The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4540

Joshua looked thoughtful as he sat at the dining table while neglecting his nutritious breakfast.

His wife made sure their two children did not imitate their father. They laughed and giggled as Ketis showed warmth and concern that was far removed from her public persona.

Once Ketis was satisfied that Kirian and Mayra filled up their bellies so that they could gain the nutrients they needed to grow their hungry designer baby bodies, the swordmaster approached the expert pilot with obvious concern.

"What's wrong, Joshua?" The large and athletic woman asked.

"Nothing is wrong."

His wife looked upset as she sat on the other side of the table. "You can't hide your feelings from me. You know better than that. You've remained unusually silent and withdrawn in the last few days. What happened? Is it about the last battle? Were you upset because you hadn't been able to contribute as much to our victory as before?"

"It's not that. I… had a lot on my mind lately. It's not your fault or mine for that matter."

"Then tell me what is bothering you. I can't drag you out of your funk if you keep withholding information from your family. Didn't we agree to share wealth and woe when we married each other? Part of that means keeping me in the loop of what is going on in your head."

The young but maturing expert pilot let out a sigh. "You're right. I suppose it is unfair for me to tell you nothing. I can't share everything about what I have experienced earlier this week, but I can give you a brief explanation of what is on my mind."

"This should be good." Ketis muttered as she crossed her arms.

"It started when Patriarch Ves somehow managed to reconcile with the Gemini Family and make a deal of sorts. Part of the benefits involved sending us to the family's fleet so that we can attend a special tutoring session."

"A tutoring session? Wait… are you saying…"

Joshua nodded. "Well, it's not that big of a secret. All of the Larkinson expert pilots had a good talk with the Gemini Saints. We first gathered around in a circle and opened up our hearts. After that, each of us entered a private room where we could talk with Saint Sandro Gemini and Saint Kaia Gemini in confidence."

A lot of mixed expressions flitted across Ketis' face. "So you and the others basically shared all of your mental and emotional vulnerabilities to the ace pilots of a rival pioneering group? Have you obtained any guarantees that the Geminis will refrain from selling this sensitive information or taking advantage of it in any way?"

"We made enough precautions." Joshua reassured her. "Not only did the lawyers fix all of the terms in an MTA-approved contract, but the Gemini Saints put their integrity on the line when they promised to do their best to keep what they have learned to themselves, even going as far as to use their Saint Kingdoms to generate an impenetrable interference field around them that can scramble pretty much any form of monitoring and recording. Not even implants have succeeded in creating any recordings."

"I see. I suppose the clan wouldn't go through with this without establishing sufficient guarantees."

His wife did not ask any further about the potential for leaks. As a swordmaster, she knew more than most people how important it was for the Gemini Saints to keep their word.

"So what was it like?"

"Well, the first topic that gripped me was when we talked about morality and the justification of killing."

"I thought you got over that, Joshua!"

"I can't simply 'get over it'. I don't like to kill."

"You're a mech pilot, an expert pilot even! Why the hell did you even get into this profession when you are still pussyfooting around?!"

"Okay, I admit that I might not be the perfect killer that everyone is looking for in a mech pilot, but there is still meaning in what I do!" Joshua pushed back.

He recalled the exchange of words that affected him the most.

Joshua along with the rest of the Larkinson expert pilots sat on cushions placed in a circle in the middle of a comfortable and luxuriously decorated lounge.

The informal seating arrangement caused everyone to put down their airs and become more open to putting down the masks they wore in their daily lives.

Though their strong force of wills occasionally grinded against each other, they possessed enough self-control to keep their egos and willpower in check.

Saint Sandro Gemini spoke up first about the topic.

"Many humans have written entire treatises about whether it is right or proper for us to use the destructive power at our fingertips to take people's lives. Some argue that all of the senseless killing that is still perpetuated throughout human space should be prohibited because it is degrading our society. Others state that killing is an essential component to maintaining a strong and healthy civilization."

"We are not academics, so we will refrain from exploring these dry opinions in detail." His wife and twin sister continued. "The reason why we bring this up is because our work, our duty and our responsibilities will often demand us to take the lives of others or deprive them of their livelihoods. We have witnessed many expert pilots over the years who possessed wildly diverging thoughts on this matter."

Saint Kaia Gemini pinned each of the Larkinson expert pilots with a scrutinizing stare. Her willpower was much greater than theirs, so she was able to peer beneath the surface.

"Some of you are completely unbothered by the question of whether your victims deserve the treatment that you have subjected to them." She said as her gaze lingered on Venerable Dise.

"Others have not put as much thought on this matter as they should have, hoping to ignore the warnings issued by their conscience until this will spectacularly blow up in the worst possible way."

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