The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

Ves had been in the company of a Journeyman for more than half a year without realizing it. For some reason or another, he mentally diminished the status and importance of Juliet Stameros.

It was as if he thought she was just another unimportant Apprentice!

How could he make such a colossal oversight? Why hadn't Gavin or any of his staff reminded him of the potential value that Miss Stameros held?

The former was a bit stupid on his part. He lived an incredibly busy life and work constantly occupied his mind. He spent most of his thoughts on planning his grand expedition, thinking about what capital ships he should acquire and what mechs he should design next.

The Penitent Sisters rarely occupied his thoughts. Though the Larkinson Clan operated several different mech forces, Ves did not exactly treat them equally.

For example, he openly favored the Avatars of Myth. It was originally 'his' mech troop, and even when it shifted towards serving the clan as a whole, Ves still showered it with attention such as bestowing it with the Bright Warrior design.

Of all of the mech forces under his command, Ves knew the most about the Avatars!

In contrast, the Living Sentinels earned very little attention from him. As the only non-elite mech force of the Larkinson Clan, he wasn't really interested in investing in them. Ves simply trusted Major Verle and the Sentinel Commander to run this large mech force.

The only reason for Ves to pay more attention to the Sentinels was when he wanted to design a mech that was specifically targeted to them. As the 'militia' of the Larkinson Clan, it was not suitable for the Sentinels to pilot the most advanced LMC mechs. He knew that he needed to design a more general purpose mech for them sooner or later.

Of course, that might take some years. There were other mech forces who were much more deserving of his attention such as the Flagrant Vandals and the Swordmaidens.

In a way, his unequal attention wasn't necessarily a problem. He was simply overlooking too many people and organizations. Forming biases and playing favorites was unavoidable.

What Ves really should have done was to split responsibilities. For example, since he hardly cared about the Living Sentinels, why not let Gloriana supervise their mech needs?

Sadly, that didn't really work as Gloriana was rather unsuited for this role. Her specialty made her much more suited to supervise the custom mechs and future expert mechs of the Larkinson Clan.

As a result, the Penitent Sisters fell through the cracks.

To be honest, Ves still wasn't used to having them. They were an unexpected and somewhat unwanted addition to his clan. He only agreed to let them in because of their loyal service and their exemplary behavior on the battlefield.

One of the principles he valued was to be fair to people who fought on his behalf. Just because the Penitent Sisters possessed a Hexer background was not a reason for him to mistreat them. The fact that the Hexer exiles had mellowed out a lot and shed their dislike towards him and the Larkinsons helped a lot in accepting them into the fold!

Yet even then, Ves was still trying to adjust that they were a part of his clan rather than a bunch of barnacles on the hull of his ship.

For these reasons and more, Ves essentially overlooked the value of Commander Chancy, Commodore Evern, Head Designer Stameros and the rest of the Penitent Sisters!

Luckily, less than a month had passed after Task Force Predator returned to the Cinach System. During this span of time, Ves truly became far too occupied to pay special attention to the Penitent Sisters. The women shouldn't hold it against him for neglecting their situation.

Once they reached a small meeting room aboard the logistics ship, the main mech designer of the Penitent Sisters was already present.

"Patriarch."

"Miss Stameros. It is good to see you again. How are you dealing with the changes to your life so far?"

"Are you inquiring about my professional or private circumstances?" Juliet frowned.

"Both. I've come to make some decisions concerning you and your sisters. I don't mean to pry, but it will help if you are willing to share more details."

As a mech designer, Juliet understood the importance of gathering lots of data in order to make the most informed decisions. Ves left it up to her to decide how much she was willing to say. He believed she was clever enough to be earnest towards him. Withholding accurate information would only hinder her opportunities.

Ves briefly turned his head to Commander Chancy. "Could you give me a private moment with Miss Stameros? I would like to talk to her as one mech designer to another."

The Penitent Sister Commander gazed at him for a few seconds before nodding. "If that is what you wish… sir."

She did not kick up any fuss as she turned about and marched through the exit. The hatch closed when she passed through, providing Ves and Juliet with a modicum of privacy.

Of course, Ves was pretty sure the monitoring system was still recording everything, but he did not bother to activate his signal jammer. His main purpose to send Commander Chancy out wasn't to ensure confidentiality, but to give Juliet some space to speak about herself outside of the presence of her direct superior.

"I am a Penitent Sister." She began.

When she didn't say anything else after a few seconds, the room turned awkward. Even Lucky, who had crawled onto Ves' lap, looked confused.

"...Okay?"

"I believe you have failed to comprehend what I said."

"Some clarification may help." Ves gently suggested.

Juliet crossed her arms. "For most of my life, I grew up in the presence of Hexers who believed that boys like you are abhorrent and should be punished for being born this way. My fellow sisters and I became damned because of this. Do you know the pain of being treated this way by the state and people you trusted and put your faith in? Do you know how much we suffered for realizing that we were the ones who turned out to be wrong?"

