The Mech Touch

The question of whether to shape the first commercial Carmine mech as a thick or thin machine was of great import.

This design choice would affect all of the subsequent choices for the mech design. It could change the lives of a huge amount of Carmine mechs and directly affect their lives and careers!

Millions of heroes would rise and fall solely due to the consequences of this critical design choice!

Since all three Seniors understood the enormous implications of this critical decision, none of them dared to treat the matter so casually.

While they weren't willing to start an entire committee presided by Master Mech Designers over this single issue, they did not want to make a proper decision before they fully explored the implications of either choice.

"I think that we cannot ignore the economic burden of the first Carmine mech." Jovy said. "Human lives are important, but resources are important as well. Small decisions can have a disproportionate effect on the economy and the industry of human civilization if the product becomes popular enough. It is practically set in stone that the first Carmine mech will be produced on a scale unlike anything we have witnessed in the new frontier. The less of a burden we can impose on the producers and resource extractors of red humanity, the better off everyone else will be. It is difficult to point out the benefits of designing a lighter Carmine mech, but they definitely exist."

Ves nodded in agreement. He could easily see how this may be true despite the fact that he had no background in economics and industrial policy.

"Many more Carmine mech pilots will die, though." He voiced a counterargument. "Is it truly right to make life more difficult for these enthusiastic if incompetent amateurs just to save on costs?" .c

Jovy remained unperturbed. "I am aware that most early Carmine pilots will not possess the skill to know how to evade damage while piloting a highly maneuverable machine. As callous as it is to say it, but the lives of norms who are neither professional soldiers or a member of another high-value profession are not that valuable. That does not mean that we should squander their lives at will. What matters is what sort of Carmine pilots will survive the crucible of war and thrive in the coming years."

"Think about it, Ves. The heavier Carmine mech is more user friendly, but that will also make Carmine pilots lazier and less incentivized to practice the art of avoiding damage. As far as casualties are concerned, it is not unacceptable for the Carmine mechs and pilots to die or lose their combat effectiveness, but the sacrifices must be worth it. Death as a consequence of lacking skill over the normal course of combat is a productive process. Those who are luckier, more skilled or more attentive will survive more often than not. Those who die are simply the less powerful of the group."

"What if they die because they are a poor fit for light mechs?" Vector asked.

"Then they should wait until a heavier Carmine mech becomes available." Jovy shrugged his shoulders. "What I despise are losses that result from poor retreat capabilities. It is a waste to allow Carmine mechs and pilots to perish due to factors that are mostly outside of their control. It is neither fair nor efficient to let them suffer disproportionate losses due to lacking numbers or getting outnumbered. Red humanity needs all of the skilled fighting bodies it can get, especially during the Red Tide Offensive."

"What if those 'fighting bodies' get cold feet and flee without authorization?"

"That is what the command mech is for, correct, Ves?"

The mech designer in question smirked. "Yup. The original designations for the two mechs are 'master mech' and 'slave mech'. Considering that it will be harder to sell the latter by calling them this way, I decided to refer to them with the less controversial phrase 'subordinate mech' instead. Still, my underlying ideas haven't changed all that much. There are at least two forms of hard control that can ensure that the slaves cannot act in opposition to their orders."

"Two?"

"Well, the obvious answer that you are thinking about is a way for the command mech to override the operation of a subordinate mech. This is pretty straightforward, though it leaves the latter with obvious vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. I am thinking about basing a part of this hard control method on both conventional technology and E-technology, so enemies must gain extensive masteries in both before they can feasibly sabotage Carmine mechs."

"This… is not an ideal method." Vector Loban frowned. "Many customers will find it difficult to trust their Carmine mechs if they are vulnerable to such a devastating threat."

"That is why I favor another solution, which is to rely on the living mechs to control their partners."

"Pardon?! Are you actually suggesting that the mech takes up a dominant position over the mech pilot in defiance of one of the central principles of our industry?!"

Ah. Ves overlooked this pesky factor. The Transhumanist justifiably expressed concern on this matter.

Instead of addressing this subject directly, he pointedly turned to the Survivalist.

"Jovy, what do you prefer more: a Carmine mech that is in full control of a shaky pilot that can decide to cut and run at any time, or a Carmine mech that has enough power to stop the cowardly pilot's attempts to run away and cause widespread panic in the process?"

"The latter. Principles are important and must be respected whenever possible, but we should not value them when they become a detriment to our survival. There are legitimate concerns about whether we are surrendering too much control to our Carmine mechs when we bestow them with this authority, but it is better to deal with the consequences of this design choice if red humanity survives in the end."

