The Mech Touch

The three Kronon mech pilots each possessed different backgrounds. While they had a lot in common, Ves was glad that the three weren't carbon copies of each other like the chosen of the Transcendent Messengers.

After quizzing the three Ylvainan mech pilots, Ves found that they were all skilled marksman mech pilots. While they weren't as good as top elites, he was very satisfied by their current level of skill.

His Deliverer did not impose ridiculously high demands. As long as a mech pilot was proficient with ranged weapons, the mech would still be able to exert most of its potential.

Ves still wanted to have some insurance, though. He deeply needed trained mech pilots who polished their marksmanship to a high level.

After all, the primary ability of the Deliverer he envisioned only nudged the mech pilot's aim in a certain direction. It was up to the mech pilot to follow up on this suggestion and aim at the designated target.

If the mech pilot's aim was as bad as Vincent's, then even if the Deliverer nudged a dozen times, the attacks would still miss the mark!

As Ves observed the three Kronons sitting respectfully in front of him, he couldn't help but imagine them as collectibles.

He was gathering quite a menagerie of capable subordinates. Over the years, he managed to pick up a pirate designer, a spy, a double-dealing assistant, a strategic partner, an obsessive girlfriend, a broken expert pilot, a fanboy, a bunch of Kinners and etcetera.

It was getting harder and harder for him to manage his increasing number of employees and followers. The addition of three Kronons to his crew was starting to give him a headache.

Fortunately, Ves did not have to deal with every problem himself. He developed enough of a hierarchy to settle the Kronons while they were following orders to remain in his company.

"Considering your nature and your skillsets, I will arrange the Avatars of Myth to receive the three of you as guests. Do you have any objections?"

"It is our pleasure to serve alongside your Avatars of Myth." Lieutenant Dominic Kronon stated. "We have heard of their valor on the frontlines."

"That's nice to hear. Try and get along with my Avatars. Please keep in mind that most of them are Brighters. I'll tell them to accommodate your religious customs as best as possible, but do remember that you are not in the Protectorate."

"We have already prepared ourselves, sir. You do not need to make any special arrangements."

Sergeant Jezebel Kronon looked like she wanted to object, but she quickly steeled her emotions.

The lieutenant's words reassured Ves. He thought that the Kronon Dynasty would have sent the three most fanatic mech pilots to him, but fortunately the envoys all seemed reasonable.

Ves realized that he was letting his prejudices get the better of him. The Ylvainans weren't as bad as he initially thought. Residing in the Ylvaine Protectorate taught him that the Ylvainans were just as human as Brighters.

"I have a request, sir." Lieutenant Dominic spoke.

"Go ahead."

"We would like to offer our services to you alongside your Avatars."

"You were only sent here to act as test pilots for one of my new designs."

"We know, but we wish to do more. We also have orders to assist you without any restrictions."

There was more to the envoys than Ves initially thought. The Kronons probably wanted to deepen their relationship to him or maintain a presence by his side to feed back information or something.

Ves did not mind these games. He was still rather upset at being driven out of the Ylvaine Protectorate during his stay there. If he improved his relationship with the Ylvainans, he could eventually leverage it to gain some advantages.

There was no harm in deepening his friendship with the Ylvainans, so he decided to work with the Kronons.

"I'll allow it. I'll treat you like my own subordinates while you are here. If you have any objections to my orders or arrangements, please let me know as soon as possible."

"We will endeavor to respect your orders, sir."

"Is there anything else?"

"We.." The lieutenant hesitated. "If you will allow us to fight under your banner, we would prefer it if you allocate us with Ylvainan mechs. We can pilot non-Ylvainan mechs if there is no other option, but we are accustomed to piloting Holy Soldiers."

This was a reasonable request.

"I'll take care of it, but not immediately." He decided. "Instead of Holy Soldiers, I've got something better in store for the three of you. All of you have been informed that you are sent here to test a product of mine, right?"

"They nodded."

"Well, once I complete my design, I'll just assign each of you with my new Deliverer mechs."

All three Kronons looked pleasantly surprised. From its name alone, they knew that it was a mech that appealed to Ylvainans.

"However, not everyone is worthy to pilot my new mech model." Ves warned and looked at them sternly. "While any mech pilot can make use of the Deliverer, only those who are truly devout and skilled can unlock its full potential. Do the three of you have what it takes to pilot the mech that will save our states?"

The three looked solemnly at Ves. None of them expressed any doubt in his words, which gratified him a bit. It took a lot less effort to hoodwink Ylvainans. They were similar to Gloriana in that regard.

He dismissed the Kronons and sent them off to the Avatar base to settle in. The Tovars were still in the process of fabricating the first prototype, and they were working slower than he expected.

"Amateurs." He cursed when he called up the footage and ran it at superspeed.

Unlike him and Gloriana, the Tovar mech designers obviously hadn't spent much time at all on the shop floor. Only Miles possessed enough practical experience. If not for his leadership and supervision, his four cousins would have botched the prototype.

