The Mech Touch

Chapter 2347: Pessimistic Sentiment

”Half of the Wodin Warriors sent to the Cinach System are being dispatched to the Nyxian Gap.” Glorianaʼs physical projection told him. Her shape pressed against his own and her perfume intoxicated his nose. ”We care about you, so we have sent the most we are able to afford. Itʼs just that they wonʼt be able to get to you fast enough.”

”Iʼm aware. Regardless, your dynastyʼs gesture is helpful nonetheless. If some major change takes place that alters our strategic situation, our fleet might be able to evade the Allidus Alliance. Donʼt forget that while those warships are powerful, theyʼre also slow.”

”I know, but my sister Kellendra told me that your options are limited. Sheʼs not very optimistic about being able to catch up. She also canʼt go too deep into the Nyxian Gap. It would be a tragedy to lose her along with thousands of loyal, rigorously-trained Hexer mech pilots.”

”Donʼt worry. Your dynastyʼs commitment is enough. I donʼt want to drag them all down with me if the worst comes to pass. If anything, maybe some of us might be able to evade the pirates by splitting up. As long as Iʼm on one of the few ships that manages to rendez-vous with your Wodin Warriors, Iʼll probably be in the clear.”

”Thatʼs what weʼre hoping for as well.” She looked up at him with an adoring expression. ”Regardless of the fate of your forces in the Nyxian Gap, you are by far the most important person in your fleet. It doesnʼt matter if Venerable Jannzi, your relatives, your experienced mech pilots or anyone else will die. It doesnʼt matter if you lose all of your ships and possessions. Your life is the only thing that matters to me. Donʼt let yourself be dragged down by your counterproductive sentiments.”

Ves frowned at that. ”Our clan is all about family, Gloriana. I wonʼt leave my people behind while there is still a chance.”

”DONʼT THROW AWAY YOUR LIFE, VES! I STILL NEED YOU!” She slapped her palm against his chest. ”Look, if all hope is lost, and it appears to be that way, then just do everything you can to make it out. We can always start anew as long as you return, especially with the level of success we currently enjoy. Youʼre a mech designer. Playing clan leader is all well and good, but if it becomes a hindrance to your career, then donʼt continue with it any longer. You can always rely on the Wodin Dynasty to manage your business and protect you from danger.”

There was no way Ves was going to accept this solution! He would rather let the pirates kill him and the entire task force than to become a Hexer puppet!

”I appreciate the offer, but I donʼt think the outcome is set in stone. Letʼs just see how the situation develops.”

Gloriana wasnʼt the only person who encouraged him to bail out of the task force. Doing so would definitely leave most of the members of the task force at the mercy of the pirates, but that didnʼt seem to bother a couple of other people.

In a later meeting with Calabast, she expressed a similar sentiment.

”I know that you and some of the people in the fleet are cooking up some drastic measures to resist the enemy punitive fleet.”

”We are.” Ves nodded. ”Do you have something in mind as well?”

”Iʼm still working on it. It will take some time for me to get back to you on that. Still, we canʼt assume that all of our harebrained schemes will work out. We need to plan for failure as well.”

”What are you talking about?”

”If worse comes to worst, we need to get out, preferably without getting chased by too many pirates.” Calabast stated. ”I have already developed some contingency plans on how to do so before or during a losing battle. Utilizing our stealth shuttle is key. While there is a possibility that the Gravada Knarlax possesses anti-stealth capabilities that are potent enough to power through our shuttleʼs means of stealth, such measures arenʼt effective past a certain range.”

”Youʼre suggesting that we abandon the Scarlet Rose and scurry away with the help of our stealth shuttle?”

She nodded. ”You and I are some of the most high-value targets in our fleet. Capturing or killing us is very important to our opponents. We canʼt run away on the Scarlet Rose because our ship is too high-profile. Even if she is fast enough to outrun any pirate target, donʼt forget that weʼll still be surrounded by many other pirate groups. There is little chance our smaller vessel can resist every hostile pirate outfit that attempts to bar our way.”

He agreed with her on that. The Scarlet Rose was one of the best ships in the Larkinson Clan to this date, but she only held enough hangar room capacity for four mechs, maybe five if he tossed away the statue of the Unending One from the mech workshop.

How could an escort of five mechs possibly fend off all of the pirates who would come running as if they were sharks smelling blood?

”The plan therefore is to remain fluid. Depending on how the rout unfolds, weʼll have to make a judgement call and decide on following the ship that has the best chance of getting away from the main pirate force. Ideally, we should be following a combat carrier of the Penitent Sisters. Their ships are faster and far more resistant to damage. If the carrier is able to retain a full mech company, then our chances of escaping enemy pursuit and fending off opportunistic pirate outfits are the highest. Iʼve already contacted some of their officers in order to prepare for an eventual emergency withdrawal.”

Though Ves was not seriously willing to consider bailing out, he had to admit that Calabastʼs arrangements sounded workable. Making it off with forty second-class mechs sounded like a decent prospect.

Still, he knew that Calabast hadnʼt cooked up this plan solely because she was worried for his life.

