The Mech Touch

"What does Davute think of the Larkinson Clan?" Tristan asked Professor Galbraith.

It had become increasingly clearer that the older mech designer was not just another Senior based in Davute.

The man taught at ZUTA University and developed a lot of contacts within the academic community of Davute VII.

Tristan had also noticed that Professor Zin Galbraith possessed so much insider knowledge that he was probably involved in a number of confidential projects organized by the colonial government!

A mech designer like that should possess an extensive understanding of what the people in charge of Davute thought about a quirky organization like the Larkinson Clan.

"Opinions on the controversial clan are mixed." The professor steadily answered. "There are mech companies and political factions that are opposed to working together with such a new and volatile clan. There are also others that see great promise in what its talented patriarch can bring to Davute, especially in the long-run."

By this time, the column of living mechs moved almost right underneath the floating diamond structure. The Larkinsons had opted to enhance their show of force by playing a militaristic theme that synced nicely with the battle footage projected in the air.

The many sights and sensations enhanced a lot of people's impressions of the Larkinson Clan.

Numerous mech pilots and personnel working for other other employers seriously started to consider whether they could gain more fulfillment by joining this famous and far more exciting clan.

"Do you think that the products of the Larkinson Clan can make a real difference in the upcoming war?" Tristan asked.

"You are much more familiar with living mechs. Your former state had to fight against millions of them in its last war. What do you think?"

"I think the work of Ves will definitely make life harder for Karlach." The younger mech designer firmly stated. "Yes, the Hexers ultimately lost the war, but they managed to put up a considerably better fight with a number of highly effective living mech models like the Blessed Squire and the Valkyrie Redeemer. Ves has only grown stronger and more experienced after he designed those mechs. The commercial mechs sold by the LMC such as the Pacifier and the Buzzy Bee models are unique and highly practical in wartime situations, and that is just the start."

Professor Galbraith nodded in agreement. "Those mechs are indeed remarkable and have already proven their utility in many different circumstances, though they have yet to be employed in battles that are larger than ordinary border scuffles. That said, the LMC's commercial mech models are not impactful enough to tilt the balance of the war. The energy shield mechs developed by Master Manuel Terrence and his team have a greater chance of doing so due to how they can profoundly change the resource allocation and consumption patterns of our colonial state."

Tristan's eyes shone as he thought of another idea.

"You may be correct, professor, but that is only when you consider the works of Ves Larkinson and Manuel Terrence in isolation. What if they joined forces? There is no rule that states that they should keep their biggest selling points to themselves."

"They are competitors."

"They have also chosen to cooperate and side with Davute." Tristan immediately retorted. "That means that they have joined the same camp. In business, they may remain competitors, but as committed Davutans, they should agree to set aside any competitive rivalries and join forces for the public good of our state. It is understandable for RT&D and the LMC to pressure each other on the mech markets, but their chief designers must learn how to work together to deliver the strongest military mechs that Davute can field across its mech armies."

This comprehensive answer caused Professor Galbraith to look particularly impressed by the younger mech designer.

"You have thought much about this subject, I can tell."

"One of the mistakes that Ves has made in the past was that he did not cooperate too much with the Master Mech Designers in the service of the Hex Army. My fellow Fridaymen and I always wondered how the war would have unfolded if the two sides built up a better relationship and collaborated sincerely with each other. I guess that the egos, the lack of trust and Ves' well-founded reluctance to cooperate with the Hexers have ultimately prevented this from happening. The Komodo War might have ended in an entirely different way if history took a different course."

It was one of the great what-if scenarios that people of the Friday Coalition occasionally thought about. They were all glad they lived in a version of reality where the worst did not happen.

Now that Davute stood at the same crossroads as the Hexadric Hegemony at the time, the ambitious colonial state would certainly try to avoid making the same mistake!

Galbraith looked intrigued by the notion that Tristan raised.

"Your suggestion has great promise. Ves, despite just being a Journeyman, is able to impart his living mechs with strong and tangible benefits that no one in this part of human space can replicate. If he is able to add his strengths to the mechs designed by Master Manuel Terrence, the result will be a series of energy shield mechs that perform much differently from the counterparts that Karlach's own designers are surely working on. The differences may be decisive enough to give our unique brand of energy shield mechs a decisive advantage in the war."

Tristan picked up the point that the Senior was trying to make.

"Ves' value lies not only in his ability to impart strong advantages to his mechs, but also the difficulty of matching them or countering them. The Friday Coalition has tried various means, but they weren't really all that effective."

"Davute and Karlach are too similar to each other." Professor Galbraith remarked. "Sure, they have their differences. Their locations are different. Their backers are different. Their policies are different. Yet despite all of these divergences, they are both rising colonial powers that seek to attain the same goal through similar means. It is hard for one of them to exceed the other, but it is also easy for the both of them to keep up with each other's progress in many areas. Imagine how the war between the two will unfold if this parity remains intact."

"It would turn into a stalemate. A bloody stalemate."

