Talking to expert pilots always made Ves feel uncomfortable.
They were uncommonly perceptive and difficult to fool. They were very stubborn about their convictions and never budged their principles.
This was the source of their strength. Their strong will and unflinching beliefs was not normal and the reason why they distinguished themselves from mortals.
Regular humans possessed complex thoughts and personalities. It wasn't strange for normal people to be hypocritical or hold contradictory thoughts. It was this very flexibility and malleability that made them humans.
Expert pilots were different. They ca across as stiff, rigid and stubborn. The disposition of expert pilots towards other people depended on how well the latter aligned with the forr.
It was that simple, and that was why expert pilots were so trouble.
In a real society, plenty of people who hated or disliked each other got along cordially. Typical relations between teachers and students, bosses and subordinates, partner to partner and more often worked more often than not even if the people involved would rather want to stab each other in the back.
This was because humans were more flexible than many credited them. So would say that people detestable for holding duplicitous or deceptive thoughts.
Ves just thought that this kind of behavior was essential to allow human society to function.
Just talking to soone as principled and rigid as Venerable Jannzi reinforced this notion. She didn't like him very much, and she had no problem expressing her true feelings.
"While you are the reason the Larkinson Clan ca into existence, I haven't forgotten that it ca as a result of a drama that broke our old family." She stated to Ves. "Even if you aren't entirely responsible, you are still the primary reason why the Larkinson Family split apart."
"What are you trying to say, Jannzi?" He frowned.
Just because she was an expert pilot didn't an he had to take her hits. He had his own principles! Besides, unlike many other people, Ves already got rid of most of his instinctive urge to worship expert pilots.
She looked at him with suspicion. "You're a troublemaker, Ves. You're a rulebreaker. I suppose that is good when it cos to your job. I can see why you have been so successful in your career. It's just that I don't want you to pass on your recklessness to the clan. You are in charge of the lives of tens of thousands of Larkinsons. It's one thing for them to make a choice that they'll eventually regret. It's another thing if they are forced to suffer because you have been driving them to take a lot of risks."
Her concern for the Larkinson Clan was evident. Her will centered around protecting her fellow Larkinsons, and this trait compelled her to voice her opinions to Ves. Patriarch or not, Jannzi cared too much for her fellow comrades to remain silent!
"I don't claim to be perfect, or make the right choices." Ves replied. He felt increasingly more tired at fending off her accusations. "The nature of taking risks ans that sotis my plans blow up. Certainly, I never expected to encounter so much opposition when attacking Ulimo Citadel. That is my responsibility. However, I can't promise I won't make decisions like this again, because we can't coast along if we want to survive and thrive."
He didn't make any excuses and just went on to justify his decisions according to his own thoughts. He believed this was the best way to deal with expert pilots. Even if she disagreed with him, as long as he stood his ground, she couldn't do all that much.
"You're the leader, Ves. Since my clansn still see fit to keep you in charge, I won't stand in your way." She eventually spoke. "That doesn't an I'm on your side. I fight on behalf of every Larkinson, not just you. I hope you will never do sothing one day that will force to oppose you. Have I made myself clear?"
Ves nodded. "I will try my best to avoid these situations. Just take into account that politics is very murky and that many decisions can be good and bad depending on your perspective. You may think of as a latent danger to our clansn, but as far as I'm concerned I have never done sothing that won't better the clan in so way."
Their discussion on this matter ca to an end. Venerable Jannzi made her stance known and has not shied away from giving him a warning.
If an ordinary Larkinson talked like this, Ves would have smacked the presumptuous individual in the face.
However, an expert pilot's weight was incomparable to a random person. Ves had no choice but to tolerate her conditions. No matter what kind of demands she issues, Ves was more than willing to abide by them as long as the Larkinson Clan gained her patronage.
The protection of a genuine expert pilot brought imnse advantages to Ves and his Clan! It was due to this that Jannzi gained a much greater say in matters than before.
This was the benefit of strength!
After discussing so other minor issues, the conversation eventually veered towards her future expert ch.
"Right now, Gloriana and I aren't sure how to provide you with a good expert ch."
"Just convert the Shield of Samar to an expert ch."
Ves ruefully smiled at her. "It's not that simple. The technical challenges of designing an expert ch are very steep. If we make any missteps, you will suffer greatly due to your high dependence on such a machine. While I too want to elevate the Shield of Samar to a height that corresponds to your newfound strength, it's very difficult to do so on our own. Right now, we are exploring various options. I can't rule out the possibility that we'll be inviting a guest designer who will take charge of redesigning your Shield of Samar. If that happens, you should expect significant changes to the ch."
