The Mech Touch (Web Novel)-Chapter 6956 The Elite Faction

That did not sound all that different from what Ves originally envisioned for his clan. He felt pleased that the Saint Commander did not seek to transform the blueprint that he had set for the clan. Keeping the Larkinson Clan fleet-based had always been one of his obsessions.

"That sounds great. It doesn't surprise me that Casella wants to keep the model of the expeditionary fleet. Does she hold any other special views and opinions?"

"Not that much, boss." Gavin shook his head. "She is most in favor of maintaining the status quo. That is not necessarily because she thinks you are correct about everything, but she believes that the Larkinson Clan must serve a distinct role in human society. Our members are not bound to planets and fixed territories. They are not employees of a commercial mercenary outfit either. Instead, they are part of a clan that offers talented humans a new home where they can join a new family that is filled with like-minded people who are interested in doing good. From the moment they join our clan, they abandon all of their existing loyalties and allegiances. This is an important policy that allows our clan to remain independent and unaffected by rivalries between other human powers."

Ves clasped his hands as he processed these words. "I see. Since you call it the Elite Faction, the Saint Commander obviously wants to focus on quality as opposed to quantity."

"Yes. Although a devastating loss can cripple our fighting ability for a time, the Saint Commander still believes that it is best to keep our numbers and especially our fighting forces in a manageable range. Our mechs may be limited in number, but they must always be placed at the upper reaches of their class. Our forces must be able to intervene and make a difference in a battle with the least amount of numbers. It is very important to nurture as many high-ranking mech pilots as possible. The rank-and-file have a better chance of doing so if they are piloting powerful mechs from the onset."

All of this fell in line with the original direction that Ves has set for his clan. He truly found it surprising that the Saint Commander held the same intentions.

Perhaps it was because he recruited Casella and her brother during the early days of his career.

The Ingvars had always fought side-by-side with his troops as he founded his clan and built it up step-by-step.

His plans and ambitions greatly fueled the growth and development of the Larkinson Clan. This granted Ves a lot of credibility. Many Larkinsons believed in the greatness of his vision.

Apparently, the Saint Commander was a fan as well, even though she and Ves never really spoke about these heavy topics.

There may be an additional explanation why Casella was willing to follow Ves' original blueprint so closely.

Casella was personally beholden to Ves due to the fact that he had rescued a part of her brother.

Even if Imon Ingvar transformed into a brainwashed 'Chosen Envoy', at least Ves managed to preserve a part of the former expert pilot's soul!

The Saint Commander therefore maintained a lot of hope that she could become powerful enough to restore her brother to his original state.

So long as she maintained this highly ambitious goal, she could not afford to fall out with Ves.

Therefore, even if Casella competed to replace Ves as the leader of the Larkinson Clan, she had a vested interest in keeping him happy by maintaining the current status quo as much as possible.

What a good crony.

Ves couldn't help but smile at the thought. "It sounds like Casella is the closest thing to a direct successor to me. Still, she must have a few ideas of her own. What kind of major changes does she wish to introduce?"

"She has yet to explain that to the Larkinsons in detail." Gavin said. "It is still too early for the contenders to flesh out and publicize their stances and proposals. From what my people have been able to infer, one change that the Saint Commander intends to introduce is to invest in additional fleets. Significant amounts of money, resources and influence must be spent on forming multiple second-class and third-class fleets, each of which should be modeled after the expeditionary fleet. Although expensive, this should protect the core of our clan from getting crippled if any single fleet has been met with an accident."

That sounded interesting. Ves had not thought about erecting more fleets. He always considered the planetary side branches as acceptable expansions.

The only fleets worth investing were the ones he joined and depended upon for protection.

That was why he founded and invested a disproportionate amount of wealth into the expeditionary fleet.

Now that he had moved to the Upper Zone, he invested an even greater amount of wealth to quickly form the Premier Fleet!

