The Mech Touch

The fateful day had arrived. When the fleet arrived in the next star system, a large number of shuttles emerged from various ships. They all converged on the Redfeather, which had converted a portion of her mech hangar into an improvised semi-circular theater.

Originally, the Larkinson Assembly wasn't supposed to convene in person. Due to various reasons, it was safer and more convenient to hold this assembly session in a virtual assembly hall.

Ves disrupted that original plan. He pushed for an in-person session, arguing that a decision as important and impactful as this shouldn't be decided in a detached, virtual setting!

The questions of whether to integrate outsiders into the Larkinson Clan and how far this integration should go were too important to be decided with so much physical separation!

In truth, Ves did not particularly object to a virtual assembly session. He only wanted to drag every Larkinson assembly member in the same chamber because his persuasion worked best if he could spiritually influence his audience up close!

He still hadn't made up his mind whether he should make full use of his Devil Tongue during this assembly session. Many times, he felt tempted to fall back to a more benign form of persuasion, just like he did when he addressed the fall of Bentheim.

Whenever he thought back on that moment, he felt proud for dragging his relative out of their slump. Along with breaking the news that DIVA managed to rescue the Larkinsons captured by the Bright Republic, his clan quickly went back on track with hardly any dips in productivity!

"That was then. This is now." He whispered to himself.

The issue that Ves was contemplating not only hit much closer to home to many Larkinsons, but also touched on their most closely-held values!

To them, family was always confined to their own blood relatives! The only ones who were exempted from this rule were those who directly married into the family. There were no other exceptions!

"Honorary Larkinsons don't exist to my family."

This approach served the original Larkinson Family well back when it was based in the Bright Republic, but Ves believed it was outdated.

Now that the Larkinson Clan sought to find a future by roaming the stars, Ves wanted to redefine what it meant to be a Larkinson!

As he rode on his shuttle, Gloriana, their cats and Gavin kept him company.

All of them provided some useful input on what he should pay attention to when he held his speech.

"Emphasize that we are all in it together." Gloriana mentioned. "Everyone who joins your fleet shares all of its wealth and woes."

"Miaow."

"See? Even Clixie agrees!"

"That's not what she's saying. I think she needs a litter box."

"Oh."

When Clixie departed to the restroom of the shuttle, Gavin filled up the void.

"The Larkinson Assembly currently consists of fifty assemblymen. We've investigated their stances and determined that roughly thirty-nine of them are leaning against full integration."

"That much, Benny?"

"Of the eleven that remain, I don't think there are any of them that are strongly enthusiastic towards accepting outsiders as Larkinsons without any divisions."

"Great."

"It gets worse, boss. Of the thirty-nine naysayers, a few of them consist of Larkinsons who have already made up their minds to leave the clan to join the Larkinson Family instead."

"What?!" Ves sat upright in his chair! "Since they're already turning their backs on the clan, they should be kicked from the Larkinson Assembly!"

Gavin shrugged. "With how the rules of the Assembly are currently set up, that's not entirely possible."

"Maybe we should kick them right now!"

"I won't advise that, Ves. Regardless of how much you are annoyed at them, many Larkinsons still consider them family. They deserve to have a say in the time they are still in the clan."

"Do they really believe that?!"

"Hey, it's your family. You know your own folk best."

His assistant was right. This was exactly what he could foresee the Larkinsons doing!

The problem was that Ves was pretty sure the potential leavers all sided with the Larkinsons who wanted to maintain a fence between the truebloods and the adopted!

Even if they didn't want anything to do with the clan anymore, they were still invested in their Larkinson identities. Naturally, they would do everything in their power to make sure the Larkinson Clan did not dilute the identity of their common name!

While Ves grumbled at this setback, the shuttle soon arrived at its destination. A lot of shuttles tried to ferry their passengers over the Redfeather, but one of the perks of being the clan patriarch was that his ride possessed priority!

Once the shuttle landed, Ves and the rest had to exit quickly in order to make way for the next shuttle. They quickly strode forward and made their way to the middle where a large space in the mech hangar had been cleared for an imposing construction.

Modeled after a semicircular amphitheater, the mech technicians had done a good job at erecting a venue where his upcoming speech would have the greatest effect!

Though there were better places for the Larkinson Assembly to hold its pivotal session, Ves insisted on holding it in the mech hangar of the flagship of the Avatars of Myth.

In his previous tour, he was impressed by how strong and pervasive the glows of the Bright Warriors affected the entire surroundings.

Some of those mechs had been moved elsewhere to make room, but over a dozen Bright Warriors still remained in the vicinity to cast the entire compartment with an aura that was uniquely Larkinson.

All of this setup served a purpose. Ves had used all of his power to manipulate the environment in his favor.

Even now, Ves noticed many assembly members adopting a more solemn and reserved demeanor. In the presence of so many Bright Warriors, this was no time to joke around!

