The Mech Touch (Web Novel)-Chapter 6959 Minor Factions of the Larkinson Clan

This was the clan that Ves had made. It was his child, and to see it grow up halfway only for another parent to come and raise the clan in a different way was frustrating!

Ves really did not want the Territory Faction and the Enterprise Faction to gain control over the clan.

Unfortunately, given how large and diverse the Larkinson Clan had become, it was inevitable for its members to become split and develop diverging interests.

For now, the Elite Faction maintained a definite lead. Ves could not imagine many situations where Saint Commander Casella Ingvar would drop the ball and lose the election.

Yet the possibility still existed.

Ves thought about ways to increase the probability that the Larkinsons would vote for the candidate that most closely advocated for a continuation of his original policies.

However, he quickly figured out that the clan did not welcome his overt or covert intervention.

Ves already had his chance of leading the clan.

In order to promote its development, the Saint Commander had to be able to campaign by relying on her own strength instead of that of her predecessor.

While many of Ves' core supporters would definitely support Casella, she needed space to differentiate herself from him and show that she could iterate on the current development strategy of the clan.

In other words, Casella needed to present enough novelty to convince people that she would become a strong leader in her own right rather than serving as his puppet.

Ves therefore decided to maintain an appropriate distance from the Saint Commander.

Of course, it was mainly because her chances of winning were already so strong that he did not find it necessary to lend a hand.

The story would be different if she was an underdog like Chief Minister Novilon Purnesse.

After Gavin had briefed Ves on the major factions, he spared a bit of time on describing the other political factors at play.

"There are interest groups that strongly care about singular issues. They do not really constitute solid factions at this point, but they are definitely passionate about their pet causes."

"Describe them for me, Gavin."

His assistant projected more than a dozen different labels, of which four of them stood out among the others.

"The Sword Faction led by Swordmaster Ketis Larkinson is an obvious power bloc. They are compromised of the Swordmaidens, the Heavensworders, many other mech pilots who specialize in piloting sword-wielding mechs and their fans. They do not have any strong ambitions. They just want to secure their current rights and treatment in the clan so that they can develop and master reformed swordsmanship."

Ves crossed his arms. "If the reformed swordsmen in our clan want to grow and exceed their limitations, then they need access to the best wargear. They also need to temper themselves in repeated battles above a certain degree of intensity. They should all cast their vote to Casella if they know what is good for them. The other two leading candidates shouldn't have as much to offer."

"That concurs with my assessment. Many of their mech pilots are active in the expeditionary fleet. They served directly under the Saint Commander. A large proportion of mech pilots have even turned into her Knights or Barons for a time, enabling them to experience a taste of what it is like to wield power beyond mortal limitations. Their respect and gratitude towards their former commanding officer is unanimously high. The only individuals they respect more is Swordmaster Ketis and Saint Dise."

In other words, the Sword Faction was pro-Casella all the way. The other leaders did not have much to offer.

Perhaps an argument could be made that voting for Ark would give them the opportunity to colonize their own planets in the future. This would give them bases of operations where they could recreate a version of the Heavensword Association and train large numbers of reformed swordsmen as well as mech pilots who specialized in this new brand of swordsmanship.

However, all of this was contingent on red humanity beating back the alien offensive. It also took a lot of time to build up those colonies, expand their populations and train large armies of reformed swordsmen.

All of that required serious long-term thinking and planning. Although Ves did not think the sword fanatics of the Larkinson Clan were imbeciles, they generally did not bother to think that far ahead.

"We don't have to worry about the Sword Faction." Ves concluded. "What else?"

"There is the Trueblood Faction. They not only compromise the small number of members of the original Larkinson Family, but also their spouses and those that greatly admire the bloodline. They revere the blood that flows through the veins of the authentic sons and daughters of the old family to the point of elevating them to a mythical status. After all, your family has produced multiple excellent heroes, ranging from Saint General Ark Larkinson to Venerable Jannzi Larkinson. There is also you, of course. Even your children show amazing promise."

Though Ves happened to be a trueblood Larkinson, he did not really look all that impressed.

"That is… an unscientific way of looking at things." He said. "My blood has long mutated beyond recognition. As far as the symbolic value of my bloodline is concerned, I can see where they are coming from, but it is not our biology that has made us so respected, but our legacy and traditions."

