The Mech Touch

After departing from the Serendipity, he visited the Redfeather next. While the nominal Avatar flagship failed to demonstrate the splendor of his elite mech force, it wasn't as if Ves possessed anything better.

The Scarlet Rose and the Barracuda were the only two ships that were a class above the rest, but their paltry capacity and different roles made them unsuitable to serve as the mobile headquarters of the Avatars.

"I'll get you something better when I'm ready to form my expeditionary fleet." Ves promised Commander Melkor when they met at the ship's mech bay. "For now, this is not a good time to buy a ship. The entire starship market in the Komodo Star Sector is still clogged with orders."

"I know." His cousin answered. "I don't expect you to address this issue immediately, but it would be good to have a plan in place. We can't keep entrusting the safety of our mechs, mech pilots and support personnel with a ship as flimsy as an economy mech. Light carriers are like eggs. It only takes a small crack to spill out all of the insides!"

Obviously, this issue was bothering Melkor and everyone else a lot more than Ves. This was not a surprise considering that Ves usually resided aboard the Scarlet Rose. Even if she wasn't designed for frontline combat, the ship's excellent armor allowed her to withstand a decent amount of attacks from second-class mechs, which provided Ves with a lot more reassurance than others!

"Seriously, Ves. Please get us better ships." Melkor pleaded. "They don't have to be as good as the ones operated by the Penitent Sisters, but at least give us a chance."

"I know, I know. I didn't come and visit the Redfeather to hear these familiar complaints. Please show me around. Let me take a look at your mechs first."

"Right. There are Bright Warriors all around us. We have taken good care of them. While they are a bit more complicated than the mechs our crews used to service, I think we have all gotten a good handle over them in the last month."

The Bright Warriors were unmistakable presences in the mech bays and other areas of the ship. Ves was very familiar with their glows considering they originated from the Golden Cat.

What he found interesting was that the X-Factor of the individual Bright Warrior mechs were already starting to form their own individual identities.

Though it was imperceptable to everyone else, Ves keenly noted that they were becoming more unique due to the history they accrued, the influence of their mech pilots and the role they adopted the most.

Originally, the Bright Warrior was supposed to be a modular mech platform, but cost and resource constraints limited each copy to a single configuration.

The Illuminating Warrior, Shining Warrior, Nova Warrior and Solar Warrior were all developing their own distinct sub-identities.

Ves wondered how far their evolution would go and if the mechs were able to retain their distinctiveness if the Avatars ever changed their configuration.

"The mech technicians have taken good care of them. I hardly recognize any problems when it comes to their maintenance."

"That's mostly thanks to you. You've provided us with extensive documentation in the form of manuals, warnings, advice and breakdowns to us. Reportedly, our chief technicians are very thankful for all of the information you've given out. It has made their lives much easier."

Ves smiled. "I understand the difficulties of servicing complicated mechs. I've been in their shoes before, so I know exactly what they need to do their jobs better."

Personally, he refused to tolerate any sloppiness when it came to the care and maintenance of his mechs. This was not just because of his design philosophy, but also because it made too much sense.

Sure, it cost a lot of time, effort, money and resources to keep the mechs at their best conditions, but all of the preventative maintenance would pay off down the line when their parts began to show their age.

He didn't spend too much time to inspect every mech. While Ves was inordinately proud of his Bright Warrior design, he didn't start this tour to admire his own work.

"I've seen enough. Please introduce me to some of your people. I'm curious to see how they are faring in my fleet."

"Of course. Let's head to engineering first and the bridge afterwards."

The chief engineer and the captain were both Brighters, but they were exceptions rather than the rule.

"The Redfeather has more Brighters than any other ship because she's our flagship." Melkor explained during their tour. "Many of our other ships are predominantly crewed by Ylvainans because we don't have any other choice."

"Are there any problems with regards to their loyalty or culture?"

Melkor shook his head. "Nah. Even the Ylvainans on this ship are very well-behaved. They are still unsettling to us, if you know what I mean, but I can't ask for better subordinates. It's just..."

"They've become a lot more weirder now that they switched from worshipping Prophet Ylvaine to worshipping me, right?"

"You know how that looks to us Brighters."

"Let me reassure you that I have nothing to do with that. I don't even know what the cultists are doing either, to be honest. It's only because I have guaranteed their expression up to a certain limit that I haven't cracked down on the practice. As long as what they are doing is harmless, it's better to leave them to their own devices."

Though Melkor looked like he didn't entirely agree, he refrained from speaking any further. The Avatar Commander adjusted the visor on his head before leading him forward.

"You wanted to see some of our mech pilots, right? Let me bring you to our training hall."

They visited a compartment that was centered around simulator pods and theoretical mech piloting classes. Various veterans from the Larkinson Clan were diligently teaching or drilling the Avatar pilots.

Though the entry of Ves and the Avatar Commander elicited a lot of commotion, the officers and instructors quickly forced the mech pilots to return to their lessons or drills!

