[401-600] THE MECH'S TOUCH

Chapter 432: Conflicting Directions

Ever since Ves embarked on the path to become a mech designer, he progressed at a rapid pace. He liked to think he learned to see things others didn't. Though his place among the Vandals only allowed him to observe a tiny part of their functioning, what he derived from it worried him a lot.

Ves placed his hand against the surface of the bulkhead and felt its cold metallic touch. The Wolf Mother traveled through a succession of star systems. Each time the ship exited FTL, the entire ship underwent a minor upheaval. It spoke much about the haphazard way the Wolf Mother grew to her current form.

Yet despite this side effect, nothing suffered any ill effects. The resourceful crew of the Wolf Mother timed their most critical operations around the schedule of transitions. They made sure that the production lines didn't work on something delicate whenever the ship entered or dropped out of FTL.

"You're tougher than you look like."

Much of what made the Vandals survive up to now came down to their ingenuity. They scraped by with a fraction of the resources that a proper mech regiment enjoyed. Though he found their design development plans to be perplexing and the legality of some of their actions a little iffy, he had to admit that the Vandals was the top regiment in the Republic in terms of resourcefulness alone.

Having lived among them and observed them up close made Ves a little sympathetic to their cause. Despite their outward displays of cynicism, they still retained a core of discipline and duty.

With regards to his work, his routine remained the same, though Alloc finally started to notice that Ves finished his work faster than others. Now that he ceased to be preoccupied with tinkering with the software of the Hellcat, Alloc finally spent more time watching over the mech designers working under him. Compared to the other Apprentices, Ves stood out in how relaxed he approached his assignments.

At some time, Alloc pulled Ves aside into a private office.

The Journeyman Mech Designer stared at the younger man with a penetrating stare. "Ves, according to the logs in your terminal, the speed at which you are nailing down the right numbers is a little frightening. It's so out of bounds that I've been testing you with a number of different problems. The way you work with math and physics is frankly frightening for a mech designer of your age. Who are you?"

"I'm Ves Larkinson, no one else. As for how I got to be so good, didn't you read my record?"

"I've seen nominal disciples to Masters in action before. None of them have rocketed upwards as fast as you." Alloc frowned as he tried to crack the secret behind Ves' ascent. "Though I don't specialize in Physics, the ease at which you solve complex issues related to this field surpasses what I'm capable of. Are you an alien or something?"

Ves laughed a little. "Sir, though my genes are kind of mixed up right now, I'm still a human in heart and blood. My life experiences are a little different from others."

One thing that Ves was most afraid of was eliciting Alloc's jealousy. It would be extremely depressing if his direct superior wanted to squash Ves down due to being unable to tolerate someone younger being better than an actual Journeyman.

It appeared that Ves did not have to worry about that account. As much as Alloc enjoyed his own status, the dire state of the 6th Flagrant Vandals and the Hellcat design team had left Alloc in a state where extra talent and manpower should be cherished.

"You're an anomaly, Ves." Alloc concluded with utmost seriousness. "I can't quite put my thumb on you. Nothing in your record makes sense. The only way to explain it is if some unknown influence is cultivating you."

Ves could say nothing against that. He couldn't mention anything about the Mech Designer System and how it had been a massive aid to his mech design career. He would rather let Alloc make his own conclusions.