After dealing with all kinds of matters, it felt good for Ves to get back to doing his main job.
The Thunderer Mark II was an overwhelming ace ch. Its size was imnse and its chanical construction was intricate from top to bottom.
Its exquisite design contained so many technical ingenuities that Ves could spend years on studying every single nuance!
It was a pity that Ves only had a limited amount of ti to do his job. He also couldn't go too far in trying to steal all of the secrets that made the Thunderer Mark II such an excellent ace heavy artillery ch.
A small crowd of guards, ch designers and technicians tracked his every move. It made him feel more self-conscious and prevented him from being too blatant about his selfish motives.
If that wasn't enough, Saint Jelr Osenring constantly hovered near his position. Sure, the ace pilot maintained an appropriate amount of distance, but that still caused Ves to linger within the periphery of the powerful champion's Saint Kingdom!
The domain fields of ace pilots were much weaker when they weren't interfacing with their machines, but they still maintained a certain degree of cohesion.
Ves could tell that Saint Osenring had never let down his guard and was constantly judging the motives of the young and presumptuous ch designer that dared to touch his machine.
This ant that Ves had to discharge his duty properly, much to his disappointnt.
Fortunately, this still granted him a decent amount of leeway. Understanding how the heavy artillery ch worked and the basic technical paraters of its impressive armants could still fall within his responsibilities as long as the ch was better off in the end.
This was why Ves paid closer attention to the areas where he could justifiably work upon in the process of enhancing the firepower of the Thunderer Mark II.
Though he wanted to examine every single system of the ace heavy artillery ch in detail, he limited his attention to the heavy gauss cannons that served as its primary armant.
"The cannons were specially designed by one of our Santana Group's resident Master ch Designers." Saint Osenring explained as Ves asked for the powerful soldier's input. "I have a good relationship with him. I piloted expert chs designed by that man in my earlier years, and that has allowed to beco familiar with his style of weapons. At the sa ti, the Master also beca more familiar with my individual preferences. By the ti I graduated to the Thunderer Mark II, the cannons made available to are so… perfect that I can resonate with them from this distance. Let show you my POWER!"
The ace pilot gained an intense fervor all of a sudden! Before Ves could say anything else, Saint Osenring lifted up his arm towards one of the large cannons of the heavy ch and actually caused the long and intimidating muzzle to get surrounded by a faint corona!
Ves widened his eyes. "Whoa, whoa, let's not play with the big cannon, shall we? I don't want to get blown up by a powerful gauss round or the massive shockwave that it will produce when it hits the bulkhead over there, thank you very much!"
Saint Osenring quickly dropped his arm and relaxed, causing the heavy ch to beco dormant again.
"It wouldn't have fired. I know my ch too well, and the changes you have made recently has reinforced my… relationship with my machine. Still… I suppose you are right to respond this way. It was reckless of to show off my resonance to my ch in this manner."
The bout of uncontrolled behavior caused Ves to beco more vigilant. He had a feeling that the Saint might not be entirely right in the head.
Granted, every high-ranking ch pilot behaved as if they were traumatized and brain-damaged soldiers that gained way too much power for their own good.
No ace pilot could be stopped once they set their mind on a course of action. The best people like Ves could do was to adjust his behavior around them in order to steer them away from any undesirable decisions.
In order to prevent Saint Osenring from pulling off another stunt, Ves quickly shifted the topic as he continued to examine the impressive main cannons of the Thunderer Mark II.
"So how co you have continued to pledge your loyalty to the Santana Group?"
The Saint crossed his arms. "Why not? The company offers gainful and honest employnt to ch pilots such as myself. I started off as a regular ch pilot and worked my way up the ranks. Is there a reason why I should turn my back on the employers who believed in my potential and invested many resources in my career? I don't turn my back on my friend, Patriarch Larkinson. I thought you of all people should applaud my loyalty."
Ves let out a frustrated sound. "You know what I am talking about. The Santana Group… is a holding company. Its primary goal has never been to serve its dependents. From my limited interactions with its executives, it is clear that your leaders only care about enriching the shareholders while lining their own pockets in the process. Don't you think that sounds… dishonorable?"
"There is nothing wrong with honest business." Saint Osenring disagreed with Ves. "The Santana Group may not have any noble or altruistic aims in mind, but that does not an it is a force of evil. The company has always abided by the frawork of rules that govern the societies it is involved in. It engages in productive activities such as producing goods, shipping products to where consurs need them the most and offering services that are just a little more attractive than the alternatives."
"That's an overly rosy and one-sided description of what a company does, Osenring." Ves scoffed. "Real business is much more cutthroat and brutal. Many companies tend to cut corners, dump waste materials in areas where they don't belong and sabotage competitors in the dark. Can you truly tell that the Santana Group has managed to keep its hands clean over the course of its successful rise?"
