The Mech Touch

Ves tried to convince Ketis that she might benefit a lot from gaining experience in Bentheim.

"You have been under my wing for so long that you have exhausted what I can teach you for the moment." He spoke. "So it's not actually useful for you to remain at the Mech Nursery where you don't have a lot of opportunities to accrue experience. This is the shortcoming of residing in a former rural planet like Cloudy Curtain."

Ketis raised her hand and brushed her horns. "I'm not sure about this, Ves. I've visited Bentheim a few times before while you were on your tour. It's too crowded there. People are everywhere and too many of them look at me in an odd way."

"What you need is a friend. You don't entirely get along with the Avatars or Sentinels, right?"

She nodded. "They're not really my kind. They're too.. Rigid. Too proper. Too military."

"I have someone in mind who would make for an excellent host on Bentheim. Let me call someone and see if she agrees."

Ves activated his comm and called someone who he hadn't contacted in a while.

A minute went by before someone finally answered his call.

A projection of a woman in a blood-red piloting suit appeared. Ves immediately recognized the neural interface helmet as the model associated with his Soldier line.

"Ves! You sure picked an awful time to call!" Raella Larkinson complained, though her expression did not show much dissatisfaction. "I had to pause a live training session because of you! My men will start to think I'm going soft or something!"

He chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure that the big bad Raella can deal with such a trivial problem. How are you doing these days?"

"I'm still the same, mostly. If not for the Sand War, I would have continued to sharpen my dueling skills."

"Are you still a Blood Champion for the Blood Claws?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but all duels and most mech games are suspended on Bentheim. I've been focusing on training my mech company. Those Prideful Soldiers you've designed feel great, though a bit too fragile for my tastes. The Blood Claws are big fans of your work, though."

It didn't surprise Ves to hear that the Blood Claws liked his Prideful Soldiers.

"Don't you have the capital to pilot something better, Raella?"

"I'm a Larkinson, Ves. Everyone expects me to pilot your work."

"The Prideful Soldier is still a budget mech model." Ves frowned. "It only takes a couple of hits for a Prideful Soldier to go down! I would feel much more reassured if you piloted a Dawnbreaker."

Though he didn't exactly like the Dawnbreaker, from an objective viewpoint it was much better at preserving the life of a mech pilot.

Raella didn't look regretful. "It's fine, Ves. While I have my Larkinson training to count on, I'm not at ease in piloting spaceborn mechs. Maneuvering in three dimensions has never been my forte. As for my marksmanship… there's a reason I prefer to pilot skirmisher mechs. I don't deserve a Dawnbreaker. The Prideful Soldier is enough for me. Its glow fits me well."

"I can upgrade a Prideful Soldier if you want." Ves suggested.

Normally, he would never offer to do this, but Raella was family.

"I don't want any special treatment." She immediately shook her head. "People will think you're babysitting me if you give me a special mech. That's going to ruin my reputation in the Blood Claws. Piloting the Prideful Soldier alongside other Blood Claws is a way to prove myself. I need to endure the same hardships as the other Blood Claws in order to earn everyone's recognition."

That sounded similar to what Ves was putting the Avatars through. The problem was that Raella's life was much more valuable than the lives of his Avatars!

"You still have to prove yourself?" He furrowed his brows. "You've been with the Blood Claws for years and distinguished yourself in duels."

"Don't get me wrong, Ves. I did manage to prove myself. I enjoy a pretty senior position in the Blood Claws nowadays. It's just that this is not enough! I want to climb higher! I don't feel that I've reached my limit!"

"This.." Ves became speechless for a moment. "What is it you're working towards, exactly?"

She grinned. "I want to lead the Blood Claws!"

"What?!"

The Blood Claws was one of the three most dominant underground organizations on Bentheim! Calling it a gang was something of a misnomer because it was deeply rooted in almost every part of Bentheim's society!

Their influence and power rivaled that of the richest business magnates in the port system!

Trying to become the leader of the Blood Claws was like trying to become the planetary governor! Raella would have to distinguish herself over and over again in an attempt to earn the recognition of the lower ranks while outshining her much more established peers!

"Don't try to argue me out of this, Ves! I'm already tired of Melinda's nagging. I don't need you to act as my nanny as well! I'm my own person! I can do what I want with my life!"

He knew very well how stubborn Raella could get. Just like him, she longed to be in control of her own destiny.

For that reason, Ves reluctantly decided to respect her wishes despite his worries. She might die trying to pursue her ambition, but she would never regret her decision.

Because this was what a true Larkinson would do.

"Let's talk about something else." He decided to change the subject. "I have a mech designer here who needs to experience something different. Come over here, Ketis."

With his introduction, Raella and Ketis smoothly got to know each other better. They already heard about each other, but never got the opportunity to talk.

Just as Ves expected, they quickly found a kindred spirit within each other. Both of them grew comfortable enough for Raella to accept Ketis in her crew as a guest.

Seeing that the two women managed to hit it off, Ves left them alone and turned back to his work.

