Chapter 2926 Stubborn Determination

As an expert pilot who dedicated herself to piloting a single defensive mech, Venerable JannziLarkinson did not make her life easy. Ves already discovered that every expert pilot was abnormal. They were defined by their deviatingqualities. Still, there were differences between different expert pilots. Some of them exhibited moreeccentricities and abnormal behavior than others. Venerable Jannzi and Venerable Joshua bothexisted at the opposite ends of the spectrum in this regard. He had long tried to guess the reason behind these differences. If possible, he wanted to steer thedevelopment of future expert pilots so that they didn't all end up following Venerable Jannzi'sfootsteps. Right now, the doubt and stubbornness shown by Jannzi with regards to the future configuration ofher expert mech gave Ves a powerful clue. Becoming more narrow-minded and developing a strong adherence to specific values andself-imposed principles all helped to hone one's will. At the same time, a strong will also causedexpert pilots to become more focused and eccentric. It was a positive feedback loop. As expert pilots continued to develop their unique strengths, theybecame more obsessed with their personal causes. From what little Ves knew about ace pilots, it appeared that it was not only essential for expert pilotsto remain true to their convictions, but to go a step further! The more a high-ranking mech pilot progressed, the more he or she became removed from theirprior humanity. Was this a good or bad development? Ves didn't know. He hypothesized that expert pilots thatleaned towards Jannzi's approach would be able to progress faster and reach greater heights. As for less-focused and more 'human' expert pilots like Joshua, they had to navigate a lot morehindrances in order to keep up with others. Yet Ves did not believe this was the full story. The phenomenon of high-ranking mech pilots wasmuch more complicated than he currently knew. The MTA poured centuries worth of studies onthem and still couldn't explain anything. How could Ves possibly do any better? Sure, his unique background allowed him to make observations and delve into theories that manyother researchers were clueless about, but he seriously doubted that Star Designers and the topresearchers of humanity made no achievements! Therefore, he did not fully commit to the assumption that expert pilots like Venerable Jannzi had abrighter future ahead of them. Of course, he also had a bias for more human expert pilots, and hewasn't afraid to admit it. The fact that Joshua happened to be his biggest fan and helper also played asignificant role. Ves would rather have a single copy of Joshua than five copies of Jannzi! Venerable Joshua was an obedient, open-minded expert pilot who could easily be manipulated. Notonly that, he was open to piloting all kinds of mechs, allowing Ves to choose his role according to theneeds of the Larkinson Clan. Any mech designer would love to work with a pliable expert pilot! Therefore, even if Joshua followed a more difficult path to the top, Ves was more than willing toinvest in him and help him overcome his barriers. He might also learn a lot about how expert pilotsprogressed, thereby allowing him to apply the lessons he learned to other powerful individuals. As for Jannzi… she had chosen her own direction. Ves doubted that she needed or wanted his input. Besides, Qilanxo was already her patron. The big lizard's understanding of spirituality was verycomprehensive, if not entirely applicable to humans. Regardless, the former exobeast entered into asymbiotic relationship with Jannzi, so it was in her best interest to help her human partner thrive. As Ves thought about the peculiarities of expert pilots, Venerable Jannzi remained in thought whilepetting Lucky. The tired and exhausted cat continued to luxuriate on her lap. It was as if Lucky was Jannzi's baby! Though she hadn't made her thoughts known yet, Ves could feel how her thoughts swung by readingthe changes in her force of will. The strong protective vibe she exuded rippled in different waysaccording to her thoughts. The direction of these fluctuations started to make Ves more and more concerned. He did not likewhere this was going. Her eyes sharpened as she looked up from the mechanical cat she was pampering."Ves." She spoke, her tone making it clear that she had already made up her mind. "You have broughtup some good points. It is untenable for me to fight the way I have done so far. I cannot deny that Ihave failed to do my duty by stopping the Trost piloted by Venerable Kelvin Praetor during theBattle of Reckoning. I have been reflecting on that moment many times myself. If I piloted a fastermech, I could have cornered the Trost by coordinating my movements with the Amphis piloted byVenerable Linda Cross."In the end, the Amphis managed to entangle the Trost with its chainsword, but that was only afterVincent Ricklin and Taon Melin bailed the Larkinsons out by breaking through to expert candidate. His forces had to learn how to secure victory without relying on low-probability events like suddenbreakthroughs! Ves couldn't keep depending on winning a lottery to get himself out of a difficultsituation. It was much more reassuring to win battles in the most direct fashion rather thanresorting to creative solutions. The latter was a consequence for being too weak! Therefore, Ves never stopped in trying to find more ways to strengthen and improve his mechforces. The constant recruiting efforts increased the quantity of his soldiers, but he also couldn'tneglect his high-level combat power. This was why it was in his best interest to persuade Jannzi to agree to a change that would make iteasier for her to play a role in the coming battles. Yet instead of succeeding, Jannzi appeared to dig in her heels even harder!"I understand the needs of our clan as well