The Mech Touch

5724 Infinite Coil Fey - EDITED

The creativity of the collective astounded Ves at times. He had never thought about developing half of the fey that managed to enter into the top 50.

Inventive solutions such as the multi-decoy fey taught Ves that third-party developers could provide a lot of added value if he gave them an opening to demonstrate their craft.

The Fey Shaper Contest had definitely paid off big for the LMC. It had been fully worth it for Ves to make the trip to this planet. It was a shame that he wouldn't be able to speak with all of the contest participants up close, but he was already satisfied with getting a close and personal look at their works.

Once Professor Emily Leflette had concluded her speech in which she expressed her gratitude while also making sure to advertise the other products of her company, Ves began to introduce the 4th place winner.

"Up next is a special fey model that offers fantastic possibilities in terms of firepower. Its conditions of use may be a lot more cumbersome than the tetralaser fey that I introduced before, but those who want the maximum possible firepower should rest easy."

[Infinite Coil Fey]

Developer: Karl Steinbock-Bakhali, Journeyman Mech Designer

Category: Offensive

E Energy Attributes: Electromagnetism

Summary: The infinite coil fey at first appears to be a device built around a fairly large gauss weapon. The most distinguishing feature of this fey is that it is open-ended from two sides. This peculiar design choice is part of a greater design plan that allows for multiple infinite coil fey to link up with each other and merge their barrels together to form a longer combination weapon that can launch metallic projectiles forward with even greater force and speed than if they operate separately. The maximum quantity of infinite coil fey that can be stacked in a single continuous line is limited by the physical condition and the material quality of the units. Excessive recoil by stacking too many infinite coil fey may ultimately result in damage and breakdowns.]

Showing just a single infinite coil fey did not do this product justice. This was why 8 of them showed up at once.

Each infinite coil fey looked like a relatively short and thick tube. Professor Steinbock-Bakhali primarily added a lot of mass and structure to the fey in order to strengthen their structure and increase their energy reserves.

That also made the infinite coil fey a lot more expensive to produce and buy. This was an extravagant design choice as the firepower of this special fey was not necessarily superior.

At most, the infinite coil fey was able to resist more damage and had enough power to accelerate more heavy projectiles.

To be honest, the infinite coil fey was not worth buying over the more standard gauss cannon fey that Ves had included in the design of the Fey Fianna.

The only saving grace was its gimmick, which more than compensated for its many shortcomings.

"The infinite coil fey is a product that is clearly designed to work in unison with many other identical fey." Ves continued to explain as the eight fey in front and below him merged into a single formidable cannon! "By linking them together, they can continually utilize their coils to produce a powerful electromagnetic field that continually pushes a metallic projectile forward with greater and greater impulse. While there is a physical limit to how long this can go on, the infinite coil fey are theoretically able to launch a projectile with enough power to rival or even exceed the damage output of the famous Onyx Cannon of my Ultimatum model!"

He was exaggerating a little. The Onyx Cannon was a solid weapon system from beginning to end. The infinite coil fey remained separate for the most part and only linked up when they needed to make a powerful combination attack. Their many limitations made it doubtful that they could remain intact long enough to launch an excessively powerful projectile.

However, the greatest advantages to relying on the infinite coil fey was that they were much more mobile than a heavy artillery mech!

Unlike the lumbering Ultimatums that were mostly confined to serving as bunker mechs, the Fey FIanna and their accompanying fey could easily reposition themselves and their targets from other angles.

If this was the case, then it might not be important that the sustained firepower of multiple infinite coil fey was less than the Ultimatum. Most attacks were able to inflict serious damage as long as they struck exposed weak points.

While the infinite coil fey made a strong impression on the audience, Professor Karl Steinbock-Bakhali stepped onto the main stage.

The man was older and invested a lot more years in his craft like the previous winner. Ves did not exactly like it that another older participant had managed to enter the top 10, but the power and ingenuity of the infinite coil fey were so good that he had little choice.

"Mr. Steinbock-Bakhali, congratulations for winning 5th place in the Fey Shaper Contest. As a highly experienced mech designer, you have opted to develop the infinite coil fey for my Fey Fianna mechs as opposed to designing a mech that employs a variation of your infinite weapon system concept. Why did you make this decision?"

The Journeyman Mech Designer who made the highly unusual decision to leech off the success of another peer did not display any form of shame for his actions.

Seniority mattered in the mech industry. Mech designers older than a century were already regarded as seasoned and experienced enough to lead their projects. They rarely bothered to contribute to the products developed by other mech designers because that would be a tacit admission that they did not have as much confidence in their own independent work.

