The Mech Touch

The four new expert mech design projects represented a new chapter to the Larkinson Clan.

Ves was proud and happy with the direction of each of these four crucial projects.

The Dullahan Project and the Ghost Project that he had taken charge of were both a lot more radical and ambitious in scope.

This was because he attempted to invent new solutions that would have a profound impact on the progression of his design philosophy and provide his clan with wonderful new sources of strength.

From a conceptual perspective, Ves considered the Dullahan Project as a highly ambitious attempt to breathe new life into a living mech that had perished in battle.

On the surface, it sounded like an attempt to recycle the growth of a sentient mech.

What Ves actually saw in this ambitious experimental project was the possibility to exploit death as a means to further the evolution of life.

This was related to a theory that he had developed over the course of his research on mech pilot breakthroughs and the transcendence glow.

A lot of living entities tended to accumulate a lot of garbage over the course of their lives.

Though it was arguable whether undesirable elements added character and touches of humanity to humans or other living beings, Ves had already noticed that the processes of transcendence were at least indirectly related to the amount of baggage and how badly they affected people.

Certain traumas and personality flaws weighed down people so much that they were unable to advance their ranks despite possessing enough talent and diligence.

This was also why Lufa and his numerous variations of glows were so effective at stimulating breakthroughs.

Depending on how Lufa expressed his glow, he was able to selectively dampen the influence of unhelpful baggage, allowing previously burdened people to gain much-needed relief and break through with greater ease!

This was how a seemingly ordinary design spirit made from unremarkable spiritual ingredients was able to produce an impact that was greater than that of the likes of the Superior Mother and maybe even Gaia!

After all, which design spirit was able to reduce the difficulty of breaking through by as much as 50, 60 or even 80 percent?

However, Ves knew from his secret research and periodic exchanges with Master Dervidian that fulfilling the ultimate dream of universal transcendence was easier said than done.

He recalled one particular discussion in the past that taught him that inducing breakthroughs without showing much restraint may not be a good idea.

"Almost everyone in our field agrees that mech pilots break through far less frequently than the mech community desires." Master Derividian said over the comm. "Too many brave and heroic soldiers have fought all their lives for a chance of becoming more than mortal, only for them to be denied their chances due to factors outside of their control."

Ves smirked. "We can change that once we can popularize our new method of fostering transcendence."

"You think too simply, Mr. Larkinson. The reason why we have held back from expanding our scale of testing is not just because we are trying to maintain secrecy or because we do not think human civilization is too unprepared. We have an even greater concern that has become increasingly more acute now that we have monitored batches of expert pilots that have reached their ranks through artificial means."

That did not sound reassuring to Ves.

"What do you mean by that, Master?"

"Let us consider the current situation regarding breakthroughs. The threshold and requirements for breaking through are high. The drawback of circumstance is that few mech pilots are able to succeed. The advantage is that those who are able to succeed against all odds are always the best, most driven, most earnest and most disciplined of their peers. They may possess personality traits that deviate from what galactic human society deems normal, but among the total population of mech pilots, the ones that have risen above the masses generally represent the best of this warrior class."

Ves recalled every expert pilot that he knew in person. People like Venerable Tusa, Venerable Dise, Venerable Jannzi, Venerable Jannzi and Commander Casella Ingvar had all turned into heroes of the Larkinson Clan.

The Glory Seekers had Venerable Brutus and the Handmaidens of Death while the Cross Clan practically revered Patriarch Reginald Cross as a god.

Other groups also nurtured their own share of strong and exceptional personalities. A few of the names that immediately stood out in his memory were Venerable Orthox De Massie and Saint Yila Mayorka.

None of them gave him the impression that they were cruel, lazy or corrupt. Lowlives and punks simply didn't have what it took to break through their limitations and burst out with far greater strength than what mortals ought to possess.

The only ones that came close was someone like Venerable Vincent Ricklin. Ves considered the former Brighter as the most unworthy expert pilot in human space.

When Ves remembered that Vincent Ricklin ultimately experienced apotheosis after the Everchanger began to channel the transcendence glow at a large scale during the Purgatory Campaign, he suddenly understood Master Dervidian's underlying message.

"If we make it so that mech pilots don't have to work as hard to break through, then a lot more people will turn into expert pilots." Ves concluded. "Not all of them represent the best and brightest of every mech pilot. When impure, corrupt and possibly even criminal expert pilots begin to emerge with the help of a solution like the transcendence glow, our entire society will welcome a lot more violence and suffering!"

Master Termenao Dervidian's projection nodded in a grave manner. "That is indeed the scenario that our analysts have predicted. What your ground-breaking invention is able to accomplish amounts to lowering the threshold of breakthroughs. This is certainly a method to solve the shortage of high-ranking mech pilots, but it is not the desired solution of our Transcendence Faction. Do you know what we actually prefer?"

It did not take long for Ves to figure out the answer after he thought about the Master Mech Designer's words.

