Chapter 538
Despite fearing the might of Venidse's mech legions, the Vandals had seen neither hair nor hide of their formidable ships or mechs .
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The effortless raid on the Hachew System allowed them to replenish some of their critical resources and supplies, but it also exposed their position to the entire Kingdom . As a powerful duchy on par with Imodris, Venidse could not afford to leave an impression that they would let any enemy walk over them at their leisure .
From the intelligence reports that Ves sometimes received, he understood that the shameful procession at Hachew had really kicked Venidse into action . They sent out much more scouts and leveraged more vassals into making more than a token attempt at obeying their instructions .
Considering what he knew about their relations, that wasn't saying much . The Duke of Venidse was pretty much on his own, and that allowed the Venidse Liberators to run rings around his intelligence gathering operation .
Unlike the Detemen League, the Venidse Liberators spanned more than just a single planet . The general undercurrent among the underclass in Vendise was so dissatisfied with House Venidse that they had a presence in virtually every star system in the territory .
Their reach, clout and numbers gave them a certain amount of strength . Their cells accumulated a fair amount of ships and mechs that had proven themselves to be a real nuisance to Venidse . Their nuisance factor was compounded by the fact that the Liberators weren't stupid enough to fight Venidse's mech legions in open combat .
Instead, they stuck to classic insurgency tactics and fought where Venidse was at their weakest . Ves admired their prudence . Even as they grew in strength, they didn't let their power get ahead of themselves, but continued to bide their time until the arrived at the right moment .
Under the guidance of the Vesian Liberation Front and the Venidse Liberators, they arrived at another quiet star system to conduct their trade . Lieutenant Commander Soapstone spearheaded the transaction with the Liberators while Iris Jupiter tagged along to represent the interests of the VLF . Ves was explicitly excluded from contacting the rebels due to his special status .
He didn't really mind . After a while, one rebel group was the same as any other . Ves had already given his input on the goods they urgently needed to obtain . Soapstone had not been entirely clear about her commitment to fulfill his wishlist . She probably had her own priorities in mind, and needed to fulfill the needs of other departments as well .
Mechs were important, but the ships also needed repairs . Their cracked and pitted armor still bore the scars of recent missile and mine impacts . Some of their less robust combat carriers didn't have much of a buffer left .
As the Vandal fleet floated motionlessly in space next to a rebel trade convoy, Ves spent his time on making the rounds . He rode a spare shuttle to visit the Antecedent, the Gorgon's Gaze, the Finmoth Regal, the Beggar's Bounty and every other important ship .
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Each visit, he would meet with the mech designer assigned to ship and check up on their work . Though Ves had a pretty good idea of their results from the reports he received, he found it best to verify their work first-hand and ask some pertinent questions .
The lower-ranked mech designers mostly took the opportunity to ask some questions, and since Ves felt a bit generous today, he casually gifted them with a couple of insightful pointers .
When Ves visited Vedette aboard the Finmoth Regal, the timid low-ranking mech designer seemed to get his act together . Though the mech technicians obviously didn't respect a wimp, Vedette managed to instill the impression that Ves backed his every move . Defying Vedette was the same as defying Ves, and no one wished to do the latter .
Ves applauded his junior's solution and clapped his back . "It's not as good as earning the rabble's respect, but at least you're getting there . If the mech technicians give you any lip, don't hesitate to give me a call . The thing about borrowing someone else's name is that you have to be sure that they're willing to back you up . Right now, you're an extension of my will, so it's a given that I'll help you out . "
"Thank you, sir . I was hesitating whether I was doing the right thing, but I'm glad I have your permission . " Vedette nodded in gratitude .
"This is only a stopgap solution though . You need to earn their fear or respect . I can't help you much there, but from my experience showing off your superior knowledge always works . "
"That's easier said than done, Mr . Larkinson . " Vedette smiled ruefully . "Although I can call myself a mech designer, I am but an ant compared to you . The gulf between is too wide for me to catch up . "
"You don't need to reach my level to instill some appreciation from the techs . Just work on it and you will see . "
"That's the problem . I know some stuff, but not enough to impress the Vandals . "
"Then learn some more!" Ves clapped Vedette's back again . "Have you forgotten about the rewards I've dangled in front of you?"
"It's too challenging! I'm barely meeting my weekly quota, and I don't have the spare time to catch up on my studies . I appreciate the option to borrow a textbook from the central database, but the reading material is too opaque! Even with half a year, I still won't understand the essence of what they are trying to teach!"
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Ves sighed in exasperation . "Doesn't the central database have beginner books? Maybe you should start with that instead . Don't chew off more than you can bite . "
"That seems like a waste, sir . Those beginner books for Novices are so simple that I understand ninety percent of what they say . "
"That's sad, Mr . Vedette . " Ves shook his head as if he was a disappointed parent . "A mech designer of your age and level should understand the entire contents of a basic book . That ten percent you are struggling with is needed to make sense of more advanced knowledge . What I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't put the cart before the horse . "
That put Vedette to thought . It was difficult for him to admit he needed to shore up his fundamentals, but that was for him to overcome . Ves didn't have the time to waste on guiding Vedette to the right path .
