The Mech Touch

After completing a quick tour through the Hemmington Cross, Saint Linda Cross led her guest to a private dining chamber where they enjoyed supper together.

The two women remained silent for the most part as Ketis had much to think about. The observations she made when she walked throughout the hull of the flagship of the Cross Clan had opened her eyes of what life was like outside of the Larkinson Clan.

The customs of the Cross Clan were much more different than she expected, and not in a good way. The flawed leaders of this martial clan had led to an avoidable buildup of tension and conflict.

The relationship between mech pilots and mech designers had always been harmonious in the Larkinson Clan.

No such thing existed in the Cross Clan. Between a patriarch who possessed a clear bias against non-combat professions and a former pirate designer who thought that every mech pilot was an unintelligent brute, the relations between the two professions had deteriorated to unhealthy levels!

Ketis could not imagine that the Cross Clan would continue to fare well if the two groups were unable to reconcile with each other.

One of the lessons she learned in the Larkinson Clan was that one could not succeed without the other. Mech pilots and mech designers obviously needed each other to reach greater heights.

She simply couldn't imagine that there were people who were stupid enough to disregard the value and contributions made by others.

Yet such an absurdity actually became a reality in the Cross Clan!

"Does Patriarch Reginald acknowledge that his clan is not doing well?"

"Yes." Linda said. "He is not blind to this. The only issue is that he has a different opinion on who is to blame for this. He doesn't think that he is at fault. He will outright deny that he deserves any blame or that he needs to change in order to make our clan better. He has shifted all of the blame to Master Benedict and the CMC's Design Department."

Ketis wanted to palm her face when she heard that. Typical.

"What about you, Linda? Are you just as obstinate as your patriarch?"

The female saint shook his head. "I am not. I can understand where Reginald is coming from, but I have met Master Benedict and his subordinates enough times to know that they aren't deliberately being lazy or incompetent. They work harder than many other Crossers and deliver genuinely good products. The problem is that Master Benedict makes decisions without paying any serious attention to the actual opinions of his mech pilots. He looks down on their intelligence and their ability to make good decisions." "Master Benedict is good at the technical aspect of designing mechs. That is not in doubt." Ketis observed. "His design choices are likely among the most optimal ones he can make based on the resources, technologies and facilities available to him. I haven't met him in a long time, but I think he still means well. He is as unprofessional as to hate his own clients, but... he is not a man who is tolerant towards opposition. He does not suffer fools gladly, and I think that he feels surrounded by them while he remains with your clan."

Linda Cross frowned. "Our mech pilots are not 'fools'. They are brave fighters who are putting their lives on the line to secure a future for our clan and humankind. I had hoped that Master Benedict would be more tolerant towards our mech pilots given the huge stresses they must endure on a frequent basis."

"You should never look for that in a mech designer like him. To be honest, I think your clan would be better off if you start to partner up with other mech designers. I don't know why Master Benedict has decided to call it quits and go independent."

"The two of them are stuck with each other. Master Benedict can find no place else that can win so many battles, harvest a large amount of alien salvage and earn so much money and merits that he will not be short of high-level resources and other expensive benefits. As for our clan... even if we work together with another Master Mech Designer, I fear the outcome will remain the same." РáΝȏ𝖇Èᶊ

This had become an institutional problem of the Cross Clan. Replacing a few bad apples wouldn't solve the fundamental problem because the rot had spread through all of the Crossers.

"Do you think that a Journeyman Mech Designer like myself can solve these problems?" Ketis skeptically asked.

"I do. I think our patriarch believes this as well, or else he hadn't enthusiastically invited you to work with us for a while. You are different from the other mech designers. You are a true warrior, and nobody can deny that. You won't be met with disrespect from our clansmen because they respect you as a swordmaster far more than as a Journeyman Mech Designer. You can take advantage of this to act as a bridge between our disgruntled mech pilots and our frustrated mech designers."

"That is way easier said than done." Ketis sputtered. "I refuse to believe that these long-standing problems can be solved just because I have a special identity. The structural problems of your clan cannot be solved overnight."

"Then please try your best." Linda earnestly requested. "Patriarch Reginald and I will back you nearly unconditionally. If you think Master Benedict is wrong, then we will give you the authority to overrule his decisions. Our Design Department is clearly not in tune with the mech pilots it is meant to serve, so it must be reformed from top to bottom. Since your clan is much better at it, we believe you can be the change agent we need to set our mech designers back on the right track."

"...That will put me in direct conflict with Master Benedict."

"Are you afraid?"

"That is an absurd question to ask. I am a swordmaster. I have slain monsters and dueled against alien warriors. Challenging a mech designer, even a Master, is trivial in comparison."

"Then why the hesitation?"

"I do not want to ruin my relationship with Master Benedict." Ketis plainly stated. "He is my teacher's teacher, and he is also a good collaborator of the Larkinson Clan. I do not want to invade his territory and trample on his pride by telling him he is wrong. The difference in rank makes it even more difficult for me to rectify the department he is in charge of. There is a massive difference between a Master and a Journeyman. Most mech designers will blindly obey the former just because he has made many more proven accomplishments than a junior. This is ingrained in our industry."