Ovrin Larkinson, in his guise as the speaker, approached Ves in a formal-looking robe. "This is a big day, today. The clan will change forever regardless of what transpires here. I hope that whatever we decide upon will make us stronger."

"Those are my hopes as well." Ves nodded, aware that Ovrin was one of the Larkinsons who was leaning against full integration. "At least some Larkinsons will depart from this ship with less-than-happy expressions. I just hope that they won't take their defeat too personally."

"When it comes to family, everything is personal, Ves. We can't separate sentiment from our decision-making. Not in this instance."

That was true. After a cordial chat with the brother of his grandfather, Ves moved on and approached Commander Melkor.

Though he was also a Larkinson and held an important position, Melkor wasn't a part of the assembly. He was merely milling around in order to chat with some of the Larkinsons who came in person.

"Melkor." Ves greeted. "How is the Redfeather?"

"Everything is as secure as possible. All of the mechs remaining in the hangar are active but locked down. There is a strong escort of Avatars patrolling around the ship. Everything is as safe as can be. My men are all on high alert."

"What do you think of the likely outcome of this session?"

Melkor's mouth curled into a frown. "With how the wind is blowing, my men deserve better. Almost all of them have risked their lives for us in some way. That is far more than what you can expect from mercenaries or regular employees. To me, they're already family."

"I don't disagree. Perhaps there will be a way to avoid this outcome."

Melkor immediately scanned Ves from top to bottom with his visor. Ves was aware of his cousin's action because his comm and his implant detected the scanning waves passing through his body, though they failed to penetrate the bits covered by Synthra Umbra.

"You're up to something again, aren't you? I know you too well, Ves. Whenever you say something like that, you always pull off some sort of stunt. Public speeches like the ones you are about to hold is one of your favorite moments to sway people's opinions!"

Ves held up his hands. "Hey, hey, I haven't done anything yet! Please withhold your judgement until this is over."

The Avatar Commander snorted. "I'll transfer some more Avatars over to the Redfeather in case we need the help."

What a wonderful vote of confidence.

Some time went by until every shuttle deposited an assembly member. The old and distinguished Larkinsons who obtained the honor of representing the clan all took their seats. Though the amphitheater-like construction was an unusual place to hold the session, it wasn't too different from the old steering committee meetings.

Everyone took their places. Ves and Gloriana sat at the throne-like seats elevated above the deck facing the half-circle. Ovrin sat a bit lower and to the front.

He struck the gavel. The amplified sound rang throughout the entire mech hangar, causing everyone to fall silent.

"I declare the commencement of the latest session of the Larkinson Assembly!" The old Larkinson announced with an officious tone. "Today, there is only one topic on the agenda."

While Ovrin went through all of the formalities, Ves tried to gauge the overall mood of the assembly members.

Though they all looked similar to the naked eye, Ves perceived a lot of variety in their emotions. It was easy to guess which Larkinsons wanted to carve out a special status for the truebloods.

Depressingly, the estimate that Gavin had given him wasn't too far from the truth.

The session proceeded until a Larkinson elder finally had the opportunity to address the Assembly.

"Fellow Larkinsons," Caratan Larkinson began. "We all know what the Larkinson Clan needs. Our numbers are low and allies are hard to find. The proposal to add new members to the clan is an understandable one in the circumstances."

Ves quietly snorted. Caratan Larkinson was one of the ringleaders of the clansmen who were planning to defect to Ark Larkinson. For someone who wanted to jump over to the Larkinson Family to talk as if he cared about the clan was a giant farce!

Still, as long as he hadn't actually left, he still possessed the right to attend the assembly session!

Caratan continued his speech. "However, in our enthusiasm to strengthen our clan, I would like to caution you all to please exercise restraint! While it is fine to change the definition of the clan to accommodate our changing circumstances, it is a mistake to go too far! Many family organizations have made a distinction between trueblood members and adopted members. In our star sector, the Gauge Dynasty is the most prominent example! Though it is huge in terms of membership, only a small percentage of them consists of those descended from the founders of the dynasty! Nonetheless, it has emerged as the most powerful partner of the Coalition!"

Ves frowned at the use of the Gauge Dynasty as an example. He held a personal animosity towards it due to Lady Curver's actions!

A lot of other Larkinsons reacted negatively to the example as well, but they couldn't help but admit that Caratan was right to refer to the Gauge Dynasty as a successful example!

"No matter what you think about the Gauge Dynasty, its success is undeniable. I think we should all draw upon its example and use its promotion system as a powerful way to manage our new clansmen!"

A lot of Larkinsons had already been inclined towards this solution. Their determination to vote in favor of this model only rose after Caratan had his say.

Several other assembly members got their turn as well. Various supporters of full integration had their say as well, but none of them were as convincing as Caratan Larkinson.

It was too difficult to assure the assembly members that everything would go right if they went for the more radical option.

Ves quietly groaned and palmed his face as he sank into his throne.

"Looks like it all rests on my shoulders."