The Mech Touch

Chapter 6084  Punishment or Reward?

The clan remained restless long after the trial had ended.

Debates took place on every ship, every base and every home.

Many Larkinsons formed their own opinions about the trials as well as the sentences that the convicts had received.

A lot of people argued that Taon and Lanie got off way too easily. Exile had no bite to them as they had just advanced to the rank of expert pilot. That meant that they had become highly desirable talents that could easily join another powerful organization that was willing to invest in a ready-made powerhouse.

Unemployed expert pilots did not exist because every mech force was in desperate need of high-level talent. Even the ones with clear problems could easily join an outfit because of the demands of the Red War.

In fact, ever since the special tribunal announced the decision to exile Venerable Taon and Venerable Lanie, the Larkinson Clan soon received offers from various military organizations to take over the supposed burdens.

In truth, there was no need for these groups to approach the clan administration. Taon and Lanie would become independents starting from tomorrow. They should be more than capable of selecting an offer that appealed to them the most.

Ves soon figured out that these groups not only contacted the clan as a matter of courtesy, but also wanted to get ahead of the competition.

It appeared that there were plenty of people who appreciated the strength of Larkinson champions!

The expeditionary fleet had racked up a lot of victories before and after the Great Severing. More and more people wanted to learn from the Larkinson Armyʼs example and figure out its success formula.

Perhaps these third parties hoped that Taon or Lanie could act as instructors or advisors to their own mech organizations.

They would inevitably get disappointed. There were many reasons behind the success of the expeditionary fleet. Money was the main reason. The Larkinson Clan earned so much capital from plunder as well as mech sales that it could invest in the production of a lot of powerful quasi-first-class mechs.

Of course, there were other factors that contributed to the persistent success of the clan. Maybe the exiles might be able to teach a thing or two about them, but their new employers may not be receptive to their suggestions.

That was none of Vesʼ business. He was ready to wash his hands off the two problematic expert pilots and get back to his design and research projects.

Yet before he could do so, he received an unexpected visit from one of his friends and recent collaborator.

”Jovie! Why did you decide to stop by my lab? According to the schedule, you should still be working with Gloriana to expand the specifications of the Riot Mark III Project. My input on the project at this stage is limited.”

”This is not about our collaborative project.” The mecher explained as he entered Vesʼ design lab. ”I am here to serve as a liaison. Two of the expert pilots of your clan are about to depart tomorrow, is that correct?”

Ves turned away from his desk terminal and turned around his seat to face his friend. ”Word spreads quickly, huh? I am sure you know all about it, so your question is redundant. It is true that Venerable Taon Melin and Venerable Lanie Larkinson are on their way out. Whatʼs it to you? Wait, are you thinking about…”

”It is not me who is soliciting your clan.” Jovy corrected. ”I am here on behalf of a much more important figure within the Red Association. He has expressed a strong interest in hiring one of your soon-to-be-exiled expert pilots. He wishes to hear your stance towards the possibility of recruiting one of your former champions into an elite mech unit that will serve directly at his behest.”

”...Are you being serious?”

”We are being very serious, Ves.”

”If you have paid any attention to the trials, then you should know how mentally unstable they are! I cannot see how either of the expert pilots are a good fit for the Red Association. They are fundamentally broken, Jovie. Donʼt you guys have expert pilots of your own that are much better trained? Why do you need to go out of your way to recruit one of ours?”

”We can never have too many expert pilots, Ves. We are different from the RF in that we understand the importance of injecting fresh blood in our Association every once in a while. God pilots can come from any background. What matters is that we recruit enough mech pilots from diverse places to increase the chance that we get lucky once in a while. Maybe our investment in your exile will pay off. Maybe it will not. We have the resources to afford this commitment either way. You do not need to worry whether we will be satisfied with taking in one of your clanʼs former expert pilots.”

That was certainly a strategy that a large and wealthy organization was able to afford!

”I see. Which of the two problem cases are you interested in anyway?”

”Venerable Lanie Larkinson. The Mace of Retaliation has expressed an interest in recruiting her. Given your good relations with the Survivalist Faction, he is willing to speak with you about this subject.”

”What?! The Mace of Retaliation?!”

That was a bigshot of the Red Association!

Although he was merely a ʼpeak ace pilotʼ, he was often regarded as the voice and representative of the Fist of Defiance, who also happened to be his father!

”Does this request come from the Mace, or the Fist?”

Jovie shrugged. ”I cannot tell you the answer. I am merely a messenger. If you want to hear my opinion, then I think it is the Mace of Retaliation that has developed an interest in Venerable Lanie Larkinson. You only need to think about his title and learn how well it matches your exileʼs inclinations.”

From the logs and footage of the battle between Taon and Lanie, Ves noticed that the latter had developed an ability to absorb the energy of incoming attacks and use it to hurt her enemies.

