Chapter 2015: Heart Bea

Ves managed to command everyone's attention.

This didn't sound so strange, but it was the methods he employed that made it remarkable.

Aside from his natural authority as clan leader and Journeyman Mech Designer, he made use of almost every trick in his arsenal to distort every Larkinson's perception!

With the silent Bright Warriors in the mech hangar on standby, their glows melded with the glow exuded by his mind and body, giving everyone the impression that he was the living incarnation of the Larkinson Clan!

Even though he fell silent for a time, no Larkinson uttered any word or showed any inattention. The expansive spiritual manipulation that Ves exerted with the assistance and coordination of the Golden Cat was too grand to be dismissed!

It didn't matter whether the assembly members possessed spiritual potential or not. Young or old, man or woman, soldier or civilian, they all perceived the glow that represented the clan from their surroundings and their clan patriarch!

What was more, each Larkinson possessed an active bond with the Golden Cat and the Larkinson Mandate. Since the great book was currently in his hands, Ves felt through his connection with the Golden Cat that he could exert an even greater degree of influence on their psyche!

Though his sudden actions shocked everyone into submission, not everyone was stunned into submission.

The wisest, most stubborn and strong-willed Larkinsons still looked as if they retained a decent amount of lucidity. People like Speaker Ovrin Larkinson who already wielded a lot of responsibility and Caratan Larkinson who was highly opposed towards the clan were among those who weren't as easy to influence!

In fact, the latter already started to frown as he found this current situation to be highly disturbing!

Ves did not pay any attention to Caratan or any individual Larkinson. Right now, he was addressing the entire Larkinson Assembly and every clan member who was watching the feed.

"My fellow family members." He spoke again. "We are all Larkinsons. For centuries, we have based our existence on our lineage. It is easy to consider each other kin when we share the same blood. Don't we all have a part inside of us that wishes to go back to the past when everything was simpler and where we didn't have so many responsibilities?"

Certainly, nostalgia was present in every Larkinson, particularly the older ones who had gone through many good and bad experiences back in the Bright Republic!

"Those times are over now. We are facing a greater set of challenges, and this time we don't have the government to back us up. We have chosen to find our own fortune, but that means we must all step up, because if we make the wrong choice, everyone pays!"

He reminded them of the stakes. He wanted his fellow Larkinsons to realize the import of their decisions. It wasn't as if they were just a military family in a third-rate state anymore. If they made a mistake back then, there wasn't much of a risk that it would cause their downfall.

That was no longer the cause. Though everyone was aware of this concern, when Ves brought it up, they couldn't help but amplify their worries!

"It is in times like these that we must make the wisest and most farsighted decisions." Ves continued. "We can no longer think for ourselves. We can no longer think about the interests of our narrow bloodline! We have to rise up and govern our clan with a greater perspective, a broader perspective! We must take more than just ourselves into account!"

He raised his arm and manipulated his comm. A projection of some of the valiant mech pilots of the Avatars of Myth came into being. Joshua King was one of the most prominent individuals in his pre-prepared slideshow.

"Our current fleet is filled with great supporters and loyal adherents. Their contributions need no explanation. Even those who haven't stood out are still worthy of consideration! Unlike everyone else, these humble workers and soldiers have stuck with us when half the star sector turned against us! Do you know what that means? They had the choice to leave and divest themselves from their association from us, but instead they doubled down and committed to working with us even if they spat the Friday Coalition in the face! Don't you think that deserves our appreciation?"

A lot of assembly members nodded. Ves appealed to their sense of fairness, which was fairly strong but which they regardly set aside whenever family came up. Not this time. He forcibly dragged it up in order to prevent his relatives from downplaying the contributions of non-family members!

While he spoke, he continually tweaked and refined his spiritual manipulation. He was already quite proficient with it. This time, he didn't just rely on glows, which were rather passive in nature.

Instead, he also expended his spiritual energy to form a psuedo-force of will! Infused with the influence of the Golden Cat, it was as if Ves was an expert pilot to the gathered Larkinsons!

Expert pilots possessed a revered status in the original family. Even in the clan, the Larkinsons never halted this long-standing custom!

Though Ves was obviously not an expert pilot, the air and vibe he evoked reminded the Larkinson of some of the great figures in the family such as Ark Larkinson!

Ves noticed that certain spiritually strong individuals such as Jannzi Larkinson were frowning or looking suspiciously at him. Fortunately, she was just an expert candidate and not a part of the Larkinson Assembly.

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With no genuine expert pilot on the Redfeather, Ves had free reign to expand his spiritual influence as he saw fit! The passive glow and the active force of will both combined to put every single Larkinson in the Assembly under his influence!

Though Caratan's stubborn expression made it clear that he wasn't outright controlling their minds, it was undeniable that they were very open to his words!

