The Mech Touch

"What an enchanting view."

"Chance Bay isn't the only enchanting sight in this establishment."

Calabast responded with a coy smile to her current date.

Just like many other Larkinsons, the intelligence director of the Larkinson Clan took the opportunity to enter Chance Bay in order to unwind.

Chief Minister Novilon Purnesse made the same decision.

The two dressed impeccably for the occasion. While Calabast opted to wear an elegant black dress and style her hair into curls, Novilon wore a sophisticated suit that went well with his groomed dark brown hair and short goatee.

The pair already drew appreciative glances from the other diners in the high-rise restaurant, but the two Larkinson leaders didn't pay any notice to these random people.

Calabast continued to gaze out at the expansive city that was currently at night on this side of the moon. As a massive urban settlement, the huge amount of light pollution almost completely obscured the stars of the Red Ocean, but that only made the urban sprawl more impressive.

The structures on the ground and floating in the air lit up in many different colors, but Calabast did not find any of it chaotic.

Everything on Vulit XIV-B fell under the auspices of the Mech Trade Association. Its eyes and ears were everywhere and she was under no illusion that its hand occasionally stretched out and manipulated events in its favor.

This was the price that people paid in order to stay at the Vulit Central Star Node. They only valued the promise of absolute safety and took advantage of the many opportunities to exchange with other people.

Well, it wasn't as if the Larkinson Clan had any alternatives. It needed to address way too many priorities and every other trading nexus was worse. At least the Mech Trade Association wasn't an enemy.

As the couple returned to enjoy their luxurious Red Ocean specialties, they continued to chat about various light topics.

"I wouldn't call myself a Hexer at all." She said in response to one of his remarks. "Unlike the vast majority of my former compatriots, I learned how other people think. It's a necessity for those who enter my profession. That is how I learned that the state I grew up in was an aberration."

Novilon looked a little skeptical. "That's strange. Shouldn't your former employers employ more safeguards to prevent its members from embracing foreign views?"

"That is definitely the case, and I went through my fair share of indoctrination, both through formal sessions and subtle everyday nudging. There are two reasons why DIVA has failed to turn me into their loyal Hexer footsoldier. First, my upbringing has already jaded me to Hexer culture. Second, my mentors and instructors assumed I didn't need as many reminders because I was a member of the Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty. Only a branch member, mind you, but still a woman with ‘Vraken' in her name."

The story sounded plausible but it didn't quite add up to Novilon. The man was more than familiar with how things went in these kinds of circles and he suspected that Calabast withheld a lot of important context.

He didn't intend to push her, though. She would tell him the truth when she was ready or keep it to her chest if she did not want to expose any vulnerabilities.

"Why did you become an Arnlend? Is there any special significance in this specific name?"

The spymaster shrugged her bare shoulders. "Calabast Arnlend is just an identity prepared by DIVA. I took a liking to it and never saw the need to change back. I have no need to turn back into the woman I was before."

Names were important and symbolized someone's character and other traits. Novilon understood that there was great significance in Calabast's refusal to adopt her original identity.

It was not wise for him to dig deeper in someone's potentially traumatic or unpleasant history. Even though Calabast was anything but fragile, there was no need for him to aggravate her old wounds.

"Well, you're a member of the Larkinson Clan now, so you can claim any name you want. Where do you see yourself in the future?"

"If possible, I would still like to stay in my current position."

"You mean staying on as the director of intelligence?"

"Yes."

"You could take on a greater responsibility." He suggested. "Someone as level-headed as you would make for a fine chief minister. Perhaps you can even become my successor once I finish my terms."

Calabast chuckled. "I know I can do it, but that doesn't mean I am eager to do what you say. I do not harbor any special ambitions towards the Larkinson Clan. People like you, Magdalena and Raymond already do a decent job at leading it, and there will doubtlessly be many more who can take over your mantles. I am content to remain in my current place. Currently, there is no other clansman that I can entrust with my job."

There was probably another reason why Calabast was content to stay in her current place. Novilon Purnesse figured that Calabast was playing the long game by sitting in the second row rather than the first row where he was sitting at the moment.

Those in the first row of seats wielded the greatest amount of power and influence in the clan, but that also made their jobs a lot more sensitive.

Though Ves Larkinson normally didn't pay attention to how the clan was being run these days, his spector constantly hung over the heads of the Chief Ministers.

From his own analysis of the clan patriarch's personality, it was extremely likely that Ves would eventually force the current chief ministers to make way for a new batch.

After all, anyone sitting in such an important executive position for a long time could accumulate a lot more power and authority over time. This might even lead to a situation where the voice of the chief ministers surpassed the voice of the clan patriarch!

