Ves never expected his first meeting with Tristan Wesseling in years to end this way.


    He could not even catch up with Tristan on a personal basis. The critical defense information that the Fridayman mech designer had nonchntly leaked to one of the known enemies of his state demanded too much attention!


    The hardcopy that fell into Ves'' hands turned into a priority matter that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible!


    After waving Tristan goodbye, Ves immediately left the Ascension Gallery and headed down to the underground baseplex where he could securely handle the hot intelligence that he carried on his person.


    "Please verify the information printed on this sheet." Ves said as he carefully handed over the item in question to a ck Cat officer. "Make sure to be careful with dissemination of what is inside. Also, notify Director Cbast right away. I need her here in order to deal with the intelligence that we have received in the most prudent and respectful manner possible. I am about to call for a meeting with the highest leaders of the Golden Skull Alliance and I do not want us to make decisions based on lies and misdirection."


    After tasking the ck Cats with verifying the sensitive information package, Ves proceeded to inform numerous people whose input he valued.


    People such as General Verle, Commander Case Ingvar, Chief Minister Novilon Purnesse and Chief Minister Magdalena Larkinson all received a call from him that caused them to put down their current duties in order to address this new surprise.


    <o>,m One of the more interesting personalities he tapped was Chief Minister Abigail Evern.</o>


    After Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson finally retired from the second-highest position of the Larkinson n, Ves had thought a lot about who he should rece him with. His sights eventually fell on a candidate that he had passed over thest time, the formermodore of the Penitent Sisters.


    Abigail Evern''s appointment did note without controversy. Her name not only betrayed her origin as a scion of the infamous Evern Matriarchal Dynasty, she also came from the military wing of the Larkinson n.


    In the past, the three chief ministers each came from the military wing, the government wing and the business wing of the n. This ensured that every major pir of the Larkinsons had a representative at the highest level.


    This pattern became invalid after Ves decided to rece Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson with Abigail Evern.


    Although it sounded as if the business wing of the n was being marginalized, Ves did not see it that way.


    "The chief ministers aren''t supposed to stay in their ownnes. Their background and work experiences may be useful in handling specific affairs, but they are meant to serve every part of the n."


    Though the unrest of this appointment had been considerable at first, the controversy subsided as the Larkinson n still ran as smoothly as ever.


    There were plenty of executives that were more thanpetent enough to address many kinds of issues. The chief ministers were mostly needed to make high-level policy decisions in order to make sure that the Larkinson n developed in the right direction.


    Abigail Evern also turned out to be a more qualified leader than Raymond. This was due to the vast disparity of their backgrounds. Whereas Raymond used to be a third-rater, Abigail had received plenty of leadership and management training as she grew up in one of the six most powerful dynasties of the Hexadric Hegemony.


    What was also helpful was that Abigail''s former naval career granted her the insight and motivation to improve the Larkinson n''s starship situation.


    The Larkinson Navy, which previously existed more in name than anything, received a lot more funding and manpower, allowing the n to turn it into a real and formidable institution.


    The new chief minister put a lot of emphasis on upgrading and overhauling the starships of the new n navy. Every ship needed to be beefed up in order to withstand more attacks, particrly thoseunched byrge caliber weapons mounted by alien warships!


    All in all, Ves was d that he had made this appointment. Chief Minister Abigail Evern might not pay as much attention to the business activities of the n, but the other two chief ministers were more than capable of picking up the ck.


    Since the Golden Skull Alliance was preparing to undertake a multi-year expedition through the more dangerous reaches of the Red Ocean, it was much more important for the Larkinson n to bring its military affairs into order.


    Who cared about the efficiency of the Living Mech Corporation''s production operations when dozens of alien warships were bearing down on the expeditionary fleet?


    In any case, the appointment of a new chief minister inevitably meant that an old one had to move aside.


    Just as Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson thought that he could enjoy a leisurely retirement as an ordinary nsman in Davute, Ves had approached him with an interesting proposition one day.


    "I want you to be the director of our new branch on Davute VII." Ves straightforwardly said. "While our central administration is in charge of most of its affairs right now, this can not go on forever. Once we set off our Trailzer Expedition, this branch has to be able to stand up on its own. I need Larkinson in charge who I can trust to keep my interests at heart while at the same timemand respect from every nsman."


    Raymond frowned. "There are many Larkinsons that can do this job. I am old, Ves. I have already reached the twilight of my life. Not only that, the n has grown way too quickly for me to keep up. I was already struggling to keep on top of all of theplicated developments of the n. I don''t think I can lead the branch, not when I have been looking to put down my work and leave everything to the younger generation who are more eager to make their mark."


    Though Raymond made his yearning for retirement clear, Ves was not willing to let him off that easily.


    As the grandfather of an expert pilot and one of the few trueblood Larkinsons who grew up under the ideals of the old family, there were few people that Ves trusted more to lead the Davute Branch in a good direction.