"I have a vision of the Larkinson Clan." Ves continued, his soothing voice worming into the ears of the Larkinsons like velvet.

Unlike the previous times he employed his Devil Tongue, this time he traded acid for sweetener. Despite never raising his tone in fury, his fervor was very much stoked!

"In my dreams, our clan is something that is strong. United. Trustworthy. Whether we trade or fight, we are a clan that moves as one and acts in harmony! Don't you wish our clan would become like this? Don't you want to pursue a future where every Larkinson is a brother and where the most talented, capable and caring clan members are in charge?"

"That does not mean that we should put outsiders in the same category as trueblood Larkinsons!" Caratan rudely interrupted!

Though it was difficult to resist his influence, those determined to oppose him and his views were still able to shake themselves off his spell!

Ves directed his head towards the offending assembly member. "Caratan Larkinson. I was speaking."

"Ovrin didn't give the floor to you! I have a right to speak as well as you do!"

"What is it you want to say, then?"

Though Ves exuded an increasing amount of spiritual pressure onto Caratan, it still had a limit. There was only so much influence he could exert on someone without spiritual potential.

"Your suggestion cheapens our Larkinson name." Caratan spat. "Our predecessors have fought long and hard to secure the future of our original family. Even though we split off and formed a clan, we still owe our current lives to the efforts of the previous generations of Larkinsons! Each of them fought and toiled in order to provide their children and grandchildren with a better future. I can guarantee you that none of them have ever approved of the notion of recognizing those who don't share our blood as Larkinsons! Going down the path you are trying to suggest is the equivalent of trampling on the graves of our forefathers!"

Ves curled his lips into a mild frown. Though he didn't mind sparring against an opponent, he didn't like it when they were competent enough to form a good rebuttal. He couldn't wait to kick Caratan Larkinson from his clan!

"Our forefathers didn't think we would ever separate ourselves from a state they swore an oath to defend to their dying breaths. This is why I said that times have changed. We Larkinsons are no longer the simple soldiers as we were before. We have left the sandbox of the Bright Republic and entered into a greater world! So much has changed that it is more important than ever to keep up with them! With so many threats on the horizon, we cannot wait to rely on our bloodline to provide us with strength. The only way to grow strong enough to preserve our blood and our way of life is to rethink our customs!"

"That's understandable." Caratan took a step back. "Changes are necessary, that is not something that we question. The problem I have is that you are taking it too far! Why must we redefine what it means to be a Larkinson? Why must we share all of our honor and prosperity to those who should be relying on their own efforts to earn them? Our identity as Larkinsons binds us all together! No matter if we are part of the family or the clan, we are all kin to each other, and that is something that should never change!"

His words were having an effect. More and more Larkinsons seem to be escaping from the lull they had fallen under when Ves exerted his pervasive spiritual influence.

Ves needed to regain the ground he lost.

"You are too narrow-minded, Caratan. Are you so possessive that you can't stand to provide our loyal workers and soldiers the recognition they deserve? Are you so short-sighted that you can't see how much they risked their lives and their old way of life to commit to our cause? Just look at how many mech pilots who aren't called Larkinsons fought and died on the battlefield! They didn't fight for their state. They didn't fight for their own lives. Instead, they fought for our interests and our existence! Offering them some form of outer membership isn't enough. We should recognize their worth and add their strength to our clan without reserve!"

"And how will we prevent them from abusing their numbers to their advantage?!" Caratan retorted. "How can we stop them from slowly worming their way into our institutions and altering them beyond our recognition? The Ylvainans are cultists who believe whatever their so-called Living Prophet tells them to do, and they are the least of our worries when it comes to foreigners in our midst!"

"You are wrong!" Ves summoned up his full strength and influence! He let Caratan have his say in order to serve as a foil, but there were limits to his patience! "All I hear from your mouth are warrantless fears and hyperbolic situations which will never come to pass! If you have spent any time with our workers and soldiers, you would know that all of them aspire to be Larkinsons! If we give them the chance to become our kin, then they will gradually mold themselves into our image! Believe in our clan. Believe in our way."

Ves looked up to the face of one of the Bright Warriors looming behind the theater. "Where we come from and who we used to be doesn't matter anymore. We have Brighters, Ylvainans, Kinners and other folk among us. Since we're leaving the Komodo Star Sector anyway, why should we cling on to our old divisions? It will slowly become more meaningless the further away we travel from our homes! I say that starting from today, we should all be part of the same people!"

He raised his fist before pounding it onto his chest!

"Strength comes from the heart, not from the blood! Open your eyes and look to the people we are surrounded by. As long as you look closely enough, you will recognize that the heart of a Larkinson is beating inside their chests!"

It was as if every heard the sound of a heart beat. At this instant, the hearts of everyone aboard the Redfeather beat as one!

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