"Even if people should know better, they still believe that truebloods are the exemplars of the clan. Their blood possesses the power of miracles. As long as you have authentic Larkinson blood flowing through your veins, you can defeat powerful phase whales, earn the right to field warships and even break the genetic aptitude tyranny."

Ves still remained unimpressed. "Those gains are made by reasons other than blood. While I am still proud of family and heritage, trueblood Larkinsons are still human. Besides, most Larkinsons including myself have long ceased to pay attention to bloodline. We are not a clan that obsesses over it to the point of keeping non-blood members in the periphery. It is of great significance that Casella Ingvar is able to become the favorite despite her status as an adopted Larkinson. Ark's trueblood status may give him an advantage, but it cannot erase his missteps and lack of great achievements."

Gavin smiled after hearing that. As an 'adopted' Larkinson himself, he hoped that people like him would be able to enjoy the same privileges and opportunities as those who possessed genuine Larkinson blood.

He did not want to see the clan turn into a two-tier institution where the adopted solely existed to serve the needs of the truebloods.

"Many people agree with you, but the Trueblood Faction will never disappear. It even has a chance to grow bigger so long as there are enough truebloods who end up achieving great success. What is worse is that most truebloods are actually inclined to support the agenda espoused by Ark as opposed to Casella. The former aligns much closely to the ideals and ambitions of the original Larkinson Family."

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Ves sneered. How typical.

Territory was a double-edged sword in the current time period of the Red Ocean. Many states had already fallen.

A huge amount of pioneers and colonists had lost most of their assets as the native alien invaders ruthlessly looted everything they could quickly drag away before bombarding their mansions, shops and factories into scrap.

If Ves had tried to turn the Larkinson Clan into a typical territorial power, then there was a great chance that every Larkinson would be crying right now due to losing nearly all of their foundation!

"Idiots. Okay, enough of them. Next."

"There is the Terran Faction." Gavin said. "The Premier Branch is young, but it has already grown into the strongest fist of our clan. Many of its members are recruited locally and regionally. Former Terran citizens such as Miss Alexa Streon have become the backbone of the Premier Fleet. Many of them have begun to put forth a proposal that holds a certain degree of attraction to other clansmen."

"What do they propose?"

"Join the Terran Alliance. Yes, I am serious, Ves. They think that if the Larkinson Clan are not able to do well while maintaining independence, it could always apply to join the Terran colonial superstate. The Terrans are much less strict about the rules than in the past, and the ongoing war has made them eager to enhance their military strength. We can offer that in numerous different ways. Our prestige and contributions have already impressed the Terrans to the point where they would welcome us with open arms. We have a realistic chance of transforming our clan into the newest Terran ancient clan."

"..."

To be honest, Ves respected and admired the Terrans. The time he spent on New Constantinople VIII had opened his eyes to their ideology as well as their practical actions.

The Terrans may still be burdened by lots of historical grievances, but they were pretty reasonable in other ways.

Their natural arrogance and their profligacy did not stop them from prioritizing stability and continuity. Many of the common folk enjoyed good lives and received modest opportunities for advancements.

While the Terran ancient clans maintained a stranglehold on the upper part of the Terran superstate, they knew their limits and never engaged in any tyrannical acts. That would upset their long-term stability which was a big taboo from their perspective.

Even so, Ves still did not like to see his clan getting absorbed by the Terran Alliance.

It was nice to join a big club and enjoy all of the protection of the big boys, but the Larkinson Clan would lose its most essential sovereignty. All Larkinsons had to conform to the laws and culture of the Terrans.

There was no need to think about selling out the Larkinson Clan at this point.

However, he did not entirely rule out the option.

If the clan suffered a catastrophe and urgently needed shelter in order to rebuild itself, joining the Terran Alliance was a decent backup option.

The Terrans would still be happy to protect the remnants of the clan and help them become another part of the Terran Alliance's establishment.

The Larkinsons would have to give up on many of its rules and traditions if that happened.

It would be doubtful if Ves would still be able to recognize his clan after getting assimilated into the Terran colonial superstate.

"This is pretty much a form of capitulation." Ves said. "Our clan should never consider this option until there is no better alternative."

"Don't worry. Most clansmen value their independence. Of course, this only holds so long as we are able to stand on our own two feet in this dangerous dwarf galaxy. The moment we suffer an enormous setback, the asylum offered by the Terran Alliance becomes a lot more attractive."