The Mech Touch

Two of the most important leaders of the Larkinson Clan stood on a balcony overlooking a large data analysis center. Many uniformed clansmen were working quietly to improve or refine the coordinated battle plans that were formed in order to account for any conceivable possibility.

From landing right in the middle of minefield to getting attacked by a powerful first-class mech, the Larkinsons had learned the hard way that it was better to make preparations beforehand.

The young and growing clan had encountered far too many surprises and unanticipated incidents that could have led to disaster if it was any weaker. The Larkinsons realized that they could not blindly rely on their strength to solve every issue.

"I always anticipated that my Military Bureau would be called something else some day, but I did not expect that evolution to happen so quickly." General Verle spoke as he observed his men from above. "We've grown so fast that I can barely keep up with the pace."

Shederin purnesse smiled as he stood by the general's side. "A mere bureau cannot encompass the heavy responsibility of managing and coordinating our future mech legions. You will be the glue that keeps them together and the web that ties them into a cohesive whole. Even as our reforms aim to make them more independent, that does not change the fact that we need a stronger central body to keep them tied to their original purpose."

A mixed expression appeared on General Verle's face. "Back in the old days, I used to be a field officer who often felt alienated from the distant headquarters of the Bright Republic's Mech Corps. Ves and I shared frequent complaints about how little the brass cared about the Flagrant Vandals. Now I am about to become one of them. How ironic."

"Your experiences give you the perspective you need to do better, general. You don't have to follow the same model. You still have sufficient power and authority to structure your new Central Command in a form that will make sure that the rear serves to support the front rather than the other way around."

The general didn't look very optimistic. "That sounds great, but I have a feeling that it will be a lot harder to stick to that in the future. I guess I have to make sure I pick the right successor once I retire."

Fortunately, it would take a long time for that to happen. General Verle might be older than Ves and many other Larkinsons, but he was far from a geezer like Raymond Billingsley-Tusa. As long as he received a round of life-prolonging treatment, he could easily hang on to his position for one-and-a-half centuries!

Of course, Verle never intended to stick around that long. He was well aware that he was a relic of a rather poor and unsophisticated third-rate state. With the way the Larkinson Clan was growing, its military wing would eventually grow into a behemoth that required a more competent leader to manage all of its problems.

While Verle was willing to step aside for a better replacement, he knew the time had not yet come. As a former Brighter, he knew what Ves desired from the Larkinson Army the most.

One of the downsides to all of the rapid growth and expansion was that the Larkinson Clan's connection to its original roots had become more and more diluted. If not for the strong insistence on propagating the original culture of the trueblood Larkinsons as the main unifying factor, the clan would have become unrecognizable by the Brighters by now!

The former Brighter shifted his eyes to the former Loxian. "While I generally approve of your plan to reorganize the Larkinson Army, I'm not so certain about all of the other changes that you have proposed."

"You're a smart man, General Verle." Shederin calmly responded. "The Larkinson Clan owes much to its patriarch, but it has also grown too dependent on him. This is not a healthy development, particularly when our clan is increasingly showing more and more flaws due to its inadequate governance. Relinquishing temporal power in order to preserve supreme authority that matters is the kingly way."

It was true that General Verle could see the purpose behind the reforms, but he still maintained his guard towards Shederin and the Purnessers. As a former intelligence operative, he knew quite well that oily politicians like the old man were rarely as noble as they pretended to be. Their interests always come first.

The Larkinson Assembly and many leaders such as General Verle had already wrangled back and forth about the specific reform measures. Shederin had to tweak his proposals many times, but the overall direction still remained the same.

It wouldn't be long before the clan would embrace the final parts of the reform plan and welcome a new governance structure.

One of the reasons why Shederin paid a visit to the Graveyard was to ask an important question.

"Have you decided on who to put forward as one of the three vice patriarchs of the Larkinson Clan?" The former ambassador asked.

The military officer didn't respond right away. If he had a choice, he would have wanted to nominate himself, but he could do more for the Larkinson Army if he retained his military rank.

Though the vice patriarch nominated by the military wing of the Larkinson Clan was able to exert power outside of military-related matters, General Verle had no desire to become a politician.

That left him with a conundrum. The Larkinson Army was too young and too slanted towards younger soldiers to have anyone that was suited to assume such a powerful and important leadership position.

"Do you require assistance in nominating a suitable candidate?" Shederin prodded.

"I can decide on my own, sir." Verle bit back.

As long as he was in charge here, he would not allow another politician to influence his decisions. Only Ves had the right to command him directly.

He quickly went over the names of the many officers within the Larkinson Army.

Not a lot of them stood out. The Larkinson Clan's bias towards recruiting younger soldiers and officers meant that there were too few who possessed the age, experience and maturity to occupy a high position of authority.

