The Mech Touch

Ves treated the following discussion with Commodore Abigail Evern as a job interview.

The woman in question was already aware of the purpose of this meeting and the implications of becoming one of the first chief ministers of the Larkinson Clan. The power and authority this position conveyed was immense and would easily allow her to put the Penitent Sisters ahead.

At the very least, serving a term as chief minister would ensure that no one would damage the interests of the Penitent Sisters!

As a consequence, the naval officer controlled her behavior and made sure to supply Ves with the most diplomatic-sounding answers that she could muster.

Even though she used to be a Hexer, she was one of the few Larkinsons who truly came from upper-class stock. Similar to Calabast who originated from the Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty, Abigail emerged from the Evern Matriarchal Dynasty.

That was where the similarities ended.

The Vrakens were much more rational and measured in their outlook while the Everns embraced hexism wholesale!

Calabast went on to become a DIVA agent before amicably parting ways with the Hegemony.

Abigail on the other hand became so caught up by religious fervor that she joined a cult that was too extreme even for other Hexers!

Though both of them eventually moved on and joined the Larkinson Clan, Ves would have preferred to put someone like Calabast in charge.

It was too bad that Ves couldn't rely on anyone else to lead the intelligence arm of the Larkinson Clan. No other clansman with an intelligence background could come close to Calabast's competence. He also trusted her to have his back, if only because his future was intertwined with hers. He wasn't sure if he could maintain the same degree of trust if he put someone else in charge of the Black Cats.

Ves took a good look at the middle-aged officer. The woman sat next to the conference table with a rigid, military posture. Unlike Calabast, Abigail's language and body language no longer contained any trace of elegance or class. After becoming a Penitent Sister, she embraced her military identity and largely abandoned her privileged heritage.

That didn't mean she forgot everything she learned when she was still a part of the Everns. As long as they didn't talk about the Superior Mother, Abigail was quite articulate.

"What do you think about the reforms of our military?" Ves quizzed. "According to Shederin's plan, our mech forces will turn into mech legions and will all fight under the banner of the Larkinson Army."

"It's a necessary development." Commodore Abigail replied. "We have expanded so much that it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage the logistics of all of the different troops. The mech legions should focus on addressing their immediate priorities while the Larkinson Army is best at establishing a central structure that can take care of our most common needs. Since we all pilot mechs designed by you, many of the parts and materials are interchangeable. This makes it more convenient for a central authority to procure these goods and supplies in bulk before allocating them to the individual mech legions."

Right now, the Military Bureau was not large enough, forcing the different mech troops to perform a lot of redundant work.

"We can also centralize many other functions such as allocating trained personnel, managing high-level ship affairs, and increasing coordination in battle. The latter is especially important as it appears that our mech legions are slowly developing their own specialties."

"Where do you think the Penitent Sisters fall into our battle lineup?"

"We deliver the wrath of the Superior Mother onto our enemies!" Abigail Evern grew fierce for a moment before calming down. "Our Penitent Sisters excel at assaults, but unlike the Swordmaidens we are not fragile. We are more than willing to take the toughest and most dangerous assignments that need to be completed. Whether it is breaking open a tough formation or flying head-long into the guns of a warship, no matter how arduous the mission, we shall unquestionably do what is necessary! To die is to be redeemed. To serve our purpose is to atone for guilt."

"I.. see." Ves flatly replied. "What do you think about the other mech legions? If you want to become the chief minister, you need to be able to represent all of our soldiers, including ones that might not have a good opinion of former Hexers like your Penitent Sisters."

"I am a Larkinson." Abigail sincerely stated, her brown short ponytail swaying as she jerked her head. "We are aware of the distrust that clansmen have towards us, but we are completely committed to the clan. As long as you and the Superior Mother support the clan, we will never falter in our loyalty. If I become everyone's representative, I will not treat anyone unfairly, especially if they are committed to protecting and fighting for our fellow Larkinsons. We are an honorable clan."

As Abigail elaborated on her stances, Ves gained a better understanding of her mindset. In the past few months, the Penitent Sisters had indeed moved away from their roots. While they were still recognizable to Hexers, they held no loyalty to the Hegemony anymore. They completely transferred their fanatical devotion towards both Ves and his mother. This meant that each of them were extremely loyal and dependable.

Ves had no reason to question Abigail's loyalty, so she definitely ticked that box. Her stances and attitudes were a bit more iffy, but she was enough of a Larkinson for him to have some confidence that she would be able to serve as a responsible chief minister. She would also be able to serve as a strong counter-balance to Novilon Purnesse.

The only issue was that Ves didn't want to send the wrong message by rewarding a Penitent Sister with a high position. Who knew how much Hexer DNA was left.

