The Mech Touch

Ves fully understood the underlying intent behind the Larkinson State Plan.

It primarily served to balance out the interests of all of the stakeholders of the Larkinson Clan. Chief Diplomat Shederin Purnesse was particularly sensitive towards the level of content and discontent of different groups of Larkinsons, so he sought to develop a transition plan that would bring the clan to a form where everyone would reasonably be happy.

According to the old man's vision, Ves would become more content by passing on authority he wasn't using much anyway but still be able to remain on top when it mattered most.

The growing civilian population of the Larkinson Clan would have little reason to defy the current order because they enjoyed sufficient representation. The members of the Larkinson Assembly as well as the heads of the Larkinson Ministries became accountable to the 'people'. In exchange for wielding a considerable amount of power and legitimacy, they had to endure all of the tedious squabbling from different subgroups.

The mech pilots and other servicemen in the Larkinson Army would remain content as well. Their grasp on most of the military strength and their crucial role in keeping the Larkinson Clan alive meant that no one would be stupid enough to neglect their desires.

Fortunately, every soldier came from the civilian population and the integration between the two was quite tight due to living on cramped ships. This meant that the alienation between the CFA and human society was unlikely to take place in the clan.

Even if other Larkinsons began neglecting their own soldiers one day, Ves would always back them up with fantastic mech designs, thereby ensuring that he and his own protectors remained intertwined for many years to come.

The expert pilots enjoyed less power and authority in the Larkinson Clan than in other organizations, but their needs were well taken care of. Ves provided them with the most potent living mechs while the rest of the clan all looked up to them. Even if more politically-active mech pilots like Venerable Jannzi emerged, the structure of the Larkinson Administration was designed to both accommodate and limit their influence.

However, the most influential individuals in the Larkinson Clan were definitely its mech designers. Due to its history and development under the leadership of Ves, no prominent mech designer would remain anonymous.

The best ones might even attain a status close to Ves in the future. Their immense earning potential along with the capability to satisfy the greatest needs of Larkinson mech pilots meant that prominent mech designers possessed the capability to earn widespread support from every stakeholder of the Larkinson Clan.

This support served as the essential foundation of leadership. Without support, a mech designer would never be able to exercise real power in the Larkinson.

On the other hand, as long as a mech designer like Ketis became popular in many circles, even Ves had to give her sufficient space.

After Shederin and Novilon Purnesse outlined the Larkinson State Plan, it was time for Ves to issue his judgement.

"You need to make a decision sooner or later." Shederin emphasized. "While my plan will disadvantage you in the short term, the transition away from a despotic state will give you plenty of room to secure your position in the long term. The key is to empower different stakeholders while preventing them from becoming too dominant. The implementation of several new checks and balances along with fostering internal rivalry will keep most people occupied with competing against each other rather than setting their sights on you. An invisible leader is a lot less easy to target than more visible ones."

Ves faintly had the impression that Shederin's governance model took inspiration from the ruling structure of the Bright Republic.

From a legacy standpoint, the founding families of the Larkinson Clan succeeded in retaining the most essential reins of power over their state. While every Brighter knew that the The Tovar Family and so on carried a lot of weight, no one ever challenged these powerful families because they didn't officially rule over the entire Bright Republic.

As Ves weighed the implications of this expansive plan, he understood that Shederin was essentially encouraging him to become the mastermind in the shadows rather than the emperor in the open.

While the latter position sounded much more impressive and prestigious, Ves was not a professional politician and he did not have any inherent desire to rule. Controlling the Larkinson Clan was a means to an end for him, so why should he quibble over the details?

He let out a deep breath and faced Shederin with a calm expression. "I can't make a decision right away. Your plan is based on many predictions and assumptions that may or may not be accurate. I need to see more studies that prove that everything will proceed as you have claimed. A reform package as big as this also needs to obtain the support of the Larkinson Assembly in order to pass without significant obstruction. The rights and responsibilities of a lot of people will change if your plan is passed, so it is best to build up plenty of awareness first in order to prevent any unpleasant surprises."

"Understood." Shederin Purnesse nodded. "Those are my thoughts as well. I have carefully constructed my plan to benefit every major stakeholder in some fashion, and I am confident that they will recognize the necessity for our clan to get ready for the future. I do not anticipate any significant objections since they are mostly gaining power at the expense of yourself."

Ves partially felt as if he was already admitting defeat ahead of time. In order to prevent a hypothetical rebellion that might or might not happen in the far future, he was supposedly making the far-sighted decision to concede power ahead of time in order to cling to whatever he had left.

The disadvantages of this choice were obvious.

