The Mech Touch

Not even Gloriana argued against the need to take a break. The entire Design Department enjoyed a few days worth of vacation as the four Journeymen needed plenty of rest after completing a marathon fabrication run.

Though it was impossible for Ves, Gloriana, Juliet and Ketis to stop thinking about the Dark Zephyr. They frequently accessed the data and drew their own conclusions.

There was no hurry, though. The Golden Skull Alliance had already halted its journey long enough in order to give the Larkinson Clan enough time to fabricate and test the expert mech. The expeditionary fleet still had to reach its next stop in time in order to conduct the business transactions that it had already agreed upon.

Once the fleet transitioned back into FTL travel, it was impossible for the Dark Zephyr to take a stroll outside of the protective envelope that shielded the starships from the dangerous and unpredictable environment of the higher dimensions.

This was a huge bummer for Venerable Tusa who had already become addicted to piloting his impressive new machine.

The only thing he could do was to keep the Dark Zephyr company while it was parked in the hangar bay. Even if he didn't interface with the expert mech, just spending a sufficient amount of time with it already increased his affinity and familiarity with his chosen war machine.

Later on, the Design Department would gather a sufficient amount of real data to create an accurate simulation of the expert mech. While it was not possible to simulate true resonance or any other form of resonance in a virtual setting, it was very helpful for Tusa to master the basic traits of the Dark Zephyr.

As a couple of days went by, the expeditionary fleet made rapid progress as they jumped from a distant star system straight to a commercially busy port system.

If everything went well, the Larkinson Clan would not only pick up a batch of new recruits, but also take possession of four second-hand capital ships.

Though Shederin Purnasse had yet to close the deal on this huge transaction, Ves figured it was only a matter of time before the Larkinsons gained the new vessels.

However, the addition of four large starships presented the Larkinson Clan with new challenges.

In order to discuss this issue and other matters, Ves met with a couple of Purnessers.

As Ves sat in his office, he idly played with Lucky. He threw a little floating ball across the room and gave his cat an expectant look.

"Well?"

"Meow?"

"Aren't you going to fetch the ball?"

Lucky continued to lounge on the desk and showed no indication of jumping off. "Meow."

Ves furrowed his brows. He tried something different this time. He retrieved a toy mouse and threw it on the other side of his private office.

His cat continued to stay put. Lucky even adopted a look of disdain as he lazily swished his metallic tail. "Meow."

"Fine! What about this, then?!"

Ves pulled out a precious mineral out of his pocket and threw it out. This time, he managed to elicit a reaction from his cat.

"Meow!"

Lucky somersaulted from his perch and flew straight towards the spot where the chunk of silvery substance had landed. The cat blissfully took a bite out of the ore and savored the taste while squinting his eyes.

"Meow~"

The gem cat did not show any intention of bringing the mineral back to Ves!

"Cats." Ves exasperatingly said as he rubbed his face.

Fortunately, the entry of a pair of Purnessers distracted him from his failure. Shederin and his son Novilon both approached the front of the desk before taking their seats.

The older man was a familiar presence to Ves by now. Ever since the former ambassador headed the Foreign Relations Department of the Larkinson Clan, he enabled and accelerated a lot of new initiatives due to his strong ability to befriend new people and forge new agreements.

The only blemish on his record so far was his failure to secure the new capital ships, but Ves didn't blame Shederin at all for that. Anyone would find it difficult to secure a deal around extremely precious assets that continue to rise in value in these turbulent times.

The meeting today was partially about this issue but also revolved around another important initiative.

Shederin saw fit to bring his son with him today. When Ves glanced at the middle-aged man that was supposed to succeed his father.

The younger Purnesse actually looked quite decent to Ves. Novilon Purnesse was one of the many able-bodied survivors that had been put through an indoctrination program. Though many within the clan complained that the program had been crude and hastily put together, the results were quite satisfactory in his eyes.

Novilon did not exhibit a single arrogant bone. His pride had long been beaten out of him and he readily adopted a subdued and unpretentious posture.

When Ves studied him on a spiritual level, he was satisfied to see that the man forged a decent connection to the Larkinson Network. While it was not as strong as that of a more fanatical loyalist, the thickness of the current connection gave him enough confidence that Novilon was here to stay.

"Mr. Shederin, let's begin with the stalled capital ship acquisitions. Is there anything I need to know?"

The older man clasped his hands. "We are dealing with a typical profiteer. It is difficult to apply leverage to the potential seller because the company that owns the capital ships is a major player in the regional ship market. Any company that can buy, refurbish and sell ships of this size is formidable. Our clan does not have any fame in the Bardo Star Sector, so it is impossible to rely on our reputation and prior accomplishments to our advantage."

As far as Ves was aware of, none of his products had reached as far as the Bardo Star Sector. Even if they did, it wouldn't have mattered anyway as the LMC only supplied third-class mechs to the market.

