The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1825

Chapter 1825 Living Bonds

The Avatars of Myth no longer participated in the battles against the sandmen. The Ylvaine Protectorate was more than capable of defending its territories, and did not call upon the aid of the Avatars to supplement its forces.

That left the Avatars bereft with a mission. For this reason, Commander Melkor decided to subject all of his mech pilots to special training meant to elevate them to second-class mech pilots!

Though the enthusiasm among the Avatars was high, the actual results so far left much to be desired.

While it wasn't very difficult to gain basic control over a second-class mech, it took a lot more skill and effort to draw out its strength!

Second-class mech pilots needed to memorize many more operations. They had to perform their techniques at a much higher speed without making any errors along the way.

Above all else, they had to strain against the limits of their genetic aptitude in order to handle the enormous data throughput passing through the man-machine connection!

After a shaky aerial jaunt, the Fliskin light skirmisher approached the base leased by the Avatars of Myth and slowed down until its feet touched the ground.

Even though the Fliskin was optimized for space, every second-class spaceborn mech also functioned as an aerial mech.

The same was true for the reverse. Every mech designed for aerial combat could also retain most of its battle effectiveness in a weightless vacuum environment.

It was just a difference of optimization. A spaceborn mech performed just a bit worse in the air compared to a true aerial mech.

This difference was significant enough to make a difference in battle. This meant that second-rate states were still forced to make a distinction between aerial and spaceborn mechs.

The Avatars didn't care as much, though. The four 'training mechs' were so powerful that it was impossible for the mech pilots to push them to their limits!

Once the Fliskin finished its landing and shut down its systems, the opening to the cockpit opened up. A body garbed in the same piloting suits as the other mech pilots climbed out of the chest area of the light skirmisher and jumped into the air.

The antigrav modules attached to his piloting suit instantly slowed down his fall and caused him to reach the ground as light as a feather.

The man's helmet retracted into the collar of the suit, revealing the young visage of Joshua King.

Two slightly older mech pilots approached the young Avatar.

"Wow, you did worse than we thought." Imon Ingvar remarked. "The Larkinson instructors thought you were so good that you'd be able to flex the Fliskin like it was your own body. Instead, you were like a mouse trying to steer the body of a giant!"

"Don't be rude, brother." Casella Ingvar bumped her elbow into her brother's side. "Don't take your initial performance to heart, Joshua. Maybe the Fliskin isn't the right mech for you after all. Light mechs are some of the most demanding mechs to pilot. It's not surprising to see an Avatar falter while piloting such a fast and sensitive machine. You should start with something easier like the Paravin."

Joshua shook his head. "Too many Avatars want a turn with the Paravin. I can't afford to wait that long to experience a second-class mech. Besides, there is much more value in subjecting myself to the raw power of the kind of mechs which will become a mainstay of the Avatars in the future."

"He's got a point, brother. Also, it's your turn now."

"Ah, you're right! Bid me good luck!"

"Just go!"

Imon Ingvar proceeded to float up to the chest of the Fliskin and entered its cockpit. As the mech slowly came online, Joshua and Casella distanced themselves from the immediate surroundings of the Fliskin in the event of an accident.

It wouldn't be the first time a mech pilot fumbled with one of the complicated mechs and caused their machines to trip!

"My brother is right, though." Casella continued. "Your performance with the training mechs is worse than expected. You pilot our other mechs so well. You should have been able to pilot a second-class mech more fluently."

Joshua shook his head. "It's not the same."

"What's the difference?"

"Isn't it clear to you?"

"There are too many differences to count. Which one is bothering you?"

"It's the feel."

"You mean the lack of glow?"

"It's more than that, Casella. I've piloted the mechs designed by Ves Larkinson from the beginning of his career. I've become used to the qualities he imparts to his mech designs. The glow of his mechs is a big part of this, but there is more to an LMC mech than its effects on our psyche."

The female mech pilot looked curious. "Is there some sort of secret to the LMC mechs that you're withholding from us all? Is this the reason why you've shot up so much in proficiency since you joined the Avatars?"

"It's not really a secret." Joshua shrugged. "Every LMC mech is alive. Simple as that. Once you treat them as a partner instead of a tool, they'll help you on their own initiative!"

Casella blinked. Despite hearing this assertion several times, it was still a bit too far-fetched for her to consider mechs alive. To her, the name and the motto of the LMC was just an aspiration, not a truth!

Her skepticism didn't escape Joshua's perception. He inwardly shook his head. He had tried to illuminate his colleagues many times, but few were mentally flexible enough to accept the truth.

To them, mechs were lifeless machines! They were little different from a shuttle or a tank in terms of autonomy!

The former noble from the Kingdom of the Three Flowers gestured her head towards a gathering of mech pilots in the distance.

"Look!" Casella grabbed Joshua's arm and tugged him forward. "Venerable Wodin is about to hold a lecture again! Let's hear what he has to say!"

She halted when the other mech pilot didn't budge.