The entire clan was truly shocked when Casella Ingvar won the contest to become the next Sentinel Commander!
No one actually expected that Ves and Major Verle would put an expert candidate in charge. Wasn't that counter to the Larkinson Clan's policy that expert candidates and expert pilots should shed their distractions?
Regardless, the announcement had immediate effect. While most clansmen were bewildered, the Living Sentinels were all ecstatic!
"We finally have a commander who understands our plight!"
"Casella is so good!"
"Will her brother be coming over as well?"
"Damn, I look up to every mech pilot that managed to break through in the last battle. We're the only mech force that is still led by a hero!"
"I'm looking forward to her first actions. She has lived through the same horrors as we did in the Nyxian Gap. I would trust her over any outside officer who thinks he can turn us around just because he used to lead a mech regiment in the past!"
Even though Casella Ingvar used to be Avatar before she took up her new position, the Sentinels largely overlooked this detail. They immediately embraced the new Sentinel Commander as one of their own on the very first day!
This was the power of an expert candidate!
Though not as prestigious as an expert pilot, the admiration the clansmen held towards these exceptional mech pilots was quite considerable.
Confidence and morale in the Living Sentinel immediately doubled. Even though Commander Casella hadn't even passed any reforms as of yet, the expectations of her subordinates were so high that they already took it for granted that she would become their true savior!
For her part, the new Sentinel Commander wasn't shy about taking advantage of her reputation. Deserved or not, she aimed to do her best in restoring the Sentinels as a proud and strong band of soldiers within the Larkinson Clan!
While it was too early to tell, she was doing quite well for herself in the first few days. She regularly consulted with Major. Not only that, she secretly corresponded with her predecessor in order to grasp the requirements and responsibilities of her enormous position as soon as possible.
With Commander Magdalena bringing Commander Casella up to speed, Ves had no further concerns about the new changes. He had never lost confidence in the former in the first place. With a younger and stronger face as a conduit, Magdalena should still be able to exert some influence without upsetting her former subordinates.
Of course, this was only acceptable in the short term. Once Commander Casella no longer needed any assistance, she needed to make her mark as a leader and exercise her own judgement. Otherwise, she would become perpetually dependent on other people to make any decisions. This was not conducive to her goal of overcoming the demons of her past.
With Commander Casella taking up her new responsibilities, other Larkinsons changed their routines as well.
Ever since Joshua Larkinson entered the Hall of Heroes, he tried to get used to all of the autonomy he obtained.
Perhaps others might think that being able to make your own decisions was nice, but Joshua was overwhelmed by how many matters he needed to take care of. Back in the Avatars, Commander Melkor and the staff officers arranged almost everything on his behalf.
Since Joshua had no stomach to take care of all of these tedious matters, he began to expand his staff and recruited another Bright Companion with administrative and command ability to act as his secondary.
"Lieutenant Chette, thank you for coming aboard." The expert pilot greeted.
"It is an honor to be selected by you." Chette Larkinson replied.
The trueblood Larkinson had come a long way since the Larkinson Family initially transferred him to Ves. Raella had moved on while Jannzi explosively progressed to expert pilot. Meanwhile, Chette steadily matured himself and even managed to pass an officer course.
Though some of the original Larkinson still found it strange to take orders from outsiders who only became Larkinsons later on, Chette did not harbor these thoughts.
Even if Joshua Larkinson wasn't an expert pilot, Chette was still willing to respect his superiors no matter the blood that flowed through their veins.
This was what the Larkinson Clan was all about. Every single Larkinson was a fellow brother and sister.
Joshua placed his hand on Chette's shoulder. "I'm not good at all of this commanding stuff, so I will leave it up to you to manage the Bright Companions. Are you up to the task?"
"I am. I wouldn't have accepted your offer otherwise."
The two young Larkinson mech pilots discussed what needed to be done. Chette may not be taking over a force as large as the Living Sentinels, but he needed to solve many problems in order to establish the Bright Companions as a strong group of elites under Venerable Joshua.
Not only that, Chette was also expected to keep up with his training and fight alongside the expert pilot in battle. He would never be able to enjoy a free moment of time in the coming years.
Nonetheless, as long as Chette overcame these challenges and proved he could handle the pressure, he would become a very desirable mech officer in the future!
This was one of the goals that Ves and Major Verle had in mind when setting up the Hall of Heroes. Every mech pilot who had the privilege to serve under an expert pilot would be shaped by their experiences!
As Chette went off to take charge of Joshua administration, a surprising guest sought out the expert pilot.
A lot of clansmen wanted to get close to the expert pilots. However, letting everyone take up their time would only distract the demigods from their true purpose.
For this reason, every person had to have a very good reason to meet with one of the heroes of the Larkinson Clan.
Ketis happened to have no problems getting through these checks. She not only offered the gatekeepers a plausible excuse, but also enjoyed a high status within the Larkinson Clan!
As a favored student of Ves and someone who was rumored to be close to advancing to Journeymen, many Larkinsons respected her, especially those who served in the armed forces.
"Miss Ketis! What brings you here?" Joshua turned to the mech designer. "Did the patriarch send you here to tweak the Quint?"
"No." She spoke. "I'm here to instruct your swordsmanship. You may have learned how to wield a blade in that fancy mech academy of yours, but your teachers have never had to rely on their swords as much as the Swordmaidens."
"What? No one told me about this! I don't need your help, Ketis. I'm an expert pilot. I'm beyond human. While I fight at my best when I'm piloting a mech, don't underestimate me. I'm better in every aspect."
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