This was the first formal leadership transition of the Larkinson Clan.
Since the clan was still young and lacking in tradition, the swearing-in ceremony was fairly simple compared to the much more elaborate ceremonies organized by older and more storied organizations.
The Terrans often said that the hallmark of a healthy and enduring family, clan or dynasty was its ability to complete an orderly transition of power and maintain enough continuity in the process.
Many brilliant people rose up from the masses all of the time. Many of them started up groups and companies that experienced insane growth rates while their magnificent founders were still alive.
Yet as soon as those very same prodigies and geniuses died or lost their touch, their organizations crumbled like a house of cards.
This happened so often that it was the rule rather than the exception.
The Terrans and many other old and experienced players had come to follow a rule that stated that they should never take rapidly rising groups too seriously unless they had proven their ability to be able to maintain their pattern of success after the departure of their founder.
It was still too soon to definitively prove that the Larkinson Clan deserved its place among them, but an orderly succession was the first step to making that happen.
In order to add at least a bit of grandeur to the ceremony, the protocol officers decided to hold it in the grandest assembly hall of the Tortuous Scream.
Say what you wanted out of the orvens, they sure knew how to build to impress.
Ves was rather surprised that the shipwrights chose to preserve this gigantic central chamber inside the hull of the converted alien battleship.
He could think of so many ways to make better use of all of this open space. The ceilings were so sinfully high that it could fit a modest juggernaut. There was more than enough internal volume to install a large power generator and several robust azure shield generators.
It could also be converted into a makeshift mech hangar, enabling the Tortuous Scream to scramble its own coterie of mechs if there were no carriers in her company.
Finally, they could also use it to store a portion of the massive amounts of loot the Premier Fleet had claimed from the defeated aliens in the star systems.
In fact, the Larkinsons intended to do just that, but they scheduled this ceremony in advance.
As soon as this routine had come to an end, the clansmen intended to fill it with lots of debris and containers filled with phasewater.
All of that extra mass would definitely impact the mobility of the Tortuous Scream to an extent, but she was hardly the only ship that would suffer from this problem.
In any case, the Larkinsons easily applied a more human touch to the original orven architecture. Emblems of the Golden Cat and the various mech legions suffuced the enormous walls. Banners hung from the air that depicted the flags of the Larkinson Clan as well as the personal emblems of the growing number of expert pilots and ace pilots of the Larkinson Clan.
The addition of statues and display mechs would have impressed Ves more if they were masterworks, but alas Ves and Gloriana had better things to do with their time than to decorate this chamber.
Still, the pieces were quite apt as they showcased prominent Larkinsons that each deserved to be honored such as Ves, Ketis, Gloriana, various design spirits and even Lucky.
They also prominently displayed copies of iconic if outdated mech models such as the original Valkyrie Redeemer and the now-obsolete Bright Warrior Mark III.
There was not enough internal space to give a prominent place to every historic mech model that had played a crucial role in the rise of the Larkinson Clan, but the modest selection created enough of a narrative to evoke the memories of long-standing members such as the Saint Commander.
As tens of thousands of clansmen gathered in the central assembly hall, the Saint Commander entered the space from the enormous main entrance.
It was clear that the orvens had designed this space to accommodate their phase lords, or else there wouldn't have been a need to make everything so large and tall.
The Minerva Mark II strode inside. She was without an escort, but she did wear a lush green-and-white cape, which happened to complement her crowned head extremely well.
The ace command mech looked like a born monarch. It was as if the living ace mech was about to take over leadership of the clan.
Her Command Field had already spread far and wide, making sure to affect the Larkinsons who were unable to attend because they had to operate their own starships.
Those who viewed the live broadcast could only experience a fraction of the majesty of her Command Field. They were missing out on a lot, as only those in the Premier Fleet could feel her power and some of her emotions.
She was happy, but not in an unseemly manner. She felt pleased that the Larkinsons had entrusted her with the responsibility of leading them. She expressed nothing but confidence in her ability to do so, but she also expressed a small degree of caution, showing that she did not intend to go half-cocked.
The Victrix accompanied the magnificent green-and-golden ace mech as well. The living fey's more silvery metallic exterior made her look a little less remarkable, but that did not change the fact that she served as an extension of the ace pilot and ace mech.
Once the Minerva Mark II reached the podium where the phase lords used to hold their religious ceremonies and lectures, the machine stopped and slowly lowered herself to her knees.
The cockpit opened up, allowing a woman wearing a familiar-looking uniform as well as a fur-lined red cape to make her appearance.
The Saint Commander had already been adorned in the most formal version of the uniform of the leader of the Larkinson Clan.
It clearly inherited much of the visual cues and design of the patriarch uniform that Ves used to wield, though it was obviously cut in a way that emphasized her femininity in a classy manner.
Of course, the Larkinson Clan's much more competent first-class fashion experts had taken the time to update the version worn by Casella.
It contained more visible tech elements that came in the form of lit patterns that shifted over time.
From the cape that alternated between displaying the symbol of the Golden Cat and her personal emblem, to the snake-like ripples that traveled across her lengthy jacket, Casella's fashionable matriarch uniform betrayed a willingness to express herself in a bolder manner than her predecessor.
Perhaps there were clansmen who may disapprove of her loud design choices, but Ves thought it was refreshing. There was no rule that stated that the leaders of the Larkinson Clan had to wear the exact same pattern of uniforms.
If Casella wanted to be a little more flamboyant in her dress, then he would certainly not stand in her way.
Of course, this may be the only instance where she chose to wore a suit that made such a strong statement.
When Casella's boots touched the surface of the podium, she stepped forward until she stopped a short distance away from Ves along with his Apocalypse Warden bodyguards.
Ves had already changed in a plainer version of his old dress uniform. This made for a clear contrast in identities. It also sent an unmistakable message that he had effectively stepped away from involving himself in the internal politics of the clan.
He had no interest in clinging to power by assuming an elder position or joining one of the other governing institutions of the clan.
Trying to cling to power when he had already completed a run as the most powerful executive leader was a sign of weakness and insecurity.
Lucky's dark plated form accompanied him as well. The cat calmly rested on his shoulders and observed Casella as if he was a watchful feline sentry.
Ves slowly raised the sizable and hefty tome in his hands.
Its purple leather surface along with the massive Golden Cat emblem dominated the front cover, so much so that it was easy to overlook the other symbolic depictions.
The cover alone told the story of the Larkinson Clan, though no one should be able to comprehend it completely aside from Ves and other users of the System.
"Saint Commander Casella Ingvar-Larkinson, please kneel before me and place your palm on the surface of the Larkinson Mandate."
She did as she was told. Her fur-line cape pooled on the podium surface as she lowered herself like a queen awaiting to be crowned.