”This is your escape plan, isnʼt it?” Ves guessed. ”If I refuse to go along with you, will this be how you get away?”

She smiled at him. She didnʼt hide her intentions. ”You canʼt win every fight, Ves. Victory and defeat are part of life. The true test is not how often you can achieve a win, but how well you are able to pick yourself up after suffering a loss. Donʼt be stupid and die with the rest. Focus on preserving your life.”

”I donʼt think Iʼll be able to live with myself if I take your option.”

”Disgrace, guilt and shame are immaterial.” Calabast lectured to him while crossing her arms. ”So what if you disgrace yourself? So what if you are branded as a coward? Youʼre a mech designer! No one expects you to put up a good fight, or any fight for that matter! What little guilt and shame you acquire will easily fade after a couple of decades of running a normal life. When you look back on this incident, youʼll probably whack yourself on the head for entering the Nyxian Gap in the first place.”

That last part sounded true, but most of what she said did not sit well in him. Certainly, disgrace, guilt and shame were not a big deal to some people. They were social or psychological concepts that largely existed in everyoneʼs minds.

From a logical perspective, as long as Ves decided to ignore these emotions, he could go on about his life without too many repercussions.

Yet Ves instinctively resisted such thoughts.

”The battle isnʼt lost yet. It hasnʼt even begun. As Larkinsons, we should be giving it all. No enemy is infallible nor invincible. There are always ways to beat them. I believe that our task force still possesses the means to defeat the pirate fleet. We just need to utilize our assets to the greatest degree.”

The spymaster began to look annoyed at his stubborn mindset. She tapped him on the forehead.

”Preserving your life in a hopeless situation isnʼt a sin, Ves. The remainder of the Larkinson Clan is better served with you returning alive and well rather than dying for a hopeless cause.”

Ves shoved away her finger. ”Enough! I understand your argument, and ordinarily you may be right, but our case isnʼt hopeless just yet! Letʼs all work on our own solutions and see where that will take us a month from now. If we truly havenʼt been able to come up with anything that helps, then Iʼll consider your suggestion more seriously.”

She ended the meeting and left shortly after he made his stance clear.

Though he understood her logic, he didnʼt like her overall mindset. What was it with all of these people telling him the battle was already lost? Sure, Task Force Predator was horribly outgunned and outmatched by the pirate warfleet, but the enemy wasnʼt the only one who possessed trump cards!

”Since these Nyxian pirates like to go crazy, Iʼll do the same!” Ves spoke with an intense expression!

One of the measures he had chosen was to begin with empowering some of his mechs. He couldnʼt wait for his little experiment with Vincentʼs Adonis Colossus to yield some measurable results.

Even if he lacked way too much data to conclude this measure was safe, Ves had no choice but to set aside all of his safety concerns and trust in his unproven and unconfirmed theories.

For this reason, he moved to the Redfeatherʼs hangar bay and addressed every mech pilot who piloted a Bright Warrior on the Avatar flagship.

”Avatars, Bright Companions, I am glad to see you today.”

The Avatars as well as Joshua and his personal squad stood straight in their dashing bright uniforms.

Despite the pessimistic sentiment that had spread throughout the fleet, the Avatars remained fully confident in their ability to make it through. Their ability to keep up their morale was a testament to their elite training.

”While we are facing some formidable enemies, we arenʼt pushovers. Our clan is strong. We have faced many crises. We will make it through this time as well, but it wonʼt be easy. I have developed a potential.. upgrade.. That might supercharge your ability to pilot your mech.”

The Avatars all looked interested. That was good.

Ves hesitated a bit. ”I canʼt exactly describe what I will do to your Bright Warrior mechs, but know that piloting them will become a lot more serious from now on. When you next pilot your mech, you will doubtlessly realize that it is more responsive to you. This is not an illusion. If my changes are successful, your mech will become more ʼaliveʼ, in a way.”

He looked sternly in every mech pilotʼs eyes. ”However, the reason why Iʼve withheld this measure from everyone is because itʼs very experimental. Death is a very real possibility. However, if you follow my instructions and sincerely respect the mech, nothing will go wrong. All I ask from you is to abide by your code of honor and to maintain your confidence. Are there any volunteers for this experimental procedure?”

It didnʼt take long before Joshua stepped forward. ”I wish to volunteer, sir!”

”I want to volunteer as well, sir!”

”Please improve our mechs, sir!”

Not a single Avatar mech pilot refused this call. As far as they were concerned, it was their duty to do so. Their trust in Ves was very high. Anything that could improve their mechs and make them feel less useless was very welcome in their eyes.

The Avatars of Myth did not wish to be relegated to cannon fodder in the next battle!

Warmth spread through his veins as Ves received the response he wished. ”Very well, then. Letʼs begin. I will be tinkering with each of your mechs for the remainder of the day. Due to experimental reasons, the changes will vary in intensity, but donʼt take any of the mechs lightly!”

Ves was about to experiment on his own clansmen, and some of his best mech pilots at that! If this experiment proceeded horribly, then the Avatars of Myth would surely suffer a massive blow!