    "Don''t be in such a hurry to refuse, Raymond. I need you in charge of the branch. It doesn''t matter if you don''t know how to deal with the specific affairs. You can just delegate all of the work but maintain the final say over everything. What is important is that I need you to ensure that the Davute Branch will never go astray once our main fleet goes away. It is all toomon for distant branches to be estranged from their mother organizations, so I need a man who has been a Larkinson longer than almost anyone else to upy the top position and remind everyone of our values."


    Though Raymond was mentally and physically tired, Ves appealed so much to his sense of duty that the old man began to reconsider.


    Still, he didn''t think it would be much use considering his advanced age.


    "You should look for someone younger, Ves. My health is already declining and the doctors do not think I can live much longer. I won''t be able to lead your branch for long before I have to make way for a recement."


    "That won''t happen." Ves stated.


    "It won''t?"


    "Yes. I''ve already scheduled an appointment with the MTA about your uing life-prolonging treatment session. Congrattions, Raymond. You get to live 100 years longer!"


    "What?!" Raymond looked shocked. "Do you know how much that costs us?! You could spend your MTA merits on much more useful endeavors! My life isn''t worth that much sacrifice."


    Ves shook his head. "You''re family, Raymond. Our n is growing bigger by the day, but the amount of people who can trace their line back to the old family is continuing to shrink as a result. I don''t mind ying favorites in order to keep you around for a longer time. I''ve already paid the merits from my personal ount. Don''t worry. The cost is still bearable to me. The first round of life-prolonging treatment is always the easiest, and I have opted for a cheaper package as well. There is a small risk that the operation will get botched, but hey, your lifespan is already short so hardly anything will change."


    Fortunately for the both of them, the life-prolonging treatment proceeded smoothly. Ves actually bet that due to his good rtionship with the MTA, the doctors and specialists working for the organization would direct more care and attention to Raymond''s operation.


    Whether this was true or not, Ves managed to save millions of MTA merits and still get what he wanted.


    Raymond''s entire life changed after his sessful rejuvenation. He caused a lot of people''s heads to turn as he returned to the n with a younger and smoother appearance.


    Ves could feel the vitality that the MTA had somehow stuffed inside Raymond''s body and most importantly his spirit.


    This was a process that even Ves couldn''t perform!


    The reaction from Venerable Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson was especially appreciative.


    "Thank you for doing this, Ves." The expert pilot earnestly said. "You always say that family matters, but I didn''t think you would put your money where your mouth is. Being able to spend another lifetime with my grandfather is a privilege that not many people get to enjoy."


    Ves smiled in return. "I originally founded the n to give us exiles from the old family a new home and a way for us to get ahead. While all of the new and talented adopted nsmen have impressed me a lot, I haven''t forgotten about the dreams and aspirations of our original gathering. I owe much to Raymond and other original Larkinsons for the sesses that we have achieved throughout the years."


    Now that Raymond had be younger and full of life again, the rejuvenated man no longer had any desire to retire and let everyone else do all of the work. He eagerly assumed his position as the branch director and started to implement more high-level policies that would hopefully ensure the Davute Branch would remain prosperous and orderly for many decades.


    Though Raymond had retreated from the main branch of the Larkinson n after this move, Ves still decided to bring him in to discuss the intelligence that Tristan had leaked.


    If anything happened to the Gauge Dynasty''s holdings in Magair Middle Zone, the Gaugers would certainly be looking for vengeance. The Davute Branch might get targeted as a consequence, so it was vital for Raymond to get involved.


    A busy day passed by before everyone involved decided to meet in the secure chamber underneath the Cat Nest.


    Numerous Larkinsons as well as the highest delegates of the Glory Seekers and the Cross n converged to discuss the most explosive development of the Golden Skull Alliance in years!


    The expressions on the leaders who attended the meeting were mixed.


    A few faces showed concern. The risks and dangers associated with the leaked intelligence were considerable. Who knew whether it was all a trap.


    Others showed a sense of weariness. The Komodo War as well as the Larkinson n''s entanglement with the Hexers should have already ended as far as they were concerned.


    A handful showed eagerness, though. They relished the opportunity to hit back at the Fridaymen and set back the interests of the most powerful and domineering coalition partner.


    All of these people gathered together for a hasty meeting to discuss what the Golden Skull Alliance should do about the sensitive information package as well as Tristan''s less-than-proper invitation to attack one of his supposed allies!


    "This is going to be troublesome." Ves predicted as he thought about all of the contentious decisions that they would have to make.


    He briefly thought about inviting his wife to this leadership meeting as well, but he concluded it was best for her to remain in the dark for the time being. Gloriana was far too biased and intense to make fruitful contributions to the discussion.


    Ves wanted to exchange opinions with grown adults, and he had a feeling that bringing along his spouse was counterproductive to this goal.


    "Oh well. I''ll tell her what happened afterwards." He shrugged.