The Mech Touch

5737 Gloriana's Roadmap

The Bluejay Fleet departed from the Keynar System and made its way over to the Ector System.

Ves took Kelsey Ampatoch with him since he was applying to become a Larkinson.

They rarely spent time together during the journey. Ves needed to catch up on his scheduled work

Meanwhile, Kelsey had to go through numerous rigorous tests and examinations to ensure he was fit to join the Larkinson Clan.

Neither of the two expected the screening to uncover problems that would cause Kelsey's application to be denied, but it was still useful to collect a thorough amount of data.

When Ves informed his wife of his decision to recruit Kesley, she did not exactly react well to the news.

"I watched the broadcast of the event." Her physical projection said while pacing across the stateroom. "I admire his shield infiltrator fey. It is a well-designed piece of engineering that has managed to make the most out of its materials. That said, it is too hasty for you to recruit such a Journeyman. Alexa has been able to wield an outsized influence in the short time she started to work in our design lab, and now you have taken on another highly qualified first-class mech designer to our Design Department."

"What are you worried about, honey?"

His wife stared at him for a few seconds before she let out a sigh. "Control. I am worried that we are at risk of losing control to these first-class upstarts. Unlike the Journeymen you have recruited in Bortele, these first-raters exist in another dimension. They are so smart, so productive and so capable of adapting to new circumstances that I am afraid they may overtake us one day. You may not be so concerned about this problem given that you have already become a Senior, but what if Alexa or Kelsey manage to become a Senior just a few years later? What if they manage to progress their design philosophies faster than you? If they ever manage to realize their design philosophies while you are still decades away from doing the same, how will we be able to maintain our authority in the workplace?"

She had good reason to worry about this problem. Her chief concern was that she was still a Journeyman Mech Designer.

Unlike Ves, the chance of getting overtaken by the young guns was a particularly realistic possibility!

It was clear that she cared a lot about maintaining her voice and authority in the Design Department. Mech designers paid a lot of attention to rank and accomplishments because the ones who scored well in these aspects tended to know what they were talking about.

Ves could not imagine that proud and confident Terrans and Rubarthans would be willing to listen to a Journeyman who had failed to catch up to their progress.

Of course, if highly talented mech designers such as Alexa and Kelsey continued to make rapid progress, there was a chance they might be able to advance to the rank of Master Mech Designer ahead of himself!

That would be a considerable embarrassment to say the least.

Fortunately, Ves did not care too much. Mech design was not a race. It paid to be thorough at times.

"So what if they advance first?" Ves shot back. "We are all Larkinsons here. If they have proven to be more competent, then let them be in charge. Our common goal is to help the Larkinson Clan. While I am not a Rubarthan, I kind of like their emphasis on meritocracy. I have tried to implement this principle into our clan as much as possible. It would be hypocritical of me to not put the best person in charge of our Design Department. As long as the candidate has proven he or she can be trusted to have our best interests at heart, I do not have any strong objections to letting them take control."

His wife looked scandalized. She looked as if she could not believe that Ves would actually be willing to bestow a lot of authority to a mech designer outside of their immediate family!

"Are you mad, Ves?! The Design Department is our most important institution! It is not only the foundation of our clan, but also the sacred temple that will help us attain our godhoods! How can you be so cavalier about handing over the keys to a Larkinson who may not be as diligent or well-

meaning as us? This is our future!"

Her concerns were valid. Ves also shared the same mindset, but the difference between him and her was that he was more willing to put his trust in his subordinates.

"Leading the Design Department is different from leading the clan." He said. "Whoever I put in charge of it will still have to answer to me regardless. The only stuff the appointee can control is the specific operations of this department. In other words, administration and paperwork. That is boring work that is only taking away time for more productive pursuits."

His wife still did not look receptive to his arguments. She made a noise of discontent.

"I do not agree with you, but it is clear that I cannot change your viewpoint."

"Our clan must be fair. Everyone deserves a fair chance. The only condition that they must meet is that they are loyal and considerate to the clan and their fellow Larkinsons. I don't want our clan to become as stagnant and stratified as Terran society."

"Look, if you are so adamant on following the Rubarthan model, then at least you should take a page out of the Star Emperor's book."

Ves shook his head in disapproval. "For all of the Rubarthan pretensions of valuing merit over connections, their reality is not too dissimilar from that of the Terrans. I think we can do better, but the only way to ensure that is for the leaders of our clan to set an example. Our behavior will either serve as a positive or negative example for the rest of our clansmen. Let us make sure we do the former as opposed to the latter."

