The Mech Touch

much stock on these Novice and fairly junior Apprentice Mech designers that revered him.
In his eyes, they were like loose clay, ready for him to be shaped in any form he wanted.

 

As for the higher-ranked Apprentices, none of them really looked at him with reverence.
Oh, they respected his skills and acknowledged his prowess, but they never thought he was better than them.
Only Pierce feared him a little bit because he witnessed what Ves was fully capable of during their boot camp.

 

Iris didn't fear him at all, but Ves already had a good rapport with her.
As the only physical mech designer present, she stood out from the other occupants as her body appeared just a bit more real than others.
Despite the excellent quality of projectors, human eyes were much more capable in certain aspects than machines.

 

When everyone's virtual avatars arrived, Ves stood up and began the meeting.
“Thank you for coming here today.
We've got a number of points on the agenda to go through.
First, let me announce to you that a provisional plan for our mech roster has received Major Verle's approval.
I don't expect any major changes to the plan, so it is essentially a done project.”

 

“Can we obtain copies of the plan, sir? It's hard to work while blind! I don't know if I need to enhance a mech's speed or armor for the next deployment.”

 

Ves shook his head.
“I'm afraid I can't do that.
A lot of sensitive information can be derived from the full plan.
Even the summaries are enough to plunge the Vandals into a crisis if someone leaks them out to the Vesians.
For now, I'll only release information to you on a need to know basis.”

 

Mercator raised his hand.
“Head designer, as your deputies, it would be helpful for us to be acquainted with your plan.
Will you allow us access to some of the details? We only need enough to make some preparations.”

 

“As I've stated before, you'll be informed when you need to know at that point in time.” Ves glibbed while trying to keep his smile hidden.

 

He really didn't like Mercator, but he thought it would be unprofessional to show his displeasure at his own deputy.
He wouldn't give Mercator or any snake the satisfaction to see him make a blunder.
In any case, words were cheap, and Ves felt no guilt in answering with a lie or non-answer.

 

In any case, Ves could tell that Mercator hadn't been taken in by the nonsense, but wisely refrained from making a fuss.

 

“Mr.
Larkinson, if nobody gets to access the details beforehand, will all of us be working blind?” Trozin asked her own question.

 

“I'll essentially drip-feed your assignments when they need to be done.
It's not ideal, but it minimizes the damage should any of this leaks out.
I don't want to hand over our entire itenary for the next two months to the Vesians.

 

Everyone chuckled at that, though the prospect wasn't all that funny.

 

Ves explained a few more things and even revealed the first step of the plan, which wasn't too complicated.
“A possible landbound deployment is in the air, so make sure you divert at least half of your focus on landbound mechs that can be fixed with ease.
Prioritize the easy cases first and leave the heavily damaged mechs for later.”

 

Some of them looked surprised that they needed to work on the landbound mech.
After all, wouldn't a straightforward flight from Vesian space be a straight run to the border? Ves didn't let out anything about the topic after that, but he figured the inquisitive mech designers would figure out the motivations on their own soon enough.

 

“Now, I'll be demanding that you work as hard as possible for the next two months.
We need to maximize our productivity and minimize our waste.
Anyone who slacks off or fobs off their assigned to a mech technician or something will be punished harshly!”

 

Ves emphasised the importance of hard work because the plan demanded a lot of changes to be made at critical intervals in the next two months.

 

Perhaps someone foresaw the sheer amount of work Ves would soon pile up on their shoulders.
“Sir, we aren't bots who can't work all day! We need our rest moments!”

 

“Tough luck, then.
We're at war, and we're knee-deep in enemy territory.
Relax when you sleep.
Otherwise, go to work.
The more we get things done, the stronger the Vandals become.”

 

More people started to furrow their brows.
They faintly suspected that Ves would start to become their slave driver.

 

Ves grinned and gestured towards Mercator and Trozin.
“My deputies will keep an eye on your productivity.
If you haven't been meeting your targets, they'll be sure to whip you back into shape!”

 

The two deputies looked surprised at Ves for giving them this duty.
However, it made sense for them to be their supervisors because that was what deputies should do.
In any case, Ves wouldn't have to bother with the tedium while the other mech designers became a little more guarded in front of the deputies.

 

Naturally, since Ves showed off his stick, he should also introduce the carrot.
“I don't expect you to work for nothing.
Anyone who meets their targets for the week will receive the right to borrow one Journeyman-level textbook from the central database of the Mech Corps.
It'll be yours to peruse for an entire month!”

 

That lit a fire under their butts.
No mech designer wanted to stay stagnant, and for most of them, a quality Journeyman-level textbook from the Mech Corps was a highly sought-after commodity!

 

“That's not all! Those who exceed their targets by a fair margin will receive greater privileges.
Those who are eligible can either exchange it for the right to borrow another textbook for half a year, or the opportunity to receive my personal tutelage for an entire hour!”

 

That caused the mech designers to really take notice.
Textbooks weren't easy to digest, and the mech designers also needed to fulfill their other duties before they had time to study new knowledge.
Being allowed to borrow a textbook for half a year would be enough for them to understand at least ninety-five of its contents!

 

As for an hour's worth of personal tutoring from Ves, this potential reward turned out to be very polarizing!