The Cybernetic ace pilot stood straight as she stared off into the corner of the study room.
Her expression displayed a strong sense of conviction and belief.
After multiple days of wrangling her thoughts, she had finally determined her future direction in life.
Much of the doubt and uncertainty that plagued her mind had disappeared. She had conquered her indecision and finally beca ready to move forward.
"I have been thinking." She said. "About my place in the clan. About what I can do better than anyone else. About how I want to be rembered. One of my conclusions is that what I want does not necessarily correlate with what red humanity needs."
Isobel raised her hand. New projections ca to life. They all displayed the famous and iconic high-ranking chs of the Larkinson Clan, from expert chs such as the Everchanger to powerful ace chs such as the Minerva.
Though they were incredibly varied, most of them conveyed an uplifting impression, as if they were created to inspire hope.
"When I think about what our clan already has at its disposal, it has many expert pilots and ace pilots who look and act like heroes. Jannzi, Joshua, Dise and Casella are all honorable and noble in their own ways. They are the signboards of our clan. They are the ideals that every other Larkinson strives to beco. They are the guiding lights that protect our conscience. When I compare myself to them, I… feel there is not much point in joining their ranks."
"Why do you feel this way, Isobel?"
"It is redundant." The powerful woman quietly responded. "We already have enough bright and shiny heroes among us, and more will definitely co in the future. I do not want to blend in with them. I want to stand out in my own way. To do that, I need to beco a different sort of saint, one that does not embody the traditional traits of heroism, but one that deliberately stands in opposition to them. What I want is…"
"Yes…?"
Isobel turned her back to Ves, thereby casting a small shadow that stretched behind her back.
"I want to beco the villain of the Larkinson Clan."
"..."
Ves beca speechless. This was the first ti he heard such an absurd statent. Everyone wanted to beco the hero of their own story. ch pilots practically obsessed over ideals such as honor and righteousness, so more than others!
To state the desire to beco a villain represented far more than a whimsical idea.
It was a declaration.
"You will have to explain that to , Isobel. How do you define a villain and why do you think our clan needs one of your caliber?"
A not-so-innocent smile adorned her usually neutral expression.
"To , a villain is a criminal and a rule breaker. It is a person who is unconcerned about laws and morality. He or she is willing to do anything and ignore any bottom line in order to get stuff done. A villain does not care about the feelings of others. He or she will gladly bear the infamy and ill repute for undertaking actions that heroes could never bear to do themselves. Villains may not be pleasant, but they are necessary."
Though Ves agreed with most of her argunts, he felt doubtful about the last statent.
Even so, Isobel talked about 'villains' as if it was a necessary role. She was essentially auditioning to beco a villain for the Larkinson Clan on the assumption that it needed a saint that did not allow herself to be held back by the shackles of society.
Ves looked serious as he contemplated her words and attitude. He felt that her conviction had taken a dangerous turn.
"While I am no longer in charge of the clan, I can tell you that we do not necessarily need a villain as you say. Strength is essential, but so is control. There are multiple reasons why human society idolizes and deifies those who pilots chs. One of them is because as long as we hold ch pilots to a higher standard, they will consciously and unconsciously feel obliged to act according to the impression. Honor is a behavior constraint that turns deadly warriors into reliable protectors. Casting aside the protection of this image will result in serious consequences."
"I know."
"You probably figured it out on an intellectual level, but are you truly sure that every part of yourself is okay with this proposed course?" Ves skeptically asked. "Think about it. You will encounter many hindrances. You will be denied honor and recognition. You may even lose friends depending on the severity of your future actions. Your hands will be stained with so much blood that you can never wash away the stink. It will drench your soul and may one day contaminate your willpower. Is this truly your preferred path to godhood?"
Saint Isobel chuckled under her breath. "Preferred? No. Necessary? I think so. That is enough for . This is not about what I want. It is about what others need from an ace pilot. I have rely chosen to fulfill the vacancy that is most urgent rather than the opposite. Do not think that I am doing this out of a sense of guilt. I am doing this out of a sense of…"
"Of what?"
She paused for a few more seconds. "Purpose. I want to be useful. I cannot fight without a cause. If I am left without direction, I do not think I can make it far in the path to godhood. This is why I need to fulfill a necessary purpose. There may be other ace pilots who want to realize other goals such as spreading justice or making life better for the citizens of a state, but my own motivations are not that specific. I just do want to do what is necessary for the Larkinsons and the rest of red humanity, in that order."
That was a very specific statent. While Ves was glad that she rembered and appreciated the clan that had brought her up, she also conveyed an ominous implication.