as you do. I regularly check up with other Larkinsons andkeep myself informed of the development within our clan." She stated. "I am not blind to the faultyou have pointed out, but I am still committed to piloting a mech that pursues the maximum possibledefensive power. All of the other expert mechs that you'll be adding to our ranks are offensive innature. They can't do what my Shield of Samar will be able to do. Whether it is shielding a criticalweak point of one of our starships or providing excellent cover to one of our ranged expert mechs, Idoubt that Venerable Joshua or Venerable Dise will be able to fulfill these roles!""Those are overly passive roles that easily be covered by other assets." Ves pointed out. "For example, a ship that has suffered a severe breach and is vulnerable to further internal damage can just dropout of formation and hide behind the bulk of another starship. Our ranged expert mechs canprobably take care of themselves, but if they have need of cover, they can just use the Spirit ofBentheim, the Graveyard or one of our other capital ships as their fortress. What you have justsuggested are dispensable roles. What can your Shield of Samar bring to the table that only expertmechs can fulfill?"His counterpunches landed hard. What was the point of piloting the Shield of Samar when otherfleet assets could substitute its role with much less effort? No matter how much area an expert mech was able to cover, its size and dimensions wereincomparable to that of an armored vessel! The many combat carriers of the Larkinson fleet did not carry all of that armor for nothing. Whatwas even better for Ves was that the recent addition of the Graveyard to his fleet roster gave himaccess to a very powerful defensive bulwark! Perhaps the hull armor of the Graveyard was not as impervious to damage as the Unending alloycladding the frontal surface of the Shield of Samar, but quantity had a quality all on its own. It tookan immense amount of firepower to chew through millions of tons of solid metal! Venerable Jannzi glowered. A part of her was glad that the Larkinson fleet gained such a powerfuldefensive asset. She celebrated any development that would make her fellow Larkinsons safer. Yet she could not deny that the recent addition of a defensive capital ship put her current role indoubt."You're being stubborn for stubbornness sake, Jannzi. While heavy space knights may have a role incertain military mech regiments, our mech forces aren't set up in a way that allows a singleShe only entertained her doubts for a moment before ruthlessly crushing it with her stubborn will."I haven't changed my mind, Ves. To me, the Shield of Samar is a mech that should always be a rock. To change it into a feather is a betrayal of its identity and a futile endeavor. While I welcome anincrease in speed, I do not want it to come at the expense of making it less solid!"Ves wanted to palm his face! Why couldn't get it through her skull that she was making herself moreirrelevant in battle?"You're being stubborn for stubbornness sake, Jannzi. While heavy space knights may have a role incertain military mech regiments, our mech forces aren't set up in a way that allows a singledefensive mech to play an outsized role in combat. Our fleet is too big for that! What happenedduring the Battle of Reckoning will happen again and again as long as you don't have a way torestrain or damage fast and distant enemies. Are you willing to sit on the sidelines during everybattle?""HAVE SOME FAITH IN ME, VES!" Venerable Jannzi blew up! Her force of will flared as her emotionsgrew more heated! "Just because you designed the Shield of Samar doesn't mean you understand itscharacter better than myself! What you are trying to push will change it beyond recognition!""Meoooww!...." Lucky became so alarmed by the outburst that he tried to roll away from Jannzi's lap. Unfortunately, the woman kept a firm grip on his metallic body! Her temper reined in a bit, but that was just because she converted it into another form. Herdetermination grew stronger."I don't believe that your choice is the only one available to me. I have studied other defensiveexpert mechs in my spare time and I have seen several different solutions to the problem that youhave mentioned. If my mech isn't able to catch up to the enemy, then I will make sure the enemy willbe forced to confront me one way or another. The Amphis has a chainsword, but there are muchmore exotic technologies out there that can allow an expert mech to catch a distant opponent!"Ves shook his head. "You're dreaming! These solutions all have limitations and their addition to yourShield of Samar will inevitably weaken its other properties. Not only that, but most of them are notthat effective against other expert mechs. The Amphis itself was too slow of a space knight to catchup with the Trost, remember? Your Shield of Samar will be even slower if you insist on this course, so you will be even more useless than Venerable Linda Cross!""I WILL FORCE MY ENEMIES TO PASS THROUGH ME!" Venerable Jannzi declared as she stood up!"Do you know how difficult that sounds?""I won't give up as long as there is a solution! If you don't want to work on this problem, then fine! I'm sure that your wife will be more than happy to take on this challenge. She is much more aware ofwhat expert mechs are capable of than you! I know I can count on her support! In the meantime, I'llfocus on trying to develop my own solution as well."She stormed out of his office while her force of will boiled with determination. It seemed as if shewas not going to rest until she managed to bend reality to her whims! Ves sighed as he summarized the outcome of this little discussion. He didn't know whether he shouldapplaud or admonish Jannzi's stubborn decision."Joshua is much easier to work with. Why can't there be more expert pilots like him?" He wondered.