The Mech Touch

The passing of the Living Prophet thrust Taon Melin into the spotlight.

He didn't exactly know why. The Ylvainan sub-community within the Larkinson Clan held plenty of notable figures.

There were several respected leaders who could have risen up to take charge of the only true Ylvainan believers that remained true to the faith.

One of them was Fleet Coordinator Ophelia Kronon, who was rather low-key but held a position of great responsibility within the clan. While she wasn't outright in charge of all of the sh.i.p.s of the Larkinson Clan, she still had a lot of say in how they were run and where they should be positioned.

With her experience in senior leadership and management, she should have taken to leading the remaining Ylvainans like a fish to water.

Yet when Taon approached her shortly after James Ylvaine exhausted himself to death, the elder woman shook her head.

"I am already preoccupied with managing the affairs of hundreds of different starsh.i.p.s."

"You don't have to manage everything by yourself, ma'am. There are other Ylvainans who can keep everything running. You just need to be there to provide direction."

"I'm aware of that, but I am already wearing one mantle of responsibility. My shoulders no longer have any space to accommodate another."

Taon practically wanted to drop to his knees!

"Please reconsider, ma'am. We need a stabilizing influence at the top who knows what must be done to keep us all together."

"I am not the stabilizing influence you seek."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a Kronon."

"What does that have to do with this issue?"

"The Kronon, Poxco and Curin Dynasties collectively led the Ylvainans astray. Their selfishness and distortion of the records has caused the Ylvaine Protectorate to turn into an unrecognizable state. I don't think it is wise for a descendant of one of the three dynasties to lead the one dynasty that still holds true to the tenets and ideals of the Great Prophet."

Taon paused.

A part of him felt that this reason was ridiculous. However, he knew enough old-timers who probably preferred it if anyone named Kronon, Poxco or Curin didn't ascend to the highest level.

Even though Taon knew that Ophelia was nothing like the corrupted leaders of her dynasty, the optics wouldn't look good at all. Ylvainans tended to be superstitious and s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to symbolism, so the fleet coordinator was not talking nonsense.

"It's fine, Taon. I am a Kronon. I am a soldier. It is my duty to fight or serve in a military capacity. It is even more important for me to protect the flock now that the Kronon Dynasty is tarnished. The only way we can restore everyone's trust in our names is to perform the mission that the Great Prophet charged us with. Someone else must take the lead, and the closest candidate is you. No one else is fit for the mantle that the Living Prophet has so obviously placed on your shoulders."

"I do not feel ready." Taon softly shook his head. "I know what I am capable of. I am good at piloting mechs. I trained my entire life to become more skilled at it. Give me a Transcendent Messenger or a Transcendent Punisher and I can make it sing. Put me in the shoes of the Living Prophet and I will probably hide behind his statue. I am not ready to lead our people!"

"You're wrong. You are ready."

"How do you know?"

"I know it because I can see it from the Living Prophet's actions before his passing. That is why he invested so much time in you. Out of every Ylvainan, you are the one who can keep our faith alive."

The younger man did not quite agree with her assessment. While it was true that James Ylvaine spent a lot of time with him, Taon never learned anything about leadership and directing the future of the Ylvainan people out of their talks.

He did not feel he was ready!

Since Ophelia Kronon declined to be recognized as the person in charge, Taon stopped by the design lab to catch Oscar DiMartin.

The Apprentice Mech Designer calmly listened to Taon's request before shaking his head.

"The Fleet Coordinator was right to refuse your offer. My answer is similar. I am not suitable to lead our people. I can do much more for our fellow Ylvainans by working hard in the Design Department. Just look at Juliet Stameros. Ever since she started to contribute to our design projects as a Journeymen, the Penitent Sisters gained a lot more attention from the Bright Martyr. He even dedicated a unique mech design to the women!"

"We already hold his favor. We received the Transcendent Punisher a lot sooner."

Oscar sighed. "That is only because our ranged mech pilots are blessed. The Bright Martyr wanted to take advantage of that and developed the Transcendent Punisher as a result. He has not shown great care in our plight."

This was different from what he thought.

"I will do my best to help you and advise you." The Ylvainan mech designer continued. "I have learned much about the mechs that the Bright Martyr has designed. Yet I cannot do anything further because I am not Ylvaine's chosen. You are. You are the heir to the prophet, whether you acknowledge it or not. I do not think that any Ylvainan in our midst will disagree with what I have just said."

"Why are you so certain?"

"I can feel it. Your presence reminds us of the Living Prophet."

"We are drastically different people."

"That doesn't change my judgement. It is clear that the Living Prophet intended his successor to be someone different. You are a soldier, Taon. I believe that your elevation is not a coincidence. The Larkinson Clan will no doubt experience turbulent times, so we need strength more than foresight. You are our greatest hope. Be strong. Grow stronger. Show every other Larkinson that we can carry our own weight!"