"I don't claim to have lived through these pains, but I have suffered similarly when the Bright Republic and the Ylvaine Protectorate sold me out to please the Friday Coalition. I trusted these states and the people that govern them to cover my back."

Both of them shared a distinct glance. They held the eyes of someone who suffered from deep betrayal. This shared identity brought them a little closer to each other.

Juliet continued with her story. "After the Temple of Hexism determined our guilt and forced me and my surviving sisters to earn our redemption, we had already given up on our lives. It was already made clear to us that it is enough to repent by fighting the enemies of the state. We needed to fight until none of us were left."

"Then the Penitent Sisters fell into my hands."

"Indeed." She ruefully smiled. "We originally prepared to be deployed to the frontlines of the Komodo War. To be frank, many of my sisters looked forward to this deployment. Despite our shabby mechs and our older combat carriers, we would at least be allowed to fight against the Fridaymen. There is hardly any better way for us to earn our redemption. Being stripped of the opportunity to die a noble death in order to cater to a foreign boy of all people brought a lot of despair to us. No one, not even myself, looked forward to becoming your slaves!"

"I never treated you as such."

"And I thank you for that." Juliet replied earnestly. "I have to admit that many of us treated you and your Larkinsons coldly due to our unwillingness to be deprived of the opportunity to take part in the Komodo War. We were also unused to the outside galaxy."

After that, Juliet began to explain some of the changes she and her sisters went through after becoming attached to the Larkinson Clan. Their experiences during the Nyxian Gap Campaign caused them to continually adjust their views.

For one, they no longer held any ambitions to return to their home state.

"It is best for everyone involved if we don't return." She spoke with a determined voice. "We aren't welcome there, and we don't particularly like the Hexers there either. We will always be tainted in their eyes."

"Our clan thinks differently of your people."

Juliet shook her head. "Not really. There are plenty of Larkinsons who try to distance from us whenever we show up in public. To them, we are still Hexers and extreme ones at that. Don't deny it, patriarch. We don't deserve your pity. We deserve all of the contempt that we can get. You may have persuaded the Hegemony's government to redeem us and put us under your care, but that is mainly on account of your merits, not ours. In our hearts, we have yet to redeem ourselves. We are committed to serving you for as long as it takes to earn our repentance."

That sounded rather troubling to Ves. He did not want these new additions to the Larkinson Clan to act as if they were lesser than other clansmen!

Yet what could he do? He knew what fanatics were like. These Penitent Sisters may have changed some of their ways, but they carried too much cultural baggage for them to get rid of them all. Their former cult and the other Hexers around them had constantly instilled them with values meant to keep them under control.

Now that Ves essentially inherited the Penitent Sisters, he could work towards reducing their sense of guilt, but not immediately. This was going to be a long-term project.

He pulled his thoughts away from the Penitent Sisters as a whole. He did not come here with the intent to reform this group. For now, he just wanted to sound Juliet out and find out whether it was possible to pull her into the Design Department.

"Miss Stameros, thank you for sharing your views with me. I will definitely make sure your sisters will have ample opportunities to earn whatever redemption they seek in the future."

She looked pleased at his promise. Even if he sounded rather vague, it was the thought that mattered.

"We are grateful for any support that we can get. We don't expect to receive the best treatment, but it is already enough if the clan can meet some of our needs."

Ves leaned forward. "Do you want to have more control over how the clan treats your sisters?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"You are a Journeyman Mech Designer. That puts you on the same level as Gloriana and I. With your status, you can easily gain a much bigger say in our governance structure. With more power, you can make sure that the Penitent Sisters are properly represented at the highest levels of our clan. Of course, with power comes responsibility. You must perform your duties if you wish to enjoy the benefits."

"Are you asking me to become a politician or something?" Juliet dubiously asked.

"No. I'm asking you to take on an even better role. Come join the LMC's Design Department. As the third Journeyman Mech Designer of our clan, your talents are wasted elsewhere. If you join our Design Department and help us design new and better mechs, your standing within the Larkinson Clan will skyrocket. While I can't promise you will become as powerful as Gloriana or myself, as one of the main contributors to the earnings of the clan and the strengthening of our mech forces, our people will never neglect your interests."

His offer overwhelmed her. She never expected him to invite her into the prestigious Design Department.

This was where all the miracles took place! The true foundation of the Larkinson Clan did not rest in its mech pilots or expert pilots. It was actually the mech designers who ensured everyone's continued prosperity and growth. Without designing all of their great mechs, Ves and Gloriana would have never earned so much recognition!

"This… I don't think I can accept." The head designer reluctantly answered. "I don't deserve this honor. My only goal is to serve my fellow sisters. I can do that best in my current position. If I go somewhere else, who will ensure the mechs assigned to my sisters are working properly?"

As someone who always viewed herself as damned, tainted and burdened with guilt, Juliet simply did not feel comfortable with taking on a greater role!

Besides, she had another reason to reject his offer.

Her eyes looked strangely at him. "Your wife also made it abundantly clear I'm not welcome in the Design Department. I don't want to antagonize her or provoke any discord between your relationship. I don't think either of us can ever collaborate on the same projects."

Damn!