Just before the Barracuda arrived at Zin Alpha, Ves briefly checked up on everyone else, starting with Melkor.

"Have you taken William Urbesh's measure? How good of a mech pilot is he, really?" Ves asked.

The projection of Melkor shook his head. "William is.. a difficult case. Let me begin with his piloting skill. He's well-trained. That's a given. Though many of his habits would see him killed when placed on an actual battlefield, that can be remedied through rote training. It's his attitude that's the real issue."

"He's a coward, right?"

"Essentially, yes." Melkor sighed. "William received excellent training and his body and mind have both been augmented to a good degree. By all rights, he should be an elite. During simulation battles against AI opponents, he fared quite decently. It's when he faces human opponents that he begins to show his frail mentality."

Ves blinked. "He's scared of fighting mechs piloted by humans? In a simulation?"

"Yes."

It sounded ridiculous! The threat of death in simulations was nonexistent! Barring a short circuit or some freak accident in which the hundreds of safeguards applied to simulator pods all went haywire, a mech pilot ought to be able to fight to their heart's content!

"What's the problem with William, exactly?"

"We put our mind docs on his case, and boy, he's a handful. The short version is that William is fundamentally afraid of fighting. This guy is a natural coward. For someone like him to luck out in becoming a potentate is one of the biggest travesties of the galaxy! While his genetic aptitude is merely graded at C, whenever he faces a human opponent his effective genetic aptitude instantly plunges into the E-range!"

Melkor explained a bit more and pulled out several examples where William Urbesh failed lots of easy scenarios that even a mech cadet could have overcome with ease! The psychological condition that afflicted him was so ingrained into his being that it was almost impossible to treat!

"The human mind is very resilient but also very fragile." Melkor noted. "Our mind docs found traces of modest cranial operations in William's mind. This is very risky considering that he's a mech pilot. Even then, it hadn't worked. In every fight and flight situation, William always chooses to flee, even if he is pumped up with rage stimulants!"

The actual medical explanation was too complicated for Melkor to recite, so he merely transmitted the relevant reports to Ves over the comm channel.

"So what does that leave us with William?"

"We can keep training him all we want, but without a deep and fundamental shift in disposition, William will always fail in stepping up when it really matters. The only way we might be able to achieve this shift is by rejigging his entire brain structure with dubious and extremely risky interventions. Not even the MTA has gone that far, because such procedures will likely permanently impair his ability to pilot a mech or at worst lead to his death! The MTA needs patient consent in order to even suggest such radical treatments, but there's no way a coward like William will ever approve!"

In the end, the main point was that there wasn't an easy fix to William's ingrained fear. Not unless Ves was willing to cross some lines.

After clarifying the situation a bit, Ves did not see any immediate solutions either.

"For now, just hold his hands and polish his skills and combat habits. Let the other Larkinsons have a try with him as well. They might click with him in a way all his other instructors never accomplished." Ves instructed.

"That sounds good, but these suggestions aren't likely to work."

"I know, Melkor, but let's not rock the boat too much. We have three years to achieve some progress. I'll take a look at his condition myself when I return from my tour through the star sector. Perhaps a year of instruction under a Larkinson will set him straight."

After discussing a few other matters related to the Avatars of Myth, Ves closed the call. He called up Calsie next to receive a status update on the LMC.

"The company is doing well enough that it doesn't require your intervention for quite some time." She stated. "There has been one notable incident that needs to be mentioned. Do you remember your old friend Carlos Shaw? He knocked at our doors a week ago."

Ves immediately became more attentive. "He's back?"

"He wanted to talk to you in person before rejoining the LMC. He was disappointed when you weren't here."

"What did you do, then?"

"I sent him on to Ketis, who did her best to make him welcome at the LMC. It's just…" Calsie trailed off.

"What's the matter?"

"News broke out at what happened when you were at Centerpoint. The gossip rags all announced that you manage to ensnare the affections of a wealthy and powerful Hexer Journeyman. According to their reporting, it's yet another instance of the Devil Tongue working his magic onto an innocent victim!"

Ves smiled ruefully at that. Gloriana, innocent? Hardly!

"Has that changed the LMC's circumstances in any way?"

"Not too much, at least for now. While the news hasn't affected the LMC's market perception too drastically since it is simply another story to add to your celebrity life here at home, it has led to some subtler shifts."

"Such as?"

"Well, the Bright Republic as a whole has always leaned towards the Friday Coalition. For the LMC to abruptly enter the camp of the Hexadric Hegemony as your relationships implies has ruffled some people's feathers. Fortunately, the second-rate states are very distant to us normally, so our sales haven't dipped."

Ves knew that not every state would react so nonchalantly. "The LMC's position in foreign states which are more strongly aligned to the Friday Coalition will probably sour."