Linda calmly listened and thought for a moment. "I see. Let us do this, then. First, we will officially put you in charge of our Design Department. We will remove Master Benedict's position and transfer it to you for the duration of your stay in our clan. That will ensure that the mech designers of our clan have no choice but to obey you. If Master Benedict. tries to interfere despite lacking the authority to do so, then he is in violation of our own rules. He has no basis to meddle with your temporary leadership. Does that satisfy one of your concerns, swordmaster?"

That was a rather extreme measure that was sure to make Master Benedict resent. Ketis

Even more!

"Your proposal only solves one problem while exacerbating the other."

The ace pilot smirked and leaned forward over the dining table. "What you are actually telling me is that we have yet to offer you enough incentives to rectify our Design Department over the objections of our resident Master Mech Designer. Do not be concerned, Ketis. We do not expect you to work for free. Let me give you an offer. If you are willing to undertake this mission, we will give you nearly full freedom to do what you want as the director of our Design Department. You can start your own design projects and offer your own swordsman mechs onto our mech pilots."

Ketis grew a lot more attentive when she heard this offer!

"Are you serious, Linda? Your Cross Clan has often insisted that it should not become too dependent on the living mechs of the Larkinson Clan."

"I think the lack of competition has made Master Benedict and his subordinates too complacent." Linda soberly analyzed. "Let us make an agreement. You are allowed to offer your swordsman mechs to our mech pilots, but they must voluntarily choose whether to exchange their current mechs for your products. We will even allow you to use our own strategic resources, proprietary knowledge and R&D to participate in the development of high-ranking swordsman mechs, though you will need to gain the cooperation of Master Benedict or another high-ranking mech designer. If more of them have chosen to favor your works over the ones designed by in-house mech designers,

Then that is the outcome that we have brought upon ourselves."

Ketis grew more and more impressed by Saint Linda Cross. She exhibited none of the short-sightedness of Patriarch Reginald Cross. They were totally opposites in this

Regard.

"Why aren't you in charge of the Cross Clan? I have only talked to you for less than a single day, but it is incredibly obvious to me that you are a much better leader than Patriarch Reginald can ever hope to become."

Saint Linda actually chuckled when she heard that. "Hehehe, I can understand why you think this way. The simple answer is that only the strongest have the right to lead our clan. Leaving aside the differences between our ace mechs, Reginald enjoys a considerable headstart. He broke through to his current rank years ago, and he has never sat still. He had thrown himself into battle as often as possible and tempered himself against the native aliens with great enthusiasm. His resonance strength has grown so quickly that I can never close the gap even if I fight just as hard. I have no chance of defeating him in a duel, and that is what matters the most." "There is more to leadership than raw strength."

"I know, Ketis, but we have a different opinion on this issue. Strength is the only guarantee of survival that is universal in our reality. Reginald understands this rule better than anyone, I think. I am not blind to his many faults, but if there is one reason why so many of us respect him above all else, it is because he is strong enough to protect our lives and preserve our clan. That is all that matters in the end. If there are problems in our clan, then it is not necessarily his problem to solve, because he is only truly necessary to fight and win the battles that matter. This is why we do not mind so much if we have to resort to hiring an outside party like you to rectify our Design

Department.""

"I see."

"So what is your response?" Saint Linda asked in an expectant tone. "Will you agree to temporarily lead our Design Department to enact the reforms that will hopefully heal the divisions between our mech pilots and mech designers? You will earn our gratitude, our patronage and plenty of favors depending on how well you have remedied our problems. Running our Design Department should also be a way for you to exercise your leadership and management skills. These are essential if you have any ambition of leading a large organization in the future."

Those were compelling arguments. Saint Linda successfully presented enough incentives to make this offer worthwhile for Ketis.

Although she was still very much reluctant to develop an antagonistic relationship with

Master Benedict, she did not let this consideration get in the way of fulfilling her own ambitions!

"I won't say yes. Not immediately." Ketis eventually said. "This is a matter that both our clans need to arrange properly. I will need to figure out if I can devote enough time on

This mission and whether I can truly benefit from this experience. I also need to know how badly the CMC's Design Department is run and whether I am up to the task of fixing everything. If all of that is in order, then I would be happy to move in as soon as a formal contract has been signed."

Saint Linda nodded in understanding. "That is how it should be. Our clan does not

Comprise of Larkinsons you love and adore, but I hope that will not hinder you from offering your services to our Crossers. You have a great opportunity to make your mark in a clan filled with elite mech pilots who are highly receptive to alternatives, including the swordsman mechs that you have designed. I have already studied the new Stormblade Samurai Mark II model that you have recently released. The commercial too weak for our tastes, but the variant you have designed for your clansmen is

Version much more to our taste."

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