This was still a rather unfamiliar situation to Ves. He had worked hard to put his name and the names of the Larkinson Clan and the Living Mech Corporation on the map so that he had become a household name in the Komodo Star Sector and beyond. The entire Yeina Star Cluster had become flooded with Doom Guards and Ferocious Piranhas as of late, which easily allowed him to remain prominent.

All of that had become invalid now that they entered a star cluster that had no intersection with Ves or his products.

"So what you're saying is that our lack of reputation in these parts causes us to look like a regular customer, is that right?"

"That is an accurate assessment." Shederin replied. "The only factor that distinguishes us from other customers or should I say bidders is that we are more willing to splurge money to obtain the starships. It is a pity that the seller is demanding more than money these days. It is difficult to buy political favors, protection, useful connections and other intangible benefits with money."

This meant that the company in question was likely receiving numerous inquiries from more powerful and more connected local powers. This was bad news to Ves, but he showed little concern in front of the Purnessers.

"We'll solve this problem one way or another. If necessary, we'll visit the ship dealer in person to make him acquainted with our clan." He dismissively said.

The Larkinson Clan of today was not the Larkinson Clan of a year ago. With over 100,000 members and a whole host of experts and specialists in the fleet, the Larkinsons were able to solve many different problems in many different ways!

They moved on to a newer but more impactful topic to the Larkinson Clan.

"Tell me about the reforms you've been cooking up." Ves smiled as he began to grow more intrigued. "From what I've heard, you intend to transform our entire governance system from the ground up. That is a pretty drastic measure and I'm not sure if we should tackle something like that when our clan is running fine at the moment."

Mr. Shederin gently shook his head. "I have a different opinion on the matter, sir. While you are correct that the current clan administration is running relatively smoothly with few signs of dysfunction, that is in spite of its governance structure, not because of it. The… remarkable sense of loyalty that our clan is able to instill in every member has played a huge role in this, but that is not enough to ensure our administration will keep running smoothly once we keep expanding. In fact, the early warning signs are already obvious."

"Like what?"

He gestured straight at Ves. "Forgive me for saying this, but you are an absent and derelict leader. This instance is a good example of that. You have been out of contact for more than a week while you have been preoccupied with making the first expert mech for our clan. I am not suggesting that you have done anything wrong, but because of the two identities that you assume, it is hard for you to do well in both. You clearly value your mech designer responsibilities more, so your clan patriarch responsibilities have suffered as a result."

The entire office fell into an uncomfortable silence after Shederin made his harsh but admittedly fair judgement. He would have to be incompetent if he did not recognize one of the persistent problems of the Larkinson Clan when he possessed an outsider's perspective.

His blunt and direct words showed that he was being sincere. He neither massaged the truth or exaggerated the problem. He simply described the situation from his own standpoint.

Of course, even if Shederin adopted a more negative tone, Ves still wouldn't mind. The old man may not have been a Larkinson for long, but the two already developed a good bond.

How could a former ambassador of a large, second-rate state ever be bad at befriending his new boss? Ves just found it natural to pull Shederin Purnesse in his inner circle.

Anyone who had become one of his closest advisors had the right to criticize him. Only by addressing the problem directly would Ves become aware of problems that needed addressing.

From what it sounded like, Shederin definitely wanted to share his opinion.

Ves waved his hand. "This is a known problem. I think none of us ever got around to addressing it because we don't want to make too many drastic changes and because the issue is not that acute."

"Muddling through may work for now, but it is a short-sighted approach. Instead of crashing into a mountain that you can already see far ahead, it is better to slow down or make a detour well in advance."

"What is the course correction that you are proposing then?" Ves raised his eyebrow.

Mr. Shederin smiled in response. "I have been working on a set of reforms that should address not just this problem but many other governance problems that I have ascertained. For ease of understanding, I've packaged my proposals in a single cohesive proposal that I call the Larkinson State Plan."

"The what?!"

"I am not alluding to a traditional state." Shederin quickly said. "What I mean to convey with this name is that our clan has already grown large enough to be governed as a state. However, up until now, the bureaucracy and hierarchy has only reluctantly moved in this direction. What I propose is to drag our clan completely into the structure of a proper state."

"What does all of this entail?"

"For one, it means fleshing out the executive branch of the clan administration. It currently has the most deficiencies, especially when it comes to your own official office. You don't even have a dedicated staff that is able to manage clan affairs on your behalf. The closest that comes to mind is your personal secretary, but even he cannot do much without sufficient authority."

"What is your solution to that, then?"

Mr. Shederin gestured towards Novilon Purnesse. "This is why I have brought my son. One of the key components of my plan is to invest in someone who can take charge of clan affairs on your behalf. I believe my son possesses the qualifications to run an increasingly more complex space-faring clan."

"..."