The Mech Touch

"Do we need to rethink the concept of the Riot or the First Sword?" Ves asked.

Silence fell into the conference room. Everyone knew that the Larkinson expert mechs had taken on a lot of significance among the clansmen. They had become the standard bearers of the Larkinsons and represented the face of the clan.

To admit that the designers of the two mechs overlooked crucial flaws or made mistakes was a controversial action. Tempers could easily flare if the competence and diligence of the mech designers came into question.

Even so, Ves did not shy away from this matter. Pride and satisfaction would not protect him and his clansmen from defeat. The only way he could keep himself safe and guarantee his own survival was by making certain that the mechs at his disposal were as strong as possible.

Gloriana, who cared a lot about the quality, fit and relevance of every expert mech, decided to speak up first.

"Over half of our expert mechs are products from an earlier era and in a galaxy that is weighed down by legacy. They all emerged during a time when the current mech generation had only just begun. We formulated their configurations and designed their overall structure according to the tech and standards that we were exposed to at the time."

"We weren't as big or as wealthy at the time." Ketis agreed with the other woman. "We only just heard about phasewater, but we all thought that it was too distant from us. We never thought it would take a few years to obtain hundreds of kilograms of phasewater at a time."

Ves could hardly remember what it was like in those days. Too much had changed in so few years that he was more preoccupied with moving forward than looking back.

"The absence of phasewater in the Yeina Star Cluster prevented us from gaining access and getting exposed to phasewater early." Gloriana continued. "That severely limited our vision and our options and essentially cornered us into designing expert mechs that are more at home in the last mech generation rather than the present one. Never did we dream that we would be in a position where we could make use of transphasic mech parts so early. We also underestimated the speed in which our competitors were able to do the same as well."

As much as Gloriana tended to talk nonsense at times, she could be incredibly astute when it came to mechs. Her description clearly pointed out the root cause and the key variables that explained why the Riot and the First Sword underperformed.

Granted, it was still amazing for the two of them to be able to put up a good fight against the Shockshell under the circumstances. If not for the untimely breakthrough of Rebecca Andus, Venerable Orfan and Venerable Dise might have been able to defeat their high-tier opponent while only being low-tier expert pilots themselves!

Yet given how much money and resources the Larkinson Clan funneled into the continued development of the two Larkinson expert mechs, it was not unreasonable to expect a greater return on investment.

As the mech designer who had developed the First Sword from the start, Ketis had to give a response to this inquiry.

Her willpower already grew sharper as her personal interests came under threat. She clearly did not wish to give in on her stance!

"I don't think the Riot and the First Sword have fallen behind the times." She began. "I won't say much about the Riot, but the First Sword is still a sound expert mech even if it came out back when we were still traveling through the old galaxy. A swordsman mech is a swordsman mech, and there is nothing wrong with keeping its configuration clean and simple. It worked for Jeremiah Gauge back when he was an expert pilot and it will work for Venerable Dise as well."

"Jeremiah Gauge grew up in an older era of mech design." Ves noted.

"Things aren't that much different nowadays." Ketis retorted. "Mechs are still mechs and even the possibility of fighting alien warships doesn't make expert swordsman mechs irrelevant. Conceptually, the First Sword contains everything that Venerable Dise needs to unleash her swordsmanship's full potential. Just because it doesn't have a gun doesn't mean it is bad. The only improvements needed to enhance her combat effectiveness is to replace lower-performing components with higher-performing ones. I agree with the stance that upgrading the First Sword's mobility and defense should be enough to ensure that it will be able to keep up in future battles."

The Swordmaster's message was clear. She did not oppose the notion of modernizing the First Sword, but she clearly didn't want to reinvent it just because it had experienced difficulties in the last battle.

"Are you open to the possibility of arming it with a transphasic pistol or a transphasic grenade?" Ves tentatively asked. "They can be extremely handy in the right situations. A gun, even if it is fairly weak, can allow Venerable Dise to be productive when her expert mech can't get close to her enemy. A grenade can be a lifesaver that can bail her out just like how Tusa managed to get out of a difficult situation by employing one at the right time."

The offer sounded incredibly attractive. The two expensive weapons could add a lot of versatility to the First Sword without encumbering it with too much gear.

His former student looked conflicted as she thought about the pros and cons, but she eventually shook her head.

"I don't need to talk to Venerable Dise to know that she will not allow herself to develop a dependence on other weapons. She may have failed to do well in the fight against the Shockshell, but she managed to make enormous strides in advancing her swordsmanship, her resonance strength and her combat experience, all while wielding a single sword. If she had access to the weapons that you have mentioned, she might have given in to the temptation of using them, which would not only cut her learning process short, but also cause her future development to become impure."

