Talking to expert pilots always made Ves feel uncomfortable.
They were uncommonly perceptive and difficult to fool. They were very stubborn about their convictions and never budged their principles.
This was the source of their strength. Their strong will and unflinching beliefs was not normal and the reason why they distinguished themselves from mortals.
Regular humans possessed complex thoughts and personalities. It wasn't strange for normal people to be hypocritical or hold contradictory thoughts. It was this very flexibility and malleability that made them humans.
Expert pilots were different. They came across as stiff, rigid and stubborn. The disposition of expert pilots towards other people depended on how well the latter aligned with the former.
It was that simple, and that was why expert pilots were so trouble.
In a real society, plenty of people who hated or disliked each other got along cordially. Typical relations between teachers and students, bosses and subordinates, partner to partner and more often worked more often than not even if the people involved would rather want to stab each other in the back.
This was because humans were more flexible than many credited them. Some would say that people detestable for holding duplicitous or deceptive thoughts.
Ves just thought that this kind of behavior was essential to allow human society to function.
Just talking to someone as principled and rigid as Venerable Jannzi reinforced this notion. She didn't like him very much, and she had no problem expressing her true feelings.
"While you are the reason the Larkinson Clan came into existence, I haven't forgotten that it came as a result of a drama that broke our old family." She stated to Ves. "Even if you aren't entirely responsible, you are still the primary reason why the Larkinson Family split apart."
"What are you trying to say, Jannzi?" He frowned.
Just because she was an expert pilot didn't mean he had to take her hits. He had his own principles! Besides, unlike many other people, Ves already got rid of most of his instinctive urge to worship expert pilots.
She looked at him with suspicion. "You're a troublemaker, Ves. You're a rulebreaker. I suppose that is good when it comes to your job. I can see why you have been so successful in your career. It's just that I don't want you to pass on your recklessness to the clan. You are in charge of the lives of tens of thousands of Larkinsons. It's one thing for them to make a choice that they'll eventually regret. It's another thing if they are forced to suffer because you have been driving them to take a lot of risks."
Her concern for the Larkinson Clan was evident. Her will centered around protecting her fellow Larkinsons, and this trait compelled her to voice her opinions to Ves. Patriarch or not, Jannzi cared too much for her fellow comrades to remain silent!
"I don't claim to be perfect, or make the right choices." Ves replied. He felt increasingly more tired at fending off her accusations. "The nature of taking risks means that sometimes my plans blow up. Certainly, I never expected to encounter so much opposition when attacking Ulimo Citadel. That is my responsibility. However, I can't promise I won't make decisions like this again, because we can't coast along if we want to survive and thrive."
He didn't make any excuses and just went on to justify his decisions according to his own thoughts. He believed this was the best way to deal with expert pilots. Even if she disagreed with him, as long as he stood his ground, she couldn't do all that much.
"You're the leader, Ves. Since my clansmen still see fit to keep you in charge, I won't stand in your way." She eventually spoke. "That doesn't mean I'm on your side. I fight on behalf of every Larkinson, not just you. I hope you will never do something one day that will force me to oppose you. Have I made myself clear?"
Ves nodded. "I will try my best to avoid these situations. Just take into account that politics is very murky and that many decisions can be good and bad depending on your perspective. You may think of me as a latent danger to our clansmen, but as far as I'm concerned I have never done something that won't better the clan in some way."
Their discussion on this matter came to an end. Venerable Jannzi made her stance known and has not shied away from giving him a warning.
If an ordinary Larkinson talked like this, Ves would have smacked the presumptuous individual in the face.
However, an expert pilot's weight was incomparable to a random person. Ves had no choice but to tolerate her conditions. No matter what kind of demands she issues, Ves was more than willing to abide by them as long as the Larkinson Clan gained her patronage.
The protection of a genuine expert pilot brought immense advantages to Ves and his Clan! It was due to this that Jannzi gained a much greater say in matters than before.
This was the benefit of strength!
After discussing some other minor issues, the conversation eventually veered towards her future expert mech.
"Right now, Gloriana and I aren't sure how to provide you with a good expert mech."
"Just convert the Shield of Samar to an expert mech."
Ves ruefully smiled at her. "It's not that simple. The technical challenges of designing an expert mech are very steep. If we make any missteps, you will suffer greatly due to your high dependence on such a machine. While I too want to elevate the Shield of Samar to a height that corresponds to your newfound strength, it's very difficult to do so on our own. Right now, we are exploring various options. I can't rule out the possibility that we'll be inviting a guest designer who will take charge of redesigning your Shield of Samar. If that happens, you should expect significant changes to the mech."
