The Mech Touch

5719 The Significance of Lesser Mechs

Ves and Jovy continued to walk across the empty upper floor while gazing at the display models down below.

The crowd examining the third-party fey models submitted to the contest had no idea that a tier 3 galactic citizen was walking above their heads. They continued to admire the more interesting fey products and even started to inquire about where they could place orders.

The Fey Fianna had become such a phenomenon in the second-class mech community that they started to show up everywhere.

Although not every mech outfit was able to purchase the amazing drone mech due to financial, contractual or doctrinal reasons, those that had benefited from its use often went on to order a second or third batch of Fey Fiannas.

The popularity and the appreciation earned by the Fey Fianna gratified Ves a lot. To think he originally intended to design it as a Larkinson-exclusive mech. That would have been an enormous waste of potential, especially since the timing of its public release was exactly right.

The Fey Fianna was shaping up to become one of the products that defined the Hyper Generation!

The drone mech wouldn't have become nearly as great if not for the variables that defined the Age of Dawn.

As Ves continued to examine one living fey model after another, he sighed several times as the contest submissions provoked a lot of thoughts in his mind.

Jovy clearly noticed his distraction.

"What are you wondering about, Ves?"

"From what I have heard, tens of thousands of mech designers and developers have submitted an entry in the Fey Shaper Contest. Only 50 of the ones deemed more superior than others eventually made it to this stage. Just 10 of them will receive a personal highlight from me in the end. That is a lot of work and effort put into the development of fey that may or may not catch on in the market. Ultimately, many people who have worked hard to attain success in this sphere will ultimately have to return empty-handed."

"Oh, come now. The mech industry has always been highly competitive. Only the best of the best are able to rise above the rest and thrive from their success. The moment we start to subsidize and reward failures is the moment our mech industry begins to decline. As much as we would like to reward every earnest mech designer for making a contribution, we simply cannot because the health of mechs as a whole is ultimately more important than the wellbeing of incompetent mech designers."

Ves' expression remained grim as he stared at the different fey on display and imagined how they would get used in combat.

"Is all of this useful?"

"Of course it is. I can easily select half a dozen fey that can produce such a great impact on the battlefield that they are bound to sell well after they become known to the wider market."

"I don't mean in this way." Ves said. "What I meant to say is whether there is any point in investing so much attention and resources into developing strong second-class mechs. I mean, even if I design fantastic machines like the Fey Fianna and the Ultimatum, what difference does it make in the Red Ocean? At most, it will allow our second-class forces to defeat more alien cannon fodder. I do not see how my effort can significantly turn the tide and put red humanity in a winning posture. Everyone knows that the Red War will ultimately be decided by the struggle between first-class human forces and the major alien races who enjoy the best tech and resources. Everything else is a sideshow in comparison."

Jovy grew concerned. This was not a healthy train of thought. A lot of second-

class and third-class mech designers eventually grappled with this existential problem. Perhaps Ves had entertained these notions once before, but managed to get past them. It was not unusual for mech designers to suffer a relapse, though.

"Second-class and third-class mechs are not useless, Ves." The Survivalist explained in a gentle tone. "If you look at their impact from a strategic planning perspective, they may not be able to single-handedly beat back the aliens, but they are consuming the enemy's resources as much as the aliens are trying to do the same to us. Not every adversary in the Red Ocean is as strong as the major alien races. The minor alien races may be weaker, but they still take great effort to defeat due to their vastly superior numbers. More powerful second-class and third-class mechs can effectively stop these enemies from becoming a threat great enough to merit the intervention of our Association. That will allow us to concentrate our own forces to combat the real threat to our civilization."

Ves slowly nodded. "I understand this dynamic, but I still cannot help that we would all be better off if we just station first-class mechs across our entire border."

"We don't have the numbers for that, Ves. First-class multipurpose mechs are as powerful as second-class ace mechs in some cases, but what is not as obvious is that the resources needed to field the former is astronomically greater. The scant availability of first-class exotics and their exorbitant cost is the main reason why first-class powers have leaned so heavily on emphasizing quality over quantity. That is not the only cumbersome requirement that limits the number of first-class mechs. It takes a huge amount of investment in expensive augmentations and intensive education programs to raise highly qualified mech pilots and mech designers. If you add all of these costs together, you will come to realize that it is simply not feasible to increase the amount of active first-class mechs."

"It doesn't help that many first-class mech academies only take mech pilots with A and B-grade genetic aptitudes seriously." Ves said in a slightly accusing tone.

"You have studied first-class multipurpose mechs long enough to know that we are not being elitist about that. We have no choice. The complexity of a first-class mech that has integrated at least a dozen major modules is beyond the ability for baseline humans to control. Why do you think we are placing so much attention on the development of your Carmine System?"

