The Mech Touch

Ves employed the same crazy-sounding arguments against Professor Oodiv of the MTA. He succeeded in arousing the Senior's disgust, and managed to end any further line of questioning in his unorthodox design philosophy.

He expected a rational mech designer like Master Willix to respond in a similar fashion.

After all, the MTA was known to be a highly secularist organization. Though it was officially neutral when it came to matters of faith, in practice most if not all of its members comprised of people who believed that every phenomena could be explained and that gods didn't exist!

Was Master Willix a closet believer or something? Ves didn't think so. She was a rational mech designer. Rationalists never engaged in superstition!

Right?

After Ves threw out his latest outlandish notion, Master Willix continued to remain silent as she mulled over his words.

The five men and women who accompanied her looked as if they had plenty of words to say to Ves, but none dared to act presumptuously in the presence of a Master!

The silence didn't last for long.

"Keep up the good work." She finally said.

"..Thanks?"

She smiled at Ves. "I am not Professor Oodiv, Mr. Larkinson. I come from the galactic heartland. I have dedicated myself to mechs for almost two centuries and experienced the diversity of mechs in dozens of star sectors. From third-class mechs to first-class mechs, I have witnessed almost every variety of mechs that can be made. I exchanged with thousands of mech designers from every corner of the galaxy and have become exposed to thousands of eclectic views with regards to mechs. Do you believe that your views are the most extreme I've heard? Far from it! Class IX design philosophies encompass an entire gamut of unbelievable premises!"

"I.. see." Ves stammered. "Does that mean you.. believe me, ma'am?"

"We are scientists. We are engineers. We are mech designers." She turned to her entourage and stared them down with a mildly-disapproving expression. "Look at the mechs around you. Have you noticed how some of those mechs exert a distinct influence on your moods and emotions? Whether Mr. Larkinson is right or wrong, there is no doubt that he has managed to produce results!"

"But, ma'am, his theories are completely unfounded!"

"Are they?" Master Willix pointed at a nearby Desolate Soldier. "Then how do you explain this mech?"

There was no way for them to answer this question. They had no grasp on the phenomena known as glows!

"Human society is divided. We are separated by differences in myths, beliefs, customs and more. Most of us believe that this is detrimental to our development as a species." She threw out. "The most common strain of thought is that we would have become strong enough to conquer the entire galaxy as long as we aren't so prone to division!"

"You.. disagree, ma'am?"

Master Willix nodded. "I think diversity is one of the greatest advantages our expensive society has produced. Certainly, there are both good and bad beliefs. All manner of reprehensible despots have managed to take advantage of our propensity for division to further their selfish ends. Yet it is when humans have room to explore their own views that some of our most revolutionary innovations have come about. Trying to stifle these explorers when they aren't doing any harm does not further the interests of our Association."

She mostly directed her words at her fellow members of the MTA. Ves understood then that Master Willix was using his case as a teaching moment!

"Now, the theories espoused by Miss Wodin and Mr. Larkinson are certainly exotic. However, it is not the responsibility of the MTA to determine which views and design philosophies are allowed. So long as they do not cross any lines, it is our policy to leave them to develop on their own. If we did not adopt this policy, then narrow-minded people within our Association would have stifled numerous radical but successful advances in mech design."

Her rebuke hit the other officials of the MTA square in the heart!

"With regards to unusual theories and radical approaches towards mech design, our Association has maintained a consistent attitude towards them since our founding." She swept her gaze to the mechs piloted by the Avatars. "Proof is everything. No matter if their theories are inaccurate or incomplete, there is no doubt that this pair of mech designers have achieved unique results that have lent some credence to their views. It makes no sense to disparage them when they have succeeded in introducing something novel in the field of mech design. Each of you should understand how exceptional it is to achieve true innovation in the mech industry. In my opinion, these pair of youngsters are some of the worthiest mech designers I have met among the natives."

Her statement shocked both her entourage and Ves!

While Gloriana acted as if she deserved to be praised, Ves inwardly felt surprised that Master Willix was a lot more open-minded than he initially thought.

Was this what a true Master of the MTA was like? The breadth of vision Master Willix possessed was substantially higher than that of her fellow members!

After rebuking the others, she turned her attention back to Ves. "Your steadfastness and willingness to stand up to your beliefs are admirable. Ignore your detractors. As long as you continue to produce results, you can shut any naysayer. Remember, in the mech industry, right or wrong is determined by the mechs you design, not the arguments you use to frame your design philosophy. You can shut every argument up as long as you design or build the right mech."

"Thank you, Master. I appreciate your support."

Soon enough, they entered a structure that led them underground. Once the party arrived at the restricted hall that held the Quint and its four configurations, the MTA delegation began to take in the view.

It didn't take long for someone to state the obvious.

"This modular mech platform and its available configurations are all masterworks. There is no mistaking this judgement."

"This 'Quint' is stronger than we have led to believe! A mech this sublime is not the result of an accidental effort! The circumstances surrounding the creation of this masterpiece is suspicious. How can a pair of Journeymen create such a powerful masterwork?!"

From the remarks made by the MTA envoys, Ves discovered that they were quite experienced in evaluating masterworks! They managed to glean far more clues about the Quint than he expected!