Frankly, Vedette didn't look all that bright, but if there was one thing that Ves didn't worry about, it was talent .
He would rather recruit a talentless but earnest mech designer to a talented but scheming bastard . In fact, Vedette happened to tick most of the boxes that Ves was after . His junior in the craft possessed so little self-esteem that Ves relished in molding the man into his desired image .
It was much like constructing an image for a mech, in a way . Instead of working with metals and alloys, he was trying to manipulate an innocent being of flesh and blood .
Sometimes, Ves felt guilty about his interactions with the weak . It was as if he was brainwashing them into forms that pleased him more . He quickly soothed his conscience by convincing himself that he was merely talking to them instead of sticking a neural interface on their heads and force fed their brains with arbitrary rules .
A handful of other low-ranking mech designers proved pliable, though they lacked that special reverence towards him that made it easier to pull them into his orbit .
The only mech designers he would rather avoid were Mercator and Trozin . The former never resigned himself to losing against Ves, and had stirred up trouble more than once .
The worst instance so far was his attempt to blame the fiasco and the bombings at the Finmoth Regal to Ves . Nevermind that Mercator was supposed to keep an eye on Vedette . As the ultimate mech designer responsible for the entire procession, Ves held ultimate responsibility .
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"Did you hear? Our head designer dropped the ball! If he was actually smart, he would have caught wind of what went on at the Finmoth Regal!"
"Mr . Larkinson is only the head designer because of his famous family name . If he was called by any other name, he wouldn't have been promoted to this high status . "
All of that led to a number of sordid rumors among the lower ranks that collectively cast some shade on him . While they didn't inconvenience Ves so far, he still felt peeved that he gained an ambivalent reputation .
Of his two main rivals for his job, Ves regarded Emlanin Trozin with a bit more wariness . Iris always treated the female Apprentice Mech Designer as a snake in the grass . While Ves did not pay much attention to Trozin these last few days, he began to realize that may have been the point .
Not one for letting things fester, Ves paid more attention when he boarded her ship . As soon as the security checks and the ceremonies were dispensed with, Ves pulled Trozin into the nearest available conference room .
"If I may ask, sir, why did you seek me out?" She started, eying Ves with a wary expression . "I have work to do . I'm sure you don't want to deal with more delays . "
"Just wait a moment, Miss Trozin . " Ves held up his hand . "Work is important, but communicating with each other is also something which must be done . Ever since my field promotion was set in stone, I haven't heard much from you . From the latest reports, you've delivered no more than what is required . "
"Meeting the quota is a significant burden . " She replied . "I've compared my quotas to others and I've noticed that you've piled a lot more demands on my shoulders . It is taking me every waking moment to figure out a workable solution . In addition, I have to supervise a bunch of talentless mech designers as well!"
"It is not my intention to crush you under so many responsibilities! In fact, I was pretty certain that a mech designer with your capabilities would grow into the demands I've set upon you . "
"We are just different mech designers, sir! What you find eay is an impossible challenge to me!"
Was Trozin telling the truth . Ves thought he had gauged his deputies pretty well . He couldn't determine whether Trozin was pulling off a trick or not . In the absence of any evidence, Ves had no choice but to believe she genuinely couldn't keep up .
"What is it about the work that you are having trouble with? As I recall, your record states that you specialize in kinetic weapons . "
"Correct . Back in the Hellcat design team, I was one of the few mech designers that fully understood their nail drivers . I excel in working with weapons . As for mech frames, not so much . "
"That sounds as if you are an equipment designer rather than a mech designer . "
"My career is what it is . " She shrugged . "I'm catching up with my studies . Ah, I have access to my own books . I don't need your help . "
"You have family among the Vandals as well, I take it . Is Captain Branser stationed at the Wolf Mother your uncle?"
"He is, though we're not in touch right now . "
Trozin refused to elaborate on the matter . Ves found it hard to probe the woman and gain a measure of her personality . She stonewalled him at every opportunity, and it went so bad that Ves couldn't figure out where she studied or why she had been assigned to the Vandals instead of a better mech regiment . THe records Ves recently accessed only extended up to a point .
Ves sighed and rubbed his eyes . "Okay . Leaving aside your work, do you need some help? Is there anything you want to pass on to me?"
Her eyes seemed to glow at him . "There is one question that's been nagging me all this while . I wonder if you are willing to tell me truth . "
"As long as it doesn't touch into classified territory, I'm more than willing to answer your question . "
"Good, because this one has been consuming me ever since we left the Detemen System . " Trozin took a deep breath before she faced Ves . "Tell me this, is our task force playing the role of bait to the Vesians?"