The Mech Touch

Mr. Hempkamp cleverly dangled the possibility of allowing mech pilots to enter a state of Unity of Man and Machine to Ves.

However, this remained a distant theoretical possibility for now. The amount of work, effort and brilliance required to enable any mech pilot to attain this mythical state with a single press of the button was enormous!

No matter how brilliant Hempkamp had proven to be, there was no way he could develop a successful implementation of this tech within a single decade or generation!

Though Ves was not fooled by Hempkamp's exaggerated boasts, there was no denying that the newly-recruited Journeyman possessed real substance!

His earlier contributions to every design project had already yielded slightly better results. His ability to match the right neural interfaces to the right mech designs made every Larkinson mech slightly more effective in battle than before.

His so-called 'First Stage Man-Machine Deep Exchange' was something different entirely, but happened to be highly practical and easy to implement throughout the Larkinson Clan!

"So these are the parts that are responsible for enabling the deep exchange process. They're… smaller than I expected."

Ves looked down at a workshop table and studied the handful of components that the neural interface specialist had laid out. Each of them were no larger than the size of his hand. Many of them were smaller than his finger, in fact!

When Hempkamp put it all together, he created a module that could easily be attached to the neural interface of an existing mech as long as there was space.

Even if there wasn't any space, additional room could easily be created by modifying the cockpit.

Ves still had a hard time believing that such small components could achieve such a drastic improvement in performance.

Then again, his own design philosophy was even more ridiculous considering that his spiritual work did not occupy any material space!

"How does this ensemble cost?" Ves critically asked.

"Almost nothing compared to the price of a full-sized mech." The other man answered. "There is nothing special about these components. Their main role is to enable the existing neural interface of a mech to establish a different form of connection. That is all. To put it in another way, my work is mostly software-based rather than hardware-based. I can already do much of the work by altering the programming of a mech. This extra module is only necessary to enhance the stability and safety of a deep exchange, since ordinary neural interface models are not equipped to perform these functions."

"I understand."

Ves could already tell that the components weren't too expensive either. They were made from regular if sturdy materials.

This made it a lot easier to install this new add-on to the tens of thousands of mechs in use by the Larkinson Clan!

"Do these add-ons have to be adapted to every specific mech model or variant or are you able to apply a single universal version to every mech?"

"Ah, they are not universal, unfortunately." Hempkamp apologetically answered. "They need to be designed specifically for every model and variant because of many different reasons, such as the different models of neural interfaces that they employ. What I can tell you is that the changes that I have to make are minimal if I apply them to variants that share a great resemblance to the original model. I can even outsource much of the work to assistant mech designers who possess a background in neural interface technology."

Ves discussed this topic further with Mr. Hempkamp. Though it took a lot of work and effort to upgrade all of the existing Larkinson mechs with this special add-on, Ves truly felt it was worthwhile to implement it on a large scale.

"If you can conduct more tests between different mech pilots and living mechs and prove that your tech is both safe, practical and effective, I have no qualms in spreading it throughout the Larkinson Army. I think that every mech pilot in our clan deserves to receive the best of what we can offer, and this brilliant little solution of yours is exactly what they need to give them an extra edge over our rivals!"

This was music to Hempkamp's ears! "Thank you, sir! I have always wanted to prove that my work is both safe and useful! I will do my best to reciprocate the trust that you have invested in me. I would like nothing more than to have many mech pilots benefit from my work."

The man craved validation. Ves knew that and readily gave him an opportunity to obtain it through his own work.

However, the plan outlined by Ves did not fully match Hempkamp's intent.

"What about other mech pilots, sir? The public and more specifically the customers of our products deserve to enjoy the same benefits as well. Think of how much this innovation will supercharge our sales. Every user of our commercial mech is able to display much more battle strength in a shorter amount of time. The improved performance of our mechs across the board will most certainly get noticed by the mech market, which means that the demand for our products will rise significantly! Other than that, the mech pilots who have tasted this benefit will become a lot more attached and bonded to our living mechs, making it much more likely that they will turn into our fixed customers and users in the future!"

Hempkamp's analysis of the positive business impact that his First Stage Man-Machine Deep Exchange tech could accomplish in a short amount of time sounded plausible.

That did not mean that Ves was ready to accept his recommendation. He held up a palm.

"Slow down, Mr. Hempkamp. I don't know if you have noticed, but here in the Larkinson Clan, we generally abide by a rule that states that we keep all of the good stuff to ourselves. This applies to our uncommon but effective luminar crystal technology as well as our recently-developed MSTS. While we are open to putting out our exclusive solutions onto the market whenever it is appropriate, we need to make sure that our Larkinson forces maintain a decisive edge over our rivals and future opponents. Do you understand?"

