The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1364

Jannzi Larkinson still couldn’t believe how a single sortie changed her entire life.

The moment when she piloted the first production copy during the product reveal of the Aurora Titan, she never came back the same.

Jannzi pressed her hand against the Shield of Samar. A few years ago, she never dreamt she’d be able to become a notable mech pilot of the vaunted 7th Apocalypse Heralds.

Not only did the Heralds welcome her with open arms, they also invested lots of time and resources into nurturing her growth!

Ever since she became a Herald, the higher-ups showered her with genetic treatments, specialized training courses and exclusive tutoring from fellow expert pilots.

The brass thought that all of the focused nurturing succeeded in accelerating her growth.

While her skills and battle instincts indeed improved at a rapid pace, Jannzi knew the real reason for her progress came from a very different source.

She looked up at the immense bulk of the Shield of Samar with its savage lizard head at the very top.

"You’ve been my companion for all this time. Accompanying me to the Apocalypse Heralds has been a life saver for me, Shield."

She often spoke to her mech. As someone who spent some time with Ves Larkinson and his company, she knew their values inside-out. The LMC’s motto spoke to her in a way that no other advice ever could.

Living Mechs. Partners for Life.

Her relationship with the Shield of Samar embodied those words. Whenever the Apocalypse Heralds compelled her to pilot another mech with the hopes that she would move away from the sluggish super-medium space knight, she never felt the same connection.

They weren’t her partners. Her performance noticeably dropped and her drive to excel became noticeably absent.

After a lot of arguing and pushback, she finally convinced them to let her continue using the Shield of Samar as her main mech.

She knew the Heralds still weren’t quite convinced of the Aurora Titan model. While it functioned well as a source of courage and inspiration, its lackluster mobility still posed a lot of tactical constraints.

The regimental commander probably hoped that Jannzi would grow out of her mech. Once she advanced to expert, it would be far too much to ask for a young and inexperienced Journeyman like Ves to design an expert mech.

Was the Shield of Samar destined to become obsolete?

"No. Partners don’t abandon each other. Especially when we are bound for life." She whispered softly as she continued to caress the surface of her personal mech.

An unspoken accord developed between her and the brass. As long as Jannzi kept making brisk progress, the Heralds would let her keep using the Shield of Samar.

The moment she started to stall, her superiors would renew their push to replace her mech.

What they didn’t realize was that Jannzi only worked harder in order to stave off this threat. Her love and devotion for the Shield of Samar was so much greater than a temporary fancy. She considered her mech to be the first and only partner of her life!

After some time alone with the Shield of Samar, someone else entered the mech stable, breaking her quiet contemplation.

"Jannzi. You are looking good."

"Venerable Larkinson."

The still young-looking Ghanso let out a rueful smile. "Cut it out. We’re alone here and this isn’t an official visit. The Starhawks just happened to stop by this space station, that’s all. Since I happen to be here, I might as well visit the latest relative that has joined our ranks."

"I’m not an expert pilot."

"Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time." Ghanso grinned. "I’ve read the reports. Your progress is remarkably fast. Though you have a lot of catching up to do with regards to your skills, your previous display of forced resonance hasn’t lied. Anyone who can do that much upon their elevation to expert candidate will assuredly become an expert pilot in due time."

Jannzi knew in her heart that her older cousin stated a fact, but she did not allow his encouragement to blind her into complacency. If she thought she could sail her way into becoming an expert pilot in her sleep, she might instead begin to regress!

Expert candidates who demonstrated forced resonance had failed before. Jannzi studied their cases carefully and all of them taught her that expert pilots were exceptional for a reason.

When an expert candidate ceased to be exceptional and merely performed as a normal mech pilot, then they failed their candidacy! With such a low commitment to improving their ability to fight, they had no right to enter the ranks of experts!

Jannzi knew in her heart that the Shield of Samar demanded a worthy partner. Ever since she first interfaced with her mech, she resolved to do her best to meet her partner’s expectations!