The Mech Touch

The noise levels finally started to subside after people gained a few minutes to process their emotions.

The reaction to the claims made by Ves and the proof provided by the Red Association subverted one of the most important pillars of the mech community and maybe even human civilization as a whole!

People continually struggled to believe that a hard rule that had remained invincible for over 400 years had suddenly collapsed because a Senior Mech Designer accidentally invented an alternate control system!

Although Ves had laid out his story and case in a clear and straight fashion, people had become so invested in the prior status quo that they couldn't overcome the inertia of their old beliefs!

The optimism among the people did not fade, but the cheers were steadily being overtaken by doubts and skepticism. Many individuals refused to believe that solving the problem posed by genetic aptitude could be this easy. There had to be a trick or caveat that made the reality less than stellar.

Ves finally raised his palm, causing most people in the massive exhibition hall to gradually stop their chatter.

No matter what, Ves had amply earned the right to speak today.

"I am aware that my delivery of the facts so far has failed to fully satisfy you all. Before I proceed with introducing the commercial mechs that incorporate the groundbreaking Carmine System, I am open to answering certain questions about my design application. Those of you who are attending this product reveal in person should have just gained access to a special submission portal in your comms or cranial implants. Once you have submitted your questions, the mechers who manage this system will select the most relevant and appropriate of them. If they have selected your question, you will be given the opportunity to stand up and voice your question to me in person."

A short pause ensued before a lot of people began to visit the virtual portal in question! Millions of people activated their comms or directly accessed the portal through their cranial implants.

They were not necessarily motivated by the need to have their questions answered. Many people already recognized that this event would become an integral part of red humanity's historical record.

Many children born in the future would probably see a full replay of this product reveal. Those lucky and astute enough to earn a chance to ask their questions to the inventor of the Carmine System would definitely be able to impart their names and faces onto all of those impressionable students!

This may even turn into a supreme glory that guaranteed the prosperity of a family or

Clan for many generations to come!

Naturally, the portal instantly welcomed an influx of millions of eager people!

No matter whether they were mech designers, mech pilots, artists, students or even children, everyone had a chance to submit a question!

Unfortunately, the people who had heard the explosive news and tuned into the broadcast of the product reveal discovered to their disappointment that they did not have access to this submission portal!

"This is unfair!"

"We deserve to have our questions answered as well!"

Unfortunately for all of the people witnessing this historic announcement from afar, life wasn't fair.

Ves personally believed in the sanctity of person-to-person interaction. An event as important as this should not devolve into a remote exchange.

He patiently waited for the people to think up a good question and submit it. The RA already employed a bunch of Als to rapidly filter out all of the stupid and invalid questions. The ones that remained got passed on to a large team of human mech designers, who carefully weighed the value of the questions before composing a shortlist.

Ves silently received this list and immediately began to mark a few questions out that he did not wish to address.

Once he concluded the process, he clapped his hands and kicked off the Q&A session. "Alright! Many of you have submitted interesting and insightful questions. While many of you will eventually be able to obtain the answers yourself once we have published the full documentation and made our new products available, there are certain inquiries that deserve greater attention. Let us start with Mech Colonel Grecia Avares of the Rubarthan Pact."

A spotlight shone down on a private box. The front wall of the box turned translucent, giving the public a clear view of the Rubarthan mech pilots and mech officers that had reserved the VIP seats.

A middle-aged woman wearing a uniform steadily rose up from her seat and took a few steps forward. She kept her back straight and placed her arms behind her back. She did not hide the pride and satisfaction of being the first person to be able to ask a question to the famous Professor Larkinson!

"On behalf of the military of the Rubarthan Pact and the Red-Stained Throne, I am honored to be able to present my inquiry to you." The woman spoke with confidence and professionalism. "My question is thus. Mechs have long imposed strict usage requirements that only permits a small minority of our population to make use of them. Your Carmine System threatens to upend this condition, especially if it is affordable

Enough to facilitate mass adoption. Is it not too reckless to suddenly make this Carmine System of yours accessible to everyone? Many adults who have given up their dreams of piloting mechs have gone on to become productive mech designers, doctors, managers and factory workers. Are you not afraid that your disruptive invention will cause all of those workplaces to suffer manpower shortages as far too many individuals resign from their positions and attempt to rekindle their fantasies of becoming mech pilots?" Ves smiled in response to this predictable question.

"The Red Association has thought long and hard on the societal consequences of making my Carmine System available to everyone. I can assure you that the mechers are on top of this situation. I cannot share with you all of the measures that they have prepared, but I can tell you a few generalities. First, the Carmine System may offer people a different means to pilot a mech, but that does not mean they can do so with enough skill to match professional mech pilots. It still takes at least a few years of dedicated training to pilot a basic Carmine mech without becoming a liability on the battlefield. It takes at least 10 years of full-time training and education for Carmine mech pilots to equal conventional mech pilots in skill and combat ability."

