The Mech Touch

It didn't take much explanation from Master Willix to hit home the fact that the MTA was not happy.

The last thing the mechers wanted was for Ves to spread out a weapon system that could fire light beams that inflicted devastating damage against resonance shields!

Though the conventional wisdom was that nothing could ever stay a secret forever and the progress of technology could never be halted, the Big Two exerted a lot of control of humanity.

If the MTA and CFA was able to restrict everyone from using warships, weapons of mass destruction, mass brainwashing technology and many other unsavory applications, then they could surely prevent humans from utilizing luminar crystal technology!

Ves had no doubt that the MTA was willing to go through extreme measures in order to ensure that not a single human organization or state would field any mechs armed with luminar crystal rifles.

It didn't matter that the stronger version that Venerable Stark had just tested a few ago was a special version. Even a rifle that was just a tenth as effective at breaking resonance shields was already a gamechanger to many military organizations.

"Why must the MTA stand in the way of progress?" Gloriana still didn't want to give up the chance of arming the Hex Army with improved luminar crystal rifles. "No tech is invincible. I'm sure that someone will develop a counter against light beam attacks sooner or later. However, this won't happen if you keep the new weapon system out of people's hands. What if hostile alien empires deploy something similar one day?"

"We don't lock every tech we don't like in a vault and forget about it, Mrs. Wodin. Our research teams are constantly at work in order to get ahead of the curve. While I admit that our researchers may not be able to make as much progress as the total population of humanity, this is but a small price to pay to ensure that the development of mechs will not experience too many disruptive shifts. There are some disruptive innovations that we have permitted to spread, but your light beam rifles do not fall under this category."

Master Willix's tone made it clear that she did not intend to make an exception for this case. The MTA's priorities mattered a lot more than the opinions of others.

"Does that mean that we have expended all of this effort for nothing?" Ves frowned.

"What about my former state?" Gloriana desperately asked. "It's not fair to deprive them of the solution that we have developed to save the Hegemony from destruction."

The MTA Master frowned and crossed her arms. "I am not requesting you to suppress your new innovation. I am stating the MTA's stance. We cannot allow your luminar crystal rifles to become ubiquitous. If we see any weapon that is similar to the one you have made, both you and the Hexadric Hegemony will soon cease to exist."

The daunting threat put a stop to any attempt at blocking this ban. Once Ves and Gloriana accepted the MTA's judgement, Master Willix loosened her demeanor.

"Don't worry. We are still fair. We recognize and applaud any attempt at furthering humanity's technological development. As long as you surrender the full details on your luminar crystal weapon system, we will grant you the reward that we issue to anyone who shares their innovations with us. Mr. Larkinson, I will personally do my best to allocate the maximum possible MTA merit award to your account."

"How many merits are we talking about?" Ves cautiously asked.

"As long as you enable us to reproduce the luminar crystal rifle that can fire a so-called 'light beam' attack in its entirety, then I am able to grant you 10 million MTA merits."

10 million MTA merits.

Ves and Gloriana had to go over these several times in order for the reward to hit home.

The two had never expected that this single invention was worth a lot more than turning a couple of MTA mech pilots into expert pilots!

Then again, if the MTA did not possess this tech itself, then it was a lot more reasonable for the organization to issue such a hefty reward.

Though Ves and Gloriana still lost out considering how drastically the weapon system could alter the paradigm of mech warfare, the consolation prize was enough to keep them silent.

They benefited a lot more if they quietly accepted the MTA's judgement and avoided greater sanction.

Ves still wasn't entirely pleased with this outcome, though. How could he possibly proceed with designing the Sentry Project after the MTA took away the most essential piece of the puzzle? What about his other expert mechs such as the Chimera Project?

The thought of depriving Venerable Joshua a powerful means of defeating other expert mechs did not sit well with him! If the Larkinson Clan ever encountered another ambush like it did during the Battle of Reckoning, should Ves obediently allow thousands of good men and women to be slaughtered just because he couldn't equip their mechs with light beam weapons?

Since Master Willix was involved in the design of most of their expert mechs, she possessed a great understanding of the Larkinson Clan's position.

"I believe you are misunderstanding something, Mr. Larkinson. Our goal is to prevent the spread of a dangerous new weapon that can threaten the lives of expert pilots. That does not mean we oppose progress. As the principal developer of this new application, you are entitled to some additional rights. Depending on my discretion, I can allow you and your Larkinson Clan to continue utilizing this weapon system. The only requirement is that you are not permitted to spread it any further."

Ves was shocked! If this was the case, then most of his objections against this ruling would disappear. As long as his Larkinsons maintained an advantage, it didn't matter too much if he wasn't able to equip his commercial or commissioned mechs with the same capabilities.

"Thank you, Master Willix."

