The Mech Touch

Ves had a good talk with Tristan Wesseling.

The status between the two may have diverged even further in the past few years, but Ves never forgot the simple friendship they once shared.

This relationship enabled Ves to speak with Tristan on a more equal and casual level.

It became increasingly harder for Ves to speak to others without any regard for his elevated status and reputation, especially towards people outside of his clan.

This was why he still remembered Tristan and extended an invitation to him. There were many advantages to visiting Yernstall. Perhaps he may be able to find new customers for his products, or meet another mech designer whose design philosophy synergized well with his own.

Although Ves was willing to pay for Tristan's vacation, it was up to the former Fridayman to find his own opportunities on La Reine or any of the other planets in the large star system.

"There is a rumor going around that your product reveal is so important that a Star Designer may deign to attend. Is there any truth to this story?" Tristan cautiously asked. Ves merely responded with a mysterious smile. "Even if it is true, why do you think I am allowed to say anything about it? Don't talk about this topic any further."

"Understood, Ves."

They soon spoke about less controversial topics.

"It is doing fine for a second-rate colonial state in the Krakatoa Middle Zone." Tristan said. "Since our zone is adjacent to the contested Torald Middle Zone, everyone in Krakatoa is aware that they will face the brunt of alien aggression if the remaining two defensive bands ever collapse. That has spooked many colonists. Many cowardly families and organizations have already relocated to the rear of human space if they can afford it. Those that have remained behind mostly cannot afford to abandon their foundations and afford the overinflated prices that are being charged for real estate in the rear."

"Would you relocate to the Magair Middle Zone or another safer place if given the chance?"

"No." Tristan said with a surprisingly decisive tone. "I am done with running away. I severed my relationship with the Friday Colonies. I do not want to return in disgrace. I do not want to repeat the process of an immigrant trying to integrate into a foreign state a second time. The Colonial Federation of Davute is anything but perfect, but it is better than the Friday Colonies in any way. I wished I grew up in this state instead. If the war ever comes at our doorstep, I will leave the design lab and volunteer for military service. There is always a place for Journeyman Mech Designers in the military."

Perhaps Tristan may be overestimating his courage in the face of a genocidal threat, but Ves still admired his friend's courage and dedication.

Tristan Wesseling had lived through war once before and witnessed how ugly it could turn out. Yet despite being haunted by his trauma for many years, he still possessed enough of a sense of duty to take a more active part in a war once again.

Ves found it regretful that Tristan had yet to improve his design philosophy and his mech designs to the point of advancing to the rank of Senior Mech Designer. The former Fridayman's mentality was obviously in the right place, but that alone was not enough to get rid of his Journeyman status.

A Senior Mech Designer had to be capable of designing mechs that were clearly superior to the products they designed back when they were Journeyman Mech Designers.

If the difference in quality and performance was not significant enough, that person did not deserve to attain a higher rank.

It may take a decade or two for Tristan to advance to the rank of Senior by relying on his own efforts. This was a relatively average pace for a typical second-class mech designer, but it was incredibly slow compared to Ves.

That said, Ves did not urge Tristan to hurry up or lend any aid in order to speed up his plans. The man clearly had his own pride, and he was doing well enough compared to many other mech designers.

"If the Red War ever reaches Davute, you may have more than one way to contribute to the war effort." Ves gave his friend a coy smile. "Mech designers like us are no longer as limited by our physical constraints as before. We live in the Age of Dawn. There are many more wonders available to us than in the previous age. You need to correct your cognition and keep up with the times. If war ever comes, you will have many more tools at your disposal than before."

"I have seen the news footage where you fought against those strange arche phase lords. It is hard to believe that the giant human fighting against those arche with the help of smart metal is a mech designer. I do not think that becoming a phase lord is my thing, though. Just the cost of procuring the phasewater needed to expand my body to such exaggerated proportions is enough to end this fantasy."

Ves laughed. "There are more affordable ways for mech designers like you and I to become an asset on the battlefield. I can promise you that a lot of good stuff is in the works that will completely change the way we fight."

"Has the Red Collective prepared a 'cultivation method' that can strengthen mech designers?" Tristan asked with a slightly longing voice.

"Sort of. Just wait for the announcements, my friend. I don't dare to claim that red humanity's reversal is just around the corner, but the stuff I have been involved in will change our society forever"

As much as Ves wanted to chat with Tristan a bit more, he had to receive other

Important guests as well.

Once Tristan bid goodbye and left the backstage area, another notable guest arrived to meet with Ves in person.

He vastly preferred it if he did not meet with this particular individual, but her status demanded that he accepted her private visitation.