"We know." Calsie replied. "We had to make a lot of adjustments to our expansion strategy. Scaling back our plans for expansion into Coalition-aligned states and turning towards Hegemony-aligned states for the very first time has led to a considerable amount of flurry in our offices."

"Sorry for that."

"We'll manage. It's your company, after all. We still believe in your leadership." Calsie ruefully smiled.

"So how did Carlos and Ketis react?"

Calsie looked sheepish. "Well… not that good, to be honest. When the news broke out, Carlos abruptly tended his resignation and left the LMC while Ketis locked herself in your lab."

He closed his eyes. Indeed, not everyone took a liking to the new development. Still, he was highly disappointed by Carlos' reaction. How could he ever make it as a mech designer if he let his jealousy?

"I already prepared some contingency plans in case Carlos decided to part with the LMC. Look up the relevant files in the LMC's database and make sure to implement the one that best fits the circumstances."

"I'll do that, boss."

As for Ketis…

"Does Ketis want to leave as well?" He asked.

"No. She was disappointed for a bit, but then she became more determined than ever. She's been working herself ragged these last few days, all in an attempt to catch up to you!" Calsie sighed. "Ves, far be it from me to tell you how to run your life, but you really ought to clear up your feelings with regards to Ketis. She deserves a clear answer."

A discomforting mood settled over Ves as he thought about Ketis. "I don't know the answer myself, to be honest. While I care for her, I always considered her to be my first protege. As a mentor of sorts to her, it's not proper for me to think any further. This is a line I won't allow myself to cross."

Neither of them appeared happy with this answer.

"I think in her heart, the poor girl knows you think that way about her. I'm glad to see that instead of lashing out, she instead resolved to improve herself so that she can be more than your student. I'm only afraid that it might be too late and that all of her efforts will go to naught."

"I think Ketis is strong enough to get over it. She's a tough girl." Ves replied, as if that would make the situation better. "She deserves to be with someone who appreciates all of her facets. It would be best if she encounters a mech designer whose design philosophy synergizes well with her own. Can you.. can you set her on the right path? I'm worried she isn't thinking healthy thoughts right now. I don't want her to follow in the same footsteps as Carlos."

"Really, Ves. You ought to be the one to console the poor girl. Instead, you've decided to go off on a random tour through the Hegemony side of the star sector."

Admittedly, Calsie had a point. Even now, Ves felt extremely reluctant to call Ketis directly. His intuition hinted that he would not enjoy the conversation that would ensue.

"Can you, Calsie?"

"Fine. I'll help clean up your mess. You really ought to have been clearer to her in the first place, you know. Aside from her rough edges, she's a great girl and brings some much-needed levity."

"Thanks for that."

"Tell me seriously, Ves, are you really into the Wodin girl or is this just some kind of stunt that will blow over?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "We're attempting to make it work. She's a lot more eager than me, but we've barely met each other at this point. It's possible that she'll tire of me once we get to know each other better."

Fat chance. Ves knew better than to expect Gloriana to drop her interest in him. Not when she recognized a great opportunity to elevate her design philosophy to a higher level!

When Ves finally ended his call with Calsie, he let out a tired breath. He truly hoped that Ketis would not stall her progression due to this circumstance. He found it encouraging to hear that she instead drove herself even harder.

"Even if she's disappointed, as long as she becomes a Journeyman or higher, she at least fares well in her career."

If Gloriana became a greater part of his life, Ves did not know if Ketis would still work for him at the LMC. He wouldn't blame her if she wanted to leave like Carlos.

"Hopefully Gloriana and Ketis will find some way to get along." He whispered. "A trusted subordinate mech designer isn't easy to find."

Ves nurtured Ketis from an inadequate pirate designer into a rising Novice with a strong learning ability. He also shaped her principles and her approach to mech design to better align with his own. It would be a great pity if he lost her before he could earn a return on his investment.

"Yet even if she leaves, she's still my student. I should be happy for her success regardless if she works for me or not."

Even though he said that, why did he feel like a rotten bastard who just made an awful mistake? A strong feeling of guilt suffused his mood and he couldn't even figure out where it came from. Should he change his mind?

"...Nah."

Ves always considered himself to be a decisive person. He did not like to display any muddle-headed behavior.

For now, he remained committed to seeing if his relationship with Gloriana would work out. Changing his mind halfway for no good reason except to give in to his doubt would not accomplish anything meaningful. That was not how he managed to advance to Journeyman so quickly.

"Even if it turns out that I've made a mistake, I should at least see it through before that becomes clear." He resolved.

Ves shoved these thorny matters to the back of his mind. Instead of worrying about this or that, he would rather think of something more pleasant, such as his upcoming visit to the Zin Alpha System!