~Dear General Kroenke, I am formally writing this letter to make a petition regarding the original decision taken with mech pilot Andrew McTate~
~After the first mech piloting test conducted in the Philadelphus police station, mech pilot Andrew McTate was concluded to not be mech interfacing-worthy but this verdict has changed in recent times~
~Andrew McTate has somehow managed a last-minute turn-around in his recovery process, and is back in the cockpit of mechs again~
~Attached below is video footage of Andrew's improvement as a mech pilot~
~I strongly believe that mech pilot Andrew McTate will be an asset rather than a liability to the Philadelphus police, hence this petition to reinstate him back into the police and to also sanction his pending promotion~
~I will be awaiting your reply with positive hopes~
~Sender: Sergeant Theodore Bane~
…
4 hours after that letter was sent…
~Philadelphus District weekly news report~
~Headline: Corporal Andrew! After over 7 months out of commission in the police, mech pilot Andrew McTate has risen from the ruins of death, embracing his role back in the Philadelphus Police as Corporal!
~Headline: The tale of a man who cheated death! Click the link below to read the story of the mech pilot who survived a harrowing accident that would have resulted in death 100 out of 100 times; the tale of the man who cheated fate!
~Headline: Human-Machine Interaction…, is this the Vemido Kingdom's best reply to the cruel fate of policemen and soldiers dying in the battlefield? Click the link below to read more about Lucius Volstad's research:
~Headline: Is mech designer Lucius Volstad the most talented under 30 mech designer of the Philadelphus District? Then, perhaps the best young mech designer across the whole Vemido Kingdom?
~Headline: Mech Designer Lucius Volstad is underrated!!! Click the link below to read about the storied career of the young mech designer and his achievements:
~Headline: Is Corporal Andrew still really the same Specialist Andrew who participated in the raid against the pirates in Hellport Street, or is he just a robot?
4 hours was all it took for the General to approve Sergeant Theodore's petition.
Sergeant Theodore had connections extending past his jurisdiction in the Philadelphus District, and in situations like this, connections help.
Not only was the Sergeant's petition for Andrew to be reinstated into the police force approved, Andrew was no longer Specialist Andrew McTate.
The petition for his promotion was also approved, promoting him a whole level to become a Corporal.
Having hosted a party to welcome the victims of the disaster about a month ago already, this time, no party was to be hosted.
Andrew was simply returning to the police station.
But it was not scheduled for morning, it was scheduled for afternoon.
For the nearest future, this was Andrew's last day in the Lucius Mech Company and of course, despite the fact that his prime test subject was about to leave him, Lucius Volstad was not sad.
The boss was rather happy because his petition was also accepted.
With Andrew's success, Lucius Volstad's connections to the military just became tighter and they agreed to let him work on injured military men who voluntarily applied for his human-machine integration project.
This way, he was no longer restricted to just one prime test subject.
He now had multiple prime test subjects to work with.
Not everyone was like Lucius Volstad though.
Despite the fact that the boss didn't feel it much, others in the Lucius Mech Company felt the impact of Andrew's impending leave.
Those that felt it most were the mech technicians who worked in the mech hangar, and this was why that morning, they overworked him.
"Andrew, tighten that nut on the Columbus Phase IV".
"Also, replace the grease oil of that mech right there, clean the cockpit too, very important".
Throughout, Andrew didn't complain.
With a smile on his face, he fulfilled all the demands of the only friends that he grew to make in this world so far since his reincarnation.
Andrew loved his stay with them.
Afterall, they taught him the Dao of tweaking with mechs and the basics of salvaging during the few times they went on outside jobs.
"Is that all?" He asked, wiping away his sweat as soon as he was done.
"Is that all?" They asked themselves.
In the end, there was nothing left, Andrew already did everything.
And then, one of them said it. "You bastard, you're really leaving us!"
Andrew chuckled. "Come on man, I don't want to live my whole life as a mech technician you know? I want to ride mechs man".
"Are you implying that our work is boring?"
Andrew laughed again. "I'm not saying that, it's just…, you know, I feel excited when I get to pilot mechs directly rather than tweaking with them".
"Besides, I'm not going out there to become a pirate, I'm simply going back to my original job as a policeman after such a long time out".
"I would be protecting your families you know?" He laughed. "You should be grateful and thank me".
In the end, it turned out they were just nagging.
They already resigned themselves to the fact that he would leave one day as one of them was in charge of tweaking the mechs during the boss' tests every day.
He saw Andrew's improvement and knew how talented he was.
They already acknowledged Andrew's mech piloting skills a long time ago.
It turned out that they had a gift prepared for him, a smart A.I suit.
Like usual, Andrew's computer system superimposed with his vision, doing the honors.
{Property of Lucius Industries!}
{Smart 1st Generation A.I Suit!}
{Perks: Auto-cooling/auto-heating; size self-adjusting mechanism; massage mechanism; color-changing mechanism; bulletproof armor mechanism against light caliber weapons}
"…!" Andrew was surprised on seeing this suit.
"Thanks guys, I didn't expect this".
They hugged him one at a time, and by the end, the last of them commented. "You're a good mech technician Andrew".
"Even as you go on to become a good mech pilot, don't neglect it".
"Who knows? It may save your life someday". He chuckled.
And with that, donning the smart A.I suit that his friends got for him, setting the color-changing mechanism to dark blue, he finally left the Lucius Mech Company after saying his goodbyes to the boss.
Andrew was off to the Philadelphus police headquarters.