The Mech Touch

As Ves continued to talk with Lady Romanda Devos in the middle of the floating garden, he began to experience a bit of pushback.

The Terran mech designer definitely expressed interest in Ves' secret project. What few details he revealed already enticed her to the point where she no longer bothered to hide her urge to participate.

"Are you truly being serious, Professor Larkinson? Have you actually managed to solve the barrier that only permits potentates to pilot mechs?"

"I did." Ves grinned and gestured at the surrounding guards of the Red Association. "Why do you think I am working so closely with the Red Association? This secret project is definitely one of the reasons why the mechers are crawling all over me. I do not have to explain the enormous implications of my work."

Lady Romanda contemplated all of the revelations. "Are you that confident in your work?"

"I am." Ves boldly claimed. "I will go down in history as the mech designer who has liberated mechs from its restrictions and allow any human to pilot them in a manner that is just as good as piloting mechs with the help of a neural interface. My collaborators will be remembered as well. Their work might not be core to the revolutionary control system that I have invented, but their names will still be attached to the first ever public and commercially available mech of this kind. I can guarantee you that you will be the most famous Senior Mech Designer of the Terran Alliance. I don't think the Devos Ancient Clan will be able to disregard you as easily as before after completing this lifetime feat."

That actually caused the woman to frown.

"I do not know if you were able to deduce this after you have studied my background, but I have my own pride. I have fought for over forty years to earn recognition from fellow Terrans. I have received opportunities to collaborate with others in the past, but even if those collaborative mech designs have met their goals, it is almost never because of my contributions. I tire of this outcome. I feel honored that you have sought to cooperate with me on a historic mech design project, but I do not want to contribute to a work that does not make better use of my ultra-large cockpits. Their inclusion may actually decrease the popularity of your mechs and cause them to sell less units than if you have chosen to collaborate with another mech designer."

"You are wrong." Ves shook his head. "I have not divulged all of the details about the new control system that I have invented. Once you sign up with me and gain access to more complete information, you will understand quite well why I have sought you out. Your design philosophy is a near-perfect complement to my new design application. I can promise you that as long as you contribute to my secret project, you will be more than just a name on a list. Many mech pilots, whether they come from the Terran Alliance, Rubarthan Pact or elsewhere will all be grateful that you have made my work more practical. Their piloting experience will be significantly worse if you are not able to lend your expertise on recovery after a loss."

That caused Lady Romanda's expression to soften. Although Ves had not given her an exact description of one of this latest work, she was able to piece together a rough image based on all of the hints and information she had received so far. The assumption that her design philosophy may actually be able to contribute a lot more materially to the secret mech design project actually gave her hope that she may be able to earn recognition from her people by relying on her own efforts.

Sure, her accomplishments would get overshadowed by that of Ves, but she was not dissatisfied with this scenario. As long as she received partial credit that was already ten times if not a hundred times better than the accolades she earned in the past!

"How confident are you that you will be able to succeed in this ambitious project?"

"Your new control system has not been fully verified as of yet? Has the Red Association completed any longitudinal studies on your new device?"

"I am almost 90 percent certain that the project will spark a completely new trend in our society." Ves smirked. "You have to know that I am not talking about a theoretical invention. It already came into existence several years ago. The first two pilots that have benefited from this revolutionary system are still making good use of it to this day. The Red Association has already stepped in and performed many studies on the test mechs that I have provided to them. While I cannot say anything about their long-term consequences, so far they are all living up to their promise. There is no need to worry about any complications, at least in the short term. Both the Survivalist Faction and the Transhumanist Faction are fully in favor of accelerating the development and commercial release of my revolutionary new mechs."

A woman as clever as Lady Romanda definitely did not fail to catch the underlying problems behind those words.

"Your new control system has not been fully verified as of yet? Has the Red Association completed any longitudinal studies on your new device?"

"No." Ves shook his head. "In fact, if it were up to me, I would have waited a bit before embarking on a new mech design project. The mechers have different priorities. I am sure you can guess why that is the case. Let me be honest with you. I cannot fully guarantee that there will be problems down the line. If any major problems occur with the people who have chosen to take advantage of the opportunity that my upcoming work has presented them, then you will bear a part of the blame as well. This is the risk that you have to bear by cooperating with me on my secret project."

