The Mech Touch

The Larkinsons provided plenty of input on the branch system that Ves wanted to implement.

The premise of it was simple. The main branch of Larkinsons consisted of those who were permanently stationed in the fleet. These were the most authentic members of the clan and received the most rights and privileges.

Of course, their attachment to a fleet that sometimes went on dangerous expeditions also meant they had to bear the corresponding risks and other costs.

Life aboard starships could be harsh, monotonous and isolating. Few people believed that living in space all the time was better than living on a planet like Davute.

This was why Ves wanted to make sure that the clansmen who were willing to live at least a significant part of their lives in space received the best treatment in the Larkinson Clan.

Overall, the treatment of the clansmen in the main branch did not change in any meaningful way. The clan already provided the Larkinsons with generous treatment so Ves and the others saw no need to change this in any way aside from a modest increase in salaries and other minor benefits.

What really mattered was how the clan would treat its side branch members.

It was unrealistic to value them as much as the main branch members. If the Larkinson Clan ever grew to the point where it had established hundreds if not thousands of branches across many star systems, then it was impossible to protect and provide for the people living in these far-flung locations.

"We should treat them as reserve members." General Verle explained his own views on the matter. "One of the persistent problems we have is that we rely too much on external recruitment to address our manpower needs. While this sounds like a convenient solution, it is not the most reliable one over the long term. Instead of supplementing any losses or vacancies with outsiders, why not draw them from our branches?"

"That is a good approach." Calabast looked thoughtful. "The side branch members may not be as good as the main branch members, but they are already Larkinsons for the most part. Compared to the months and years it takes to train and indoctrinate outsiders, our clan can easily assimilate the side branch members into our main body in a fraction of the time."

Calabast possessed a strong opinion on this topic due to her personal experiences. She started off as a side branch member of the Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty. She bore all of the expectations and demands of this powerful Hexer family organization but could never match the importance of the main branch members.

In the Vraken Matriarchal Dynasty and most family organizations, bloodline and parentage defined one's status from birth. The main branch was the equivalent of the royal family of a state while the side branches were akin to lower aristocrats who did most of the more mundane work.

Such an approach was incompatible to the Larkinson Clan. From the beginning, Ves had set it up as a meritocracy, and the clansmen who followed him mostly inherited the same mentality.

While Ves had no illusions that his clan could be completely impartial towards the worth of different clansmen, he at least wished to avoid the excesses and inefficiencies of other family organizations.

To be fair, the Vrakens, Evans and even the Crossers had good reasons to pay so much attention to lineage.

It was hard to guarantee the loyalty and interests of every member. Those who were born in the periphery of a family would not necessarily be loyal enough to serve in its best interests.

Members of the main branch often received a much more focused and privileged upbringing. They became deeply entangled and invested in the current power structure. Their loyalty was much more guaranteed as the main branch members were much less likely to screw over the organization that brought them the most benefits!

The Larkinson Clan did not have to do all of this because of the existence of the Larkinson Network.

Every leader and high-ranking official seated at this table implicitly knew about the Larkinson Network. Some had even met and interacted with the Golden Cat in person!

With such a powerful and effective loyalty monitor at work, the clansmen did not have to regard each other with so much suspicion.

Ves did not wish to provoke too many internal contradictions within his clan. He wanted it to be like the original Larkinson Family where every member showed at least a measure of respect and goodwill towards their fellow Larkinsons.

This was why many of the Larkinsons did not wish to lower the status of the side branch members too much.

"The reserve members of our clan should always have access to a promotion channel." Calabast insisted. "In order to preserve the long-term health and vitality of the clan, we should give excellent side branch members the opportunity to promote to the main branch."

Ves already held the same thoughts. "Agreed. The requirements for a side brancher to become a main brancher should not be too low. As long as the side brancher has earned enough Larkinson merits or possesses skills and expertise that our clan sorely needs, he or she is eligible to be promoted to the main branch. Of course, that also means that this individual must accept the corresponding duties and obligations of a full member of our clan."

In this way, every Larkinson had the option to transition from the main branch to the side branch and vice versa. No one was forced to remain stuck on a starship or a boring rural branch for the rest of their lives.

Even Gloriana, who used to be a main branch member of the Wodin Dynasty, could get behind this sort of system.

"This is also a good way to ensure that the core of our clan will remain the best." She opined. "Those who work in the fleet who are unable or unwilling to keep up with the demands of the fleet can be pushed to our branches. Those who work at one of the planetary branches and have performed well can be transferred to the main branch in order to enhance its strength."