One of the latent threats of the clan was the pervasive Hexer influence around them. The presence of the Glory Seekers, Penintent Sisters and even his own wife caused his clansmen to become more and more exposed to Hexer culture.

Familiarity bred complacence. Ves was afraid that if the Larkinsons continued to get used to the Hexers and their abnormal quirks, his people would slowly put women above men in subtle ways.

Suffice to say, Ves did not want this to happen.

In the end, the risk was too great. Even though he felt that Abigail possessed enough qualifications to lead a portion of the clan, the optics were not right. At the very least, he did not think it was a good idea to promote her too soon when the Penitent Sisters still had some ways to go before they completed their makeover.

He sighed. "Commodore Abigail, you are an insightful woman. I agree with General Verle that you can do more, especially when it comes to managing our growing fleet and ship assets. However, you… are not quite what I am looking for in a chief minister."

A subdued moment of silence followed as he issued his judgement. Commander Chancy and Commodore Abigail couldn't help but look a bit downcast. Although they did not dare to harbor too much hope, they gained a lot of confidence from General Verle's endorsement. They did not expect that Ves would make a different conclusion.

"May we know why?" Commander Chancy asked.

"Sure." Ves shrugged. "As much as I am willing to put my trust in you, Abigail, I can't ignore the elephant in the room. You may regard yourself as a Larkinson, but many people within the clan barely notice any difference between you and the Glory Seekers. It's not desirable to put you in charge because a lot of ordinary clansmen who don't know any better will develop the mistaken impression that the Hexers have taken over a portion of our clan. I want to reduce the Hexer influence in our fleet. Appointing you as chief minister will send the opposite message."

"I am a Larkinson. We are different from our former sisters."

"You've already explained that." He said. "For what it's worth, I believe you, but a leadership position as sensitive as this is extra sensitive, especially for the first ones to assume office. The best candidate is not necessarily the most loyal or the most capable leader. I also need to pay attention to other factors such as public support, likability and political backing. Since you and your fellow Penitent Sisters stand further apart from the clan than the other mech legions, it is very hard to get everyone in the Larkinson Army to become enthused about your appointment."

He was being very open about his reasoning. Neither Chancy nor Abigail could refute what he said. Although it was unfair to allow subjective factors like bias and prejudice to drive his decision, this was how reality worked.

The two women no longer spoke up. They implicitly accepted his judgement.

Ves didn't feel so good about shooting Abigail down like this. He thought for a moment and decided to offer her a bit of hope.

"Look, the present circumstances aren't right for this, but that doesn't mean the situation will remain the same. There might be an opportunity in the future as long as certain variables change."

The mech commander looked hopeful. "What do we need to do to improve Commodore Abigail's qualifications?'

"Well, you women need to continue to move closer to the clan." He said. "While I won't insist that you should start hiring men en masse, it will help a lot if you can show you don't look down on them. There are many other ways you can show that you aren't Hexers anymore. The more you are able to convince the rest of our clansmen that you are able to embody our Larkinson values, the more acceptable it becomes to elevate your best people to higher offices."

"I see."

Ves inwardly smirked. He provided them with a powerful motivation to deepen their integration with the rest of the clan. If they were happy with their current state, then they didn't have to make any further changes, but if they held greater ambitions, then they needed to work hard to shed as many remaining Hexer-associated traits as possible!

While Ves did not expect any immediate results, over time the drive to increase their appeal would definitely prompt them to move closer to the center.

After answering a few more questions, Ves saw no point in staying. He stood up and moved to depart.

"I'm sorry that I can't give you the job you want, commodore, but work hard and try to make yourself more popular among our clansmen. As long as enough Larkinsons are willing to see you in charge, an appointment will come sooner or later."

"Understood, sir. I will endeavor to change our fellow clansmen's minds."

With that, Ves returned to his shuttle and left the Mother's Wrath.

"Bring me over to the Graveyard." He instructed. "I need to have a good talk with General Verle. Tell him to bring some alternative candidates for chief minister. There has to be more viable choices than a Penitent Sister."

All in all, this visit wasn't completely pointless. He not only refreshed his understanding of the Penitent Sisters, but also gave them a powerful incentive to moderate themselves further.

"Our clan won't have room for Hexers for much longer." He quietly muttered. "I can't do much about Gloriana, but I'll be damned if the rest of our clan continues to drag a piece of our old lives to the Red Ocean."

The Larkinson Clan's departure from the Komodo Star Sector was meant to make a clean break from the past. The Hexadric Hegemony's ability to influence Ves and the Larkinson Clan grew less and less effective as the distance continued to widen.

Though the Glory Seekers still exerted a certain amount of influence, they were too weak to pressure the Larkinson Clan all that much.

"Once we reach the Red Ocean, I can truly change the terms!"