Chapter 7019: The Leadership Vote

เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 มี.ค. 2569 17:22

"Vote Ark! Let us all work together to apply to join the newest, richest and most powerful human empire in the Red Ocean! Forget about the Red Three. The mechers and the fleeters have become antiques who are about to be swept in the dustbin of history. The collies are nice folk, but they are too young and weak to make a big enough difference. As for the Terrans and the Rubarthans? They cannot possibly fend off the native aliens as well as the voribugs on their own." The campaigning had entered full swing now that the day of the popular vote had arrived. Not everyone cast their vote the first thing in the morning. There were still plenty of Larkinsons who decided to take their sweet time before they performed their civic duty to the clan. This gave the advocates of the Saint General one more opportunity to sway the clansmen, especially those that had yet to commit to the Saint Commander. "Do not listen to the Larkinsons who are blind enough to think that we can keep tempting fate by ourselves. Recognize reality!" The campaigner shouted! "The new frontier has become more dangerous than ever, and only by seeking shelter from the Cybernetic Empire will we be able to guarantee our lives! Have you heard the amazing tech the Polymath and the Cybers invented during their Time of Isolation?" The man began to project a slideshow that showcased samples of the amazing tech that the Cybernetic Empire was rapidly becoming known for. Each example of high technology attracted the envy of the rest of red humanity. "They have invented projectiles that can pierce through transphasic energy shields without the use of phasewater! They have developed near full-body augments that can increase the survival rate of mech pilots who have lost their machines in battle by 500 percent! There are even rumors that they have developed a brain implant that can upload your soul to the cloud when you die, thereby allowing you to live again as soon as the Cybernetic Empire has printed out a replacement body!" The Cybernetic Empire's technological lead was no joke. From the beginning, Bridgehead One had long hosted one of the human race's largest R&D sectors in any single star system. Not even Yernstall could muster up more than 5 percent of the number of scientists, researchers, developers, mech designers, engineers and other relevant professionals that had decided to call Bridgehead One home. And this ratio was only valid before Bridgehead One's disappearance! During the Time of Isolation, the Polymath's unceasing efforts to educate the population and expand her empire's R&D sector had caused an explosive rise of technological innovation and refinement. The only reasons why the Cybernetic Empire's technology had not reached a level where it could crush the rest of the Red Ocean was because the Time of Isolation had limited its intake of resources and exotic radiation. However, now that Bridgehead One had fully reconnected with the rest of the universe, the Polymath and her massive army of scientists would finally be able to progress all of the R&D projects that they originally cooked up but could not progress due to the limitations of their environment! The Cybers may have made little practical progress in the development of hyper technology, but that did not stop them from spending 53 straight years on theoretical development. Everyone expected the Cybers to come out with another wave of innovations related to hyper technology! Given how much of a technological lead the new empire had accrued, many wanted to become a part of this rising power. Even the Larkinsons could not entirely resist the temptation to join one of the most promising bandwagons that were currently available in the Red Ocean! "Vote for the future by voting for Ark! Instead of mindlessly roaming around in space like space vagrants, let us take shelter under the powerful umbrella of the Cybernetic Empire and carve out our own territory under its expanding reach. The Colonial Federation of Davute and many other states that have become disillusioned with the mechers and the fleeters are already eager to seek out the Polymath's protection. What are you waiting for? Go and make your voice heard! Ark for Patriarch!" Compared to the passionate campaigners who stridently tried to persuade the clansmen to buy into Ark's vision, the ones who advocated for the Saint Commander sounded a lot more composed. "We built the Larkinson Clan from the ground up. Our original patriarch has never sold us out to others, and we have done better than nearly any other pioneering organization in the Red Ocean. Why would we possibly want to change our working formula for one that completely betrays the principles that our clan stands for? The wealth and tech that the honorable Saint General promises to you all is not false, but do you truly think the Cybers will let us obtain those benefits for free?" Not many Larkinsons had thought about the other side of the equation. "No! The greater the benefits, the greater the obligations. Surrendering ourselves to the Cybernetic Empire will turn us into its slaves! Our precious freedom will be lost. Once we no longer have the ability to board our starships and disappear, we will be at the mercy of every power-hungry officer or official that seeks to exploit us for his or her own gains!" According to the initial stories that came out, the Cybernetic Empire had supposedly turned into a 'perfect' society where strict rules, objective evaluation standards and constant monitoring had rooted out most if not all forms of corruption and malfeasance in its administration. The Polymath refused to tolerate waste and had put a lot of effort into remaking Bridgehead One's society into one where the most competent and honest technocrats had a legitimate chance to promote up the ranks. However, not everyone believed that this was accurate. It sounded too good to be true. Every society had its flaws. No matter what, the thought of answering to a superior who was not a member of the Larkinson Clan evoked a lot of disgust among the Larkinsons. Many