While a growing number of Larkinsons gathered in the hallway outside of the crucial compartment, a nervous-looking Ves stood in a waiting room.
“Miaow~”
“Meow.”
Both Clixie and Lucky hugged and pressed their bodies against him in order to calm his tensions and distract him from his concerns.
Dr. Ranya Wodin in her customary lab coat emerged from an examination chamber.
“Sir.”
“How is she doing, doctor?”
“Her condition is normal at the moment.” Gloriana’s cousin calmly replied. “We have been monitoring your wife and the fetus non-stop and nothing has given us cause for concern so far. While there are a few wrinkles in the data, they are all within tolerance. Not just our doctors, but also the renowned medical professors retained by Witshaw & Yeneca agree on this. Designer babies are healthier and more resilient than their normal counterparts. They are also meant to impose less of a burden to their mothers. In short, we have the situation completely under control. Neither your wife nor your upcoming child are at risk.”
Ves grew a little more optimistic after hearing this, but he still hugged Clixie close to his ċhėst in order to comfort himself.
His upcoming child was not a regular designer baby. Witshaw & Seneca might know a lot about the biology of its products, but the highly reputable biotech company had no idea that Ves experimented on the fetus!
Although Ves never sensed that his attempts to give his unborn daughter a powerful spiritual boost led to any danger, who knew whether spiritually empowering his child would produce any complications during this stressful moment!
All he had to do now was to stay close and be ready to intervene if his baby’s abnormally powerful spirituality produced any adverse reactions.
Even though Ves knew little about childbirth and medical science, he considered himself to be a decent spiritual surgeon. No one in the fleet was more knowledgeable and experienced than him when it came to operating on other people’s spiritualities!
“How long do I have to wait until my wife starts to push out our baby?” Ves asked.
“It depends. Your wife has accepted only light treatment to shorten and accelerate the early labor phase, so she has a long ordeal ahead of her. Once we have completed our deep scans on her body, we will move her to a comfortable space where you and a select number of guests can keep her company if she accepts visitors.”
Dr. Ranya imparted a lot of additional information to Ves. There was a lot involved when it came to delivering babies and he did not pretend to know anything about it. His wife was experiencing regular contractions that would only grow more frequent and painful as the important moment neared.
“Natural childbirth is a marathon, not a sprint.” She told him. “Gloriana might not want you to be around all the time, especially when she is in an embarrassing position. Make sure to be available if she demands your presence but give her the privacy she needs if she doesn’t want you around.”
“Understood.”
The following hours passed slowly for Ves. In this stressful and happy occasion, he felt almost completely helpless.
It was strange for him to be in this position. He could design, build and repair all kinds of huge and powerful mechs. He effectively controlled a powerful clan organization that controlled ȧssets worth trillions of hex credits. He was also able to create powerful spiritual products that were sometimes mistaken as gods!
Ves kept his wife company for an hour. It was too bad that Gloriana wasn’t a good conversation partner at this time. Aside from talking about how to name their baby and how to raise her, her frequent pain along with growing mood swings caused her to become increasingly more prickly!
“Get out!”
“What? Why?”
“I want to take a bath!”
Ves scratched his head. “That doesn’t mean I have to leave your side.”
“I SAID GET OUT!”
After Gloriana essentially booted him out of the medical bay, he came face to face with a large number of waiting Larkinsons.
Ves noted that many of the clansmen were originally stationed on other vessels such as the Graveyard or the Vivacious Wal. They had all transferred over as soon as they received word.
There were other guests as well. Glory Seekers such as Marshal Ariadne Wodin, Venerable Brutus Wodin looked even more eager than Ves to greet the new baby!
It wasn’t necessary for them to do so and Ves did not really mind their decision. The Cross Clan showed enough consideration for sending a small delegation of officials that were already being received by Minister Shederin.
Ves first opted to join the circle of expert pilots. Venerable Joshua, Venerable Jannzi, Venerable Orfan, Venerable Dise and Venerable Brutus had all gathered together to discuss the baby and other topics.
He distinctly noted that Venerable Stark was not present, but he had already expected that. She was not a Larkinson so she did not have a direct stake in the succession of the clan. In addition, her tragic experiences left her heart devoid of love and affection. Not even the sight of a baby could make her smile!
“Hello, fellows. Welcome to the Spirit of Bentheim, Brutus.”
The pilots all saluted or greeted him. Their different wills all gave hints of what they thought about this important event.
Not surprisingly, Brutus cared the most about what was happening. The other Larkinsons weren’t close family to Ves and Gloriana so their interest in the upcoming birth was more general.
“How is my sister?” Brutus impatiently asked.
