The Mech Touch (Web Novel)-Chapter 6945 Leadership Candidates

It was for this reason that the Larkinsons had one clear solution to this problem.

"We must find a solution to the latest problem." Gloriana said. "However, if the prospect for doing so is not optimistic, we must work with the assumption that our current patriarch will always remain compromised for the foreseeable future. To that end, I suggest we activate one of our contingency plans related to succession. Since our situation is not as acute as we feared, we do not have to resort to haste. We can take our time to formulate a proper plan on how to arrange a proper transition of power."

Several Larkinsons nodded in agreement. It was clear that none of them objected to the necessity of appointing another leader of the Larkinson Clan.

Ves did not object to this matter either. He never really held much enthusiasm for holding so many leadership responsibilities. He would be lying if he claimed he wanted to cling to power.

The main reason why he remained reluctant to resign from his office was because he did not trust others with the same authority.

He had painstakingly built up the Larkinson Clan through his own efforts. It was just as precious as his mech designs if not more.

He would hate it if a complete outsider came in and wrecked his entire vision out of ignorance or differences in opinion!

Yet the current circumstances no longer gave Ves the luxury to procrastinate over this issue.

One way or another, the Larkinson Clan needed a new leader, one who could be relied upon to remain sound of mind and heart no matter the circumstances.

At least Ves could console himself with the fact that the Larkinson Clan should have matured enough that it was ready to enact such a transition.

"It is not entirely necessary to depose our current patriarch." Vice Director Maria Abselon stated. "We have already invested many powers to the chief ministers and the Larkinson Assembly. They are already responsible for deciding at least 90 percent of the affairs of our clan. The chief ministers originally served as the deputies of the patriarch. We can keep disruptions to a minimum by transferring additional power and responsibilities to them. Since there are three of them, they can continue to hold each other in check."

It was not a surprise that she would advocate for the solution that changed as little as possible.

Ves had always extended a lot of material support to the Larkinson Biotech Institute. He was personally responsible for channeling vast amounts of funding and resources to this expensive arm of the Larkinson Clan.

Yet for all of its largesse, the LBI had yet to truly repay the enormous investments. Now that the deterioration of red humanity could result in growing shortfalls, it became increasingly less justifiable to pamper the biotech researchers.

After all, much of their R&D projects did not have an immediate impact on the combat effectiveness of the armed forces of the Larkinson Clan.

Why waste so much money and scarce materials on research that did not help them defeat the native aliens?

It did not help that the LBI undoubtedly dropped the ball by contributing to the current problem.

Even if the biotech researchers who worked on the phase water organs were not directly responsible for compromising their own patriarch, they could not escape all of the blame.

They should have paid more attention to the unknown risks of implanting alien-derived organs in their patriarch's body.

It would have been better if they applied their risky experimental procedures on a test subject first!

In any case, once the news of what happened to Ves Larkinsons started to spread among the rank and file, there would probably be a lot of clansmen who believed that the LBI needed to be taken down a notch!

The vice director could clearly foresee this development. It was in her best interest to maintain the current status quo as much as possible so that her research organisation could maintain as much of its prosperity as possible.

Gloriana shook her head in disagreement. "With respect, the chief ministers are adequate at their jobs, but they are not up to the task of leading our clan through the greatest crisis of our civilisation. Neither Magdalena Larkinson, Abigail Evern, Novilon Purnesse, Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson and the other senior statesmen have managed to stand out and proven themselves to be good enough to command the loyalty and dedication of the vast majority of clansmen."

They were not incompetent to be certain, but they were painfully mediocre compared to more outstanding visionaries.

"In a time of war, it is not advised to delegate power to a council of civilians and politicians." High Captain Gilbert mentioned. "It is customary to centralise power in order to streamline decision-making and increase efficiency. This may come at the expense of the rights of many stakeholders, but if our survival is under threat, then addressing it is our highest priority. No other goal can be allowed to compromise our central directive. We should not be afraid to appoint a single leader that can be trusted to navigate our clan through dangerous waters. To be more specific, the rule that advocates for a separation between the civilian and military arms of our clan can be… relaxed."

