The Larkinson Clan thrived.

Even though only a short time had passed since its founding, the clan already started off on a strong footing.

With all of its clan members coming from the former Larkinson Family, the cohesion of the clan was high and the degree of organization was fantastic.

In fact, the clan already exceeded the old family in terms of wealth, influence and military power!

The clan was growing every day. Due to the latest developments of the Sand War, a continuous flow of family members from the Bright Republic trickled into the Ylvaine Protectorate. They proceeded all the way to the Kesseling System in order to link up with the clan.

Some of these family members remained outsiders to the clan. They still believed in the old family and did not wish to get involved in the adventures of their bolder and more ambitious relatives.

Others became attracted to the benefits and dynamism of the clan. Compared to the mood at the old family, the latest offshoot of the Larkinsons was much more proactive!

The member rolls of the Larkinson Clan continued to rise, especially when a number of Larkinsons started arriving that weren't formally a part of the family!

One of the more clever recruitment policies of the clan was that it unflinchingly opened the door to exiles and non-members.

As long as they had a reasonable relation to the Larkinson bloodline, they were allowed to become a full clansman without any further questions!

Each generation, many Larkinsons chose to leave the ranks of the old family for one reason or another. Raella Larkinson was a typical example. Though they gave up their affiliation to the family, thereby becoming ineligible for its protection, they no longer had to uphold its reputation.

These exiles numbered surprisingly a lot. This was because they not only consisted of members who left the family, but also their offspring and descendants!

Most of them weren't mech pilots, but their blood and genes still possessed the mark of the Larkinson line.

The former Larkinson Family always pursued several policies to limit their numbers and keep their size at a certain range. This not only improved their cohesion due to kicking out all of the dissidents, it also prevented their finances and training resources from becoming too strained.

The clan did not follow the same path. Instead, the Larkinson Assembly and the Executive Council both agreed to pursue growth through several means. Snapping up these exiles and descendants of exiles was an easy way to expand their ranks!

Right now, a couple of hundred Larkinsons was not enough to form a strong and sustainable clan! It needed to accumulate at least a thousand members to achieve sustainability.

This was especially important because of the many risks the Larkinsons were about to undertake. This did not just encompass the mech pilots of the clan, but also the other military specialists who used to serve in the Mech Corps!

As the Avatars of Myth and the Living Sentinels sought to expand their numbers, the inclusion of the Larkinsons were vital. They not only possessed a military background, but were also loyal and more reliable. Each additional Larkinson in the ranks ensured that the units remained committed to Ves and the Larkinson Clan!

Perhaps more vital to the development of the Avatars and Sentinels was the recruitment of command officers, logistical officers, staff officers and many kinds of specialists.

Back when the Avatars only numbered a couple of mech companies, it was fine for the troop to be run by Melkor and a handful of staff.

This was obviously inefficient now that the Avatars sought to expand their ranks to 500 mechs.

With the rapid pace of recruitment, managing the units became increasingly more burdensome. The administrative overhead grew ahead of the rate of expansion as more and more complicated problems occurred.

Commander Melkor had to form a general staff and reorganize the hierarchy of the Avatars to reflect all of the departments and layers of command.

The Living Sentinels already had a robust hierarchy in place due to their larger numbers. Commander Magdalena already planned ahead so her mech force didn't have to make too many changes to process the huge influx of recruits.

Though all of these moves drained the coffers of Ves, the LMC and the clan, no one bothered with the expenditures. The LMC, though not as prominent as before, still sold lots of mechs in both the Protectorate and dozens of other foreign markets!

With this generous and fairly stable cash flow, there was no worry that they would run out of money anytime soon.

With the Komodo Star Sector in turmoil, sitting on an increasing mountain of depreciating currency was incredibly useless.

Only when their money was being spent would they be able to strengthen themselves! Converting numbers in bank accounts to physical mechs and starships was the best course of action to increase their chance of survival!

At the base leased to by the Avatars of Myth, a private meeting took place. Melkor, Jannzi and Tusa both sat in the Avatar Commander's office by the windows.

Each of them possessed an overarching view of the base grounds, where various mechs, vehicles and people moved around.

The bustling sight had become even more vigorous in the last couple of weeks. The new recruits in the form of Larkinsons, Brighters and most notably Ylvainains enthusiastically took part in boot camps meant to bring them up to speed in the Avatar way of life.

"The Avatars have changed." Melkor sighed as he adjusted the visor on his face. "We spent years as a small unit. I still remember the days when we consisted of just a single mech company. It's different now. I can no longer remember every name and face. I have officers and subordinates to do that for me. Maybe this is what it feels like to be Ves. It's no wonder that he's becoming increasingly more detached from everyone."

Jannzi tilted her head at her cousin. "People change. Organizations change. This is a good thing. It means that our efforts are paying off. As long as we remain persistent and work towards our goals, we won't go astray."

"If you can't handle your leadership position, then you should make way for a better Larkinson." Tusa added bluntly as he crossed his arms.