It was too reckless to appoint someone younger to such an immense position of responsibility. The power could get to them as they lacked the life experience to cling to their original purpose and ideals.

Only those who had tempered both their hopes and expectations and experienced the realities of life would have his trust. It wasn't enough to have the right intentions. Power corrupted and the position of vice patriarch granted far more power than anyone in the clan should ever possess.

In fact, it was quite a wonder that Ves had shown a lot of restraint, though much of that had to do with his other preoccupations.

After dredging up a lot of names, he suddenly paused when a name came up. The person he was considering was certainly not ideal, but she was one of the few officers that he had confidence in. Others might not agree, though.

Shederin detected the change. "Who do you have in mind right now?"

"Major Magdalena Larkinson. She's one of my staff officers."

"I've… heard about her. She was the first commander of the Living Sentinels if I recall. She resigned from this post after her men suffered disproportionate losses in a previous battle."

General Verle looked grim. "We lost a lot of good brothers and sisters that day. To be honest, I never blamed Magdalena for the losses, and neither has the patriarch. However, someone had to take the fall, and we all decided it was best for her to take a step back in order to move the Living Sentinels forward."

The plan succeeded and the ascension of Commander Casella Ingvar had thoroughly transformed the Living Sentinels.

These days, the only non-elite mech troop of the Larkinson Clan had regained its pride and confidence despite its humble nature. Its members were all motivated and were more than willing to fight to protect their clan and family.

As for Magdalena, her quiet promotion to the rank of major reflected his trust and reliance on her. She was much more suited to supporting the Larkinson Clan from the back instead of from the front.

Now, he was considering whether she could do an even better job if she aided the clan from the top.

"Major Magdelena is.. a controversial figure." Shederin pointed out the obvious. "She is branded by the stigma of failure. That will hardly inspire trust and confidence in her ability to stand up for the soldiers of the Larkinson Clan. You need to put forward a leader who your troops will love."

"That is not an easy request to fulfill."

General Verle realized that the Larkinson Army was lacking in senior officers. While there were plenty of competent soldiers and officers in the middle and bottom parts of the hierarchy, the upper end was relatively barren.

"What about Fleet Coordinator Ophelia Kronon?" The diplomat suggested.

"I've already considered her." Verle shook his head. "Ophelia is a good manager and advisor, but she is not suitable for this responsibility. She's a Kronon, and that means she was a born soldier in her former state. Even if we have left the Ylvaine Protectorate far behind, Ophelia is still a product of her old environment."

She was also unable to keep up with the growing scope of her job. The fleet had turned into a complex machine that incorporated several immense capital ships that possessed a lot of individual quirks. Trying to coordinate all of their movements on and off the battlefield was becoming an increasingly more complex responsibility.

Though General Verle hated to think about it, he planned to replace a large number of officers that had been with the clan early on but could no longer perform their jobs as well as before. The clan recruited plenty of talented clansmen with second-class backgrounds that received sufficient systematic training to hold important responsibilities.

It didn't matter whether they came from the Life Research Association, Grand Loxic Republic or the Ivena Federation. Once they entered the clan, they became a Larkinson. Their qualifications were much more important than their past.

After Shederin and General Verle went over a couple more names, the latter eventually paused when another woman came to mind.

"Who are you considering at the moment?"

"Commodore Abigail Evern."

"The Penitent Sister fleet commander?"

General Verle nodded. "She checks the most boxes out of all of the candidates. She is old enough, but not to the point that she is no longer open to change. She enjoyed an upper-class upbringing and received the highest standard of systematic education and training that a powerful second-rate state is able to provide. She was raised to lead and should probably know what to do once she becomes vice patriarch. Vice matriarch. Whatever."

"The term 'matriarch' appears to have negative connotations among the Larkinsons." Shederin coughed. "We are considering alternatives in order to avoid signalling the wrong connotations. I believe this is especially important considering we are talking about a former Hexer."

General Verle smirked. "Commodore Abigail and the rest of the Penitent Sisters might have come from the Hegemony, but they have already diverged from their Hexer roots. They're becoming more like the Swordmaidens in a sense. In any case, they don't get along with the Glory Seekers, and that is enough to prove their loyalty to the clan."

"Still, that will not convince every clansman that Abigail will stand up for the Larkinsons as opposed to the Hexers."

"I'm confident in her. Let the patriarch decide once he meets with her. I am sure he will be able to transcend his own bias and see that nominating Abigail is the right choice."

General Verle was confident that this was the right decision to make. To him, Abigail wasn't a Hexer. She was a Larkinson and someone who wholeheartedly committed to a different cause!