The Mech Touch

"I have heard our guest is more eccentric than most of his kind."

"You do not know the half of it. The Saint assigned to defend our fortified star system has proven to be uniquely… abrasive. His unique personal quirks and obsessions has led him to develop a particularly delusional perspective on reality. Please do not take offense, even if he denigrates your intelligence, your personhood and your humanity. It is not that he lacks understanding how insulting he comes across, but… when you believe with all your heart that you are the only human in this plane of existence that is 'real', then you will develop a natural contempt towards those who you consider to be false existences."

"What…?"

The staff officer tried his best to maintain a professional expression.

"It is a consequence of combining a childhood obsession with suffering an accident while piloting a mech with an enhanced and frankly dangerous neural interface. Most pilots would have died or suffering lifelong crippling brain injuries after such an ordeal. Our guest defied the odds and managed to break through under these adverse circumstances. Ever since then, he has continued to immerse himself in the delusions that has often served him well. The fact that he managed to reach the limit of what an ace pilot can be is unquestionable proof of his success. With an attitude that can be summed up as 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', everyone else has decided to try their best to tolerate his eccentricities… even if it has led to broken friendships and profound questions about whether we are real or simply fictional characters created for the sole purpose of enriching the narrative around the protagonist."

The expert pilot struggled to understand that last sentence.

"Do not think too hard about it. Your additional responsibilities are to accompany him and compel him to take targeted action according to our strategic directives and your best judgment. You can do so by specifically wording your instructions to him. You will understand what I mean by that when you have earned his recognition as a slightly more important false existence."

"Is this Saint truly as bad as you say?" Eddie frowned as he could not entirely wrap his mind around how an ace pilot was allowed to flagrantly disrespect other humans. "Even if he harbors contempt towards us all, shouldn't he be able to mask his callousness with a polite and professional demeanor?"

"He is a peak ace pilot." The staff officer emphasized. "Becoming a god pilot is within his reach. At this junction, Saints such as him will do everything possible to increase their chances of surviving the road of no return. One of the assumptions is that pilots have a better chance of breaking through if they speak and act completely according to their true selves. Any form of falsehoods and insincerity will cause the pilot to move away from his most ideal self. That will always lead to a deterioration in breakthrough chances. Therefore, it is more crucial than before that you judge him according to his actions as opposed to his words. As long as he is fighting against the right enemies, you must do your best to rein in your pride."

"...I am a fighter. I can take it. This is not the first time that I have been forced to work alongside an egotistical maniac. To be able to evolve to this extent, I have endured many trials. A blow to my self-esteem is the least of my concerns. I can distinguish between allies and enemies."

"Good man. Hold onto that thought and think of nothing else. No matter what, do not indulge in any desire to kill or harm our guest. There have been incidents in the past when the unrestrained hostility that others have directed towards him has caused them to register as hostile in his peculiar friend-or-foe identification system. He knows better than to resort to lethal options right away, but the well has been poisoned by then. We cannot allow this to happen. Any problem that results in a reduction in combat performance will not only contribute to the fall of this strategic location, but will also multiply the pressure on the neighboring star system. At worst, a blunder during this sensitive time may spark a domino effect where the aliens gain more and more momentum as they continue to topple our faltering strongholds."

Venerable Eddie Kulask schooled his expression. "I will do my best to control myself."

Time passed by as the mech forces stationed in the star system loaded into different carrier vessels.

The current site did not require as much protection at this time. It was located in the 4th defensive band, which had yet to become exposed to unrelenting alien aggression.

The risk that the aliens learned about the current movements and took advantage of the weakened defenses was not small, but the military commanders thought this was a worthwhile risk to take.

There were many locations in the 1st and 2nd defensive bands that had already been breached or became unsalvageable within a week.

The situation was far more dire than the planners had anticipated!

The strategists accounted for the fall of the 1st defensive band, but they underestimated the scale and ferocity of the alien offensive. The 2nd defensive band should have lasted a lot longer.

Now, the accelerated fall of both defensive bands threatened to disrupt the defensive strategy chosen by the leaders of red humanity.

The higher ups hastily initiated a grand shuffle. A lot of mech forces stationed in the rear of human space had previously held off on participating in the war.

That was no longer permissible. In these dire times, groups that refused to contribute to the war effort in a meaningful way were not allowed to exist anymore!

The major powers collectively declared a state of emergency across human space. Martial law came into effect in many regions, and even the most peaceful areas needed to get more serious about supporting the war effort.

A lot of second echelon forces were hastily being reassigned to the front. The 5th defensive band was due to receive a lot of reinforcements over the following month.

That enabled the more combat-ready troops in the 5th to shuttle to the 4th.

Those stationed in the 4th moved on to the 3rd, which meant that Venerable Eddie Kulask and his soldiers in the star system were about to dive head-long into the fighting, as the native aliens had already begun to attack numerous strategic locations in the middle band!