"That will not deter the repressed mech fanatics that have always lamented their missed opportunities and finally have a chance to revive their dreams." Colonel Avares stated. "Now that piloting mechs has become available to everyone, who would want to work in a shop, a farm or a cargo hauler? Our society has glamorized the allure of mechs for many years, and now we are about to suffer for it. The pool of mech designers will definitely suffer a massive drain. It is not a secret that far too many mech designers only entered the mech industry because they cannot move past their desire to pilot mechs. They regard the acts of designing and producing mechs as an inferior substitute to their true passion, at least initially. Professor Larkinson, are you not afraid of causing mech designers to become so scarce that your profession is on the verge of extinction?" Ves couldn't help but laugh at these absurd scenarios. "Colonel, our society is made up of a wide variety of people. Not everyone is suitable to live the life of a soldier. There are potentates with the talent to pilot mechs, but they are never allowed to fight on the battlefield because they will freeze up and make mistakes. Such occurrences will happen much more frequently if you put intellectuals, musicians, politicians, lab technicians and other non-combatants in the cockpit. Just because you can pick up a firearm and shoot with it does not mean you have a right to become an infantry commando. The same applies to Carmine mechs."

"Does that mean the Red Association will restrict the right to pilot Carmine mechs to people who have completed certified training programs?"

"That is one of the measures that the Association intends to employ." Ves nodded. "Carmine mechs are similar to conventional mechs. They are weapons of war that have the capacity to inflict a large amount of damage. We cannot possibly hand them over to untrained and impulsive individuals who do not possess the discipline to pilot them with caution and respect for their destructive potential. Perhaps unqualified people will be permitted to fool around with undersized training mechs, but the RA intends to

Regulate the use of combat-capable Carmine mechs more strictly."

"What if there are too many people who are patient enough to enroll into the training

Programs?"

Ves smiled. "There are still many other limitations. First, there are only a finite number of accredited mech academies that can set up those training programs. Only those who have sufficient money, talent, connections or other factors can earn a quota. Second, once these Carmine mech pilots graduate with a valid diploma, they still need to obtain or get assigned to a mech. Do not forget that even the cheapest mech is unaffordable to ordinary citizens. If they cannot purchase a machine of their own, they will have to find employment with an existing mech organization, but there will be so many applicants that only the skilled and best-performing Carmine mech pilots will get hired."

That answer began to deflate the confidence and enthusiasm of a lot of people. The reality that Ves described with his words could very well take away their dream of

Piloting mechs!

"That sounds as if piloting mechs will turn into a privilege that can only be enjoyed by a small majority. That is different from what we all imagined, professor." That was a valid complaint, but Ves merely crossed his arms.

"My Carmine System opens up new options, but I never claimed to create a utopia. We

Are at war. The native aliens have overrun many star systems and killed a huge amount of soldiers. Our resources are becoming more strained and our mech pilots are dying off at a concerning rate. What I am able to do is give far more people a chance to become a mech pilot so that we are not overly reliant on the 3.5 percent of the population that possesses a suitable genetic aptitude. No matter what, everyone has a small chance to become a mech pilot, which is better than having no chance at all. It is up to the individuals to seek opportunities and work hard to prove that they have earned the right to pilot a precious machine."

That answer satisfied the Rubarthan colonel. "I agree with you, professor. Piloting mechs

Should remain a privilege, not a right. No one is entitled to pilot a mech or Carmine mech. We do not have the resources to give everyone their own personal mechs." "Many states and star systems are currently under a state of martial law." Ves elaborated. "We cannot afford to allow Carmine mechs to be used for leisure and other frivolous activities. Every Carmine mech pilot that completed their training must be ready to ship out to the frontlines at any time. If you are not willing to use your newly obtained fighting and piloting skills to fight on behalf of red humanity, then you do not deserve to pilot a Carmine mech. Please consider carefully whether you are willing to abandon your peaceful lives and careers at the rear and subject yourself to the ravages of war. There is no shame in admitting your inability to cope with danger. There is a place for everyone in our society. We still need people to design our mechs, to transport our goods and to

Operate our mining equipment."

This exchange successfully defused a lot of people's unrealistic fantasies of quitting their jobs so that they could pursue the life of a Carmine mech pilot.

Of course, it did not stop the true diehards from pursuing their obsessions, but at least the authorities had access to many solutions that would allow them to control this

Situation!

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