Chapter 2533: Unredeemed (1/2)

Ves had been in the company of a Journeyman for more than half a year without realizing it. For some reason or another, he mentally diminished the status and importance of Juliet Stameros.

It was as if he thought she was just another unimportant Apprentice!

How could he make such a colossal oversight? Why hadn't Gavin or any of his staff reminded him of the potential value that Miss Stameros held?

The former was a bit stupid on his part. He lived an incredibly busy life and work constantly occupied his mind. He spent most of his thoughts on planning his grand expedition, thinking about what capital ships he should acquire and what mechs he should design next.

The Penitent Sisters rarely occupied his thoughts. Though the Larkinson Clan operated several different mech forces, Ves did not exactly treat them equally.

For example, he openly favored the Avatars of Myth. It was originally 'his' mech troop, and even when it shifted towards serving the clan as a whole, Ves still showered it with attention such as bestowing it with the Bright Warrior design.

Of all of the mech forces under his command, Ves knew the most about the Avatars!

In contrast, the Living Sentinels earned very little attention from him. As the only non-elite mech force of the Larkinson Clan, he wasn't really interested in investing in them. Ves simply trusted Major Verle and the Sentinel Commander to run this large mech force.

The only reason for Ves to pay more attention to the Sentinels was when he wanted to design a mech that was specifically targeted to them. As the 'militia' of the Larkinson Clan, it was not suitable for the Sentinels to pilot the most advanced LMC mechs. He knew that he needed to design a more general purpose mech for them sooner or later.

Of course, that might take some years. There were other mech forces who were much more deserving of his attention such as the Flagrant Vandals and the Swordmaidens.

In a way, his unequal attention wasn't necessarily a problem. He was simply overlooking too many people and organizations. Forming biases and playing favorites was unavoidable.

What Ves really should have done was to split responsibilities. For example, since he hardly cared about the Living Sentinels, why not let Gloriana supervise their mech needs?

Sadly, that didn't really work as Gloriana was rather unsuited for this role. Her specialty made her much more suited to supervise the custom mechs and future expert mechs of the Larkinson Clan.

As a result, the Penitent Sisters fell through the cracks.

To be honest, Ves still wasn't used to having them. They were an unexpected and somewhat unwanted addition to his clan. He only agreed to let them in because of their loyal service and their exemplary behavior on the battlefield.

One of the principles he valued was to be fair to people who fought on his behalf. Just because the Penitent Sisters possessed a Hexer background was not a reason for him to mistreat them. The fact that the Hexer exiles had mellowed out a lot and shed their dislike towards him and the Larkinsons helped a lot in accepting them into the fold!

Yet even then, Ves was still trying to adjust that they were a part of his clan rather than a bunch of barnacles on the hull of his ship.

For these reasons and more, Ves essentially overlooked the value of Commander Chancy, Commodore Evern, Head Designer Stameros and the rest of the Penitent Sisters!

Luckily, less than a month had passed after Task Force Predator returned to the Cinach System. During this span of time, Ves truly became far too occupied to pay special attention to the Penitent Sisters. The women shouldn't hold it against him for neglecting their situation.

Once they reached a small meeting room aboard the logistics ship, the main mech designer of the Penitent Sisters was already present.

”Patriarch.”

”Miss Stameros. It is good to see you again. How are you dealing with the changes to your life so far?”

”Are you inquiring about my professional or private circumstances?” Juliet frowned.

”Both. I've come to make some decisions concerning you and your sisters. I don't mean to pry, but it will help if you are willing to share more details.”

As a mech designer, Juliet understood the importance of gathering lots of data in order to make the most informed decisions. Ves left it up to her to decide how much she was willing to say. He believed she was clever enough to be earnest towards him. Withholding accurate information would only hinder her opportunities.

Ves briefly turned his head to Commander Chancy. ”Could you give me a private moment with Miss Stameros? I would like to talk to her as one mech designer to another.”

The Penitent Sister Commander gazed at him for a few seconds before nodding. ”If that is what you wish… sir.”

She did not kick up any fuss as she turned about and marched through the exit. The hatch closed when she passed through, providing Ves and Juliet with a modicum of privacy.

Of course, Ves was pretty sure the monitoring system was still recording everything, but he did not bother to activate his signal jammer. His main purpose to send Commander Chancy out wasn't to ensure confidentiality, but to give Juliet some space to speak about herself outside of the presence of her direct superior.

”I am a Penitent Sister.” She began.

When she didn't say anything else after a few seconds, the room turned awkward. Even Lucky, who had crawled onto Ves' lap, looked confused.

”...Okay?”

”I believe you have failed to comprehend what I said.”