The Mech Touch

Ves rubbed his smooth-shaven chin as he considered everything that Jovy had told him earlier.

He had to admit that he underestimated the consequences of his actions. It turned out that he had not been paying attention to the dynamics between the MTA and CFA!

Sure, the two human organizations nominally belonged to the same side, but in the background they had never stopped competing for power!

The current consensus in the mech industry was that battleships still remained the most powerful and practical weapon platform to ensure humanity's dominance. Their immense scale and ability to mount enormous weapons that could crack entire planets made it easy for the human race to project power in space!

Yet the supporters of mechs still maintained hope that god mechs could break the dominance of destructive battleships one day. If not for the fact that it was insanely difficult for any individual to advance all the way to god pilot, the MTA wouldn't have to resort to so many means to protect high-ranking mech pilots from premature deaths!

This was the downside to technology. Once a new technological innovation became available, other people tended to get their hands on it, either openly or covertly.

As a race that depended extremely heavily on technology to expand, there were many humans that were always keen to obtain the latest and most effective toys!

What Jovy had conveyed to Ves sounded so reasonable that there was hardly any way to refute it. To the MTA, anything that would give the CFA an advantage was clearly taboo!

The main issue that Ves had to overcome was how easy it would be for the CFA to reproduce luminar crystal weapons en masse. Whether it was alien technology or not, as long as it had enough value, there was no way the fleeters would let this little complication prevent them from obtaining an effective solution against high-ranking mechs.

The solution that could give Ves a chance to realize the Fearless Project as intended was to tackle this issue directly.

"What if…" He started. "What if I can modify my heavy luminar crystal rifles so that they are only keyed to a select few Larkinson mech pilots?"

"Any tech can easily be reverse-engineered. It won't work." Jovy retorted.

"Don't be so quick to count me out. I have a few ideas that might bear fruit. If I succeed, will you give me a chance?"

The MTA Journeyman was a bit surprised by how much Ves insisted on pursuing his idea further. Many other mech designers with more respect for the MTA would have long backed off by now. Even if a particular project aligned with their passion, there was no way they would ever think about going against the will of one of the Big Two!

Not so for Ves! He showed a considerable lack of awe towards the MTA. This was both admirable and disturbing. If not for their friendship, he would have earned a rebuke for his continued attempts to fight against the MTA's rules.

"I don't think you can persuade anyone in the MTA to give you a chance." Jovy honestly said. "Even if you succeed, there are always loopholes that neither of us can think about. It only takes one ingenious person to unravel even the most perfect security measures."

Ves wasn't so sure about that. He had already hatched a few schemes such as making key luminar crystals alive and keying them to specific mechs and mech pilots.

When a weapon gained enough consciousness and control to be able to choose its own wielder, then there was little the CFA could do! For all of its emphasis on reproducible technology, if the mechers failed to figure out his living mechs, then the fleeters shouldn't be any closer!

The problem was that the MTA was so busy with many other priorities that it didn't seem like Ves could even get his foot in the door!

"Is the MTA so bureaucratic that no one with sufficient authority can hear me out, Jovy?"

"Maybe you'll have a better chance if you are willing to exchange 100 million MTA merits to make your case."

100 million MTA merits! The mechers might as well rob all of the capital ships of the Larkinson Clan right away if they were that greedy!

Still, the way Jovy expressed the lack of personal interest in this matter gave Ves another idea.

Since it worked with Master Willix, why not try it out on Jovy?

He cleared his throat. "Mr. Armalon, I may have an interesting proposition to you that might persuade you to change your mind."

Jovy began to look upset. "Just stop it, Ves. Don't do anything you'll regret."

Ves ignored the warning. "As a mech designer who has constantly made developments in metaphysical man-machine symbiosis, I have constantly explored different ways to increase a person's affinity to other entities. To me, the definition of 'machine' is not strictly defined as a mech. Since I believe that mechs can be alive, my actual specialty can also be interpreted as a way to facilitate cooperation between man and other living entities. Over the years, I have developed solutions that enable symbiosis from human to human."

"We are aware of the existence of your so-called networks, but there are too many complications regarding their usage." Jovy replied. "If it is not safe and practical enough to allow for mass adoption, then it is not a technological development that is of interest to the MTA. There are many eccentric researchers and organizations in human space that have developed quirky tech, but few of their work ever gains mass adoption. Unless you have overcome this hurdle, your tech is not a viable concession in any negotiation."

That explained why the MTA wasn't in a hurry to understand the weirder capabilities of the Larkinson Clan such as its various spiritual networks. Though his various spiritual applications were undeniably powerful, they were still immature and vulnerable to certain kinds of attacks. They were also far too difficult to work with if only Ves was able to reproduce them in their entirety!

Ves wasn't trying to appeal to the MTA as a whole for this reason. He needed to become a Master before the Association would take him seriously.

His real target was Jovy Armalon, a seemingly friendly and approachable Journeyman working for the Mech Trade Association.

Though Ves never really figured out Jovy's exact background, it was not difficult to imagine that this mech designer with an extremely promising design philosophy might have excellent connections.

For example, Jovy's ability to take over the 2-year escort mission was an indicator of the amount of sway he could exert within the massive Association.

