The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2028

Chapter 2028 Defectors

The first day of the meeting between Larkinsons mostly centered around reuniting the separated groups of family members.

A lot of trueblood Larkinsons received the opportunity to greet relatives who they hadn't seen or talked to for months.

Of particular note were the Larkinsons who had been taken prisoner. After DIVA rescued them from Spotlight, they had been brought to the Sentinel Kingdom as promised.

Not a lot of former prisoners seemed thankful that Ves arranged them to be rescued. Ves could feel the resentful stares directed at his position at the head of the banquet.

He didn't blame them for feeling this way. There was no way that Ves could excuse the misfortune thrust upon them due to his actions.

Even so, he wasn't about to apologize to them either. There was hardly any point to it considering that it wouldn't convert them into clansmen.

Ves did not exhibit any surprise when Ark Larkinson mentioned that almost all of the rescued Larkinsons preferred to follow Ark and the old family.

The goals and vision that Ark had set for the Larkinson Family appealed much more to the average family member. The Larkinsons had never dreamt of ruling the galaxy or becoming a dominant power in a star sector.

They just wanted to raise their families and live an honorable life of service, preferably to a worthy cause. They held no desire for adventure and possessed no stomach for taking risks.

Space might be boundless and full of unknowns, but the overwhelming majority of humanity was content with sticking to their familiar corner of the galaxy.

In any case, the rejection he received from so many Larkinsons didn't bother him anymore. He already poached the most open-minded and adventurous relatives from the old family. Whoever remained no longer fit with the profile of his clan.

Another reason why Ves no longer cared as much was due to the recent expansion of the clan. Even though the ten-thousand adopted clansmen still diverged from the ideal mold of a Larkinsons in many ways, their loyalty and dedication to the clan was undeniable!

Ves valued those traits more than blood kinship. Even the Kinners earned more regard than him than most of the members of the old family!

That said, there were always exceptions. Certain individuals within the Larkinson Family still earned his love and respect.

For example, Ves always valued the intimacy he shared with his closest blood relatives. Ark Larkinson and Benjamin Larkinson had both been important figures in his youth. Though he had already grown up and made his own accomplishments, a part of him would always look up to his uncle and grandfather.

He enjoyed his cordial talk with them during the opening banquet. Neither of the two older Larkinsons wanted to make things difficult for him. At no time during their discussion did they press any blame for the turmoil that Ves had directly and indirectly caused.

That said, the three couldn't avoid every difficult topic entirely.

When the conversation turned towards the question of a possible merger between the clan or family, both sides remained stubborn.

"We are all Larkinsons no matter what we believe in." Benjamin argued. "Both of you are different, but it isn't as if we have ever insisted that every Larkinson should be a carbon copy of each other."

"Nice try, grandpa, but it is far too late for that." Ves snorted. "I doubt the old family can stomach the idea of adopting new Larkinsons en masse."

Ark crossed his arms. "While I love Ves as my brother's only son, his ideas are too radical and irresponsible for us to accept."

"I think our current course is already a good outcome. Rather than try to corral a bunch of disagreeing Larkinsons in a single direction, it's best to maintain the split so that every Larkinson can get what they want. Breaking up a group is not always a bad outcome when the benefits outweigh the costs."

"Everyone has a different valuation of the costs." Benjamin depressingly remarked. "In the history of our lineage, we have never suffered a split as awful as now. The amount of friendships and kinships that have been broken the past years has inflicted a lot of damage to our sense of togetherness. Family members should always support each other. Isn't that our rule?"

Neither Ark nor Ves fully agreed with the elder Larkinson. There were only so many differences that they could tolerate.

"I think this outcome is already set in stone." Ves declared. "The best we can do is to manage our permanent split and make sure that there is as little animosity towards each other as possible. There is no need for us to part ways on a bad note."

Though every Larkinson looked a little sad at the mention of going their separate ways from each other, there was no choice.

The Larkinson Family didn't want to get caught up with Ves and his clan's antics ever again. It just wanted to find a stable home where they could resume their old lives as closely as possible.

The Larkinson Clan no longer considered the local star cluster to be their home. There were a lot more gains to be made elsewhere!

As long as this contradiction stood, a merger was off the table.

When Benjamin saw that his weak entreaties of reconciliation fell flat, he no longer tried to mind fences. In the end, his son and grandson were simply too different from each other!

As the evening began to wound down, a notable event took place at the end of the banquet.

A large group of clansmen separated from the ranks of the rest of the clan. Despite wearing their new uniforms, they slowly separated from the family members they spent the last few months with. Though they felt a bit ashamed at their actions, they had already made up their minds!

Ves silently counted the Larkinsons walking up to him. In the end, around a hundred trueblood clansmen committed to their decision to leave the clan!

The clansmen they left behind all sent resentful looks at the defectors. They especially directed their ill will towards Caratan Larkinson, who still carried the mark of shame bestowed by the Golden Cat!

Even the members of the Larkinson Family reacted with mixed emotions at the spectacle. Duty, loyalty and commitment were important values to the Larkinsons. Even though the clansmen had already betrayed the family once by joining the clan, it was still somewhat excusable due to their differences.

For the leavers to change their minds yet again due to losing heart of the risks that the clan intended to take was another matter!

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