While the frame of the mech was not that difficult to fabricate, the Tovars encountered a lot of difficulties when they attempted to make the Executor rifle.

The rifle was just far too high-specced. It was unlike anything the Tovars had ever worked with. They wasted plenty of materials in trying to produce its most difficult parts.

Ves was tempted to step in to show them how to produce it properly, but he refrained himself. The mech designers each possessed a strong foundation. Fumbling around like this was exactly what they needed to learn their shortcomings.

Once they found out what they lacked, they would definitely work on remedying their faults. That was what all good mech designers would do in their place.

After shutting off the projection, he moved on to other matters. Aside from handling the daily paperwork, he received an important notification.

"The Avatars and Sentinels assigned to the front are finally allowed to return?"

He was surprised. Considering how much the sandmen were pressing the Bright Republic, he would have thought the military wanted to keep his men around longer.

However, after seeing the latest casualty figures, Ves no longer expressed surprise.

The Living Sentinels only lost a portion of their manpower. While Commander Magdalena would probably lament their loss, to Ves they were merely names on a list.

He never met or got to know any of these mech pilots in person, so why should he feel sad for their deaths?

Even the couple of Larkinsons who perished in battle hardly affected him. The Larkinsons always answered the call of duty knowing what kind of fates awaited them. Too many Larkinsons died in wars all the time that the family learned to honor their sacrifices rather than get hung up on the losses.

Compared to the modest casualties of the Sentinels, over half of the Avatars failed to make it back. Unlike the Sentinels who had been supplied with Dawnbreakers and other excellent mechs, the Avatars were forced to make do with Desolate Soldiers.

Though Ves could easily replace their machines with something better, he deliberately withheld any excessive care towards the Avatars. How could he sharpen his most promising mech pilots into fearless elites if they didn't suffer some hardships?

Fortunately, the few individuals who he couldn't afford to lose managed to make it back alive. As Ves read their records, he couldn't help but become impressed.

Silent William racked up quite a lot of commendations. While his performance wasn't always eye-catching, he had become increasingly more skilled in piloting his Resentful Soldier.

As the only Avatar who piloted a custom mech, his performance always stood out compared to the others.

As for Melkor, while his battle performance wasn't as eye-catching, he had become increasingly more proficient in commanding his men in battle. The tactics he managed to executive with the Avatars slightly helped in improving their performance against the sandmen.

Of course, most tactics weren't very effective against the sandmen, but that wasn't important. So long as Melkor continued to polish his ability to command his troops, the Avatars would definitely be a force to be reckoned with against both alien and human opponents.

"Looks like this has been a very worthwhile excursion for my Avatars." He smiled.

With the return of the first detachment of Avatars and Sentinels, the second detachment needed to be prepared. Ves had made a commitment to the Bright Republic and he still intended to meet it despite the losses he suffered.

He called Magdalena, who immediately knew what he wanted to talk about.

"I have already selected and prepared our second batch, sir."

"How ready are they for the conflict?"

Commander Magdalena looked stern. "They are ready to do their duty. I have made sure of that."

"I'm not referring to their willingness."

"To be honest, I am not as confident in their readiness." She reluctantly said over the comm. "Our first detachment participated in the early stages of the war when the sandmen weren't as frightening as now. Commander Melkor and the rest slowly acclimatized to the war as the sandmen grew deadlier."

"You're afraid our second detachment won't fare as well because they'll be thrown right into the meat grinder."

She nodded. "I'm especially concerned with your Avatars. Their mechs can't keep up with the demands of the war anymore. While your Desolate Soldiers are fine products, they are too fragile in battle."

"I haven't changed my mind on this. My Avatars are different. They must meet any challenge!"

"They're just kids, sir! Fresh graduates like Joshua King or young mech pilots such as Casella and Imon Ingvar deserve better than to pilot a mech that is barely better than cannon fodder!"

She was right to be concerned. The first detachment of Avatars mostly consisted of the most trained and prepared mech pilots. Melkor thought it was better to bring the most prepared mech pilots first and give the younger and less experienced Avatars some extra time to train and prepare for their upcoming deployment.

However, neither Ves nor Melkor anticipated that the enemy grew so much in strength in the meantime.

Sending valuable Avatars which Ves placed a lot of hopes on in the future was irresponsibly dangerous.

It would pain him a lot to lose valuable mech pilots with strong spiritual potential like the three that Commander Magdalena already mentioned!

"I know the risks have changed. I still see no reason to change my mind, though. Whether they are young or old, every Avatar must be prepared to fight any foe. If they aren't prepared to participate in a war of this caliber, then they are useless to me as Avatars. I'm not running a mech academy here, commander. Every mech pilot I employ are adults. They have already made their own choices. At most, I'll give them one more opportunity to resign from the Avatars and transfer to the Living Sentinels. Is that okay?"

The compromise eased Magdalena's concerns. "That is.. acceptable."

"Don't complain to me if none of the Avatars accept this offer." He smirked.