The neural interface specialist looked a lot less pleased at this reminder. "I am… aware… of this custom. While I am happy that our fellow soldiers will be able to benefit from my original work, I have to say that it is a disappointment that I cannot share my contribution to the rest of the mech community."

This could be a problem. Ves' instincts did not warn him of anything, but his judgment and understanding told him that Cormaunt Hempkamp was an eager researcher with a burning need to prove himself to everyone who doubted his work.

The man possessed a great desire to stand up in front of the whole mech industry and prove all of those doddering old fogeys wrong for passing off his work as reckless and dangerous!

Still, as much as Ves was willing to help Hempkamp earn proper recognition for his work, the needs of the clan came first.

"Mr. Hempkamp, listen to me. I understand your need to prove yourself to your former employers and everyone else. I truly do. There are many mech designers in the industry who share the same desires, but much of their work goes unsung. These are the people who work in secret labs that quietly work on designing and improving military mechs, many of which have never fully showcased their capabilities in combat. The mech designers responsible for working on these secret projects gladly do so in order to ensure that their state or organization maintain a decisive advantage over the enemy. All of these mech designers are able and willing to forgo fame in order to serve the greater good. Will you be able to adopt this role as well?"

"I…"

"You don't have to remain unsung forever." Ves quickly added. "This is only a temporary condition. As long as our clan and our mechs grow stronger, it becomes less of a priority to keep our advantages hidden. We already have a habit of slowly granting access to our exclusive tech to our favored clients and eventually the rest of the mech market. What is vital is that we make sure that we maintain a clear advantage in the early stages of our clan's development. Once we have grown a lot stronger than before, there is little risk to spreading out tech like your new deep exchange technology."

That sounded a lot more tolerable to Hempkamp, if only partially.

"How long will I have to remain unsung, as you have described?"

"I can't say. It depends on many factors. The stronger we become, the less we will lose from spreading out your tech. We must all work as hard as possible in order to progress to this point. If you help us by developing additional design solutions that can speed up the evolution of our mechs, then your work will eventually trickle down to the public. I can promise you that, at least."

His remark settled Hempkamp down, at least for the time being.

In any case, the progress he made in the short time he joined the Larkinson Clan was already a lot more than he had accomplished in the last decade. There was little reason for the newcomer to feel dissatisfied with the arrangements made by the Larkinsons.

"Focus on completing your current research first." Ves said as he patted his hand on the man's shoulder. "What you have just accomplished is only a first-generation product. Try and explore ways on how to improve and refine it so that mech pilots and living mechs can gain even greater benefits from each other. Don't be in a rush to chase after fame and recognition. You can easily earn as much recognition as you want as long as your work is good enough to earn people's appreciation. You need far more than just a single invention to earn credibility."

Hempkamp fully tempered his eagerness to move quickly. "I… understand, sir. I will make sure to go through the steps properly."

Ves promptly proceeded to work together with Hempkamp to complete his research and verify that his new tech was safe and viable.

After that, Hempkamp received a new assignment that tasked him with spreading this tech to every existing and future Larkinson mech.

With the help of a design team that was specialized in working with neural interfaces, Hempkamp subsequently updated the designs of every Larkinson mech with the so-called deep exchange add-on.

A lot of Larkinson mech pilots performed better all of a sudden!

No matter whether they were the elites from the Avatars of Myth or the more laid-back members of the Living Sentinels, all of them demonstrated remarkably better piloting skill and cooperation with their living mechs after making use of this brilliant little function!

Flush with success, Hempkamp eagerly refined his deep exchange tech. He also invested more time in his other research projects, as he did not want to remain limited to mastering a single application.

Ves was happy with the changes. Along with the other initiatives the clan had undertaken in recent times, his expeditionary fleet would definitely be ready to head towards the deep frontier at the end of the rearming process!

He leaned back on his chair and placed his feet on his desk.

Lucky adjusted his body as he laid on Ves' lap.

"With all of the mechs and expert mechs at our disposal, I don't think that many enemies can pose a threat to us at this point."

"Meow."

"This is especially the case considering how much our allies have improved as well. The Crossers have undergone a rebirth after Patriarch Reginald advance to ace pilot and the Glory Seekers have finally started to receive substantial reinforcements from the Hexer colonies. We might even be able to field more mechs than expected at this rate."

"Meow."

"While everything is doing well, I can't help the feeling that I am missing one more crucial element. What have I overlooked?"

"Meow?"

As Ves looked up at the ceiling of his office, his body suddenly froze.

Though nothing appeared to have happened in the room, Ves had grown shocked!

The reason for his abnormal reaction was because he received a message from a source that had remained silent for several years!

[Update complete. Thank you for your patience. The Mech Designer System Version 2.0 is ready to commence.]