The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1299

Just before the Barracuda arrived at Zin Alpha, Ves briefly checked up on everyone else, starting with Melkor.

"Have you taken William Urbesh’s measure? How good of a mech pilot is he, really?" Ves asked.

The projection of Melkor shook his head. "William is.. a difficult case. Let me begin with his piloting skill. He’s well-trained. That’s a given. Though many of his habits would see him killed when placed on an actual battlefield, that can be remedied through rote training. It’s his attitude that’s the real issue."

"He’s a coward, right?"

"Essentially, yes." Melkor sighed. "William received excellent training and his body and mind have both been augmented to a good degree. By all rights, he should be an elite. During simulation battles against AI opponents, he fared quite decently. It’s when he faces human opponents that he begins to show his frail mentality."

Ves blinked. "He’s scared of fighting mechs piloted by humans? In a simulation?"

"Yes."

It sounded ridiculous! The threat of death in simulations was nonexistent! Barring a short circuit or some freak accident in which the hundreds of safeguards applied to simulator pods all went haywire, a mech pilot ought to be able to fight to their heart’s content!

"What’s the problem with William, exactly?"

"We put our mind docs on his case, and boy, he’s a handful. The short version is that William is fundamentally afraid of fighting. This guy is a natural coward. For someone like him to luck out in becoming a potentate is one of the biggest travesties of the galaxy! While his genetic aptitude is merely graded at C, whenever he faces a human opponent his effective genetic aptitude instantly plunges into the E-range!"

Melkor explained a bit more and pulled out several examples where William Urbesh failed lots of easy scenarios that even a mech cadet could have overcome with ease! The psychological condition that afflicted him was so ingrained into his being that it was almost impossible to treat!

"The human mind is very resilient but also very fragile." Melkor noted. "Our mind docs found traces of modest cranial operations in William’s mind. This is very risky considering that he’s a mech pilot. Even then, it hadn’t worked. In every fight and flight situation, William always chooses to flee, even if he is pumped up with rage stimulants!"

The actual medical explanation was too complicated for Melkor to recite, so he merely transmitted the relevant reports to Ves over the comm channel.

"So what does that leave us with William?"

"We can keep training him all we want, but without a deep and fundamental shift in disposition, William will always fail in stepping up when it really matters. The only way we might be able to achieve this shift is by rejigging his entire brain structure with dubious and extremely risky interventions. Not even the MTA has gone that far, because such procedures will likely permanently impair his ability to pilot a mech or at worst lead to his death! The MTA needs patient consent in order to even suggest such radical treatments, but there’s no way a coward like William will ever approve!"

In the end, the main point was that there wasn’t an easy fix to William’s ingrained fear. Not unless Ves was willing to cross some lines.

After clarifying the situation a bit, Ves did not see any immediate solutions either.

"For now, just hold his hands and polish his skills and combat habits. Let the other Larkinsons have a try with him as well. They might click with him in a way all his other instructors never accomplished." Ves instructed.

"That sounds good, but these suggestions aren’t likely to work."

"I know, Melkor, but let’s not rock the boat too much. We have three years to achieve some progress. I’ll take a look at his condition myself when I return from my tour through the star sector. Perhaps a year of instruction under a Larkinson will set him straight."

After discussing a few other matters related to the Avatars of Myth, Ves closed the call. He called up Calsie next to receive a status update on the LMC.

"The company is doing well enough that it doesn’t require your intervention for quite some time." She stated. "There has been one notable incident that needs to be mentioned. Do you remember your old friend Carlos Shaw? He knocked at our doors a week ago."

Ves immediately became more attentive. "He’s back?"

"He wanted to talk to you in person before rejoining the LMC. He was disappointed when you weren’t here."

"What did you do, then?"

"I sent him on to Ketis, who did her best to make him welcome at the LMC. It’s just..." Calsie trailed off.

"What’s the matter?"

"News broke out at what happened when you were at Centerpoint. The gossip rags all announced that you manage to ensnare the affections of a wealthy and powerful Hexer Journeyman. According to their reporting, it’s yet another instance of the Devil Tongue working his magic onto an innocent victim!"

Ves smiled ruefully at that. Gloriana, innocent? Hardly!

"Has that changed the LMC’s circumstances in any way?"

"Not too much, at least for now. While the news hasn’t affected the LMC’s market perception too drastically since it is simply another story to add to your celebrity life here at home, it has led to some subtler shifts."

"Such as?"

"Well, the Bright Republic as a whole has always leaned towards the Friday Coalition. For the LMC to abruptly enter the camp of the Hexadric Hegemony as your relationships implies has ruffled some people’s feathers. Fortunately, the second-rate states are very distant to us normally, so our sales haven’t dipped."

Ves knew that not every state would react so nonchalantly. "The LMC’s position in foreign states which are more strongly aligned to the Friday Coalition will probably sour."

A discomforting mood settled over Ves as he thought about Ketis. "I don’t know the answer myself, to be honest. While I care for her, I always considered her to be my first protege. As a mentor of sorts to her, it’s not proper for me to think any further. This is a line I won’t allow myself to cross." _{ƒгeewёbnovel.com}