The Mech Touch

"Ask away, Tusa. What do you want to hear from me? I haven't studied the draft designs too closely, but I can share my own views on the technical and conceptual traits of the two variants of your Dark Zephyr."

As the creator and one of the lead developers of the Dark Zephyr, Ves knew a lot about the powerful light skirmisher. The current iteration of the living mech was one of his best works!

Although Ves had little involvement in Master Benedict's plans to upgrade the Dark Zephyr into a first-class ace mech, he still had access to all of the reports that Gloriana received.

Even if Ves was busy with other matters, he always made sure to devote enough time to stay up to date on the developments of the first ace mech of the Larkinson Clan.

He had a strong personal stake in this matter. The strengths and weaknesses of the future version of the Dark Zephyr had a very large impact on the first-class mech force that he was planning to form in the near future.

Ves did not have a personal preference on which version of the Dark Zephyr that Tusa should choose. He only cared about whether the ace pilot would be able to fight at his best when he obtained his desired ace mech.

Saint Tusa spent a few minutes sharing his thoughts on the subject. He then proceeded to ask a question.

"How easy would it be for the Design Department to upgrade or modify either versions of my battle partner? The reason why I am asking this is because the Red War is developing quickly. New technologies are coming out every year. If possible, I would like my mech to be kept up to date more frequently than before."

That was a reasonable request. Ace mechs deserved better treatment than expert mechs due to their much greater strategic value.

Ves thought for a moment. "Gloriana should be able to give you a better answer on this. From what I know, the technical demands of the Banisher Edition are not as high. This variant is primarily designed to move faster on the battlefield so that you can quickly exile high-priority threats into other dimensions with as little delay as possible. It only relies on a single key resonating material to perform its primary role, so it is much easier to augment the more basic capabilities of your mech with lesser resonating materials. Master Benedict has already taken the initiative to augment the mobility of the Banisher Edition through this method, but we can also change that to boosting the Dark Zephyr's defenses or attack power."

That was an informative answer. Tusa nodded in gratitude.

"What about the Base Edition?"

"Well… I am not an authority in high-level materials science, but putting two powerful ace mech-grade resonating materials in a single ace mech is bound to create a lot of… strain, shall we say. When your resonance strength is still on the low end of an ace pilot, it will be more difficult to keep the Base Edition stable when your living mech is operating at high intensity. It is like piloting a volatile explosive. There should be enough safeguards to prevent your mech from exploding, but there is very little leeway to push the limits further when you are still a rookie ace pilot. The situation will improve once you have grown stronger and subjected your Dark Zephyr to a lot of willpower baptism. The metaphysical strengthening of the mech frame will give Gloriana greater leeway in applying additional resonating materials."

These were technical considerations that Tusa was not previously aware of! It was interesting to learn about these differences.

"I have another question, Ves. Are you working on new tech now or in the future that could make the Base Edition or the Banisher Edition a lot more powerful? Which one has the best chance to become a lot more effective when our society has managed to make a lot more progress in advancing new technologies?"

That was a rather difficult question, but Tusa happened to present it to the right person.

"I cannot say too much about other fields of technology, but I know a thing or two when it comes to phasewater technology, hyper technology and E-technology. In my opinion, it is harder to apply innovations to the Base Edition. There is not much room for improvement to weapons that have integrated B-30 Shattersteel because its effect is so simple and direct. Turbulenta presents more possibilities, but they won't be game changers."

"Are you saying that it will be different for the Banisher Edition?"

The physical projection of Ves nodded. "The Banisher Edition is like a soft reset of your Dark Zephyr. It is a new configuration that has yet to undergo years of refinement and optimization. Its signature resonating ability is also very new and flexible, which means that there are many ways to improve its performance by making targeted modifications to your living mech."

That was an interesting difference. The Banisher Edition should receive more dramatic upgrades in the medium and long-term.

"Which of the two variants plays better with phasewater?"

"The Base Edition is not too dependent on phasewater." Ves answered. "Sure, it can be used to strengthen and speed up the relatively thin mech frame, but these are standard applications. The use of B-30 Shattersteel makes it less important for the knives of this variant to possess strong penetrating capabilities."

"I see. I suppose it is very different for the Banisher Edition?"

"Correct, Tusa. I suspect that your recent… exposure… to phasewater may allow you to unlock the hidden potential of Erlemin, if it even exists. It is one of the few phasewater-infused resonating alloys available so far. The mech industry knows too little about how this extra detail affects the performance of resonating materials in real-world scenarios. I won't lie to you, Tusa. I think that part of the reason why the Red Association has put Erlemin on the War Exchange is so that people like you can field test this new material."

