The Mech Touch novel Chapter 420

After that day, reality started to sink in the mech designers. Even the most ignorant among them learned that the Mech Corps did not care about their status and their achievements. No matter how many mechs they designed or how many pilots used their products, everyone started from scratch.

The ongoing pressure from the exercises and the inhuman way the processing center treated the mech designer really took a toll on everyone. No one had the time to smile and chat with each other. They needed to conserve every available moment to rest and regain their strength.

This suited Ves fine. By now, his alienation among the other mech designers reached the furthest point it could go. The only reason why his status as a pariah didn’t bother him was because the mech designers didn’t treat their closest friends that differently. The constant frustration and exhaustion sent everyone into a pit of self-wallowing isolation. Everyone was too numb to do anything more.

It was at this point that the training regime started to move beyond senseless exercises. They entered classrooms which served them with images of the Bright Republic.

A pair of bedraggled mech pilots leaning against a wrecked mech.

A city bombed to oblivion, only to be rebuilt anew.

An enormous fleet carrier surrounded by a flotilla of combat carriers orbiting around a glittering planet.

Throughout the inspirational visuals, it repeated a constant refrain.

"We are the bastion of reason."

"We are the torch that lights up the end of the galaxy."

"We are all that stand in the way between freedom and tyranny."

In their tired states, most mech designers soaked up the message without resistance. Ves on the other hand possessed a much more potent recovery speed, so he remained very aware throughout these indoctrination sessions.

Frankly, he didn’t know what to think either. Most of the footage sounded inspirational, but to Ves they largely fell flat. He already possessed a lot of attachment to the Republic and hardly needed any reinforcement in that area.

Along with indoctrination, the mech designers also started to learn other necessities. They memorized the hierarchy of the Mech Corps, how they should behave among themselves and to the servicemen of the Mech Corps, and what they needed to do if they ever fell into a precarious situation.

It became clear to Ves that the Mech Corps explicitly didn’t train them to be servicemen. They didn’t fit in the usual hierarchy. Instead, mech designers took on an auxiliary role that existed apart from any existing bureau.

They weren’t taught how to handle a weapon, nor did they need to salute to any officers. Instead, they learned how the design teams of the Mech Corps worked and in what place they fit in. They learned the many different roles mech designers played and how their work impacted the regiments that made use of the designs.

"The war between the Bright Republic and the Vesia Kingdom is a conflict that is fought with mechs. It is vitally important that the mech pilots fighting on the frontline have access to the latest designs. Each mech model possesses their own strengths and weaknesses. Once a vulnerability is known by the enemy, that model loses its advantage on the battlefield."

Regiments constantly demanded new designs to replenish their wrecked mechs and become less vulnerable to the known faults of their current designs.

"Your only role is to assist the lead designer and his main assistants in optimizing their designs. It is not your responsibility to suggest new features or perform additional changes to the design."

The lessons hammered home that as Apprentices, they possessed no right to speak in front of a room filled with Journeymen and Seniors.

Ves really chafed at that restriction. The lessons obviously aimed to turn them into obedient cogs in a giant design machine. Instead of being able to design a part or suggest some modifications to an existing design, the Mech Corps only expected them to perform grunt jobs.

He distinctly felt his competences should have elevated him to a greater role. Too bad no one cared.

Two months went by in this vein. The training program superficially molded them in a way that allowed them to seamlessly slot into any working design team.

After the end of their training program, hundreds of mech designers assembled into neat ranks at an open area. As Ves discretely glanced around, he found that many mech designers looked as if they lost their spirit.

Even the likes of Morgan and Bart adopted the same numb expressions. Both of them dealt with the pressure in slightly different ways. Morgan developed a tendency to mutter to himself to sleep while Bart often needed to pace around in their dorm before collapsing into sleep.

Throughout it all, the mech designers hardly spoke with each other in whatever free time the schedule granted them. Ves hadn’t spoken anything aloud in weeks.

At this moment, they heard footsteps. A pair of hard boots clattered forward as a uniformed officer of the Mech Corps strode to the front of the assembly.

"Mech designers of the Republic. Your two-month training program is at an end." The man immediately began. "Seventeen of you have been declared unfit and are now serving out their penalties."

The crowd cared little about the likes of Jim and a couple of other mech designers who broke down and went crazy. They just craved to return to a somewhat normal society. The arrival of another human being actually provided mental succor to the deprived mech designers.

"The war waits for no one. Although your training program should have been much more extensive, the fighting at the frontlines has heated up. The Republic needs you you serve your state. Are you willing to bear the torch?"

Everyone automatically raised their arms as if they held up a torch and roared a resounding cry.

"Good." The officer nodded. "Your new assignments await. I bid you good luck and hope your work will help save the lives of our pilots at the front."

After that, they enjoyed their first period of rest and relaxation in a very long time. With no expectations being thrust upon their shoulders, they looked around with clueless expressions.

Moments later, they received a new set of documents in their military-issued comms. Ves activated the device and skimmed through their contents.

They turned out to be his new orders.

As Ves went through the motions and let a bunch of bots guide him and the others towards a swarm of waiting shuttles, he started to recall more stories about the Vandals. _{freewebnøvel.coɱ}