The Mech Touch

Chapter 1863 Siren Song

Disagreements frequently occurred between two different mech designers. Unless they were raised and educated the same way, it was inevitable for ʼcreative differencesʼ to occur.

One of the more important challenges of a designer pair was how well they managed to resolve these differences.

When neither side wanted to give ground, it was difficult to come up to a solution that satisfied both.

In this case, Ves deeply desired to incorporate the high-capacity neural interface model into his Larkinson mech.

Actually, he wanted to adopt it for every mech if possible! Compared to more standard neural interfaces, the oddly-legal high-capacity models did not err on the side of safety!

From what he learned from fellow mech designers such as Old Man Terrence and books like the ones in Lady Curverʼs library, neural interfaces were capable of so much more.

Research in neural interface technology might be heavily curtailed these days, but enough studies had shown that deeper and more immerse connections often led to better performance.

The synchronization and responsiveness between the mech and mech pilot increased. In effect, a deeper connection allowed the mech pilot to embody the mech to a finer degree.

This meant that decisions that normally required conscious thought and manipulation became unconscious instinct. This freed up valuable mental processing power that the mech pilot could utilize on other, more important issues!

Naturally, the downside of a deeper connection was that the damage feedback between the mech and mech pilot also increased.

Despite all of the safeguards developed over the centuries since the popularization of mechs, brain damage was still a significant threat to every mech pilot!

Though Ves was aware of the risks, he already set his stance on this matter when he designed the Devil Tiger.

”Per angusta, ad augusta.”

He set this phrase as the Larkinson Clanʼs motto for a very good reason. Deeper immersion and more extensive man-machine connections stimulated mech pilots to a greater degree, thereby increasing the chance that they would find the chance to advance to expert candidate!

Giving every Larkinson mech pilot a greater chance to transform their lives was worth the risks they incurred if they used a high-capacity model!

The day after Gloriana stormed off, Ves met her again at breakfast at the Austen Estate. When they quietly finished their individualized meals, Ves approached his girlfriend, who huffed and turned her head away.

”Letʼs talk about our problem.”

”Why? I already made my opinion clear.” She spoke.

”I donʼt understand why you object so strongly to this choice.”

”Because itʼs wrong!” She shouted. ”Look, youʼre a brilliant mech designer, and many of your choices are amazing, but sometimes you lose perspective and go too far! Just because you have dangerous proclivities doesnʼt mean you should pass that on to your clan and subordinates! Are you not a leader? Where is your sense of responsibility?”

Ves sat next to her and enjoyed her rosy scent for a moment. His voice grew softer as he issued his reply.

”I am always thinking about the good of others. Iʼm no longer a lone ranger, I get that. Hundreds of Larkinsons and thousands of subordinates rely on me, and I take that very seriously. This doesnʼt mean I want to bury my head in the sand or just sit back and relax while taking no risks at all. The galaxy is dangerous and our situation is very precarious. We also have to make a huge effort in order to form and launch our grand expedition in time.”

Gloriana brushed aside her black hair and eyed her boyfriend with an impassive expression.

”Iʼm sympathetic to that, but your latest choice is needlessly excessive. You are experimenting with an innovation that you havenʼt even worked out yet! There is no proof that it could work, but already youʼre resorting to the most extreme option without considering safer alternatives!”

”I have a good feeling about my choice.”

She let out a frustrated grunt. ”Your feelings have been wrong before. Your intuition is not omnipotent. Youʼre a far cry from Prophet Ylvaine in predicting the future!”

”My intuition is an expression of my inner mech designer. The same goes for you. Trusting in your intuition is not a bad idea.”

”Sometimes, I think you are a slave to your intuition.” She muttered. ”You make choices that no one who is normal would take. Even you canʼt really explain why you went for a specific choice.”

”Is that wrong? Youʼre the same as me, you know. You make many choices that look weird to me but are completely normal to you. As mech designers, each of us pursue separate passions. Itʼs not odd for you to question me, but you should be aware that I stand by every choice I made.”

Gloriana scowled deeper. ”You think I donʼt know that? Iʼve let many disagreements slide because itʼs not worth bringing up. This decision goes too far though. High-capacity neural interfaces are rightfully shunned for very good reasons. I care a lot about the mech pilots who use my mechs. I canʼt accept the idea of using them as your lab rats!”

The two of them possessed many similarities, but also many differences. The treatment of mech pilots was a rather contentious subject for them. Glorianaʼs design philosophy caused her to view mech pilots with great importance. She sought to develop products that served their uses as best as possible.

Ves did not necessarily disagree with his stance, but his views on the matter were a little more... flexible.

He decided to be a little more drastic. He leaned into her and grasped both her shoulders. He pressed his face up against her own and stared directly into her eyes.

”Ves!” She gasped.

”I need your support, Gloriana. The Larkinson mech has the potential to be a fantastic mech for both us and the clan. The risk borne by my mech pilots is admittedly large, but itʼs not as bad as you think. Did you forget about the Breyer alloy? Against third-class mechs, our Larkinson mech is invincible! Hardly any opponent outside the Friday Coalition will be able to crack through such thick and resilient armor! The risk that a mech suffered heavy damage and proceeds to feed its trauma back to the mech pilot is significantly less!”

