is no possibility of intersection between our two fleets."

"That's a shame. What is Uncle Ark up to these days?"

Ovrin shrugged. "I'm not sure. He has been in retreat as of late. For now, Benjamin and other Larkinson elders are handling the daily affairs of the family. We have heard that they are in the process of negotiating with a number of the tribes and clans of the Garlen Empire. The Garlaners appear to be very interested in sheltering or integrating the Larkinson Family. I believe the success of our clan has a lot to do with that. I hope we can continue to do well. Perhaps one day, the Larkinson Family will be the ones to support our clan."

"Hahaha! That's funny, grand-uncle, but that will never happen." Ves amusingly chuckled.

He had already written off the Larkinson Family. Though Ark was a good man and an inspirational leader, he didn't have much ambition. The family just wanted to serve another state like before.