The question was whether the benefits outweighed the downsides. He didn't trust his own judgement on this matter and he was quite reluctant to lean on the judgement of a single other person, even if it was someone who was very adept at statecraft such as Shederin Purnesse.

The safest course of action was to circulate the plan among the upper echelons of the Larkinson Clan and listen to their input. With more people taking a look at the Larkinson State Plan, Ves hoped to hear enough opinions to gain a thorough understanding of all of the consequences.

Shederin did not expect Ves to accept his reform plan right away. Receiving permission to explore his plan further was already the best answer he could hope for. As long as he was able to convince every other stakeholder to accept the reforms, it would only be a matter of time before Ves gave his assent.

The air in the office grew colder after Ves had made his tentative decision. Everyone knew that the chance of this plan going through was high. It was already a given that the patriarch would become a much less dominant entity in the near future.

Ves decided to ask one more question. "By the way, what is your reason to nominate your son as the vice patriarch?"

Shederin gestured at Novilon. "He is the most suitable candidate to establish the office of vice patriarch and implement our reforms. He is highly qualified in matters of high-level governance and I have confidence that he will not lose control or go astray."

"He hasn't been a Larkinson for long."

"It is exactly because he is new to the Larkinson Clan that he is able to view it from a more neutral and objective standpoint." Shederin easily replied. "As a Purnesser and my protégé, he possesses a thorough understanding of the theories and examples that I have relied upon to draft my reform plan. You cannot find a better person to become the first vice patriarch of the Larkinson Clan."

"I have a different opinion." Ves stated. "No offense, but you Purnessers are moving into power too quickly. I know that you guys are hugely qualified and so on, but that is not the sole criteria which determines who gets to make the important decisions. There is an even more important quality that leaders must have."

"...And what is that, sir?"

"Loyalty." Ves stated.

"I see." Shederin slowly replied. What Ves said was not entirely beyond his expectations. It fit with his profile. "Then how can my son and I prove our loyalty to the Larkinson Clan further? I believe we have already made a considerable amount of effort to show our commitment to the clan."

"I'm aware of that. If you weren't sincere about serving the Larkinson Clan, you wouldn't have never been able to sit in front of me in the first place. However, that is not enough for me to put my unreserved trust in you. I much prefer to lean on the comrades that have stood by my side from the beginning."

Shederin began to frown. "What do you have in mind, then? The arguments that I have laid out still apply. I doubt that anyone else can implement the reforms as well as myself, my son or another qualified Purnesser."

"Who says our clan should only have a single vice patriarch?"

"Pardon?"

Ves smirked. "I don't really feel reassured to put all of my eggs in one basket. I think it's best if we add a couple of other baskets. If one of them gets crushed, I won't lose all of my eggs straight away. I think we can start with introducing three vice patriarchs. That way, you can vote on certain decisions among yourselves."

This was not an original component of Shederin's plan, but to the former ambassador's credit, he accepted the suggestion without trying to fight it. He understood that this was one of several ways for Ves to cope with the drastic changes. By splitting and diluting the power of the effective head the Larkinson Administration, none of the vice patriarchs would be able to pursue their selfish interest unscrupulously.

"Who do you have in mind for the vice patriarchs?"

Ves gestured at Novilon. "I can allow your son to become one of the vice patriarchs, but the other two must be old-timers who have already been in the clan for a long time. They need to serve as a check and a counterbalance to the newer influences of the Larkinson Clan. Ideally, one of them should have a military background and the other one should come from the LMC."

According to this scheme, the vice patriarchs came from each of the three pillars of the Larkinson Clan. While there were downsides to this, Ves wanted to ensure that none of the essential pillars was unrepresented at the top of the hierarchy.

Shederin nodded. "Understood. Will you be nominating the candidates yourself?"

"Yup. I'll give you a list by the end of the week. I need to make a careful consideration of who should represent my will and the will of the clan."

The power to select and dismiss the vice patriarchs was essential to Ves. It was one of his most important means of influencing the direction of the clan. Best of all was that if any of them made a mistake, none of the blame should fall on himself!

This latest alteration caused Ves to feel more at ease. In essence, Ves employed the same principles that Shederin had employed, but this time at the vice patriarch level. By dividing this rank, he would ensure he would always be able to conquer them if necessary.

The lengthy meeting eventually ended on an optimistic note. The current version of the plan was much more palatable to Ves. The Purnessers didn't even lose that much either. Regardless of how many vice patriarchs got to be in charge, it was already a certainty that many of them would become a part of the clan administration.

"I hope they will see themselves as Larkinsons first and Purnessers second." Ves muttered.