The aliens clearly sought to prevent humanity from pushing the offensive back and save the 1st and 2nd defensive bands. They also aimed to soften up the 3rd defensive band and lay the groundwork of a nigh-unstoppable wave of attacks!

Venerable Eddie Kulask knew what he was getting into when headquarters urgently tasked them to reinforce a more forward position. The native aliens never invaded a star system without making sure they enjoyed a numerical advantage. They also sent out phase lords whenever there were enough indications that a god pilot was unlikely to take them all by surprise.

The expert pilot inwardly sighed when he thought about the people who had reached the apex of his profession.

Every pilot yearned to become a god, but few ever managed to make it to the end. Eddie still had a few years left to break through to the rank of ace pilot, but it would take far too long for him to step onto the road of no return, if he managed to survive up to that point.

Eddie Kulask understood that this was not his time yet. That honor went to the existing god pilots who were doing their utmost to slow down the alien advance, as well as the peak ace pilots who had the potential to achieve greatness in the not-so-distant future!

"He's arrived."

Many people in the star system awaited the arrival of their newly assigned protector and champion with baited breath.

The capital carrier ship that transported the peak ace pilot looked uncommonly plain and unpretentious. The design clearly emphasized function over form, to the point where the shipbuilders had added and removed a huge collection of modular compartments and systems without putting any thought towards aesthetics!

The surface of the hull was uncoated gunmetal grey. The exterior depicted many different variations in hue, revealing the many different alloys used to construct and upgrade the ship.

The only decorative aspect about the fleet carrier was her name, which the owner emblazoned in the side with illuminated white letters as if he was afraid that people would mistake the ship for another hull!

[INSERT SHIP NAME HERE]

"Wait, did the guy who was supposed to name the ship forgot to input an actual name, causing the shipbuilding company to mistakenly print out this instruction?"

"No. It is not an accident or an oversight that caused so many laughs that people decided to embrace this joke. It is a deliberate choice. The ace pilot had to present his arguments to many different people before they finally realized that he was being utterly serious."

A man with a naming scheme as bad as this was doubtlessly not right in the head!

The vessel that was creatively named the INSERT SHIP NAME HERE — yes, the all caps were mandatory — eventually approached the rest of the reinforcement fleet and took her place in the center as she deserved.

In line with a prior agreement, Venerable Eddie Kulask and his high-tier expert mech transferred to the INSERT SHIP NAME HERE so that they could remain close to the most powerful champion of the reinforcement fleet.

As expert mech touched down in the hangar bay, Eddie hopped out of the cockpit and spoke with the chief technician about maintenance related issues.

"Where is…?"

"He is training." The chief technician responded. "In fact, if he is not obliged to do anything else, you can often find him in one of his many training rooms. You can follow the projected line to reach his current location. Do not be afraid to speak your mind. It is better if you can be as direct as possible. Our superior hates long and convoluted discussions."

"Thank you for your advice."

"It is my pleasure to serve you, Venerable."

Eddie did not bother to change out his piloting suit as he followed a projected line that only he could see. It threaded through all of the corridors and ultimately led to a large but extremely solitary training chamber.

The sight that greeted him took him aback for a moment.

The unmistakable form of the peak ace pilot that many people looked up to was engaged in a bizarre training ritual.

He was running on a treadmill while at the same time lifting weights with both of his arms. He was also conducting a complicated higher math test, showing that the peak ace pilot was determined to exercise his mind as well!

As Eddie slowly strode forth, the much more powerful ace pilot did not suspend his activities in order to greet the new arrival. He merrily persisted in his multi-faceted training approach, which was so intense that ordinary humans could never imitate this method without destroying themselves!

Having been warned in advance on how he should behave, Eddie did not wait for a greeting that would never come, but instead presented himself in plain words.

"I am Eddie Kulask. I have been assigned to accompany you and convey the instructions of my superiors. If you do not object, I will endeavor to stay by your side on and off the battlefield, Saint Camon."

Saint Ryder Camon finally deigned to stare in Eddie's direction, but only for a second.

"Huh. Level 47. They finally sent me a faction NPC that can issue high-level missions to me. I can finally get back to earning serious XP, especially now that I am about to grind lots of high-level aliens. By the way, you are glitching. That happens from time to time. Can't you see the glowing title above my name?"

Eddie looked confused for a moment. What was the ace pilot talking about? There were no letters of any kind floating above the Saint's head!

The ace pilot snorted. "The AI of this game is as cheap as ever. Call me by my title! I worked hard for it in order to earn the perks that I have long been waiting to acquire. If you don't recognize it, then that means that I am clearly affected by a bug. I cannot afford to lose these unique advantages. Tell me who I am, NPC."

"You are… the Gamer."

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