"Are you suggesting that we appoint one of our military leaders to the highest office of the Larkinson Clan?" Gloriana asked.

"Yes. I am not entirely clear whether this is a more acceptable notion in our clan, but I believe that it is best to subordinate our civilian interests to our military interests. The former can make us wealthy, but the latter is responsible for guaranteeing our continued survival."

Ves inwardly shook his head. He did not necessarily agree with this notion.

"We need a strong leader." Saint Dise transmitted her own voice. "Many soldiers will lose confidence if they are being led by a committee of squabbling politicians. What they need is a leader who can project confidence and give clear directions for us to work towards. We need a leader who can do more than to sustain our present status quo. We need a patriarch who can inspire us to rise above our limitations and vanquish all of the enemies that stand in our way, no matter whether they are gods or demons."

"Or matriarch." Gloriana pointedly amended the ace pilot's speech.

A handful of names immediately stood out as possible successors to the patriarch the Larkinson Clan.

"Swordmaster Ketis Larkinson has proven her leadership capabilities in the last few years." Saint Dise did not hesitate to promote her fellow sister and Swordmaiden. "Even if she does not hold as many responsibilities as our patriarch, she has always been a good steward of the Swordmaidens, the Heavensworders and the expeditionary fleet. No one doubts her heart towards the Larkinsons. She has also risen up to become one of the supporting pillars of our clan by becoming the wielder of the Heavensword and the only known gatekeeper of the Blue Dimension. She is also a good mech designer who learned much of her craft from our current patriarch."

Although Ketis was a completely different kind of person from Ves, both of them were young mech designers that managed to become legends in their own right.

It was not unthinkable for many Larkinsons to pass the mantle of leadership to the mech designer in the Larkinson Clan that most resembled their first patriarch in this regard. Her military and civilian qualifications were both good, though whether this translated into a good matriarch of the Larkinson Clan remained questionable.

Ves had no objections towards this proposal. He trusted Ketis to do a good job. He wouldn't have chosen to initiate her into the Mech Designer System before anyone else if he harboured any significant doubts about her loyalty and competence.

However, Gloriana did not quite agree. She made an exaggerated cough.

"Ahem, as much as my fellow mech designer from the Swordmaidens has risen above the occasion and matured as a leader, I feel the need to remind you all that she suffers from a similar problem to my current husband. Ketis is also not entirely able to guarantee that all of her decisions are her own. The Heavensword is arguably as powerful as a god mech. Ketis cannot becoming contaminating by it after holding it day and night. Her growing dependency on the blade that can cut through the walls between dimensions may cause her to become its puppet. Do not forget that the ancient relic weapon already has a history of doing so in the Heavensword Association."

What a fatal strike!

In just a single argument, Gloriana managed to torpedo any prospects that Ketis might have at assuming leadership over the Larkinson Clan!

After all, the same argument used to justify the removal of Ves from the office of patriarch could also be applied to Ketis.

There was no doubt that the Heavensword possessed a mind of its own. It was ancient creation that possessed very different values and ideals from the Larkinson Clan.

Elevating Ketis to a matriarch risked turning the clan into the Heavensword's personal kingdom.

In fact, Ketis always bore the risk of becoming enslaved to the powerful grand work. The disparity in power between the two was too great. She had no possible way to resist its forceful actions.

By keeping her separated from the core of the Larkinson Clan, she would not pose too great of a risk of taking it over.

Turning her into the second generation leader of the Larkinson Clan would have the opposite effect.

No matter how much the Larkinsons respected the Heavensword's power, they valued their independence. They loved the clan because of what it stood for and what it tried to become. They contributed to its growth and shaped a part of its culture and institutions. Nothing should be allowed to deprive their accumulated work.

"Who do you propose to appoint instead if Ketis is not a viable choice?" Saint Dise asked Gloriana directly. "Are you thinking of taking over your husband's job and lead the Larkinson Clan during a time where courage and decisiveness matters more than anything else?"

The clansmen would never accept a leader that had very little association with the more militant arm of the Larkinson Clan.

This was especially the case during a time of war!