While Ketis began to pack for her excursion to Bentheim, Ves refined the draft design for his Deliverer while locking in his vision.

"The Deliverer is a mech that brings salvation to the distressed by delivering punishment to the enemies of the Ylvainain Faith!"

If his Transcendent Messenger design represented Ylvaine's virtues, then his Deliverer design represented Ylvaine's retribution!

The offensive might of the Deliverer was terrible. Because Ves concentrated most of the Deliverer's budget in its gauss rifle and complementary systems, the Deliverer was capable of taking out much stronger opponents.

Even custom mechs like the Adonis that Ves and Gloriana planned to design might succumb after being targeted by a Deliverer in open space!

However, much of the potential of the Deliverer depended on the cooperation of its design spirit.

If Ylvaine's spiritual fragment did not agree with the actions of the mech pilot, the Deliverer would not benefit from its supernatural assistance!

Without this crucial interaction, the Deliverer could only rely on the skill and judgement of its mech pilot and its targeting system to land a solid hit.

Whether the Deliverer performed exceptionally or not depended on the whims of Ylvaine's spiritual fragment.

It should never be employed against fellow Ylvainans or those who weren't enemies of the Ylvainan Faith and its worshippers.

That constrained the utility of his Deliverer somewhat, but Ves did not mind this outcome. In fact, he preferred it because letting the Ylvainans abuse the Deliverer for unworthy ends was not its purpose!

The might of Ylvaine should never be squandered!

The majesty of Ylvaine must not be tarnished!

As Ves kept tweaking the Deliverer's draft design according to his feelings, his mood became more intense. His eyes burned like fire as he became more invested in realizing the Deliverer's odd but ambitious vision!

"Gloriana is right." He whispered to himself. "Designing the Deliverer has become my passion project."

He never felt as passionate and invested when he designed the variants of his Desolate Soldier.

He only felt this way when he was working on something new and innovative!

"Designing mechs similar to mechs developed by others is a waste of time! Only by designing something truly new do I feel worthy to call myself a mech designer!"

The competition in the mech industry was terrible. It was far too difficult for a mech designer to stand out from the crowd and publish a mech design that added value to the market.

Ves felt gratified that his design philosophy pursued a different direction than many other mech designers.

This was the main advantage of Class IX design philosophies! As long as a mech designer found a way to make them work, it was much easier to design something different from the norm!

"I was made for this!" He grinned.

The fiery passion that enveloped his body felt similar to the passion he felt when he designed the Devil Tiger!

Back then, Ves made some very bold design choices that turned his Devil Tiger into an unparalleled and unique machine!

"This is another chance for me to design a mech that has no equal!"

On a whim, Ves concentrated his mind on the Transcendent Messenger design and made contact with Ylvaine's spiritual fragment.

A tacit understanding formed between him and the fragment. Without exchanging any messages, the spiritual fragment extended some of its vastly-grown power to his mind through their intangible connection.

A sacred and solemn presence entered his body. In order to avoid disturbing anyone else, Ves isolated the presence in his mind by raising a spiritual barrier.

No one knew that his head became a carrier of a portion of Prophet Ylvaine's grace.

Ves did not let the prophet's influence take over and design the Deliverer in his stead. He knew he had to be careful and maintain firm control over the direction of its design.

A mech designer must always be in charge of his own work!

What Ves wanted instead was to gain a better understanding of Prophet Ylvaine and his values. He used his close mental and spiritual proximity to Ylvaine's spiritual fragment as a source of inspiration and a way to color his perspective.

After all, when it came down to it, Ves was not an Ylvainan. He did not grow up under the teachings of the Ylvainan Faith and lacked a thorough understanding of its values and ideals.

A good way to remedy this problem was to consult an Ylvainan or add an Ylvainan mech designer to his design team.

However, Ves only started the Deliverer project very recently. It would take too much time to recruit an Ylvainan mech designer.

He also didn't believe it was necessary right now.

Why should he consult a believer in the faith when he could access the original source?

Working directly in the presence of Ylvaine's spiritual fragment would bring him much closer to the essence of its faith than working with an intermediary!

"The modern incarnation of the Ylvainan Faith is different from what it used to be when the prophet was still alive. It's become more insular and less optimistic."

Working with Ylvaine's spiritual fragment was like returning to the roots of the Ylvainan Faith. Untarnished by an entire accumulation of selective interpretation and altered customs, the unquestioning beliefs emanating from his connection to the spiritual fragment felt remarkably pure.

Ves understood a bit why people took comfort in faith. The certainty exuded by it made him feel as if his life had purpose.

Of course, he immediately slapped himself in the face in order to avoid succumbing to indoctrination!

Prophet Ylvaine might have been able to hoodwink entire states into adopting his beliefs, but Ves knew better!

"Don't think of converting me to your faith, buddy! You're just a remnant that I picked up from the street!"

He returned his attention to his draft design and began to shape its cosmetic design.

Prophet Ylvaine happened to be a vain person when he was still alive! Since the Deliverer was meant to be a premium mech, it shouldn't look too shabby!