The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2436

Chapter 2436: Hall of Heroes

Commander Melkor Larkinson stood quietly as he waited next to a hatch. Its tight seal ensured that no sound escaped from the other side.

That did not hinder him from listening in through other means. He raised his hand and tapped the side of his visor a few times.

[I have had enough, Joshua.] A female voice spoke with emotion. [Ves is not the right leader for the Larkinson Clan! Your constant excuses for him ring hollow whenever I think how many Larkinsons ended up in graves due to his decisions!]

Melkor felt some of her rage impacting his mind through the bulkheads! She was a lot angrier than she sounded!

[Come on, Jannzi, don't be like that! I know his leadership is controversial, but if you take the big picture into account, it's not as bad as it looks. Each of us isn't happy with how small we are. While I agree that the clan patriarch may be a bit too aggressive, our clan has continually grown stronger with his help. Without him, we'll never be able to obtain the second-class mechs and ships we need to travel the galaxies. Without him, we have no hope of becoming first-raters in our lives.]

A warm, soothing wave displaced the uncomfortable sensation from Melkor's mind. He always felt much more comfortable in Joshua's presence. The younger man was easy to get along with. Becoming an expert pilot hadn't changed his disposition that much.

Soon enough, the wave of righteous fury returned with twice the intensity!

[I cannot tolerate your presence any longer! Leave, and never return! We are over. Joshua. You are not the Larkinson who I thought you are. The more you express your admiration towards Ves, the more I can't stand your presence. Just face it. We aren't meant to be together!]

[You can't say that! You haven't given me a chance yet! I have worked so hard to get up to your level. A week isn't enough to show you how much I love you. Can't you think about the good times we had together? Just look at Ves and his girlfriend. They're two completely different people, but they managed to get along fine!]

Two minutes later, the hatch slid open. Jannzi firmly pushed Joshua through and kicked his butt for good measure!

"We're done." Venerable Jannzi hissed as her body radiated such an intense vibe that Melkor was forced to take some steps back! "Unless you stop worshipping the ground that Ves walks upon, I don't want you back."

A wave of alarm spread from Joshua.

"That's impossible! The clan patriarch is the greatest Larkinson in history! He's the only successful Larkinson mech designer, and he has already accomplished more with his mech designs than any of the expert pilots of the old family. Why can't you admit the truth that his mechs will make us all great?"

Jannzi was too infuriated to engage with her former boyfriend any further. She silently turned around and stormed back into her cabin.

An air of malaise spread from the fallen expert pilot. Melkor tried his best not to get affected by Joshua's depression and steadily moved forward.

He offered his hand. "Come on, Venerable Joshua. An expert pilot should never show any shame."

Joshua grabbed the hand and hauled himself up with a single pull. "Thanks. I… well, you've seen what happened. Jannzi doesn't want to be with me anymore."

"Welcome to the vagaries of life. You might be a hero, but you're still a human. Not every challenge can be overcome through fighting."

Melkor guided Joshua back to his stateroom aboard the Redfeather. Once the expert pilot made himself comfortable, the Avatar Commander studied the dejected young man with his visor.

A part of him felt envious at Joshua's great success. The adopted Larkinson not only possessed a lot of talent, but he possessed a special relationship with Ves.

Both of them came from Cloudy Curtain. This shared background tied them together. Apparently, Joshua not only became an early fan of Ves' work, but the clan patriarch also showered his fellow Cloudy Curtainer with attention.

While Commander Melkor recognized that Joshua ultimately deserved his treatment, a lot of other Larkinsons could have benefited instead.

What if Melkor piloted the Quint? Each time he studied the mech up close, he could feel some of its might.

As the commander of the Avatars, Melkor technically possessed the right to reassign the Quint.

For example, he could claim it for himself.

In fact, he didn't really need to resort to such an extreme. He could hop into its cockpit and take the masterwork mech out for a spin whenever he liked.

Yet whenever he felt tempted to do so, the Larkinson within him warned him that this was not a good idea.

It was dishonorable to pilot a mech that was exclusively assigned to a mech pilot!

The Larkinsons were especially sensitive towards this principle. Due to the influence of Ves, every Larkinson mech pilot slowly came to believe that their mechs were alive.

Piloting a mech on a consistent basis was similar to marrying it. How could Melkor possibly justify piloting Joshua's wife?

He shook his head. This was not the time to obsess over piloting the Quint. He knew he wouldn't be able to bring the most out of the mech. Unlike Joshua, he wasn't proficient in piloting multiple different mech types.

Joshua regained his composure. He calmed his roiling emotions and faced his superior.

"Thank you, sir. I needed a moment."

"No problem."

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