The Mech Touch

The mechers snatched away the Elegant Rage before she completed her journey back to Diandi Base.

In one moment, the exhausted but sublimated Woodsap mech calmly flew towards a single destination.

In the next moment, Ves suddenly blinked as the closed cockpit environment around him changed into a completely outdoor setting!

It turned out that the Red Association teleported the Elegant Rage as well as Major Simon Jankowski directly from her current location to a different site!

That sounded fine and all, but the problem was that they excluded Ves from the teleportation process, meaning that he got left behind!

Naturally, just because the mech was gone did not mean that Ves lost all of the forward momentum from the Elegant Rage's flight.

Just like any other person that got launched from a flying shuttle, Ves turned into a ballistic projectile that managed to fly a certain distance before crashing onto the ground like a cannonball!

Boom!

Ves dug himself out of the hole he created onto the soil. As a phase lord, he incurred no damage from the violent impact.

"Screw you guys!" He roared as he raised his middle finger into the air! "Can you at least bring me back to Diandi Base?"

Nothing happened.

Ves no longer bothered to wait and brushed off whatever dirt had clung onto his suit before rising in the air and journey home by relying on his own power.

Fortunately, a shuttle dispatched by the Premier Branch and escorted by a bunch of mechs managed to meet him halfway. This allowed him to take a break until the vehicle finally brought him back.

Ves immediately went down to his workshop. He grew disappointed when he did not see the Elegant Rage. This meant that the mechers had already claimed the Woodsap mech for themselves.

He turned around and entered the elevated control room where he was met with Gloriana, Alexa, Jovy and Vector.

"Ves."

"You have returned."

"Master Dervidian wishes to contact you as soon as possible."

It quickly became clear that a lot of people wanted to talk to him about what just happened. Ves knew that he would probably remain occupied all day, so it was best to get all of the meetings over with sooner rather than later.

"I will talk to Master Dervidian first." Ves declared. "I'll talk to Master Laila Rebecca Devos next. I will let my personal assistant decide the order from there, skipping any appointments with irrelevant people."

"That works." Gloriana said.

"I hate to disappoint you, but I don't think I can whip up anything too quickly." Ves tried to temper her enthusiasm. "The base version of Carmine mechs have not even been released yet. Unless the mechers have changed their mind, the first Carmine mechs will consist of third-class machines that will be put on sale later this year. We should give the third-raters enough time to act as our test subjects and verify that my Carmine System is safe to use. After that we should test it on second-raters. Then the first-raters get their turn, but only with the vanilla version of Carmine mechs. I don't know how much time will pass before we finally get to release Woodsap mechs on a wider scale."

The answer satisfied the two mechers. The Red Association had already held discussions on the amazing and terrible capabilities displayed by the Elegant Rage. The huge potential as well as the perceived instability of this powerful machine were the main reasons why the mechers rushed to take custody of the Woodsap mech!

"Before I go and account for myself, do you have any questions, or is there anything you want to bring to my attention?"

"How soon will you begin with the development of a mass production Woodsap mech model?" Alexa asked. "The Streon Ancient Clan and numerous other ancient clans have expressed great interest in the concept that we have tested today. Woodsap mechs may be our best way to gain a foothold in the Terran mech market."

"I hate to disappoint you, but I don't think I can whip up anything too quickly." Ves tried to temper her enthusiasm. "The base version of Carmine mechs have not even been released yet. Unless the mechers have changed their mind, the first Carmine mechs will consist of third-class machines that will be put on sale later this year. We should give the third-raters enough time to act as our test subjects and verify that my Carmine System is safe to use. After that we should test it on second-raters. Then the first-raters get their turn, but only with the vanilla version of Carmine mechs. I don't know how much time will pass before we finally get to release Woodsap mechs on a wider scale."

As amazing as the Elegant Rage performed earlier today, there were many problems and shortcomings that Ves had overlooked!

If every other Woodsap mech possessed the same vulnerabilities as the first machine of its kind, then they clearly needed to undergo a lot more R&D before Ves could responsibly make them accessible to others!

After Ves answered a few more questions, he left the control room and waited until he got teleported to a secure RA stronghold.

"So now you are willing to teleport me again." He grumbled.

Due to the heightened sensitivity of the topic, Ves needed to contact Master Dervidian in one of the most secure communication chambers on the planet.

Once Ves sat down, his surroundings changed as he gained a projected view of one of Master Dervidian's offices.

"Professor Larkinson. You have once again failed to remain low-key." The old but healthy-looking gray-haired man began. "The events surrounding your latest work have distracted many people from their final war preparations. The short but dramatic tribulation event has also caused our faction to experience a small crisis. Did you know that all of the excessive attention directed towards your strange mech has almost shattered the confidentiality surrounding your Carmine mechs? As it is, many more individuals have managed to learn about the existence of the Carmine System, even if it is just the name of your invention."

Ves quietly listened, but did not really feel guilty about the Transhumanist Faction's problems.

"With respect, Master, I think we have greater concerns to deal with than maintaining secrecy on a product that will become widely known in the short term."

Dervidian looked at Ves as if he was an idiot.