Jannzi silently stared at Ves for a few seconds. "While I don't think you're the best leader of our clan, I trust you when it comes to designing mechs. I know that expert mechs always differ from regular mechs. It's fine if my upgraded Shield of Samar is a little different from before. Just make sure that the mech still recognizes me at the end."
"I will make sure to take this into account."
He was pleasantly surprised by her tolerance. If she insisted on keeping the entire form and functionality of the Shield of Samar, then it would have been much more difficult to involve an external mech designer!
"When can I expect an improved machine?" She asked.
"It will take time. Please be patient. We are not like the Mech Corps who can partner up with many Seniors who are eager to design the highest-performing mechs in their careers. I estimate it will take at least a year if we insist on designing something as soon as possible."
That was a long time for an expert pilot to spend without a corresponding expert mech. This was a bit of a pity, since Jannzi had just broken through. This should be the best time for her to experience rapid growth. Time was precious for her as well.
Still, designing something as important as an expert mechs really couldn't be rushed. Ves had partially come around to Gloriana's opinions.
During the conversation, he also reminded himself of the need to take the wishes of the mech pilots into account. Her input was vital in shaping her future expert mech.
"If you have a choice on how your future expert mech would be, what do you want to change or add?" He asked.
"I don't mind it if my mech is slow." She said. "I have learned to accept this limitation. In my mind, it shouldn't be much of a difference if you turn it into a heavy space knight. The greatest strength of the Aurora Titan model is how it never compromises on defense. I want that to be the same for my expert mech."
Ves nodded in understanding. "We'll have to replace the polarizing module with a proper mech-grade shield generator. The former simply can't keep up with the elevated performance of your mech. I might also add additional defensive modules to your mech. The budget for expert mechs allows us to incorporate vastly more powerful but also significantly more compact mech parts into your expert mech. This frees up a lot of room for additional weapons and features. As long as you want, we can upgrade the mobility of your mech with all of the extra capacity."
She shook her head. "I understand the appeal of it, but that's not how the Shield of Samar and Aurora Titan is meant to fight. Just put everything in defense."
"That.. is not entirely appropriate. If you don't want to increase the mobility of your mech, then it should at least be more threatening. Otherwise, what makes your mech different from deployable walls? You can't just take hits all the time. Sometimes, defending the clan is best accomplished by fighting back. This is especially the case for hostile expert mechs. Instead of trying to crack your resilient mech, they can easily bypass you and slaughter our vulnerable sh.i.p.s."
"That.. does sound bad." She admitted.
There was plenty of time to develop a new vision for her expert mech. Ves wasn't in a hurry to offer alternatives.
"Your expert mech will be a second-class one." He added. "While it's significantly cheaper and more practical to design a third-class mech, the enemies we face in the present and future are already greater. We need to keep up, and only a second-class expert mech will ensure you will remain relevant."
"I look forward to piloting such a powerful machine. The Shield of Samar truly deserves better."
Though the quality and performance of second-class expert mechs varied a lot, the best of them could be just as powerful if not more than a first-class multipurpose mech!
Of course, Ves simply couldn't afford to spend that much in his current state. The expert mech for Jannzi would likely be substantially weaker than a first-class multipurpose mech, and that was fine. They could always upgrade her expert mech later.
They two eventually ended their personal discussion. Ves deactivated his signal jammer while Melkor and Joshua reentered the compartment.
"Did the two of you have a good talk?" Melkor curiously asked.
"We came to an accord." Ves curtly replied. "Venerable Jannzi agreed to act as the shield of the Larkinson Clan. The only snag is that she will have to wait to receive her expert mech. We can't design and build it on our own. Don't expect her to throw up barriers that can block nukes."
"That's.. regrettable. I hope you don't take too long."
"How will you assign Jannzi, sir?" Joshua asked. "Will she remain with the Avatars or will she be transferred to a new unit?"
That was an interesting question. Ves and Commander Melkor looked at each other.
Strictly speaking, there were pros and cons to both options.
Ves made a quick decision. "For now, I think it is best to keep her in the Avatars. This might change in the future depending on the development of our clan. I'll discuss this with Major Verle."
Jannzi was just the first expert pilot of the clan. In the future, Ves hoped to welcome additional expert pilots such as Joshua, Commander Dise and Commander Orfan.
Though Ves had a lot of guesses about what it took for expert candidates to advance, witnessing Jannzi's breakthrough when it happened gave him a lot of clues.
He felt much more confident in his theories now that he found some supporting evidence. Perhaps he could find ways to induce the remaining expert candidates in the clan to advance without throwing them in a life-or-death battle!