The only exception to this rule were active collaborations, but Steinbock-

Bakhali was most definitely not a part of the original design project centered around the Fey Fianna.

"You are correct, Professor Larkinson." The man waved up at Ves. "I have held this idea for years now. It has always been my wish to design a mech that can link their weapons together to form a cannon that is greater than what any single machine can bear. There lies the problem, though. The concept violates one of the oldest taboos of the Age of Mechs, which is that mechs cannot carry weapons that are too large and powerful for them. Their weapon systems must remain proportional to their size."

Hearing that already caused Ves to figure out what the devious older man sought to do with his infinite coil fey.

Steinbock-Bakhali smirked. "Instead of realizing my idea in the form of a mech, I chose to turn it into a fey instead. There are many advantages to doing so. My infinite coil fey can offer superior firepower in a more mobile package than resorting to heavy artillery mechs. They can dynamically adjust their power levels by linking more or less units together to attain the right balance between firepower and sustainability. While there are currently limits to how many infinite coil fey can be linked together, my design team is already in the process of developing multiple variants that are composed of tougher materials so that they can bear the greater pressure of a much longer combination weapon. According to my calculations, the linked fey should be able to launch a gauss round that can inflict as much damage as the gun batteries of smaller warships!"

In other words, a ridiculously long string of infinite coil fey could produce damage that was far in excess of their individual properties!

It was impressive how Steinbock-Bakhali was able to turn this crazy idea into a practical and workable implementation. It was far too easy for the infinite coil fey to shatter apart when it was forced to endure enormous pressure from all of the forces it was generating.

"That should not be all." Ves noted.

"Correct. The overarching reason why I have chosen to develop this fey is because it can benefit from your protection. As a tier 3 galactic citizen, your rights and privileges are far greater than mine. This is relevant because it can still be argued that my infinite coil fey may… skirt the taboo on mech weapon restrictions. I hope that if that happens, you would see fit to argue in favor of my product. Your words will carry great weight in the minds of the mechers who decide on these matters. With the Red War continuing to press against our defensive lines, we need all of the advantages that we can muster. I hope that my infinite coil fey can make up for the gap in absolute firepower and help our soldiers overcome the defenses of enemy warships with greater ease."

This open plea put Ves in a slightly difficult position. It was undeniable that he carried greater weight within the Association due to his many contributions and his high galactic citizenship.

However, that did not mean he called all of the shots. He might be able to get away with breaking a few rules, but that did not necessarily extend to other people.

The mechers had set their taboos a long time ago. They had never shown much flexibility towards any cases that flagrantly broke the limits that they had set.

However, the Red Association was not identical to the Mech Trade Association. The former had already started to diverge from the latter in many subtle ways, and the enforcement of the old taboos was one such distinction.

According to the current attitude of the mechers, it might very well be possible that they would at least quietly tolerate the existence of the infinite coil fey.

That was apparently not enough for Steinbock-Bakhali. The filthy leech wanted an open guarantee. Receiving one from Ves in public would definitely qualify!

Ves shifted his gaze to the eight linked infinite coil fey.

If he disregarded the attitude of its developer and solely considered the merits of the infinite coil fey in isolation, then it was definitely a fey that he was keen to preserve. It added a powerful firepower option to the Fey Fianna's arsenal that could not be substituted through other means.

"I cannot give you any promises." Ves eventually responded. "I appreciate your work. I really do. I think that mech forces should be given the choice to adopt this fey model into their own ranks. They have always been struggling to break through the transphasic energy shields of alien warships. It feels wrong to deprive the brave mech pilots fighting on our behalf with a solution that effectively closes the firepower gap. If the Red Association ever sees fit to put your infinite coil fey on trial, I am willing to put in a good word, but not because I want to make you happy, but because I believe that continued access to this product will benefit the mech pilots that we serve."

That was a nice way to spin his argument. It was the mech pilots that mattered, not the mech designers. People like Ves and Steinbock-Bakhali were just service providers in this context.

The answer made the 4th place winner happy. The older man graciously bowed and made his way off the stage now that he managed to obtain his desired concession.

The 8 infinite coil fey unlinked with each other and turned into separate units again. The two Fey Fiannas that had taken control of them from a distance steadily took the devices away from sight, making room for the next product.

"The 3rd place winner is special to me." Ves said as a particularly colorful and radiant fey hovered onto the stage. "It is a fey that is designed by an old acquaintance of mine. I cannot claim to be impartial in my evaluation, but I strongly believe it has earned its third place due to its merits. The product designed by the man who I have met way back in the Komodo Star Sector where I originally came from offers a functionality that I have not seen in other fey. If you do not believe me, then take a good look."

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