[401-600] THE MECH'S TOUCH

Chapter 420: Training Regime

After that day, reality started to sink in the mech designers. Even the most ignorant among them learned that the Mech Corps did not care about their status and their achievements. No matter how many mechs they designed or how many pilots used their products, everyone started from scratch.

The ongoing pressure from the exercises and the inhuman way the processing center treated the mech designer really took a toll on everyone. No one had the time to smile and chat with each other. They needed to conserve every available moment to rest and regain their strength.

This suited Ves fine. By now, his alienation among the other mech designers reached the furthest point it could go. The only reason why his status as a pariah didn't bother him was because the mech designers didn't treat their closest friends that differently. The constant frustration and exhaustion sent everyone into a pit of self-wallowing isolation. Everyone was too numb to do anything more.

It was at this point that the training regime started to move beyond senseless exercises. They entered classrooms which served them with images of the Bright Republic.

A pair of bedraggled mech pilots leaning against a wrecked mech.

A city bombed to oblivion, only to be rebuilt anew.

An enormous fleet carrier surrounded by a flotilla of combat carriers orbiting around a glittering planet.

Throughout the inspirational visuals, it repeated a constant refrain.

"We are the bastion of reason."

"We are the torch that lights up the end of the galaxy."

"We are all that stand in the way between freedom and tyranny."

In their tired states, most mech designers soaked up the message without resistance. Ves on the other hand possessed a much more potent recovery speed, so he remained very aware throughout these indoctrination sessions.

Frankly, he didn't know what to think either. Most of the footage sounded inspirational, but to Ves they largely fell flat. He already possessed a lot of attachment to the Republic and hardly needed any reinforcement in that area.

Along with indoctrination, the mech designers also started to learn other necessities. They memorized the hierarchy of the Mech Corps, how they should behave among themselves and to the servicemen of the Mech Corps, and what they needed to do if they ever fell into a precarious situation.

It became clear to Ves that the Mech Corps explicitly didn't train them to be servicemen. They didn't fit in the usual hierarchy. Instead, mech designers took on an auxiliary role that existed apart from any existing bureau.

They weren't taught how to handle a weapon, nor did they need to salute to any officers. Instead, they learned how the design teams of the Mech Corps worked and in what place they fit in. They learned the many different roles mech designers played and how their work impacted the regiments that made use of the designs.

"The war between the Bright Republic and the Vesia Kingdom is a conflict that is fought with mechs. It is vitally important that the mech pilots fighting on the frontline have access to the latest designs. Each mech model possesses their own strengths and weaknesses. Once a vulnerability is known by the enemy, that model loses its advantage on the battlefield."

Regiments constantly demanded new designs to replenish their wrecked mechs and become less vulnerable to the known faults of their current designs.

"Your only role is to assist the lead designer and his main assistants in optimizing their designs. It is not your responsibility to suggest new features or perform additional changes to the design."