The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1985

Chapter 1985 Little Fellows

Before he exited the podium, Ves made one more announcement. This happened to be the best time to break the news and make sure to give his fellow clansmen something positive to occupy their minds as they returned to their ships and resumed their work!

"My fellow clansmen. The Bright Republic may have been a source of continuous bad news to us, but at the same time the Battle of Bentheim took place, we achieved at least one victory!"

The Larkinsons all paid very close attention to Ves. In the backdrop of such an enormous disaster, what could ever constitute as good news?

Ves ignored their doubts and grinned. "I am finally able to announce that the Larkinsons that the government of the Bright Republic has rounded up have been freed! Certain.. allies of mine have broken into Spotlight's secret prison and rescued every Larkinson willing to leave! As we speak, they are being safely ferried to the Sentinel Kingdom, where they can meet up with our clan and the old family!"

The moment the clansmen realized the significance of his words, they jumped to their feet and cheered!

His unexpected but very welcome announcement decisively cleared away the dark cloud that settled over their heads. Though everyone still mourned for the loss of Bentheim, the Larkinsons cared much more about their relatives!

After he successfully turned a solemn mourning event into a jubilant rally, Ves considered his work to be done. He exited the podium with a smile.

He lingered a bit in order to talk and mingle with some of the Larkinsons in person. He spoke to Clinton, Raymond, Magdalena, Melkor and other influential Larkinsons in order to sound out their stances and figure out their priorities.

Overall, the leaders in his clan were very happy about the successful rescue attempt. Ves had a feeling that he won a lot of kudos from them and redeemed a part of his image in their eyes.

Once everyone started to return to their assigned ships, Ves, Gloriana, Gavin and a couple of others boarded a shuttle that brought them back to the Scarlet Rose.

Along the way, Gavin turned to Ves and asked a presumptuous question.

"About Bentheim.. were you being honest?"

Ves looked up from the Rimward Herald article he was reading.

The established news organization had written a very insightful analysis on the repercussions of the Battle of Bentheim. They were much greater than he realized, mostly because the prestige of the MTA took a substantial hit! The Rimward Herald predicted that the MTA would become a lot more proactive in the coming years in an attempt to undo the damage!

"Why ask this question?"

"You never articulated a clear goal for your upcoming Grand Expedition. Sure, everyone knows you want to make your clan prosper and grow more powerful. However, no one is actually sure what you intend to do in the Red Ocean. Are we turning into an intergalactic caravan? Are you trying to found a new state? Will our activities center around the interests of the clan, or will we all be solely working to facilitate your career as a mech designer?"

Those were some very impactful questions. They were also pretty sensitive as well, so much so that Ves shut off the projector of his comm.

"I don't have to answer you, Benny."

"I know my questions aren't entirely appropriate, but.. I'm not the only one who holds these questions and doubts. It would do you a lot of good if you can present a clearer vision to what we are all working towards."

He was right. Gavin interacted with lots of people every day in order to serve as a gatekeeper and conduit of information. Compared to Ves who mostly spent his time in the design labs in order to tinker up a new design, Gavin possessed a much deeper comprehension of the overall sentiment of his people.

If Gavin was starting to worry about the goals that his people were supposed to pursue, then Ves might have a real problem on his hands. Maybe not immediately, but the lack of direction would surely lead to a lot of division in the next couple of months and years!

Ves took a moment to gather his thoughts and figure out the best way to phrase his answer.

"Let me begin by saying that for the foreseeable time, the interests of the clan and myself are both aligned. This is by design. I founded the Larkinson Clan to further my interests. I never kept this secret. However, the Larkinson Clan is also a means of spreading my success to my fellow relatives and employees like you. I don't demand anyone to become my slave and I am not reluctant to share my earnings."

Gavin slowly nodded. "If you put it that way, then your workers will feel much more reassured in their continued loyalty to the LMC and other organizations."

"Everyone who joins my enterprise is one of my own. While our Larkinson Clan has not become a sovereign state in its own right, I intend to lead it in a responsible direction. I want to shape the governance of my expeditionary fleet in a way that is as beneficial and equitable as possible to everyone. While I can't promise to be fair in everything, I hope to make everyone, even the lowest worker, feel pleased in their decision to stay loyal to me. That is what you all deserve. Do you understand, Benny?"

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