“She’s doing well as far as I know.” He answered. “There are so many doctors looking after her and our baby that nothing will get past their sight. For now, we should just wait and disturb the people inside as little as possible.”
“Can I get inside?”
“I’ll pass on a notification to Dr. Ranya. She will let you in if Gloriana is in the mood.”
Once Ves placated Brutus, he turned to his own expert pilots.
“You don’t need to stay so close. We’re not about to fight a mech battle or anything.”
“We can’t help but stay and see what happens.” Venerable Joshua responded. “I mean, the two of you are our best and most important mech designers. If anything happens… who knows whether I will ever get my own expert mech.”
Ves placed a hand on Joshua’s shoulder. “Hey, you will get your next expert mech soon. I promise that. No matter what happens today, I will always fulfill my duties as a mech designer. The Chimera Project is already at an incredibly advanced stage. Even with the distraction of a baby, you will get your long-awaited machine within a month.”
He did not promise to deliver a masterwork expert mech, even though he was optimistic about his chances.
It was true that Ves invested a lot in the Chimera Project. It was also true that he intended to apply his latest insights on the expert mech design.
However, even with the help of Vulcan, masterwork mechs were never guaranteed at his current stage. He had not yet reached that point and he wouldn’t be for a long time.
After talking to the other expert pilots, Ves left them be and approached the gathering of chief ministers.
Magdalena Larkinson, Novilon Purnesse and Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson wielded the most power other than Ves. In practice, they pretty much ran the clan on a day to day basis.
“Have you ever made any considerations about the succession of the Larkinson Clan?” The only native second-rater among the chief ministers asked.
Both Magdalena and Raymond were caught off-guard. This was not a light subject. As trueborn Larkinsons, they were unaccustomed to the kind of succession and dynastic politics that produced a lot of conflict in other organizations.
Ves frowned. “Should I?”
“You should.” Chief Minister Novilon replied. “It is better to decide upon these matters early rather than later. You need to decide whether your position of patriarch is inheritable or whether it is decided by appointment or election. Right now, our statutes don’t provide any clarity on this subject.”
“That’s by design. To be honest, I haven’t made a decision yet. That’s why I want to stall this issue until I know what I want.” Ves remarked.
Novilon didn’t look surprised. “Let us help you make your decision. In my opinion, it is best for the Larkinson Clan if the highest office is an elected position. It is the fairest, most equitable and most expected manner to determine our leader. You can decide whether the patriarch should be directly voted in the office by our clansmen or whether the patriarch must be nominated by the Larkinson Assembly.”
If he had to make a choice between the two, Ves preferred to give every clansman an equal voice. Leaving the decision up to the Larkinson Assembly tended to concentrate more power to the elites, though the wise men and women in the legislative organ were unlikely to put idiots in charge.
Yet the prospect of letting other people decide who got to be the patriarch did not sit well with Ves. This was his clan. He held most of the shares of the LMC, which pretty much funded all of the expenditures. Why shouldn’t he have the greatest voice?
Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson raised his eyebrow. “Are you thinking about turning the Larkinson Clan into your own kingdom, Ves?”
Ves frowned. “I’m not a fan of feudal systems. They’re antiquated and unnecessary.”
“Don’t be so quick to discount them. They are still popular in this day and age. You see, they provide the greatest justification for transferring power to your descendants. If you treat our clan like a possession, then it is in the best interest for you to groom a competent heir that will take over your throne one day.”
A part of Ves felt repulsed by this. Another part of him is deeply craved to implement such an arrangement. He did not want his clan to fall into the wrong hands. Only someone absolutely trustworthy such as his own children should be allowed to lead the clan that he had painstakingly built!
He took a deep breath. “I can’t make a decision now. I’ll think about it and give you a reply when I have made up my mind. For now, I just want to be a new father today. Whether my daughter is slated to inherit my clan or not is a discussion for another time. I don’t intend to go anywhere, so there is no point in deciding early.”
Chief Minister Novilon nodded and accepted this answer without any resistance. He knew when he should advance and when to retreat. He was already content that he had inserted the idea in Ves’ mind. As far as he was concerned, the succession of the clan remained a huge vulnerability unless it was properly addressed!
“Will we all call your daughter a princess someday?” Raymond mirthfully asked.
“I don’t know. I won’t mind if she really insists on becoming a princess.”
“You shouldn’t spoil your daughter so much.” Magdalena warned. “Love her all you want, but make sure to set firm boundaries.”
“Hey, my mom is the Superior Mother. I know exactly how to raise a child! My daughter will grow up to become the best-behaved woman in the clan!”
