The Mech Touch

The fast pace of the Premier Fleet and the Bluejay Fleet meant that it may take less than a week before they commenced their first battle.

In fact, it may very well be possible that their starships moved faster than their scouts were able to peek at their prospective targets and confirm the enemy troop allocation.

That was not a big problem. At most, the eager Larkinsons may have to wait a few more days before they can try out their new toys against the native aliens.

Many members of the Premier Branch had been looking forward to this. Even if their preparations were anything but complete, many of them had already grown sick of staying on New Constantinople VIII while the war kept raging far away.

Now that the Premier Fleet was finally underway, they could finally do the jobs that they originally applied for. Many of them had already been informed in advance that the Premier Branch was not content to remain idle. Action would become an inevitable part of their lives.

Perhaps the only part of the Premier Branch that was not so enthused about heading straight into dangerous territory was the people of the Design Department.

The Larkinsons were extremely deviant in this regard. They expected more from their mech designers.

Whereas other organizations carefully treasured their talented and capable mech designers and tried to bury them as far away from any warzones as possible, the Larkinsons tried to do the opposite!

Influenced by the Bright Republic's once-slavish devotion to the Societal Revival Theory, the Larkinsons had all come to believe that the best mech designers were those that had been tempered by combat and war.

After all, if subjecting a mech designer to so much danger could produce a once-in-a-generation superstar like Ves Larkinson, then the same formula should work for other mech designers, right?

Few Larkinsons possessed the awareness that this completely unscientific assumption was no different from pure superstition.

Plenty of good mech designers emerged from locations that had never experienced elevated levels of violence.

However, that did not stop the Larkinsons from believing that the only mech designers that deserved to supply them with mechs were those that possessed the courage to step on the same battlefields.

Whatever the case, many mech designers who signed up to design mechs alongside the famous Father of Carmine Mechs did not exactly had this in mind.

They were civilians. More than that, many of them proved their potential and worth during their studies. They received favored treatment and managed to attract better schooling and tutors.

How could these talented mech designers possibly stomach the idea of designing mechs while the ship they were stationed on was actually a warship and a particularly well-armed one at that?

With a name like that could be translated as 'The Torturous Scream of a Human Dying in Agony over a Span of 46.7 Hours', a mech designer would be crazy to volunteer to serve on such a ship!

Yet that was exactly what the members of the Design Department had done.

Part of it was due to peer pressure. The Larkinsons constantly measured each other's worth by their combat records.

A Larkinson did not necessarily have to be a hero who tore aliens apart with their bare hands, but he or she should at least have the guts to appear on the battlefield and hopefully do something useful such as fixing up mechs or manning the stations of a starship!

Due to this aggressive culture, even the valued mech designers of the Design Department could not avoid these expectations.

In fact, it was exactly because they were mech designers that it was impossible for them to escape this reality.

People constantly compared them to Ves Larkinson. Even a civilian who couldn't even harm a fly like Gloriana had to endure these evaluations and prove her courage by accompanying her husband even as he and the other Larkinsons galloped into danger.

Of course, the most ideal Larkinson mech designer aside from Ves happened to be Ketis!

Not only was she an up-and-coming mech designer whose works had already become popular, but she also happened to be a fearless swordmaster who did not hesitate to board enemy warships in order to chop aliens with her greatsword!

The fact that the legendary Heavensword would rather stick to her than any other swordsman in the Red Ocean was the best badge of honor a mech designer could receive!

This left many other Larkinson mech designers such as Alexa Streon, Viktor MacMillan and Kesley Ampatoch in an awkward position.

None of them were soldiers. They had no inclinations to fight or to participate in a battle. They were mech designers.

Their job was to design mechs so that other people could do all of the fighting. How did it make sense for them to take part in this insanity?

Yet what normal people considered insane was completely normal to the Larkinsons.

The mech designers could technically request a transfer. There was no compulsion for them to stay in the Design Department. Why not do their work in another location?

They could transfer over to the expeditionary fleet where Ketis still made her home.

Unfortunately, it was not much safer over there. Ketis had no reason to avoid battle and the expeditionary fleet would continue to involve itself in combat so long as its troops lasted.

The mech designers could also choose to transfer to a planetary branch located in the rear, but that was no different from branding 'COWARD' on their foreheads.

If they wanted to lose the respect of the Larkinsons in an instant, then requesting a transfer to one of the safer branches was the fastest way for them to achieve their goal.

This reason alone stopped many mech designers from doing so. As members of the Larkinson Clan, they understood quite well how much they would damage their careers if they made a decision that should have been common sense.

Even if they were able to retain their jobs in the Design Department, their relationships with those who had the guts to stay put would definitely freeze.