While the expert candidate felt a little bit disappointed that no one wanted to take over the mantle, he realized that they might have a point.

The Living Prophet favored him out of every other Ylvainan. That was undeniable. Whether that made him the next-in-line or not, no one else wanted to compete for the highest seat. That meant that he was the presumptive leader by default.

"Is this truly happening?"

Even though an expert candidate should have exhibited more certainty, Taon did not want to make the wrong decision. The future of the Ylvainans in the Larkinson Clan was at stake, after all. He never envisioned himself as a leader. He much preferred to be a follower.

For some reason, that made him recall one of the Living Prophet's words of advice.

"Live for myself, not for my faith."

Taon took that to mean that he should think and act according to what he wanted instead of blindly looking up to his beliefs.

What did he want?

"I want to do right by the prophet. I want to protect my fellow Ylvainans and see us all prosper. I want to prepare us all as best as possible for the Time of Ascension!"

Problems soon emerged, however. One of the most persistent issues facing the Ylvainan believers was the lack of growth.

When the Larkinson Clan reached the Prosperous Hill System, Ophelia and Oscar met with Taon to discuss this problem.

Compared to before, Taon looked considerably more surer and confident in himself. He already possessed the beginnings of an air of authority, but whether it would develop into anything further was not certain.

He had taken to wearing a white robe that was almost identical to the one worn by James Ylvaine. The simple garment made him look holier somehow. Some people didn't look good in robes at all, but Taon somehow seemed to fit in them like he was born for the purpose.

"Hello everyone." He spoke with greater confidence than before. "Please sit down. I'd like to discuss something important today."

Once the two visitors did so, Taon began to outline his concerns.

"You must have already guessed why I have called you here. The Larkinson Clan has already begun to recruit the first batch of mech pilots and other vital personnel, both to replace the losses we have suffered before and to expand our capabilities further. While I am glad to see the clan prosper, our own recruitment efforts have not maintained pace."

"That is not what happened before." Ophelia Kronon mildly frowned. "Back in the Cinach System, we steadily managed to convert a fraction of the outsiders who entered the clan. What is our current conversion rate?"

"Less than 1 percent." Taon supplied the hard number.

"..."

"...That is indeed a poor figure." Oscar remarked.

The robed expert candidate took a deep breath. "You understand my worries now. While I am glad that a couple of recruits have reacted positively to our gospel, we have failed to reach the heart of the remainder. The second-raters, whether they are Lifers or other people, look down on us. Our proselytizers have continually tried but failed to connect with the vast majority of incoming clansmen."

Both Ophelia and Oscar frowned. This sounded much more serious than they thought.

"If this pattern continues, then the proportion of believers in the clan will dip below 5 percent." Ophelia Kronon predicted. "That will render our influence almost negligible. While we will still be able to maintain a presence in our clan, more prominent groups such as the Penitent Sisters and Swordmaidens will surpass us in importance."

The current leader of the Ylvainans sighed in regret. "If the Living Prophet was still among us, he would have never encountered this problem. He had a way with words that none of us could come close to matching. I doubt he would let the fact that we used to be third-raters stop him from persuading the arrogant newcomers to consider his views."

A few seconds passed in silence. This was one of the greatest losses of their people. Expanding their believer base had always been vital to them. Without enough adherents, how could the Ylvainan Faith remain strong?

Conversion was one of their highest priorities as a group!

"We need to find a strong speaker." Ophelia. "It is unfortunate that we do not count many members of the Poxco Dynasty among us. The Attendants of Ylvaine have always been the best at this type of work."

After considering a few possible solutions, Oscar suddenly thought of an interesting idea.

"Our faith has not lost all of its speakers." He claimed. "We still have an excellent proselytizer among us. His ability to speak to the masses and enlighten the unenlightened is undeniable!"

"Who are you referring to, Oscar?"

"The Bright Martyr."

Both Ophelia and Taon looked stumped.

"He's not called the Devil Tongue by his critics for nothing." Oscar began to grin. "If he takes over the mantle of the Living Prophet, even for a short moment, then I am certain he can convert thousands of clansmen to our beliefs!"

Taon did not immediately agree with the suggestion. "We'll have to convince the patriarch first. You work for him on a daily basis, right? Are you confident that the Bright Martyr will agree to assist us in this manner?"

Oscar's grin dropped. "We should work on that. He is not particularly enthused about our faith despite holding the prophet's trust and blessing."

They spent hours discussing the issue. The Ylvainan Faith had to keep going. Even when their numbers dipped to its lowest point in history, Taon and the rest did not want to fail the prophet's expectations!