The Mech Touch

The Bright Republic enacted all kinds of policies to mobilize the private sector into contributing to its defense.

The government did not coerce mech pilots to fight, but provided incentives to those that did. Forcing those unwilling to fight would never work, as instances such as running away as soon as the sandmen appeared would always take place.

Right now, many Brighters still possessed confidence that their state could weather the storm. They were used to dealing with pressure due to their frequent wars against the Vesians, but that was not enough to explain why so many outfits volunteered to the front.

Everyone was looking ahead.

As long as the Bright Republic defeated the sandmen, it stood to gain immensely. The star systems of the crumbling Coman Federation and beyond were up for grabs.

The only issue was that all of them had been swept to a ruin by the sandmen and required centuries to rebuild. Even so, the payoff would be immense.

With the promise of territory and other rewards to every outfit that participated, this was a golden opportunity for mercenary corps to become something more than a shabby band of mech pilots!

Gaining their own land, industries and more would elevate the mercenary commander into the upper ranks! The mech pilots would benefit as well, becoming vassals that owned and managed important properties.

With this rich promise, the Bright Republic successfully incentivized many profit-seeking outfits to help defend its star systems.

"I'm not aiming to gain more land or territory." Ves spoke to Melkor in the latter's office.

"Then why volunteer our troops?"

"Aside from being the right thing to do, I have three reasons."

Ves raised a finger.

"First, as you know, our Avatars and Sentinels are still very green. The little missions you've accepted isn't enough to forge them into a solid entity. Am I right?"

As the Avatar Commander, Melkor was keenly aware of this. "It's better than before, but we aren't truly united as of yet. It takes true battle to forge the kind of martial tradition we want."

"Right. So deploying them to the front against the sandmen is the best way to do so."

"We'll suffer casualties, though." Melkor cautioned. "When we volunteer our troops, they'll fall under the command of an officer of the Mech Corps. There won't be any slacking off. Depending on how the war will go, we might stand to lose half of the mech pilots we've dispatched."

That was a heavy figure, and the main reason why only half of the Living Sentinels volunteered. While the LMC promised generous pensions to their families if they died, that wasn't as good as returning from the front alive!

"We need a solid core. What is the use of recruiting hundreds of mech pilots if they will all shatter at the first serious blow? A martial tradition can only be forged in battle. Everyone knows that. As long as the Avatars and Sentinels make it through this pass, I will have no doubts about their competence anymore!"

Ves had seen many different outfits and mech regiments in battle. He recognized that there was a vast gulf between an experienced and inexperienced mech force.

No matter how much training an outfit enjoyed, all of it meant nothing if the mech pilots lost heart upon encountering their first setback in battle!

This was exactly the reason why Ves looked down on the Honored Ones from the Reinald Republic.

He raised another finger.

"My second reason for volunteering our forces is to earn more reputation. While it's difficult to see it now that we are in the middle of an existential crisis, the war against the sandmen will become a pivotal event in our star sector's history. Those who have answered the call of duty will become heroes to the state and the star sector. The mech pilots, the outfits and those who dispatched them will earn unsurpassed glory and honor for fighting the good fight!"

Melkor looked surprised, not expecting to hear such a reason. That was why Ves was in charge!

"Is reputation that important to you, sir?"

"It is!" Ves firmly replied. He had seen the effects of having an insufficient amount of reputation! "The galaxy is run by people and organizations. Being smart or wealthy is not a sufficient reason for them to do business with you. If you want to earn their regard, reputation is essential! High society is especially vain and pretentious. Something as simple as dispatching half of my mech forces to fight off an alien invasion will definitely be celebrated in this circle!"

Otherwise, why would nobles and high officials elevate hunting into a prestigious occupation?

After Ves explained his reasoning, Melkor tentatively nodded.

"I think you're right. All of us stand to gain a lot of honor and reputation for battling the sandmen. This might even be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to add descriptions such as 'defender of humanity' and 'alien hunter' to our records!"

Regardless of how the authorities recorded the accomplishments of his mech pilots, they would doubtlessly be able to stand head and shoulders above others!

Those who never contributed to human civilization in this fashion would never have the guts to put on airs around veterans of this crisis!

"There's one more thing, Melkor. It's one thing to miss the fight if you were still a mech cadet or if you are stuck on the other side of the star sector. It's another thing to decline the opportunity to do your duty when you are in a position to do so. The cowards, the foot-draggers, the incapable and the incompetent will all carry the stigma of staying still while others fought to save the lives of trillions of people!"

This wasn't something that Melkor contemplated either! As a Larkinson, shirking his duty sounded alien to him. Yet now that Ves illuminated him, he understood how much dishonor those people suffered if they refused to fight!

Ves raised a third finger. "There is one more reason to dispatch the Avatars and Sentinels to the front. I want to test if my Avatars are loyal enough to do what I ask of them. I won't ask too much of the Sentinels, but I want you to push the Avatars. Either make or break them, but don't be too soft."

"You're asking for a lot, Ves. Every mech pilot who joins the Avatars are qualified enough to join a prestigious mech regiment of the Mech Corps."

