The Mech Touch

Chapter 5993  The Virtue of Courage

Why specialize in light skirmishers?

Tusa was wondering about this ever since his uncle tried to nudge him in this direction.

In his impression, light skirmishers were not easy to pilot at all. Their mech frames may be smaller and simpler, but they moved and acted so quickly that the pilot in question needed to be incredibly sharp and responsible.

Light skirmishers had a reputation for being unforgiving machines. Though Tusa admittedly enjoyed it whenever he piloted a virtual light mech in a simulation program, that was because his clumsy operations and frequent mistakes never led to any permanent consequences.

He became a lot slower and more apprehensive whenever he piloted a light training mech during realspace practice sessions!

Even if the training versions of light skirmishers had been simplified to a very large extent in order to make them safe to control for younger mech cadets such as Tusa, he still performed worse than usual due to his constant worries!

"I like piloting light skirmishers." Tusa admitted. "I like the speed. I like how agile they move. What I don't like is how little it takes to ruin it and endanger my life in the process."

"No mech is perfect, Tusa. Many mech pilots regard light skirmishers as deathtraps, and they are not completely wrong about that. If you can overlook this fault, then you may find that they can offer a lot to you. In my opinion, you may have what it takes to do well if you decide to specialize in this mech archetype."

"Why? I don't understand, uncle."

"As I have explained to you before, having a good genetic aptitude and possessing faster reaction speeds definitely helps, but when people pilot light skirmishers in actual battle, it becomes clear that they are not the most important traits that decide whether you can win or lose a battle. This is because light skirmishers rarely fight protracted duels against other powerful melee mechs. Something has gone horribly wrong if they are forced to use their short blades to overpower a swordsman mech or a spearman mech."

"Huh?"

Tusa had yet to learn any lessons related to matchups. Even so, growing up in the Larkinson Clan already allowed him to learn a lot about which sort of mechs fared better or worse against other kinds of machines.

In his opinion, light skirmishers might not be the strongest in melee combat, but they could hold their own against other melee mechs.

The older Larkinson smiled knowingly at Tusa. "Don't think that all of those virtual battles are all accurate. Real light skirmishers do not dare to rush the melee mechs they see and try to outfight their formidable opponents or die trying. Actual light skirmishers are more akin to vultures. They pick on the weak and avoid the strong. The reason why they are so maneuverable is that they can do more by taking advantage of weaknesses spread across the battlefield. It is not their job to fight a standing battle and fight tough battles against melee mechs that are larger, heavier and possess more leverage."

Tusa looked thoughtful as he processed this information. "Are you saying that I do not have to possess a lot of skill in knife fighting in order to do well in piloting light skirmishers?"

"It helps, but it is not the most important quality a light skirmisher pilot should have. The advantage of specializing in light skirmishers is that mech pilots do not have to be highly talented, skilled or superior in mind and body. As long as they are decent enough, they can defeat many enemies, save the lives of many comrades and make their mark in the history of our state."

That appealed to Tusa. In the time he spent in the academy, he already recognized that he would never be able to imitate the likes of Ark Larkinson.

That might be fine if all Tusa wanted to become was a normal mech pilot.

However, if he wanted to do well enough to have his name passed down to the Larkinsons of future generations, then he needed to find a way to do better!

Though Tusa was not entirely convinced that this was the right way to go, he became more and more interested in this direction.

"What quality does a mech pilot need the most in order to make the most out of a light skirmisher?"

"Courage." The uncle responded. "Yes, every mech pilot that fights for a living already possesses a degree of courage. However, it takes a lot more courage to pilot a light skirmisher as opposed to a heavy artillery mech. The more courageous you are, the greater the likelihood that you will rise to become a champion."

Tusa looked confused. Out of all of the possible answers, courage sounded like a meaningless answer.

"What difference does it make for a light mech specialist to possess a lot of bravery? Doesn't that make the pilot overly reckless to the point of becoming suicidal?"

"Hahaha! Bravery is not the same as courage! Most people don't think about it, but if you want to specialize in light skirmishers, then you must understand it well. Many servicemen of the Mech Corps are brave, yet that is not always good. To be brave is to confront your difficulties without fear. Brave mech pilots tend to be heroic and unflappable, but they are also prone to suffering avoidable casualties. Courage is different. Courage is recognizing the dangers of confronting a powerful enemy, but choosing to press ahead because it is the right thing to do. Courageous mech pilots do not erase their fears. They acknowledge it, but also overcome it in order to fulfill a greater goal."

If this was correct, then the differences were easy enough for Tusa to understand.

Brave mech pilots sounded like brainless fools that rushed in at the first sight of danger.

Courageous mech pilots could be equated to more thoughtful soldiers who voluntarily performed dangerous missions out of duty.

Tusa certainly knew which sort of mech pilot he preferred to be. His concern was whether he possessed enough courage in the first place.

"Can I… can I ever muster up the courage to not only pilot light skirmishers, but do better than others?"