Therefore, Novilon had always been aware that his time in the chief minister's seat was limited. His rodeo might end in four years at worst and thirty years at best, but he could not imagine lasting any longer than a single generation.

It was worth it, though. The Larkinson Clan was young and still in its formative years. Leading it during this period of rapid growth allowed him to make his mark in many different ways that would become fixed once the clan became larger and more mature.

Without his guidance, the Larkinson Clan was liable to grow into a dead end and collapse under its own weight.

Though he respected his fellow chief ministers greatly, Neither Magdalena nor Raymond possessed any prior experience in higher public office. Their expertise also leaned in other directions.

It was only right that the Purnesse Family had come to the Larkinson Clan. Who else would have been able to straighten out its messy administration and implement proper protocols?

However, his burden was great and a person like Patriarch Ves probably didn't appreciate what he was doing for the clan.

In that regard, Calabast made a safer bet. The position of intelligence director was a lot less ostentatious, which would allow her to remain in office for a much longer period of time without ever attracting too much scrutiny.

As long as she performed her duties and ran this side of the Larkinson Clan well enough, it would not surprise Novilon to see Calabast in the exact same spot in the hierarchy a century later!

She could even exert significantly more influence on the clan than a chief minister such as Novilon. The only downside was that she had to work slowly and spread her major decisions across many decades.

If this was her true ploy, then he held a lot of respect towards her willingness to take her time to make her own mark on the Larkinson Clan. This was one of the many parts about her that attracted his personal interest.

Calabast soon began her own inquiry.

"You Purnessers used to be a lot more reluctant about becoming Larkinsons." She began. "Nowadays, I don't see any reluctance in any of you. Your relatives have taken to the Larkinson Clan like fish to water. What do you think has changed?"

The chief minister gave her a simple grin. "I don't think this is a mystery at all. First, we all realized that there is no way back for us. We loyally served the Grand Loxic Republic for many generations, but as soon as one of our old opponents tried to erase our existence, the Hegenarion Party did nothing to rescue us. The Larkinson Clan shares a similar history, and we trust it to do right by us for that reason."

"Hmmm. The clan patriarch values loyalty. Many people have broken his trust for one reason or another. He has developed a particularly dim view towards those who betrayed him for self-serving reasons."

"We like Patriarch Ves for that reason. Though he has his shortcomings, his sincerity towards his fellow clan members is never in doubt." Novilon said with a straight face. "We have faith in his vision and we believe in the clan. We also recognize that the clan needs our expertise. We find fulfillment in serving the clan in the way we do best. This is also the second reason why my fellow Purnessers and I have embraced our current place. We want to be useful and the clan allows us to be that. In a galaxy where orphaned families such as ours cannot easily join another power base, we are gratified by how extensively the Larkinson Clan has embraced what we can offer."

This was quite abnormal for any other organization, but the Larkinson Clan held a different approach towards integrating outsiders into its structure. The existence of the Golden Cat was crucial to making the clan's extremely open recruitment policy work!

"Some fear that your former family's growing influence will slowly turn the Larkinson Clan into the Purnesse Clan." Calabast said.

She had finally brought up a controversial point. The Purnessers must surely be aware of this suspicion!

Indeed, his expression showed that he was confident about the argument that the Purnessers had already prepared in advance.

"The Larkinson Clan has nothing to fear from us." He replied. "Sure, my fellow relatives still act as a group sometimes, but the same can be said about the Ylvainans. We do have particular ideas on how the clan should be run, but that is what good politicians and officials always do. We never become satisfied with the status quo. There are always aspects about our clan that can be improved, and it would do no one good to keep silent about them. Whether other clansmen agree with us or not, we will not allow the clan to remain stagnant."

"I'm sure that you and your fellow Purnessers are well-meaning." Calabast smiled back. "However, it is easy to identify a problem. It is harder to settle on a specific solution. There are many different ways to resolve an issue."

"That is true, and that is the essence of politics. We all have our ideas, but as long as the clan gives us a platform to debate openly about these matters, I am certain that our clan will continue to rise. I am not naive to believe that I am always right. If anyone thinks they know better, I am always willing to listen. It is not a taboo for me to change my mind. No one is faultless. It is fantasy to assume that any leader is always right."

"Does that apply to Patriarch Ves as well?"

Novilon smirked back. "I state that he has his shortcomings, remember? We respect him and his accomplishments, but that does not mean we will keep our voice when he makes a decision we think is wrong. He is welcome to accept or ignore our suggestions, but it is best for our clan if multiple voices are respected. That is the wisdom that our Purnesse Family wishes to impart into the Larkinson Clan."

Well, he certainly was being honest.