"The numbers are still fuzzy at this stage. I believe that not even the Saint Commander has decided how many more fleets our clan should raise. It will depend heavily on our resources and how we will be able to source the necessary starships. This is the greatest impediment to her plan, and also an important reason why she continues to insist on making use of high-quality hardware. The good news is that second-class and third-class starships are easier to obtain. It is only first-class starships that are practically impossible to obtain, especially in the current climate. I do not think she intends to raise another first-class fleet. The Premier Fleet still has room for expansion."

Aside from that, Ves never thought the Larkinson Clan needed to form additional fleets, but Casella apparently thought differently.

"How many?" Ves asked. "And is she thinking about forming another first-class fleet while she is at it? We only have the Premier Fleet for now, which means a single defeat can wipe out our clan's presence in first-class society."

"The numbers are still fuzzy at this stage. I believe that not even the Saint Commander has decided how many more fleets our clan should raise. It will depend heavily on our resources and how we will be able to source the necessary starships. This is the greatest impediment to her plan, and also an important reason why she continues to insist on making use of high-quality hardware. The good news is that second-class and third-class starships are easier to obtain. It is only first-class starships that are practically impossible to obtain, especially in the current climate. I do not think she intends to raise another first-class fleet. The Premier Fleet still has room for expansion."

The shortage of starships was growing more and more dire with every passing day.

It was not that unusual to see first-raters make use of second-class or even third-class starships.

Speed, comfort, defense, redundancy and so on had all become luxuries. People only wanted the most essential ability to move from one star system to another.

Such inferior starships were not suited to deploy in active war theaters, but they were more than sufficient for transporting passengers and material goods across interstellar distances.

Ves nodded in understanding. "Got it. I guess the other arms of the Larkinson Clan should solely exist to support these fleets, right?"

"Yes, boss. The Saint Commander does not place a lot of importance on the planetary side branches, and she does not plan to pursue a more ambitious business agenda. It is already enough if our various commercial enterprises can keep our budget green and meet our most common needs. We should strive to be as self-sufficient as possible."

All of that sounded sensible to Ves.

The Saint Commander did not care about empire building.

She cared about bringing back her brother.

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In essence, she wanted to lead the Larkinson Clan so that she could mold it into a better vehicle for her progression and future ascension.

As an ace commander, it was vital for her that she was able to command the most powerful and well-equipped troops possible. The Larkinson Army must thoroughly continue to raise elite mech units and strive to make them individually strong.

Not only did they serve as excellent vessels for Commandeering or Enfeoffment, but the mech pilots also had better chances of breaking through and becoming powerful champions that could offer additional protection to the vulnerable fleets!

Sure enough, Casella Ingvar was not selfless. Her stances aligned with her personal interests.

Although it sounded as if Casella intended to take advantage of the Larkinson Clan, Ves did not think that this was necessarily wrong.

Pure altruism was not a sustainable model.

It was better to form mutually beneficial agreements between different parties.

What Ves found important was that Casella apparently pursued a development trajectory that not only conformed to her needs, but also benefited the Larkinsons.

Ves already understood that Casella did not intend to accelerate recruitment. The number of Larkinsons should remain manageable so that each of them had a fair chance to rise from their ranks and receive enough resources to develop their potential.

"Does Casella want to implement other notable changes?" He asked.

"Well, she probably has a range of ideas that she wishes to implement, but the existing structure of the clan should still remain the same more or less. Perhaps one important change she wishes to implement is to reduce our dependence on the Red Association and the Red Collective. She does not necessarily reject their support, but she wants to avoid becoming overdependent on their services. If we aren't careful enough, we will turn into their vessels or may get outright absorbed into their hierarchies. The Saint Commander believes it is important that we must preserve and protect our independence and sovereignty as much as possible."

That did not surprise Ves all that much. Only when the Larkinsons maintained full control over their troops and assets would Casella be able to make use of them without scruples.

The Saint Commander did not have that right when it came to the Bluejay Fleet. She had yet to complete the secret plan to convert its members into Larkinsons.

That meant that she could not exert full control over the mechs, warships and other combat units of the Bluejay Fleet. They still answered to the Red Three.

This was an intolerable circumstance for an ace commander! Casella Ingvar much preferred it if she was able to control the various assets as her own chess pieces!