"Don't thank me yet. I will only grant you this dispensation as long as you divulge the theory and production method of your light beam weapons. You will also have to sign a contract that will formalize your new status as a contributor of restricted technology within our database."

Master Willix briefly explained what that actually meant.

Just like how mech designers could gain rewards if they handed over their mech-related trade secrets, the MTA instituted special rules to those who contributed more controversial technology.

While the mechers could rely on their domineering power to coerce mech designers and other inventors into giving up their tech, this was a short-sighted approach that would definitely generate a lot of resentment in the long run.

Since innovation and technological progress were sacred to the MTA, any attempt at restricting them could lead to stagnation in the long run. In order to make sure that innovators remained happy and productive, the MTA was willing to give them special accommodations to make sure that they continued to pump out useful new inventions.

"Mind you, if you developed a new superweapon such as a bomb that can split apart a planet, we would never allow you to retain the right to use it. It just so happens that your case is not as severe. Even if we allow you and your clan to retain the use of light beam weaponry, the damage you can do to human society is limited."

Human society was too big for any single player to change the game. The real danger was spreading out the new killer weapon to other players. As long as that didn't happen, the MTA simply didn't care that the Larkinson Clan would be able to bully any expert mechs it came across.

Master Willix even took the time to explain all of the terms. The dispensation that she was willing to give would only apply to the Larkinson Clan. If the clan ever grew too big one day, then the MTA might opt to change the rules.

This was their right. As long as the mechers were no longer happy with the current arrangements, they had no qualms about altering the terms. They were simply too powerful to stop.

For now, the deal was fairly favorable to the Larkinson Clan. Ves knew that his fleet would be able to retain a powerful trump card to ensure its survival in the Red Ocean.

The only other problem was that the MTA didn't give out this exemption for nothing.

Master Willix gave Ves an important reminder. "The rationale for allowing the developers of a restricted tech to retain the right to use their new inventions is to give them the room to improve their work. You can be certain that our own research teams will do their best to develop your tech further, but we have observed that allowing the original inventors to keep iterating on their inventions will also yield a considerable degree of progress."

"So if I make any improvements, I have to give your Association an update?"

"Correct, Mr. Larkinson." Willix smiled. "Humanity must continue to develop its technological base. We are far from reaching the apex that other alien civilizations have reached. We need you to continue to work on this odd light beam weapon of yours as there might be a situation in the future where it can play a crucial role against our common enemies."

Ves narrowed his eyes. He had a feeling that he knew exactly what she was talking about. Though he never really tested it out, he had a very strong hunch that light beam weapons were also effective against the spiritual methods of the Five Scrolls Compact.

If this was the case, then 10 million MTA merits was obviously not enough to reflect the full value of a powerful counter against one of the MTA's main opponents!

He knew better than to voice his greed. The MTA held an overwhelming advantage in this negotiation. Whatever concessions it was willing to give was primarily dependent on Master Willix's generosity.

It was a good thing that she was on Ves' side.

Yet even if she was willing to fight for his interests, there was a limit of what she could do. The MTA never engaged in a losing transaction. It had no reason to suffer a loss when it was powerful enough to flip the board whenever a game wasn't playing out in its favor.

While the merit award of such a massive contribution was rather tasteless to Ves, at least he got something. Besides, this wasn't the end of the story. If Ves ever made any significant advancements in light beam weaponry, he could expect to receive even more MTA merits!

Overall, this turn of events did not exceed his bottom line, especially after he asked an important question.

"Just to be sure, you're talking about restricting the tech related to weapons that can fire light beams, right?"

"Correct."

"Then am I still allowed to sell regular luminar crystal rifles?" Ves eagerly asked. "The component responsible for allowing my rifles to fire resonance shield-busting light beams is fairly complicated and abstruse. There is no way that other people will be able to develop it independently."

Master Willix had already thought about this distinction. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Larkinson, but we do not desire the spread of alien technology. We are willing to ignore weaker applications, but your second-class luminar crystal weapons are too powerful. We do not desire human progress to take a detour. Any improved weapon system must be fully based on human technology and human science. This is better in the long run."

This was a huge disappointment to Ves. This effectively meant that he wouldn't be able to equip his commercial mech models with a powerful advantage that would put them ahead of the competition.

Perhaps the Crystal Lord Mark III wouldn't be as revolutionary as he previously envisioned!

The Master adopted a sterner expression. "It's rather interesting how your applications of luminar technology have experienced a sudden leap in recent times. I am certain that I did not grant you the classified research materials that allow you to develop crystals with this degree of material strength. Will you tell me how you came to possess this restricted knowledge, or do I have to perform an investigation myself?"

Uh oh. Master Willis finally asked the question that Ves was least willing to answer at the moment.