The Mech Touch novel Chapter 744

Idle dreams aside, thinking about designing expert mechs at this stage was like putting the cart before the horse. First, he needed to advance to Journeyman before he could contemplate his expanded options.

Ves exited the conference room, following after the armored and suited forms of the other Vandal officers. They had just survived another briefing about what they might face at the end of their destination.

Nobody knew what to expect when they finally came within reach of the Starlight Megalodon, but that did not stop Major Verle and the planners. They held several briefings now within the past several days, each of them meant to clarify their mission and their priorities.

Contingency plans heavily came to prominence during the briefings. Everyone needed to know their roles during different events, such as if they fleet immediately encountered an ambush upon emergence, if the ships got separated from each other, if the flagship of one of the allied forces got taken out of action, if the disparate pirate gangs banded together in order to eliminate them first, and so on.

They even discussed the rather unlikely but potentially catastrophic possibility of Lydia’s Swordmaidens turning against the Flagrant Vandals in the middle of a battle against other forces!

With Chopra Interstellar Security’s tragic betrayal serving as a cautionary tale, the Vandals needed little psychological preparation to contemplate such a possibility.

Still, the Vandals expressed confidence that they could respond to any unexpected outcomes so long as they did not face a qualitatively better force. Even in their diminished numbers, the Verle Task Force numbered far more mechs than most pirate gangs typically fielded.

Combined with their training and formation tactics, the Flagrant Vandals should be the most powerful cohesive force at the site.

At least they would be so long if detachments from other mech regiments didn’t join the party as well. As much as the Vandals didn’t like to think about it, the Vandals needed to plan around the worst case scenarios, and facing a strong and powerful detachment from a legitimate military mech force instantly changed the entire equation.

Chief Haine stopped by his side. "Wanna grab a drink with me?"

"Oh. Sure."

The two went down to the lower decks and entered the ship’s bar. They ignored the off-duty servicemen trying to still their nerves. Many Vandals feared what they might encounter at the end of the ride. They vastly preferred the current pattern of hopping from mostly-empty star system to star system to reaching the end of their journey.

A change marked the end of a largely peaceful pattern and the start of frequent conflict and grueling battles. Nobody expected to complete their mission without a hitch.

This wasn’t their first rodeo to Ves and Chief Haine. They each dealt with the uncertainty and anticipation of what might come in the future with stoic acceptance. Why should they let their nerves destroy their moods when they had no way of influencing what might come?

As they sat down next to a quiet table and passed on their orders, a bot hovered over thirty seconds later and dropped off their drinks.

"So." Chief Haine started after she took a sip of the Shield of Hispania’s signature brew. "You’ve been rather occupied with other matters lately. Both you and Avanaeon looked so obsessed with working on that strange black cube shuttle of yours that you even stopped attending our Pirate Empires sessions."

Ves shrugged, unapologetic about mission those meetings. "There’s a time for fun and games, and that time isn’t now. It hasn’t been for the entire month. We all have duties to attend to and preparations to make. I’m a busy man and I can only be in one place at a time."

"If you say so."

They quietly sipped their identical drinks. Compared to the signature brew of the Gorgon’s Gaze, the Shield of Hispania tasted a bit less intense, but it at least lacked the filmy aftertaste.

"So what did you call me here for? I doubt it’s to catch up on old times." He said.

The chief technician took her time in answering his question. "Actually, I don’t really know. I wanted to be in the company with someone who isn’t a real Vandal, I guess. You’re different from the others on this ship."

"I’m not a real Vandal? I would think by now that I’ve at least become an honorary member of your club!"

She laughed. "Nice try, but you’re not quite there yet. To be a Vandal is to be our brother or sister. Have you seen how close the Swordmaidens are to each other? Of course you have, you have that little devil following you around half of the time. Well, to me, my fellow Vandals are like family. I care for them and stick with them through thick and thin. As for you... well, you don’t really fit in. None of you mech designers really do, for that matter, but some at least try their best. You on the other hand..."

"Perhaps I’ve been a little too stand-off in my approach, but you can’t fault me for that." Ves shrugged. "I’m wearing the hat of a head designer right now, so there’s a limit to the extent I can mingle with the rank-and-file. Besides, the brass already told me that I’m heading out after this mission."

"Even if that is so, that is no excuse to pretend you live in a different orbit than us. Maybe the other mech regiments are stricter in that regard, but the Vandals are a bunch of exiles from wildly different backgrounds and origins. Everyone of us has screwed up at some point that caused the Mech Corps to punt us to this mech regiment. Without a shared identity to keep us together and trust in each other, how can we stay strong and united against our external foes?"