That caused the ace pilot to frown. He did not exactly wish to turn himself into a test subject, especially without making it clear from the start.

Then again, the Resonance Smith personally invented Erlemin. He would never deign to release anything too unstable that could pose a real danger against ace pilots. His reputation for excellence made it impossible to consider Erlemin an unstable experimental material!

"It is an honor to help the Resonance Smith collect more data." Tusa said in a neutral tone. "I haven't thought about my connection to phasewater. I myself don't really know what exactly I gained out of completing that stupid challenge of yours. All I've noticed is that I am getting along a little better with phasewater technology. Maybe this is one of the reasons why I have become drawn to the Banisher Edition."

"Don't let this single factor dictate your choice. There is more to the Banisher Edition than phasewater. There are also the design spirits to consider."

"I have been meaning to ask about that, Ves. From what I can see, the Base Edition plays well with both Trisk and Arnold. The Banisher Edition on the other hand doesn't have a strong connection to Arnold anymore. I am also not very certain whether this variant is compatible with Trisk."

Ves chuckled. "Your thinking is too limited. It is true that Trisk embodies the concept of freedom, but the act of banishing an enemy does not necessarily contradict it. Instead, you can treat it as an opportunity to 'liberate' your enemies from the prison that is called the material realm and send them to one of the many other dimensions that exist! With the power that the Banisher Edition commands, you practically gain a key that may lead you to a lot of different dimensions."

Saint Tusa was sharp enough to hear the elevated interest in the patriarch's tone.

"You sound like you favor the Banisher Edition over the Base Edition."

"Sort of." Ves answered. "Let me be honest. From the perspective of the Larkinson Clan, you are more useful as an asset if you pick the Banisher Edition. It is also in my own best interest that you pick this development route. However, I do not want to force you to take on a role that you are truly not interested in. Any short to medium term benefits pale in comparison to our ultimate long term goal, which is to help you transcend into a god pilot. If the Base Edition makes you more comfortable and grants you greater confidence in overcoming your challenges, then by all means go for it. What is best for you is also best for our clan."

Tusa's expression softened a bit after he heard that. He was grateful for Ves for not trying to pressure him into selecting one variant over another.

The Base Edition represented a continuation of his existing fighting style and allowed him to pilot what may ultimately become the strongest light skirmisher to ever exist.

It was important for him to make the final decision himself.

There was a lot of promise in either development route.

The Base Edition represented a continuation of his existing fighting style and allowed him to pilot what may ultimately become the strongest light skirmisher to ever exist.

The Banisher Edition took a very different turn by granting his Dark Zephyr a powerful new gimmick that could become his defining ability due to how great of an impact it could have.

Tusa truly felt torn between choosing a configuration that allowed him to earn more personal glory and a configuration that enabled him to become a more useful helper to the Larkinson Clan.

Of course, making progress until he successfully became a god pilot was the best possible way for him to do well in both areas!

"Tusa."

"What is it, Ves?"

"Let me guess. The reason why you are struggling so much is due to a conflict between your selfish desires and your sense of duty to the clan."

Tusa plainly admitted it by nodding. "That is one of the reasons why I have been postponing my decision so far. I think my domain is pushing me to choose the Base Edition, but I don't know if I will be able to forgive myself if that makes me unable to save our clan from a catastrophic defeat."

Ves shook his head. "I think you are approaching this the wrong way. You are the master of your domain, not the other way around. The reason why your domain is tied to the concept of freedom is because you yearn to be free and unrestrained. However, you are still a human. You still have the freedom to choose, to act illogically and to contradict yourself. Don't make a decision just because it is what your domain prefers. Settle on a variant that you look forward to piloting the most, even if you cannot list out all of the reasons why. Even if your choice conflicts with your domain, then impose your will onto it until it conforms to you again."

This final piece of advice cut through all of the fog and confusion that filled Tusa's mind ever since Master Benedict presented him with so many options.

The ace pilot once again radiated clarity and certainty as he decided on his future course as an ace pilot!

"If that is the case… then I want to take a chance on the Banisher Edition. I think I am ready to try something new and different."

Ves grinned. "Good choice. Our clan will support your decision all the way. I will pass on your preference to Gloriana and Master Benedict so that they can quickly get to work. Make sure to get ready to redeem the necessary quantity of Erlemin from the War Exchange. It is really expensive and has limited availability, so it is better to acquire it sooner rather than later."

Saint Tusa did not know whether he made the wrong choice at this junction, but once he spent almost all of his accumulated war merits on Erlemin, there was no turning back anymore.

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