Their cowardly decision would become a millstone that would continue to drag them down going forward. They would always be considered last for promotion and they could forget about receiving more desirable assignments.

If these mech designers had any ambition of building a career in the Larkinson Clan, then they could never afford to make this wrong decision.

They did not have to become as fearless as Ketis, but they should at minimum express enough solidarity through silent actions such as Gloriana.

Ves called over Alexa Streon in order to sound out the willingness of the mech designers to accompany the Premier Fleet on this dangerous campaign.

"How are you doing? Are you scared?"

The young woman struggled to formulate her response. "If I am being honest, yes, but not as much as I should. My grandfather is a famous peak ace pilot. When I grew up, many Terrans assumed that I am a natural in combat. That does not mean that this is true, but I am not entirely unaccustomed with this sort of situation. The truth is that I am scared, but still committed to staying. Not only do I want to prove that I am a real 'Larkinson', but it is not as if it is much safer elsewhere."

"Oh?"

"I have faith in the wisdom and judgment of the Saint Commander." Alexa calmly said. "Unlike the Saint General, Casella Ingvar has repeatedly shown that she cares about the lives of her clansmen. She knows how to achieve a balance between preservation and the mission. She is unlikely to favor one and lose sight of the other."

Ves nodded in understanding. "The same goes for me. Of course, my ability to defend myself is a lot better than yours, so my opinion doesn't count for much. What about the mech designers?"

"It depends. The low-ranking mech designers know that they do not have many chances of advancement. They see this as one of the few opportunities to advance, knowing that the Larkinsons respect bravery and a willingness to confront one's own fears. Those who do not have the nerves to go on campaign have already been filtered out of our department ahead of time. It is not as if this is a surprise."

That was true.

"What about the high-ranking mech designers?"

"Their opinions are also mixed." Alexa admitted. "It is difficult to get a read of them. I believe that there will be no problem so long as our fleet is doing well. If we happen to meet so much resistance that we have suffered heavy losses, their courage will waver. The same will happen if the Tortuous Scream has endured serious damage. Our inability to prevent the ship from getting struck by heavy attacks will lead to a drop in confidence in our ability to safeguard their lives."

This was an understandable sentiment. Ves would feel the same way if he was in their place.

"Keep an eye on them if that happens." He instructed her. "I don't think that Casella will easily put the Tortuous Scream in serious danger, but she is a battleship after all. This ship is meant to be used in combat. It makes little sense to place her in the rear. That is why we renovated the hull to accommodate the Minerva Mark II. If the Premier Fleet continues to play with fire, it will inevitably get burned. That is the time where people show their true selves. Make sure to take note of those who maintain their composure and are willing to step up. They are special."

"If that is the case, I think it is probable that Zanthar Larkinson will satisfy your demands. He has been a part of the expeditionary fleet through its worst and best moments. This is nothing new as far as he is concerned. Although I think his growth experiences has caused him to become prone to overconfidence when threatened, you can hardly find a more courageous mech designer in the Design Department."

It was a pity that Maikel was not around anymore. Ves wondered how his other student was doing. He had lost contact with him shortly after he joined the Transhumanist Faction of the Red Association. It felt as if the mechers had managed to pluck a crop that he had spent a lot of time and effort into growing to maturation.

"I am aware of Zanthar's inclination. He is a Larkinson after all." Ves smirked as he thought how much the Larkinson name had become synonymous with courage… or foolhardiness. "What I need you to do is keep an eye on the other Journeyman Mech Designers. I recruited them, so I know what they are good at. My collaborations with them has also given me a good idea of their design capabilities, but that is not as important. Each of them are already competent enough, or else they wouldn't have been able to maintain their place in the Design Department. What I am looking for are other qualities such as grit, persistence, loyalty and kinship. Only those who demonstrate the desired traits are qualified for… a special program."

Alexa's expression shifted. She definitely picked up the suspicious undertone.

"Gloriana has recently become much more motivated in her work." The direct disciple made a seemingly unrelated remark. "She has become much more energized. She is also exploring a new direction for the Lionheart Mark II Project. Your wife has begun to do all of this after concluding a recent meeting with you in your design lab."

As expected. Alexa was incredibly smart and observant. She undoubtedly managed to connect a lot of clues together.

Ves was not entirely certain whether her grandfather had shared his own deductions about Ves to Alexa, but it ultimately did not matter.

The outcome would still be the same.

"Gloriana has been introduced to a new facet of mech design." Ves vaguely said. "Once I am sure that she has adapted well to the altered paradigms, I will definitely extend the same treatment to more mech designers. I want your help in doing so. Don't worry. Before I approach anyone else, you are first on the list. That is my promise."

"...Thank you for your trust. I shall endeavor not to disappoint your expectations."

"You deserve it, Alexa. In hindsight, I should have chosen you before my wife."