of them had indeed come to prize the independent spirit of the Larkinson Clan. It was refreshing for them to be led by those who belonged to the same class of people as themselves. "If you think our old patriarch did a great job and want our clan to complete his grand design for our clan, then vote for the Saint Commander. She has pledged to uphold many of our original traditions and policies. Naturally, Casella Ingvar has also introduced a range of proposals that should help to modernize and align our clan to the latest era, but you can rest assured that she will always uphold our independence. Vote for Casella if you are already happy with the direction of our clan!" Though the sales pitches for Casella sounded decidedly less fervent, they maintained the correct tone. The Saint Commander already enjoyed a lot of popularity in the Premier Branch. The first-class Larkinsons merely needed to be reminded what she stood for and how she differed from the Saint General. As the day passed by, the polling locations began to attract a lot more clansmen. If the clan wanted to, it could have given every clansman the option to digitally cast their vote. However, doing so made the process far too easy and trivial. It was better to demand the clansmen enter one of the many polling places set up throughout the starships and other locations of the Premier Fleet and beyond. The additional effort was more than worth it. This was the first time the Larkinsons directly participated in a process to elect their next leader. The significance of their vote was significantly greater than when they voted for the members of the Larkinson Assembly. Every clansman that entered the polling places maintained serious expressions as they second-guessed their choices one last time before they made up their minds. Ves and his immediate family also dropped by one of the polling locations of the Tortuous Scream. Plenty of Larkinsons greeted their soon-to-be-former patriarch or nodded at him with respect. "Awww. Why can't we vote in this election? I want to vote for Casella!" "You are way too young, Andraste." Ves gently told his energetic girl. "There are many reasons why it is not wise to let you vote. Be patient. You will get your turn a decade or so in the future." "Awww. That is way too long, papa. I want to vote now!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 The children had to wait outside the voting booths as their parents went ahead and filled their ballots. Fortunately, Lucky and Clixie remained behind to watch over the kids. "Do you think cats should be given a vote as well?" Andraste playfully asked as she held Clixie in her arms. "Miaow~" The Rubarthan Sentinel Cat squinted in pleasure and nodded. "I do not think that will happen, sister." Aurelia responded. "Cats do not contribute as much to our clan as humans such as you and I. Before you mention it, Lucky and Clixie are the exceptions rather than the standard. There are many more cats that do not do much aside from running around and begging for treats." "Oh. I guess you are right, big sis. If contribution is so important, then why not let our design spirits and living mechs cast their votes? Their contributions are at least just as important. Shouldn't they deserve to have a voice in who gets to order them around?" Aurelia pressed her lips. "That is a political minefield. Many clansmen will feel that their voices may be drowned out by ghosts and machines. Then there are the reactions from outside parties. The mechers and the fleeters will have a fit if we begin to transfer power to inhuman intelligences." "Screw the Red Two! We don't have to follow their rules anymore! Everyone says that they have become weaker. So what if we do something that they don't like? This is our clan! We make the rules for ourselves! I thought that was the point of maintaining our independence." Aurelia let out an exasperated sigh. "Independence does not mean that we have the freedom to do what we want. We do not want to become the next Cosmopolitan Movement. If we want our clan to maintain its place in society, we have to make a good effort to play by everyone else's general rules." As the two sisters bickered, their parents eventually returned a minute later. "We are done. Let's head back to our grand stateroom." Ves declared. He picked up his youngest son while his wife held Aurelia's hand. As they moved through the long, alien corridors of the Tortuous Scream, the children grew curious about who their parents supported. "I think you can guess the answer." Ves said with a smile. "I won't say it out loud because I do not want other clansmen to automatically favor my choice just to please or imitate me. Every clansman should make up his or her own mind." Gloriana on the other hand did not feel the need to hide her preference. "I voted for the Saint Commander, obviously. Not only is she promising continuity, she is also a woman, and a particularly clever and powerful one. She is much closer to the ideal of females espoused by hexism than any other woman aside from myself. The Superior Mother has cast her blessing on her. As for the Saint General… the only advantage he has is his age and his eagerness to find safe harbor for the clan. That is not even close enough for me to support him with my vote." Marvaine looked over his father's shoulder in order to cast a suspicious glance towards his mother. "You never thought about voting for my grand-uncle because he is a man." "Hey! That is not the case! Whether he is a boy or a woman holds no bearing in my voting decision!" Gloriana defended herself! "I wouldn't have voted for Ark if he was a woman and if Casella happened to be a man. Their policies are too far apart from each other. One of them promises to protect your father's policies while the other completely wants to get rid of them. It just so happens that Casella holds the former position, and that is why she has earned my vote." The little boy was not the only one who rolled his eyes. His father as well as both of his sisters did the same. None of them were stupid enough to believe in her excuses!

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