"Thank you for being honest with me. My enthusiasm for this potential collaboration project has diminished. I am still tempted by the possibilities, but I cannot responsibly work on a mech design project that is based on questionable experimental technology. The Red Association imposes clear rules and guidelines on how much we are allowed to put our own customers at risk in the name of scientific progress."

"Don't worry about the Association. The Evolution Witch herself has developed a personal interest in this particular project of mine. She is our hidden backer essentially." Ves boldly exaggerated.

"That is reassuring to hear, but… just because a god pilot has given her blessing does not mean that she forces others to adopt the same stance. There are many professionals in our industry that will condemn your recklessness and lack of scientific rigor. If I become a collaborator, then I become culpable as well." Lady Romanda argued.

There was not much Ves could do about that. He continued to pet Lucky as the cat lazily lounged on his shoulder.

"Speed is of the essence. Red humanity might not be around anymore by the time the earliest of those long-term studies are done. There are times where we must do our work properly, and there are times where expediency is more important than everything else. The Red Tide Offensive has forced us in a position where we must scramble for miracles in order to turn around our disadvantaged situation. We cannot get away from this predicament without taking risks. I am willing to bear the potential infamy for introducing an experimental new control system that has unpredictable long-term side effects in exchange for reinvigorating red humanity. What about you, Lady Romanda? Will you let your professional ethics stand in the way of a priority as important as the very survival of the human race?"

The Terran Senior clearly felt pressured by his plea. She clearly disliked it that he was cornering her with his words. She understood what he was doing and thought worse of him because of that. If she held on to her usual standards, then she would have risen to her feet and said her goodbyes without any qualms.

However… Ves' words clearly affected her cognition. Martial law was coming into effect in more and more places. An entirely new wind had begun to blow in the mech industry.

The old status quo that mech designers enjoyed during the Age of Mechs had become a relic of the past.

The female mech designer lowered her head in thought.

"Take a chance." Ves encouraged her. "What do you have to lose? Your design philosophy is very peculiar and does not hold much value to the public on its own. I can make your ultra-large cockpits a lot more relevant by combining its properties with my unique new control systems. Sure, you won't earn as much credit for the success of my mech design project if it manages to take the mech market by storm, but even partial recognition is better than nothing. More Terrans are willing to give your mech designs a serious look, and that is far better than what little respect and recognition that you have earned up to today."

The female mech designer continued to think for a minute before she changed her posture.

"Very well. You have persuaded me to give your bold initiative a chance. I have never participated in a project with stakes as large as you have described, but… it may be just what I need to break out of the spiral that has trapped my career."

"Great! You won't regret this decision!" Ves grinned and reached out with his hand.

Lady Romanda raised her own slender arm and reluctantly exchanged a handshake with her new collaborator.

"This is a big project, Lady Romanda. It involves 6 mech designs spread across all three classes. Three of them are fairly conventional mechs while the other three are completely new machines that rely on an alternate control system to enable norms to pilot their new craft. I will give you the full details once you show up at my workplace that is located on another side of this planet."

"Can these new mechs of yours be piloted with conventional neural interfaces as well?"

"Not for these particular mech models. They are exclusively targeted towards norms and should not be used by professional mech pilots. It is possible for the latter to control mechs with both a conventional neural interface and my new control system at the same time. The combination has proven to be quite effective, so much so that I think that a lot of mech pilots will end up embracing my work."

The older woman looked more and more intrigued. "My curiosity grows. I am beginning to understand more and more why the Red Association has developed such a strong interest in your work. Once we have concluded this meeting, I shall return to my own design lab and prepare for an extended leave of absence. I have a suspicion that both of us will be better served if I devote my full time and attention to our collaboration."

"My clan welcomes you to stay at our base on this planet as our guest for the duration of our collaboration. I hope you do not have any objections about working with a Rubarthan guest."

Romanda instantly guessed the reason.

"I see. The political significance of involving a representative of the Rubarthan Pact will do much to add to legitimacy of your upcoming work. While I have never worked alongside a Rubarthan in a professional capacity, I do not object to it. There are Terrans who obsessed a great deal over their rivalry with the Rubarthans, but most members of my generation do not think it is worth obsessing over. Both of us have plenty of common enemies who would love nothing more than to see us squabble over disagreements originating from before the Age of Mechs."

The rivalry between the Terrans and the Rubarthans was old news now. The younger generations were especially nonchalant about it. All of those historical fights and grievances had long been buried in the archives.

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