If the Larkinsons or at least the ones she cared about ever stood in opposition with other red humans, she would most likely stand with the forr!
"We do not demand this level of loyalty from you or any other high-ranking ch pilots." Ves carefully responded. "Each of you are important to the defense of our clan, but not vital. We can afford a bit of slippage. We have already nurtured enough expert pilots and ace pilots that none of you are strictly irreplaceable anymore."
The female ace pilot threw a contemptuous glance in his direction.
"I do not entirely agree with that, Ves. As I have stated before, you have plenty of heroes, but hardly any villains. Perhaps the only ones that can fit the definition of the latter are Zimro Belson and Rosa Orfan, and neither do a good job at it. Zimro and his Phobos have the potential to beco an excellent assassin and saboteur, but they are too noble to do everything that is necessary. Whatever is going with Rosa Orfan and her Riot has caused both of them to degenerate into monsters in the skin of an ace ch. She, they, have beco villains of the worst sort. They are too unstable to be relied upon in every situation. I suppose they are an excellent choice if you want to create a lot of localized chaos and mayhem, but not much else."
Ves disagreed with her. The Riot Mark III could duel stronger enemy champions and endure a lot of hardships without relying on a heavy defensive configuration.
The D-ch could also break predictions and expectations rely being present on the battlefield.
The Riot Mark III had just begun its new journey. It still had plenty of untapped potential.
Still, Isobel's overall point was not invalid. The Larkinson Clan did not possess a shortage of so-called villains.
"So you think that you can fill a hole in our lineup, is that correct?"
"Yes." She said. "Let the Prothea Mark II and I be your favored choice whenever you need to generate a large amount of fear and destruction. After the last battle, I have watched our warships clumsily try to raze a planet's orbit and surface of alien structures. Those big buildings and fortifications may be static and easy to hit, but they can absorb a lot of firepower depending on the strength of their energy shields and the thickness of their plating. Our fleet doesn't have any battleships aside from the Tortuous Scream, and even she only has a limited amount of big guns that are good at bombardnt. I can do the sa job at least ten tis better. With the help of Triton-Remose-B, maybe 20 tis or 30 tis better. We could have razed all of that stuff and killed or driven the entrenched aliens away a lot faster if I was at your disposal."
Her estimates might not be precise, but she was most probably correct in the broad strokes.
A Prothea Mark II that could launch energy attacks that easily spread purple flas that could not only consu the toughest energy shields and matter, but also generate lots of fear among aliens in the vicinity could absolutely devastate large amounts of infrastructure with incomparable ease!
Such a powerful ace ch could be deployed a lot faster and more flexible as well.
Unlike battleships that were relatively slow, lumbering and easy to detect from a distance, a modern ace ch, especially one that was impregnated with Solus Gas and flew at low power, could sneak up to an unsuspecting planet and engulf it with firestorms before the defenders could form a proper response!
The Prothea Mark II in this configuration might not beco the most effective champion killer, but she would still possess enough strength to be able to evade pursuit from the strong and resist anything weaker.
This perfect combination of exaggerated offensive power, decent defensive properties and relatively good mobility had the potential to turn the Prothea Mark II into a nightmare weapon for alien foes!
"I know this question may sound redundant to you, but I have to ask it anyway." Ves said after taking a deep breath. "Are you sure you are willing to take on this role? Once you take this step, you cannot turn back. Perhaps there are plenty of dramas where villains successfully find redemption and turn into heroes, but I doubt that is possible in reality. There are still ways to act within constraint while wielding the power of fear. You can beco the ultimate deterrence of the Larkinson Clan. Weapons of mass destruction are valuable not just for their capacity for indiscriminate destruction, but also for their ability to subjugate the opposition without needing to launch them in reality."
Saint Isobel curled her lips in contempt at this idea. "Deterrence without action is an illusion. It can only last so long. There are plenty of enemies that will never cow to threats alone. Only real action can defeat them in body and in spirit. Let be the weapon of mass destruction for you and the clan. Everyone will have no choice but to take us seriously once I show that I am readily willing to use this power."
She was correct on a certain level.
Deterrence alone was already useful in its own right, but only up to a point.
For example, many players respected Ves a lot more now that he commanded the loyalty of 300 or so Ascended Giants who did not consider themselves human anymore.
Yet fears of deepening the alienation between these human phase lords and the rest of red humanity prevented Ves from using their aweso strength on rival human groups.
Without demonstrating that the Larkinson Clan was capable of committing terrible acts if its bottom line ever got crossed, there would always be enemies that ignored common threats.
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