It was similar to controlling the enrollment of a university. There were two ways to increase its study body.

The first way was to lower the enrollment requirements. This was the easiest way to increase the amount of students attending the educational institution, but the disadvantage of doing so was that the average performance along with the overall culture and standards would drop as well!

The second way was to increase the amount of applicants that met the original requirements of the university. This was a much more desirable option because the school got what it wanted without damaging its reputation or the overall academic results of its students.

"What you actually want is to raise the qualifications and worthiness of existing mech pilots so that they can meet the original requirements." Ves spoke with a lot more clarity in his voice. "This way, the expert pilots that emerge from the ranks will still be pure, reliable and generally heroic in nature. What we are working on right now is a flawed solution that may very well introduce problems that will make our situation worse."

Master Dervidian looked away for a moment. "Your transcendence glow is still useful. Do not misunderstand us. Strength is more important than stability. If the primacy of mechs is under threat or if human civilization is being eroded by hostile alien races, then we will take measures to increase the rate of breakthroughs across the entire mech community as much as possible. This is the greatest value of your invention. You have given us a strong and powerful lifeline that can increase the survival chances of the human race."

Though Ves didn't expect the Transhumanist Faction and probably the Survivalist Faction to view his transcendence glow in this light, he would take what he could get even though he felt like he deserved more appreciation for his massive contribution.

"Thanks… I guess. So what does that mean for us going forward?"

"We continue our research. We continue to study the effects of the transcendence glow on test subjects over time. We must understand exactly what happens to different expert pilots who were originally unworthy but broke through with ease with the help of your transcendence glow. This will at least give us a more thorough understanding of how our society will change once we open Pandora's box."

It was never a good development when an invention of his was equated to this ancient myth.

Ves found it to be an apt analogy. Pandora's box contained many evils, but it also contained hope amidst the darkness.

However, it would be difficult to restore order in a society where power had run amuck.

When the number of high-ranking mech pilots in human space multiplied by a hundred in a short amount of time, a large proportion of these mighty warriors would probably come across as the opposite of heroes!

Power inherently possessed a corrupting influence on people's psyches. No one was immune to its influence, but most expert pilots today were too noble and honest to violate their own principles.

Yet what if expert pilots emerged that possessed weaker principles? What if they had no principles and bottom lines in the first place?

If these lowlives began to advance to higher ranks in larger numbers, then the damage they could do to the people around them may be even more terrible than any hostile alien race!

In time, those who made it all the way to the rank of god pilot would no longer be admired as living deities in human form.

The darkest among this top group would become known as tyrants.

No. Maybe it would be even worse. Maybe people might even come to regard them as devil pilots!

Ves grew a lot more nervous after he made this realization. If it became known that he had enabled the rise of the most terrible butchers and warlords of the mech community, then it would be difficult for him to escape responsibility for their many crimes!

He began to look distressed.

"Is there a way to solve the problem of popularizing the transcendence glow?"

"That is what we must work on." Master Dervidian stoically replied. "There are no convenient solutions available. We believe that your transcendence glow must be paired with another solution that is just as revolutionary in order to limit the negative consequences. For example, an obvious remedy would be to develop a measure that can restrain or remove the negative traits of mech pilots. If these warriors can be healed, cleansed or guided to the right directions, then they will no longer pose such a great threat to society anymore. In fact, their chances of advancing without relying on your transcendence glow will rise dramatically."

In other words, this was probably the solution that the Transhumanist Faction and other groups truly wanted to attain!

Ves thought about how such a feat could be accomplished. "What you're talking about can't be done through normal means. Mech pilots must be strong-willed in order to break their limits, so they are the hardest people to change their minds. Those that become more susceptible to outside persuasion are exactly the kind of people who aren't capable of breaking through."

"We are aware of this dynamic, Mr. Larkinson. This is why we are seeking a more radical method of changing mech pilots. If we can alter their very personality and character on a deep and extensive level, we can purify them so that they become better versions of themselves. We have conducted more research on this topic than you can ever imagine, but I am not afraid to say that most of our experiments have yielded no usable results."

A shudder ran through Ves' body. He could easily imagine a lot of taboo experiments revolving around operating directly on human brains or using external tools such as cranial implants or tampered mechs to alter their cognition in crude and damaging ways.

"I see. We won't be able to make much progress, then." Ves said in a grim tone.

Master Dervidian clasped his fingers. "Human society is not as strong as it looks on the surface. It is surprisingly fragile. Any major change to the status quo can lead us to a darker future. That is the opposite of what we wish to accomplish by pursuing our ideals. If human transcendence leads to decline, degeneration and bloodshed, then it is better for us to remain weak and mortal. The Age of Conquest has taught us that the vast majority of humans are too unworthy to bear greater power. That is why they only deserve to be treated as space peasants. Only true galactic citizens are fit for greatness."

"..."