Jannzi silently stared at Ves for a few seconds. "While I don't think you're the best leader of our clan, I trust you when it cos to designing chs. I know that expert chs always differ from regular chs. It's fine if my upgraded Shield of Samar is a little different from before. Just make sure that the ch still recognizes at the end."
"I will make sure to take this into account."
He was pleasantly surprised by her tolerance. If she insisted on keeping the entire form and functionality of the Shield of Samar, then it would have been much more difficult to involve an external ch designer!
"When can I expect an improved machine?" She asked.
"It will take ti. Please be patient. We are not like the ch Corps who can partner up with many Seniors who are eager to design the highest-performing chs in their careers. I estimate it will take at least a year if we insist on designing sothing as soon as possible."
That was a long ti for an expert pilot to spend without a corresponding expert ch. This was a bit of a pity, since Jannzi had just broken through. This should be the best ti for her to experience rapid growth. Ti was precious for her as well.
Still, designing sothing as important as an expert chs really couldn't be rushed. Ves had partially co around to Gloriana's opinions.
During the conversation, he also reminded himself of the need to take the wishes of the ch pilots into account. Her input was vital in shaping her future expert ch.
"If you have a choice on how your future expert ch would be, what do you want to change or add?" He asked.
"I don't mind it if my ch is slow." She said. "I have learned to accept this limitation. In my mind, it shouldn't be much of a difference if you turn it into a heavy space knight. The greatest strength of the Aurora Titan model is how it never compromises on defense. I want that to be the sa for my expert ch."
Ves nodded in understanding. "We'll have to replace the polarizing module with a proper ch-grade shield generator. The forr simply can't keep up with the elevated performance of your ch. I might also add additional defensive modules to your ch. The budget for expert chs allows us to incorporate vastly more powerful but also significantly more compact ch parts into your expert ch. This frees up a lot of room for additional weapons and features. As long as you want, we can upgrade the mobility of your ch with all of the extra capacity."
She shook her head. "I understand the appeal of it, but that's not how the Shield of Samar and Aurora Titan is ant to fight. Just put everything in defense."
"That.. is not entirely appropriate. If you don't want to increase the mobility of your ch, then it should at least be more threatening. Otherwise, what makes your ch different from deployable walls? You can't just take hits all the ti. Sotis, defending the clan is best accomplished by fighting back. This is especially the case for hostile expert chs. Instead of trying to crack your resilient ch, they can easily bypass you and slaughter our vulnerable ships."
"That.. does sound bad." She admitted.
There was plenty of ti to develop a new vision for her expert ch. Ves wasn't in a hurry to offer alternatives.
"Your expert ch will be a second-class one." He added. "While it's significantly cheaper and more practical to design a third-class ch, the enemies we face in the present and future are already greater. We need to keep up, and only a second-class expert ch will ensure you will remain relevant."
"I look forward to piloting such a powerful machine. The Shield of Samar truly deserves better."
Though the quality and performance of second-class expert chs varied a lot, the best of them could be just as powerful if not more than a first-class multipurpose ch!
Of course, Ves simply couldn't afford to spend that much in his current state. The expert ch for Jannzi would likely be substantially weaker than a first-class multipurpose ch, and that was fine. They could always upgrade her expert ch later.
They two eventually ended their personal discussion. Ves deactivated his signal jamr while lkor and Joshua reentered the compartnt.
"Did the two of you have a good talk?" lkor curiously asked.
"We ca to an accord." Ves curtly replied. "Venerable Jannzi agreed to act as the shield of the Larkinson Clan. The only snag is that she will have to wait to receive her expert ch. We can't design and build it on our own. Don't expect her to throw up barriers that can block nukes."
"That's.. regrettable. I hope you don't take too long."
"How will you assign Jannzi, sir?" Joshua asked. "Will she remain with the Avatars or will she be transferred to a new unit?"
That was an interesting question. Ves and Commander lkor looked at each other.
Strictly speaking, there were pros and cons to both options.
Ves made a quick decision. "For now, I think it is best to keep her in the Avatars. This might change in the future depending on the developnt of our clan. I'll discuss this with Major Verle."
Jannzi was just the first expert pilot of the clan. In the future, Ves hoped to welco additional expert pilots such as Joshua, Commander Dise and Commander Orfan.
Though Ves had a lot of guesses about what it took for expert candidates to advance, witnessing Jannzi's breakthrough when it happened gave him a lot of clues.
He felt much more confident in his theories now that he found so supporting evidence. Perhaps he could find ways to induce the remaining expert candidates in the clan to advance without throwing them in a life-or-death battle!
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