"I know that, but what is the point of retaining them if they are unwilling to serve me as much as they pledged? The generous salaries and benefits they earn as Avatars should be enough to buy their loyalty."

Even if his Avatars weren't Kinners, they ought to be considering how much money Ves paid out of his pocket to support his premier mech force!

"Let's move on to choosing our assignments."

Ves and Melkor began to turn to the projection of the map of the Bright Republic. The Mech Corps posted many missions with different terms and requirements.

It took around half an hour to select the missions for the Avatars and Sentinels.

Preferably, Ves wanted to keep them together, but that wasn't always possible. He selected a more arduous mission for the Avatars that called for keeping the majority of them at the front for a long duration. Only a handful of Avatars would be rotated back to Cloudy Curtain to rest and recover.

As for the Sentinels, he still needed to finalize the details with the Sentinel Commander, but Ves picked out a more relaxed mission for them. The Sentinels would merely have to deploy a portion of their mechs and mech pilots to the front, and rotate them out every couple of months.

This was enough to give every volunteering mech pilot some actual battle experience without exposing them to too many risky battles.

"Do you want to meet with Magdalena?" Melkor asked.

"Not today. I already have a full agenda." Ves shook his head. He intended to visit the Living Sentinels and the Battle Criers sometime later when he wasn't so pressed for time. "Convey my intentions to her in my stead, will you?"

"Will do, sir. I have a good relationship with her. She'll understand what needs to be done."

Though Ves didn't know who came up with the decision, Magdalena Larkinson became the Sentinel Commander. From what he could gather, Magdalena used to work her way up the ranks of the Mech Corps before retiring as a Captain at the end of the recent war.

She was also a mother of three young children, which explained her inclinations towards the Sentinels.

Once they ended their discussion, both of them stood up and left the office. Gloriana, their cats and their bodyguards followed silently after the Larkinsons.

After leaving the administrative building, they crossed the grounds of the base before entering a training facility.

Around a dozen young Avatars in uniform awkwardly familiarized with each other at a lounge area. As soon as Ves and Melkor stepped in, they immediately rose from their seats and stood straight.

Though Melkor did not look as grizzled as some of the older veterans, he cultivated his own air of authority, which was enough to make the young Avatars honest.

"Ves, meet the Avatars in the making. They are some of the most promising young mech pilots in our ranks."

He recognized some of the Avatars looking at him with respect, fear or outright adoration.

"Chette Larkinson. Rhode Larkinson." Ves addressed his cousins first. "How confident are you in catching up to Jannzi?"

It seemed like a lifetime ago when the Larkinsons pushed three little chicks onto his hands. Now, one of them transformed into an eagle, far surpassing the remaining two chicks that barely stepped off the finish line.

However, as Larkinsons, they did not give in too easily. Their eyes burned with determination.

"We will catch up, sir!"

Ves nodded in satisfaction. He wanted his Avatars to be bold and confident. Even if they became a little too arrogant, that was fine because he was willing to give them the tools to back up their boasts.

With his spiritual vision, he recognized that neither of them possessed spiritual potential.

That was fine. As long as Ves mastered the art of elevating regular mech pilots into the ranks of gods, he didn't mind giving some of his relatives a life-changing transformation.

He couldn't do too much, though! If he uplifted every Larkinson or Avatar into the ranks of experts, then anyone with a pinch of logic could figure out that he possessed an unimaginable secret!

Ves could only elevate a couple of Larkinsons at most. The reputation his family had built up and its long pedigree of nurturing expert pilots would help allay suspicions.

As for elevating other Avatars, Ves had to show more restraint. He could only afford to uplift a handful of them as best. He could chalk his luck to the selective recruitment policies of the Avatars of Myth.

"Imon, Casella, how are the two of you doing?" He asked after he finished his brief chat with his cousins.

"We enjoy it here." Casella spoke up first. "We recognize that it is a privilege to join the Avatars. We will do our best to meet your expectations."

"Good. I have high expectations for the two of you, but you will both have to prove yourselves in battle."

Though Imon did not show much enthusiasm for their upcoming deployment, both Ingvars knew that this was a test they needed to pass.

Once Ves understood the situation of the Ingvar twins, he directed his attention to someone he didn't recognize.

The young Avatar exhibited much more enthusiasm and fervor than any other Avatar in the room.

Now that Ves paid attention to the fellow, his interest spiked when he sensed a vigorous trace of spirituality.

This was a mech pilot with spiritual potential!

Not only that, but his spiritual attributes felt a bit unusual! Though Ves did not recognize the attributes, he felt a little familiarity in them for some reason.

"Who is this kid?" Ves directly asked, pointing his finger at the Avatar.

Before Melkor could even answer, the mech pilot couldn't hold himself back any longer!

He fell on his knees and pleaded to Ves with his palms grasped together!

"Joshua King! I'm your biggest fan! I grew up piloting your mechs! It is my biggest dream for you to design a custom mech for me! I will defeat every challenger in your stead if you give me a machine that is solely mine!"

An awkward silence ensued.