"Exactly, Mr. Wesseling. This is why both Davute and Karlach are eager to secure advantages in other areas. An unconventional mech designer such as your good friend can be the secret ingredient that can make our most critical mechs win more battles, thereby preventing a dreaded stalemate that will only weaken both sides in the end. We cannot let the war drag on for too long. Our economy and infrastructure cannot bear to support a war on the scale of what took place in your home star sector."

No matter how much progress Davute and Karlach had made in less than a decade, it was still undeniable that they barely had any time to build themselves up from scratch!

The reason why they were always associated with the term 'colonial state' was because they were still a long distance away from matching the standards of a proper state!

This was also what made the upcoming war so dangerous and destructive. It would not take as much effort to collapse a colonial state as long as its lines started to falter. The lack of depth and accumulation could easily transform a single major setback into a catastrophic collapse!

Of course, both Davute and Karlach would be trying their best to induce their enemy to experience this first!

"I knew that Ves and his work could make a difference, but not to such a drastic extent." Tristan said. "You make it sound as if he can single-handedly swing the course of the war. Is this truly the case?"

"That is a controversy in itself." Professor Galbraith answered as he resumed drinking his wine now that the Larkinson mechs had moved out of sight for a while now. "There are still many skeptics and naysayers in the colonial administration, in the academic halls and in the design labs of many mech designers. It is difficult for many people to take a Journeyman Mech Designer seriously. Cooperating with the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan will also be a challenge due to his volatile decision-making and other well-known eccentricities."

Tristan frowned when he heard that. "I won't deny that Ves is weird, but that is also why he is brilliant. He generates ideas that no one has considered before and somehow found a way to make them work. Geniuses shouldn't be judged at the same standards as ordinary people. Besides, Ves has always abided by his promises, especially when it comes to his business affairs."

"That is true, and that is the reason why President Yenames Clive and the advocates that wanted to bet heavily on Patriarch Larkinson and his clan have gained the upper hand for the time being. There are many people and groups that have become furious at the government's decision to grant the Larkinsons priority access to several capital-grade shipyards. They will react strongly if Patriarch Larkinson fails to meet everyone's high expectations."

That sounded dreadful. Not just the Larkinson Clan, but also Davute as a whole would suffer if this happened!

"Do you think this is likely to happen, professor?"

"I do not possess an in-depth understanding of the Larkinson Clan and its distinctive mechs. I wouldn't trust my own judgment on this matter. I still remain on the fence for the time being. Many of my other contacts have also decided to adopt a wait and see attitude. Let us observe how the first Larkinson mech commissioned by the government will fare in the war. If it does well, then we will be in favor of greater cooperation. If that is not the case, then we will hold the opposite stance."

That was a cold but pragmatic attitude to take. There was no need for people like Professor Galbraith to take sides in advance and piss a lot of people off when it could be avoided.

"Ves has an existing track record." Tristan argued. "He has helped the Hexadric Hegemony before and he can do more for Davute. Shouldn't that give you more confidence in his success?"

"It is not that simple, Mr. Wesseling. The circumstances are different. For one, Karlach knows what is coming in advance and is already in the process of making the right preparations. There is also no guarantee that Patriarch Larkinson can establish a good working relationship with the Master Mech Designers that the colonial government puts forward. The promised mech designs may also not be as impactful as hoped due to poor design choices."

This could all happen. It was clear that many people thought that a single quirky mech designer had the potential to materially affect the outcome of a war that could decide the fates of billions of colonists as well as the fortunes of many stakeholders.

Yet for all of their hopes, they were too afraid to bet on this hope. The way they simultaneously valued Ves for his proven abilities but also doubted that he could pull off his job was strange to Tristan.

Then again, he knew the mech designer who originated from the Bright Republic for many years and had seen his work produce results on a first-hand basis.

This caused Tristan to look forward to the future even more. He had a lot of confidence in Ves' ability to amaze his clients like he had often done in the past.

"So we are all waiting to see whether this Larkinson Factor can give us the decisive advantage we need to crush Karlach in battle." Tristan summarized.

"The Larkinson Factor, hm? That is a good phrase. You are correct. A surprisingly broad group of people are waiting with bated breath how this factor can skew a major war between two roughly even colonial states. It isn't just the people in Davute and Karlach that are paying attention. There are the Fridaymen, the Hexers along with many other interested and far-sighted individuals in the Red Ocean that are closely tracking the work of a single Journeyman Mech Designer."

"You make it sound as if he is a Star Designer."

"He can be a Novice Mech Designer and still earn our appreciation as long as his work can produce more victories. The rank is not important, Tristan. Not truly. However, it will take more than a single person's contribution to ultimately win the war. A single factor is never the only variable that determines the outcome of a massive conflict that is years in the making.  You and I can also contribute to the effort in our own ways."

Tristan believed that more and more people would come to learn about living mechs and what they could do. Not just second-raters, but also first-raters may begin to pay attention to Ves' work and what he could contribute to their own machines!