The voting hours lasted for a full standard day. This granted every Larkinson stationed on every starship or planetary branch enough opportunities to consider the final arguments before visiting one of the polling stations. Just as expected, over 90 percent of eligible voters in the Larkinson Clan had voted in its first true leadership competition. The clan did not make it mandatory for everyone to vote, but regardless of this rule, an overwhelming number of clansmen wanted to participate in this historic moment. They also wanted to make sure that their preferred candidate won! Most of the Larkinsons that comprised the 10 percent who did not fill in their ballots consisted of those who were stationed well outside of Larkinson strongholds. Since they couldn't visit any of the physical polling stations, the clan exempted them from the normal rules and granted them the right to cast their votes over the galactic net. Most of the Larkinsons in question were sent to different states and locations in order to spy on other groups, mostly covertly in order to avoid unwelcome attention. They could not afford to give away clues by placing their votes through a remote connection. There was also a minority of Larkinsons who plainly lacked interest in politics and elections. People like that existed everywhere. Only mandatory voting rules could get them to cast their votes, and even that was not entirely certain. Nobody really cared about the missing 10 percent. Everyone important enough was more than satisfied with the extent the voting results represented the will of every clansmen. At least the losers shouldn't be able to complain about lack of representation! When the polling stations finally closed, the results did not become available right away. The volunteers who manned these places solemnly performed their duty and made sure to check the counting and make sure that the results did not become tainted by mistakes. It took 3 whole hours after the closing of the voting period that the results finally became clear. One of the internal broadcast channels of the Larkinson Clan proudly announced the outcome of the first leadership election! [...Chief Minister Novilon Purnesse-Larkinson has won third place after gathering a respectable 6.7 percent of the votes. This may not sound very impressive, but he deserves credit for being able to rise above the dozens of anonymous faces and establish a recognizable niche in the presence of two notable titans of the Larkinson Clan. Whether his participation in the election has caused him to play spoiler will soon become clear. Let me remind you all that if no single candidate has won 50 percent of the votes, the two leading candidates will have to take part in a runoff election.] This was a fairly typical rule. If many people chose to vote for a multitude of weaker candidates as opposed to the frontrunner, then they clearly did not want the latter to win just because there were too many alternatives to choose from. A simple election where two candidates competed against each other was the most simple and unambiguous way to determine the will of the masses. Not even Ves knew whether the first leadership election would lead to a second round of voting. The most favorable possibility was for Saint Commander Casella Ingvar to win over 50 percent of the votes in the first round. That would not only save her from a rematch against Ark Larkinson, but also give her a much stronger mandate. Being able to win over 50 percent of the votes while competing against Ark, Novilon and many other candidates was a clear show of strength! Everyone wanted for the announcer to reveal the next results. [This is what you have all been waiting for. It should not surprise anyone that the two ace commanders of the Larkinson Clan have captured the vast majority of your votes. I am happy to announce that 'Saint General' Ark Larkinson has earned 34.5 percent of the votes, placing him firmly in second place! 'Saint Commander' Casella Ingvar-Larkinson has won 55.2 percent of the votes, putting her far ahead of all other candidates! Congratulations to Ingvar-Larkinson for winning a clear majority as opposed to a plurality! Since she has won an outright majority with a lead that far surpasses the margin of error, there is little chance that anyone would contest the results. This is it, my fellow Larkinsons. From today onwards, the Larkinson Clan will gain its second leader and its first matriarch!] "CASELLA WON! HOORAAAAY!" "I KNEW SHE WOULD WIN ALL THIS TIME!" "Duh. Of course she won. Who would be crazy enough to vote for a failure and traitor?" Many people erupted in celebration during a time where it was deep into the night on every starship. Casella had attracted the most supporters from the beginning, and many of them still remained loyal to her vision and her strength of personality. Now, these Larkinsons became reassured that the Larkinson Clan would continue to develop along the same trajectory under a proven and reliable leader. Both Ves and Gloriana looked at each other and smiled in relief. The worst case scenario had not occurred, and that was good enough in their books. Their children would have loved to celebrate with the other Larkinsons who rooted for the Saint Commander, but it was well past their bedtime at this point. They would just have to find out about the results tomorrow morning like all of the other kids. Still, despite the positive results, Ves was not entirely happy about the outcome. "What is wrong, Ves?" "Look at how many votes my uncle managed to steal away from the other candidates." He said as he pointed at the second-biggest slice of projected pie chart. "He has somehow managed to win the support of a third of all clansmen. Sure, he hasn't been able to beat Casella in the end, but what about next time? What if Casella retires or becomes ineligible to participate in the next leadership election? Whoever attempts to succeed