It was a logical and well-balanced system as long as there was enough upwards and downwards mobility.

It could not be too low or else a lot of clansmen would never be able to maximize their potential.

It could not be too high either or else there would be too much chaos and disruption.

After the Larkinsons who attended this planning session agreed on this essential framework, it did not take long to fill out the remaining details.

Compared to a main branch member, a side branch member received lower salaries, fewer benefits, more limited access to the Larkinson exchange and less protection from the clan as a whole. A side brancher also possessed a weaker connection to the Larkinson Network.

Nobody aside from Ves understood what this meant.

"Just think of it as a lower bandwidth connection to the Larkinson Network." He said. "The basics are still there, but there is less exchange of data. One of the consequences to this is that a side branch member is a lot more free to think and act as he likes."

This was an important difference. Essentially, the Larkinson Clan would have less of a hold of a side branch member. Whether this was beneficial or the opposite depended on the individual.

In any case, a side branch member may receive much less generous treatment from the clan, but their rights and obligations weren't as strict either.

The clan did not care as much about them. They were not obliged to defend the clan to the death or anything exaggerated like that. Neither were they expected to tackle dangerous or difficult challenges in order to maintain sufficient progress.

The side branches could choose to live a more leisurely life. This was perfect for the older generation of the clan such as Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson who were looking forward to stepping down and enjoying their well-deserved retirement.

Ves finally concluded this discussion by clapping his hand. "Alright, it's settled then. We have come to an agreement on implementing a branch system that operates according to what we have agreed. For now, I am only certain about setting up a single branch on Davute VII and maybe another planet in the Krakatoa Middle Zone, but I have no doubt that we will set up many more branches in the future. That will be the time when our branches shall bloom throughout the Red Ocean."

The clan had to fill up many more details about the branch system before it could properly implement it, but the Larkinson Assembly could take care of it. Ves and the others in the conference room still had to go through many other subjects.

General Verle stood up at this time. "We have come to a point in time where our clansmen do not have to remain shackled to our fleet on a long-term basis. The branch system is a good idea, but I want to offer a solution that is specific to the soldiers of the Larkinson Army. I propose to implement a mechanism where adventurous groups of Larkinsons can detach from our fleet and accept mercenary contracts. Setting up a 'Mercenary Hall' has many benefits. Not only will our mech pilots and other servicemen be able to seek out battles when our clan is at peace, the mercenary work will also expand their horizons and turn them into more rounded individuals."

A lot of members of the Larkinson Army already knew about this proposal in advance. Ves was in on it as well.

However, the news still surprised the civilian half of the Larkinson Clan.

"Won't we compromise the defense of our fleet if we send out too many mech units to perform mercenary work?"

"It won't be a problem as long as we maintain a deeper reserve of mechs and mech pilots." Verle answered. "We can also impose limits on how many of our soldiers are able to go out at once."

"Won't this expose our soldiers to dangers that can wipe them all out at once? Part of our strength comes from our unity. If a promising group of soldiers are confronted by a fleet of angry nunsers, we will suffer a deep loss!"

This was a grave concern. Mercenary life in the Red Ocean was far more dangerous than in the Milky Way.

At the very least, mercenary outfits in the old galaxy could always retreat when fighting against other mech forces.

The same could not be said when powerful alien fleets or beasts attacked the mercenaries!

The strength and numbers of these threats varied wildly. Some alien forces were weak or solitary while others were stronger or came in great numbers!

Even the expeditionary fleet in its current form risked annihilation whenever it traveled around.

Although there were relatively few alien forces roaming around the hinterland of human-occupied space that could threaten the entire Golden Skull Alliance, there was no question that they existed!

The chances of bumping into them were very low, fortunately. The chances of bumping into weaker alien forces was higher.

This might not be a concern for the expeditionary fleet, but smaller detachments were in much greater danger!

"We all understand the risks, but if we want our soldiers to temper themselves in battle, we have to give them the opportunity to do so." General Verle stated. "Each of them must accept the risks that come with accepting mercenary contracts in the new frontier. They will need to rely on their luck and judgment to return with their lives and mechs intact."

There was no doubt to many Larkinsons that the establishment of this Mercenary Hall would lead to substantial attrition among the mech legions. Valuable soldiers could die at any point and expensive Larkinson mechs might get trashed or lost along the way.

The costs were great, but Ves and General Verle still felt it was necessary to give the members of the Larkinson Army access to this outlet.

Peace could never produce the best soldiers! Only serious battles could prepare them for the future conflicts that mattered to the clan!