The Mech Touch novel Chapter 538

Despite fearing the might of Venidse’s mech legions, the Vandals had seen neither hair nor hide of their formidable ships or mechs.

The effortless raid on the Hachew System allowed them to replenish some of their critical resources and supplies, but it also exposed their position to the entire Kingdom. As a powerful duchy on par with Imodris, Venidse could not afford to leave an impression that they would let any enemy walk over them at their leisure.

From the intelligence reports that Ves sometimes received, he understood that the shameful procession at Hachew had really kicked Venidse into action. They sent out much more scouts and leveraged more vassals into making more than a token attempt at obeying their instructions.

Considering what he knew about their relations, that wasn’t saying much. The Duke of Venidse was pretty much on his own, and that allowed the Venidse Liberators to run rings around his intelligence gathering operation.

Unlike the Detemen League, the Venidse Liberators spanned more than just a single planet. The general undercurrent among the underclass in Vendise was so dissatisfied with House Venidse that they had a presence in virtually every star system in the territory.

Their reach, clout and numbers gave them a certain amount of strength. Their cells accumulated a fair amount of ships and mechs that had proven themselves to be a real nuisance to Venidse. Their nuisance factor was compounded by the fact that the Liberators weren’t stupid enough to fight Venidse’s mech legions in open combat.

Instead, they stuck to classic insurgency tactics and fought where Venidse was at their weakest. Ves admired their prudence. Even as they grew in strength, they didn’t let their power get ahead of themselves, but continued to bide their time until the arrived at the right moment.

Under the guidance of the Vesian Liberation Front and the Venidse Liberators, they arrived at another quiet star system to conduct their trade. Lieutenant Commander Soapstone spearheaded the transaction with the Liberators while Iris Jupiter tagged along to represent the interests of the VLF. Ves was explicitly excluded from contacting the rebels due to his special status.

He didn’t really mind. After a while, one rebel group was the same as any other. Ves had already given his input on the goods they urgently needed to obtain. Soapstone had not been entirely clear about her commitment to fulfill his wishlist. She probably had her own priorities in mind, and needed to fulfill the needs of other departments as well.

Mechs were important, but the ships also needed repairs. Their cracked and pitted armor still bore the scars of recent missile and mine impacts. Some of their less robust combat carriers didn’t have much of a buffer left.

As the Vandal fleet floated motionlessly in space next to a rebel trade convoy, Ves spent his time on making the rounds. He rode a spare shuttle to visit the Antecedent, the Gorgon’s Gaze, the Finmoth Regal, the Beggar’s Bounty and every other important ship.

Each visit, he would meet with the mech designer assigned to ship and check up on their work. Though Ves had a pretty good idea of their results from the reports he received, he found it best to verify their work first-hand and ask some pertinent questions.

The lower-ranked mech designers mostly took the opportunity to ask some questions, and since Ves felt a bit generous today, he casually gifted them with a couple of insightful pointers.

When Ves visited Vedette aboard the Finmoth Regal, the timid low-ranking mech designer seemed to get his act together. Though the mech technicians obviously didn’t respect a wimp, Vedette managed to instill the impression that Ves backed his every move. Defying Vedette was the same as defying Ves, and no one wished to do the latter.

Ves applauded his junior’s solution and clapped his back. "It’s not as good as earning the rabble’s respect, but at least you’re getting there. If the mech technicians give you any lip, don’t hesitate to give me a call. The thing about borrowing someone else’s name is that you have to be sure that they’re willing to back you up. Right now, you’re an extension of my will, so it’s a given that I’ll help you out."

"Thank you, sir. I was hesitating whether I was doing the right thing, but I’m glad I have your permission." Vedette nodded in gratitude.

"This is only a stopgap solution though. You need to earn their fear or respect. I can’t help you much there, but from my experience showing off your superior knowledge always works."

"That’s easier said than done, Mr. Larkinson." Vedette smiled ruefully. "Although I can call myself a mech designer, I am but an ant compared to you. The gulf between is too wide for me to catch up."

"You don’t need to reach my level to instill some appreciation from the techs. Just work on it and you will see."

"That’s the problem. I know some stuff, but not enough to impress the Vandals."

"Then learn some more!" Ves clapped Vedette’s back again. "Have you forgotten about the rewards I’ve dangled in front of you?"

"It’s too challenging! I’m barely meeting my weekly quota, and I don’t have the spare time to catch up on my studies. I appreciate the option to borrow a textbook from the central database, but the reading material is too opaque! Even with half a year, I still won’t understand the essence of what they are trying to teach!"

Ves sighed in exasperation. "Doesn’t the central database have beginner books? Maybe you should start with that instead. Don’t chew off more than you can bite."

"That seems like a waste, sir. Those beginner books for Novices are so simple that I understand ninety percent of what they say."

"That’s sad, Mr. Vedette." Ves shook his head as if he was a disappointed parent. "A mech designer of your age and level should understand the entire contents of a basic book. That ten percent you are struggling with is needed to make sense of more advanced knowledge. What I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t put the cart before the horse."

That put Vedette to thought. It was difficult for him to admit he needed to shore up his fundamentals, but that was for him to overcome. Ves didn’t have the time to waste on guiding Vedette to the right path.

Frankly, Vedette didn’t look all that bright, but if there was one thing that Ves didn’t worry about, it was talent.