Lieutenant-Commander Astrid Jameson strode forward with purpose. She stopped before Ves and beheld his impressive appearance with an irritated expression. "Well-played, Hierarch of the Coalition of Faiths."

"Good morning to you too, Grandmaster-Protector of the Guardians of Order."

The two referred to each other by the titles that they used as of late in their political

Spars.

In the past few sessions of the Interim Leadership Council, Ves and Astrid had verbally sparred against each other numerous times.

Both of them represented the two broadest and most influential factions of the soon-to-be-founded Red Collective. It was impossible for them to befriend each other, but they at least grew familiar enough to build a measure of respect towards their political counterparts.

Though Ves still thought of Astrid Jameson as a spoiled brat who only managed to rise up the ranks of the Red Fleet due to the fact that she was a descendant of a powerful fleet admiral, he gradually learned that he was being unfair to this young lady.

For Astrid to gain opportunities to present herself to the public showed that she had managed to outperform many other scions of the Jameson line.

At the very least, Fleet Admiral Amelie Jameson still saw enough promise in Astrid to support her bid to lead the Guardians of Order.

However, Ves had a strong feeling that Astrid's motivation to seek him out had little

Direct relations to the political affairs of the Red Collective.

"You found out, didn't you? You and your ancestor at the very least."

Astrid scowled. "We did. You and your fellow mechers have admittedly done well to hide the truth of the storm that you are about to unleash upon our society, but it is impossible for you to protect your secret now that it has been shared among too many

People."

Ves shrugged. "I never really insisted on keeping this secret for so long. It is the mechers who really wanted to keep you guys in the dark. I don't think they care too much if the Red Fleet knows about it now. Unless you invade La Reine right away, there is no way for you and your fellow fleeters to stop what is coming. It is too late. You have already lost

This game."

The fleeter's expression turned even uglier as she had no choice to admit the truth of

His words.

"Do you understand how much time, resources and manpower the Red Fleet has invested in the establishment and expansion of the Starfighter Corps? It had a modest start, but it has gained more acceptance over the following months. We have built up a thriving industry for starfighters, and we have organized enough training programs to mobilize hundreds of millions of starfighter pilots in the next 3 years. All of this work. All of this training. None of it will come to fruition because the mech-crazed space peasants will take one look at your so-called Carmine mechs and forget about our Starfighter Corps. What pains all of us is that we have no viable counterplay. You have already put

Us in checkmate."

Though Ves wanted to feel smug about ruining the plans of the fleeters, his greater sense of responsibility towards human society couldn't help but decry all of the wasted

Investment.

He sighed. "I did not want this to happen, but that is life. Technological progress always comes paired with wasted efforts. There are few winners and many losers. That is the reality of it. I do not necessarily consider the Starfighter Corps to be a waste. If my Carmine mechs did not work out, we can always count on your brand of small craft. Besides, my Carmine mechs impose heavy restrictions that do not work out for everyone. Your starfighters are much easier and more straightforward to control. It doesn't require a decade of training for pilots to meet professional standards." "We do not require your pity, hierarch." Astrid hissed. "We can recognize that we have lost. We are already planning to draw down our Starfighter Corps. There is still a place for it as you have said, but our dreams that groups will begin with more starfighters than mechs have come to an end."

Ves smiled in a good-natured way as he reached forward and patted her shoulder.

The lieutenant-commander scowled and quickly pulled back.

"Do not touch me, you scoundrel!"

"Hey, I am just trying to cheer you up. The Red Fleet shouldn't hate my invention. You

Guys should embrace it instead! Have you not realized that my Carmine mechs rely on the same principles that have turned the Dominion of Man into a beast of a dreadnought? Now that I am about to publish my Carmine mech designs, your scientists and engineers will have a much easier time to reverse engineer my unique tech and independently develop your own Carmine warships."

The woman's expression changed. "Are you being serious, Larkinson?"

"I am. As far as I am concerned, you fleeters need to stop wasting your time on popularizing your own version of small craft. It does not fall into your core competences at all. You guys have always excelled in warship development, so you should stick with this. While I cannot promise you that it will be easy to adapt my Carmine System to large naval hulls on a practical basis, the existence of the Dominion of Man proves that this ambitious line of research does not lead to a dead end."

His suggestion caused the fleeter to fall in thought.

It was not easy to realize this ambition. The top minds of the Red Fleet had spent many

Months on studying and deciphering all of the impossibilities that made the Dominion of Man so strong, but they had not come close to cracking one of the many working principles that turned this dreadnought alive!

Even so, it was better than nothing. The Red Fleet refused to let the Red Association gain the upper hand!

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