After hesitating for a while, Ves decided to bring out one of his big guns.

"Would you like to obtain a unique advantage that can give you a massive boost in design capabilities?" He offered. "If you have been watching us as closely as I think you do, then you should have noticed that Gloriana, Ketis and myself are anything but usual. Each of us are substantially more effective Journeymen than our peers of the same age. Have you ever wondered how we gained so much success?"

The MTA mech designer briefly looked intrigued. "Our analysis of you indeed doesn't add up. There are numerous red flags in your record."

"I can tell you now that we aren't smarter than other excellent Journeymen such as yourself. The secret lies within my specialty. Rather than trying to achieve symbiosis between man and machine, one day I attempted to do something different! I successfully created symbiosis between man and himself, or to put it in clearer terms, me and me! By partitioning my own mind in half, I managed to create an extraordinary state where my sub-mind has not only gained an independent consciousness, but also acquired unique powers that are different from mine!"

"What?! Are you being serious?!"

This time, Ves had finally taken Jovy aback, thereby derailing this conversation!

"I can grant you a similar advantage if you want. It just depends on what you want. Gloriana is able to connect the minds of different mech designers in a single network during her work sessions. Ketis is able to progress as both a mech designer and a swordsmaster. I can generate and manipulate psionic power to a level you can't imagine. Do any of these powers sound interesting to you, or should I tailor a solution that best suits your circumstances?"

Jovy did look taken in by Ves' bold suggestion. Instead, he looked as if his friend had just made a major faux pas!

"Are you bribing me, Mr. Larkinson?"

Ves modestly coughed. "Master Willix asked me the same question, but that didn't stop her from making a deal with me. Look, as long as you can persuade the higher ups to give me a chance to proceed with the Fearless Project, I will make sure to address all of the concerns about the proliferation of anti-expert mech technology. As legitimate compensation for your willingness to act as an intermediary on my behalf, I am willing to grant you a personal reward in the form of a companion spirit that is designed to your specifications."

"In other words, you want me to persuade the Association to bend the rules for you in exchange for a bribe, is that correct?" Jovy asked as he began to look grim.

Damn, how hard was it to bribe people these days? Hardly any humans were saints. Even the mechers ought to be open to personal persuasion. Ves just had to try harder.

"Blinky, get out and introduce yourself to Jovy."

Mrow.

Much to Jovy's astonishment, a purple spiritual cat with a semi-intangible body emerged right out of Ves' head!

The playful cat hovered above Jovy's head before spiraling downwards until the surprised MTA mech designer hesitantly tried to touch the spiritual creature.

Of course, his hand passed right through the Star Cat's body without encountering any hindrance. Jovy at least managed to get a better sense of Blinky's unique presence.

Ves had carefully been observing the MTA mech designer while Blinky blatantly exposed his existence.

Much to his surprise, Jovy behaved as if he really didn't know about Blinky before. Even his emotions conveyed shock. It did not look as if he was putting up an act.

That was strange. Ves would have expected the MTA to gather at least some clues given how much they liked to monitor other people. Perhaps only a few people were privy to this data.

"What is this, Ves?" Jovy asked as he put down his airs as a representative of the MTA.

"Didn't I just tell you? It's another part of my mind that I have partitioned from my main consciousness through a special technique before shaping it into a cat. It doesn't have to be a cat, but it's the most comfortable form for me. What really matters is how I augmented this companion spirit."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Let me show you his tricks. Blinky! Go ahead and show how much energy you can generate."

Mrow.

Blinky drew energy from a design spirit and began to convert it into a different form of spiritual energy that was more compatible to Ves.

Though Jovy wasn't able to appreciate this effect to the fullest, he could vaguely feel the changes in the compartment.

"Activate your design network."

Mrow.

The cat with the light trails streaking over his purple form extended a spiritual connection to Jovy's head.

"If you trust me, then don't resist. Open yourself up and see how my colleagues and I have been able to work so well together."

True understanding flowed between the two as Jovy reluctantly opened up his mind to the spiritual connection.

Even though it was just a shallow bond, the MTA mech designer only needed a brief moment to realize the massive implications of a design network!

"Alright, that's enough Blinky. Show him your final trick."

Blinky cut off the spiritual connection before Jovy could fully appreciate its features. The abrupt disconnection left him wanting for more! This was the first time that he truly managed to obtain a glimpse into another successful mech designer's perspective and thought process!

What Jovy might not realize at the moment was that the other person in the network had also managed to get a good glimpse!

Ves did not dare to pry too deep in his friend's surprisingly strong and structure mind, but he managed to come away with a decent haul!

This was not the time to think about it, though. Blinky was already preparing his final trick.

The Worclaw crystal on embedded on his forehead glowed increasingly brighter as Blinky charged up his attack!

"This demonstration is a little dangerous, so you better keep your energy shields ready."

"Huh? Okay."

Jovy activated a silent command that caused the compartment to project many different energy shields.

Once Ves saw that Jovy had taken enough precautions, he nodded towards his companion spirit.

"Show him what you can do, Blinky!"

MROW!

A blinding flash erupted from Blinky as a powerful beam fueled by Worclaw energy crashed into energy shield!