As the envoys started to crawl all over the mechs, Master Willix swept her gaze towards the base platform and each configuration with piercing eyes.

Those weren't ordinary eyes! Ves guessed that Willix heavily augmented her eyes so that she could pierce through the inner structure of any mech!

After fifteen minutes of cursory examinations, the envoys floated back to Master Willix and whispered some of their initial conclusions. The Master nodded continuously as she agreed with their judgements.

She eventually waved her hand. "Continue inspecting the Masterwork."

Once her entourage returned to the Quint, Master Willix floated over to Ves and Gloriana and stared at them with a hint of disapproval!

Gloriana looked confused while Ves couldn't help but feel nervous despite his mask. It was too hard to hide his secrets in front of a Master!

"Did you really think you could fool a Master?"

Uh oh!

"What.. what are you talking about?" Ves cautiously asked.

"We have been nothing but truthful so far!" Gloriana earnestly claimed.

Master Willix frowned deeper. "It is time to stop avoiding the truth. Admit it. Lying to the MTA is deeply unbecoming of professionals such as you. I do not wish to see you ruin your careers because you have decided to mislead us in order to earn more credit that you are not entitled to! Tell me! Did the two of you design the Bright Warrior by yourselves and fabricate this masterwork without any help?"

Both of the mech designers she addressed grew confused. What was she talking about?

As Ves wracked his mind on what Master Willix was referring to, he suddenly realized what she was talking about.

It was his decision to Superpublish his design! Prior to that, the quality and sophistication of the design was rather good but not exceptional according to their standards.

Yet when he Superpublished the design behind Gloriana's back, the Bright Warrior design fundamentally morphed into a different beast!

Seeing that this detail clearly hadn't escaped the sight of Master Willix, Ves decided to come clean.

"Yes." He spoke and pretended to be more upset about this admission than he really felt! "At the end of our design project, I.. took our finished design to another mech designer who subsequently tuned it up. Our benefactor considerably raised the quality of our mech design, which is good because my Larkinson Clan will benefit from piloting the best mech possible. It.. it wasn't our intention to misattribute our mech design to just ourselves, but in our defense, we never intended to publish the Bright Warrior. If not for turning its first copy into a masterwork, we would have never brought it to the attention of your Association!"

Master Willix softened her expression. "You are right, and I am pleased to hear you admit the truth. Can you tell me the name of your benefactor? From what I have deduced from the schematics of your design, the third party who improved your mech design is very skilled and possesses a great mastery in technical problem-solving. I'm quite interested in corresponding with such an eminent mech designer."

"Ves?" Gloriana looked to him in expectation.

He shrugged and generated a quick excuse. "My.. benefactor.. does not wish to be known. I know him as 'Mr. S'. He comes and goes when he pleases, and when he's gone it's as if he has disappeared from the material realm. To be absolutely honest, earlier in my career, I received a lot of guidance from him, but lately he has been showing up less and less in my life. I have found my own way."

"Understood." Master Willix nodded. "I will respect his privacy, then. I have encountered several cases like this. When skilled mech designers do not wish to be known, then it is usually best to respect their privacy. Is Mr. S the primary cause for turning this mech into a masterwork?"

It sounded as if she had already made a conclusion in her mind! Ves instantly grasped this opportunity!

"Yes." He lied. "Gloriana and I would have never been able to create a masterwork mech on our own. It.. is true that we relied on external assistance to elevate the quality of the Quint. Mr. S deserves the majority of credit."

"This is not what the two of you have stated in your masterwork applications. Did you know how many red flags you've raised when the documentation and footage you've provided contains some very clear omissions?" Master Willix put her hands on her hips. "As I have already said, lying to the MTA is a severe offense. As mech designers, I expect better from you. Do. Not. Lie. To. The. MTA. Again. Understand?"

"Yes, Master."

Both Ves and Gloriana lowered their heads and pretended to be chastised by the Master's words!

"Now that we have established the truth, let us proceed with the verification process." Master Willix said and motioned them to step forward to the Quint. "Even if Mr. S deserves most of the credit for creating this powerful masterwork, the two of you appeared to have played a substantial role in its creation."

Once they approached the foot of the base platform, Ves and Gloriana meekly waited as the Master looked up at the tall machine with a hint of admiration.

"Alright. Step forward and touch the surface of this mech."

The pair did as the Master commanded.

While Ves felt the warmth within the mech, Master Willix stared at them both for almost an entire minute!

"Alright, you can withdraw your hands. I have seen enough."

Once he withdrew his arm, he looked towards the Master with a questioning expression. "Ma'am.. Are our masterwork applications.. still valid?"

If Master Willix found cause to reject their applications, then everything around Ves might fall apart! The Wodin Dynasty would certainly feel as if they had been fooled and would pull every support they initially promised!

"There are clear problems with your applications. This is undeniable." Master Willix spoke gravely. "However… earlier, I told you that you can rebut any argument as long as you design or build the right mech. Well, from what I have ascertained so far, the two of you possess a clear and undeniable bond with this mech. This is proof that you have materially contributed to the formation of this masterwork mech. As a consequence, the two of you are still eligible to receive your masterwork certificates."

Ves and Gloriana both looked relieved! They still had a chance!