"We have deliberately shielded you from the political turmoil that would ensue once your Carmine System threatens to upend the hierarchy of the mech community. Do not think that you can release your Carmine mechs without suffering any negative consequences. Your products are so subversive that they pose a threat to the status quo. There will always be selfish rentseekers who will do their utmost to defend their existing privileges, even if they have to stand in the way of progress itself."

Ves shrugged. "I get it, but you guys are the ones who want to manage the Carmine System so much. Since that is the case, it is only natural for you to bear the burden of managing the public perception of my work."

"Opinions about your Carmine mechs have become more polarized after we have witnessed the Elegant Rage's performance." The Master Mech Designer informed Ves. "We understand that it is a more advanced and experimental version of a normal Carmine mech, but that still gives us great concerns about the damage they can do. During the final fight, your experimental mech managed to defeat an opponent by obtaining the power of a juggernaut, if only temporarily. You should know how significant such a transformation can be if it can be applied to more mechs."

Ves nodded. He had already thought about the implications of such an amazing feature.

"I see great hope in them. When used correctly, Woodsap mechs can allow us to defeat more enemies with less. Being able to deploy juggernauts the size of ordinary mechs is too much of an advantage for us to leave aside. It will probably take years before I can work out their kinks and minimize all of the risk factors that I have taken notice of, but in the long run I think our civilization will become better if we field more of these wooden machines, not less."

"There are those among the Association that believe that your Woodsap mechs can indeed play a small but significant role in turning around the Red War. There are also mechers who have developed great doubts about the safety and stability of these unusual living mechs. It is good that you are willing to continue the development of these special Carmine mechs for a longer period of time. The base version of the Carmine System might not possess as many advantages, but the risks are not as great."

"So what does your faction actually want?" Ves impatiently asked. "Do you want to change the timeline, or do I need to make any changes to the Elegant Rage?"

The RA Master spread his arms. "We need you to begin with prioritizing development of your first third-class Carmine mechs. We understand the reason why you have prematurely begun to work on your so-called Woodsap mechs, but we are concerned that you will quickly cause accidents, of which some may produce fatal results, if you continue to work on more advanced and experimental versions of the Carmine System. We do not think it is prudent for you to maintain this pattern. It is best if you return to basics and focus on developing the most stable, low-tech and cost-efficient Carmine mechs for the third-class market."

In other words, the Transhumanist Faction wanted Ves to stop attracting so much attention by pulling off a crazy stunt!

As long as Ves spent his time on working on the most boring and least powerful versions of Carmine mechs, then there was no way he could inflict as much harm as today!

"I can do that, Master. Do you want me to complete these projects sooner than scheduled? Designing third-class mechs is not a difficult challenge to me. Carmine System or not, its presence only introduces modest complications to the mech frame. A third-class mech is still a third-class mech."

Master Dervidian looked undecided. "There are good reasons to adhere to the original timeline, but there is a chance that we will shift our chance. It depends on how the alien offensive unfolds. If our defensive bands collapse one after another, then we may need to rely on any solution to stop the alien invaders from pressing into our hinterland."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I would like to release my Carmine mechs early, but not at the cost of letting the native aliens rampage across our stars without hindrance."

The two mech designers talked a bit more about the planning and arrangements surrounding Carmine mechs.

Although people like Master Dervidian were highly sensitive towards the societal impact of the release of the first Carmine mech models, the strange capabilities shown by the Elegant Rage also attracted a lot of concern.

"Tell me honestly, Ves. How much is the Elegant Rage at risk of losing control again?"

"None. Zero. The only reason why the Elegant Rage grew out of control was because she was not paired with a sufficiently strong pilot. She was made for Venerable Lanie Larkinson. Once an expert pilot takes charge, my latest work will have no chance of going out of control. This is assuming that Lanie interfaces with the Elegant Rage with a regular neural interface."

"What will happen if the two form a 'Woodsap Pact?"

"I can only guess at the result." Ves honestly replied. "I predict that the Elegant Rage will become even more stable as Lanie's strong willpower can act on the machine through an even stronger connection. I think that you should agree with this logic."

Master Dervidian possessed a good understanding of extraordinary willpower, so he was willing to take this statement at face value.

That did not assuage all of his concerns, though.

"How do you estimate the risks when you consider other Woodsap mechs that are paired with either professional mech pilots or norms?"

"Well, assuming that they have undergone the same kind of extreme body modifications that Lanie must undergo, I think that the personality and discipline of the pilots in question will affect the stability of Woodsap mechs. There… is a heightened risk that they can turn into giant trees if their pilots are too weak, undisciplined, weak-willed or beset by personality disorders."

That was not a pleasant answer to hear. Master Dervidian frowned as he mulled over the answer.

"If that is the case, then we must restrict the sale and usage of Woodsap mechs to mentally stable individuals."

"I guess so, Master. I do not think that any variation of an elemental Carmine mech is suitable for weaklings. They have much greater potential, but that also makes them a lot more dangerous. I don't think this is bad. This will give elites a goal to strive for while also keeping ordinary Carmine mechs relevant for the masses."

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