"Aren't you guys interested in turning ordinary people into mech pilots?"

"We are, Ves. We are especially keen on having this option available to us when the readily available pool for mech pilots begins to dwindle due to continuous attrition. Look,the Transhumanists may value the promise that your Carmine System can turn their bodies into powerful mechs, but we are mainly invested in how your invention will be able to augment humanity's collective fighting power. Not only will mech pilots with A and B-grade genetic aptitude be able to fight as if they are at least a partial grade stronger, but your work can even allow previously undervalued C-grade mech pilots to control first-class multipurpose mechs without suffering any handicap. That will make it significantly easier for us to field more powerful mechs in the toughest battlefields of the Red War."

Ves widened his eyes. He always knew that the mechers had big plans for the Carmine System, but this was the first time he heard such an explicit benefit that was sure to have a significant impact on the outcome of battles at the highest levels.

"How soon do you want to roll out first-class Carmine mechs?"

"Ideally, we would like to wait and test your Carmine System further, but we are in agreement with the Transhumanists that we cannot take our time anymore. Let alone a decade, we may be forced to take more drastic measures within 5 years in order to keep our survival prospects alive. When you have formally gained the qualifications of a first-class mech designer, you should work on gaining more experience in designing mechs of this caliber. Once you have a number of true first-class mech designs under your belt, we may ask you to collaborate with me or one of our other members to design a first-class Carmine mech, perhaps one that is specifically designed to give C-grade pilots the power of a B-grade pilot. This is the most direct way I can think of that can make an immediate impact on the war."

These were big plans. Ves was not sure whether he or his Carmine System would be ready for this in a few years. It was all happening so fast.

"I will try my best to improve and get ready for this task." Ves promised to his friend. "Designing first-class mechs has always been one of my greatest dreams. I would be happy to design a first-class Carmine mech that can help first-class mech pilots unlock their greater potential in a way that other mechs simply cannot do. However, you need to make sure that these pilots understand the consequences of forming a Blood Pact with a living machine."

"We have not forgotten. We have devised a few potential solutions to mitigate this restriction. Did you not come with a possible idea to preserve the pilot's ability to continue to fight with mechs?"

Ves suddenly froze as he made a number of unusual but incredibly promising associations!

Jovy looked concerned as his friend became distracted a second time.

"What is the matter, Ves?"

"Oh. It's nothing. I just came up with a really good idea that has the potential to massively increase the practicality of my Carmine System! It is still a speculative idea. I will need to conduct a lot more research and investigations in order to determine whether it is viable."

"Are you willing to share your latest theory or is it too rudimentary or controversial for you to explain your thoughts?"

"It's okay. I don't mind it if I explain my new layout to you. Perhaps you can give me useful feedback. It all starts with my latest protege. You know that Alexa Streon recently broke through with a design philosophy that is highly related to mine, right?"

Jovy nodded. "It was impossible for me to miss this occasion. Congratulations on raising a potential heir and successor of your design philosophy."

"Thank you. What I am getting at is her design philosophy is based on living mechs with a focus on procreation and building up a legacy over multiple generations. One of her explicit goals is to create a lineage of living mechs that all share a common root. By continuously producing a chain of offspring, the later generations of living mechs not only benefit from having access to a lot of inheritances that are unique to their lineages, but also have the opportunity to inherit the strengths of the strongest and most successful living machines of their mech dynasties!"

The Survivalist was not stupid. He managed to advance to the rank of Senior sooner than Ves, after all. His eyes widened in realization as he made the crucial connection in his mind!

"Are you suggesting that your Carmine System, or rather the Blood Pact, can be combined with the living legacy mechs of your student? If that is so, then… the synergies between the two would lead to an enormous increase in value between both mech systems!"

Neither Ves nor Jovy were certain whether it was even possible to combine these two radically different design applications together, but if it was possible, then the implications were massive!

Perhaps Ves could work together with Alexa to retool the Blood Pact so that it became a lot less restrictive than before!

Instead of letting a single human individual form an unbreakable bond with a single living mech, Ves and Alexa might be able to allow a human to form a Blood Pact with an entire dynasty of living mechs!

The greatest downside of the Carmine System would be wiped away if that happened!

The larger the mech dynasty, the more alternatives a Carmine mech pilot could choose from. No longer would he be bound to a single Carmine mech for the rest of his life!

Ves suddenly had a powerful hunch that if he followed through with this collaborative research direction, he may be able to make Carmine mechs practical enough to realize his design philosophy shortly afterwards!

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