He had a point, but that was only the case when their Larkinson mech fought against ordinary opponents.

With the enemies that Ves had been attracting in recent times, this was not necessarily the case anymore!

”Itʼs still a suboptimal choice.”

”I donʼt agree.” Ves whispered to her. ”From the start, Iʼve always tried to cultivate my own forces. I spent years to fund and grow my Avatars and Sentinels until they became as formidable as they are today, but even then itʼs not enough! My men arenʼt as good as their counterparts in the Glory Battalion. They need every help they can get in order to promote to second-class mech pilots, and our Larkinson mech is a great means to make this possible!”

Both mech pilots still stood their ground. Gloriana was sympathetic to his viewpoint, but that wasnʼt enough to shake her conviction!

”There are ways to train your forces. Isnʼt my brother already helping your mech pilots out?”

Ves grimaced a bit. ”Iʼm thankful for that, but I donʼt like to rely on others. Besides, your brother is only a single person. Itʼs impossible for him to guide the development of over 1,500 mech pilots! The expansion of my forces doesnʼt end there either. I want to have a robust training regime in place that allows us to train our own second-class mech pilots, and our Larkinson mech is a vital piece of the puzzle!”

His ambition for their current design project was enormous! He wanted this mech to perform multiple roles and fulfill multiple objectives at the same time! He not only wanted it to come in four different configurations, but also employ it as the mainstay of his forces while at the same time functioning as a training mech!

All of these goals complicated the project enormously, but Ves never doubted his ability to succeed!

Gloriana started to look swayed. His close proximity started to make her feel dizzy. ”Ves.. I...”

”Mech pilots learn faster when they pilot real mechs as opposed to virtual mechs.” He said. ”Mech pilots learn even faster in actual combat as opposed to live training sessions. Excessively trying to coddle them wonʼt do them any good down the line. Sure, their chances of survival increases, but what of their dreams? What of their aspirations? To chase after greatness is the ambition of every mech pilot! No matter how much they try to suppress this urge, in their hearts they all long for glory!”

”Glory is—”

”Glory is in your name!” Ves interrupted her! ”Havenʼt you taken some risks to be with me and collaborate with me? You are no different from me and my mech pilots! Since youʼre so willing to spend so much time outside your state to work with me, why are you depriving my mech pilots of their own opportunities? Let them choose! They can pilot my Larkinson mech if they want or opt for a safer mech if they think itʼs too dangerous!”

Gloriana tried to press Ves away, but he was simply too strong! Her feeble, baseline human strength was no match to his half-alien physique!

”Thatʼs a false choice and you know it.” She hissed. ”Others may see you as the Devil Tongue for your ability to deceive others, but I see it as a reflection of your ability to make your mechs desirable! From the Transcendent Messenger onwards, almost all of your mechs possess an irresistible charm to them. Their glows and their intrinsic divinities are like siren songs to mortals! I have no doubt youʼd be able to make people jump into the abyss by droves if you design an attractive sign in front of its entrance!”

That.. was a strange remark. Ves felt a bit flattered actually. She wasnʼt wrong. This was definitely something he banked on to make his Larkinson mech a wanted product by his mech pilots!

Seeing that Gloriana managed to expose him, Ves decided to resort to plan B.

He kissed her on the lips.

”Mppphff! Ves! This isnʼt the time! I—”

He kissed her again, deeper this time!

”Ves! You scoundrel! If you think you can—”

”—Iʼve already made my choice, Gloriana. Iʼm not one of your Hexer boys who rolls over for you whenever you make a demand. The Larkinson mech is MY design project. Iʼm in charge here. Not only that, Iʼm also the client! As the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan and the owner of the Avatars of Myth and the Living Sentinels, I have the right to set my own requirements!”

”Just because you—”

He kissed her again. And again. And again.

He kissed her so many times that he began to embrace her closer to his chest. For her part, Gloriana eventually forgot what she wanted to say and simply melted in his arms.

They shared so much body warmth and affection that the intimate moment eventually grew too hot for the Glory Battalion!

Melody, who had always been hanging in the background, eventually stepped forward to separate their lips and bodies!

”Thatʼs enough for one day!”

As Ves and Gloriana maintained a proper distance to each other, their moods had changed a lot from before!

Whereas Ves radiated confidence and satisfaction, Gloriana looked a little muddled. Her thoughts were in disarray and the emotions rampaging inside her didnʼt make her situation any better!

”Will you let me have my way now, Gloriana.”

”Uhm… Iʼll give you a chance… Iʼll shut your attempts down if they turn out to be unacceptable… is that okay…?”

Ves grinned. ”Thatʼs all Iʼm asking for. Thanks, love.”

”Youʼre welcome.”

With this issue resolved, they proceeded to travel to the LMCʼs headquarters to resume their design work. Adding the Ancestral Possession ability to the Larkinson mech required a lot of research and exploration!