"No one can say for sure." The uncle shrugged his shoulders. "It is not a mistake to feel apprehensive at the thought of piloting light skirmishers. Remember that courage does not require you to erase your fears. You can preserve them if you wish, but you need to defeat all of your fears if you want to excel in combat. No one can gift you courage. You need to build it up yourself. This will not be easy. I have seen many mech pilots who can only grow their courage for a short time until they hit a ceiling. At that point, their sense of duty cannot overcome their fears and their selfish desires anymore. That is not necessarily a fault, but as long as you understand their type, you will learn that they have no chance of becoming expert pilots."

Tusa narrowed his eyes. He began to comprehend his uncle's argument.

Courage was an essential quality to any mech pilot. It separated the good ones from the bad ones. It was one of the most essential criteria for breakthroughs.

Since expert pilots tended to possess a lot more courage than ordinary mech pilots, Tusa could not escape the fact that he needed to acquire lots of it. Since that was the case, he might as well specialize in piloting light skirmisher, which was a mech archetype that did not impose too many demands on talent, skill and physical qualities. As long as Tusa possessed a lot of courage, he had the makings of a great expert pilot!

Yet… it was not so easy for Tusa to bring himself to commit to such a high-risk mech type.

"How… how can I build up the courage to pilot light skirmishers well enough when I don't have much of a basis to begin with? My Larkinson bloodline doesn't do much for me, and you know how poorly I am doing in the mech academy. I have no source of confidence that I can rely on to produce enough courage."

"Who says that you need any of that in order to build courage?" The older man amusingly asked. "The thing about bravery and courage is that you do not necessarily need to possess a good reason or any reason for that matter to build them up. Sure, it is much easier to gather bravery than courage, but as long as you put in enough effort, I am sure that a fine mech cadet such as yourself can learn to overcome any fear in a matter of years."

"How?"

The uncle reached out and pressed his hand on Tusa's chest. "By believing in yourself. Nothing more is required. Every light skirmisher specialist has their own unique way of gathering lots of courage, but generally speaking, it is best not to overthink this. Just believe in yourself and go from there. So long as you can take the first steps in learning how to master the art of piloting light skirmishers, you will find that you are not as bad as you think. What you need to do is take this realization and use it to build up more courage. If you are successful enough, you will perform better with light mechs, which allows you to obtain additional courage, and so on. This is what people call a positive feedback loop. As long as you start it up, you will become good at this mech type just in time to start your career."

It sounded rather easy when the older Larkinson put it this way. Tusa did not believe it was that simple to gather so much courage.

However, he became convinced that courage may be the decisive factor that would allow him to attain greatness while piloting light skirmishers.

Many of his doubts and confusion faded away. Tusa still yearned to fulfill his original goal. If he did not want to turn his back on this, then the only way for him to go forward was to follow his uncle's advice and commit wholeheartedly to specializing in light skirmishers!

Even if his courage was not sufficient at this time, Tusa could still make up for it in the following months and years.

As long as he possessed the determination to become an expert pilot, then he could not allow himself to fail in this struggle!

The difficulty of breaking through to the rank of expert candidate was much greater than mustering up the courage to pilot a light skirmisher!

Tusa did not want to grow up to be a disappointment. Conquering the latter would give him much more confidence in conquering the former!

A fire burned in his heart. Tusa no longer felt as morose as before. Now that he obtained a solid direction on what he needed to do in order to fulfill his dream, he felt more motivated to do well in the academy than before!

As he stood up and faced his helpful advisor, Tusa made a sincere bow.

"Thank you for guiding me, uncle. I appreciate your efforts to cheer me up. You have helped me so much that I will probably remember this conversation for the rest of my life. If I ever achieve greatness… I will honor you as best I can. That is a promise."

The veteran Larkinson smiled in a good-natured manner. "I do not owe any credit for your success. You are family. Larkinsons should look out for each other. I offer my advice freely, so do not think you owe me anything. It is up to you to make something out of your mech piloting career. Any success you manage to attain in the following decades is largely thanks to your own hard work and effort. It will not be easy for you to build up your courage and avoid the many possible endings along the way. If you manage to make it through this difficult gauntlet, then do your best to use your newfound power for good."

Tusa respectfully nodded in agreement. "I can't waste my time anymore. I feel the urge to go back and practice with as many virtual light skirmishers as possible. Before I go, can I have your name? You vaguely look familiar to me, but I don't recognize you. You are not a resident of the Larkinson Estate."

The older mech pilot grinned in response. "I am not. After the last war, I chose to get away from the center of it all. I have settled on a quiet and boring planet called Cloudy Curtain. I have a son who is roughly your age who is just starting to become a mech designer. Perhaps he will design a nice mech for you one day. As for my name, you may call me Ryncol. Ryncol Larkinson."

Tusa reacted with astonishment when he finally learned the name of his benefactor!

"You… you…"

"Yes. I am 'that' Ryncol. I am the younger, less talented and less successful brother of Colonel Ark Larkinson. I have made my fair share of mistakes in my life and career, but… I do not regret any of them. I hope that my advice will serve you better. If you truly want to step on the path to godhood, then you must build up the courage to face greater challenges, or die in the process. I hope that you will embark on this journey with open eyes. There may be times where you are asked to confront threats so severe that they may lead to certain death. The strongest pilots are formed in these crucibles. Expert pilots, ace pilots and god pilots emerge exactly because they have mustered up the willpower to override their doom!"

Tusa remained inspired by Ryncol Larkinson's words for a long time.