While it was unfortunate that his presence altered the routine of the Avatar pilots, Ves wanted to take a close and personal look at their lives.

For the first few minutes, he refrained from approaching any one of them. Instead, he idly chatted with Melkor while he leveraged his newest abilities. He formed a spiritual ear and started to extend it towards his men when they thought that Ves wasn't paying attention to their quiet banter.

"Ves Larkinson is here." A young Avatar hissed to her squadmate. "Just look at him! He's a lot more impressive in the flesh!"

Her squadmate frowned. "Pipe down. I don't want to get into trouble."

"We might all become Larkinsons soon. Don't you think that's exciting? We'll all be part of one big clan!"

"I'm not so sure about that. There's probably a catch somewhere. It sounds too good to be true."

As Ves kept eavesdropping on the conversations, he discovered that everyone was looking forward to the prospect of becoming a part of his clan! Hardly anyone thought differently, but that made sense since they were all Avatars.

As his most loyal and elite mech troop, the Avatars were some of his most ardent supporters!

After he had his fill with eavesdropping on his men, he decided to interact with them more directly. Melkor guided him to a group of Avatar who had just finished their latest class on spaceborn mech combat tactics.

"Sir!"

The Avatars all stood at attention while saluting Ves with military precision!

Ves noted that they weren't just saluting him because they were instructed to do so whenever he was present. He sensed a lot of energy and enthusiasm in their demeanors. They were genuinely glad to meet with their ultimate employer!

One Larkinson happened to be present in the group. "Chette Larkinson, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, sir." Chette respectfully replied.

That didn't sound like much. Ves was aware that his presence was stifling the young Larkinsom mech pilot, but there wasn't much he could do about it aside from asking further questions.

"Have you achieved any results in your training?"

"I have been making substantial progress towards developing my proficiencies with second-class mechs, sir. We all have. The Bright Warriors that you've provided to us has helped immensely, though it's a pity that I'm not able to access the Selzer."

It was too difficult to arrange everyone suitable practice time with the four second-class mechs Ves had obtained when he captured the Scarlet Rose. Most of the time, the fleet was traveling in FTL, which made live practices impossible.

"You're a rifleman mech pilot, right? Have you received a lot of help from Venerable Brutus?"

Chette adopted an admiring expression. "While I haven't been able to receive a lot of help from him, the tips and insights he passed on to me has been very helpful in polishing my marksmanship! Every ranged mech pilot in the fleet is very happy to have him with us. Some of us have improved by leaps and bounds while the rest always gained at least something from his personalized lessons."

That sounded very promising. The presence of even a single expert pilot was enough to comprehensively elevate the skill level of an entire outfit!

"What do you think about inducting your fellow Avatars into the clan."

"I love it, sir. I trust my buddies with my life."

Chette truly meant it. Ves sensed no duplicity or calculation at all in his words. He simply stated his opinion in the most emphatic manner possible to convey his own feelings on the matter.

"Not every outsider is the same."

His cousin shrugged. "I think we can handle it. We're Larkinsons, right? I think we're strong enough to handle all of the newcomers. There are too many people among us who are like brothers and sisters."

As Ves asked the other Avatars to voice their opinions, they all seemed to be of the same mind. Melkor had managed to foster a strong bond of brotherhood among the soldiers. They all treated each other as closely as the Vandals used to treat each other.

In fact, there were even signs that the Avatars were moving closer to the level of the Swordmaidens in terms of cohesion! Right now, his elite mech force still had to flesh out its martial tradition in order to reach this enviable level, but the potential was definitely present!

Ves ended his tour on the Redfeather shortly afterwards. As much as he wanted to interact with the Avatars some more, he had to take a look at the other groups as well. The Avatars only represented a small slice of his total workforce.

Before he left, he made one last stop to the compartment where the Quint was stored. The masterwork mech looked as impressive as ever. Melkor had made sure to assign his best mech technicians to keep it in excellent condition.

Joshua King lingered very close to his mech. When Ves and Melkor approached, the young mech pilot immediately saluted.

"Sir!"

"Is the Quint up to your satisfaction?"

"It is more than I ever wish for! Piloting this mech is a delight!"

Ves asked the same questions he posed to other Avatars. Predictably, Joshua was a huge supporter of the initiative to expand the Larkinson Clan. In fact, he was a lot more outspoken than the other Avatars!

"Mr. Larkinson, I have admired your work and your family for years." Joshua said. "Being chosen to pilot your Quint was the best day of my life! I have made a promise to myself that I would serve you and your clan in any way possible."

"Are you that eager to join my clan?"

"It is an immense honor to become a part of your clan. I am willing to sign any contract imaginable and swear as many oaths as needed to become a Larkinson!"

"What if you have to sign a contract that would make it very difficult for you to leave?"

"I've already made up my mind! Becoming a Larkinson is worth everything!"