The ace pilot gruffly nodded his head. "I won't deny that the company that I am working for has engaged in misdeeds, but is it any different elsewhere? I know that most expert pilots and ace pilots prefer to pledge their loyalties to actual states, but as far as I am concerned, they are no better than companies. Politicians and bureaucrats can be just as shaless in their attempts to milk the population and concentrate more power in their hands. No one is a saint."
"Except for you." Ves stated.
"Except for ." The augnted man affird with a pale smile. "We ace pilots occupy a precarious position in society. We are the odd man out. In a crowd of tainted and sinful individuals, we are the only ones who have stuck to our convictions and maintained a clean conscience. Our existence discomforts people, but that does not stop them from coveting our power. What do you think we should do, Patriarch Larkinson? Should we take advantage of our absolute might and take over the institutions so that we can impose our own ideals onto them? Do you think that our society will magically beco better all of a sudden?"
The very notion of letting ace pilots take over sounded repulsive to Ves. Just the thought of allowing a disaster like Patriarch Reginald Cross gain more responsibility was enough to produce nightmares!
Saint Osenring clearly picked up on Ves' reaction.
"Hm, thought so. Life for people won't get any better. I have never gained the illusion that Saints such as myself can excel in other areas. We are ch pilots. We have only ever trained to do a single job. You don't use a hamr to write a policy docunt. You use a hamr to strike down a nail."
Ves took a second look at the ace pilot. He did not expect soone so powerful to sound so modest.
"That… is a remarkably realistic perspective of your place in society."
Saint Osenring smiled. "I have suffered my fair share of defeats and setbacks. Let's just say that I learned to pick my battles the hard way. Do you think I look like this because I never faltered on the battlefield?"
Ves possessed at least so understanding of cybernetic components, so he could tell that Osenring's augntations were unnecessarily gaudy and prominent. There were many ways to minimize their inhuman appearance, but for so reason the ace pilot declined to take this route.
"Forgive for asking this, but is there a particular reason why you have decided to opt for a costically inferior augntation configuration?"
"I have many reasons for making myself look this way." Osenring generously replied. "For one, it is a constant physical reminder of my hubris and failure. Nothing cuts deeper to than seeing my ugly face in a projected mirror image every morning. Only a asure as strong as this can get the ssage through my thick tal-reinforced skull."
"That… sounds like a rather extre approach to keeping yourself grounded."
The grizzled ace pilot smirked. "It works, doesn't it? I've t my fair share of ace pilots, including the ones I fought alongside in the last battle. Over half of them are so full of themselves that I wouldn't trust them to cover my back."
"I know what you an." Ves flatly said.
"A scary and intimidating appearance also helps with keeping out the flies." Saint Osenring added. "A handso and photogenic appearance will do the opposite. I am acquainted with enough peers who are constantly bombarded with requests to intervene in one matter or another because we have attracted many admirers. That doesn't happen as much with because I do not look like a typical influencer."
"I see. There are better ways to isolate yourself, but I can see how handy it is to leverage your appearance to deter annoying lobbyists."
"So what do you think of , Patriarch Larkinson? Do I et your expectations?"
"To be honest, no. I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to be this way. You are probably the most sane ace pilot that I have t so far. Granted, I haven't t a lot of ace pilots to begin with, but for soone who has overco so many trials and tribulations, it is rare for soone like you to have so much power, yet be unwilling to leverage it to realize your ideals."
The Thunderer Mark II's presence seed to grow a bit as Saint Osenring grew a little more intense again. The latter's willpower surged in a way that made it clear that he was not as laid back as he sounded!
"Do not misunderstand ." The ace pilot stated. "I am not devoid of ideals. I have rely chosen a strategy that will let keep the Santana Group honest without overstepping my boundaries. The leaders of the company are aware of my stances. I negotiated and signed a contract with them. If they take any actions that cross one of my red lines, I am free to depart and find employnt elsewhere. This is my way of imposing my demands to the company. My desirability ensures that the Santana Group must always abide by the rules I set. This is the proper way for ace pilots such as myself to influence policy."
Ves looked impressed. "That is a clever approach. It's subtle and you can escape all of the pitfalls of leadership."
Saint Osenring straightened his back and exuded a strong aura of righteousness.
"This is why I continue to belong in the Santana Group. It may be a company that is solely driven by profits, but it can never do without protection. I am doing my part to keep a part of our great society on the right track. People like are needed the most in these kinds of organizations. We are the guardians of virtue! We are the conscience of the human race! We are the watchers who are tasked with preventing humanity from repeating the mistakes of the Age of Conquest!"
"I see…"
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