her and preserve her legacy may not possess the strength and popularity of a prominent ace commander. It is very much possible for the Saint General to win over half of all of the clansmen next time." Ves was no longer thinking about the immediate future anymore. He instead began to worry about the next election. It may take a long time before the Larkinson Clan decided to hold the second leadership election. The current rules did not explicitly set any term limits or anything, but Ves would not be surprised if the Larkinson Assembly decided to hold it once every decade. His uncle should become a lot stronger by that time. Not only would he be able to command the power of the Lionheart Mark II, but he would also have many more opportunities to showcase his leadership abilities on and off the battlefield. From what Ves knew of his uncle, Ark possessed a bit of a perfectionist streak like his wife. The two were similar in the way that they both took their losses badly. They could not stand the fact that they had earned second place while another person won first place! Their jealousy and discontent drove them to work harder in order to earn top place next time! Ark may be a proud individual, but he was not above learning from his betters. After he learned about the results of this election, he and his team would definitely analyze the reasons behind his loss and why Casella managed to do so much better. An incompetent Ark was not that scary as far as Ves was concerned. An Ark that managed to get his act together and learned from his mistakes was much more threatening! This version of Ark had a much more legitimate chance to win the second leadership election and gain the power to steer the Larkinson Clan in a very different direction! Of course, all of this concerned the distant future. Nobody knew what the Red Ocean would look like a decade from now. The same applied to the Larkinson Clan. So much had changed for the Larkinsons in the last decade that many of htem still could not believe that they had managed to gain a strong foothold into first-class society. Perhaps a decade from now, the majority of Larkinsons would have already promoted to first-raters. This should negate the attraction of much of the Saint General's original selling pitch! He would have to make adaptations in order to make sure he won over a majority of the clansmen. As the Larkinson Clan continued to celebrate and accept the election results, Ves soon received a call from the happy woman in question. "Casella! Congratulations for your victory. Despite starting off as the overwhelming favorite, you did not falter or make a blunder. You comported yourself with dignity and clearly laid out your vision without needing to resort to mud slinging. You won fair and square." The ace commander responded with a momentary smile. "This is the expected outcome. I feel little need to make a spectacle out of contest that was devoid of any parity." Wow. That sounded like a really erudite insult towards Ark. She essentially admitted that she never treated the Saint General as a legitimate competitor! Ves awkwardly coughed. "Whatever the case, it is official now. You still need to be sworn in and so on, but that can wait until tomorrow morning. Everyone is happy for you, Casella. You have climbed your way to the very top of our clan. I am little sorry to leave my position when I still have so much stuff I want to do, but I am confident that you will be able to pick up where I have left off and create your own legacy." The Saint Commander nodded. "I am pleased to hear that you do not mind if I deviate from your original policies and implement my own. I have long wanted to enact certain reforms and improements. I am not entirely certain whether each of them can earn your approval, but I think it is necessary for the clan to adapt to the times." "Becoming the matriarch of the Larkinson Clan is a serious responsibility. Do what you think is necessary. The multiple upheavals that has taken place as of late has increased the stakes even more than we previously thought. You will need to get on top of these new developments as soon as possible. I am sure youre prior leadership experience has prepared you pretty well for your newest position, but do not forget that there is more to the Larkinson Clan than its military. Its research and industrial sectors are also important. Your exposure to them is relatively superficial, so make sure you to get up to speed on them. My advice is to listen closely to your advisors who possess a relevant background in these matters." "I already plan to do so, Ves. I have no intention of rashly intervening in affairs that falls outside of my expertise." The Saint Commander already built up a robust staff during and before the start of her election campaign. Many of those staffers would probably go on and join her team once she was sworn in as matriarch. "By the way, will you continue to fulfill your responsibilites as the Saint Commander of the Premier Fleet while you fulfill the duties of a matriarch?" "Yes, but I know what is important." Casella said. "I already intend to lighten my duties as the military leader of the Premier Fleet. If necessary, I am prepared to transfer military command to a qualified and reliable officer. I will only take part in battle as my strength is indispensible to the Premier Fleet. I can leave the administrative duties and strategizing to other Larkinsons." "That sounds like a workable solution. I hope it works out for you, Casella. It will not take long before the original batch of Larkinsons who underwent EdNet training will return to the fold. They may have grown a bit out of touch with our current society, but there should be nothing wrong with their vastly improved qualifications. You should make good use of them all. General Verle should be particularly suitable to take over as the overall commander of the Premier Fleet." "We shall see."