The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2001

Chapter 2001 Insiders vs Outsiders

"I have to say, boss, you're positively glowing." Gavin smirked at Ves as they started their daily briefing. "Did you finally graduate from a boy to a man?"

Ves, with half of his mind lingering on the unforgettable night, snapped back. "What are you talking about? I've always been a man!"

"Hehe.. I'm not so sure about that. I think you definitely 'leveled up' since yesterday, though. You look twice as confident as before!"

"Is it that obvious?" Ves groaned.

"The rumors are already spreading throughout the entire fleet! It doesn't help that Gloriana may have said some words that confirm some of the stories. Did your physical augmentations really allow you to…"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Ves slammed his palm against his desk, startling Lucky who was dozing off not far away! "Let's keep my private life separate from my professional life, okay?! I expect everyone to be PROFESSIONAL on the job, okay? You can say whatever you want within reason when you are off the clock, but no funny business during work hours, is that clear?"

Gavin awkwardly coughed. "About that. This policy is rather harder to enforce than you think. When your work and your home is in the same place, people tend to get rather.. cozy. People need to loosen up every now and then, especially when they can't go to a park or head downtown to have some fun. The situation in the fleet is rather steady so far, but the moment you try to instill military discipline among your ranks, I think the mood will quickly tank."

That was a very clever diversion. Ves worried about this problem as well. "How bad is the discipline problem?"

"It's under control. Right now, cohesion among your Larkinsons and workers is high, and morale is rising especially now that it looks like every worker in the fleet is about to get inducted in the Larkinson Clan!"

Gavin was positively grinning when he said those last words!

"Are you that eager to become a Larkinson?" Ves threw a suspicious glance at his assistant.

"I've been working for you since the start back when we were just starting off at Cloudy Curtain. I have been through almost all of your travels and adventures and while I'm not comfortable with how you attract so much danger, I have to say that I feel more fulfilled than I would have ever been if I worked for a regular company. Everyone who has stuck by you thinks the same! We really believe you are bigger than the Komodo Star Sector. All of us have made up our minds. The chance to be a part of your clan is something that we have all dreamt of but never dared to voice out loud!"

The assistant sounded like an advocate of Calabast's proposal.

"How popular is the proposal?"

"You can hardly find any Brighter, Ylvainan or other people who want to refuse this option! The Larkinson name is worth its weight in exotics. The reputation of the original Larkinson Family and the rising trajectory of your Larkinson Clan holds an immense attraction to those who don't share your last name. Of course, the opportunity to become an insider and receive the same generous treatment as a trueblood Larkinson is already immensely attractive."

"I'm told that this is not entirely the case. Wasn't there talk of instituting a class system?"

Gavin dropped his smirk a bit. "That's one of the most controversial topics that is still up in the air. A lot of the current Larkinson clansmen are very reluctant about expanding the clan. While the older and wiser among you see the necessity in expanding the clan, they're also the most stubborn about dividing the clan between trueblood Larkinsons and 'external' Larkinsons."

"You sound like you disapprove."

"It's not as much of an integration as we all hope for. It's hard not to feel disappointed if this comes into being. This kind of half-hearted solution is like paying lip service to the intention of including outsiders in the clan. Will the people who weren't born a Larkinson still be able to integrate in the clan when the trueblood clansmen constantly lord over their superiority?"

This sounded like an incredibly thorny problem. There were no perfect solutions at hand. Either the Larkinsons could embrace the outsiders as equals and risk losing control of the clan, or they could maintain an artificial class system that allowed the minority of trueblood Larkinsons to maintain primacy over the others.

Regardless of which solution the Larkinson Clan chose, at least one of the two groups would become dissatisfied. Ves worried that the discontent might become severe enough to tear his new and relatively fragile clan asunder!

"I have an appointment soon with Ovrin and Raymond, right? I'll discuss this issue with the two elders and see if we can keep the outrage to a minimum."

"Whatever you choose, I hope you will do justice for us little guys. We have contributed much if not more than your fellow Larkinsons to your efforts. Remember the days when you wanted nothing to do with the Larkinson Family?"

"Those days are long gone."

"Are they?" Gavin questioned. "Sure, you've attracted a large following of Larkinsons, but they mostly joined later on when you became a Journeyman and showed that you had great potential. Back when you were an Apprentice, your family demanded a fourth of the shares of the LMC for a relatively small sum of money considering your company's future potential."

"What's your point?"

"While I am not trying to say that some of your relatives such as Commander Melkor and Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson haven't been essential, the fact that you share the same blood as them is largely incidental. Their level of contributions don't match the assistance that many of your other relatives have provided. In fact, the fact that there are still a lot of clansmen who want to leave as soon as we reach the Sentinel Kingdom is a sign that many of your fellow Larkinsons aren't as loyal as some of us who have been with you for years!"

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