Of the two expert candidates, Tusa was a lot less polite and patient!

Melkor didn't take offense at Tusa's rudeness.

As the Avatar Commander who had led the mech force from the moment of its founding, he deserved to be treated with respect. This was something that his growing inner circle of officers increasingly emphasized in order to strengthen the increasingly-more formal hierarchy of the Avatars!

Yet Melkor did not even think about throwing his weight around when he was in the presence of two future expert pilots!

Even though expert pilots didn't always become officers, they were never treated as grunts! Expert candidates and above were always regarded as the champions of their respective units.

They weren't treated like royalty without reason!

The benefits they brought were numerous and immeasurable.

Their presence served as a huge morale booster to the rank-and-file.

They challenged the most powerful enemies to prevent their ordinary mech pilots from getting butchered.

Their inhuman skill and judgement turned them into excellent training instructors.

Getting tutored by a mech pilot who broke through the extraordinary threshold was the best way to improve!

All in all, Melkor thanked his lucky stars that Ves managed to poach both Jannzi and Tusa from the Bright Republic's Mech Corps. Securing their support was immensely vital to his future prospects. If either expert candidate spoke against him, then his position became untenable!

Of the two, Melkor knew that he couldn't afford to lose Jannzi's trust and confidence. Ves possessed a prior bond with her, and even spent precious time and resources to upgrade her Shield of Samar!

That said, Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson also had to be appeased. Though he wasn't one for politics, his grandfather was Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson, who many clansmen considered to be the second or third-most influential member of the clan!

This meeting was as much about securing their support as it was about addressing an increasingly more pressing problem.

"Alright, let me get to the point." The Avatar Commander spoke as he turned his head away from the windows. "The reason why I brought up the changes is because the Avatars might be developing in an unwanted direction due the recruitment of so many newcomers. There are too few Larkinsons and Brighters among the new recruits."

"What does that have to do with us? Isn't this your problem?" Tusa dismissively asked.

"The Avatars exist to strengthen Ves, and by extension the Larkinson Clan. We are all members of the clan now. The development of the Avatars not only affects us directly, but also the clan that we are apart of! Do you wish your children or grandchildren to join a mech troop that is steeped with the Ylvainan Faith?"

Jannzi seemed to understand what Melkor was getting at. "You're worried about foreign influences. More specifically, you're concerned about the encroachment of Ylvainan beliefs."

"The new Ylvainans are already pushing their faith onto the other Avatars. I've ordered them to keep their beliefs to themselves, but the promulgation of their faith will proceed regardless."

"What do you want to do, then?"

"Neither Ves nor I want to see the Ylvainan Faith prosper in our ranks." Melkor stated. "The Larkinson Clan may have parted ways with the Bright Republic, but we are still rooted in its culture."

"That sounds great, but you can't regulate people's beliefs." Tusa scoffed. "Let the Avatars believe in what they want. As long as it doesn't stop them from fighting, there's no reason for me to care!"

Melkor frowned. The expert candidates of the clan were more detached than he liked!

"Please don't misunderstand. Any changes to the Avatars will inevitably influence our clan. Almost every Larkinson looks up to us! We are rightfully setting an example and serving as an object of admiration to the younger generation of our clan. What will they think when we become increasingly more devoted to the Ylvainan Faith?"

That finally caused Jannzi and Tusa to look concerned.

"What do you want?"

"I'd like you to take a more proactive attitude towards the rest of the Avatars. Look at Venerable Brutus Wodin. He's been visiting us every day to instruct and tutor our mech pilots. All of them have seen significant improvements in performance, which I'm grateful for. The problem is that he is also rehabilitating the image of Hexers!"

"So you want us to act like politicians?"

"Ah, please don't misunderstand, Tusa. I'm not asking you to demean yourself. I am just asking you to contribute some of your wisdom to the other Avatars like Brutus is doing. Not only will you be able to develop an accord with the men and women you will be fighting alongside, you'll also ensure that our Larkinson Clan will remain the top influence in the Avatars."

Though Jannzi looked amenable to the request, Tusa remained disinterested. His nature was very different from his fellow expert candidate.

Melkor decided to introduce his next plan.

"To facilitate your influence in the Avatars, I would like to facilitate the formation of elite squads. My intention is that they will be led and shaped by you. As your direct subordinates, they will also accompany you in battle as your attendants and trusted comrades! What do you think?"

The idea finally intrigued Tusa. "That sounds interesting. I'm not that big of a fan in commanding troops, though."

"You can assign a lieutenant or deputy to handle all of the tedious administrative and command responsibilities. You can focus on your own development while at the same time training a small number of highly-skilled Avatars into useful assistants, on and off the battlefield. Does that sound attractive to you? You can raise them in any way you like. For example, Jannzi could form a squad called the Shieldmaidens, while you could lead a unit called the Speed Demons. Both can facilitate your actions on the battlefield and take care of matters that don't require your attention."

Both Jannzi and Tusa looked thoughtful. What would it be like to stride into battle with a squad of attendants following in their wake?