Ves smirked again. He expected to hear such a response. "I am sure we can appease the critics by limiting this form of hard control to low-end Carmine mechs. The more expensive and powerful Carmine mechs are more likely to be paired by more skilled and brave individuals. I do not think it is necessary to impose so much control over them. We just need to tighten the leash around the necks of the least reliable Carmine pilots."

Both mechers looked thoughtful as they considered this argument.

"Your argument is convincing." Vector said. "However, it will cost you if you are determined to implement this safeguard. You will not do yourself any favors by generating so much controversy."

"I think the Evolution Witch and other farsighted leaders will be able to appreciate this approach. As long as they are okay with this, then that is all that matters. We just need to disclose the truth to our customers and let them choose if they still want to pilot a mech."

"We can remove this safeguard for Carmine mech pilots that have completed a certified training program." Jovy added. "I will take this suggestion back to Master Dervidian and other Survivalists to explore whether this can be done. It is a good means to encourage Carmine pilots to seriously invest in their own training."

"Let us get back to the original subject." Ves proposed. "What other reasons are there to choose a lighter Carmine mech over a heavier one? I mean, the downsides are also serious. There is less room for modular parts. Light mechs also tend to break down faster and require more frequent maintenance. The nice thing about heavier machines is that they do not demand as much babying once they are built. Depending on the robustness of their design, you can toss them around and still expect them to fight when it matters."

The phrases 'robust' and 'light mech' never came up together! They were too incompatible with each other. Once a lot of lighter Carmine mechs came out, Ves expected that a lot of mech technicians would curse his name for burdening them with a lot of work.

Jovy paused for a moment in order to think about his response.

"I cannot refute this downside. However, the burden should not be too great. The small and light wasp mechs are inherently simple in design. That also makes them faster and easier to repair. If a heavier machine incurs damage, it takes much more work to partially disassemble them before building them back whole and fully functional again."

"Hm, you are right."

Jovy was not able to provide a lot more reasons why the first Carmine mechs available to the public should be thin, but he saved his best for last.

"Do you know why I am attracted to the lighter version of your subordinate mech, Ves?"

"Uh, I guess you are about to share the reason right away."

"My specialization has more room to play with a mobile mech." Jovy answered as he leaned forward. "Evasion relies on both skill and luck to succeed. The point where a pilot does not know which side will turn dangerous, but has to move his mech into a direction is a test of his skill, judgment, reaction speed, intuition as well as plain old luck. Different from others, I can actually affect this variable."

You can make a similar argument for heavier mechs. Luck can decide when one specific machine is targeted over others."

"That is not a circumstance that my design philosophy can manipulate, at least at its current degree of development." Jovy admitted. "Let me give you an example."

He pulled a well-worn die made out of a composite material from his pocket and rolled it on the work desk.

It landed on a 6.

Jovy picked it up and tossed it before repeating the process several times.

The die always landed on a 6, and Ves did not think it was because it was loaded or being affected by a technological cheating method!

"Why don't you try and toss the die?"

Ves looked confused. "Won't that end up rolling numbers in a completely random pattern?"

"No. I will try the same trick I employed just then"

Ves curiously picked up the die and casually tossed it onto the table.

5.

"Again."

"Again."

2.

"Again."

6.

6.

"Again."

6.

"Have you seen enough?"

"I think I get it." Ves said. "You can manipulate probabilities a lot easier if you have greater agency over the outcome. Trying to get lucky by trying to manipulate the behavior of enemies is much harder and more energy intensive than trying to manipulate your own actions."

"The same argument applies to your Carmine mech. The lighter machine relies much more on factors that are under the control of the mech and mech pilot to survive and perform well. The heavier and clumsier products do not possess this advantage. If you want to maximize my contribution on this project, then proceed with the smaller and lighter version."

That was a very compelling argument. Ves already became convinced. He really wanted to see a proper mech that properly took advantage of Jovy's exotic specialization. He had been waiting for many years to witness the performance of such a reality defying machine!

"Vector?"

"I am convinced. My colleague here possesses a design philosophy with high potential that is hard to counter and guard against. It would be a dereliction of our duty if we do not give full play to Jovy's strengths."

They came to a consensus on this matter. Ves had no doubt that heavier and much better armored Carmine mechs would come out in due time, but the first ones had to be light and maneuverable.

It was a lot easier to make other design choices after making this key determination.

"It is fitting for the subordinate mechs to be light and fast." Jovy smiled. "That does not mean they must be fragile. The more premium first-class and second-class variants that can be developed later can mount azure shield generators in order to boost their survivability. They will resemble alien phasefighters much more closely in this regard."

He did not mention anything of the sort for third-class variants.

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