"..."

"Look, Gloriana. If you want to maintain control so badly, then you need to work for it. Earn your right to lead the Design Department through deeds, not words. How soon will you be able to advance to Senior? The last time we talked about this, you told us that with the help of your new Arachne 01 implant set, it shouldn't take long for you to attain your breakthrough."

His wife's expression darkened.

"It is not that simple, Ves. If I chose to design the Dark Zephyr Mark III as a conventional expert mech, then I would have broken through by this time. However, my ambitions are not so limited anymore. Despite its alien providence, archetech is clearly a superior tech base. It can serve as the perfect foundation for a new class of high-end mechs that can outperform any conventional equivalent. The problem is mastering it, as you very well know. I cannot turn it into a core component of my design philosophy if I am not able to design a single mech with this tech. Completing the Dark Zephyr Mark III is not enough. I will have to design at least half a dozen more archemechs in order to gain a sufficient grasp in archetech. On top of that, I have to do more than imitate the arche. I need to develop my own innovations in this field, and that is a separate challenge that will require a large amount of trial and error."

Ves was glad that his wife had managed to figure out a clear roadmap to become a Senior Mech Designer. She was in a better position than many other Journeymen who toiled for years but still did not have a clue on how to take a meaningful step forward.

However, it still remained uncertain how long it would take for Gloriana to satisfy these conditions. She might experience delays if she continued to struggle with mastering the fundamentals of archetech.

Aside from that, Journeymen also had to meet other requirements in order to earn the Red Kingdom's approval. These hidden conditions separated the children from the adults. Ves had reason to worry whether his wife would be able to broaden her horizons and think beyond her own selfish interests.

It was best for Gloriana to come to a realization about the purpose of mech designers by herself. Ves doubted that the truth would sink into her stubborn mind if he just told her outright.

"Well, good luck with that. I hope you will be able to make good progress. The Dark Zephyr Mark III Project has been falling further and further behind schedule."

"I. Know." Gloriana gnashed her teeth at this reminder. "I am working on it. I have invested more time in my studies in order to overcome my latest hurdle. I should make good progress soon."

Ves was not so sure about that, but he gave her all of the encouragement she needed.

Once the call came to an end, he turned his attention back to his own studies and tried to move closer to earning the qualifications of a first-class mech designer.

The distance between him and his goal was shrinking every day. It felt gratifying for him to be able to make smooth progress. The more he interacted with first-raters, the more he yearned to design the powerful first-class multipurpose mechs they took for granted.

"Soon."

Time passed by. The Bluejay Fleet's rapidly traversed multiple zones before reaching its target destination.

Located in the middle of the Zelmar Upper Zone, Ector stood out as a particularly busy and prosperous first-class port system.

The trade hub's favorable positioning made it convenient to ship over lots of valuable alien warship salvage.

Large orbital salvaging centers efficiently broke down the debris and preserved any intact alien tech if there was any value to them. Their output subsequently got transferred to one of the many shipyards operating in other orbits.

All of this heavy industrial activity took place in and around Ector V. Its orbital traffic was so heavy that strict traffic control applied. No vessel was allowed to approach casually due to the high risks of sabotage and accidents.

Only a few top figures and organizations were able to receive an exemption from these strict rules.

The Red Association happened to enjoy this privilege, so the full Bluejay Fleet did not get blocked by the port system's powerful defensive garrison.

As the Tarrasque and her escort vessels settled into orbit, Ves moved to an observatory chamber and gazed at the globe where he would reside in the coming week.

He did not look forward to what was about to happen next.

He agreed to attend a public inquiry that was determined to shine an unflattering light on his living mechs because he had no other choice.

If he was not present to defend his own works, then his adversaries would be able to make any argument without receiving any serious pushback!

For better or worse, Ves had to be there and stand up for his living mechs because no one else was qualified to do his job.

"I am not afraid."

Despite knowing that multiple powerful parties had come together to impede his rise, Ves willingly accepted this challenge because it was a necessary process.

If he wanted red humanity to not only tolerate, but accept the proliferation of third order living mechs, then he needed to be proactive rather than reactive.

Rather than letting his rivals and adversaries continue to wield this issue as their club, he needed to take it out of their grasp and turn it into a torch that could inspire hope among the people!

Ves already had a gameplan in mind, but he needed to do a lot more strategizing if he wanted to pass this important hurdle.

"Let's see what I am up against. Who dares to stand against my living mechs?"

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