That… actually sounded like a close match to how the Mace of Retaliation fought!

Even if the two possessed distinct differences in their combat approaches, their commonalities meant that the Mace of Retaliation may be able to act as a mentor to Venerable Lanie!

”Is the Mace… thinking about offering an apprenticeship of sorts to Lanie?”

”I am not sure. You will have to speak to him yourself.” Jovie responded. ”He has cleared up his schedule for today. I can connect you to him at any time. It is best if you do not keep him waiting.”

Ves did not dare to waste the time of such an important leader. Jovie stood by as he facilitated a connection to one of the high-ranked figures of the Survivalist Faction.

The entire design lab became filled with the willpower of an ace pilot that was just a few steps away from transcending to godhood.

Ves slightly widened his eyes as he could actually sense clear similarities between the willpower of Venerable Lanie and the Mace of Retaliation!

Of course, the latter was way stronger and more developed, but it was like seeing what Venerable Lanie could become in the future.

”Professor Larkinson.” The physical projection of a man wearing a RA military uniform in red greeted with a stern and controlled voice. ”Professor Armalon here should have already conveyed my request. Due to the difficult circumstances of your former subordinate and the personal nature of my solicitation, I am here to offer clarification so that you may send her off to me without any further concerns. Are you willing to let Venerable Lanie Larkinson enter my service?”

Well, the peak ace pilot was certainly direct. Ves liked that as he did not have to waste time on dancing around the subject.

”I do not object to letting you take Venerable Lanie under your wing on principle. She will soon turn into a freelance expert pilot. It is up to her to decide who she wants to work for. You can have her as long as she does not oppose the prospect of working for you.” Ves responded. ”Will she join the RA as a general recruit, or will you place her in a special unit?”

”The latter. As you may have guessed, I am interested in training and tutoring her. Venerable Lanie Larkinsonʼs power expression after becoming an expert pilot is rare. It is similar enough to my own that I can pass on many of my skills and experiences to her. This will benefit her enormously as she can avoid many pitfalls and progress much faster as an expert pilot. You should already have an understanding of the resources and methods that we possess. I am confident that the training program that I am devising for Venerable Lanie can quickly forge her into a high-ranking mech pilot that can catch up to me, and potentially go even further.”

That was an ambitious goal!

Ves would have thought that the Mace was exaggerating, but a Saint of his stature never lied.

”That sounds… really generous, maybe too generous. Are you not afraid that you will spoil her and ruin her future as a high-ranking mech pilot?”

”No.” The Mace said with absolute certainty. ”Trust me on this, professor. I will not repeat the mistakes that have adversely affected my own progression. I have first-experience on what can go wrong. I am confident I can do better. The Red Association possesses a much greater understanding of what it takes to successfully train and nurture a high-ranking mech pilot. Compared to mentoring other mech pilots who possess different talents and abilities, my familiarity with her inclinations will allow me to accelerate her development. It will take much less time to turn her into a powerful combat asset.”

Ves felt rather conflicted about the offer after hearing this. Lanieʼs exile was supposed to serve as punishment.

Getting recruited by the Red Association and receiving the mentorship of the Mace of Retaliation sounded more like a reward!

What would the Larkinsons think after they heard how Lanie managed to climb her way up in society?

Perhaps more Larkinson mech pilots would attempt to get themselves exiled just so that they could get poached by the mechers!

”You do not need to be concerned that your exile will be rewarded for her crimes.” The Mace clarified after he read Vesʼ growing concerns. ”My training program will push her past her breaking point. She must be remade as extensively as possible. Once she has satisfied my minimum requirements, I will throw her onto the most active and grueling battlefields of the Red War. Each mission shall involve life-and-death challenges that she must overcome in order to survive and participate in the next one. I will not be lenient to her on account of her relative youth. She will either die or transform into a pillar of red humanity. There shall be no middle ground.”

That sounded a bit more acceptable. Ves had greater confidence in the Maceʼs ability to properly guide and train Lanie.

”Okay. I think I am okay with that. I have one more question. Since she will be spending a lot of time with you, will she… will she also have an opportunity to get into contact with your father?”

The Maceʼs expression stiffened a bit. ”That depends. It is not necessarily a good idea for a young expert pilot such as herself to come into contact with a god pilot too soon and too often. Once she has developed her strength and formed her own combat style, she may perform well enough to earn my fatherʼs appreciation. If she wants to, she may request personal tutelage from him. It is an opportunity that she can strive for. I will not object if he wishes to take over her training.”

Damn… if it was possible for Venerable Lanie to hook up with the Fist of Defiance, then this recruitment would definitely be interpreted as a massive reward!

The chance to receive guidance from a god pilot just once was an opportunity of a lifetime!

Lots of mech pilots would definitely grow green with envy if Venerable Lanie became one of the few lucky expert pilots to receive such high-end instruction!