Many people thought that expert mechs ought to be powerful enough that they could all carry multiple different weapons.

In fact, the current level of technology of humanity could easily make this happen. Hybrid mechs wouldn't be able to exist if this was not the case.

The reason why many expert pilots opted against carrying a lot of additional weapons was because their ability to defeat strong opponents was dependent on their future progression in their strongest fighting method.

As long as Venerable Dise was able to improve her swordsmanship at a rapid speed, many limitations would no longer bother her that much.

Saint Jeremiah Gauge happened to serve as a great example of what this purist approach might yield. The man had always stuck to wielding a single sword throughout his career as an expert pilot, and once he broke through to the rank of ace pilot, his Neo Amadeus became so powerful in his hands that it could fight at range if necessary!

Of course, there were also examples that showed that other approaches might work as well.

People like Patriarch Reginald Cross and Saint Rebecca Andus never dedicated themselves to mastering a single weapon system. Instead, they regarded their armaments as tools and weren't picky in mixing and matching them to suit their circumstances. The fact that they successfully broke through meant that it was not necessary for expert pilots to limit themselves to a single weapon type.

"Everyone is ultimately different." Gloriana spoke. "There are expert pilots like Venerable Joshua that are comfortable with using both melee and ranged weapons, but there are also those that grew up specializing in fighting with a single weapon like Venerable Dise. The choice should ultimately be left to them instead of us. We have no right to dictate or even pressure them into using guns that can adversely affect their progression."

Ves could understand this sentiment, but that didn't mean this approach was without issue.

"The choices that these expert pilots make not only affect themselves, but also the people that they are responsible for protecting." He said. "Don't forget that Venerable Dise is fighting on our behalf. There was a possibility that she and her First Sword might have fallen completely if the Amaranto didn't neutralize the Shockshell at a critical moment. The situation might not have become so dire if the First Sword was better equipped. Venerable Stark and the Amaranto would have been able to save up their strongest shot for another emergency such as the one that engulfed the Shield of Samar. Venerable Jannzi probably would have been able to keep her mech alive if the Riot and the First Sword succeeded in defeating the Shockshell in a cleaner manner."

Many expressions turned heavy as Ves painted a picture where the choices of an expert pilot directly or indirectly caused the rest of the clan to pay the price.

Though he didn't want to bring up this argument, he knew it was necessary to have this discussion.

Ketis frowned. This was indeed a difficult argument for her to refute.

"It comes down to trust." She eventually spoke in a measured tone. "Venerable Dise is asking you all to trust in her decisions and her chosen development strategy. If you are willing to do so, then she will do her best to repay the faith that you have placed on her shoulders."

"What if we don't?" Ves asked while he continued to play devil's advocate.

Ketis shrugged. "She will become disappointed with us all, but she will still do her best to discharge her responsibilities, with or without her ideal expert mech."

"Hmmm, I see." Ves said before he turned to Dulo Voiken. "What about the Riot? You're in charge of its development nowadays, and I am sure that you have spoken with Venerable Orfan plenty of times. What is her stance on the possibility of equipping additional weapons?"

Dulo adopted a different tone. "Venerable Rosa Orfan is not as obsessed in mastering her weapon of choice as her colleague. Her philosophy towards combat is probably a bit more pragmatic. The reason why she stuck to spears in the past was because she was previously limited to piloting specialized standard mechs that did not have much capacity for other armaments. Now that this limitation no longer applies as much, she may be open to carrying additional weapons, including ranged ones."

That sounded intriguing. The Journeymen continued to share their opinions with each other and eventually came to a consensus.

Ves stood up. "I think we need to find a balance between personal development and collective interest. On one hand, we are mech designers who have been taught to serve expert pilots as best as possible. It is important to let them decide on the configurations of their own expert mechs. On the other hand, we are the leaders and members of a clan that encompasses over half a million people. Many of their lives are at risk if we miss out on clear and obvious opportunities to strengthen our machines further."

"You haven't given us a solid answer, Ves." Ketis complained. "What's your verdict? Will you leave it up to the expert pilot or will you pressure them into 'optimizing' their expert mech configurations?"

Ves sighed as he locked in his stance on this issue. "The incident that took place between Patriarch Reginald and the Mars has taught me that there is always a price to forcing high-ranking mech pilots to pilot mechs that they do not agree with. Expert pilots are stubborn and narrow-minded people by nature, and trying to fix these traits is a futile endeavor. I think it is ultimately better to give them the benefit of the doubt and continue to put our trust in them unless proven otherwise."

"What does that mean for Venerable Orfan and Venerable Dise?"

"They pretty much performed as best as they could under the circumstances. The two expert pilots and their expert mechs are not to blame for their failures. Their opponent was simply too strong."